4 thoughts on “How Do I get involved?”

1. Loraine Stephanson February 8, 2013 at 7:49 pm

   Thanks for this important website.

   Contacting those MLAs currently in power is vital; but we also need to contact NDP MLAs, who are, by all accounts, projected to form government in May. Even if the BC Liberals promise the funds in the forthcoming budget, there is no guarantee that the next government will deliver the project, unless the hospital cheque is actually received. Post-election budget analysis by an incoming government with its own agenda almost always results in messages such as “gee whiz, folks, we’re sorry but. . . .”

   Realistically, there will not be two major capital projects awarded to the RDOS by any government in a short space of time. The RDOS has recently been “gifted” BC’s biggest remand centre/jail, a scheduled $278M project which residents did not seek. Benefit cost, social impact and risk analyses for that project were never brought forward by any level of government; however, solid work has been executed by local health officials to substantiate genuine need for a hospital expansion.

   The hospital is a positive project, of benefit to the health of residents. Additionally, it will create both construction and ongoing jobs.

   The prison construction contract has not yet been signed. RDOS residents can increase probabilities of securing the absolutely necessary hospital expansion by pressuring any government that might be elected in May, to:

   1.) halt the jail project;

   2.) move it to a large metropolitan area which can more readily absorb the inevitable health care, social service and policing impacts of a huge prison; and

   3.) replace it with the fact-based regional priority of a hospital expansion.

   (Note: NDP MLA email addresses can be found on the MLA page of the BCNDP website, by clicking on each MLA name and scrolling down the page. )
2. Susan Norie February 9, 2013 at 6:38 pm

   This list for NDP MLAs may help, compiled from the NDP website – cut and paste into your emailer:

   Adrian.Dix.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Robin.Austin.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Harry.Bains.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Dawn.Black.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Jagrup.Brar.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   s.chandraherbert.mla@leg.bc.ca
   Raj.Chouhan.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Katrine.Conroy.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Gary.Coons.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   kathy.corrigan.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   doug.donaldson.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   mable.elmore.mla@leg.bc.ca
   Mike.Farnworth.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Rob.Fleming.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Scott.Fraser.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Guy.Genter.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Sue.Hammell.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   John.Horgan.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Carole.James.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Maurine.Karagianis.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Leonard.Krog.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Jenny.Kwan.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Harry.Lali.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Norm.Macdonald.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Michelle.mungall.mla@leg.bc.ca
   Gwen.OMahony.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Lana.Popham.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Bruce.Ralston.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Bill.Routley.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Doug.Routley.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Michael.Sather.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Nicholas.Simons.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   Shane.Simpson.MLA@leg.bc.ca
   diane.thorne.mla@leg.bc.ca
   joe.trasolini@bcndp.ca
   Claire.Trevena.MLA@leg.bc.ca

   If you want to do the same with the Liberal MLAs as listed on this website, here they are in a list as well:
   premier@gov.bc.ca
   margaret.macdiarmid.mla@leg.bc.ca
   bill.barisoff.mla@leg.bc.ca
   pat.bell.mla@leg.bc.ca
   mike.dejong.mla@leg.bc.ca
   bill.bennett.mla@leg.bc.ca
   Shirley.bond.mla@leg.bc.ca
   ida.chong.mla@leg.bc.ca
   Stephanie.cadieux.mla@leg.bc.ca
   rich.coleman.mla@leg.bc.ca
   pat.bell.mla@leg.bc.ca
   mike.dejong.mla@leg.bc.ca
   terry.lake.mla@leg.bc.ca
   ben.stewart.mla@leg.bc.ca
   norm.letnick.mla@leg.bc.ca
   colin.hansen.mla@leg.bc.ca
   don.mcrae.mla@leg.bc.ca
   john.les.mla@leg.bc.ca
   mary.polak.mla@leg.bc.ca
   john.rustad.mla@leg.bc.ca
   ben.stewart.mla@leg.bc.ca
   doug.horne.mla@leg.bc.ca
   moira.stilwell.mla@leg.bc.ca
   pat.pimm.mla@leg.bc.ca
   ralph.sultan.mla@leg.bc.ca
   steve.thomson.mla@leg.bc.ca
   Naomi.yamamoto.mla@leg.bc.ca
   john.yap.mla@leg.bc.ca

   I received 9 immediate automated responses. Note that the “how do I get involved” page on prhtower has a typo for the email for Steve Thomson. I’ve removed the erroneous “p” in the above list. I hope there are no other typos.

   My letter to them was simple:
   RE: PENTICTON REGIONAL HOSPITAL TOWER
   You are informed of the issues with regard to our hospital so I won’t repeat them here. Your actions would speak louder than the words we keep hearing. Words are just hot air. Make a commitment. Please get on with it and make our hospital the #1 priority that it has been determined to be.
3. clinton hunter (aka docatomics) February 12, 2013 at 8:45 pm

   I sent personal emials ( not carbon copy) to all MLA members as follows
   ” ☢☢☢ Will the Ministry of Health, Premier & other MLAs & MPs be in attendance on :
   - Wednesday Feb 13 6:30 pm OPEN HOUSE the Penticton Hospital Patient Care Tower
   = Or do they need prodding from a few thousand of their employers ?r
   held at the Penticton Trade & Convention Center ?

   thanks kindly for your effort

   clinton donald hunter

   http://www.realcanadiandemocracy.net/ ”

   May others will also invite our civil servants in their own way ?
4. Penny Oyama (nee Plecash) February 14, 2013 at 8:53 pm

   It is becoming more and more clear that EVERYONE must “get political” in order to regain a voice in the affairs of life in this country! So the hospital staff and the organizations working on this issue of needed additions to the hospital MUST address the people of the constituency, pointing out that unless they change their political support and actually VOTE for change, nothing will be done!
   Growing up in Penticton in the 60s when the city was the major centre of the valley, I remember how patients were well-served by my Dad and others. However, those were the days when political honesty and integrity were the expected norm and the prevailing behaviour. It’s no secret that many politicians nowadays are just as “corrupt” as those in other countries, but in different ways. The results are no different, as we see here.
   I believe the health care community MUST join together in mobilizing the community at large to achieve political change before it can expect any change in the support our taxes are supposed to be being used for!