B.C. Conservative MLAs are condemning the BC NDP government’s decision to slash funding to the critical BC Family Residence Program, which helps families stay with their seriously ill children during hospital visits. At the same time, shocking revelations show that the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) currently employs 336 individuals earning salaries of $300,000 or more annually.
“The hypocrisy of the NDP’s priorities couldn’t be clearer,” said Peter Milobar, Conservative MLA for Kamloops Centre and Opposition Finance Critic, on Monday.
“Families with sick kids in the hospital facing some of the worst moments of their lives shouldn’t be punished while this government continues to protect their own insider contracts and bloated administrative salaries. This NDP Government’s decision to cut help for families with sick kids is not just wrong – it’s disgusting.”
The BC Family Residence Program, which previously covered up to 30 nights of lodging per hospital stay, has now been cut drastically to just 15 nights per year and is restricted to families earning under $85,000 annually.
“It’s unconscionable to place this financial burden on families already enduring unimaginable stress,” said Anna Kindy, Conservative MLA for North Island and Opposition Critic for Health. “Children always need parental input and advocacy – especially in a critical medical situation. The NDP is choosing bureaucratic excess over the essential support families desperately need during medical emergencies. This isn’t fiscal prudence; it’s blatant mismanagement.”
The B.C. Conservatives said that Health Minister Josie Osborne recently defended these cuts, stating the province “has had to prioritize funding.” Meanwhile, NDP insider contracts are flourishing under Premier David Eby’s leadership. This includes a $58,000 contract awarded to former NDP Cabinet Minister George Heyman, and a $150,000 contract for Michael Bryant, a close personal friend of Premier Eby. Additionally, Osborne’s own office budget has received a 10% increase, underscoring the misplaced fiscal priorities of this government.
The B.C. Conservatives demanded that the BC NDP government immediately reconsider this decision and redirect funding away from exorbitant administrative salaries and insider deals back toward essential healthcare services that genuinely support British Columbian families.
“Every dollar wasted on bloated executive salaries and insider contracts is a dollar not spent helping vulnerable children and their families,” said Milobar. “British Columbians deserve better leadership than this.
