SONIA Furstenau, Leader of the BC Green Party and candidate for Cowichan Valley, said on Sunday that NDP Leader John Horgan’s politicization of the hard work of the Cowichan community to move forward with a much-needed new hospital exemplifies what is wrong with BC provincial politics.
“I was informed by Minister [Adrian] Dix several weeks before the election was called that the business case had been approved and that it was moving forward,” said Furstenau.
“It is disappointing, although perhaps not surprising, to hear Mr. Horgan try to instil fear in people about a project that has been moving forward since the government announcement in 2018.
“This was a community-driven process that began several years ago. The hospital is a success of so many hardworking people in Cowichan who have come together to push this project forward.
“We simply don’t have time for this kind of politics in BC. Communities are working hard to come up with tangible solutions to the challenges we face. Between COVID-19, the affordability crisis, the overdose crisis and the climate crisis, we have to work together to get things done. All parties need to recognize that communities across B.C. should be able to count on the government to make decisions based on ensuring that every person in B.C. has access to needed services and infrastructure.”
Furstenau was on the CVRHD Board that collected funds for the hospital project when she was Area Director in the CVRD.