Premier David Eby held an town hall in Nelson on Monday where he answered several questions from community members about local concerns.
The invite-only event saw about 200 community members in attendance.
The premier was asked a variety of questions by select audience members, including local politicians, business owners, and community leaders, on topics like health care, climate change and education.
Climate Change
According to Eby, British Columbia has been disproportionately affected by climate change, which has become increasingly evident to residents.
“I think a lot of British Columbians, and there’s something about the West Coast where we’ve really seen the impacts of climate change in a way that other places are just starting to see now and haven’t seen yet.”
He highlighted the province’s efforts to support farmers with a $100 million contribution to help manage water resources amidst severe drought conditions.
Another key point on the topic of climate resilience was clean energy.
Eby discussed the role of clean energy in the province’s economic strategy, noting that 98 per cent of the province’s energy grid is powered by hydroelectricity.
He also pointed out that BC’s clean energy has provided significant economic benefits, bringing in revenue through electricity exportation to other countries, specifically the United States. He said BC made $1 billion last year selling hydro to the Americans, an income that offsets costs for British Columbians.
He said the province’s ability to produce clean energy has created jobs, referencing projects in Prince George and Gold River where green hydrogen initiatives are being explored, which he said creates jobs and aligns with the province’s carbon goals.
Harm Reduction Education
When Eby was asked about his stance on integrating harm reduction education in the public school system, he agreed that it’s critical for youth to be appropriately trained to respond to an overdose.
He said his government is exploring a suggestion to make nasal naloxone more available across BC. Parents from around the province made the recommendation, as he said a nasal shot versus an injectable one is much easier for a young person to use in a stressful situation.
“They’re suggesting that we should make the nasal naloxone more available in the province. It’s significantly more expensive for tax dollars, but the understanding of just shooting something into somebody’s nose versus trying to take a needle out and figure out all those things feels like a significant barrier.”
Additionally, he said his government has been working to develop provincially coordinated, age-appropriate content for grade and high schools surrounding the toxicity of drugs and how unpredictable they can be.
Dialysis
Another topic brought forward was the need for a dialysis program in Nelson.
Eby agreed that Nelson does need a dialysis program but said the challenge is recruiting the appropriate health care professionals.
The solution, he said, his government is working towards is the development of a new medical school in the province, the first of its kind that will train community health workers with a focus on people who want to work in their own community.
“We’re also experimenting with increased incentives to practise in rural and underserved areas. But that’s the big challenge, and that is how we’ll get to dialysis in Nelson—by training more health care workers and supporting them to locate in the communities where we need them.”
Addressing Rural Health and Complex Care Needs
Eby acknowledged health care is a complex issue in rural areas, outlining the province’s health human resource strategy, which he said aims to fill critical positions in community care, hospitals, and complex care housing by identifying the specific types of workers needed in various regions.
The premier expressed concern about BC’s current approach to complex care, admitting that he doesn’t “feel like we’re doing a good enough job of intervening early” and pointing out that a small group of people with intensive needs often drive significant resource consumption in first responders.
He said the province is working with a psychiatrist specializing in population-level care who is helping his government develop a system with better support for people experiencing mental health and addiction.
“If they had just a few extra supports, they would have taken so much pressure off of the system because they were supported more directly.
So that’s why we brought in a psychiatrist who does population-level work, so we can learn how to do a better job in both urban and rural areas of supporting people so that they’re not placing such demand on the system, and they also have better health outcomes for themselves.”
Eby made no campaign promises or announcments during his visit.
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