BC Political Discussion: Election 2024 & 43rd Parliament

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

Didn't the NDP either in 2022 or 2023 expand what you could be in involuntary treatment for and started work to expand facilities and personnel?

So isn't Eby's announcement just a "we're now in phase 2 of what we said we'd do a year ago"?

Am I missing something here? I don't see any flip flopping.

Involuntary treatment is also on the rise for years.

....If that sounds familiar it’s because the BC NDP have been promising, and then reneging, on the issue since 2020.

That’s when then-premier John Horgan first introduced involuntary care legislation to allow youth to be held in hospital for up to a week after an overdose to get proper addictions and mental health supports.

“I believe this is an important bill because I've talked to parents who've lost children, and they wanted action,” Horgan said at the time.

“They wanted government to do something, so there was at least a legacy for the loss of a loved one in their family.”

But Horgan faced criticism from groups that said such a change could scare youth from seeking help, traumatize Indigenous people whose family members were previously held by the state, violate civil rights and leave kids more vulnerable to overdoses if they chose to keep using.

Horgan backed off in 2021.

Then Eby came along, making involuntary care a centrepiece of his 2022 BC NDP leadership bid.

“This policy of non-intervention is one that can’t continue,” he said at the time.

“If we can prevent some deaths and intervene earlier to support people, so that they at least have a shot, I think we should do it.”

Eby won the leadership and became premier. He faced off against the same critics as Horgan. Within four months, he backed down too.

That led to Sunday, where the NDP reversed its previous reversal on involuntary care — which, just to be clear, reversed the reversal before that too.....

https://www.biv.com/news/rob-shaw-bc-ndp...y-care-may-shape-election-stakes-9526085

[madog222]

Incumbent MLA for West Vancouver - Capilano, Karin Kirkpatrick, has announced she will be running as an independent after previously deciding not to run back in February. That now makes five BC United MLAs running as independents and the first within the Lower Mainland.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by madog222

Incumbent MLA for West Vancouver - Capilano, Karin Kirkpatrick, has announced she will be running as an independent after previously deciding not to run back in February. That now makes five BC United MLAs running as independents and the first within the Lower Mainland.

Karin is as Karen does.

[whatnext]

And again, we're supposed to believe the erstwhile head of Pivot Legal is suddenly now a convert to having more police on the ground? don't be fooled, none of this will be followed through on should he be re-elected.

Eby hints at more police funding in speech to municipal leaders
By Simon Little Global News
Posted September 19, 2024 6:15 pm

BC NDP Leader David Eby is pitching a boost in police resources as a part of his party’s public safety platform in the upcoming provincial election.


Eby made the comments in a speech to the Union of B.C. Municipalities conference in Vancouver, two days before the anticipated start of the official election campaign.

He said the additional resources would complement the party’s plan to expand involuntary care for people with serious, complex mental health and addiction problems....

https://globalnews.ca/news/10764671/eby-ubcm-police-funding-involuntary-care/

[GenWhy?]

From the article:
"Eby said 250 more RCMP officers had already been added around the province in smaller communities that have been historically understaffed as complaints grow from business owners about vandalism and street disorder."

[BaddieB]

Rustad wanting to scrap zoning reform, bring back AirBNB but keep rent control is like a trifecta of horrible housing policy. Seems like if you thought the status quo was good for housing the BC Conservatives are your choice.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

From the article:
"Eby said 250 more RCMP officers had already been added around the province in smaller communities that have been historically understaffed as complaints grow from business owners about vandalism and street disorder."

Is that statistic accurate? There was a 2022 funding promise to increase rurual policing with 250 officers but this Vancouver Sun article from April 2024 has much lower hiring numbers.

B.C. Public Safety Ministry officials said that progress is being made with 59 officers and 30 public service employees hired as of March 2024 to boost RCMP staffing under that funding boost.

Still, with 9.0 to 9.5 per cent of permanent positions not filled, that means about 660 to 700 positions are vacant. Another nearly 1,000 officers are on leave, including for maternity and paternity leave, short and long-term sick leave due to illness and injuries, suspensions and leave without pay.

https://vancouversun.com/news/rcmp-vacan...c-but-picture-improving-says-top-officer

[dreambrother808]

Originally Posted by BaddieB

Rustad wanting to scrap zoning reform, bring back AirBNB but keep rent control is like a trifecta of horrible housing policy. Seems like if you thought the status quo was good for housing the BC Conservatives are your choice.

These are insanely bad policy platforms. I hope people pay attention to them rather than just voting Con out of anger at the status quo.

[Sheba]

B.C. Conservatives vow to shut down safe-consumption sites

The B.C. Conservatives have promised to shut down all drug consumption sites and replace them with mental health and addictions treatment centres if they win the upcoming provincial election.

But critics say the plan flies in the face of evidence-based research that shows such sites save people from potentially fatal overdoses.

B.C. Conservative Party Leader John Rustad made the vow at a rally in Surrey, B.C., on Sunday night, saying he would stop the B.C. NDP's program to hand out free, regulated opioids to drug users.

"We've had enough of David Eby and these drugs and handing out free crack pipes, having these drug dens in our community," Rustad said.

"We've had enough of this nonsense. We're going to end decriminalization, we're going to end safe supply. We're going to make sure we put in a regimen of treatment and recovery."

...

Eby says Rustad's position is a reversal from the one he held during a town hall in Richmond on Sept. 15.

The party released audio of Rustad saying: "I was talking with one individual who said he OD'd in a safe injection site six times before he finally got into treatment. Now, thank God, he was able, when he OD'd, he was in a place where they could provide the support for him. If he wasn't there, you know, he wouldn't be alive today."

...

B.C. Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau said Rustad should be "ashamed" for a plan that will further endanger the most marginalized British Columbians.

She said as well as recently supporting safe-consumption sites, Rustad was also a minister in the B.C. Liberal government that funded them.

"In fact, he was sitting in the government caucus when the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Insite 'saved lives and improved health without increasing the incidence of drug use and crime in the surrounding area,'" Furstenau said.

...

[GenWhy?]

"...promised to shut down all drug consumption sites and replace them with mental health and addictions treatment centres if they win the upcoming provincial election."

I think this is everyone's end game, but the funding, hiring, physical space roll-out and timelines all vary

[seamusmcduff]

https://vancouversun.com/news/bc-electio...-john-rustad-regrets-covid-vaccine-video

“Now, I’ve had three shots of the vaccine. I wish I hadn’t, quite frankly,” he said. “And it’s one of the things that’s changed in my thinking — the so-called vaccine, the COVID mRNA shots.

“When I talked to Bonnie Henry about it, I started to realize that it wasn’t so much about, you know, trying to get herd immunity or trying to stop the spread, but it was more around shaping opinion and control on the population.”

The clip was recorded during a virtual meeting on June 18, 2024 when Rustad met with the B.C. Public Service Employees for Freedom, a group of former public service employees who feel they were discriminated against for refusing the vaccine at the height of the pandemic.

The group is currently attempting to sue Henry for discrimination.

So we have an anti vaxxer with his party at 44% support, cool cool cool.

[BaddieB]

Rustad announced a provincial tax deduction of up $3,000 per month by 2029 for renters and mortgage holders, if his party forms government, starting in January 2026 with a monthly exemption of $1,500.

This so-called Rustad Rebate would provide tax relief of about $3.5 billion if universally applied to B.C.'s two million homes. 

Please tell me who is voting for this guy? I get wanting the provincial government to be fiscally responsible, but you would not be getting that with the BC Conservatives. Not only does it wreck BC finances but it also makes housing more expensive by stoking demand. I wish Conservative governments could go back to understanding basic economics.

https://www.mapleridgenews.com/news/bc-c...-relief-gets-grilled-on-vaccines-7550747

[Burquitlaman]

Originally Posted by BaddieB

Please tell me who is voting for this guy? I get wanting the provincial government to be fiscally responsible, but you would not be getting that with the BC Conservatives. Not only does it wreck BC finances but it also makes housing more expensive by stoking demand. I wish Conservative governments could go back to understanding basic economics.

https://www.mapleridgenews.com/news/bc-c...-relief-gets-grilled-on-vaccines-7550747

Have the actual details been posted anywhere? I don't understand what this even is. So beginning in 2026, $1,500.00/month of income would be exempt from income tax if I can show $1,500.00 in mortgage interest, for example?

[GenWhy?]

https://www.conservativebc.ca/john_rustad_announces_bold_rustad_rebate_plan

"Rustad Rebate will provide significant relief to both renters and homeowners by exempting up to $3,000 a month in housing costs from provincial income taxes. The rebate will begin by exempting $1,500 per month in Budget 2026, and increase by $500 per year to $3,000 per month."

"This will be achieved by issuing a tax credit worth 5.06% of eligible housing costs"

"The 2026 budget impact will not exceed $900 million, and we will design a targeted tax credit that ensures the relief goes to people who need it to get ahead in life."

Now, I'm no scientician, but can someone make sense of that for me?

[GenWhy?]

So, as a tax credit for the year 2026, I'd receive a lump sum cheque with my tax return in 2027?

So if I have higher rent / mortgage I'd get a higher rebate, regardless of income?

So if my rent is $2,100/mth I'd get $16,934 at tax time in 2027?

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

So, as a tax credit for the year 2026, I'd receive a lump sum cheque with my tax return in 2027?

So if I have higher rent / mortgage I'd get a higher rebate, regardless of income?

So if my rent is $2,100/mth I'd get $16,934 at tax time in 2027?

I don't think you get a cheque. You will have to put your monthly rent or mortgage payment into the Provincial tax return, and the first $1,500 per month (or the entire amount if it's less than $1,500) is credited against your Provincial tax bill.

So all those older home owners who have paid off their mortgage will be getting nothing. Which is kind of odd, given that traditionally I think they tend to have a greater likelihood of supporting conservatives.

To pay for the significant tax shortfall that will result from the new rebate, it seems likely health and social services spending will have to be cut. As well as programs like BC Housing, no doubt.

[jollyburger]

Vancouver Sun

The rebate would eventually allow renters and homeowners with mortgages to write off $3,000 per month from provincial income taxes.

The program would begin by allowing exemptions of $1,500 per month, starting in 2026. This would cost an estimated $900 million in the budget for that year, according to the party.

The amount that could be exempted would move up by $500 each year until it reached $3,000 per month in 2029 when the program would cost an estimated $3.5 billion.

The party didn’t have details on how the rebate would be funded, and Rustad said the Conservatives would need time to look at the budget.

“Are we going to be able to balance right away? No. But we need to make sure that we’re providing tax relief immediately,” said Rustad on Monday.

Asked what renters and homeowners might expect to save or receive by using the rebate, Rustad said when fully implemented at $3,000, the amount for an average income earner could be around $1,600 to $1,700 in annual savings.

Rustad said the party was still looking at numbers, but the rebate would be means-tested with a cap at around a household income of $250,000 a year.

https://vancouversun.com/news/b-c-conser...housing-costs-for-renters-and-homeowners

[madog222]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

So, as a tax credit for the year 2026, I'd receive a lump sum cheque with my tax return in 2027?

So if I have higher rent / mortgage I'd get a higher rebate, regardless of income?

So if my rent is $2,100/mth I'd get $16,934 at tax time in 2027?

1500*12*0.0506=910.8

A maxed out rebate for 2016 would be a $910.80 income tax credit (a credit against the income tax owed), 2029 maxed out would twice that amount.

[seamusmcduff]

Wouldn't landlords simply start incorporating this rebate into the posted rent of units when they are on the market?

A rebate doesn't address any of the underlying issues of the housing crisis, and if renters can now afford slightly more expensive rents because they know they're getting a rebate, landlords will charge more. This type of rebate seems like it would only work if there was adequate housing supply to create competition so landlords couldn't take advantage of it. Otherwise it's just passing on money from the renter to the landlord for anyone who isn't already locked into a lease (assuming that they keep rent controls).

Also, the BCC seem to be introducing a lot of programs that cost money, or will result in a reduced provincial budget. What other services will be cut to pay for all of this, since I'm assuming they also plan on cutting taxes.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by seamusmcduff

Wouldn't landlords simply start incorporating this rebate into the posted rent of units when they are on the market?

More housing announcements coming this week