Local passion and anger over the lack of provincial funding for the proposed hospital tower at Penticton Regional Hospital has been growing sharply - and more vocally - in recent weeks, especially after a January 24 discussion over the issue at a regional district board meeting
Last Friday, premier Christy Clark made a surprise visit to Penticton, taking in a tour of the hospital and hearing from doctors and local politicians of the need to get moving on the project. While no definite commitment to funding has been made yet, her visit was certainly a step in the right direction for those who have been trying for three years to get the province’s attention to the matter.
On the surface, it might seem that voices were finally being heard in the South Okanagan - Similkameen, especially since several other health projects have “jumped the queue” over this, considered to be Interior Health’s number one ranked priority project in the past year.
It might seem that way - except for the fact that a provincial election is fast approaching, and the Liberals appear to be scrambling for a more solid footing in the riding since the resignation of John Slater from the party last month.
Do the Liberals finally understand the frustration caused by a regional disparity in health spending - $22 dollars per person over a 10 year period in the South Okanagan against $92 in Vernon - or are they undertaking damage control in a riding they already know is angry over the fact that their health needs have been ignored for so long, at the same time subject to a new, unknown candidate while controversy continues to swirl over the previous candidate’s treatment within the party?
Friday’s visit elicited a promise to work at moving the funding forward, a somewhat empty promise since we have heard that everything is in place now to move forward - everything, that is, except the funding.
The problem is in the reason for funding the project now - and if political expediency is the answer, there’s an irony in that, because that is what has caused the delay in the first place.