| Overcrowding at RIH not an easy problem to solve |
| February 21st, 2012 | Doug Collins |
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Royal Inland Hospital Administrator Marg Brown has hit the nail on the head when talking about the overcrowding issues which have seen patients lined up in hospital hallways because there are no beds. Brown rightfully says this is not an easy issue to deal with. It's not a problem confined to Royal Inland, or Interior Health, or B.C. or even Canada. This is a problem facing health care as a whole, and it's only going to get worse. As Brown so aptly put it last week, this is a problem that took a long time to get where it is today,and there are no easy answers. As I've said many times before, it's not a matter of simply throwing money at it. We have to get all the right people in place and determine how we're going to deal with it. And deal with it by putting an action plan together that will create a long term solution. Throwing money at the problem may help in the short term, although I'm not convinced of that, but it's not the long term solution. We really need to focus, with baby boomers getting to the age where they were have more and more need of health services, on a plan that will provide a broader focus than just crowding in hospital hallways. What about the ancillary options like home care, where patients can be treated at home with nursing care and in-home visits. What about creating options to ease the delays in getting services like MRI's and other tests which will speed up treatment? These are all things that need to be looked at. As Brown says, it's easy for people to suggest getting rid of lineups in the hallways is as easy as adding more beds. That is far too simplistic a solution. If solving our problems were that easy, we could have done it long ago. It's not that easy. A much bigger plan needs to be put in place to address this situation, which is escalating at far too rapid a pace.
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| Houston Coverage "Too Much" |
| February 20th, 2012 | Doug Collins |
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I don't want to be disrespectful to the departed, but the coverage of the Whitney Houston death and subsequent funeral was absolutely way over the top on the weekend. For networks like CNN and even the CBC News Network to carry all of the funeral, and hype everything so much seemed to me to b... |
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| MP in Twitter Heaven |
| February 17th, 2012 | James Peters |
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Cathy McLeod tweeted me today.
Then she tweeted me again - and again - and again.
She's probably still tweeting me - even as i sit here.
In fact - she tweeted me so often today - some people thought she was spamming me.
Th... |
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| Review of Justice System Needed |
| February 16th, 2012 | Doug Collins |
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Christy Clark has a good point. If crime is going down, why are court costs going up? And why are there so many delays in the courts? It's disturbing that judges are trying to send a message to the government that the courts are too backed up. They're throwing out cases, including one of ... |
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| A case for legalizing pot? |
| February 15th, 2012 | James Peters |
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British Columbians should take a good hard look at the latest call to legalize marijuana.
This time, it's not coming from pot activists themselves, from Marc Emery or Carl Anderson, or left-wing partisans.
It's not coming from splinter ... |
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| Looks Don't Always Make You A Winner |
| February 14th, 2012 | Doug Collins |
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It was nice to see British singer Adele walk away with so many Grammy awards Sunday night. Not only because she has a great presence onstage and a phenomenal voice, but because she doesn't have that classic "look" that seems to be so prevalent these days, especially in music. Adele ... |
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| You Can't Take Away Without Alternatives |
| February 13th, 2012 | Doug Collins |
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More debate tomorrow on pesticide control in the city. Donovan Cavers wants a ban on cosmetic pesticides. He thinks they should be done away with. In the long term, there is no doubt we need to have better ways of controlling pests than pesticides, and controlling herbs than herbicides. But the r... |
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| Tories Should Let Debate Run its Course |
| February 10th, 2012 | James Peters |
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A lot of people wonder what MPs do when we elect them to represent us in Ottawa.
The nation's capital seems a long distance away, especially for those of us out here in the west.
It would be extremely interesting to follow Cathy McLeod arou... |
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| Road Clearance Not As Bad As Some Would Have You Believe |
| February 9th, 2012 | Doug Collins |
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Some have been complaining about snow removal on B.C. Highways this winter. I’m having some difficulty agreeing with them. I’m not suggesting things are perfect by any stretch, and it always makes me wonder why it takes so long, sometimes , to get the trucks out when a snowfall hits. ... |
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| Rookie Councillors Have To Learn The Ropes |
| February 8th, 2012 | James Peters |
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It's a treacherous thing, being a new city councillor.
Not only do you feel the pressure of faithfully serving the constituents who voted you in - something you may not have realistically expected - but you have to navigate the pitfalls of procedure when it comes to running the city.
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| Too Often in Politics, Nice Guys Finish Last |
| February 7th, 2012 | Doug Collins |
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The world of politics is one of the most ruthless worlds to be involved in. It is a constant battle just to stay alive in that vicious circle of cutthroats. It's particularly bad at the federal and provincial levels, but even on a local level, it's hard to take the high road and not get i... |
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