It has been a bad week for workers in Campbell River with the announcement that the Number one paper machine at Elk Falls is closing down indefinitely. And this news just 10 days before the Timberwest sawmill shuts down.

I challenged the Minister of Forest and Range on these issues in Question Period on two consecutive days. Firstly I questioned him on the lack of wide ranging consultation in the Forestry Round Table, when he was in Campbell River and Port McNeill the preceding week. The following day I tried to find an answer as to why he won’t take the job losses in our communities seriously. The Minister did not give any answer which helps the hundreds of families in Campbell River nor the forest industry which is still the back bone of our economy.

I was also able to question the Minister of Economic Development about the funding coming from the Federal government for forest dependent communities. This fund is for worker retraining, some bridging towards pensions and for communities that self identify they will need assistance.

Another fund, set up be the provincial government in 2005, the Island Coast Economic Trust has been heavily subscribed by many communities and organisations. I asked whether extra funding would be available to ensure that all our communities had the opportunity to diversify. The minister said it would not happen this year.

One of the communities that has gone through a very difficult few years is Port Alice. The Village has plans to establish a marina and has been dilligent in trying to find funding and I was able to ask both the http://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard/38th4th/H80429p.htm#11754[Minister of Economic Development] and the Minister for Community Services whether they would assist the Village in getting the last monies it needs to move on with the project.

I was also able to ask the minister for Community Services about the cost of the split of the Comox Strathcona Regional District, which she implemented earlier this year, as well as the involvement of first nations as equal partners at the local government table.

Another major issue facing us in the North Island are the cuts in the budget for North Island College. This was raised in Question Period by the critic for Advanced Education, Victoria Hillside MLA Rob Fleming.

Through the week we have been debating a major change to our public health system: Bill 21 The Medicare Protection Amendment Act. Under this the government introduces the term ‘sustainability’ to the prinicples on which the Canada Health Act is based. The government still has given no definition to that term, but the Opposition is very concerned that it is a move towards privatisation, towards user pay. The government says the cost of providing health care is spiralling out of control, but I argued that if you cut spending on other programmes, and cut taxes inevitably the proportion of spending on health care is growing.

As the critic for Women’s Issues, I used some of the time in the estimates debate with the Minister of Community Services on monies which are going to women’s services. Most of the budget goes towards Transition Houses and some funding to counselling and prevention – not enough nor all in the right direction as far as I am concerned.

I had the honour to speak about Ann Elmore Haig Brown in the House, her work with women fleeing abuse, and this weekend’s commemoration of her in Campbell River.

And I had the pleasure to meet with and introduce a group of students from Georgia Park Elementary who were touring the Legislature.

The end of the week saw me on the child care tour, Raising BC, hearing child care issues and working on our strategies for child care.

And on Saturday I’ll be at Haig Brown House, in Campbell River, for the celebration of Ann Elmore Haig Brown’s Centenary.

I can always be reached by email at claire.trevena.mlaleg.bc.ca, or on 250 287 5100 or 1 877 387 5100.