Don’t believe the myth that seniors are wealthy
Re: “Costs pushing seniors into long-term care, B.C. watchdog says,” Sept. 23 and “Give the money to those who need it,” letter, Sept. 29.
In her report B.C. Seniors: Falling Further Behind, Isobel Mackenzie reveals the shocking fact that 45% of B.C. seniors have an income that is “less than minimum wage.”
As a member of that group, I am very pleased that the B.C. seniors advocate is bringing these horrific realities to public awareness because more supports for elders are urgently needed.
But it was also disappointing to see harmful ageist stereotypes in the same newspaper that serve only to erode public sympathy, making it easier for politicians to neglect seniors.
The letter-writer exploits a particularly poisonous form of age discrimination — the myth of the wealthy senior.
Without any supporting evidence, the letter-writer makes the outlandish claim that “roughly one-third of those seniors [on OAS] already have annual incomes of over $50,000.” This statement is blatantly wrong, with no basis in fact.
After falsely inflating the financial status of some OAS recipients — painting a misleading picture of affluent pensioners — the author then uses this erroneous assumption to fabricate an even more dubious scenario of seniors getting money they are not entitled to receive.
The real-life data amassed by the seniors advocate sets the record straight: Most B.C. seniors live on very modest incomes well below the average, with one-third struggling to live on less than $26,000 a year.
Not only are OAS payments going to seniors who need them, but they should be increased to meet that need.
Isobel Mackenzie’s report is a refreshing dose of truth and rational thinking.
Doreen Marion Gee
Victoria
Proposed zoning change would hurt auto dealers
Car dealerships need to store vehicles to sell vehicles — but without any consultation with or direct notice to property owners and automobile dealers, Victoria council will consider today a zoning bylaw amendment that would effectively prevent most dealers’ principal locations and offsite properties from being used as vehicle storage lots.
Passage of this bylaw would effectively mean that the second a dealership is bought or sold, it won’t have any storage options.
There are broader implications. Enacting the bylaw would most certainly result in the slow migration of Victoria dealerships to other municipalities, and negatively impact the prospect of new dealerships opening.
Victoria has more than 10 new car dealerships and a typical dealership has 40 people, an annual payroll of $3 million, and contributes more than $100,000 in property tax — while also supporting dozens of suppliers, distributors, tradespeople and local companies.
Dealerships draw customers from surrounding areas, many of whom subsequently purchase goods, services or meals at Victoria businesses.
The vehicles we store are increasingly electrified, the inventory is rotated frequently and the land on which they sit remains available for a more lucrative future.
The economic impact of a car dealership in a municipal area is often undervalued, and passing this bylaw would confirm that fact in Victoria.
The New Car Dealers Association of B.C. urges the mayor and council to reconsider this amendment, or at least defer any decision until a new council has been elected and there is an opportunity for fulsome debate and consideration of this matter.
Blair Qualey, president and CEO
New Car Dealers Association of B.C.
B.C. Liberals helped create health-care crisis
Re: “Dix repeatedly asked for his resignation as fall legislative season opens,” Oct. 4.
Here we go again, just like in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the legislature is “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
The new leader of the B.C. Liberals and his minions are all clamouring for the resignation of Health Minister Adrian Dix. Here are a couple of points to ponder:
It takes more years of education and training to become a physician than the current provincial government has been in power. Why wasn’t the potential doctor shortage recognized and dealt with years ago?
Why were so many university seats granted to foreign medical students who would practise medicine elsewhere, eliminating opportunities for qualified local students? What were the B.C. Liberals doing then?
The health-care system is faltering in every province. The Canada Health Act sets out the criteria for funding provinces, and for several years the federal government has been reducing its contribution to provinces, despite spiralling costs related to aging populations and the COVID crisis.
Why aren’t the feds coming to the table? It takes both parties to resolve the crisis.
I know two extremely qualified people who were denied the opportunity to train as physicians in B.C. One has put his exceptional skills to use in another field entirely.
The other was fortunate to have parents with U.S. citizenship and was accepted into an Ivy League university and is now a successful neurosurgeon in the U.S.
If the B.C. Liberals could admit their own negligence, which contributed to the health-care crisis, instead of pandering for votes, and provide some positive input toward resolving the problem, we would all be better off.
Pat Jackson
Victoria
All parties should work together on solutions
Re: “Dix repeatedly asked for his resignation as fall legislative season opens,” Oct. 4.
It’s a bit rich for Kevin Falcon and Shirley Bond to call for Adrian Dix’s resignation as health minister when they were both cabinet ministers in former B.C. Liberal governments.
The current health-care issues have been developing for years, if not decades, and no government of any stripe has taken adequate action on the public’s behalf.
Rather than continue the blame game, it is far better, as Sonia Furstenau suggests, to get a working group from all parties together to come up with solutions.
British Columbians deserve better.
Vic Parsons
Saanich
Old-growth forests not to be found in Victoria
In his stated objectives, if he is elected to council in Victoria, Ben Isitt indicates that one of his priorities will be protecting old-growth rainforests.
It seems Isitt is confused about which level of government he is running for — there are no old-growth rainforests in the City of Victoria.
Policy concerning these ecosystems is the responsibility of other levels of government.
Rick Kallstrom
Victoria
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