Search results for “node/Hospital Wait Times”

  • Who’s left out? COVID-19 & psychiatric detainees

    For weeks, we’ve all been doing our best to follow guidelines about staying home and physical distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But who is left out of those public health protections? What happens when laws or policies impair the ability of people to make their own decisions and…

  • Canada’s fight against inflation: Bank of Canada could induce a recession

    History tells us that the Bank of Canada has a 0% success rate in fighting inflation by quickly raising interest rates. If a pilot told me that they’d only ever attempted a particular landing three times in the past 60 years with a 0% success rate, that’s not a plane I’d want to be on. Unfortunately, that looks likes the plane all Canadians are on now.

    History tells us that the Bank of Canada has a 0% success rate in fighting inflation by quickly raising interest rates. If a pilot told me that they’d only ever attempted a particular landing three times in the past 60 years with a 0% success rate, that’s not a plane…

  • Reopening Riverview Hospital not the answer

    The BC government recently rejected the recommendation of the Union of BC Municipalities to re-instate Riverview Hospital. Our government has made the right decision. The debate and media coverage over recent weeks has revealed a number of important issues that have reframed questions about Riverview Hospital, and the Premier is…

  • Fast Facts: Hard Times Require Bold Action at City Hall

    Income security programs in Manitoba and Canada are not keeping pace with the growing problem of poverty. Change is needed to ensure low income and vulnerable people and families do not become entrapped in a lifetime of poverty.

  • BC’s health care system can only get stronger with the right investments: Budget 2018

    Provincial health spending as a share of our economy has been relatively steady in recent years, and is projected to fall from 7.8 per cent of GDP in 2009 to 7.4 per cent in 2019 according to the government’s September budget update. If, however, we want to tackle the opioid…

  • BC hospital P3 ownership moves to tax haven

    One more of British Columbia’s public private partnerships (P3s) has headed on down the road to ownership in a European tax haven.  Bilfinger Berger Global Infrastructure completed deals last summer to acquire equity and loans for the Kelowna Vernon Hospital.  It is also buying out equity and loans on Alberta’s…

  • Alternative Federal Budget

    Important steps taken but Budget 2018 keeps Canadians waiting for the big investments required to build an inclusive economy

    OTTAWA—Today’s federal budget takes positive steps forward on gender equality and science funding but the bold policy moves that will make a real difference for Canadians —child care, pharmacare, health care or closure of tax loopholes—will have to wait for another day, say experts from the Canadian Centre for Policy…

  • "<aDarkoStojanovic / Pixabay” style=”border-radius:0px;–objectFit:cover;–imagePosX:50%;–imagePosY:50%” decoding=”async” srcset=”https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_april2018_move-prevent-extra-billing-300×133.jpeg 300w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_april2018_move-prevent-extra-billing-768×341.jpeg 768w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_april2018_move-prevent-extra-billing.jpeg 900w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px” />

    Move to prevent extra billing will strengthen BC’s public health system

    It’s taken over 14 years, but British Columbians will finally be protected against unlawful charges for medical services — just like all other Canadians. In 2003, the BC government brought in the Medicare Protection Amendment Act (Bill 92) to prevent unlawful extra billing as required by the federal Canada Health…

  • Oppression will try to steal your ability to dream. Don’t let it.

    The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionately high impact on Black communities. It’s exceptionally difficult to produce a vision of freedom in such rough times. But we must keep freedom dreaming.

    The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionately high impact on Black communities. It’s exceptionally difficult to produce a vision of freedom in such rough times. But we must keep freedom dreaming.

  • "Artist'sProvince of BC / Flickr.” style=”border-radius:0px;–objectFit:cover;–imagePosX:50%;–imagePosY:50%” decoding=”async” srcset=”https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_jan2018_UKAuditorDisparages-300×133.jpg 300w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_jan2018_UKAuditorDisparages-768×341.jpg 768w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_jan2018_UKAuditorDisparages.jpg 900w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px” />

    As UK Auditor disparages P3s, BC continues to use them

    The public private partnership (P3) model to provide public infrastructure and services is an expensive mess, and new international evidence confirms this. The question now becomes, when is that mess going to wash up on BC’s shore? Despite increasing evidence that P3s are a bad idea, BC’s government is going ahead…

  • Fast Facts: Manitoba Health Coalition Responds to Shared Health Report: “COVID-19 Health System Recovery Plan”

    On March 15 – the day that the Government of Manitoba lifted all remaining public health measures including mask mandates, vaccine passports and isolation requirements – the “COVID-19 Health System Recovery Plan” was released. The Manitoba Health Coalition was encouraged to see a document put forward which could act as…

  • "FinanceProvince of BC / Flickr.” style=”border-radius:0px;–objectFit:cover;–imagePosX:50%;–imagePosY:50%” decoding=”async” srcset=”https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_feb2018_FreshFromTheLockup-300×141.jpg 300w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_feb2018_FreshFromTheLockup-1024×480.jpg 1024w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_feb2018_FreshFromTheLockup-768×360.jpg 768w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_feb2018_FreshFromTheLockup.jpg 1280w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px” />

    Fresh from the lockup: Highlights of BC’s action-packed budget 2018

    BC Budget 2018 includes major new investments in child care, housing and infrastructure combined with significant improvements in tax fairness. This budget—the new provincial government’s first full budget—is a turning point. For too long, BC budgets have prioritized tax cuts and balancing the books over all else—preferring to sweep social,…