Dear editor,
An international company has made a bid to purchase Retirement Concepts, the owner of Comox Valley Seniors Village and Casa Loma here in the Comox Valley, as well as over 20 other similar facilities in B.C.
Retirement Concepts is an important part of B.C.’s health-care delivery system, receiving larger payments in the 2015-16 fiscal year than any other of the 130 similar providers.
The previous Conservative government blocked similar high-stakes deals in the aerospace, telecom, potash and oil sectors, often citing the need to protect Canada’s national interest. I would suggest that making sure our seniors receive that best of all possible care deserves the same level of protection.
B.C. has retained the right to refuse to give health care contracts to foreign companies. It is time for Premier Clark to exercise that right, rather than signalling to global investors that seniors’ care is for sale to the highest bidder.
We look to Premier Clark to improve the quality of health care for seniors in our province. According to the recent report from Seniors’ Advocate, Isabel MacKenzie, over 80 per cent of the 292 publicly-funded licensed facilities do not meet the recommended 3.36 hours of care per senior every day.
I can’t imagine this situation will be improved upon by an off-shore investor looking for “efficiencies.”
Kathie Woodley
Courtenay