Winter Newsletter

While economies all around us continue to struggle, BC is still leading Canada in employment growth. Stats Canada’s annual Labour Force Survey showed that BC’s unemployment rate declined by 0.3% to 5.8% – the lowest rate among the provinces. We know a job is the best way for people to take care of themselves and those they care about, and we will continue to focus on the economy and jobs to create opportunities for people. 17,000 jobs were created in December. Even BC’s youth have seen a decrease in those unemployed.

In December, the Program For International Student Assessment (PISA) results show BC’s grade 10 students in 1st place for reading, 2nd in science, and 6th in math when compared to 72 countries and all 10 Canadian Provinces. Our teachers should be commended and proud of the work they do every day to produce well educated youth who will be the wage earners of tomorrow. We will need a strong tax paying workforce as the baby boomers age out of the system.

My work as Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Education has given me the opportunity to talk to School Boards and administration staff from all over the province. I am encouraged by the dedication and commitment of these people to the education of the students in their districts. The issues are remarkably the same- access to special supports for kids who need extra help, the condition of their aging schools, the difficulty in attracting staff to rural areas and transportation, just to name a few. There have also been many participants through the online survey which closed on Jan 9th. The next phase is the public forums, which will begin soon in 10 locations throughout the province. It has become clear through the input so far, that schools are closely tied to their communities economically and emotionally, and that communication between school and community is the key to the success of even a small school population. Young people are also more likely to return as adults to where they went to school and help to keep their communities viable into the future. My hope is that some of the best practises from around the province will be shared through this consultation process and more appropriate funding models will be identified for our rural and remote schools.

In keeping with the rural theme, the Select Standing Committee on Health, which I chair, is in the final stages of a report on the challenges of providing good health care to all areas of BC outside of the Lower Mainland. Hundreds of submissions have been reviewed by the Committee over the last two years and ideas and best practises as well as recommendations for improvements will all be part of the final report to be tabled in February at the Legislature. The Committee also tackled the general issue of the mental health supports currently available, and identified some of the areas of success and failure with the help of many of those who work in the different areas of mental health care. It has been an extremely interesting committee to have been a part of, as it is a bi-partisan committee made up of members from both sides of the House.

The snow on our hills has given our ski resorts a wonderful start to the 2016/2017 season. Special family events like tobogganing day at Baldy got lots of locals and visitors out for a day of fun and the upcoming World Para Snowboarding Championships at Big White will attract participants and their families worldwide. Even in winter, tourism is alive and well in the Boundary-Similkameen.

The Legislature will re-open on Feb 14th with the Speech from the Throne and the following week, the Budget Speech. While this will be a shorter session due to the election in May, it will be business as usual for myself and all the provincial MLA’s. The business in our constituency office will continue right up until Election Day.

January always brings a mixed bag of issues that challenge us. The weather starts to get to us – we miss the sunshine and warmth. It’s also when all the fun we had over the holidays comes back to haunt us with those credit card bills. For many who suffer from depression or other forms of mental illness, this can be a very difficult time of the year. Please reach out to those you know that need a helping hand or smile.

Looking forward to a great 2017.

Linda Larson, MLA

Boundary Similkameen