Editor:
Re: “Care comes first” by Mathew Wilson, Letters, Feb. 17.
Liberal candidate Mathew Wilson would have us believe that privatization of long-term care on the Coast will benefit not only residents but their caregivers, as well. According to Wilson, “Research shows that purpose-built workspaces increase safety for workers.”
Whatever research Wilson refers to, no credible study would suggest that the changes proposed for the Silverstone facility produce high-quality care outcomes, much less improve the lot of health workers. Residents of Totem Lodge and Shorncliffe currently receive an average of 3.16 hours of care per day, well below the Ministry of Health’s recommended minimum of 3.36 hours. Under its service agreement with Vancouver Coastal Health, the contractor for the Silverstone facility will have to provide an average of only 3.05 hours daily care per patient. That represents an annual loss of approximately 5,000 hours of care. Does Wilson seriously believe this serves the interest of either patients or workers?
Notwithstanding Wilson’s promise to help keep well-paying jobs in the community, he knows full well that workers who are rehired at Silverstone face serious wage and benefit cuts and the loss of a pension plan. Those who are not kept on may be forced to leave the Coast, at great cost to the community as a whole.
If Mr. Wilson genuinely aspires to become the MLA for this riding, I suggest he espouse policies that reflect the needs of his constituents rather than the ideological agenda of his political masters in Victoria.
Ian McLatchie, Sechelt
