On Thursday morning, Premier Gordon Campbell called on British Columbians to take an active role in shaping the future of health care in this province.
Average citizens can join in on the Conversation on Health. Over the course of the next year, British Columbians will be able to provide input in regional forums, through email and letters to the Ministry of Health, on the web, contacting our MLA Nicholas Simons or calling a toll-free hotline.
This fall, front line health-care workers, administrators, associations, First Nations groups and others will discuss the process. Regional forums for the public in each of the 16 health service delivery areas will start in November and end next summer.
The only unfortunate part of these forums is that none are scheduled for the Sunshine Coast. The closest forum for us will be in North Vancouver. But that still shouldn't deter any of us from having our voices heard.
The health care system in this province is in serious need for change. With this announcement all of us can play a part in shaping those changes.
A lasting legacyGreen party leader and Coast resident Adriane Carr announced her resignation this week.
It marks the end of a political era in this province. Carr helped bring the party into mainstream politics. She brought environmental issues to the forefront and became a credible third party voice in this province. But she just couldn't bust down the door and get what she so dearly wanted - a seat in the legislature.
It's one of the reasons why she's stepping aside.
But if you think this is the last we'll hear of Carr, think again. She's too good a politician and a voice for change not to resurface somewhere soon.
Whatever new path she chooses, know she'll tackle it with dogged determination. It's that quality that made her time as party leader memorable.
