Photo: Contributed
Penticton MLA Dan Ashton looks back at 2022 and ahead to the next year in his continued role as the Liberal Municipal Affairs critic with a goal of addressing the issues.
Points of success for the communities he represents include the announcement and the opening of additional daycare spaces and an oncology unit coming to the Penticton Regional Hospital.
The $22 million investment will more than double the capacity of the existing department at PRH, and modernize the setting.
“It’s taken the work of many, many, many people, not just in government to make that come to fruition,” he said. “I’m very, very thankful that Penticton has an opportunity to garner those important institutions and for the families that are affected and need the services that those institutions provide.”
While the past year has been economically challenging for many, Ashton said the government has to really “hunker down” and start really addressing the issues.
“It’s not just homelessness, although that is a big flag on the field. But the drug issues and some progress has to be made on that,” he added.
“It’s unfortunate that many of these people are incapacitated and the way that the government at this point in time has chosen to address the help for those people, I personally don’t think is enough, and I think the government is really going to have to step up on this.”
Even with BC Housing working on establishing affordable housing centers and shelters throughout the province, Ashton said the support is not there.
“The province in my opinion cannot continue to warehouse people.”
Ashton continues through his third term pushing for further roadway upgrades, after finally getting the installation of the barriers between Penticton and Greata Ranch along Highway 97.
The Ministry of Transportation announced in May that funding was secured for center barrier installation from Summerland to the south end of Peachland to add further traffic safety, but there have been no further announcements.
A crash in Peachland during the summer that closed down Highway 97 for numerous hours pointed to one of the actions Ashton has long been asking for.
He, along with other MLAs, are pitching to add safety improvements to the highway and upgrade the 201 Forest Service Road connecting the east side of Penticton to Kelowna as a usable emergency route.
Last weekend work was being done along a stretch of the highway near Summerland that was hit by a landslide in February 2019.
That slide forced the closure of Hwy 97 for more than a week. The Ministry of Transportation had to build a detour route that cost approximately $2.4 million.
The blasting work completed was done after a geotechnical review ordered in late November after new activity at the site.
On Nov 15, debris came tumbling down the slope. Some small rocks ended up on the highway. Other debris was caught by protective safety netting on the slope and lock blocks along the ditch.
“Thank goodness that didn’t incur more onto the highway. But it shows the instability along those rock faces,” Ashton said.
“I really hope that the government, the Ministry of highways and those staff involved in the highways departments here in the Okanagan, will take a look at the minor upgrades that the 201 needs so that it could be switched over immediately in the case and God forbid, that we have a more substantial slide north of Summerland where the road is blocked again.”
“I will continually bring it up, especially in estimates with the minister. And, hopefully, as I said, all departments will listen, and it’s not exorbitant.”
Ashton would also like to see the government utilize the facility at UBCO and in Prince George at the Northern Lights University, which can train medical staff, both nursing and physicians.
“Let’s collectively put our heads together, so that we can facilitate getting more physicians and more nursing staff and more mental health resources into British Columbia as quickly as we can.”
Overall, he hopes there’s more transparency from the government heading forward.
“In my opinion, individuals are demanding more and more to have more open government, whether it’s federal, provincial, municipal, or regional, to be more open, and more transparent. Governments are in place at the will in the name of the citizens that elect them. And those citizens deserve the respect back from those elected officials to be transparent and truthful and open with them about the direction that they are practicing governance.”
