With the anticipation of two large projects coming to our area, recently my husband and I drove from Campbell River to Courtenay to attend the meeting about the North Island Hospital Project.
This exciting project promises improved healthcare in a state of the art facility, a partnership program with the University of British Columbia to attract new doctors completing their residency, possible training partnership with North Island College (which is just next door), a patient-centred facility, and even an MRI machine. This facility has the potential to positively impact thousands of people in our community from every age group. It means that at our most vulnerable time, when we ourselves, or even worse, when a loved one is sick, they will be cared for in a state of the art facility in our own community, decreasing or eliminating having to travel out of town to receive care.
My husband and I were absolutely disgusted to find a group of individuals at this meeting that were not there to hear about the project, provide constructive feedback, or have healthcare concerns addressed, they were there to simply to disrupt and discuss non-existent environmental concerns. It was apparent to both my husband, and I that these individuals were complaining simply for the sake of hearing their own voices, as they were not interested in listening to any answers to their questions.
It got me to thinking that we are so fortunate to live in a country whose government listens to its people and has provided the millions of dollars to fund a project such as this, and still people are not happy. It seems to me that in Canada, and specifically B.C., we are so blessed and spoiled that we even have to protest something as positive as a new hospital. What’s next, protesting new schools, and new playgrounds for children?
People should be grateful they live in Canada, and not in Iraq, Iran, or India, where government corruption is rampant, and human rights do not exist. I say thank goodness they will be cutting down some trees to put in a new hospital, as some of us cannot see the forest for the trees.
Sandra Karason
