City Council chambers became a forum for bashing the province’s Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) when council welcomed opponents to the legislation as a delegation Thursday, Feb. 29.
At council’s regular council meeting, naturopathic doctor Ingrid Pincott and Dr. Anna Kindy sought council’s support in bringing “awareness to the community on how this HPOA Act will impact the health care of the citizens of North Island.” And council seemed happy to give them that support.
“So it’s one of the biggest acts ever passed in British Columbia,” Kindy said. “It was basically rammed through with very little consultation from the stakeholders, meaning all the healthcare workers, it impacts every healthcare worker in British Columbia.”
Kindy is the B.C. Conservative Party candidate for the North Island riding and is a physician practicing in Campbell River. She was joined by long-time Campbell River naturopath Ingrid Pincott.
Kindy pronounced dire consequences will arise from the province’s HPOA or Bill 36 as it is also designated.
“So what does it do?” she asked. “It gives unprecedented power to the Minister of Health and leads to government overeach in your health care.”
Kindy said the act is policy done from the top down, not from the people on the ground practicing medecine. She said the legislation removes any input from healthcare stakeholders (doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, etc.). Also, every board position will be appointed by the Ministry of Health, she added.
“So basically, it’s saying, there will be political interference,” Kindy said.
Kindy also warned the meeting that the HPOA is a piece of legislation guided by ideology and not science. As a supposed example of ideology over science, she cited current vaccine mandates still in place in B.C. which “every jurisdiction in the world” has dropped.
“So what does ideology do? It makes every person here less safe,” Kindy said.
Pincott said she requested a delegation to city council because she is “trying to outreach to the public and the public needs to know about these bills.”
Pincott also promoted an upcoming “Town Hall” that’s being held in Campbell River on March 26 to protest a number of provincial bills, including Bill 36.
Kindy and Pincott got a supportive ear from city councillors.
Coun. Ron Kerr said, “And thank you Dr. Pincott and Dr. Kindy for coming and talking to us today about this important bill. And I also want to thank all your supporters in the bleachers there, and citizens that understand the implications of the provincials’ (sic) ominous Bill 36.”
Coun. Sean Smyth said he is surprised “the medical profession is going along with this.”
Coun. Ben Lanyon was less direct in his commentary but acknowledged the health care system is “cracking and currently in a state of collapse.”
“I have concerns,” he said.
But he also relayed discussions he had with government members who said the bill takes some control from medical boards and replaces them with government appointees so they can direct the flow of new graduates or immigrants into the medical field in B.C.
Doug Chapman said it may be time for Campbell River city councillors to join with councillors from other municipalities to march on down to Victoria and have a talk with the government.
Coun. Sinnott put forward a motion to have city staff come back with a report on the bill which was passed. But Coun. Tanille Johnston urged council to “take a second to fully understand” the act before the city takes a position on it. She noted that First Nations in B.C. were consulted about the bill and Campbell River needs to make sure “we’re super well informed” before putting anything in writing and moving forward.
Mayor Kermit Dahl thanked the delegation for coming and said to Dr. Kindy, “I look forward to seeing your name on the ballot on Oct. the 19th. I just had to throw that in, sorry Anna.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been edited to remove a passage which said the Campbell river Town Hall was a Freedom rising event.
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