Letter to the editor: I say no beds for seniors, no fancy pool

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The city announced it is moving ahead with selling the new pool complex to residents of Fort St. John – to “earn public approval through a successful public approval process to proceed to the procurement and construction phases.” 

CBC News, Jan 30th: “A previous but now abandoned proposal with the regional district estimated the cost of a new facility would range from $136 million to $284 million, depending on amenities.”

The city’s charter just released says phase one of the pool would include “warm water and leisure pools; a hot pool; sauna and steam rooms; a waterslide; and an indoor fieldhouse featuring a full-size, configurable turf field.”

The entire hospital and residential care facility was built in 2008 for $301.8 million – $446 million today. 

The province just announced that the extension to our residential care facility will not be moving ahead. 

CBC News, Feb 26th, says that, according to northeast B.C. seniors advocate Margaret Little, 74 people were waiting for a bed at Peace Villa in January, including 15 waiting in the hospital.

“Some of them have dementia and cannot be left alone in their homes,” Little said. 

CBC said Northern Health operates Peace Villa, and says it manages 127 long-term care beds and one respite bed.

Little told CBC the number of people waiting for long-term care has increased 200 per cent over the last decade, while the average wait time for a bed increased to 290 days.

That’s about 60 per cent of the capacity of Peace Villa who are waiting for care. 

Let’s be clear. No matter which “budget” governments are looking to get money from, it all goes back to the taxpayers’ pockets. And we all have just one pocket.

The province says it can’t raise taxes to move ahead. If our community can’t even afford beds for seniors needing care, we sure can’t afford a bells-and-whistles pool complex that could cost 64 per cent of our entire hospital and care facility. 

How about instead of giving ourselves a hot pool and sauna, we give some seniors a bed in a care home?

How about if the city approached the province and said: “Let us put up some of the money for more beds for seniors needing care. Pay us back later.”

I say, no beds for seniors, then no fancy pool complex.

I believe our community cares about the seniors who built this place we call home. It’s totally dysfunctional to say we can’t find money to care for seniors, but we sure have money for our bells-and-whistles pool!

I would definitely vote ‘no’ in a referendum until we address that first.