Vancouver Sun

January 30, 2017

Re: Government defends delayed response to fentanyl crisis, Jan. 25

I was alarmed to read that Christy Clark’s health minister said one of the main excuses for their delayed response to the overdose crisis in B.C. is that “you have to look at your budgets” first.

Given the tragic death toll we’ve had, that’s an astonishing and disturbing excuse, even for this government.

As New Democrat Leader John Horgan said last week, if there’s a forest fire in B.C., you don’t look at the budget before deciding if you’re going to put out the fire. You do what it takes.

The same should go for the fentanyl and overdose crisis that took nearly a thousand B.C. lives in 2016.

Christy Clark will spend countless public dollars on shameless self-promoting advertisements, but comes up short when it comes to this tragic crisis.

When Christy Clark wants something done, it gets done, and it doesn’t take months. It speaks volumes about her priorities that after so much human damage, she is still moving slowly, making excuses and putting barriers in the way, instead of showing the kind of leadership so desperately needed.

Selina Robinson, MLA, Coquitlam-Maillardville

http://vancouversun.com/opinion/letters/jan-30-clarks-new-promises-arent-convincing