Dear Editor:
The B.C. Liberals are no different than are the B.C. New Democratic Party. I have waited for far too long for surgery. Dr. Taylor is my Penticton orthopedic surgeon. He told me the other day that he and his three colleagues could perform four to eight surgeries per day.
The minister of health allows Dr. Taylor just two vacancies per day. This is a far less number than the 32 operations that could be done in one week; the public should not be surprised to see such long waiting lists.
My ophthalmologist mentioned the other day that the B.C. government is putting him out of business. His operation times are being reduced.
I have a solution: The ICBC list of their top 50 employees salary ranges was published recently. The CEO, Jon Schubert, receives $449,201. The 50th person on the ICBC payroll is M. Hancock who receives $207,277.
Not one of these employees are as highly skilled as are the medical doctors and health care specialists the public relies on for surgeries and hospital care.
These ICBC paper shufflers should have their salaries reduced by two-thirds. The same treatment should apply to every government department. B.C. is $60 billion in debt.
If the lieutenant governor fails to recognize the seriousness of the situation, he should be reminded that his presence means more than to warm an extra seat in the legislature. Every government employee should expect to have their salaries reduced. Without those cuts, B.C. is facing bankruptcy.
Ernie Slump
Penticton