Delta South MLA Vicki Huntington is raising the alarm over a Fraser Health boundary review that she fears may leave South Delta behind. The review is expected to see Burnaby moved to the Vancouver Coastal Health region – a review that she would like to see include Tsawwassen and Ladner.
“The Health Minister commissioned a series of comprehensive reports that apparently fail to recognize the substantial differences between how the communities of South and North Delta view their relationship to the health care system,” says Huntington, pointing to a 21-page document which advised against removing South Delta from the Fraser Health Authority due to what is termed “underlying community focused validity.”
“Firstly, it’s a struggle to know what that means,” says Huntington. “We repeatedly asked both the Ministry and Fraser Health to explain: both flatly refused to respond to simple questions regarding either the comment or the boundary review. South Delta residents have every right to know how decisions affecting them are being made. These are our tax dollars and our public services.”
Delta is a large community and is split between the communities of North and South Delta. “The reality is that In South Delta, we tend to look west, to Richmond and Vancouver. We shop in Richmond, we visit our medical specialists in Richmond, we automatically think of Richmond or Vancouver hospitals. We do not think Surrey Memorial,” says Huntington.
The government has announced it intends to further consult on the suggestion to realign health authority boundaries by moving Burnaby into Vancouver Coastal. Huntington says it must also consult with the people and the medical authorities of South Delta in a similar effort to determine whether the community more naturally falls within the Vancouver Coastal boundary.
“If we want a regionally-representative health governance structure, it must be based on community networks and the movement of people,” Huntington says. “Doctors and patients in South Delta prefer Richmond and Vancouver due to our longstanding relationships and transportation links.”
