What Christy Clark didn’t tell you about the Families First Slogan.

Posted on by Laila

It’s alarming, after having watched the latest infomercial from Christy where she clearly demonstrates she is living in a world of her own, to read the story from Frank Luba this morning, about a centre for kids with special needs that is in danger of imminent closure: http://www.theprovince.com/news/Vancouver+school+kids+with+complex+health+problems+faces+closure/7147948/story.html

“Kids at Glen Eden suffer from conditions such as autism, attention deficient hyperactivity disorder, fetal alcohol disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and a host of other concerns.

Making it worse, said Vishnubhotla, is that “with most of our kids, they have multiple diagnoses.”

With the exception of one student, all have been excluded from public schools.”

Explain something to me. There is money for extravagant trips to China and the rest of Asia, there is money for large oyster dinners, cell phone bills out the ying yang, clothes, wine, etc etc…. money for travel, raises and whatever else the government is spending our tax dollars on…. but there isn’t money for education. Not enough for the regular system, not enough for vital schools like this.

If the Glen Eden closes, these kids are going to be left in a bad situation. Special needs and education funding were re-modeled and cut… surprise surprise… by none other than Christy Clark back in the good old days when she was an education minister and its never been the same since. Ask any parent of a child with special needs, like myself, and I’m pretty sure they will agree. We fight,we struggle, we soldier on, and sometimes we just have to sit and cry and wonder if the person who did all this had a clue.

I know for a fact, she doesn’t. Christy Clark didn’t have a clue then, and she doesn’t have a clue now. If education was a priority in this province, kids wouldn’t be going without assistance, and schools like this take care of kids that will never succeed elsewhere. The funding and ability just isn’t there for districts to deal with these kids, I know this. Education is a cornerstone for a successful society. It’s essential, and all kids have an equal right to a good education.

Unfortunately for British Columbian families, what Christy didn’t tell you about her Families First slogan… is that it is conditional.

( created by Michelle Murphy )

19 thoughts on “What Christy Clark didn’t tell you about the Families First Slogan.”

  2. Michelle is brilliant, is she not? She did the Enbridge header I had too. The Wealthy Families First applies to so much more than education. She states that when she thinks about what makes families stronger, she thinks of jobs, well that is true…but the vast majority of people unemployed and or underpaid in the lower mainland wont be working in her LNG plants… she is narrow sighted and reactive, never a good combination in any executive, let alone a premier.

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  3. Great post Laila.
    Something I’m wondering more and more about is the “CAFR” and the monies held in it. I’m really confused about all the double book-keeping government does, where we have a “budget” report given to us to explain how the government spent money this year (supposedly, as we all now know those are “doctored”) known as the Annual Financial Report, but there’s also that other report, the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report that we never hear about, and appears there is A LOT of money there that belongs to us, is called the “rainy day fund” (for whom I’m still trying to figure out as it certainly isn’t for us) and we aren’t allowed access to this, or hear audited reports about.. ?

    Is there anything to this?
    And if so, what can we do to get the governments to use that money like it’s suppose to be?
    There’s a shitload of information about these things, just watched Walter J. Burien Jr’s video on Youtube, called The Biggest Game In Town, an older video, but one I’m sure is still quite relevant.
    And in a time where we need some serious help back from our government, they’re wining and dining on our dollar and then telling us they have no money for the programs we already paid for.
    Then you have these CAFR reports showing we have hundred of millions (if not BILLIONS) in these “rainy day funds” that are just being reinvested (corporately) instead of returned to the public taxpayers.

    How do we access that money, and, I guess, if anyone’s a good accountant here, is this information really real?

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  4. I’ve been trying, unsuccessfully, to find the story I read last night about another special needs school that is to close , in Vancouver this time, I believe. Has anyone else heard about this?

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    2. Laila, it may seem never ending but keep striving
      My cousin has an 8 year old boy who was correctly diagnosed as autistic at the age of 2 (by his grandmother who was a psychiatric nurse..NOT an “expert”). .
      He was antisocial, withdrawn, he lost the ability to speak, and would fall into repetitive behaviour as a way to cope. His extended family rallied around him and at family events would make sure to include him in everything. He also benefitted from one to one teaching in school and at home.
      I went back for a visit this summer and was amazed at the difference. He ran up and jumped on the couch beside me . Showed me his new toy and asked me to play a game with him. His transformation is unbelievable. Smart, happy, articulate and popular.
      NEVER underestimate a childs ability to learn and improve, especially when they have love and encouragement.
      thats my sucky story for today….. 🙂

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      1. So happy for your boy to experience a great moment!!
        And it’s really sad that innocent children have to suffer so, but then again maybe that’s the tempering he and your family need in order to endure and thrive in the future? Everything is relevant, this is what I’m learning, even though we may not understand the reasoning, or even the lesson.
        I don’t have kids, and could never really understand the emotional impact this must have on you as a mother Laila. I’m just so glad that there are good days for him and pray that there are far more of them than bad.
        And kudos, you’re an awesome person as a writer/blogger, and obviously one of the best moms a child could ever hope for!
        Have a great rest of the day!

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  5. I read about the school closing. I also saw something on the t.v. “news” about a school, such as this one closing. They didn’t get the $250K that they needed. The government’s response was, they had all the money they were entitled to. gee & c.c. was “entitled” to those trips abroad, & pammie is “entitled” to her $130K & those execs. B.C. Ferries, Community Living are all “entitled” to their high salaries.

    What happens when these children aren’t able to go to the schools whichprovide them with an education, they have to stay home. This leads to parents not being able to go to their jobs, no one in the family getting a break, & sometimes forcing parents to place their children in foster care. Nice going for the lieberals.

    I am disgusted with the lieberals & their treatment of special needs children & adults. But then the children don’t vote & their parents don’t make up enough of a group to vote out an m.l.a. The lame st. media doesn’t cover this in any depth or for any length of time because one of their biggest advertiser won’t advertise.

    What is actually so comical & disgusting is that the actual amount of money usually needed for these services are small. $250K for an entire school, isn’t that much. I’m sure Ida chomp chomp chomp & the rest of those mlas go through that with their meal allowances.

    I do hope people will remember all of these things when they go to vote. I do not know if it is legal, but I for one would love to place an ad in my local paper come election time outlining these types of things & reminding people. I realize we can send letters to the editors of our local papers but they don’t always get published.

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    1. yes you are right letters do not always get published , i know . besides these poor children i am hugely upset about the recent ICBC fiasco where manager saleries go out of control and there seems to be no outrage about that . i will remember come election time

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      1. Renate and others….please take a moment to look up the salaries of bc public employees on their website and notice how much school board officials (not teachers and those in the trenches, but the superintendents, secretary treasurers, etc) are making! Here is the Vancouver Sun link, fast and easy to use. It’s not just ICBC.

        http://www.vancouversun.com/business/public-sector-salaries/index.html

        Some years ago school district became “Boards of Education”, and they were mandated to operate on business models. The superintendents now sign their coresspondences “CEO, DistrictXXX, Board of Education”. More and more we are becoming the corporation of British Columbia, and of Canada.

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  6. The funding shortfall for this school is about half of CC’s credit card expenditures on gifts, wines, etc. Go figure…maybe she could put the funding shortfall on her Visa!

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  7. Its also absolutely unbelievable that politicians such as Christy Clark are able to hire and fire staff with regular impunity.
    How many staff has she given the golden severance package? 10? 20? 100?
    AND FOR WHAT AMOUNT?
    $1,000,000? $2,000,000? $10,000,000?
    That is where the real money goes, not trips, credit cards, whatever….. severance packages to employees that either couldnt cut it or refused to suck up to “her highness”. Either way. Christy Clark has cost us taxpayers millions of dollars in unnecessary hirings and firings….
    WHY are politicians allowed this blank chequebook?

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  8. Didn’t Christy have 3 billion in “wiggle room” when she illegally took hastily departed Campbell’s position? I can only find links that say 1 Billion wiggle room

    I recall something about that.. 1.5billion the first year, and by 2013 it would 3 billion total. Can’t find that link though.
    Looking back from her “election” time until now, and all’s she’s touted as he plan and actions, I just gag. Again, I just can’t believe this is still ongoing.

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  9. You are a marvel Laila. All your children are blessed, having you for their Mom. I get tired just thinking of how busy your life must to be.

    The only thing I disagree with you is. It isn’t that, Christy doesn’t have a clue, about our children with special needs. She doesn’t care about our children, anymore than Campbell did before her. I mean, incentive bonuses for CLBC officials, who are thieving these people out of the care, we tax payers pay through the nose for? We are paying for our special needs children, that deserve more care. Why are we paying for, nail salon visits? $1 million dollar salary’s, really? What about Campbell giving his useless self a, $60,000 per year salary hike? What about the $6 million for legal fees, for Campbell’s theft and corrupt sale of the BCR trial? You know I could go on forever, about the corruption going on in this province, for more than a decade now.

    I don’t care what anyone says. The Campbell/Clark BC Liberals theft and waste of our tax dollars, is obscene. They don’t even have to account for their thieving. Normal sane caring people, put children and the elderly first. What loving people do you know, that don’t care about their parents and grandparents. That doesn’t happen, with this BC liberal government, nor in Campbell’s government. Nail salon beauty treatments, and other tax abuses come first. And, it’s T.F.B. about our children.

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  10. I don’t know if this will help or not, Laila, but I have a neighbour who’s been trying for years to get help for her autistic son. After much research, she discovered there is a link between autism and a lack of sufficient oxygen to the brain when the child is asleep. She has spoken with doctors, physiotherapists, and anyone in health care who would listen, but has been unable to find anyone who will help her in her quest to do some preliminary testing of this theory.

    Have you heard of anyone using oxygen therapy as an aid to slow the progression of this disease?

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  11. Again I am reminded of the billions (which is thousands of millions) of dollars being spent to pave farmland, communities, sensitive ecosystems etc in this province. Where is this money coming from? From cut backs to programs like this wonderful school! From cut backs to autism programs, to seniors programs, to youth programs (think gaming funding cuts to sports), from health care, education, legal aid, women’s programs, environmental programs cutbacks and funding stops, from transit funding shortfalls etc.
    Money that is needed for feeding the hungry and housing the homeless as well as all the wonderful things I mentioned above is being used to increase our carbon foot print, pollute our air and water and pave over our beautiful province with projects like the South Fraser Freeway for one, that promote fossil fuel dependency.
    Families First is just a lip service slogan. Oh and now they are most likely going to have to cut even deeper in to funding for projects that make the people of BC a priority because they are using lowered bridge tolls to buy off voters for the next election.
    Pavement politics has to stop!!!

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