While there is a lot of criticism surrounding Adrian Dix’s speech at the UBCM Conference in Whistler earlier this week, the Mayor of Clearwater says he is understanding, adding that he is hopeful a plan to address the healthcare crisis will be coming sometime this week.

With two hours devoted to discussions on healthcare on Tuesday, many, including the Mayor of Kamloops, The BC Liberal’s Health Critic and the MLA for Kamloops South-Thompson were among those who left the plenary session with Adrian Dix disappointed, expecting some form of announcement or guidance as to where the government was headed, but heard nothing of the sort.

Ken Christian, says there was a “high degree of frustration in the room,” after hearing a “lot of the same-old, same-old.”

B.C. Liberal health critic Shirley Bond also said she was disappointed.

“This was a perfect opportunity to, first of all, acknowledge that we have a crisis, and make a commitment to take specific actions to do something about it.”

She notes the B.C. government just announced it’s going to be running an over 700-million dollar surplus this fiscal year.

“One would expect that when you see all kinds of potential surplus numbers, the first priority should be and the minister had an opportunity to make those announcements, here at UBCM, is investing in healthcare.”

Bond suggests it was the perfect opportunity for Dix to give a glimmer of hope to municipalities facing ongoing emergency room closures and ambulance shortages.

“We see ongoing daily stories of ERs that are closed. We have overcrowding, we have frontline workers that are absolutely burnt out. I hear those stories every single day.”

Kamloops-South Thompson MLA and BC Liberal House Leader, Todd Stone, says he’s not buying Adrian Dix’s excuse for not making any announcements on health care because of the passing of Queen Elizabeth.

“The very next day, well later that afternoon and certainly yesterday, the government was out making announcements on funding a study on a high-speed rail between Vancouver and Seattle. They were out announcing some Clean BC programs. They were out announcing a whole wide range of different things and yet nothing on health care so a huge, huge disappointment there.”

Stone echoed what many mayors have been saying about his ministry’s inaction on health care.

“He basically rattles off a whole bunch of facts and figures and statistics and whatnot and tried to create the perception that a lot is happening, and I’m sure that there have been some initiatives but the point that the mayors and councillors and I think British Columbians generally are making is that whatever you’re doing, it’s not working.”

Stone says the government seems to be in a holding pattern as far as the healthcare crisis goes. He also speculated Dix’s days as Health Minister may be numbered; saying he doesn’t think Dix is as dialed into his portfolio as he typically was in the past.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Clearwater suggests the mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II likely restricted Adrian Dix’s ability to dive fully into announcing a solution to address the healthcare crisis, also suggesting that Dix did allude to some solutions in his speech.

Merlin Blackwell believes Minister Dix came into the conference with his guard up, which could be why Dix may have come off as “dry,” he explained.

“He (Minister Dix) came in thinking we were going to be hot and critical, but we were not,” explained Blackwell.

However, that was not the case as Blackwell explains he and other rural B.C. representatives wanted to discuss what’s happening with the healthcare system in their communities, and offer some solutions.

“But sometimes when we say things, it comes off as criticism; but we are really trying to move the conversation forward to solutions and that is what we were speaking about at the UBCM Conference. But, I think Minister Dix came in preemptively thinking he needed to discredit or shut us down.”

While he says broad solutions are needed to address healthcare issues across B.C.; he suggests smaller municipalities have different ideas and needs.

He says rural communities often need open communication and a small-town approach.

“It is literally down to these one problem at a time solutions and that’s what I am talking about when it comes to communication.”

“When they hit those roadblocks, do not let the opportunity of hiring someone pass because you know damn well they aren’t going to find a house in Clearwater. Housing comes out of the woodwork when people know it is for a good cause in every community.”

Blackwell says 11 people in Clearwater stepped up for paramedic training after hearing about the ambulance shortages in the community.

“When we talk about what is actually going on out in the world, our communities will step forward to help with housing and daycare, and go into the fire themselves to take on the jobs themselves.”

Given the ongoing ambulance shortages and ER Closures in Clearwater, Blackwell suggests being a loud, accessible voice has helped him gain a level of respect that many small-town mayors don’t normally get.

“My message to Health Minister Adrian Dix is the access to healthcare managers and everybody else that I have been granted and has helped myself and colleagues on council in Clearwater find solutions, housing, to know what the problems are so we can go after solutions,” he said.

Meanwhile, Merlin Blackwell announced Thursday he is running for the board of UBCM.

Blackwell hopes to have an off-the-record view about solutions with the healthcare ministry in the coming days.

“I’m a good communicator, advocate, and a snazzy dresser,” joked Blackwell in a Tweet.

Running for the board of @UBCM because I’m a good communicator and advocate, and a snazzy dresser. I think i’m funny. See what I did there? @brittlestar #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/33CNdxOrmc

— Merlin Blackwell, Mayor (@BlackwellMerlin) September 15, 2022

-With Files from Paul James and Bill Cowen