Premier Christy Clark responded to months of criticism Thursday by promising to invest an additional $40 million in improved services for adults with developmental disabilities.
Clark made the announcement as she released two internal reviews of Community Living B.C. and unveiled a 12-point plan to fix problems at the agency and other ministries that work with disabled people.
"It is not about throwing money at the problem," she said. "It's about looking at the policies across government and finding out how we can make that work better for people."...
...CLBC was the topic in question period, the 30 minutes allocated for the opposition to raise issues with the government. The New Democrats, again, pressed Premier Clark for a review of CLBC and a moratorium on group home closures.
Clark said the government is spending quite a lot - about $50,000 per client a year, if you count welfare - on people with developmental disabilities.
But she rejected, again and again, calls for an independent review of CLBC - the "top-to-bottom examination" Hawes had urged.
And then Clark offered up something revealing.
New Democrat Carole James prefaced a question with a reference to the "heartbreaking stories from families about a lack of care for their children." She cited the case of a mentally handicapped woman forced from the group home she had lived in for 19 years.
Clark said the opposition is being negative.
"And you know what?" she said. "I don't necessarily begrudge them that. I used to sit as children and families critic. I know the game the member is playing."
I didn't realize Clark was playing a game back then, as I watched the debates. I thought the lives of children at risk were important enough that MLAs would be serious and honest...
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