I just read an article in the July 28 Nelson Star/Castlegar News concerning the Nelson Health Campus which is to be built at the former Mt. St. Francis hospital. The facility is being built by the Columbia Basin Trust and a private care provider — Golden Life Management. Once built it will be leased, and operated by Interior Health. The article also states that the facility will be “among the nine other seniors facilities that the Trust, and Golden Life have invested in across the Basin region.”
I am appalled that the Columbia Basin Trust, a taxpayer owned and funded Crown Corporation, is using my tax dollars to support this wealthy private corporation. Interior Heath is planning to spend seven and a half million yearly, to lease just this one facility from the same wealthy private corporation. There are eight others. How much lease money are we paying out in total? We have a publicly funded health care system which I am more than happy to support with my taxes. I am totally and completely opposed to have my tax dollars spent to enrich this private corporation. This is privatization of our public health care system which is being enabled by our own Columbia Basin Trust. As taxpayers we should all demand an end to it.
Rod Retzlaff
Glade, B.C.
newsroom@castlegarnews.com
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