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b.c. premier doubles down on defence of firefighter suspended for writing open letter
vaughn palmer: for all of david eby’s grandstanding on the issue, there is little evidence the ndp encourages that kind of whistleblowing in the provincial public service
aug 21 2024
4 minute read
british columbia premier david eby prior to a photo opportunity with canada's premiers at the council of the federation meetings in halifax on tuesday, july 16, 2024.
darren calabrese
/
the canadian press
victoria — premier david eby doubled down this week in defence of a victoria firefighter who had been disciplined for writing an open letter to the premier about public safety concerns in the provincial capital.
“he’s a firefighter. he has knowledge about what’s happening in the street. he wants to share that information with me,” the premier told reporters tuesday.
“if someone gets in trouble for bringing me that information, i’m going to stand up for them and say, ‘yes, bring me the truth from the street that you see’, and that will help me be a more effective representative for you.”
firefighter josh montgomery was suspended for a day without pay after it came to light that he had written to the premier criticizing the city’s plan to establish a homeless shelter — permitting open drug use — in the victoria neighbourhood where he lives with his young family.
“the planned facility is expected to serve 300 unhoused people per day — just 100 feet from where my young daughters, ages four and six, play outside our home,” the letter read in part.
“we, the residents, were not given a chance to hear why the city of victoria believes relocating services for the drug-addicted and substance users into a residential neighbourhood with children playing next door is a choice that keeps people safe and protects citizens from harm.”
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b.c. conservative party candidate tim thielmann broke the news of the suspension last week.
“this is a man who risks his life to save ours,” said thielmann, a lawyer running for the conservatives in victoria-beacon hill, currently represented by ndp cabinet minister grace lore. “a man who’ll stand up for the safety of his children and his neighbours. and they want to make an example out of him simply for writing to his premier?”
the case has disrupted the cozy relationship between the ndp premier and victoria’s ndp-leaning mayor marianne alto.
eby initially told reporters that the firefighter was entitled to reinstatement, back pay, and an apology. “no one should face consequences for writing to me.”
alto pushed back, suggesting the premier stay in his own lane.
“i am extremely disappointed that any provincial premier would find it appropriate or necessary to make a comment on what is clearly an operational personnel matter of a local government, particularly since he is not in complete possession of the facts,” huffed the mayor.
eby didn’t back off, but turned the exchange into a teachable moment of his own.
“this is my lane,” he replied this week. “the lane is people bringing information to government so that we can make life better for people, and that is the lane i will be in.”
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far from accepting that the firefighter suspension was a personnel matter, eby saw the business of the letter as central to his ability to do his job as premier.
“the further you move in politics, the more insulated you can be from the people that are actually delivering the services, or the people who are actually having the experience of what the policies look like on the ground. that is a very dangerous position to be in as a politician,” explained eby.
“as the premier, as someone who’s been involved in trying to make life better for people through the political process for about a decade, the only time i have ever been successful, the only time i’ve ever been able to make a difference for people, is if i have access to front-line information from people who know what’s happening.
“and if there’s an attempt to interfere with that by anyone, whether it’s a health authority manager or it’s an employer somewhere — no, you shouldn’t be criticizing the government, you shouldn’t bring forward this concern — that makes it impossible for me to do my job as premier.”
by that point in the premier’s spiel, i half expected a choir would break into a chorus, accompanied by a round of applause from the assembled validators.
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but for all of eby’s grandstanding about the importance of “getting the truth from the street,” there is little evidence that the ndp government encourages that kind of whistleblowing in the provincial public service.
just last week, the northern beat online news service reported on the dubious practice of moving drug addicts and patients with severe mental illness into long-term care facilities alongside fragile seniors.
reporter fran yanor relied on the testimony of one nurse who was brave enough to speak on the record. she also confirmed the details from health-care workers who spoke anonymously because they feared retribution from the health region.
that’s one example, among many, of health-care workers subjected to gag orders and threats of discipline if they were to go public with the real situation in hospital emergency rooms, the ambulance service, and the faltering network of urgent and primary care centres.
eby, electioneering, defends the firefighter who lost a day’s pay after criticizing victoria’s civic government.
but there is good reason to think that provincial public servants could face greater retribution if they dared to speak out publicly about the failings of eby’s own government.
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