MLA Harman Bhangu Blasts Government for Telling B.C. Families to Turn to GoFundMe for Medically Necessary Dental Care
LANGLEY, BC: Harman Bhangu, Conservative MLA for Langley Abbotsford, is condemning the NDP government’s growing tendency to force families onto crowdfunding platforms for critical healthcare needs.
A 14-year-old girl with a documented 90–100% overbite—one of the most extreme classifications—was denied an $8,100 orthodontic supplement despite clear evidence from a licensed specialist that her condition could lead to tooth loss and further structural damage without treatment. After two rejections and two failed appeals, the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction responded by recommending the family consider crowdfunding the treatment costs via GoFundMe.
“This government is forcing families to beg online for medically necessary care,” said Bhangu. “When a child faces tooth loss and facial development issues, and the best advice the NDP can offer is to create a GoFundMe page, that’s not just cruel—it’s policy failure at its worst.”
The rejection came despite internal ministry documentation acknowledging that the girl’s condition “requires treatment and may otherwise progress.”
Yet the ministry’s contracted orthodontist offered only a vague, three-word assessment—“limited skeletal dysplasia”—while dismissing a detailed plan from a second orthodontist recommending braces and jaw surgery.
“This family followed every step of the appeals process in good faith,” Bhangu continued. “They were failed by a bureaucratic system more focused on minimizing costs than protecting children’s health.”
Bhangu is calling for an immediate review of the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction’s orthodontic supplement criteria and more transparency around how contracted dental consultants are chosen and evaluated.
“What message does this send to parents across B.C.?” asked Bhangu. “That even if your child’s medical needs are documented, you’re on your own unless you can privately fundraise treatment? This is not a compassionate province under the NDP—it’s survival of the richest.”
Bhangu is urging Minister Sheila Malcolmson to explain why her ministry ignored clinical evidence and offered a crowdfunding website instead of care. He also reiterated the Opposition’s call for broader reform of child and youth health supports under B.C.’s income and disability assistance programs.
“British Columbians pay some of the highest taxes in North America. No parent should have to rely on strangers online just to keep their child from losing their teeth.”
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