VICTORIA, B.C.: The BC NDP government has announced that they will no longer provide funding to support a second Ronald McDonald House in BC. Funds have already been raised for the project, and there is support from federal and local governments, but the project will be unable to proceed without the financial support of the provincial government.

“The provincial government has primary responsibility for health,” said Anna Kindy, Conservative Critic for Health. “But the NDP does not seem interested in helping sick children and their families who need to travel to access care.”

Ronald McDonald House provides a place for seriously ill children and their families to stay when they need medical treatment at BC Children’s Hospital. BC Children’s Hospital is the only dedicated pediatric hospital in the province.

“When families from outside of Metro Vancouver need to bring their child to BC Children’s Hospital, the last thing they should have to worry about is figuring out the costs and logistics of accommodations,” said Brennan Day, Critic for Seniors and Rural Health. “Ronald McDonald House provides a vital service by allowing families to stay together during a very difficult time.”

The new Ronald McDonald House facility on Willow Street and 33rd Avenue was supposed to provide 75 new suites for families with children receiving medical treatment. Without this new facility, it will be very difficult for families to find places to stay.

“The NDP government has failed sick children and their families by failing to allocate funding to this essential project,” said Gavin Dew, MLA for Kelowna-Mission. “It is incomprehensible that the NDP government – which loves to spend money on all sorts of wasteful things – has decided that this is what will be cut. This decision is heartless and cruel, and I am calling on the government to reverse it immediately.”

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