Deadline: Friday, April 19, 2024 (midnight)

In the My BC survey, the BC NDP is asking British Columbians what they care about, and what should be included in the party’s 2024 election platform.

We have a chance to let them know that COVID safety, clean air, and immuno-inclusivity are key issues – and that this includes masks in healthcare. The more people raise similar points, the more likely they are to pay attention.

How to complete the survey:

• Go to act.bcndp.ca/survey/my-bc/ to do the survey.
• Answers must be submitted by midnight on Friday, April 19, 2024.
• Doing the complete survey may take 10-15 minutes, but you can skip questions, and it’s much faster with template answers!
• You need to provide a name and contact to fill out this survey.
• Going forward and backward in the survey to change answers is possible. However, there is no way to save your survey progress to finish it later.

Here’s what to expect from the survey: 

• On the first page, you’ll be asked for your name and some contact info.
• After that, you’ll be asked what you need most in the coming years, and what you want the party to focus on; some questions about different areas like healthcare, infrastructure, and inclusivity; and what actions and commitments are most important.

Below, you can find some example answers for priorities related to COVID-19, infectious diseases, and clean air. (You might recognize some of them from our 2024 Budget Recommendations!)

Example answers:

Please feel free to customize and make these more personal!

When you think about your community and what it needs most in the coming years, what comes to mind?

Clean Indoor Air Act, and ensuring good indoor air quality in both new construction and retrofits.

Equitable, accessible and timely healthcare access.

Long COVID education, research, and improved care.

Alleviate poverty and improve affordability.

When you think about your family or loved ones and what support they may need most from their government in the coming years, what comes to mind?

Year-round requirement in all medical settings for masks and other clean air measures.

Access to vaccines and antiviral treatments.

Improved support for post-infectious diseases such as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) and Long Covid with evidence-based guidelines, specific billing codes, and medical professional training.

Expanded medical equipment coverage including for PPE and air purifiers.

Looking back, is there a commitment or an action our government has taken that has most positively impacted you?

When BC partially restored healthcare mask protections in October 2023. 

Eventually making rapid tests free and accessible. 

Commitment in Budget 2024 to fund ongoing COVID-19 heath measures.

Tell us: what commitments do you want David Eby and the BC NDP to make in 2024 on making life affordable in your community?

PPE tax credit.

Raise rates of income and disability assistance to the poverty line, index to inflation, and remove the spousal cap.

Expanded medical equipment coverage, including air purifiers.

Develop and implement specific billing codes for post-infectious illnesses like ME/CFS and Long COVID.

Tell us: what commitments do you want David Eby and the BC NDP to make in 2024 on healthcare in your community?

Restore and enforce year-round mask requirements in both public and privately-run medical settings, for staff, contractors, visitors, volunteers, and patients (with reasonable exceptions)

Improve airborne precautions by making respirators the default – particularly by and around vulnerable patients, and certainly upon request. 

Improve supports and services for people with post-infectious illnesses like Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) and Long COVID by establishing evidence-based guidelines, developing specific billing codes, and training medical professionals.

Tell us: what commitments do you want David Eby and the BC NDP to make in 2024 about climate and our environment in your community?

Clean Indoor Air Act, including establishment of an Indoor Air Quality Advisory Council to help address pollution, wildfire smoke and more. 

Make N95s freely available during wildfire season, the way places like Montreal have done.

Tell us: what commitments do you want David Eby and the BCNDP to make in 2024 on fairness and inclusivity in your community?

Follow Human Rights Commissioner guidance, and restore universal mask protections to medical settings.

Support and promote providing remote work options where practical, to level the playing field for many caregivers, members of the disability community, people living in remote and rural areas, and more.

Tell us: what commitments do you want David Eby and the BC NDP to make in 2024 about infrastructure in your community?

Upgrade ventilation and filtration in schools and public buildings, aligned with ASHRAE 241.

Is there anything else you want to share with David Eby and our BC NDP MLAs in the lead up to the election?

You can share a personal comment, or a fact like these below:

Multiple polls show 85-91% of respondents must delay healthcare due to lack of COVID safety. Please restore mask requirements in healthcare.

NACI guidance states that “the seasonality of COVID is not yet established”: i.e. it cannot yet be treated as seasonal. Please restore mask requirements in healthcare.