Our COVID-19 Emergency Report is landing on doorsteps across Vancouver Kingsway. In order to enable greater accessibility, we will now also be publishing all of our print communications online. You can check it out here!
NDP health critic Don Davies says the heartfelt reunions raise some concerns, given the couples don’t technically have to self-isolate since the lines for the border are staggered at that crossing.
“Folks in B.C. may remember that one of the epicentres for COVID-19 in the U.S. was Washington state, and we’re seeing some of the transmission patterns in B.C. did come from that state. So you know we’ve done a great job in B.C. so far in following public health guidelines. We got to just keep following them now and it would be a shame if after that sacrifice we got a flare-up of transmission because of loopholes like this,” he tells NEWS 1130.
A loophole in the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit that doesn’t prohibit people charging fees to help others get relief funds needs to be closed to prevent scams, an NDP MP says.
Don Davies, who represents Vancouver Kingsway, says 77 seniors at a residence in east Vancouver were approached by an individual offering to register them for the relief funds in exchange for a 10 per cent cut of the money.
VANCOUVER – Yesterday, NDP MP Don Davies sent a letter (see below) to Prime Minister Trudeau calling on the federal government to ban third parties from collecting fees for assistance with Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) applications.
Davies' request comes in response to a scam that has targeted at least 77 seniors in Vancouver, along with reports that tax consultants are charging clients for help with CERB application
Still, NDP health critic Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway, B.C.) said he did not see the shift in tone from Mr. Trudeau as “a change of heart,” rather “a recognition of an abdication of duty and failure of the federal government, that they finally have corrected.”
Mr. Davies, who also sits on the House Health Committee, said experts have been reiterating the importance of testing “to get a handle on COVID-19, and begin to manage the restoration of an open economy and society” for months now. He said there is a need for a “comprehensive and extensive testing program, but we have anything but that in Canada, and I can’t find out why.”
“To me that is fraud. It is counselling someone to commit a fraud and I believe that this is illegal and the police should be involved in this,” said Davies.
Elmore says the Vancouver Police Department is aware of the situation, and is looking into it.
Davies is planning to take the matter to Ottawa to try make it illegal to charge people fees to obtain COVID-19 benefits like the CERB.
"Because if there isn't a clear prohibition against charging people to access this benefit, there ought to be. And I think we should call for that immediately."
“At best this is immoral, at worst illegal. We need to put an immediate stop to this scam that takes advantage of seniors,” Davies says.
This week, the federal government announced there will be subsequent measures made to identify fraud cases.
For Canadians who shouldn’t have received money, but did, a new repayment option on the Canada Revenue Agency website is now available to repay it back.
NDP health critic Don Davies said the federal government has a responsibility to address the "disgraceful" state of long term care in Canada.
"Too many governments have ignored this important area of care for too long. We need to work at all levels to comprehensively address the deficiencies," he said.
Davies said the federal government could help fund nursing homes by creating a dedicated federal transfer to the provinces and territories, while requiring that the funds be used for long-term care.
NDP health critic Don Davies, a member of the committee, said his interest in Dr. Aylward testifying has nothing to do with China or geopolitical issues. “From the outset, the Canadian government and public health agency relied explicitly on WHO guidance and information. They continue to do so. I would like to explore the basis of these,” he said.
“Second, the WHO also has members who are at different stages of this pandemic, in some cases, nations who are further along than Canada. As the global co-ordinating body, I would like to probe the experiences of these nations to help guide our actions.