One can only hope that it is pettiness and meanness of spirit that has Health Minister Mike de Jong and the government acting in such a contemptible way towards British Columbians coping with the challenges of living with life altering, life threatening health challenges.

Mr de Jong’s decision to persecute those ailing from the most debilitating illnesses is unconscionable.

The sickest of the sick? Yes, the sickest of the sick. Consider: we are talking Air Miles which means that, in order to get enough points for a $20 gas card or earn free food, you have to be purchasing thousands of dollars of medication each month. The need for thousands of dollars of medication per month indicates the illness that person is dealing with is, debilitating, life altering and life threatening in major ways.

If you know someone living with Crohn’s Disease and /or Ulcerative Colitis you know the intrusive and wide ranging effect it has on someone’s life. You also know how the support given to people suffering from such chronic conditions is unrealistic and inadequate to what is needed to survive with any quality of life.

Thus the additional resources that the Air Miles rewards program bestows is not some fancy perk but necessary for survival. A way for the victim of the illness to cover a small portion of the gap between what they need for survival and the inadequate ‘support’ from government. A ‘support’ that, as a fixed income, grows more inadequate every month as the costs of living rise and their income remains fixed.

A way that costs the government nothing.

Which is why I said one hopes it is pettiness and a spiritual meanness that has Health Minister de Jong and the government persecuting the most health challenged British Columbians.

Because if, as the evidence frighteningly suggests, Mr de Jong, the government and the NDP cannot see the fallacy, the incorrectness, in the assertion that this is somehow costing taxpayers money…….We are financially doomed.

Although it does explain the financial, budget and service delivery (i.e. healthcare) mess we are in and why, finding ourselves in a deep financial/budget/service delivery hole, we keep digging ourselves deeper – rather than acting to get out of the hole.

Mr de Jong stated that although he did not know how, and thus could not tell voters how, taxpayers must be paying for this somehow because there is no free lunch.

Why is it that Mr de Jong and the government don’t apply this ‘there is no free lunch’ idea where it should be applied (their salaries, perks and pension plan for example) but apply it when it will hurt British Columbia’s most vulnerable – and where it has no application.

That is correct, these ‘survival bonuses’ that were being earned from Air Miles were NOT costing the taxpayers of BC anything.

Should Mr. de Jong have been correct and taxpayers were paying for these programs what should have happened when the government stopped Pharmacare’s participation? The promotions should have ended. They didn’t. Leading to the (rather obvious) conclusion that this promotion was not aimed at or based on Pharmacare’s participation.

Hardly surprising since Pharmacare’s payment policies to pharmacies are based on minimizing the costs – and seemingly maximizing the hassles. I rather suspect there are numerous pharmacies that would just as soon not deal with Pharmacare period – if that was permitted.

So why Air Miles? Keep in mind that it is not just the Pharmacy at Safeway that offers Air Miles; Air Miles apply on all purchases made at Safeway.

Air Miles is a loyalty program whose purpose is just that – loyalty – attracting customers and keeping those customers coming back to make future purchases.

Air Miles are a promotion, an enticement to shop and be a loyal customer of Safeway. The cost of the Air Miles promotion is, like advertising, part of the cost of doing business for Safeway.

The promotion is not about Pharmacare and will continue without the participation of the poor who are dependent on Pharmacare for the medication they need to remain among the living. Because of the nature of the Air Miles program, the rewards earned by those on Pharmacare are effectively earned at NO COST to the government.

The only results from Health Minister de Jong’s new policy is to reduce the resources available, to threaten even further the health and survival of the desperately ill.

Why Mr de Jong and the government are punishing people for being financially responsible and creative in maximizing the resources they have every month – at no cost to the taxpayer – is a mystery.

No matter, it is time stop being petty and mean, apologize to these British Columbians the government is suppose to be helping and right the wrong done in introducing this punitive new policy by ending it.