VICTORIA – While Premier Christy Clark prepares for a photo-op in Dawson Creek this afternoon, New Democrats are reminding her that growing a healthy economy must include providing vital public services like health care.

“The premier clearly doesn’t understand that along with economic development, rural and northern British Columbians need to see an investment in their communities and social services,” said New Democrat rural and northern health critic Jennifer Rice. “We desperately need health services in places like Fort St. John, yet the B.C. Liberal government is failing to take action, leaving 20,000 people without access to a doctor.”

Rice was responding today to the medical crisis in Fort St. John due to an ongoing departure of physicians.

She noted that as the premier heads to Dawson Creek today for a photo-op, it’s likely she’ll talk a lot about liquefied natural gas, but not a lot about what it takes to create livable communities.

“How does this government expect to grow the economy if it can’t even ensure basic medical services are provided to people in places like Fort St. John, the centre of the natural gas industry?

“Families aren’t going to move to communities for jobs if they know more than 20,000 of the town’s residents can’t find a doctor.”