Talking Allergies

Well, today is the big day for Bill M 210's second reading. We here in BC believe and pray that the government will do the right thing and pass this into the committee phase of the bill.

If everyone could think positive thoughts between 11 and noon Pacific Time, I know this will make a difference. You can also you can also watch the debate on the House webcast. http://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard/webcasts/

It's a really exciting day today! We willl keep you up to date.

Caroline
ps There are 218 signatures on our online petition now. THANK YOU to all who have signed! If you still would like to, go to http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/m210

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son anaphylactic to peanuts

Any news?

I was out at a meeting, didn't get to watch. Gwen

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

Well, there is good news and there is bad news. Which do you want first?

The good news is that we are making the government act on this important issue. Through the Anaphylaxis Committee (there is another word there but I forget), stakeholders will gather to discuss the needs and wants of a provincial policy which may just be legislation. By September, the committee will recommend whether or not there should be legislation proposed and, if so, that will happen this fall.

Can you guess the bad news?

The bad news is that this Private Members Bill from the Opposition is not going to get picked up by the government. Today was hard because if you read Hansard ( http://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard/8-8.htm ) for this morning there were people from the Government who clearly didn't understand the legislation being proposed. And it didn't help that there were very few ministers in the House (no Education, Premier, Health). Seeing all those empty seats was quite distressing. . .

But here is when it gets good again -- David Cubberley spoke to our group after the debate and told us not to be discouraged -- that we have come a long way and we now have to work through the committee. What we saw this morning was what happens when the Opposition has a Private Member's Bill. We have got their attention, and we have this committee to work with.

Our group will need to strategize some more but all is not lost on our adventure to get a law like Sabrina's Law here in BC. There is still a possibility that there will be legislation proposed this year. . . and that will keep us going.

Thanks again for all your support,
Caroline
ps I hope others who were there add to this -- so much happened that I fear I might have glossed over something.

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son anaphylactic to peanuts

I'm sure it's disappointing that the gov't didn't have a change of heart.

But I'm with you on the good news - this is also a huge achievement. Until this spring, this really wasn't on the gov't's agenda. Now, is it ever - that's a bona fide commitment that something has to be done.

So a round of applause for PACT, AAIA, David Cubberley, Sara Shannon, Anaphylaxis Canada.

And here's to success out of the committee. fingers and toes crossed.

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

Oh and I hope everyone reads David Cubberley's speech - it was really strong.

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

Thanks Caroline for posting the news. The Government has committed to something being in place by September through the Anaphylactic Advisory Committee, which will have its first meeting June 4th. This is good news.
Also, the feeling is that the Government is in action mode and that today, through the debate, they did not close the door on legislation but rather gave some glimmers of hope that legislation is a very real possibility.
They are listening and they seem to be very aware of the public position on this. I think they thought this would go away but they had no idea how strong a group of parents and great supporters such as Allergic Living can be!
We will be doing a strategy meeting some time next week to determine how to proceed over the summer.
Right now, we encourage everyone to listen to the Hansard of today and write a letter/email to your MLA and your local paper on how you feel about today's debate.

Also the committee has been struck here in BC and we encourage you to contact Minister Bond's office to ask who is on that committee and to find out when the results will be made available. We want them to know that we remain devoted and that we want to be kept up to date and that we are not going away. We don't want to be annoyng but we want to remain visible.
Thanks again to everyone for your tremendous support, we will need you more over the coming months. A special thank you to Gwen for her continued support, advice and cheerleading!

I would like to agree that reading the Hansard is definitely required reading. It is great when people who are not dealing with anaphylaxis "get it" and speak up strongly for safety for ALL children. It was very gratifying to read what David and the others had to say. Even the Liberals, who were clearly not voting, were very supportive of putting procedures in place to ensure that our kids will be safer.

We have come a long way in two short months (actually they feel quite long ), and we have gained more support then we ever had thought possible.

It is really important now more than ever to insist that we want "Sabrina's Law" in BC. Just as the words "Amber Alert" have a meaning for children who are abducted, "Sabrina's Law" needs to be a universal symbol for protection for children with life threatening allergies.

Our job now is to try and keep spreading the word, and having more and more people contact the powers-that-be, so that everyone keeps the pressure on the Ministry of Education over the summer. The m210.org (soon to be renamed) website will have details on what our action plan will be. We are brainstorming for the next few days, so if you have any good ideas, please share them.

We have all worked really hard, but the work has paid off. We will have to continue working at this for a little longer, but the hard part is over, as we have been able to contact most organizations that would have a stake in this, and convince them to support legislation. And they have. We have received great media coverage and created a lot more awareness. Everyone is listening, and no one is being mean!!! That is HUGE!

YAY US!!!!!

Congrats to you all for all of your hard work! You should be proud with all that you've been able to accomplish in such a short time -- here's hoping legislation comes soon!

This quote from David Cubberley's speech (in Hansard) was quite horrifying and at the same time quite motivating, as it shows the continued need for education:

"They're demoralized by the small number — and it is a small number — of senior staff who believe this whole thing is being overdramatized, that these kids should be taught to take more responsibility for themselves even if they have to get a really good scare in order to get them there."

Obviously we all know that giving an anaphylactic kid a "good scare" is not the way to go, and that people who think this need more education. It actually frightens me that someone would have that in the back of their mind...

Anyway, well done you guys for all your efforts, and continued courage for the future! It took years (and I believe 3 separate bills) to get Sabrina's Law passed in Ontario, so for you to have gotten so much attention is such a short time is great.

K.

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Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

I will reread Hansard as well -- the words didn't reach me as much as the body language of those not on camera, funny as that is. I am still a little stung by the small number of MLAs and the fact that, if they weren't speaking, they were there surfing the internet, doing paperwork, and generally not paying attention. It seemed so cavalier after all the correspondence we have had with all of the MLAs on this non-partisan issue -- to not see my own MLA, the Education Minister or the Health Minister there was disappointing to me for its seems they are playing politics with the safety of our kids.

But that is the process for you. We have cracked the door open with the people in charge and so PACT will now shift focus to requesting legislation, not this Opposition Bill. We do have a parent rep on the Anaphylaxis Advisory Committee, as well as a lot of other people 'on side' with the request for legislation. We are not going away! Certainly M210 created the attention we needed to get this committee going, and through promoting this bill we have been able to raise awareness to new heights here in BC. Not bad at all, is it.

Thanks to everyone for all your phenominal support -- it has certainly meant a lot.
Caroline
ps We are in the process of revamping our website this weekend. You can now find us at http://www.PactBC.org
ps2 I read someone's motto and am going to adopt it as well. It goes:

If not me.... who?
If not here....where?
If not now....when?

Kinda cool, eh.

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son anaphylactic to peanuts

It was Mikhail Gorbachev, "If not me, who? And if not now, when? "
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/autho ... achev.html

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

Thanks! That makes it even more cool!

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son anaphylactic to peanuts