Peninsula Affairs discussion about Bamberton Quarry, food security, and electoral boundaries

I joined Radio Sidney host Peter Wainwright on his show Peninsula Affairs on January 2, 2023 to discuss several issues and as it turns out we only got to a few.

We opened our discussion on the topic of the proposed expansion of the Bamberton Quarry by the Malahat Investment Corporation (MIC). The MIC has every right to make the application, and in this episode we discuss the need for the provincial Environment Minister George Heyman to change the thresholds for environmental assessments, Mines Minister Josie Osborne to update the Mines Act to require better public engagement and communication, and address the accumulative impacts of resource extraction activities.

In addition, we discussed the ongoing issue of tree cutting on the Agriculture Land Reserve. This part of the discussion is dominated by conversation about the need to increase food security, right to farm, Indigenous food production, and the provincial government’s role in this important issue.

Finally, we touched on the recent public engagement on the proposed changes to the Saanich North and the Islands Electoral Area boundary by the Electoral Boundary Commission. The Commission proposed to remove Brentwood Bay from the riding. The opportunity for public input is now closed. The Attorney General will bring the final recommendations forward in the form of legislation.