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“Doing the best I can!”
You have likely heard of Greta Thunberg, but have you heard of Wangari Maathai? Maathai told a version of Greta's story in this video published back in 2010, long before Greta began her work. The story Maathai told is much, much older. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGMW6YWjMxw[/embedyt] I first heard of Maathai when reading...
Shoot the wolves!
The caribou are going extinct. Fire up the chopper, load the rifle, Shoot the wolves! Never mind the caribou have no cover of old-growth canopy. Or, that the old-growth tree is home to lichen to which the caribou have taken a liken’. Naw! Shoot the wolves! Ignore that we’ve hacked and slashed the caribou habitat, ransacked and left it devastated,...
Supporting local governance
On my morning walk I got to thinking back to my decision to resign from the Central Saanich Council table to run in the 2013 Provincial election for the BC Greens.The decision to resign was triggered by one of my colleagues who moved out of the country and the reality that the District needed to hold a by-election. This allowed me to be clear...
Remaining optimistic in a climate emergency
The growing public discourse about climate change is having a dramatic impact on people. We are beginning to hear more and more about increasing eco-anxiety. The concern is not unfounded; however, paralysis from an overwhelming sense of dread is not helpful and so we must find a healthy balance between informing people of the emergent challenges...
Reconciliation legislation coming this Fall
As we mark the 12th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), we hear from Premier John Horgan that government will be introducing legislation this fall that formalizes the transformation of relationships with Indigenous people in British Columbia. A lot of credit needs to go to...
Improving the Highway 17 corridor
The federal and provincial governments, along with the District of Central Saanich, are investing $43 million to construct a flyover exit for the northbound lanes of the Pat Bay highway at Keating X Road. The is big news and a welcome investment in transportation safety on the Saanich Peninsula.This project is decades in the making. When I was...
Leaves fall, Leafs rise
I enjoy the sunshine and summers’ warmth. However... I love the cool Autumn rains of the north west coast. Branta canadensis fly in full formation overhead spreading the message - Socked fog mornings, dense and moist, are close at hand. Crisscrossing Saanich, they commune in fields and estuaries, preparing for their long flight south. The first...
PODCAST: Emily Olsen – Founder, The Connection Project
The Public Circle Podcast is back!After a few weeks off in August, I start things off with a conversation with my wife and partner, Emily Olsen, about the second edition of The Connection Project on October 4th in the Charlie White Theatre at the Mary Winspear Centre.For many years, Emily has faced the challenges of depression. There have been...
Clearcuts on the Southern Gulf Islands
This week I met with a group of passionate advocates on Salt Spring Island who are deeply concerned about the clear cutting of forests on private land. There is a long history of logging on the Gulf Islands and, despite the Islands’ Trust mandate to “preserve and protect” the islands for the benefit of all British Columbians, there is seemingly...
Access to free contraception
I met hundreds of people who stopped by the BC Greens tent at the Saanich Fair on Labour Day weekend. We talked about a lot of different topics and covered a lot of ground. One group I met were from an advocacy organization called Access BC - a youth-run initiative to get free prescription contraceptives for all British Columbians, similar to...
Patriot Act exposes Canadian doublespeak
Yesterday, I shared a post about an enjoyable experience I had sharing a meal with someone from another political party. In our highly partisan world, we have to find a way to balance our differing opinions while maintaining our principles and our integrity.Have you watched Hasan Minhaj’s takedown of Canada through his interview with Prime...
“Just win, baby!”
I attended a wedding recently. The couple are a fascinating example of a modern blended political family. They represent both sides of the traditional political spectrum and everything in between.Emily and I sat at a table with an equally intriguing mix of friends, family and political operatives. It didn’t take long for us to realize that we...
Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?
Pffft. It’s all good. No hurry, do it later.... There was a time not too long ago that I was in no hurry to do much. My life was ruled by vicious cycles of a time of procrastination followed by a time of mad scrambles. Generally, I was able to accomplish my to do list but it was not without challenges. I can clearly remember some Sunday evenings...
Forestry: Learning from the wisdom of our Elders
There has been a lot of chatter in the public about the collapsing British Columbia forestry industry. In every community I visited this summer, forestry issues were central to the concerns of the people I met with. Many people had worked a full career in the forests and they had very little positive to say about the state of the industry and the...
Parenting: Doing the best we can
Happy New Year! When the kids go back to school it’s for all intents and purposes a new year. The weather has been changing, brisk mornings and evenings come as dawn and dusk squeeze the day. As the summer holiday drew to a close, the lax bed times and loosened rules made for some haywire kids in our house. We got to a new level of exasperation....
Smile!
You know how sometimes you see something that makes you smile. It's something so good you can’t not smile. Something you can’t help smiling about. It’s something so perfect that it fills you full of joy! Even if you focus all your energy on something else, something that would normally make you smile... In the end, it's this much better something...
Precautionary principle protects pricing system in B.C. forests
On Sunday, the Times Colonist published Judith Lavoie’s piece about old-growth logging on Vancouver Island. It was first published in The Narwhal a few weeks back. The response from the public was powerful. Working the BC Greens booth at the Saanich Fair, I connected with a lot of people from across the Capital Region. “What are you doing to stop...
The Connection Project prepares to take the stage
Guest post by: Emily Olsen With just over a month to go before the second edition of the The Connection Project, I pause to appreciate a few very important and wonderful changes since last year. The Connection Project event last Fall was a huge learning experience for me. It challenged my underlying fears and beliefs. Would anyone come to the...
Brand and Brown discuss vulnerability, power and politics
Russell Brand is a fascinating person whose podcast I enjoy listening to. He is brilliant and every now and then he will let loose with an unscripted, politically charged poetic rant that I either rewind and listen to again or just hit pause and let soak through the skin. His podcast is called Under the Skin and it has recently gone behind a pay...
Celebrating Labour Day!
Today is Labour Day!I pause and acknowledge the persistent and dedicated effort of workers and their union advocates to lobby and secure a better quality of life and working conditions.In the struggle for workers’ rights there have been many important victories. These include a limit to the number of hours allowed to be worked in a day or week,...
Join the Circle!
Each month our constituency team produces a newsletter to update you on our work in the community and my legislative activities. Each edition highlights our efforts and it's generally delivered to your inbox in the last week of the month. I have shared a document version of the newsletter below to give you a peek. However, if you Join the Circle...
In Kamloops: Talking salmon, forestry and governance…
Last weekend I visited Kelowna, Vernon and Kamloops on a whirlwind three day trip that ended with a tour of the Kamloops Fire Centre. While in Kamloops I had a BBQ with the local BC Green riding association. I took the opportunity to provide an update on our work in the Legislature and had the opportunity to meet Alan Forseth. Alan has been...
Ten at a time
The situation I found myself in yesterday morning has not happened much recently. I have been out of the office for the past week enjoying the last of summer break with my family. As a result I put the "pen" down. So, I got home from my morning walk, opened my laptop, and quickly noticed there was no post scheduled for tomorrow (today).Hmmmmm. I...
Curious case of the missing salmon
Last week the Minister responsible for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson, had to announce that only 13% of the sockeye the federal Ministry expected to enter the Fraser River system had actually showed up.It's another chapter in a the epic tragedy of the disappearing salmon. They said the sockeye run this year would near 5...
Remembering the memories of our ancestors
I write many of these posts on my handheld device. It is a powerful machine. The processing capability grows with each new release as does the storage capacity capturing and keeping huge amounts of information.These devices are a marvel of technology and they have dramatically changed the world in the past decade, putting massive computing...
Keating X flyover APPROVED!
The northbound exit off the Pat Bay highway onto Keating X Road has always been challenging. It’s the primary access to the Tanner Ridge neighbourhood, the Keating Business Park, Brentwood Bay and world famous Butchart Gardens. Decades ago the District of Central Saanich first raised the danger of this exit with the province as they were looking...