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Premier Eby replaces Minister and Deputy Minister responsible for child welfare system
British Columbia has a new Minister of Children and Family Development. Is the change in leadership a reset for a deeply troubled child welfare system? Or, is it a political reset for Premier David Eby? The Premier’s language should be noted. He called the move a “significant reset” and apparently, he and former-Minister Mitzi Dean “reluctantly”...
Reflections on being a legislator and opposition critic
In preparation for the final session (Spring 2024) of the 42nd Parliament, I look back on this term and reflect on the pace of life as a legislator, house leader, and the role of opposition members as government critics. On Pace The pace of politics is fast. Each session comes and goes. In the lead up, the energy builds in anticipation. During...
Investments and community advocacy in Saanich North and the Islands
Reflecting on the past six years as MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, I am proud of the advocacy work of our Community Office. From day one, we created a community-centred approach advocating for constituents who contact us while proactively working to bring people together on important issues to coordinate response and build local...
MLA Column: Local MLA busy fighting BC NDP’s ‘increasingly autocratic approach’
As I look back at another year in the British Columbia Legislative Assembly, I raise my hands in gratitude to Saanich North and the Islands who have given me the honour of representing our beautiful communities since 2017. We just celebrated my son Silas’ 16th birthday, which means it has been 15 years since I was first elected as a Central...
Reflections on the BC NDP housing policy, modelling, and analysis
Introduction There is a story about an emperor who proudly walked unclothed through town in front of his subjects. To me it is a story about exposure, pride, vanity, arrogance, and truth-telling. The emperor was conned into believing weavers could produce magical clothing that is invisible to the foolish. When the emperor is “dressed” in his new...
Response to Question of Privilege allegations Government House Leader misled the House
On Wednesday afternoon, when Government House Leader, Hon. Ravi Kahlon introduced his motion of time allocation into the British Columbia Legislative Assembly, House business immediately deteriorated into mayhem. [2:50pm] Vaughn Palmer describes the scene, “The formal name for Kahlon’s motion is “time allocation” or “closure.” The informal term...
lək̓ʷəŋən language signage important step for BC Legislative Assembly
BC Legislative Assembly Speaker, Hon. Raj Chouhan has been working with the Songhees and Esquimalt people, along with Indigenous communities across the province, to take positive steps toward reconciliation and broadening the cultural presence in the building and on the precinct. We celebrated the...
Will the Social Development Minister finally lift people with disabilities above the poverty line?
The Minister of Social Development, Hon. Sheila Malcolmson, is often ignored in questions period. The minister is responsible for important work. On critical area is the implementation of the Accessibility BC Act. Our built environment continues to be tremendously challenging for people, for...
BC NDP spends more than twice as much on C-IRG police unit than on MMIWG programs
The BC NDP provided $19 million dollars to fund Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls while spending $50 million on a special RCMP unit called the Community-Industry Response Group that has violently arrested Indigenous land defenders. [Transcript] A. Olsen: We've seen this Minister of...
Premier Eby ducks his responsibility for Ministry of Children and Family Development
For years, the governing party in British Columbia has nurtured a broken child welfare system. It doesn’t matter if it was the BC Liberals, or now the BC NDP. The BC Green Caucus has been raising issues related to the Ministry of Children and Family Development for years. We have provided ideas to...
BC NDP continues to blur lines between executive and legislative branch eroding democracy
I rose today in response to a Motion introduced by Government House Leader Ravi Kahlon. Be it resolved that the House recess from 6:30 to 7 p.m. and notwithstanding Standing Orders 2 and 3 thereafter sit until 9 p.m. today, and notwithstanding the sessional order adopted on October 5, 2023, Section...
Will the Minister of child welfare regulate social workers in her Ministry?
For years, my colleague Sonia Furstenau, MLA (Cowichan Valley) and I have been asking for the Minister of Children and Family Development to require social workers to be members of the College of Social Workers. They have failed to make this a basic requirement and it is hard to imagine another...
Desperate politics are costly in addressing runaway climate change
I rose in response to a Motion introduced by the Dan Davies, BC United MLA for Peace River North Be it resolved that this House supports permanently eliminating the provincial fuel tax to ease the pain at the pump and removing the carbon tax on all home heating. “A rise of 3°C in global...
Does the province meet the challenge of the infrastructure deficit and increased demand?
With the BC NDP government moving to rezone vast areas of British Columbia from single family to multi-family — three, four, or six times the density — they have to answer the question how local governments will accommodate the increased development pressure on aging and insufficient...
Amendments include BC NDPs lacklustre economic development support for Vancouver Island
For the past year I have been advocating for the BC NDP government to support the Island Coastal Economic Trust (ICET) so it can transform into a stable long-term community-led economic development vehicle for Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities. The BC NDP has ignored the pleas of local...
MCFD will protect human rights “wherever possible!”
The B.C. Supreme Court says it is a human right for a mother to be able to continue breastfeeding her newborn child. The Children and Family Development minister Hon. Mitzi Dean says that these human rights will be protected “wherever possible.” That basically sums up how she prioritizes the human...
BC NDP continues growing the fossil fuel industry in a climate crisis!
The BC NDP should be applauded for their continued support of the carbon tax, however their energy policy leaves a lot to be desired. Disinformation being spread minimizing the climate impacts of the LNG industry, using the image of Minister of Energy, Hon. Josie Osborne, in addition to Premier...
My comprehensive response to property zoning changes
In this response to Bill 44: Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act, 2023, I take space to discuss a variety of issues. This is the accumulation of 15 years in governance and politics. I have been at both the local and provincial tables, involved in thousands of hours of meetings...
Site seCrecy? Just how much is this dam costing us?
The last updated estimate of the cost of the Site C dam was in 2021 with then Premier John Horgan announced he had managed the project budget from the initial $6.8 billion to an astounding $16 billion. Try to get information about the project and you can’t because the BC NDP government has it...
Ensuring the victims and survivors of crime get the support they need
Victims and survivors of crime have been advocating for changes to the Criminal Victims Assistance Program. The provincial government has moved welcome amendments, however I am concerned they don’t go far enough. We have casework in our constituency office involving children and it appears that in...
Celebrating the Saanich Peninsula Hospital and Healthcare Foundation
The people on the Saanich Peninsula have long fought to preserve our community hospital. Each year they contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Saanich Peninsula Hospital and Healthcare Foundation to upgrade the facility, equipment, and infrastructure. The whole community is grateful for...
Under BC NDP healthcare spending has increased $8.43 billion. Where are the results?
Healthcare continues to be a top priority for people living in Saanich North and the Islands. Healthcare spending has increased by $8.43 billion since Minister Adrian Dix took control of the health file. From what I have heard from my constituents, they are not seeing the benefit from the...
Pushing substance use into the darkness does not solve the problem
The BC NDP celebrated being the first jurisdiction to get the federal government to decriminalize small amounts of illicit substances. Open drug use in public spaces is ABSOLUTELY a problem, but it is not THE problem, it is a symptom of the problem. Addiction is a health issue not a criminal...
Premier Eby sits by while Minister of Children and Families fails B.C.’s most vulnerable children
The Minister of Children of Family Development, Mitzi Dean, continues to let down British Columbia’s most vulnerable children. Internal audits continue to show the Minister’s team is failing to deliver the most basic social work policy and procedures, fails to deliver oversight of their offices,...
Finally. BC NDP moves to regulate short-term vacation rentals
Tech companies have built billion dollar platforms by disrupting traditional markets. We have heard the saying “move fast and break things.” Well, when it comes to short-term vacation rentals (STVR), what they participated in breaking was the housing market. Now, I don’t believe that STVRs are to...
It’s time for Minister of Children and Family Development to resign or be fired!
The Minister of Children and Family Development, Mitzi Dean, has failed to deliver the systemic change needed in the Ministry, and as a result she has failed the most vulnerable children in our province. We continue to see reports about the tragic results produced by the Ministry, and still the...