BLOG
Filter News By…
Legislative Archive
It’s time for a full investigation on money-laundering
What is going on in British Columbia?There are a couple of shocking stories unravelling in our province that deserve a high level of public attention.Yesterday, I wrote about the Speaker's investigation of expenses and the management of the peoples' house.The culture of entitlement uncovered by the Speaker, and outlined in his report, is...
The tension is in the public interest
It is an interesting time to show up on the political scene in British Columbia. Thinking back to election night, shortly after the networks called my victory in Saanich North and the Islands, we were looking up at the big screen as the numbers were tightening. At the time, it was 42 Liberal, 42 NDP, 3 Green. "What do you think of that?" A...
Where we were. Where we are. Where we need to go.
It is important to acknowledge progress. We tend to focus on the work still ahead without raising our hands to incremental steps we have taken together. It's good to check-in. When it comes to Indigenous relations in British Columbia we have a long way to go. So it might be difficult to recognize incremental change. But when we stop and point it...
Column: Many homeowners left in the dark on speculation tax
Housing is the most difficult challenge we face. There are so many fuses attached to this issue. It is charged on all fronts.Homes are the centre of our lives. They provide us emotional safety and financial security.People respond powerfully when their housing is threatened or destabilized.The current housing crisis in British Columbia is...
Day in and day out…
Yesterday, I was standing at the till ordering my first “good” coffee of the day. Taylor asks, “what can I get for you today?” “The usual,” I respond. “Three-shot Americano. No room.” "I need all the coffee I can get," I joke. It’s the same every day. Three shot Americano. No room. Then I proceed to tell her about a statistic that Emily told me...
Here’s to my Grand-dog. Donald Alec Snobelen.
In loving memory ofDonald Alec SnobelenJanuary 21, 1918 - June 19, 2003He was born on January 21, 1918 in Mullingar, Saskatchewan. Two months premature.As you can imagine. Saskatchewan + January + 1918 = blizzard.My great-grandfather headed out to town on the horses to get the doctor. So, my grand-dog Don was delivered by his uncle (his mother's...
It started with a morning walk
It was recently my birthday. Last night we got together for a family dinner and my brother-in-law asked me about what was in store for my 43rd year. My answer is to continue improving. But, his question got me looking back as well. Some of you may remember 2016 Adam. He carried and extra 40 pounds. Frankly, his burden was psychological, emotional...
The transformational act of tidying up
You may have heard about the cultural phenomenon sweeping North America that is Marie Kondo.She is a delight.Kondo is powerfully transforming our relationships to our stuff through her book "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing" and her Netflix show, "Tidying up with Marie Kondo".Many of you may...
Distracted.
The phone on the table vibrates. Lights up with another message. Who is it? What do they want? It's dinner time. Silas is telling me about school. The urge is to pick it up. (Just a quick peek.) No. Silas continues. Resist the urge. Fight the urge. Distracted. The phone vibrates. Another message. A text? Facebook? A tweet. The blood pressure...
And the needle started to skip…
Emily received a turntable for a gift at Christmas.We have not had an operational record player in a few years. A "few years" for Ella, is half her life!So when we hooked it up to an amplifier during the holiday break we dug into Emily’s collection of classic records. Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Fleetwood Mac, Johnny Cash, Gladys Knight and the...
Community meeting tour (almost) half time report
Elizabeth May and I are hosting community meetings throughout January.Elizabeth has completed two tours of her Saanich-Gulf Islands riding per year. Once in January, and once in September.They are informative and always very well attended. So, when we were setting up our constituency calendars, we also made them a priority.This is our third...
“There is only one taxpayer!”
You may have heard the expression, "there is only one taxpayer."Politicians from all parts of the spectrum say it to remind ourselves that there is a limit to what we can do. There is a point that is too far. As a result, aspects of our society break.This is our story, British Columbia in 2019.Think about the healthcare system and your access to...
You gotta see this!
If you have been reading my blog over the past month or so you will know that Seth Godin's podcast Akimbo is top on my listening list. You might be tiring of me mentioning it. In Akimbo, Seth explores our culture, marketing and influence. It is not like the other podcasts about marketing. A huge part of what attracted me to his message is his...
What is the UNDRIP?
By now you have likely heard about UNDRIP. It is the UNDRIP, and it stands for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This post is to provide an overview of the document, a little Canadian/British Columbian context and the actual content. Yes, it is a lot of words. But, they are important words and they represent a...
“Take the government down!”
This week, politicians from the provincial and federal governments stood on the sidelines while the RCMP threw Indigenous people to the ground and arrested them at a peaceful protest. Thousands gathered across the country to express their anger and frustration. It is the latest in the long history of the ugly Indigenous/Crown relations in British...
The storm has passed and there is much to be learned
On December 20, 2018 a massive wind storm hit Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Over 100,000 people in the region lost power for days. There was an unprecedented level of destruction and the Southern Gulf Islands were hit particularly hard. From almost all accounts, BC Hydro delivered. With most of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands...
Starting to unpack the complexity of Indigenous relations in Canada
In short, it has been a crazy week.It was supposed to be a week to ease back into work after a nice break. But, that was not to be the case.Instead, all of the attention has been focussed on Northern British Columbia. Enforcing an injunction ordered by a BC Court back in mid-December, the RCMP descended upon the Unist'ot'en protest camp. They are...
The pain in our neck… is digital
This blogging experiment is a fascinating exercise. It was inspired by Seth Godin's podcast called Akimbo. His podcast is transformational (for me). It has changed my entire approach to social media, how to evaluate "success" and where to focus energy in 2019. The goal is to contribute something everyday. As it turns out, by keeping the content...
Speaking out about Unist’ot’en and Indigenous relations
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy4l8QzHGII[/embedyt] This has been an exceptionally tough few days. I am deeply saddened by the actions, or inactions, of our governments to respectfully address the decade long Unist'ot'en protest camp in Wet'suwet'en territory. To see the RCMP rolling up on Indigenous people in their territory and...
Moving from talk to action on transit and transportation
Transportation is a high priority of residents of Saanich North and the Islands. As the home of the Victoria International Airport and the Swartz Bay ferry terminal, our riding connects the Capital Region, to the rest of the world. There are transportation challenges on each of the Gulf Islands. And, there are challenges with the ferry service....
Reduce, reuse, recycle. In that order.
It donned on me a few years back at a CRD committee meeting, that we were not paying close enough attention to the continuum. Reduce, reuse, recycle.This came up again a few days back in my recent post about ecommerce, big box, small business and disruption in the retail marketplace. Consumption.The comments flowing from that post are very...
Magical transformations by Emily
Emily is my partner. She is a powerful woman. Over the past 15 years, I have witnessed her struggle with beasts and demons. They have many faces. Her story is a courageous and inspiring transformation of self-awareness. It's a relentless pursuit of personal improvement. Some for the better, some not. Try, shift, try again. Like, keep. Dislike,...
Closing doors better left open
Why do we close doors that are better left open?This question came up in a recent coffee chat with a friend who works at an environmental non-government organization (ENGO). The question was why ENGO's limit their advocacy to only certain political parties? (So much fodder for future posts!)Individuals also do this. We are intensely tribal. We...
A changing tide in the retail jungle
A comment from a local businessperson at a recent event caught my attention. It's a warning."Our local businesses are competing with Amazon."Are they? Is any business competing with Amazon? Wal-Mart is struggling to keep up with them, because Amazon is a beast!So, should local retailers close up shop and move on? No. But, they are going to have...
2018 storm damage, response and recovery
On December 20th a powerful wind storm hit the south coast. The unprecedented storm caused more than 750,000 BC Hydro customers to lose power. Our communities on the Southern Gulf Islands are deeply affected! At one point 100% of the residences were without electricity. And, all roads were deemed impassable. BC Hydro has restored electricity to...
You look after them, they will look after you
John Elliott (STOLȻEȽ) is my uncle. He is a beautiful story teller.He generously shares the stories of the W̱SÁNEĆ people. His stories of creation, transformation, and relationships, describe a connected world. But, his connections are not digital, they are analog.Indeed, his stories capture his audience. They are an invitation to explore an...