In the fifth episode of The Public Circle Podcast, I connect with Donna Petrie, Executive Director and Event Liaison with the Sidney Business Improvement Area Society (BIA). Donna has led the BIA for the past 5 years. Established in 2013, the BIA is now in the second year of its renewed 5-year mandate. It began through a concerted effort from...
Have you ever heard of Dick Goin? Dick and his family moved to the Olympic Peninsula during the depression of the 1930's. He lived next to the Elwha River until he passed away in 2015. On Thursday night, I had the honour of being on a panel hosted Laura Brandes of the POLIS Water Sustainability Project at the University of Victoria. It was an...
Silas and Ella are climbers. They are both in lessons at the Boulders Climbing Gym at Stelly's Secondary.They are still a little tentative to climb too high. But, a few weeks back Silas finally made it to the top of the competition wall. They love hanging around on the walls.Last Friday night we were looking for a movie, and chose The Dawn...
In a post a few weeks ago, I began to tackle a big, messy issue. A legacy issue from my time at the Central Saanich Council table - watersheds, drainage ditches, agriculture and fish. This post is about another one of those big, messy issues. Local governance and transportation in the Capital Region - traffic, congestion, bike lanes, and transit....
Property owners have the right to log their property. They have the right to raze entire ecosystems. In spite of decades of evidence showing the devastating effects of clear cut logging, unfortunately it's still legal for people to strip their property to the skin. Most of the Saanich Peninsula is already bare. But, there are still some beautiful...
Editing is the most terrifying thing about publishing a blog post each day. My initial fear was that the difficulty would be in finding enough content. But, if I am open, curious and free to inquiry, and have the courage to share, topics of interest fall in front of me. Once a few hundred words are on the screen, the editing process begins....
Emily is hosting a workshop series called "Magic!". I had the opportunity to attend my first one last week.The focus was creativity. The session was a wonderfully random collection of creativity."Are you creative?""Do you consider yourself to be a creative person?"While paint does not seem to turn into beautiful landscapes for me. And, nor do...
On Feb. 26, I and my BC Green Caucus colleagues, called for a full independent public inquiry into money-laundering in British Columbia.The call came after two weeks of questions in Question Period on the deeply troubling connections in our casinos, real estate market, luxury cars, horse racing, drug cartels and opioid crisis.Our Attorney...
In the fourth episode of The Public Circle Podcast, I reconnect with my friend John Juricic. John characterizes himself as a serial entrepreneur. He's been active in numerous businesses since graduating from UVic in the early 1980’s. He is most recently worked in labour market consulting and his extensive involvement in the local business...
Yesterday was a good day.Wild salmon has been the centre of my policy work in the legislature. And yesterday, I had the honour of standing with Premier John Horgan and Minister Jonathan Wilkinson (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) to announce a $142 million fund to support wild salmon initiatives in British...
Wild salmon continue to grow in policy prominence in the 41st Parliament of the British Columbia Legislature. This past Saturday the Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) hosted their annual fundraising gala in Victoria. They host several of these events around the province. According to emcee, and incoming CEO Michael Meneer, this was the first time...
The washrooms in the commercial building that houses my constituency office are very basic. Two single washrooms. They both have a toilet, a sink, a mirror and a locking door. The only difference between the two, is a baby change table. Like I said, very basic. When we first moved in to the office space, with two dentist offices on the same...
Emily highlighted an important point the other day which deserves attention on the record. In a post from a few days back, I dwell on the difference between "just showing up" and "successfully executing." During the ride down to dinner (The Mantra Victoria restaurant on Fort Street - check it out. They make absolutely delicious Indian cuisine!)...
Dealing with the time change is difficult. What is one hour? Seemingly, it should be no trouble at all. But, what should be a minor adjustment is not so easy.I wondered if it is even necessary. So, I asked Google. Why daylight savings time?It turns out the original reason it was implemented, more than 100 years ago, was to save energy, and to use...
This is no laughing matter. Ella is a very thoughtful little girl. And, currently she is in conflict. She, and the other little girls around her, are into LOL Surprise! The draw of the toy, is the surprise. It's what might be underneath the layers of packaging, that draws Ella and her friends to the product. She loves the anticipation and the...
Gerry Taylor joins me for the third episode of The Public Circle Podcast. My conversation with Gerry is reflective of many conversations I have with constituents of Saanich North and the Islands, and residents of British Columbia from across the province. Retired for the past 20 years, Gerry worked for the provincial government for 45 years. He...
Early morning walks in December and January are cold and dark. It takes a lot of will power to crawl out of bed, bundle up and walk. It's much worse when it is raining. Especially, the drenching, soak you right to the bone winter rains we get on the South Coast. And, when those rains persist for days, and at times weeks, there is plenty of...
This old stone building resists change. The physical manifestation of government, the people's house on Belleville St. in Victoria, is a metaphor.The emergence of three Greens is shocking on its own. Three MLA's negotiating a pathway through a tied house, is exceptionally unusual. The seat count in this place has not been so close in decades.A...
On December 5, 2018 I began blogging every day.Well, I published a piece every day for four straight days and then on December 9th, I did not publish.Ironically, on December 10th, my post was about discipline and my commitment to writing daily. Today marks 88 days since.Consistency is an important focus for me these days. You might be noticing it...
The National Energy Board (NEB) just wrapped up the reconsideration hearing on the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project. Frankly, the latest hearing is just as bad as the first one, and with the same result. They recommend that the federal government approve the project. The reconsideration was necessary after a...
I was elected to represent Saanich North and the Islands in the British Columbia Legislative Assembly in large part because people in my riding lost confidence in government. On each and every doorstep, I promised them that I would be passionate, bold and courageous in my work to rebuild their trust. Budget 2019 is not a perfect budget. It’s not...
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf9BZOZuoLI[/embedyt] There is a growing sadness on the South Coast, and across British Columbia.It has to do with our forests, habitat and the health of our natural ecosystems. People look out at their backyards with a sense of despair.They watch the alarming liquidation of the special places they visit...
It is a blessing to live in, and represent, a Capital city riding. For most of my colleagues Sunday is a travel day. But, I am fortunate to be able to make it off limits in my calendar. To have any balance at all, it is important to set boundaries in the schedule. So, Sunday is off limits in mine. Nothing ever. For example, in the past couple of...
Sylvia Olsen married into Tsartlip First Nation in the 1970's. She moved onto the reserve where she and her husband raised four kids. I am one of those kids.For the past two decades Sylvia has worked in on-reserve housing. In 2016, she received her Phd. in history from the University of Victoria where she completed one of the first academic...
One of the glaring omissions from Budget 2019 is the government's commitment to wild salmon.Wild salmon continues to be a central feature of my policy work in the Legislature.Like for many British Columbians, it's personal for me.As we move into Spring, this is the time of year that my W̱SÁNEĆ ancestors began preparing their reef nets and their...
Over the past few months I have been capturing in my blog a daily journal of life as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA).I dig into all aspects of life.Finding something to write about each day is getting easier. It's become a welcome part of my daily routine. In the beginning, it was stressful. But, over time it is evolving, and is...