For the past 38 years, Saanichton farmer Mike Fleming has donated the Christmas tree to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. At the end of October Mr. Fleming died suddenly of a heart attack while harvesting Christmas trees in the Kootenays. I had the honour of remembering Mike Fleming on behalf of the whole...
The BC Green Caucus continues to raise questions in Question Period about the impact of open net pen fish farms in British Columbia waters. We have covered growing concerns over viruses, blood water discharge and the overall impact of aquaculture on wild Pacific salmon. This past Spring we heard about an unprecedented...
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWuTBDLlT4E[/embedyt] 029 - The Public Circle LIVE! Friday, November 2, 2018 The Public Circle LIVE! is a weekly live broadcast by Adam Olsen from the Saanich North and the Islands Constituency Office in Sidney, BC. Adam discusses various issues in British Columbia politics and the riding of Saanich North...
I have been invited to many meetings from forestry experts and advocates since my election to the British Columbia legislature. Each and every group has strongly criticized the approach of the Ministry and past decisions. When I have asked Ministry officials about these issues they have assured me that everything is...
I, and my BC Green caucus colleagues, have been canvassing initiatives on innovation from various government ministries in question period this week. There are so many opportunities for the provincial government to grow our economy through unleashing the creative power of British Columbians if we take tangible steps...
In Bill 46, government is amending the South Coast Transportation Act to increase the ability of TransLink to increase the allowable parking rights tax rate as per the request of the Metro Vancouver Mayors' Council. The change increases the percentage rate to 24% from 21% and providing up to $10 million more revenue...
British Columbians are the last people in Canada paying a highly regressive medical services plan premium. They are regressive because no matter your income you pay the same amount. Andrew Weaver has been working to try to get government to change their approach and create a more progressive system. Shortly before the...
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMRyNLW4_9s[/embedyt] 028 - The Public Circle LIVE! Friday, October 26, 2018 The Public Circle LIVE! is a weekly live broadcast by Adam Olsen from the Saanich North and the Islands Constituency Office in Sidney, BC. Adam discusses various issues in British Columbia politics and the riding of Saanich North...
The provincial government is moving to amend the BC Assessment Act to allow them to continue qualifying properties based on their current use rather than their highest and best use. There is no question that assessment, mill rates and tax rolls has the ability to make eyes roll, glaze over and to put you to sleep....
Since my election as the MLA in May 2017, I have had many meetings in my office and hundreds more emails, from constituents who do not have a family doctor. The lack of access to primary care is not just in Saanich North and the Islands but in ridings all across British Columbia. This long-standing issue was even the...
In the next few weeks, when I get my referendum ballot in the mail, I will be voting yes to change to a proportional representation (Pro-Rep) voting system. For me, it is a basic issue of fairness. Political parties should get the same percentage of seats in the legislature as British Columbians who voted for them. That is not how our current...
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VP-CZBzVzY[/embedyt] 027 - The Public Circle LIVE! Friday, October 19, 2018 The Public Circle LIVE! is a weekly live broadcast by Adam Olsen from the Saanich North and the Islands Constituency Office in Sidney, BC. Adam discusses various issues in British Columbia politics and the riding of Saanich North...
After many months of speculation about what was going to be contained in the bill enabling the speculation and vacancy tax that was proposed by the BC NDP government it was finally tabled and I stood and spoke at second reading. [Transcript] I rise to take my place in the debate on the speculation and vacancy tax...
BC Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver called for an emergency debate in the BC Legislature to respond to the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of the United Nations (http://www.ipcc.ch/) "on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and related global...
It's about fairness The referendum on proportional representation is about fairness. It is about ensuring that the will of British Columbians on election day is reflected in legislature. Under the current first-past-the-post system our power, the power of the people, is consolidated into one party, usually through a false majority. Meaning, that...
When the BC NDP government announced they were finally changing the medical services premiums (MSP), they were lauded by British Columbians who have been calling on for more than a decade. They struck a task force to advice government on the best approach to changing a system that generates billions of dollars each...
Today was a very rewarding day in my job as the provincial representative for Saanich North and the Islands. They were the result of hard work and a dedication to collaboration. Firstly, I was honoured to participate in a critical discussion about the advancement of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People at the...
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDhRttAyctM[/embedyt] 026 - The Public Circle LIVE! (Gary Holman and Pro-Rep) October 5, 2018 The Public Circle LIVE! is a weekly live broadcast by Adam Olsen from the Saanich North and the Islands Constituency Office in Sidney, BC. Adam discusses various issues in British Columbia politics and the riding...
While in Official Opposition the BC NDP were highly critical of the BC Liberals plan for LNG. Perhaps they were not outright opposed to dumping megatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions into the environment, but they were incredibly vocal on the former government's plan to sell-out future British Columbians for...
I welcomed leaders of the Salt Spring Island Chamber of Commerce into the Legislature to discuss workforce housing challenges on the Island. Addressing this critical issue is just one part of the complex housing and community sustainability challenges facing rural, remote and coastal communities, especially on the...
On September 20, 2018 I began getting tagged in social media posts from residents of Galiano and Mayne Island regarding the Connected Coast program. The project goal is to “bring high-speed internet accessibility to rural and remote communities along coastal BC, Haida Gwaii and Vancouver Island.” This project is led by CityWest and the Strathcona...
Following significant discussion with my BC Green Caucus colleague Andrew Weaver, and our legislative staff, we have decided to intervene in the latest effort of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to expand the Trans Mountain Pipeline. All this, without following through on his promise to ensure the project would be considered by a new National Energy...
I continue to be very disappointed with the approach of the Ministry of Agriculture on the fish farms file. This past summer the Minister announced that the province has a new approach to open-net fish farms. The two new policy ideas were that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) had to prove that new farms would not threaten wild salmon,...
Today the Rental Housing Task Force that I sit on with Spencer Chandra-Herbert and Ronna-Rae Leonard announced that we are recommending to Minister Selina Robinson that government change the rent increase formula from the current inflation + 2% to inflation only. Balance and fairness... Criticism came quickly when the government announced earlier...
I have heard of the challenges that Indigenous communities face in repatriating ancestral remains and items of cultural significance to their communities. The cost is immense financially but also in terms of physical and psychological stress as a result of trying to bring these important items home. For many who begin this work it continues for...
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L104FT-5wdo[/embedyt] This past Saturday we launched our proportional representation campaign. I am encouraging all British Columbians to vote in favour of changing our electoral system to a more fair, proportional system. Before I was elected I thought that banning big money was the single most important...