Since my election six years ago I have learned that transportation and infrastructure throughout the riding, but especially on the Southern Gulf Islands, is a perpetual concern. As I noted in Budget Estimates to Hon. Rob Fleming (Transportation & Infrastructure), his local team in the South Island continues to be both responsive and...
Transportation and infrastructure throughout Saanich North and the Islands continues to be a priority for local residents. As we see investments in the BC Ferries to address the significant issues the corporation has faced in recent years, the development of the RapidBus network to the Saanich Peninsula, the much...
In April the federal government granted conditional approval of the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 port expansion. In order to proceed, the controversial proposal must be approved by the British Columbia provincial government. The provincial Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) is accepting public comments until June 8, 2023. Despite potentially...
I am excited to host Hon. Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, this Friday at ASK Salt Spring to discuss transportation issues on Salt Spring Island. I invited Minister Fleming following a visit from Minister Mike Farnworth earlier this Spring where we discussed public safety on Salt Spring. Transportation was repeatedly...
For months, my colleagues in the BC Green Caucus and I have been discussing artificial intelligence (AI). The AI industry has the power to impact personal privacy and fundamentally change our society and economy. How? That's a problem. We currently have no idea of the extent of the impact. Also, consider that the threats and opportunities today...
British Columbians would be shocked to learn that the BC Conservation Service (BCCOS), a small, heavily armed service with no independent oversight, can be directly controlled by the BC NDP government through the minister of the environment. The Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act report submitted to the legislature last year...
In December 2018, I started blogging daily. You can find all those posts are in the archives here. One post everyday. Some were long and involved, others short and snappy. Little life observations. As I got to the end of 2019 I had accumulated 365 posts and when I finally achieved my initial goal of posting every day for a year, I abruptly took a...
In April, I responded to the Electoral Districts Act which added six new ridings to the province and changed the boundaries of dozens more. While my riding, Saanich North & the Islands, remains largely unchanged, we will be losing the Keating neighbourhood to South Saanich. I've represented this community in one...
When he was sworn in as premier, David Eby was right to say, “We cannot continue to expand fossil fuel infrastructure and hit our climate goals.” So why did his government approve Cedar LNG a few months later? As a politician, I know governments like short-term wins because they’re looking for political points. But we need the BC NDP to stop...
The housing crisis has been growing since before the 2017 election. In 2018 and 2019, as part of their 30-point plan, the BC NDP tightened rules on reno/demo-victions, capped rent increases, introduced the speculation and vacancy tax, and the multi-billion dollar Housing Hub. Following that the BC NDP required local governments to keep an updated...
Public schools in B.C. have been chronically underfunded for years. Now, multi-million budget shortfalls are forcing school boards to choose between combining classes, cutting programs, or relocating students. The BC NDP must put the needs of students first. Vancouver School Board is facing a $5.9 million deficit this...
Last Thursday, I rose in the House to address the lack of funding for Indigenous communities participating in government consultations. For the last several years, a steadily increasing number of referrals have fallen on the desks of First Nations, creating an overwhelming, psychologically intense workload. Meaningful...
ÍY SȻÁĆEL (Good Day), Welcome to my update for week nine of the 2023 Spring legislative sitting between April 24 - April 27th. There are just two weeks to go until the 2023 Spring legislative session is adjourned for the summer and MLAs primary focus returns to our constituency work. Premier David Eby’s first session in the big office has been an...
In the WSANEC 13-moon calendar, mid-February to mid-March is the WEXES (frog) moon. It is a time of sacredness and purification, and the time to gather food and medicine. The days grow longer, and the sunshine begins to warm the earth. The frog, as witness and messenger, awakens from hibernation and announces the coming spring, the sacred season...
ÍY SȻÁĆEL (Good Day), Welcome to my weekly update for week six of the 2023 Spring legislative sitting for March 27 - March 30, 2023. This past week was the busiest I have had in the British Columbia legislature. With my colleague away from the House, it made for a hectic and fast-paced schedule from start to finish. If you have been following...
In Members' Statements I offered a few words to mark the passing of my friend, community advocate, and environmental activist Denis Coupland who passed away on February 18, 2023. [Transcript] Mr. Speaker, I was elected in November 2008. That night I received a phone call from Denis Coupland. Now I was a...
On Wednesday, I introduced private member’s Bill M218, the North-Island Coast Development Initiative Trust Amendment Act. If passed, this Bill would get rid of the $60-million cap on funding for development trusts, and allow the government to provide the North Island Coast Development Initiative Trust the $150 million...
It appears the BC NDP are prepared to abandon rural Vancouver Island and coastal communities. Despite spending more than $2.5 billion of so-called surplus money from Budget 2022 on provincial priorities (which I supported), it is unfathomable that the BC NDP has chosen to not re-capitalize the Island Coastal Economic...
Currently, the only regional economic development tool available to rural communities to financially support their local priorities is the Island Coastal Economic Trust (ICE-T). As it stands, in the coming months the doors will be closed, and the lights will be off. It is inexplicable. All but two of the ridings in the region are represented by...
I met with Eric Falkenberg-Poetz, Frances Pugh and Daniel Kenway from the Saanich Inlet Protection Society at the legislature. They gave me a petition to present to the British Columbia Legislature. The petition had over 700 hand-signed signatures, collected by volunteers in a few short weeks. Petitioners are asking...
The BC NDP continues to furiously spend the multi-billion dollar surplus before March 31st. In supplementary budget estimates I had a few minutes to ask questions about the decision of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs to distribute $1 billion to the Growing Communities Fund to support the priorities of the188 local...
ÍY SȻÁĆEL (Good Day), Welcome to my weekly update for week four of the 2023 Spring legislative sitting for February 27 - March 3, 2023. It was finally budget week in British Columbia. Like every budget before, the government immediately frames it as the best budget that has ever been written, elevating the items they want in the headlines. The...
I keep a pulse on the local business community through regular meetings with business leaders. At the end of British Columbia Chamber of Commerce Week in February, I invited the chambers in Saanich North and the Islands to a video call to hear how I can better advocate for them with the provincial government. Our riding is diverse, as are the...
ÍY SȻÁĆEL (Good Day), Welcome to my weekly update for week two of the 2023 Spring legislative sitting for February 13-17, 2023. The second week of the Spring legislative sitting was a total mess! In this weekly update I highlight how the mismanagement of the legislative calendar and agenda had Minister’s proving to be woefully unprepared to do...
ÍY SȻÁĆEL (Good Day), Welcome to my weekly update for week one of the 2023 Spring legislative sitting for February 6-10, 2023. In this edition of the newsletter, I will cover the work I did in the legislative chamber including tabling three private members’ bills (BILL M202 — Wildlife Amendment Act, 2023, BILL M203 — Correction Statutes Amendment...