The Coastal GasLink pipeline controversy continues as the BC NDP allow the company to drill and blast under the Wedzin Kwa (also known as the Morice River) while it is full of spawning salmon. The company faces a host of compliance issues with environmental regulations, meanwhile the Minister of Environment and...
My colleague Sonia Furstenau and I, along with two staff members of the BC Green Caucus, had the honour of visiting the Wet'suwet'en territory at the invitation of the Hereditary Chiefs. During our visit, about 30 of their invited guests rafted the Wedzin Kwa (Morice River) from Wedzin Bin (Morice Lake) to the...
I followed up my previous question to Hon. Katrine Conroy (Minister of Forests) about her defense of the aerial spraying of glyphosate on B.C. forest lands. Ultimately, the food security that the provincial government talks about does not include Indigenous practices of hunting, fishing, and gathering of wild foods...
Will the province protect threatened species like the old growth specklebelly lichen? Well, it does not appear the BC NDP have any clear plans to protect endangered species. A couple of years ago Hon. George Heyman abandoned an initiative to develop biodiversity legislation, and if the response from the Minister of...
Each year the provincial government tables a Bill to adjust parks and protected areas in British Columbia. Mostly the Bill makes minor adjustments to boundaries, adding new lands, and makes name changes official. Unfortunately, this edition of the Bill does not add any new Indigenous names to protected areas and in my...
It appears that Hon. Murray Rankin, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation believes the long-standing conflict over the Coastal GasLink pipeline currently being built in the Wet'suwet'en territory, is the result of "tension and division" among the Wet'suwet'en people. Let's be clear, the fully-armed RCMP...
This Fall sitting of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly Minister of Forests, Hon. Katrine Conroy, has tabled more than 150 pages of amendments to forestry policy. We have long awaited changes to forestry policy, however, tabling these Bills with only a few days to debate them is disrespectful to our democratic...
This past summer we have seen the logging dispute at Fairy Creek deteriorate into violent interactions between protesters and the RCMP enforcing a court ordered injunction. That injunction expired this week. I have maintained all summer that the BC NDP government is solely responsible for this situation and that it is totally unacceptable for...
Article by Shannon Waters published on Politics Today on August 30, 2021. The NDP government has made big promises when it comes to the future of forestry in B.C., but some are skeptical its “intentions paper” on forestry modernization will lead to the significant shift the government is promising. “We’re committed to a bold reorientation of...
With the sixth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released yesterday, BC NDP MLAs are seemingly all too happy to tweet reassurances that they take climate action seriously by rattling off the pre-approved talking points delivered from Premier John Horgan’s office. While the MLAs may take comfort in the series of...
When it comes to Indigenous relations and forestry, Premier Horgan's words contradict the actions of his government. An exchange with my colleague Sonia Furstenau in budget estimates, exposed Premier Horgan's willingness to leverage the principle of free, prior and informed consent, an important component of reconciliation that we committed to...
The source of uncertainty about lands and resources in British Columbia is rooted in the failure of successive governments to uphold the rights of Indigenous peoples. Let’s be clear – conflict and contention over the land base doesn’t come from honouring human rights, it comes from denying and violating them. For decades British Columbia has...
We have learned about a temporary reprieve with deferrals of old growth logging in Fairy Creek and the Central Walbran. This was achieved in the most difficult way possible: injunctions, protests and arrests. For months my colleague Sonia Furstenau and I have been raising these issues in Question Period and the BC NDP...
This week Premier John Horgan and Minister of Forests Katrine Conroy released their intentions paper to reform the forestry sector in British Columbia. During the announcement Premier Horgan talked about Indigenous sovereignty and pointed to the threat of repeating British Columbia’s colonial past. In doing so, the premier illustrated how his...
Over the past couple of weeks I have asked the BC NDP government why they are not following their own policy on conservation and maps from experts highlighting the last remaining endangered forests that should be deferred as per the old growth review panel recommendations. The responses from the Minister of Forests...
I had the honour of responding on behalf of the BC Green Caucus to the Statement from Minister George Heyman on Earth Day. [Transcript] Today on Earth Day national governments are meeting to announce new climate targets. They acknowledge that a certain amount of global warming is already locked in. This is already...
I have heard frustration from my constituents on the Southern Gulf Islands with the ongoing clear-cut logging in their communities since my election as the provincial representative of Saanich North and the Islands in 2017. Entire forests are falling. Working with my Islands Trust colleagues, we learned that there is...
In my two minute statement I spoke to a critical teaching from my home territory W̱SÁNEĆ about the importance of looking after each other, all species as if they are our relatives. [Transcript] There is an important teaching in W̱SÁNEĆ. We are reminded of the teaching through the stories of the Creator, XÁLS. Landing...
This podcast was originally published on The Green Exchange podcast from the BC Green Caucus on March 19, 2021. This podcast is a MUST LISTEN if you are concerned about old-growth in British Columbia. In this episode of The Public Circle Podcast I connect with Ken Wu, the former Executive Director of the Ancient Forest Alliance and the current...
In the rotunda of the British Columbia Legislature there are four murals representing British Columbia's "founding" industries - agriculture, fishing, forestry and mining. While there remains good opportunity in agriculture and mining, the fishing and forestry sectors have been in a state of decline for decades as a result of horrendous resource...
During my brief time in the British Columbia legislature there is no issue that has inspired the level of advocacy from the public as has the protection of old-growth forests. My office has received thousands of emails. Actually, it's not an exaggeration to say I have tens of thousands of emails from British Columbians demanding the protection of...
The Millstream Fishway Project is a collaboration led by the Peninsula Streams Society to restore and reconnect critical salmon and cutthroat trout habitat disrupted by a poorly designed culvert under Atkins Road in Langford, BC. There were many project and funding partners including the local, provincial and federal governments, business...
I grew up fishing with my dad in our boat on the Saanich Inlet. Those experiences inspired my work in the legislature on wild salmon policy and over the next four years that work will definitely continue! The BC Green Caucus got wild salmon on the agenda during the last Parliament and what followed was a $142 million investment from both the...
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYZwZKM1LA4[/embedyt] On Thursday October 8, 2020, I joined BC NDP Environment Minister George Heyman and BC Liberal environment critic (former) Peter Milobar to debate climate policy. The description below is quoted from the Pembina Institute website. If you would like a summary of the 60-minute forum...
The wildlife act should protect animals in British Columbia. Far too often incidents involving the conservation service end with the death of animals. For example many incidents we hear about involving bears could have been avoided all together if there was a much greater focus on preventing human/animal interactions by enforcing wildlife laws...
If you have been following my blog then you might feel this post is just recycling old content. Unfortunately, I am not. The bad news for the wild Pacific salmon is getting worse.This week a CBC reporter asked me to respond to the fact that the Pacific Salmon Commission has downgraded the 2020 Fraser River sockeye salmon forecast from 941,000 to...