On May 28, 2019, the provincial government announced a review of the Private Managed Forest Land Program. They have invited British Columbians to add your voice to the program review. The province is accepting public comments until July 22, 2019.Over the past few months there has been a flood of correspondence to my office. My constituents on the...
One of the primary realizations I've made in my brief time in provincial politics is how easy it is to slip into an unhealthy lifestyle. Without careful attention to my overall fitness, personal wellbeing quickly gets lost in the background noise. There is a lot of background noise.Winning is the focus of partisan politics. Not winning together...
Local and regional governance has long been a topic of contention in British Columbia's capital. In the next 2-3 years Central Saanich, North Saanich and Sidney will all undertake official community planning (OCP) processes. Developing and maintaining community and neighbourhood identities is important. Fortunately, the timing presents an...
On National Indigenous Peoples Day, I has honoured to be part of the opening of a new exhibit at the Sidney Museum featuring the life of the legendary Tsleil-Waututh leader Chief Dan George. The exhibition runs until September 30th. Chief George is one of those iconic figures in Canadian history perhaps best known for his work in...
In the 14th episode of The Public Circle Podcast I connect with Briony Penn. It was wonderful to sit on her front porch in the middle of a South Salt Spring forest. It's been the home of five generations of Briony's family. The warm early summer sun, birds chirping and even the odd handsaw working in the background provide an excellent setting...
![National [insert new name here] Peoples Day](https://adamolsen.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/welcome_1920.jpg.webp)
What Canadians call the indigenous people of this land has been constantly evolving over the decades. Savage, Indian, Native, Eskimo, Aboriginal, First Nation, Metis, Inuit, and Indigenous. I'm certain there are plenty of others. In the past, people like me, from an exotic mixed heritage, have been not-so affectionately known as "halfbreeds."...
Geronimo Canoe Club is from Tsartlip First Nation. They have been a paddling juggernaut on the Coast Salish canoe race circuit since the early 1970's. Every summer, Indigenous canoe clubs from around the Salish Sea gather in coastal and inland communities to compete in canoe races. Recently, Geronimo canoe pullers have taken their expertise to...
I have been thinking about the initiative to lower the voting age in Canada and British Columbia to 16. My colleague Andrew Weaver has introduced a Private Member's Bill about this three times in the British Columbia legislature. His most recent attempt was on March 13, 2018 and Premier John Horgan agreed to consider it. Despite this, the voting...
Tension is growing in the forests across British Columbia so I thought it was appropriate to reflect on my work in the Spring session of the legislature standing up for our most treasured ancient creatures. Fresh images of devastating clearcuts hacked from the valley walls of Schmidt Creek, Naka Creek, Tessium Creek and Upper Tsitika Watersheds...
Greens have always said they would not have a Whip. So, why do the B.C. Greens have a Whip? It's a good question. I'm the Whip and my role within the B.C. Green Caucus is important - especially in a minority government. However, it is not likely important for the reasons many people think.The Party Whip has a bad rap and for good reason....
There is a rhythm and flow to legislative and constituency life. There is no handbook to show MLAs how to be an MLA. We learn from our constituents, respond to the needs of our communities and proactively reach out through meetings and dialogues to learn how we can improve our representation. Finding the fulcrum to balance the diversity of work...
This coming week, I am speaking at a couple of sessions about running for public office. It gets me to thinking about my own path to the British Columbia legislature. I grew up on Tsartlip First Nation. Our family property on Stelly's is right across the street from the municipality of Central Saanich. While I'm a Central Saanich kid, there is an...
Here are my initial comments on the findings of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry. I have not yet had the opportunity to read the full report and will be taking time in the next few days to look at it in more detail. However, here is the statement I made as the spokesperson on behalf of the B.C. Green Caucus. The...
As the MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, I spend a lot of time traveling on ferries. Not as much as my constituents, but I have come to understand the ferry service differently since my election. For my Gulf Island constituents the ferry is their connection to home. Life on Vancouver Island is similarly connected but we are a little more...
I feel I must circle back around and address the recent explosion of sea lice on the west coast and the continued persistence of open-net pen fish farms in British Columbia waters.First, I must restate my dissatisfaction with the decades of poor resource management in our province.In recent months, I have been working on several fronts, primarily...
It's National Tourism Week, so let's celebrate SuperNatural British Columbia!When I was a teenager I would go to downtown Victoria in the summertime with my friends. We would hang out on the causeway watching the buskers and mixing and mingling with the tourists. Victoria is an incredibly warm and welcoming place to visit.Following high school, I...
Over the past several weeks the B.C. Green Caucus has been asking government about the lack of protection of old-growth forests in British Columbia. Our work culminated in a call for a moratorium. Another troubling aspect of forest management in the province is on private land. We have been inundated with...
Earlier this month, my colleague Andrew Weaver asked Hon. Michelle Mungall, Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, about orphan oil and gas wells in British Columbia. The Auditor General of British Columbia reviewed the situation in our province and reported that the number of orphan sites is dramatically increasing and the funds set...
I have had a steady flow of correspondence from my constituents on the Southern Gulf Islands. Indeed, road conditions continue to deteriorate on the islands and the provincial government has under-resourced the Ministry to address the situation. This is not a new problem. Hon. Claire Travena inherited a massive...
Since my election in May 2017 it is crystal clear, people who live and work on the Saanich Peninsula want better public transit. They need better transit. This is an issue right across the Capital Region. It is a priority in addressing climate change, reducing congestion and prolonging the life of our aging...
Following the recommendations of an expert panel the BC NDP government is updating the labour relations code. The B.C. Green Caucus appreciates the work of the panel and supports their recommendations.In my second reading debate, I highlight the B.C. Green Caucus effort to address the issue of the historical pendulum...
Earlier this week, I paused to celebrate the accomplishments on my three big issues over my first 24 months in provincial office. It's important to stop and acknowledge the distance travelled. However, it is equally important to be honest about how far we have to go.While navigating the logging roads out to the west coast, it's not possible to...
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnoZ0hEO6zg[/embedyt] For her birthday this year my wife Emily is hosting a film screening about a place that is very important to her. It's the home territory of our nephew, the Heiltsuk territory on the central coast of British Columbia. Raven People Rising is a documentary film about the Nathan...
Last weekend we spent a few days in Bamfield. The family weekend on the west coast was a gift from my mom and Tex.It was nice to see my kids, niece and nephews away from their screens and on the dock fishing for piling perch and rock crab. The devices have a way of devouring us these days much the same way as the docks at the Brentwood Inn or...
A few months ago, I wrote on the whiteboard in my office boardroom "big bears, big fish and big trees." Those words have been there ever since. They are three world-famous icons of British Columbia. In a previous post, I said that we are still acting like a resource colony. My critique of our decision-making process is that we have a culture in...
In this episode of The Public Circle Podcast I connect with Dr. Ambrose Marsh. Dr. Marsh is a primary care physician in Sidney, B.C.He has worked on the Saanich Peninsula since 1985 and is the former Chief of Staff at the Saanich Peninsula Hospital.There is a growing crisis in primary care in Saanich North and the Islands and across British...