The Minister of Children of Family Development, Mitzi Dean, continues to let down British Columbia’s most vulnerable children. Internal audits continue to show the Minister’s team is failing to deliver the most basic social work policy and procedures, fails to deliver oversight of their offices,...
Tech companies have built billion dollar platforms by disrupting traditional markets. We have heard the saying “move fast and break things.” Well, when it comes to short-term vacation rentals (STVR), what they participated in breaking was the housing market. Now, I don’t believe that STVRs are to...
The Minister of Children and Family Development, Mitzi Dean, has failed to deliver the systemic change needed in the Ministry, and as a result she has failed the most vulnerable children in our province. We continue to see reports about the tragic results produced by the Ministry, and still the...
The Police Amendment Act, 2023 is the BC NDP response to the policing mess that has been unfolding in Surrey for the past few years. This situation was entirely avoidable if the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Hon. Mike Farnworth, had intervened but he didn’t and now both the...
The long-awaited update to the Emergency Program Act (EPA) was finally introduced to the British Columbia Legislature. While there are many of the recommendations from reports over the past twenty years in the new legislation, the BC NDP continues to use enabling legislation to achieve their ends....
There are many ways we can improve the quality of our democratic processes in between elections. Over the past few months I have been working with colleagues from all other caucuses in a special committee to review how the House currently operates and make recommendations on how we can improve...
I have heard from many families that psychiatric emergency services excludes them from the care of their loved ones in a mental health crisis. It is wonderful that Health Minister Adrian Dix met with Crystal Kenzie and Cindy Zimmer following my questions, and he acknowledged that the mental health...
British Columbia Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie released her second report Billions More Reasons to Care outlining the dramatic differences in the delivery of publicly funded care for seniors in long-term care facilities. You can learn more here. In summary, the report shows that for-profit...
I delivered a response on behalf of the BC Green Caucus to a Ministerial Statement by Hon. Murray Rankin on the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirited, and Gender Diverse People. This statement was written by and delivered in the voice of Gud Takin...
I responded on behalf of the BC Green Caucus to a Ministerial Statement delivered by Hon. Murray Rankin, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, regarding the first provincial statutory holiday marking National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Transcript A. Olsen: HÍSW̱ḴE SIÁM....
Every two election cycles a commission is created to review electoral areas. The latest commission finished its review, and the legislature passed a law that created six new seats. Now we are spending $300,000 to add six new desks in the main chamber to accommodate them. I am a member of the legislative management committee that is shoehorning...
This summer I’ve been engaged in personal and academic inquiry. I’m examining leadership, values, and systems. As an elected official, this is important work. We benefit from critically analyzing ourselves, the groups and teams we are affiliating with, and in service of our constituents, the systems that we create, maintain, and transform....
For several years now the BC NDP government has been promising species-at-risk or biodiversity legislation but to date they have failed to deliver. Now with the new Water, Land, Resource Stewardship Ministry up and running I asked Minister Nathan Cullen when we can expect to see the provincial government finally act....
I cover a lot of ground in this hour long session in Budget Estimates with Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Hon. Murray Rankin. We highlight funding for Indigenous language recovery, the use of civil injunctions to protect industrial projects against Indigenous rights and title, the impact of...
For the third year in a row, I have spent a considerable amount of my time with Citizens’ Services Minister Lisa Beare discussing the slow pace of change of government adopting technology that can accommodate Indigenous families officially naming their children traditional names. Each year Minister Beare has assured...
The exchange with Municipal Affairs Minister Anne Kang is mind-boggling. She had no good answer to how Premier David Eby's housing plans were going to impact communities and no idea if the Islands Trust was included or impacted in any way. Minister Kang encouraged me to go and talk to the Housing Minister. Why then do...
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...
I have been focusing in on public safety issues since I was included in the Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act. For me it was a deep dive into the unknown. My exchange from Budget Estimates earlier this Spring with Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General, Hon. Mike Farnworth, is brisk. We have engaged...
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...
ÍY SȻÁĆEL (Good Day), Welcome to my update for week eleven of the 2023 Spring legislative sitting between May 8 - May 11th. Well, first an apology for the long delay in getting this final newsletter of the 2023 Spring session out. It has taken some time to get the video content uploaded on YouTube and posted to my blog adamolsen.ca. That work has...
In April, I responded to Bill 23 which creates minimum passing distances for cyclists, imposes speed limiters on heavy-duty vehicles to reduce collisions and greenhouse gas emissions, and expands the province's ability to permit technology like robot delivery services. Overall, this legislation marks important...
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...
In April, I had the pleasure of responding to Bill 18, the Haida Nation Recognition Act, and reading the words of my dear friend, Gut Takin Jaad, a Haida member, former legislative intern with the BC Green Caucus, and a current Constituency Assistant for MLA Sonia Furstenau. [Transcript] A. Olsen: I appreciate this...
In April, I responded to Bill 21, the Civil Forfeiture Amendment Act, which would permit unexplained wealth orders to combat money laundering. The B.C. Civil Liberties Association has raised serious concerns about this legislation, suggesting it will violate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Critical...
In April, I responded to Bill 11 and supported two amendments proposed by the Official Opposition which would've prevented party leaders from having more power in our elections. [Transcript] A. Olsen: Speaking to the amendment, I appreciate the member from the official opposition for raising it. It’s a concern that we...
In March, the House debated Bill 13, the Pay Transparency Act. While important, the legislation does not go far enough. What B.C. needs is pay equity. The following exchange took place during committee stage, where I introduced several amendments in an attempt to make this bill more meaningful and bring our province...