A successful pilot project at the University of British Columbia for self-administered rapid tests found 25 asymptomatic cases of COVID-19. Health Canada has been clear that rapid tests are an important part of our pathway out of the global pandemic. They continue to encourage provinces and businesses to use rapid...
In Question Period I raised concerns about BC Housing's process for announcing and engaging the community for their proposed supportive housing project at Prosser Road in Central Saanich. Instead of accepting the community engagement process has been lacking, the Minister responsible for housing instead tried to...
We see examples of jurisdictions around the world who are effectively using rapid testing regimes to identify asymptomatic COVID-19 cases. This information can be used to better inform government decision-making. The provincial government has 2.7 million rapid tests. To date 13% of the tests have been allocated and...
During the snap election last fall Premier John Horgan promised to implement all the recommendations from his Old Growth Review Panel and a paradigm shift in landscape and ecosystem management. I expected to see these promises reflected in budget 2021. So, it came as a surprise when reviewing the budget that the...
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...
The provincial government response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been very challenging. One of the most difficult aspects has been communicating information to the public for a prolonged period of time. In the first wave of the pandemic Minister Adrian Dix and public health officials gave daily briefings, they were...
I continue to ask the BC NDP government about their willingness to follow the recommendations of their own panel to "defer development in old forests where ecosystems are at very high and near-term risk of irreversible biodiversity loss," and to put mechanisms in place to ensure there are a variety of options for...
When I was a municipal councillor in the District of Central Saanich, I remember well the relationship between local and provincial government. It was, and still is, top-down with the provincial government dictating to communities their priorities and holding a vast majority of the financial tools that are needed to...
My colleague Sonia Furstenau and I continued to ask questions about old-growth logging and specifically pressed government on the claims made by the Minister of Forests that they "are committed to government-to-government discussions with Indigenous nations in this province as the number one recommendation from the...
Since 2017 the BC Green Caucus have been pressing the BC NDP to take action to protect the grandest, high productivity old-growth forests in our province. Unfortunately, the talking points from the new Minister are the same as the talking points from the last Minister responsible for our forests. Both have routinely...
Over the past week we the BC Green Caucus has been asking government about safe supply, decriminalization, mental health and addictions. We have heard condolences but what is missing is the urgent provincial action the mental health crisis requires. There too many stories of British Columbians who have presented to a...
As a response to the increasing toxicity of drugs in the illicit market, the provincial government took steps to be one of the first jurisdictions to provide illicit drug users access to a safe supply of a pharmaceutical grade opioid alternative. With more than 1700 British Columbians perishing to a drug poisoning...
For the past week, my colleague Sonia Furstenau and I have been focused on data collection and how data is informing the decisions government is making about the COVID-19 pandemic. We agree with statements made by the Minister of Health that vaccine response should go to the most vulnerable people. However, if...
In September the BC NDP announced a $300 million program to support small businesses in British Columbia survive the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been eight months since the public health and economic crisis began. Small business owners continue to contact me to tell me that the provincial government has been slow to...
Site C is a mess! From investigative reporting we know that the government has had information for at least a year about significant geotechnical problems with the project. In this round of questions, Minister of Energy, Hon. Bruce Ralston, continues his desperate attempt to blame this project on the former BC...
For nearly a decade Capital Regional District (CRD) Electoral Area Directors from Salt Spring Island, the Southern Gulf Islands and Juan de Fuca have been advocating for a change in their designation from urban to rural. There is no doubt that these unincorporated communities are rural, however because they are...
As the fall approaches, there is growing tension in our province as we anticipate a second wave of COVID-19. Today I asked the Premier what this government will do differently if we face a second wave in the fall, and how we can ensure our systems and structures can protect the mental health and...
The overall health of the Site C project has been classified as "red," facing serious cost overruns and schedule delays. Site C is proving to be a colossal waste of money, and we can't afford to just keep digging when we don't know how deep the hole will go. Today I asked the Minister of Energy,...
Today I asked the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions for a detailed breakdown of how much of BC's health care budget is dedicated to mental and behavioural health care delivery. I also asked if the Minister agrees that increased mental health care would create better health outcomes and lower...
Today I asked the Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development if he will introduce the promised reforms to Forests and Range Practices Act by this fall session. I also asked the Minister again if government will pause logging in old-growth ecosystems at the highest risk...
Today I asked the Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development if the provincial government will pause harvesting in the highest risk ecosystems as they consult on an old growth forest strategy, and deliver supports for affected workers. I also asked what specific steps...
Today I asked the Minister of Environment when the provincial government will restore the scheduled carbon tax increase. A few months ago this government delayed, indefinitely, the next scheduled carbon tax increase. In the current economic context, this may be seen as a tough question, but it is now more than ever...
Today in Question Period I asked the Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Competitiveness if her ministry is developing a concrete proposal for how stimulus spending can enact this recommendation to use CleanBC as an economic driver in recovery that can also help us build greater resilience in local supply...
Today I asked the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture if the provincial government has a strategic, sector specific plan to support BC's tourism sector. Tourism operators across the province have been significantly impacted by the pandemic and a large increase in local tourism will not make up lost revenue....
Today I asked the Minister of Health why privately operated care homes are not obliged to make their audited financial statements available to the public, and when British Columbians can expect the government to implement a more transparent system. [Transcript] ACCOUNTABILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR FOR-PROFIT LONG-TERM CARE...
My office has been inundated with emails from constituents on the Southern Gulf Islands who are concerned about the potential impact of a COVID-19 outbreak in one of their communities. They have been advocating for the provincial government to limit the access of non-residents similar to what the elected leaders of Tofino, Ucluelet and Ahousaht...