I’m just dropping in randomly to celebrate my daily blogging.It’s been 310 consecutive days of producing something and publishing it here in this remote part of the blogosphere. I could have noted significant milestones like 100 or 300, round numbers, but I missed them. Really though, how is 310 that different from 300?I’m beginning to notice how...
The provincial government is developing new legislation, regulations and policies to better support people with disabilities.This is an initiative that many British Columbians have been waiting for for many years. More than 900,000 people (one in four) in our province over 15 years of age live with a disability. It is important that we are...
A friend of mine shared this podcast with me. There was a very brief message attached. "I love this podcast so much!" For every other podcast recommendation I've made over the months has come with some context of how the topic, idea or message is alive in my life. I'm just not going to offer anything more than this. Indigenous cultures and...
When Gayle Baker, on behalf of the Salt Spring Community Alliance, visited me in my constituency office to invite me to participate in their grassroots effort to assist Salt Spring Islanders access the services they need, I did not hesitate to offer my support.The unique governance structure of the Southern Gulf Island communities can make it...
Over the past few weeks, I have heard a considerable lack of excitement about the federal election.In my opinion, the single greatest threat to our democracy is voter apathy. A lack of interest in governance between elections is understandable. When this extends to the election period, it is problematic. After writing this post I ran into a...
We have learned that there are considerable issues with how B.C. Timber Sales is operating. It appears that they are not even following their own rules. This is deeply concerning. I have been asking government of the continued liquidation of old-growth, specifically on Vancouver Island, for the better part of the past...
On Monday, Andrew Weaver announced that he will not seek re-election to the British Columbia Legislature. He has asked the BC Green Party to begin the process of selecting a new leader. His decision has been some time in the making and it has given me the opportunity to step back and reflect on the past six and a half years that we have worked...
The provincial government has introduced Bill 36, The Gaming Control Amendment Act, 2019. This Bill enacts a commitment made in Budget 2019 that provides $3 billion from gaming funds to First Nations communities over the next 25 years. I spoke to Bill 36 and support this initiative. We know how restrictive program...
This past weekend, we watched a couple of episodes of the Netflix series called The Hunt. The series is a powerful mix of beautiful imagery, David Attenborough’s eloquent narration and examples of the complex relationships in nature. The series explores the interconnectivity of predators and prey that makes up the intricate biodiversity on Planet...
A long while ago, I was given some important advice. It’s taken some time for me to deploy it. “I work hard,” I said defensively. “It’s not just about working hard Adam, it’s about working smart!” At the time, I had little idea how I could work “smarter.” Like the other people around me, I was doing the best I could. I was the Interim-Leader of...
We learned last weekend that the Federal Liberal Party is committing in their campaign platform to phase out open-net fish farms on the British Columbia coast. That is the good news!As a Member of the British Columbia Legislature, I have dedicated a tremendous amount of energy and time advancing wild salmon policy.From disease to sea lice, fish...
Remember when the Galiano Island community’s proposal to upgrade their school playground was through a BCAA competition?In the past twenty years, due to chronic underfunding of public education, hundreds of other school playgrounds in British Columbia have been upgraded and built through the volunteer fundraising of Parent Advisory Committees...
I was at a candidate meeting in Saanich-Gulf Islands on Wednesday night and I heard the New Democrat candidate Sabina Singh repeat several times that they are committed to end all subsidies of fossil fuels. After a quick fact check, I found that this is indeed the latest position of the NDP leader Jagmeet Singh. Their ever-evolving policy on...
Earlier this summer, I invited people to participate in the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change Strategy consultation and engagement on plastic waste and recycling. British Columbians are good recyclers but we need to do better and the Ministry is working to that end. I’ve discussed recycling, packaging and plastic waste a few times in...
It’s an interesting situation we find ourselves in regarding climate change and climate action. It is the collective decisions of politicians, the recommendations of their advisors and the whole governing institutions that has got us to the point we are at today: increasing temperatures, melting ice, collapsing ecosystems and mass extinction....
Over the past few years I have been honoured with the opportunity to speak at the Orange Shirt Day ceremony at Centennial Square in Victoria. The event is organized by Eddie Charlie and Kristen Spray and hosted by Mayor Lisa Helps and the City of Victoria. Each year the crowd has grown and with each annual event courageous survivors of the...
During the Union of BC Municipalities convention I attend Ministerial meetings in support of my local government colleagues. This year, the District of Central Saanich coordinated a meeting with the Minister of Education Hon. Rob Fleming, and Greater Victoria Public Library Chief Administrative Officer, Maureen Sawa.The meeting was part of a...
My Tax the Robots? post, inspired a lot of response on social media. There is a variety of comments including a few questioning why I was using a self checkout machine in the first place. Good question! A few days later, while looking to add a little more variety to my podcast library, I decided to check out the CBC show The Debaters. It's always...
Over the past several months, I’ve been clear about my concerns with the continued logging of high productivity old-growth. This past Spring, the B.C. Green Caucus called for a moratorium on logging old-growth hotspots on Vancouver Island as an initial step.I think it is important to clarify, though, that there is some old-growth that I fully...
As we near the autumn equinox, I would like to share a brief update with you and take a closer look at the two halves of my work as a Member of the Legislative Assembly. For about half of the year, my work is based out of the Legislature in Victoria. There is a spring session and a fall session. In February, we begin a four-month stretch sitting...
Do you know a student currently in K-12 in British Columbia?Her Honour Lt. Governor Janet Austin has partnered with the British Columbia Legislative Assembly to create the Democracy & Me Art Contest.I believe it’s important to get youth participating in our democracy and encouraging them to think about how they can improve their communities...
I was standing at the self check-out at the grocery store the other day thinking about an article I read a couple of years back.It featured a short video and transcript of Bill Gates making the case for taxing the robots.I noticed four check-out stations staffed by a single employee. On a busy afternoon in the past, those four stations would need...
Over the past few years, I’ve been mulling the difference between politics and governance. If you have been at one of my public presentations, then you’ve likely heard me working this topic over. It’s also appeared in various forms in my blog as well. As we stumble through this federal election, we see the politics on full display. The discourse...
One of the reasons I love podcasts so much is because I often learn that my initial judgement based on the title alone is way off.There is usually something in the content that catches my attention, or I learn something I did not expect to, a little gem hiding in the rough that deserves some further thought.I remember needling my former...
You might have read an article last month about a Salt Spring Island robotics company that made the first drone delivery of emergency medical supplies. The project was a partnership between Canada Post, London Drugs and InDro Robotics. InDro is one of only three companies in Canada that is approved to complete “Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight”...
As we head into the Fall, I’ve been hearing from constituents again about the healthcare challenges on the Saanich Peninsula. The challenges with the current system didn’t magically disappear over the summer and in fact there have been some tragic cases presented to me that are a result of the ongoing struggle people are having with primary care...