Ever heard the saying “can’t see the forest for the trees?” It’s when you are standing too close to something and lack the broader perspective and are not able to see the big picture. Or, if you are looking at things one at a time, you might not see their connection with all the others. You can use this saying as an analogy for literally any...
Summer is a busy time of year in and around the Saanich Peninsula and the Southern Gulf Islands. I want to invite you to visit and explore the incredible communities that I have the honour of representing in the British Columbia Legislature.One of the most important and exciting parts of my job is to encourage and facilitate a greater sense of,...
We got some new concrete in front of our house recently. A hefty sidewalk. In the little section they added to connect our driveway she etched MO into it. It's going to be there for years to come. She, is Madison Olsen and she is my talented niece. Singer, musician and now songwriter, Maddie has always had a beautiful sound resonating from deep...
It’s one of those memories stamped in my mind. I'm seven or eight years old, lying in my bed and staring at the ceiling through tear-filled eyes. I was growing older. I didn’t want to get older and I really didn’t want my parents to get older either. It’s not clear to me now which thought was worse in my mind back then. My mom and dad took turns...
In the 19th episode of The Public Circle Podcast, I chat with Helen Davis. Helen is a Registered Professional Biologist and owns Artemis Wildlife Consultants. She has been a consultant for the past 27 years. We met at a conference for biologists earlier this year. I was a speaker on a panel about defining the public interest. She had heard of the...
Remember when fast food containers were made of styrofoam? Well those days are long gone and public awareness continues to grow with respect to the huge amount of single-use waste collecting in our landfills and recycling depots.In recent times special attention is focussing on the impact of plastic items that are finding their way into our...
Many of my summer days have been spent in a British Columbia Park. I loved the familiar sound rolling through the trees of the “Two-Wheelers” a ramshackle gang of pre-teens on bicycles thrown together by chance for a few days under the shade of a grove of Coastal Douglas fir, cedar, maple and arbutus. Manning Park was a family favourite, as was...
When Minister of Forests, Hon. Doug Donaldson announced that his Ministry was moving to protect 54 trees on the “Old-Growth Registry”, he made another announcement that is giving hope for the tens of thousands of people in British Columbia concerned about how our province is managing the last remaining old-growth forests. He has appointed Garry...
I was caught tonight. Vulnerable. We had just finished dinner. The four of us eat dinner together mostly every night. Just like when I was a kid, we always ate together. I was doing the dishes and my mind caught the familiar tune “Forever in Blue Jeans” as it floated by. Neil Diamond’s raspy voiced anthems were the soundtrack of my childhood. I...
There is a program in Alberta called P.A.C.E.One of my constituents from Salt Spring Island initially brought this program to my attention back before the 2017 provincial election. He continues to encourage me to advocate for a similar program in British Columbia. He's not alone in this endeavour.First, what is P.A.C.E. you might ask? It stands...
Eco-anxiety is an increasing social cost of climate change. A lot of people are feeling it these days. The Maclean's series on climate change is perhaps the most recent and comprehensive mainstream Canadian news coverage of the environmental crisis we are in. However, they are not the only publication covering it. There is a daily flow of...
In the 18th episode of The Public Circle Podcast I chat with David Smith. David is a fisherman and owner of Professional Components Ltd., located in the Sidney/North Saanich Industrial Park. His company makes Scoremaster soccer goals and Shockwave, shock-mitigating seats. He has been building things on the Saanich Peninsula since 1981. I toured...
There is no question that access to safe, affordable housing is a big challenge for many British Columbians. Addressing this issue continues to be a central focus of the provincial government and it’s not without controversy. It's an emotional issue because home is a central need for people to establish stability and security in their lives....
It's been a weird week in British Columbia politics. Early in the week, I was on Salt Spring Island to celebrate the ground turning for the much-needed Salt Spring Commons housing, this is the feature of my blog post tomorrow. Unfortunately, the forestry and fishery files I have been working on overshadow that positive story. There is irony in...
Ever heard the saying "can't see the forest for the trees?"It's when you are standing too close to something and lack the broader perspective and are not able to see the big picture. Or, if you are looking at things one at a time, you might not see their connection with all the others.You can use this saying as an analogy for literally any...
Today I want to pause and raise my hands in gratitude. I want to acknowledge the provincial and federal governments' announcement on July 5th of the successful applicants to the Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (SRIF). The SRIF is one result of our persistent work in raising the profile of the desperate plight of the wild Pacific salmon...
A former boss of mine would always remind us as we were heading out the door to go on vacation that we should actually vacate. It’s encouragement to leave the work behind, not just the office. Step away physically and mentally. Break the routine and clear the cache.The internet turns up a couple of definitions for “vacation.” The first is “a...
I am no biologist or astronomer but I did read the “Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food” with Ella the other night. Sister Bear and Brother Bear were eating too many sweets and were starting to pack on extra weight. As it turns out, Papa Bear was also very attached to his sugary snacks and it became evident that there is a range of standards...
In the 17th episode of The Public Circle Podcast, I connect with the Deputy-Leader of the Green Party of Canada, Jo-Ann Roberts. Jo-Ann was the former host of All Points West on CBC Radio which is broadcast across Vancouver Island and at one time across all of British Columbia except the Vancouver area. After retiring from her career in...
As the summer BBQ tour continues and the federal election candidates make the best of the long, hot days on the hustings, the campaign will heat up as September draws closer.“Crazy season” starts when the partisan faithful try every angle to get the edge on their competition. It’s when democratic debate turns into a bare-knuckle prize fight....
Following up on yesterday's post about the chronology of the growth of Greens across Canada, there is a point at the end that deserves a little more attention. It's the notion I raise about voters feeling like they need to settle for "good enough."It goes hand-in-glove with the reality that up until 2011 the Greens were on the outside looking in....
Following my public endorsement of Elizabeth May in the run up to her election as Member of Parliament in Saanich-Gulf Islands in 2011, one of my local government colleagues said to me "Adam. You are a good politician. It's a shame to see you throw away so much of your political capital on somebody that cannot win!"I was an elected Councillor in...
My Championing Local Business tour has opened my eyes to a wide range of enterprise in Saanich North and the Islands. I have visited facilities manufacturing heavy industrial equipment for logging and marine ports, boat building and repairs, food processing and research and development in a variety of fields. Clearly, my riding is home to a vast...
Elections are never really over. They are perpetually the target of politicians and political parties. This is one of the fundamental flaws of our democratic governments. We should spend more time focussing on the process of governing rather than the result of past or future elections. As I said in a recent post, the top priority of some of the...
A reader's suggestion for a future blog topic was to highlight how climate change is impacting the Saanich Peninsula and the Gulf Islands. The name of this geography, including the ocean in between, is W̱SÁNEĆ. This is the setting of many of my stories.As the request settled into the back of my mind, mixing and churning over, I began paying...
In this episode of The Public Circle Podcast I connect with newly elected District of North Saanich Councillor Patricia Pearson. We share many of the same interests and so while this is a rather short conversation compared to the past few episodes, I view this as just a starting point.As the title of the podcast notes, Patricia is far more than...