Now in its 11th year, Creatures of Habitat has connected 1000’s of youth in Greater Victoria schools to the surrounding land and water. The streams, beaches and forests have Peninsula Streams to thank for organizing and delivering the education program powered by volunteers from the local community. Originally I was scheduled to be in committee...
I recently listened to a long conversation about the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). The discussion focused on AI as an existential threat to human dominance and control of the earth. There is considerable fear that if we are not careful we might build something that will destroy us or at the very least replace us.It got me thinking about...
https://twitter.com/spjonsson/status/1120451827374481408 I cannot sit in a banquet hall surrounded by un-bussed tables. When the plates are stacking up and dirty utensils litter the linens, my training in The Dining Room Restaurant at the Butchart Gardens kicks in. Table management is important. I'm thankful for my deep roots serving the public,...
For the past decade I have been honoured to work alongside Elizabeth May. She is the best mentor and teacher! Elizabeth's love, dedication, passion, commitment, patience and courage are unparalleled. While Elizabeth has thousands of friends who love her dearly, until yesterday she has not had a partner walking with her hand-in-hand....
Last week the federal government announced comprehensive fisheries closure measures as a response to collapsing Chinook stocks. In my work on the salmon file, the conservation conversation is the most controversial. It is what has all the interest groups under the table fighting over the scraps. Each year there are fewer scraps and the situation...
In the ninth episode of The Public Circle Podcast, I connect with Paul Holmes the co-founder of Social Media Camp at the Victoria Conference Centre. One of the regular themes I explore in my daily blog posts is the impact of social media. The fuel for my content is driven by podcasts, blogs and articles that are also exploring the impact of these...
This tweet from Torrance Coste, campaigner for the Wilderness Committee, caught my attention.https://twitter.com/TorranceCoste/status/1118372721170186240It was a response to the Alberta election but it reminded me of another significant event from just a few days earlier, the first episode of the final season of Game of Thrones.How are this...
Ever heard of Nate Bargatze? In my opinion he is one hilarious comedian! I don’t mind admitting this about Nate because, from what I have seen so far, his humour does not require the frequent use of vulgar insults and profane rants. My list of previous favourite comedians, though, cannot be identified in this blog lest my evolving sense of humour...
Over the past few days I have been reflecting on the Spring legislative session. Frankly, the debate on Bill 10 (the income tax amendment Bill for LNG Canada) took a lot out of me. The work in the legislature continued for the week following the final vote but admittedly I was not at my best. The truth is, the debate was emotionally draining. No...
There are sides in the House. This side and that side. Our side and their side. The left side and the right side. Apparently, two sides. Like binary code, either a 1, or a 0.I've heard it even when Members introduce visitors to the House they say something like, "on behalf of the Members on this side of the House I welcome so-and-so to the...
I switched into the passing lane as I went under the Royal Oak overpass. There was a steady stream of cars merging onto the Pat Bay highway. A light grey compact SUV jumped from two or three cars back into the lane in front of me, cutting me off. My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly and I gritted my teeth and muttered a few regrettable...
People ask how I can write everyday.Writing is the easy part. Writing poorly is even easier. I have found the editing is the most difficult part of blogging daily.I have published a post-a-day for over 100 straight days now. For the most part, it is just stream-of-consciousness thoughts tracking the flow of life as an elected official, responding...
I spend a lot of time on ferries. As the Member for Saanich North and the Islands my constituents span the Salish Sea from Sidney to Galiano, Mayne, Pender, Salt Spring, and Saturna. Quality ferry service is essential to their lives. Ferries are how they get to school and work every day. It’s how they access...
In the eighth episode of The Public Circle Podcast, I connect with Stasia Hartley, Area Director for Bayshore Home Health. A lifelong member of the Saanich Peninsula community, Stasia has worked in leadership roles in healthcare for 29 years. She has a Master's of Arts in Leadership from Royal Roads University and manages the home health...
Food security is increasingly important in a world impacted by climate change. For the second time in as many sessions the BC NDP government is amending the Agricultural Land Commission Act to increase protection of food producing land for agriculture. This is vitally important. But, it is also important that...
National Volunteer Week (April 7-13, 2019) is coming to a close. I want to pause and celebrate the invaluable contributions of volunteers across the province that give life to our communities and lift them up.Here's to the volunteers that dedicate their time to make Saanich North and the Islands the wonderful place that it is. This year’s theme...
I am moving away from social media. I'm not quitting, but I am thoughtfully evolving how I use it. Social media platforms are powerful tools for politicians because they create spaces for communities of people to gather with each other. Initially, we played Farmville together and reconnected with old friends. It was just like a high school...
There is a growing movement of acknowledging the territory of Indigenous people. It has become a familiar opening to meetings and events run by government.It is an important evolution in Canadian society. But, we must continue to challenge the status quo and demand better. It is critical that we know why we do these...
I was on a panel at the College of Applied Biology conference last week. Our task was to Define the Public Interest.The panel included Andrew Gage (Staff Lawyer, West Coast Environmental Law), Kevin Kriese (Chair, Forest Practices Board) and Jody Shimkus (VP of Environment and Regulatory Affairs, Kirk Environmental.)It was an interesting group...
[UPDATE] I have received a response from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. BC Housing has entered into a lease agreement with a local farmer to harvest hay. The lease has a strong covenant to comply with environmental laws and a related indemnity not to use or permit to be used any harmful or hazardous...
Standing in my driveway this past weekend I had a flashback to my youth. When I was a kid I used to work for our family business. It was a garden and property maintenance company and every spring we would manufacture hundreds of moss hanging baskets. We inherited the business from my maternal grandfather Don Snobelen. He was a man of the soil. He...
During Question Period last week, MLAs grilled the government on the low-wage redress package offered to some workers in the social care industry. As of April 1, unionized social care workers will receive a bump in their wages beyond the standard 2% increase. This wage increase is welcome because social care workers make low wages for the work...
Do you need a family doctor? Approximately one third of my constituents living on the Saanich Peninsula do not have a family doctor. The crisis could become a lot worse as many doctors are close to retirement. This issue is by no means restricted to Saanich North and the Islands. It is an issue felt in communities...
The pace of government is both fast and slow.April 11th marks the two year anniversary of the start of the 2017 British Columbia general election.It's incredible that we are already two years into the 41st Parliament. The last 24 months has been an extraordinary time for our province. A lot has happened and a lot has been accomplished.In this...
In the seventh episode of The Public Circle Podcast, I connect with Paul Smith, General Manager of Titan Boats. Following a visit to their manufacturing facility in the North Saanich Business Park, Paul joined me in our constituency office to chat about the homegrown company. He came out of retirement to join Titan in 1998. What started as part...
It is not very often that Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) will stand and continue the debate on a Bill at 3rd reading. It's as unusual for MLA's to vote 14 times on a Bill. By 3rd reading most of the substantive work is done. There is a considerable amount of opportunity to debate legislation at 2nd reading....