More than two years ago I had the honour of participating in the Rental Housing Task Force with Vancouver West-End MLA Spencer Chandra-Herbert and Courtney-Comox MLA Ronna-Rae Leonard. We held community engagement sessions across the province and heard from both renters and landlords as well as other stakeholders. In...
Health

Constituency work continues as legislature returns
Having only sat eight days in the legislature over the past eight month, constituency work has been the focus of my work. I have met with dozens of constituents and community groups. I’m thankful for the opportunity to hear from the community and to advocate on your behalf. The meetings have covered a wide range of topics. As a result, I have...

Column: What is systemic discrimination, bias and racism?
I am a member of the Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act. Parts of the Act have been amended over the years, but it has been decades since there were any major reviews of the entire legislation. With increasing pressure on the provincial government last summer to address systemic discrimination, bias and racism in policing, Minister...


Business grant still missing the mark
Vaughn Palmer recently wrote an editorial highlighting the challenges the provincial government is having with delivering its $300 million support program for small-medium businesses. Palmer highlights the significant inconsistencies in the messages coming from the government, specifically what Premier John Horgan is saying the problem is and...


SUCCESS! Rural designation for Salt Spring and Southern Gulf Islands
For the past decade the Capital Regional District (CRD) Electoral Area Directors for Juan de Fuca, Salt Spring Island and the Southern Gulf Islands have been advocating for a change in their designation from urban to rural. You might remember back in December I asked Hon. Ravi Kahlon, new Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation, about...


Voices of Saanich: “My years on the wild side” with Briony Penn
Special Online Event "My years on the Wild Side" A special online evening with Briony Penn Hosted by Kate O'Connor Tuesday February 23, 2021 7:00pm RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/Voices-BrionyPenn Download event poster. Please share widely! Event hosted by the Saanich North and the Islands BC Green Party Riding Association (SAN-RA) The Voices of...


Developing the potential of B.C.’s maritime industries
I am excited that Premier John Horgan is leaning into the shipbuilding sector. Why shouldn’t British Columbia be a world leader in the maritime industries? The federal government must decide who is going to build Canada’s next ultramodern polar Icebreaker. Seaspan had won the contract through a competitive process to build the vessel in British...


BC NDP majority less collaborative, accountable and transparent
There was a time not too long ago when Premier John Horgan and the BC NDP government were more collaborative, more inclusive, more accountable, and more transparent. Through the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic all three political parties were involved in informing decisions. The BC NDP worked closely with the BC Green Caucus, maintaining the...




Column: Clear communication needed for provincial vaccination plans
2020 was as difficult a year as any in recent memory, but as we move into 2021, several vaccines offer hope for relief from the COVID-19 global pandemic. The provincial government is aiming to have all British Columbians vaccinated by the end of the year starting with residents and staff in long-term care and assisted living facilities, health...


Data driven decisions need complete data
Each Monday morning at 7:40am I am on the Political Panel hosted by Stephen Quinn on CBC Vancouver. We discuss (and debate) the current events. This week the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out plan was the topic of discussion. According to government the plan is data-informed, the main point of contention debated on the panel was the data the government...


Involuntary detainment of youth struggling with mental health
When I delivered the news last summer that the BC Green Caucus could not support the proposed amendments to Bill 22: The Mental Health Amendment Act, Premier John Horgan was angry. He expected us to fall into line and later he made it clear our lack of support for the bill was a prominent factor in his decision to pull down his minority...




Column: Reflecting on the ‘inexplicable year that was 2020’
Reflecting on the inexplicable year that was 2020, it is impossible to succinctly sum up how the dramatic events of this year have impacted each one of us individually, and as a local, regional, national, and global society. The year began with demonstrations for Indigenous rights across the country and surrounding the British Columbia...


Rethinking British Columbia’s resource exploitation
In the rotunda of the British Columbia Legislature there are four murals representing British Columbia's "founding" industries - agriculture, fishing, forestry and mining. While there remains good opportunity in agriculture and mining, the fishing and forestry sectors have been in a state of decline for decades as a result of horrendous resource...


2021: Overcoming biases, fallacies, stigmas
Firstly, the answer is NO to the question being asked of every politician in Canada right now. I have barely left my house in Tsartlip during the holiday season never mind the city, province or country. Former Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips said no one was more disappointed than he is about his shocking decision to fly to the Caribbean for...


Season’s Greetings!
Season's Greetings from the my BC Green Caucus colleague Sonia Furstenau and I, the team in the Saanich North and the Islands Constituency Office and the whole Olsen family! 2020 was a challenging year! I sincerely hope that 2021 brings stability, peace and joy to you and yours. Our team will be taking a few days to celebrate the holiday season...


Where is Kitty?
For the past several months a drama's been unfolding in the Olsen household! Where did Kitty go? As the weeks passed there was an inclination to turn the open case into a cold case, but there was also a feeling that one day Kitty would show up. For context, when Kitty went missing she was at the top of the heap in the complex network of...
Subscribe to my new blog!
Following the election I have been working with the incredible people at Geeks on the Beach to optimize my website. They are a great group and I'm so thankful for they great work! While I enjoy developing my own web presence I definitely needed help with some of the technical stuff in the back end, search-ability and a new fresh look. I'll be...
Few details on $300 million program to support small business
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...
Is it a Throne Speech or the Throne Speech?
British Columbians need clarity from the BC NDP government whether the Throne Speech that opened the 42nd Parliament is the plan for 2021, or if there is another Throne Speech planned for the Spring. As it stands right now it's unclear what the plan is, and it's not really certain that there is a plan. We know we are...


Premier Horgan aware of importance of rural designation since 2005
During Premier John Horgan's December 15, 2020 media availability Les Leyne from the Times Colonist asked about the rural designation issue impacting the Southern Gulf Islands and Salt Spring Island communities in my riding. I asked new Minister Ravi Kahlon about this situation in question period last week. (Read Leyne's comprehensive opinion...
Site C boondoggle buried in secrecy
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...
Ready to govern?
When Premier John Horgan pulled the legislature down around him causing the snap pandemic election, he claimed it was because British Columbia needed a strong majority government that was ready to govern through COVID-19. He said the BC NDP were ready to lead. He claimed that his election would not delay economic...
COVID-19 impact and work of food banks
In the first Members Statement of the 42nd Parliament I turn my attention to the responsibility we have as MLA's to govern for all British Columbians, the impact of COVID-19, and the fragility of our services. I turn my attention to the important work of food banks and then state my commitment to work toward poverty...
Cruel omission: A deliberate act or oversight?
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...


“The haphazardly sheared landscape called to mind a dog with mange.”
During my brief time in the British Columbia legislature there is no issue that has inspired the level of advocacy from the public as has the protection of old-growth forests. My office has received thousands of emails. Actually, it's not an exaggeration to say I have tens of thousands of emails from British Columbians demanding the protection of...