This week, the report of the Special Committee to Review the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act that was published earlier this summer was officially table in the Legislative Assembly. As a member of the Committee, I had an opportunity to speak to the process and the contents of the report. As the...
In this episode of The Public Circle Podcast, I connect with Jonathan Morris, CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association, B.C. Chapter. He has worked in the sector for the past two decades and we start our conversation discussing how he got started and what he and the CMHA is doing today. We cover a variety of relevant topics including, • The...
ÍY SȻÁĆEL (Good Day), Welcome to my weekly update for October 9, 2022! Firstly, I want to raise my hands in gratitude this Thanksgiving weekend. Thank you to my Constituency Advocates, Laura Parker and William Kelly for their incredible work on behalf of the people in Saanich North and the Islands. Thank you to the team in the BC Green Caucus...
Earlier this month, my colleague Sonia Furstenau delivered her first in-person speech to local government elected and administrative officials who were gathered for the Union of BC Municipalities convention (UBCM). Sonia and I were both previously elected to local government and have many friends in office in communities across the province. It...
Currently there is no province wide protection for bear dens. While they are protected on Haida Gwaii and in the Great Bear Rainforest, and some protection by logging companies for the vast majority of the province bear den habitat is vulnerable to logging. The private members bill that I tabled today corrects that,...
The Coastal GasLink pipeline controversy continues as the BC NDP allow the company to drill and blast under the Wedzin Kwa (also known as the Morice River) while it is full of spawning salmon. The company faces a host of compliance issues with environmental regulations, meanwhile the Minister of Environment and...
On behalf of the B.C. Green Caucus, I responded to the Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Hon. Murray Rankin's Ministerial Statement on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ National Day of Action. [Transcript] Mr. Speaker, first I would just like to acknowledge both of the...
In my first Question of the Fall session I asked Minister of Forests, Hon. Katrine Conroy about the growing controversy surrounding the wood pellet industry. Journalists in both the United Kingdom and here in Canada are investigating the claims of the British Columbia government and Drax, a large multinational...
Joint commentary: BC Green leader Sonia Furstenau, MLA for Cowichan Valley and Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands Last week, the provincial government released a report on “prolific offenders” – a small group of people who are responsible for a disproportionate amount of neighbourhood crime. The increase in prolific offenses speaks...
My colleague Sonia Furstenau and I, along with two staff members of the BC Green Caucus, had the honour of visiting the Wet'suwet'en territory at the invitation of the Hereditary Chiefs. During our visit, about 30 of their invited guests rafted the Wedzin Kwa (Morice River) from Wedzin Bin (Morice Lake) to the...
Adam Olsen is the MLA for Saanich North and the Islands and a member of Tsartlip First Nation. I watched Pope Francis’ “penitential pilgrimage” closely. It was an emotional week for so many Indigenous people who suffered at the hands of the Catholic Church – for residential and day school survivors, and those impacted by intergenerational trauma...
ÍY SȻÁĆEL (Good Day), Welcome to my update for July 2022! With the Spring session now adjourned my focus returns to the constituency. It’s not that the community work stops while I am in a legislative session but my attention is certainly divided. While I am in session I rely heavily on my incredible team of constituent advocates in my community...
Have you ever considered running for public office? If not on the ballot, have you wondered how you can help someone who is running? The decisions at the local government table create the form and character of our neighbourhoods and communities. They are potentially the most impactful on our quality of life and that is why it is so important for...
ÍY SȻÁĆEL (Good Day), Welcome to my weekly update for June 5th, 2022! This will be the last weekly update of the Spring legislative session. I will produce a monthly newsletter until the Legislature resumes sitting in October. There is a lot of content in this newsletter. Please scroll to bottom as I am sharing important information about...
I am grateful to Gud Takin Jaad, Rose Williams for preparing this statement about the official name change of Queen Charlotte City back to Daajing Giids. [Transcript] The statement was written by Gud Takin Jaad, B.C. Green caucus intern and proud Haida. In 2019, the Skidegate Haida immersion program submitted a...
Today, I tabled legislation to ban the use of prolonged solitary confinement in provincial correctional facilities for both adults and youth. Solitary confinement is defined by the United Nations (UN) as any confinement, seclusion, or segregation of individuals for more than 22 hours a day without meaningful human...
The Gwa’sala-‘nakwaxda’xw Nation are in the process of taking back jurisdiction of child welfare as per federal legislation. They have been attempting to get access to historical information from the provincial Crown governments Ministry of Children and Family Development but have been consistently blocked by the BC...
The BC NDP have long claimed to be the only party that speaks for workers. Increasingly we are seeing they cannot back up their claims. They have failed to protect educators and healthcare workers from COVID-19 and as the climate crisis is causing more and larger wildfires, British Columbians who work outdoors will...
ÍY SȻÁĆEL (Good Day), Welcome to my weekly update for May 22nd, 2022! Content warning. This newsletter contains content about residential schools. This was a challenging week for me as a legislator. With the one year anniversary of the public acknowledgement of the 215 unmarked grave sites at the Kamloops Indian Residential School just a few days...
Written for Daily Hive Urbanized by Adam Olsen (SȾHENEP) Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Saanich North and the Islands (BC Green Caucus) and member of Tsartlip First Nation. Few British Columbians have responded positively to Premier John Horgan’s $800 million new home for the Royal BC Museum (RBCM). It’s a difficult...
As we approach the one year anniversary since Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir (Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc) announced the preliminary findings of 215 graves of children at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School I stood and marked the occasion in a response to a Ministerial Statement delivered by Minister Murray Rankin. This...
The BC NDP need to get their priorities straight. They announced an $800 million new Royal BC Museum, when millions of British Columbians are struggling to keep up with the increasing costs of basic needs like food, transportation and housing. And, for months British Columbians have been demanding the BC NDP address...
For the past 15 months, I have had the honour of serving on the Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act. This has been some of the most productive and collaborative work I have been a part of in my five years as an MLA. The 100-page report contains an overview of what the committee heard from the 411 presentations, submissions and 1,500...
On April 13, 2022 Jim Hume passed away. He was an extraordinary, and longest-serving member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly Press Gallery. I am grateful to have the opportunity to honour the memory of Mr. Hume. [Transcript] This was prepared by Stephen Hume. Jim Hume surrendered his seat in the press...
