Videos
Remembering Denis Coupland
In Members' Statements I offered a few words to mark the passing of my friend, community advocate, and environmental activist Denis Coupland who passed away on February 18, 2023. [Transcript] Mr. Speaker, I was elected in November 2008. That night I received a phone call from Denis Coupland. Now I was a...
Will we meet our climate targets? New carbon pricing system for large emitters lacks crucial details
In Budget 2023, the BC NDP announced a new output-based pricing system (OBPS) for large industrial emitters, which would exempt those who pollute the most from paying the carbon tax up-front. After surpassing a to-be-determined emissions threshold, industrial facilities would be forced to pay a fixed rate on their...
When will the BC NDP stop expanding fossil fuels and ban fracking?
The Montney Play in northeast BC is Canada’s largest potential source of greenhouse gas emissions and the sixth largest in the world. By approving new LNG projects in this area, the BC NDP has locked BC into the fossil fuel economy for decades. While industry propaganda promotes LNG as clean energy, we can’t escape...
Government is giving $36 million to a controversial RCMP unit while it is under investigation.
The Community Industry Response Group (C-IRG) is an RCMP unit that's been accused of unlawful use of force, arrests, detentions, & assaults. They are facing several lawsuits and an internal investigation for misconduct. And still the BC NDP is allocating them $36M. C-IRG was created in 2017 to support the...
Celebrating the removal of gendered language from our laws — & the hard work of our public service!
Yesterday, my colleagues and I debated Bill 14, the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, which removes outdated, gendered language from more than 200 pieces of legislation. For far too long, our province's laws have been written, debated, and passed without the diversity of British Columbians in mind. This Bill makes...
Is the BC NDP betting our future on carbon credits? Scientists say we can and must do more.
Today, I asked Premier Eby to provide British Columbians with his definition of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. He chose not to answer. Instead, Minister Heyman showcased a fundamental misunderstanding of what scientists have been saying for years. When Premier Eby took his oath he said “we cannot continue to...
How do the BC NDP justify new LNG projects when experts say we must stop expanding fossil fuels?
Last week, the IPCC released a report delivering a final warning, stating rapid and drastic action are required to keep global warming below the threshold of irreversible damage. The week before, the BC NDP gave another LNG project the greenlight to move forward. This government approved Cedar LNG, claiming the...
Wait what? BC NDP didn’t fund key economic development vehicle for Vancouver Island/Sunshine Coast?
It appears the BC NDP are prepared to abandon rural Vancouver Island and coastal communities. Despite spending more than $2.5 billion of so-called surplus money from Budget 2022 on provincial priorities (which I supported), it is unfathomable that the BC NDP has chosen to not re-capitalize the Island Coastal Economic...
ESTIMATES 2023: Tourism, Arts, Culture, and Sport
In the 30 minutes I had in Budget Estimates 2023 with new Minister Hon. Lana Popham, I asked about support for the tourism industry, museum storage of sacred Indigenous cultural items, support for music festivals, and involvement in the Belleville terminal upgrade in Victoria's Inner Harbour. [Transcript] A. Olsen:...
Petition with 700+ signatures calling on Environment Minister to assess Bamberton Quarry
I met with Eric Falkenberg-Poetz, Frances Pugh and Daniel Kenway from the Saanich Inlet Protection Society at the legislature. They gave me a petition to present to the British Columbia Legislature. The petition had over 700 hand-signed signatures, collected by volunteers in a few short weeks. Petitioners are asking...
Addressing gender-based violence needs actions not more promises
Since they formed government the BC NDP has consistently misconstrued promises as actions. They promised for five years to address wage inequity and to deliver free contraception. They finally delivered on the contraception promise but instead of pay equity, British Columbians get pay transparency which is not good...
$100 million Watershed Security Fund begins a new legacy for nature and biodiversity
And, the BC NDP year-end spending spree continues. In a contrast to the billion dollars of one-time funding for local governments, Hon. Nathan Cullen, Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship Minister is using the funds allocated to his Ministry to create a legacy. The Watershed Security Fund, to be managed in a...
More than $1.4 billion in one-time funding allocated to local governments, $45 million to libraries
The BC NDP continues to furiously spend the multi-billion dollar surplus before March 31st. In supplementary budget estimates I had a few minutes to ask questions about the decision of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs to distribute $1 billion to the Growing Communities Fund to support the priorities of the188 local...
BC’s Solicitor General & Public Safety Minister visits Salt Spring Island to discuss community safety and infrastructure needs
On Friday March 3, 2023, Hon. Mike Farnworth, British Columbia Solicitor General and Public Safety Minister, visited Salt Spring Island with me. We met with the local RCMP detachment and Salt Spring Fire to learn more about the challenges they face maintaining public safety in the community. In addition, we attended...
Minister Fleming investing $500 million to keep BC Ferries fares affordable
Last week the BC NDP government announced an investment of $500 million as an interim measure to keeping ferry fares affordable for BC Ferries users. This will greatly assist my constituents of Saanich North and the Islands who live, work, and recreate on the Saanich Peninsula and Southern Gulf Islands! I have heard...
We are spending billions so when will British Columbia regulate the addictions treatment industry?
With billions of dollars being invested in addictions treatment and recovery, and the BC Liberals proposing the privatization of the industry, it is clear that at the very least the BC NDP should make sure we are collecting data so we understand the scale and scope of the problem and needed response. In addition, we...
Minister Rankin’s $75M funding allocation misses crucial opportunity for Indigenous reconciliation priorities
In Supplementary Estimates for the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, we are debating how Minister Murray Rankin is spending $75,000,000 of extra funding allocated from the Finance Minister. I don't dispute that the six agreements Minister Rankin chose to expediate are worthy. Indeed, it is likely...
Government Inexplicably Repoliticizes All-Party Agreement on Drug Toxicity Crisis
Last year, then Interim-Leader of the BC Liberals Shirley Bond, and BC Green Leader Sonia Furstenau, called on the BC NDP government to empower the Health Committee to study the drug toxicity and poisoning crisis and make recommendations to the Legislative Assembly. The effort was entirely about de-politicizing the...
Will Premier Eby Provide Funds for Old Growth Deferrals and Meet with Hereditary Chiefs?
Even though the Environment Minister tried to deflect responsibility, let's be clear, the lack of species-at-risk and biodiversity protections in British Columbia is not the fault of First Nations. It was a decision by the BC NDP to scrap the process they started more than five years ago. Even if they want to blame a...
Fighting for Fisheries to Benefit Communities
In 2008, the Wild Salmon Advisory Council released a report about the future of Pacific salmon in British Columbia. In many respects it was redux of salmon strategies of the past. We updated the information and re-engaged the stakeholders and what we learned is that most of profit in fisheries in British Columbia goes...
Improving Democracy in British Columbia: Debating Changes to Reform Private Members’ Time
As I have said repeatedly the BC Legislative Assembly does not function as democratically as it could. The entire agenda is controlled by the party with a majority of Members and that power has been used to shut out private members' from having the legislation they propose, debated and voted on. Significant reforms...
Ministerial Statement: Response to the One Year Anniversary of the War in Ukraine
I stood as Third Party House Leader to speak in response to a Ministerial Statement provided by Hon. Anne Kang, Municipal Affairs Minister on the one year anniversary of the war in Ukraine. [Transcript] I rise today to offer just a few words to the ministerial statement eloquently provided by the Minister of Municipal...
Does the BC NDP see the exciting economic engine of a re-capitalized Island Coastal Economic Trust?
I followed my question on Tuesday, with another on the topic of re-capitalizing the Island Coastal Economic Trust (ICE-T). In her response to my initial question, Minister of Economic Development, Hon. Brenda Bailey pointed to the $33 million REDIP (Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program) as an...
Response to Ministerial Statement: Recognizing the Solemn Responsibility of Caretaker Communities
With the announcement of more findings of likely burial sites at the Alberni Indian Residential School, and the similar announcement in January at the St. Joseph's Residential School in Williams Lake, the Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Hon. Murray Rankin, offered a Ministerial Statement about the...
Bidding farewell to MLA Melanie Mark
When Melanie Mark was sworn in to the British Columbia Legislative Assembly following her by-election victory in February 2016 her family brought her into the assembly in a good way. Melanie was the first First Nations woman elected as a MLA and the first First Nations woman appointed to Cabinet. Today she announced...
Clock Ticking for ICET: Will BC NDP Government Prioritize Support for Rural Communities on Vancouver Island and Coast?
The Island Coastal Economic Trust (ICE-T) has been an important economic initiative supporting communities on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast since it was formed in 2006. Originally capitalized with $50 million dollars (+ $10 million added in 2017) the trust was created as a "spend-down" model. This means that...