Welcome to the Oak Bay – Gordon Head Community Website!

Tonight at the University Club on the UVic campus I formally announced my intention to seek the leadership of the BC Green Party. There is a choice that we will face in 2017. Another four years of the same old politics as usual that has been working for far too long against the interests of British Columbians, or a new approach to politics that will focus on putting the interests of British Columbians first.

Today my office sent another letter to the Honourable Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations regarding yet another derelict vessel that has washed up on the beach at Gyro Park in Cadboro Bay.

oday I had the honour of participating in the kick off to the 2016 Mustard Seed pie off challenge. The goal of their pie off campaign is to raise $100,000 and 100,000 lbs of food before October 31, 2016.

Deciding who is allowed to drive and when a driver should have their license revoked is an incredibly important decision that weighs personal freedom against public safety.

As Leader of the BC Green Party I can affirm that a B.C. Green Party government would eliminate the regressive monthly MSP premiums. Instead, a B.C. Green government would introduce a progressive system in which rates are determined by one’s earnings. And a net and substantive administrative savings to taxpayers would arise in rolling MSP premiums into the existing income tax system.

Today I had the distinct honour of speaking at the opening of the Royal BC Museum exhibit celebrating the 125th Anniversary of Ukrainian Immigration to Canada.

The Canadian Cancer Society has initiated a radon detection program on Vancouver Island. One of the three communities that is being targettted is Gordon Head.

Proceeding with Site C is actively driving clean energy investment out of the province, but it is not too late to correct our province’s power trajectory.

I am thrilled the Grizzly Bear Foundation shares this view and is so dedicated to the long term survival of grizzly bears in British Columbia, as well as the respectful inclusion of all stakeholders.

On Tuesday, the WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre held a rally in Vancouver to kick off the school year with a call for post-secondary institutions to address sexualized violence and support survivors on campus.

Today I had the distinct honour of standing with the Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw Nation in demanding the removal of open net fish farms from their traditional territories. I went one step further in stating that a BC Green government would ensure that those holding permits for open net fish farming along the migratory route of wild sockeye salmon would be given 90 days notice that their permits would be revoked.

Real estate markets across the Lower Mainland and Southern Vancouver Island are skyrocketing and they are dragging the rental market with them.

The B.C. government has failed to protect a fundamental right for British Columbians, and with the start of the school year fast approaching I am getting increasingly concerned about where the university and college students in my riding are going to live.

Many might not be aware that an emerging, and entirely preventable, crisis in affordable rental accommodation is developing in the Burnaby Metrotown area. Perhaps the reason for this is that neither the government nor the official opposition has been raising this issue publicly. In fact, that's one of the reasons why I accepted an invitation from the Metrotown Residents' Association to tour the region on August 18th.

British Columbia has an opportunity to become a leader in this world, establishing a 21st century economy built on innovation and clean technology. This goal cannot be realized with the current administration's directionless approach to governance.

While I am supportive of the creation of the Housing Priority Initiatives Fund and taking away the self-regulatory powers of the real estate council in the Real Estate Services Act, the piecemeal approach taken overall by the BC Liberals may well exacerbate and broaden, rather than effectively deal with the affordability problem in British Columbia.

What is needed is a province-wide, coordinated approach involving all levels of government and across all communities. We need to ensure that our communities will be livable, that small businesses will thrive, and that the next generation will see opportunities to start families in our cities.

This is but the latest example demonstrating how BC is being left behind. As I have detailed numerous times before on this site, the BC Liberal quest for an LNG windfall is reckless. It is inconsistent with its claim to be leader on climate policy and it is out of step with the rest of the world in the journey to decarbonize our energy systems.

Earlier this year I pointed out to government that there are at least three dimensions to the issue of affordability and speculation in BC’s housing market: 1) incentivized government speculation; 2) a preponderance of vacant homes, and 3) non-enforcement of illegal realtor transactions. The government continues to ignore a speculative ‘bare trust’ tax loophole to remains open and allows for the avoidance of paying property transfer tax.

The BC Government has already allowed the housing market to become a crisis, and now they are sitting on their powder keg holding press conferences based on 19 days worth of data. They have dropped the ball on this file — completely dropped the ball.

Here's what we might expect to see in the government's "climate leadership plan" — a plan to reach 80% greenhouse gas reductions by 2050 — that will appear in two parts. It will almost certainly involve photo ops with forestry leaders, leaders in cement manufacturing and leaders in the oil and gas sector. A smiling Premier, flanked by the Minister of the Environment will beam as she announces British Columbia's commitment to climate leadership. She'll proceed to announce that something like 25% of our 2050 greenhouse gas targets will be met by forestry. And then, in the next breath, the government will announce a major tree planting initiative to reseed forests that were lost by the mountain pine beetle.

This is the 25th in our series of stories celebrating the outstanding accomplishments of youth in our community. These inspirational young adults are enriching our lives with their passion and commitment to the betterment of society.

It seems like the B.C. government has lost sight of the public purpose of our parks and campgrounds. Our provincial campsites are not products to be sold, they belong to the people of B.C.

On Saturday June 25, Squamish became Canada's 5th solar city. I had the distinct honour of speaking at the event and took the opportunity to congratulate District of Squamish for their leadership.

Godfrey's Luggage and Repairs speaks to a historic value of reusing, and caring for ones belongings-it still resonates 70 years later.

This is the 24th in our series of stories celebrating the outstanding accomplishments of youth in our community. These inspirational young adults are enriching our lives with their passion and commitment to the betterment of society.

As other provinces are stepping up and getting more ambitious, the B.C. Liberals seem content to coast as we fall behind. On top of that, if the LNG sector expanded the way the government has promised our GHG emissions would skyrocket. Addressing climate changes requires direct action, not more promises, targets, political posturing and rhetoric.

The B.C. Liberals are in no position to claim climate leadership. While they reaffirmed their commitment to the PCC action plan today, their inaction over the last three years indicates that they clearly do not take the agreement seriously.

The community of Valemount is located on Southern Yellowhead Highway 5, twenty kilometres south of the intersection with Yellowhead Highway 16 that connects Prince George to Edmonton. With a population (including the surrounding area) of about 2000, Valemount, like so many other rural communities in BC, used to have a forestry-based economy. In the case of Valemount, it was the Slocan mill that was the engine of their local economy. But that mill shut down for good over a decade ago. The people of Valemount and their elected Mayor and Council are resilient. Today Valemount has emerged as a tourism centre in northeastern British Columbia. And it's about to get a whole lot more exciting.

Today I had the distinct honour of attending the 2016 British Columbia Community Achievement Award ceremony at Government House. The Honourable Judith Guichon, OBC, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia and the Honourable Peter Fassbender, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development presented 32 British Columbians with distinguished awards "in recognition of their outstanding community contributions". Among the recipients were four Victoria area residents: Haji Charania, Judy Fainstein, Barbara Hulme, Dr. Bernadette Pauly.

In March, before the spring legislative sitting got too busy, I had the distinct honor of visiting a clean tech company that is transforming the way industrial companies treat their wastewater; Axine Water Technologies Inc., based on UBC’s Vancouver campus. Jonathan Rhone, Axine’s Chief Executive Officer, and Jessica Verhagen, the Business Development Executive, walked me through the basics of their electrochemical technology and took me on a tour of their facility. It was a morning that left me marveling at human ingenuity and excited about the potential for progress in reducing the environmental impact of a wide range of industries. Axine has developed an innovative, low cost, chemical-free way for large companies to clean industrial wastewater by removing high concentrations of complex, toxic organics and ammonia. Their system has simultaneously solved a multi-billion dollar headache for companies, and a staggering environmental problem.

I’m not surprised by the announcement. Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline, and the approval process it went through, appeared rigged from the start. As a participating intervenor I watched as other intervenors withdrew in frustration because they knew their participation was futile.

As we move towards the 2017 election, the question I think British Columbians will be asking themselves is which party is getting things done? The BC Greens have demonstrated that they will work hard in the best interests of B.C. as a whole. We will leave politics behind when there are opportunities to find solutions and common ground. This is the type of leadership we need in British Columbia.

Today in the Legislature I introduced a bill intituled Environmental Bill of Rights Act, 2016. This Bill specifically states that British Columbians have a right to a healthy environment and that it is the government’s responsibility to protect it for this generation as well as those to come. There are five key components to this […]

Please continue to share your thoughts on what we should do in BC to address potential or perceived concerns associated with certain GM crops.

This is the 23rd in our series of stories celebrating the outstanding accomplishments of youth in our community. These inspirational young adults are enriching our lives with their passion and commitment to the betterment of society.

Today in the Legislature I rose on a point of order. As you will see from my Point of Order, it is my view that the estimates of the Office of the Premier have not yet concluded due to a procedural error. Once more, the BC NDP asked the Chair to not allow me time.

Yet again today, the BC NDP attempted to block me from participating in a debate. There was an expectation that on Monday morning we would be debating: Be it resolved that this House recognize that Power BC is a modern strategy to build the economy, create jobs and meet B.C.’s energy needs while reducing our impact on climate change. While I obviously had a few things I could say to this motion, I want to emphasize the highlight of the morning was Vicki Huntington, MLA for Delta South, standing up on a point of order regarding the rights of independent members to participate in these debates and not be shut down by the opposition.

Just because the Leader of the Opposition no longer wants to ask questions does not give him the right to go against a long standing tradition of organized time allocation and take away my right as well. The people of British Columbia deserve better leadership and better opposition.

Today in the legislature I rose to question the premier concerning the fundamental inconsistency in her attempting to claim leadership in climate change mitigation while at the same time touting the development of a hypothetical LNG industry. As you will see from the exchange below, the premier doubles done on the LNG rhetoric. The response was quite disappointing.

Today in the legislature I introduced Bill M229 — Election Amendment Act, 2016. If enacted, Bill M229 would lower the voter age in British Columbia to from 18 to 16. Those who have been following this site will know that last month, I initiated a conversation on whether or not we should reduce the voting age to 16. The response on social media was wonderful and we received many emails on the topic. It turns out that this conversation is not only happening now in BC. Prince Edward Island will be holding a referendum in the fall on Electoral Reform. The eligibility to vote will be extended to youth aged 16 and 17 in this referendum.

It was a very busy day for me in the Legislature today. I was one of only two opposition members who spoke at 2nd reading to Bill 24 – 2016: Profits of Criminal Notoriety Act. I was one of only five opposition members who spoke at 2nd reading to Bill 23: Sexual Violence and Misconduct Policy Act, 2016. And I was one of only two opposition members who spoke at 2nd reading to Bill 25 – 2016: Miscellaneous Statutes (General) Amendment Act, 2016. Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Acts are omnibus acts that propose numerous minor changes to a number of existing pieces of legislation. Bill 25 is the third such act we are debating in this session alone. Bill 25 proposes amendments to ten existing acts: the Agricultural Land Commission Act; the Assessment Act; the Protected Areas of British Columbia Act; the Environmental Management Act, the Income Tax Act, the Insurance Act, the Liquor Control and Licensing Act, the Local Government Act, the Mutual Fire Insurance Companies Act and the Ministry of Lands, Parks and Housing Act.

Today in the legislature we debated Bill 24 – 2016: Profits of Criminal Notoriety Act at second reading. As I noted earlier, this Bill mirrors my private members Bill introduced on February 25 entitled Bill M204 — 2016: Profits of Criminal Notoriety Act. This represents the third of my private members bills that has been adopted by government this session.

Today in the Legislature was second reading of Bill 23: Sexual Violence and Misconduct Policy Act, 2016. As promised by the Premier, this legislation was introduced by government in response to my private members Bill M205: Post-Secondary Sexual Violence Policies Act. This bill, based on similar legislation in Ontario, was designed to address the pervasive occurrence of sexualized violence plaguing universities, colleges and other post-secondary institutions in British Columbia. If enacted, it would create a legal responsibility for them to develop and maintain policies that would work to prevent the occurrences of sexual violence and provide support for survivors. The act would allow university- and college-specific policies to be developed that would meet the needs of students, including education and protection, while working to create a safe environment for all students to come forward to report a sexual assault.

Yesterday was World Ovarian Cancer Day and so I took the opportunity today in the legislature to publicly recognize the work being done by Ovarian Cancer Canada.

Today I had the privilege of attending the 9th annual Oak Bay Young Exceptional Star (Y.E.S) awards ceremony at the Oak Bay Recreation Centre where 12 exceptionally talented youth in grades 6 to 10 were honoured for their achievements. As noted by the YES Awards Committee, Chaired by Hazel Braithwaite, that administers the awards, “The goal of the awards is to emphasize the positive achievements of Oak Bay’s young people by recognizing those who have distinguished themselves in such areas as volunteerism, arts, citizenship, academics, athletics and/or who have overcome obstacles to achieve their goals.” Congratulations to this year’s award winners: Cara Butler, Vanilia Chotou, Kaden Cortini, Annabelle Fieltsch, Rose Hanneson-Schwenger, Rebecca Hartley, Sidney Hurst, Jasmine Lambert, Aiden Leibel, Nicole Quast, Elmer Thomas and Jack Walmsley.

Constituency Report is a public service that Shaw TV graciously offers MLAs. This month’s video is provided below. Judy Fainstein and I once more tried something different. The first segment follows the usual discussion of legislative issues relevant to Oak Bay-Gordon Head and British Columbia in general. In the second segment, I introduce Isobel Mackenzie, […]

It’s hypocritical and frankly paradoxical for the government to dismiss the Auditor General’s concerns that we have become too reliant on experts hired by companies to provide regulatory oversight. On the one hand the government says that qualified professionals have played a role in mining for decades; on the other hand the government also notes that the status quo cannot continue

The subject as to whether or not corporate and union donations to political parties should be allowed in British Columbia has been a subject of debate for quite some time. It resurfaced in the headlines over the last few days. I firmly believe that we should pass legislation to ban union and corporate donations in British Columbia sooner rather than later. There should be no doubt, that the amount of money that the BC Liberals receive from corporations begs the question as to whose interests are being looked after. I find it a bit rich for the BC NDP to try and claim the moral high ground as they follow similar practices to what they are criticizing the BC Liberals for. While the magnitudes involved may be different, morally a gift or stipend or union/corporate donation is still the same. I frankly think that the premier and the leader of the official opposition are underpaid relative to other senior executives in the public sector. I look forward to your comments on this piece.

It has been brought to my attention that a number of individuals have concerns that my animal liability act would add to a problem that many dog owners are already trying to resolve. I want to assure everyone that this is not the case.

Today I asked the premier to consider embracing the Gender Identity and Expression Human Rights bill introduced to the Legislature yesterday by BC NDP MLA Spencer Chandra-Herbert. I took the opportunity to see if I could get the Premier to commit to consider bringing in her own bill. Such a bill would modify the Human Rights Code to add explicit language identifying discrimination based on gender identity or expression as unacceptable in British Columbia.

Question period in the legislature today was surreal. I left the chamber wondering whether I should quit politics altogether. I was absolutely appalled by the behaviour of official opposition and government members. It was shocking — truly shocking. Personal attacks, vitriol, abuse, obnoxious heckling and utter disrespect was on display for all to see. This place needs to change. It needs a complete shake up. That won't happen, it seems, unless the general public rises up to vote out those politicians on both sides of the house who are more interested in hurling abuse than dealing with issues facing British Columbians. There was no excuse for the behaviour today. No excuse at all. I was up on question period today and had planned to ask the Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations two questions. The Minister was not at Question Period so I had to be nimble and ask a completely different question (see next post). The question I had planned to ask is reproduced below. It was meant to coincide with an announcement on the need for widespread protection of old-growth forests on Vancouver Island.

This is an example of good public policy, it’s common-sense legislation that British Columbians want no matter their political preference, which is why I introduced it in the first place

Today I had the distinct honour of giving the keynote address at the opening of the Endangered Wildlife — The Next Migration art exhibit at the Robert Bateman Centre. I took the opportunity to make two announcements. The first is that the we need to form a Natural Resource Board here in British Columbia — one that mirrors the Forest Practices Board and ensures that the cumulative effects of our resource extraction do not put species and ecosystems at further risk. The second is that I am calling for an end to all old growth logging on crown land here on Vancouver Island. This call comes in light of the motion put forward by the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities at their AGM on April 10th, 2016, which resolved that the old-growth forests on provincial Crown Land on Vancouver Island be protected from logging.

Today in the Legislature the government introduced Bill 23: Sexual Violence and Misconduct Policy Act, 2016. The introduction of this act fulfills the promise by the Premier to introduce legislation along the lines of my private members Bill M205: Post-Secondary Sexual Violence Policies Act.

Today in the committee stage I engaged in a series of questions and answers with the Minister of Environment during committee stage of Bill 19 — Greenhouse Gas Industrial Reporting and Control Amendment Act, 2016. As I noted earlier at second reading, Bill 19 represents the latest in the ongoing litany of BC Liberal giveaways in a desperate attempt to land a single LNG final investment decision despite that fact that there is a global glut of natural gas on the market.

Today in the legislature I tabled a private member's bill: Bill M220 — Rideshare Enabling Act, 2016. This bill is intended to start a public dialogue about the rules we need to make ridesharing a reality for British Columbia. Provinces and cities across Canada and throughout North America have been using ridesharing technology for years. But BC struggles to articulate a vision for promoting innovation in the tech sector. In fact, 22 CEOs and founders from Vancouver’s tech industry recently wrote an open letter to the BC government stating "we are compelled to express our concern regarding the provincial government’s long-standing inaction on ridesharing regulation in B.C. and how we now find ourselves falling behind the rest of the world."

On Wednesday, May 4th 2016 we will be hosting an MLA Town Hall on sexualized violence on BC campuses with a panel of frontline speakers and experts. The event will start with a talk from MLA Andrew Weaver about his legislative efforts to address this issue, as well as an update on the progress of […]

One of the fundamental issues that motivated me to get into politics was that in my view, far too many of our political leaders are shortsighted in their decision-making. That is, too often political opportunism and the quest for re-election are the determining factors and primary motivators in a prevailing short-sighted and short-term political agenda. But that does not serve society well in the long run. Tell me what you think? Should we lower the voter age to 16 in the province of British Columbia? There is a trend happening worldwide in the area. Should we lead the way or not? And if not, why not? If so, why?

Since introducing my private member's bill Bill M212 — Animal Liability Act, 2016 earlier this month I have had the opportunity to meet with a number of individuals and my office has been in contact with various organizations and concerned constituents. There has been overwhelming support for the notion that BC needs some sort of legislation to encourage responsible pet ownership. Dog attacks happen every day and for the most part it is from irresponsible owners. To begin the conversation as to how we can more effectively deal with irresponsible pet owners I introduced a bill in the Legislature on April 6. We've received numerous emails and comments on our proposed bill and while virtually all the correspondence is from people supporting the bill, a number raised some important concerns.

Once more I rose to speak strongly against the motion. As I noted yesterday when I spoke against the proposed BC NDP Amendment, the TPP will have dire consequences for our technology sector – one of British Columbians greatest economic opportunities. Today I continued on that theme and also took the opportunity to rebut some of the more outlandish claims from cheerleaders of the motion within the Liberal caucus. The most egregious of these was from the Minister of Agriculture who said this: "As history has shown us through the decades, through the millennia, at some point in the future, mankind will find some way of causing another world war, or some pestilence will hit us or something will happen where we'll see our borders close. We want to make sure that we continue to grow agrifoods right here in B.C. so that if ever — and I hope it never comes — that day comes, we'll be able to be even stronger in feeding ourselves." You literally cannot make this stuff up. The Minister of Agriculture is using a food security argument to justify the TPP in case of world war or a global pestilence outbreak. As I argue between the 2:00 and 3:00 minute mark, the Minister has it entirely backwards.

Today in the Legislature I rose to speak strongly against the cynical motion brought forward by the BC Liberals: Be it resolved that this House, acknowledging the importance of diversifying trade to create jobs for British Columbians, supports the Trans-Pacific Partnership because: the Trans-Pacific Partnership removes trade barriers and provides preferential market access for B.C. […]

Today in the legislature I rose to celebrate the success of British Columbia women's teams in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championships.

Today in the legislature I rose to speak to Bill 21 — Environmental Management Amendment Act, 2016. Bill 21 is designed to provide the legal foundation for a spill preparedness and response regime in BC. The legislation requires new requirements for spill preparedness, response and recovery, and it creates new offenses and penalties. However, almost all important aspects of this bill are left up to the development of regulations. As such, it should be viewed as an enabling will with much more to come.

Today I had the distinct honour of addressing delegates to the 67th Annual General Meeting and Convention of the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) in Nanaimo.

For the past 15 years, the BC government has been unable to provide Francophone children in Vancouver with the quality of education they are constitutionally entitled to. Today in the legislature I questioned the Minister of Education about why that is and when he will relocate the children to a facility that meets their Section […]

Today in the legislature I introduced my private member's Bill M212 — Animal Liability Act, 2016. Based on similar legislation in Manitoba, this Bill will ensure that owners of animals are held liable for the actions of their animals.

Today in the legislature I introduced Bill M214 — Local Government Amendment Act, 2016. If passed, this Bill will ensure that municipalities in BC cannot be incorporated without first ensuring that there are residents actually living in the area at the time of incorporation. This might seem like an unnecessary bill as it would seem obvious that a municipality, governed by a Mayor and two Councillors, should actually have people and property to govern. Well that's not the case in the wild west of British Columbia politics.

Today in the legislature I rose to speak at second reading to Bill 19: Greenhouse Gas Industrial Reporting and Control Amendment Act, 2016. Bill 19 is the latest in the ongoing litany of BC Liberal giveaways in a desperate attempt to land a single LNG final investment decision despite that fact that there is a global glut of natural gas on the market. In addition, BC is years behind other jurisdictions which either have vastly larger reserves or infrastructure already in place. The supposed market that BC LNG is targetted, China, already has over contracted supply for the foreseeable future. China is a net seller (not buyer) of LNG. What's more, fully 71% of British Columbians do not support horizontal fracking, the source our our gas. This Bill will allow new entrants in to the LNG industry to have “flexible options” for their initial operations. The first 18 months of a new operations existence will “allow for time for testing and other initial activities that may affect emissions and production levels.” The bill also opens up the BC Carbon registry to non-regulated operations (companies and municipalities).

Introduction Genetically modified (GM) foods are widespread in Canada, with the potential for further expansion. Though the majority of studies show no negative health effects from consuming GM foods, there is controversy regarding the validity of these studies, and many significant concerns and unanswered questions regarding their effects on the environment. Background Genetic Modification (GM) […]

We were pleased to see a good turn out for our Oak Bay-Gordon Head MLA Town Hall on Seniors and Health Care held on March 29th at the Oak Bay Recreation Centre Sports View Lounge. We were fortunate to receive a very informative presentation from Isobel MacKenzie, who was appointed as the BC Seniors Advocate […]

Fundamentally the BC Liberal’s have it backwards. A quality education is not the luxury of a strong economy. A quality public education system is what builds a strong economy.

On March 18 and 19 I toured the Kamloops region to learn more about the issues facing Kamloops residents. I will be writing further about my visit in the near future but in the meantime, a Letter to Kamloops this Week was recently published. This letter gives an overview of the visit.

Media Release: March 29, 2016 Andrew Weaver calls for a moratorium on horizontal fracking in B.C. For Immediate Release Victoria B.C. – Andrew Weaver, Leader of the B.C. Green Party and MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head, says that a new report linking hydraulic fracturing and increased seismic activity highlights an immediate need for the province […]

Today I was in Vancouver meeting with a number of business leaders in British Columbia's creative economy. My colleague Matt Toner (Deputy Leader of the BC Green Party) and I took the opportunity to visit with opponents of the proposed Site C dam who were camped out in front of BC Hydro's downtown Vancouver headquarters. It quickly became apparent to me that what is happening there qualifies as perhaps the most under-reported story of 2016.

Today I issued a statement in response to the federal government’s request for more information from Pacific NorthWest LNG and the approval of the environmental assessment for Woodfibre LNG.

I want to recognize the hard work of Shawnigan Lake residents in coming together as a community and standing up for their rights in the face of government inaction. This is a vindication of their concerns, and wouldn’t have been possible without their tireless effort.

Today in the legislature I had the distinct honour of introducing Guy Dauncey. I took this opportunity to celebrate his recent election as a Fellow of The Royal Society for Arts. Guy is in fine company. He joins such past fellows as Charles Dickens, Adam Smith, Benjamin Franklin, John Diefenbaker and Stephen Hawking. Congratulations Guy… and well deserved.

Today in the Legislature I rose at second reading to speak in support of the historic Bill 2 – 2016: Great Bear Rainforest (Forest Management) Act. This bill is being supported by all parties. It provides the legislative changes required to enable the recent negotiated agreement between 26 First Nations, the province, non-government organizations and forest companies that protects vast areas of our Great Bear Rainforest.

Today in the legislature I rose to question the Premier as to whether or not she supports the need for sexual assault policy legislation for post-secondary institutions. I was very pleased with the Premier's response. Not only did she respond with a strong statement acknowledging the importance of this issue, but more importantly, the Premier noted the urgency with which we must act on it. She committed to work with me to bring the legislation forward in a timely manner. In fact she stated that her hope was that it would happen this session. I am thrilled by the Premier’s response and welcome the opportunity to work with her, and with students across the Province, to ensure campuses become safer places. I want to thank the Premier for her willingness to make this important issue a priority.

This is a strong statement from the Premier and her government that they acknowledge the importance of this issue. Most importantly, the Premier acknowledged the urgency with which we must act on this issue and has committed to work with me to bring forward legislation in a timely manner.

Today in the legislature I introduced a private members Bill M208 - Court Order Enforcement Amendment Act, 2016. The bill adds Registered Disability Savings Plans (RDSPs) and Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs) to the list of plans protected under the act. If a person files for bankruptcy in B.C., their RRSPs are protected from being seized by creditors. However, the same protection does not exist for RESPs or for RDSPs. A child should not have their education investment seized due to misfortune that befalls their parents. Alberta has protected RESPs; we should follow suit. I asked the Minister of Justice about this problem in question period two years ago. At the time, the Minister said that it was an important issue and that she’d be glad to work with me to move it forward. Yet two years have now passed and still nothing has changed. Seeing as I haven’t seen any meaningful progress from the government on this simple legislative change, I decided to offer them a possible solution.

I’ve waited for action on this issue for two years. I haven’t seen any meaningful progress from the government on this simple legislative change, so that’s why I’m proposing it today. My hope is that they finally act on it.

Today in the legislature I rose at second reading to speak to Bill 17 — Local elections Campaign Financing (Election Expenses) Amendment Act, 2016.The purposed of this bill is to enable expense limits for local government elections, although the actual expense limits are left to regulations. As you will see in the text and video of my speech (reproduced below), there are both positive and negative aspects of this bill. The fact that fixed spending limits during the campaign period are being introduced is a very good thing in my view. Unfortunately, union and corporate donations are still not being banned. Unfortunately, there is still no contribution limit (above the overall limit). And unfortunately, there will be a free-for-all period outside of the 28 day campaign period where restrictions on spending will not exist.

The preponderance of sexualized violence on the campuses of post-secondary institutions affects all of us. It’s time for our government to stand up and say that enough is enough. With your support and collective voice we will be able to improve the safety of post-secondary experiences for everyone.

While I chose International Women’s Day to table this bill, this is a societal issue and one that affects people of all gender identities. I hope our work will improve the safety of post-secondary experiences for everyone.

Late last week I received the results from the soil samples I collected on Lot 21 during the period that title reverted to the Crown. While my tests are by no means exhaustive and do not address the fundamental question as to what, if anything, is buried deep under the surface in Lot 21, they add to the body of knowledge concerning the area.

Climate action in British Columbia has also been stalled under Premier Clark, No substantive new climate action has been taken, and GHG emissions are once again on the rise. Leader’s lead. They don’t wait for others to catch up.

Contradictory government priorities lead one of the greatest wildlife migrations in the world to a dead end.

Today in the legislature I rose to speak at second reading on Bill 10, Budget Measures Implementation Act 2016. The budget implementation bill is an omnibus bill that proposes to bring into law the various measures outlined in the government's budget.

Despite the court’s ruling, I still believe Site C is risky and foolish and I will continue to voice my opposition to this project. British Columbians are going to be paying for Site C for decades and in the absence of a vastly expanded LNG industry, we simply don’t need it

Why is there not a thriving and expanding hub of local technological innovation in partnership with the resource, forestry and agricultural sectors and capitalizing on the research expertise at UNBC? Why wouldn't companies that are concerned about access to renewable energy, a skilled workforce and being able to attract and retain their workers not setup in Prince George? They're located on the railway connecting Chicago's North American rail distribution centre to Prince Rupert, a gateway to Asian markets. The answer is simple. Broadband redundancy in the region precludes major investments in this area. Today in the legislature I rose to question the Minister of Technology, Innovation and Citizen Services about government's plans to introduce broadband redundancy in Prince George.

Today in the legislature I introduced a private members bill entitled Profits of Criminal Notoriety Act, 2016. The purpose of this bill, based on a similar bill in Nova Scotia, is to ensure that criminals are unable to profit from recounting their crimes.

On Tuesday, March 29th 2016 we will be hosting an MLA Town Hall on Seniors and Health Care, with special guest B.C. Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie.

Vancouver Island Youth aged 14 to 18 are invited to apply to attend the 24th Vancouver Island Youth Parliament (VIYP), sponsored by the British Columbia Youth Parliament.

In voting the way they did on my subamendment, the BC Liberals made it very clear that they are not interested in fixing the regressive nature of the MSP premiums. I found this very odd in light of the fact that the Premier recently stated, "Here is the thing about the MSP system is it is antiquated, it is old, and the way people pay for it generally doesn’t make a whole tonne of sense…". If you ask me, this is nothing short of a caucus vote of non confidence on the Premier's position on the MSP Premium file.

Today I dropped off my soil samples at Maxxam Analytics in order in order to determine the Volatile Organic, Total Hydrocarbon and Elemental Metal components of my samples. I expect results on Wednesday next week and i will report back immediately upon their receipt.

Today in the legislature I rose to speak to the budget. Every MLA is give 30 minutes to respond toe budget. My staff and I'd prepared so much material that I barely got through half of what I had planned to address. But there will be more opportunities in the weeks ahead to outline why I will not support this budget.

Rather than let the market take the risk for energy infrastructure projects, this government is using billions of taxpayer dollars to get Site C ‘past the point of no return’. It’s a project that was dreamt up to support the pipedream of LNG. Now it’s a project without a home, and all we’ve seen is the cost go up and up while other opportunities vanish.

“Despite the Minister’s comments, a system that charges MSP premiums in a fair and progressive manner through the income tax system can also be a system that transparently ensures that British Columbians understand the rising costs of healthcare we face.”

On the day the judicial review of the process that led to the permitting of a contaminated soil facility in the Shawnigan Lake watershed begins, a new twist has occurred. In what has become the next chapter of the never ending saga, new information now reveals that as of February 5th, the Crown is now […]