Thoughts on BC Politics and More

. . . . Sharon Hartwell is not afraid to go up against a veteran representative of the area. Stikine NDP MLA Nathan Cullen has held the position since 2022 but prior to that was the federal Member of Parliament for the riding of Skeena-Bulkley Valley from 2004 until 2019. “I’m not concerned about Nathan, he has his policies and his politics and that’s fine. That’s his voice. That’s his concern. Mine is different,” she said. “So people will have to make that choice. But I’m not going to make this over NDP or whatever. This is about the people in the riding. They’re going to make that choice” . . . . CLICK HERE for the full story

. . . . He said the plans (Land Act reforms) did not ultimately grant Indigenous people "veto" over public lands — as some critics have suggested — but they were announced without engaging industry. "There is a lot of confusion on what does 'veto' mean, what does 'consent' mean, and I think the real question is who has final say in this type of decision-making process?" Jutla said in an interview with CBC News. "We want to all work together to build the system that will work for everyone in a way that keeps the industry competitive but also respects Indigenous rights. "I hope we can work together" . . . . CLICK HERE for the full story

The BC government is preparing legislation for this spring to allow the province to share its decision-making powers over public lands with Indigenous groups. The Land Act governs access and use of public land, which covers 94 per cent of the province, and there are roughly 40,000 active tenures for activities and infrastructure, such as forestry and transmission towers. The proposed amendments will allow for joint statutory authority over new projects that require Crown tenure. The province has said little publicly about the changes it intends to introduce during the coming legislative session, and only sent out notices to stakeholders in early January ... CLICK HERE for the full story

It’s mind-numbing to try to keep up with all the decisions politicians in Ottawa made about the British Columbia coastline last week. First, on  Monday  the Members in the House of Commons voted 186 to 63 to support a motion from Hon. Catherine McKenna (Minister of Environment and Climate Change) declaring a national climate emergency and recommitting Canada to the targets set in the Paris agreement. On  Tuesday , Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that his government is approving the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project, again. If you had concerns of the obvious inconsistencies in these two announcements, fear not. The support of the pipeline comes with a caveat that his government will invest all profits, "every dollar" is the quote, on green energy projects. Last Thursday , the Canadian Senate's approval of Bill C-48, the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, adds to the confusion of the national news cycle. On one hand there is a national clima...