Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Okanagan farmers are facing a water crisis as government-imposed restrictions threaten to kill their crops and destroy one of B.C.’s most important agricultural industries. In perhaps the most water-rich province in the country, our farmers have been left high and dry by the NDP government. For nine weeks, Okanagan and Shuswap farmers have proposed solutions, only to be met with NDP foot-dragging. Now forest fires have come to these regions as they are simultaneously reckoning with a water crisis that has been made worse through years of government inaction. Vernon-area farms have lost 70 percent of their water, while Kelowna and Summerland growers face severe restrictions. This situation is unacceptable and cannot continue. Ian Paton, Shadow Minister for Agriculture, said the NDP is once again forcing farmers to pay for its own failure to plan. "Farmers and ranchers must be listened to when decisions affecting their livelihoods are made, and under the NDP, they aren’t," said...

The condition of an Okanagan forest service road has been thrust into the spotlight after the Drought Hill wildfire closed Hwy 97 and Hwy 97C earlier this week, cutting off the South Okanagan from Kelowna. “The Drought Hill wildfire and the closure of Highway 97 has once again exposed the vulnerability of our region’s transportation network. This isn’t a one-off – it’s a pattern,” said Penticton Mayor Julius Bloomfield in a statement on Thursday. “We need a reliable, safe alternative route between Penticton and Kelowna, and the 201 Forest Service Road (FSR) is part of that solution" ... CLICK HERE for the full story

“Interior Health can’t be fixed without change at the top." “For weeks, families, healthcare workers, and community leaders across Kelowna and the Central Okanagan have been raising alarms about the state of healthcare in our region. Since the sudden closure of the pediatric unit at Kelowna General Hospital, there has been a growing drumbeat of letters and public comments from healthcare workers, pediatricians, gynecologists, specialists, and GPs expressing alarm about our crumbling healthcare system. Private discussions have been even more stark." "It has become painfully clear that the current leadership of Interior Health has lost the confidence of both the people who work there and the people it is meant to serve." "We are in a crisis right now, and we cannot wait six months for change.  A turnaround of Interior Health cannot happen without rebuilding trust and reopening communication with frontline healthcare workers."   “I am calling for Susan Brown ...

The mayor of Penticton and Penticton-Summerland’s MLA had a bone to pick with each other last week over a controversial homeless encampment in the city, now a town hall meeting is planned where local residents can have their say. BC Conservative MLA Amelia Boultbee is having a town hall to discuss the encampment at Fairview Road and Highway 97 next to Ellis Creek as well as the broader issue of how to handle homeless camps. The event is at the Seniors Centre on Main Street at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 5. Boultbee said a big part of the issue is a lack of clarity on what specifically is being done to address the camp and support the people living there ... CLICK HERE for the full story

... about 1,300 of the 1,500 non-compliant cases stemmed from public complaints, Kahlon said. The ramped-up enforcement comes as the province is preparing to launch a registry of all short-term rentals in BC. The registry will require platforms such as Airbnb to remove listings that have not registered with the province ... (Gavin Dew) said the tourism sector has suffered as there are not enough hotel rooms in places such as Kelowna and many people cannot afford the high rates they charge. Short-term rentals had been used to help fill the gaps CLICK HERE for the full story

Nineteen-seventy-five was the last time the (Conservative) party managed to send anyone to the legislature in Victoria in a general election. Since then, they’ve rolled around on the obscure fringe of BC politics, occasionally popping up in popularity to the single digits in opinion polls, but mostly flat-lining. Until this year ... CLICK HERE for the full story

  A new program to help attract and retain livestock veterinarians in rural parts of the province will mean timely and better access to animal care for ranchers and farmers.    “ Our government remains committed to supporting farmers in B.C. care for their livestock by developing innovative programs that address their veterinary needs ,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture and Food. “ This initiative aims to bolster the number of veterinarians in rural communities. By doing so, we can provide essential support for livestock care, ultimately strengthening our province’s food security and economy .”    The program will focus on northern BC as the priority region. It will help veterinary clinics that provide livestock care with recruitment and retainment of veterinarians and registered veterinary technologists, as well as funding for equipment and training.    “ Meeting the demand for animal care in a rural area means long and busy days and nights, ...

After a day of voting, the next candidate for BC United in the Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream riding has been decided. To thunderous applause, businessman Pavneet Singh beat out three other candidates and will now work hard towards election day next year. “Definitely, definitely excited, but the job is not done, it just started. I won the nomination. I'm a candidate for MLA, but I’m not an MLA yet. Our MLA is Norm Letnick, and I’m going to work hard with the local city and with everybody in my riding, talking to people, hearing the issues and we’ll go from there,” said Singh ... CLICK HERE for the full story  

We’re about a year away from some major changes to the political landscape in the Okanagan, Kelowna specifically. Already we know MLAs Ben Stewart and Norm Letnick won’t be returning. Steve Thomson retired long ago, leaving Renee Merrifield as our most senior provincial representative, lord help us all, and there’s no guarantee she’ll get in again. Bold words perhaps, considering the BC Liberals, now BC United, have dominated Thompson-Okanagan ridings since before Bill Clinton took office. But we have arrived at a different time and place ... CLICK HERE for the full story

The Conservative Party of BC (CPBC) has its first individual seeking to become the candidate for West Kelowna-Peachland in the next provincial election. West Kelowna resident John Martin was recently approved as a nominee by the party. He said several issues in the riding need to be addressed by a provincial government ... CLICK HERE for the full story

The BC Conservatives are riding high poll numbers across the province that should scare the BC United Party, and the party leader says the Okanagan already could be theirs. The Conservatives, once a political backwater barely making a dent in the polls for many years, are now running in a dead heat with the United party, formerly the governing BC Liberal Party.   “Most of the polls that we have looked at have us in second place and our internal polling in the Interior through the Okanagan region actually has us first place in most areas,” John Rustad, leader of the BC Conservatives, says ... CLICK HERE for the full story

One of the Okanagan’s better-known politicians won’t be seeking re-election in next year’s provincial election. On Wednesday, Ben Stewart, the MLA for Kelowna West, told Global News he’ll be retiring soon ... CLICK HERE for the full story

This week, Canada's Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) released the "Digital Services Tax" report, which analyzes the taxation implications of the Trudeau government's efforts to tax specific online companies. The tax would target companies that offer services such as online marketplaces, advertising, media, and user data services. As currently proposed, companies with revenues exceeding $20 million would be subject to a "digital services tax" equivalent to 3% of their revenues. According to the PBO, implementing this digital services tax will generate $7.2 billion in tax revenue over the next five years. This has raised concerns among industry experts and stakeholders. The main problem is that these costs will ultimately be passed on to Canadian users of these services. For instance, many may remember the promise made by the Trudeau Liberal Government that they would not tax Netflix. However, when Prime Minister Trudeau decided to reverse...

  This week the House of Commons elected a new Speaker. I congratulate Liberal MP Greg Fergus from the Quebec riding of Hull-Aylmer. Speaker Fergus becomes the 38 th  Speaker of our Canadian Parliament, and I look forward to working with him in his new role.  A different topic that has raised concern from some is recent media headlines along this National Post-themed version: “Yes, the Liberals are coming for your podcasts.” Many of these headlines result from a rare Friday (September 29 th ) announcement from the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) that will require registration for some online content providers currently operating in Canada. The announced CRTC threshold that requires mandatory registration is for online streaming services that “earn $10 million or more in annual revenues” and will “need to complete a registration form by November 28, 2023.” Th...

This week in the House of Commons has been tumultuous, leading to the resignation of our House Speaker, Anthony Rota. An election for a new Speaker is scheduled for next Tuesday, October 3rd. Before moving forward, I would like to take this opportunity to publicly express my gratitude to Speaker Rota for his dedicated service to Canadians and all Members of the House of Commons. Ultimately, the Speaker must always serve to maintain the integrity of the Office of the Speaker. By resigning, Speaker Rota has fulfilled this responsibility. For the record, I would also like to state that I support Speaker Rota's decision, considering the grave circumstances of the past week.  A serious and unfortunate situation occurred during the address to our Canadian Parliament from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last Friday, September 22nd. The controversy was a standing ovation for an individual described as "a war hero." The individual in question was later id...

This week marks the beginning of the fall sitting of the House of Commons. However, the topics dominating the discussion in Ottawa differ significantly from what I hear from citizens in our riding of Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola. The most common concerns raised by local citizens in our riding relate to rising interest rates and inflation. This is due to the recent announcement by Statistics Canada that Canada's inflation rate for August rose by 4.0% year over year, following a 3.3% increase in July. Many citizens are now experiencing severe anxiety as they fear further interest rate increases from the Bank of Canada. It has become a common concern to hear from citizens struggling to cover their bills at the end of the month. The rising cost of essentials like gas and groceries only adds to many households' challenges. In response to these concerns, the Prime Minister called a meeting with representatives from Canada's five largest grocery stores. The...

Recently, you may have seen a headline stating, “Non-permanent residents in Canada undercounted by one million: CIBC.” My office has received a few inquiries on this topic, as some citizens have expressed concern. For those unfamiliar with how the Canadian immigration process works, there is often confusion when a headline like this arises. People from all over the world come to Canada for various reasons. Some of the most common reasons include international students coming here to study, short-term visitors, and temporary foreign workers who often work in agriculture on our local farms in our region. Generally, these visitors to Canada are known as “Non-Permanent Residents” (NPR) even though they may be visiting Canada under a different type of VISA, permit, or program. Refugees claiming asylum also fall into this category. The recent headlines have arisen due to the chief economist from the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) stating that Statistics Canada ...

  B.C.’s small rural communities striving for water security as droughts become the norm still sink or swim without much assistance from the province, policy experts say.    Most of the province has been in the clutches of unprecedented — but long anticipated — climate-induced drought for most of the summer. About 55 per cent of B.C.'s water basins are at Level 5 on the provincial drought scale — the point when adverse socioeconomic or ecosystem impacts are almost certain.    Vancouver Island, renowned for its rainforests, has experienced prolonged severe or extreme drought for the past three summers. In an effort to preserve water for people, fish, livestock and growing food on central Vancouver Island, the province has imposed temporary water restrictions in watersheds for the Tsolum River and Koksilah and Cowichan rivers. Industrial water users and farmers growing water-intensive forage crops have had to shut off their taps. It has also imposed simi...