Thoughts on BC Politics and More

This week I met with a group of passionate advocates on Salt Spring Island who are deeply concerned about the clear cutting of forests on private land. There is a long history of logging on the Gulf Islands and, despite the Islands’ Trust mandate to “preserve and protect” the islands for the benefit of all British Columbians, there is seemingly little protection for the forests on private lands. Of course, this brings up a whole host of property rights issues. In the past, there have been attempts to regulate tree-cutting through development permit areas but the local trust committees have been met with substantial pushback. The provincial government provided other local governments with the ability to regulate tree cutting through the Community Charter and the Local Government Act, however, regional districts and the Islands’ Trust were excluded, leaving the forests and communities vulnerable. This is a challenge with the “preserve and protect” mand...

If you have been following these daily blog therapy sessions over the past few weeks, then you may have noticed a creeping darkness here. The initial jovial meditations about morning walks, Pokemon and the useful insights of Seth Godin's podcast have made way for a slightly out-of-focus look at politics, power, philosophy and partisan policy of late. At the beginning of this nearly six-month experiment, I made a commitment to deliver something, every day. There has never been a plan, all the way back to early December I just write something and publish it. If I am lucky, I will have a few posts in the hopper giving me the space of a few days if nothing is connecting but occasionally my production will suffer and the pressure will build. It's important to acknowledge that this job, Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly, is the best job I have ever had. I love the work, the people, the opportunity, the stress, I love all of it. However, like eve...

There are massive gaps in the Heritage Conservation Act in British Columbia. These gaps were exposed in 2014 on Grace Islet near Salt Spring Island. The land owner proposed to build a family vacation home on top of known archeological and grave sites. Despite the disapproval of Tsartlip First Nation, the former BC Liberal government allowed the project to proceed. The Heritage Conservation Act let Indigenous people down. When they were in opposition, the BC NDP called for the provincial government to update the Act. In addition, First Nations leaders have been working with government for years with little success to date. Now in government, the BC NDP moved this amending legislation. It does not go far enough, fast enough, but it is a good start. More needs to be done, and I will continue to lean on this issue to ensure it is updated to protect Indigenous heritage and burial sites. [Transcript] Well, thank you to the member for Chilliwack-...

Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands There's a crisis of confidence in this institution; the BC Legislature.  Thinking back to the thousands of stories I heard on the doorstep during the 2017 election, it did not matter whether I was on the top of the mountain in North Saanich, the waterfront in Sidney, on Salt Spring Island or Tsartlip First Nation, trust in this institute was in tatters. The internal narrative of our local campaign was built on trust. Trust is an important value for me. On one hand, it seemed like a political opportunity, right? People had lost trust in government. It appears to be a perfectly delicious scenario for change. On the other hand, it is devastating to be enticed to celebrate a crisis in confidence in our government because of a potential political win. These statements from members often celebrate the lives of influential British Columbians or special days of advocacy. They draw attention to critical, n...