ADAM OLSEN: When more voices are added to the mix the decisions become more complex, and more of the public interest is considered in the debate
I was on a panel at the College of Applied Biology conference last week. Our task was to Define the Public Interest . The panel included Andrew Gage (Staff Lawyer, West Coast Environmental Law), Kevin Kriese (Chair, Forest Practices Board) and Jody Shimkus (VP of Environment and Regulatory Affairs, Kirk Environmental.) It was an interesting group with a diverse set of experiences and approaches. Defining the public interest is an ever-morphing target. It's been a big part of my pursuit as an elected official. I am always seeking the point where the interests of individuals and the interests of the collective meet. I pointed out that even in that conference room, there are 200 individuals who are unique and each have interests, while at the same time there is the collective interests of the group as a whole. There are approximately 50,000 individuals in my riding. They each have opinions and ideas. In every decision I make, I know my constituents will fall s...