In this issue:
Updates on Bill 32 (Mental Health Amendment Act) and this week’s committee work, including progress on
Bill 29.
Highlights from meetings and briefings on land value taxation, forestry practices, and key provincial reports.
A look at new releases: the CleanBC Report and the Electoral Reform Committee’s
“Toward Strengthening Democracy.”
Community updates from Salt Spring, Sidney, and local events across the riding.
On November 24th, the government introduced Bill 32 Mental Health Amendment Act in response to a charter court case challenging the provisions of the Act providing for deemed consent of individuals to involuntary care. Bill 32 repeals the provision providing deemed consent and implied liability protection and replaces these provisions with express liability protection. This apparently may address a potential government loss of the court case.
We in the Green Caucus raised significant concerns with the Bill:
The Bill is being introduced late in the session with little or no consultation with or evaluation by outside experts, individuals with lived experience, community-based groups, affected health care workers, etc.
The Bill is not a replacement for the long-awaited and much needed review and overhaul of the archaic Mental Health Act, for which there is no timeline for completion,
There is no reason why the government could not have waited until the spring or fall 2026 session to introduce legislation to allow time to receive the final court decision and conduct proper consultation.
A copy of our statement on Bill 32 can be found here.
Bottomline – Any changes to this legislation need to be informed by experts, advocates, and people with lived and living experience, not rushed through late in the legislative sitting.
Tuesday, November 25th offered a potpourri of items:
I started the day meeting for breakfast with the Director and Lead Researcher for Common Wealth Canada to discuss land value taxation which is an alternative to the current property tax system in BC. Check out https://www.commonwealth.ca.
Later in the morning I asked the Minister of Forests, Ravi Parmar 🌳about the continued harvesting of Old Growth as documented by the Sierra Club, as well as a leaked technical review that the amount of timber that can be sustainably harvested relies on “wildly extreme assumptions” resulting in cutting that is almost twice what is sustainable. Here is the exchange.
I met with Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar to discuss Fairy Creek and the Provincial Forest Advisory Council, received a briefing from the Minister of Finance 💵, and attended Committee debate of Bill 29, the Child, Family and Community Service Amendment Act, 2025. See the Act here.
Throughout the day, second reading debate on Bill 32 continued. You can hear my colleague Jeremy Valeriote’s speech here. Bill 32 ultimately passed second reading with the Speaker again breaking a tie vote.
Wednesday, November 26th started with an opportunity to meet and hear Phyliss Webstad describe her journey as a residential school survivor and one whose story and actions inspired Orange Shirt Day. It was a very emotional gathering for all those in attendance and reminded us of the important work ahead to heal and counter denialism. Phyllis has co-authored a book entitled Decolonization and Me on the path forward. Check it out here.
The balance of the day involved juggling technical briefings and a news conference following release of the CleanBC Report, release of the all-party Special Committee report on Democratic and Electoral Reform entitled “Toward Strengthening Democracy” as well as continued committee stage debate on bills including Bill 32 the Mental Health Amendment Act. I wish to acknowledge the herculean effort of our Green Caucus Team to prepare supporting research and advice to support hours of questions at committee stage.
Let me refer you to a variety of background materials for more detail:
Statement on Democratic and Electoral Reform Report, “Toward a Stronger Democracy in BC”
My Remarks in the House regarding the Special Committee Report
Ekos Poll on Support for Proportional Representation (Click here for .pdf)
Link to Committee Debate on Bill 32
Point of Order on Language in House
And for question period, I asked the NDP government questions on Drug poisoning which is now the leading cause of death for British Columbians aged 19 to 59 and the impact of running out of the anti-poisoning treatment naloxone after an estimated 80 toxic drug poisonings in Cowichan. Click here for question period.
On Friday, November 28th I travelled to Salt Spring 🚢 to spend time with constituents – a great way to end the week, as well as doing an interview on the Special Committee report on democratic and electoral reform.
On Thursday, November 27th I carried on with hours of more questions in Committee on Bill 32 - I am still unclear why there is a rush to pass this legislation! Check it out here. I had an opportunity to confirm that the BC government stands ready willing and able to help homeless people in Sidney – the Town of Sidney just needs to ask. I highlighted the ongoing sweeps of homeless to clear them out of locations in which they are living in the absence of dignified housing. And finally, I made a statement urging everyone to donate generously to Giving Tuesday, as well as shopping local on Small Business Saturday – a fitting alternative to the Black Friday consumer binge. See my questions and my statement here.
Don’t let me forget to thank Sarah Riddell and Shoreline Clinic for making “Glow Together: A Community Light-Up Event” 🎄a reality! What a great way to end the day, seeing families and their kids enjoying hot chocolate, numerous activities and a walk through a magical pathway of trees lit up for the festive season.
Saturday, November 29th was a quiet day spent preparing for the final week of the Legislature and upcoming CARGA renewal negotiations with the NDP. The highlight of the weekend was joining Tom Mitchell on Salt Spring to celebrate his 80th birthday. Happy Birthday Tom! 🎂
The week really got underway with a bang on Tuesday, December 2nd with Jeremy Valeriote’s introduction of a Private Member’s Bill to prohibit greenwashing, an all-too-common occurrence, as companies seek customers who are concerned about climate change and the environment. My question period questions focused on the quarterly budget report. Now that we have a projected deficit of $11.2 billion pointed out, the deficit would be 25% lower if we had kept the carbon tax, as well as asking how innovation was being prioritized rather than focusing on the old economy. The answers were superficial. Check out the exchange below:⬇️
Bill 32 – the Mental Health Amendment Act passed after we tried unsuccessfully to have it amended to delay implementation. The bad news is the all too frequent refusal of this government to consider reasonable amendments. The good news is that our concerns are on the public record about Bill 32 and the Minister has committed on the record to getting on with the long overdue comprehensive review of the archaic Mental Health Act. You can also see our public statement calling on the government to stand down on Bill 32 [click here].
Wednesday, December 3rd, started out just another day in the Legislature! By the end of the day, the remaining legislation for the fall session had received Royal Assent 👑 and the Fall Session was complete. The removal of John Rustad as Conservative Leader of the Opposition by a majority of his Caucus and the appointment of Trevor Halford as interim leader was quickly followed by news that John Rustad had no intention of stepping down. As you read this newsletter, the Conservative leadership debacle may have been resolved. BC politics is never dull!
On Friday of that week, Rev. Kelly Duncan of Sidney’s St. Andrew’s Anglican Church and I put together a statement to urge “Sidney Council to take swift action to secure a safe winter shelter,” as local church leaders rally this Saturday (Dec. 6) to highlight the realities of homelessness in the community.” The entire statement is available to read here.
On Tuesday, December 9, I took part in an interview with CBC’s Gregor Craigie for his ‘On the Island’ segment. During our discussion I talked about the need for a paradigm shift in forestry practices – have a listen here.
And that’s a 2025 wrap! I hope this season brings you comfort, connection, and renewed energy for the year ahead. Thank you for being part of this vibrant community.
Looking Forward in 2026
My first year as your MLA for Saanich North and the Islands has flown by in these tumultuous times. The affordability, housing, and health care crises in BC and the external catastrophes impacting us – tariffs, wars, climate disasters – hardly give time for relief.
Nevertheless, there are many things that give me hope. One of them is the ground-breaking work undertaken by the District of North Saanich. Their new official community plan (OCP) incorporates doughnut economics into their future development. You can read the OCP here.
Doughnut economics is the pioneer work of Oxford economist, Kate Rawowrth. It acknowledges that we live in a world of finite resources and that our addiction to endless economic growth puts our environment and well-being at risk.
It is a new way of thinking about our communities where we ensure we have a strong social foundation of really affordable housing, wrap around access to health care and other key determinants of happiness while not exceeding the “ecological ceiling.” The diagram below shows how this works:
What a concept! Living in concert with the surrounding environment in a manner that restores and maintains instead of sacrificing the special lands, waters, air, wildlife, aquatic life – in short, the ecosystems that make this part of the world so special. Imagine a steady state economy, where we no longer rely on never-ending business and population growth to cover community infrastructure costs. Where the special unique amenities and environment we call Saanich North and the Islands are preserved and protected.
When I first heard about Kate Raworth, I thought this was all pie-in-the-sky. But after reading her book [click here] and reviewing the work being done around the world, including in North Saanich, I have come to see local community-driven action guided by Raworth’s work as the long-term solution to many of our current challenges.
Of course, indigenous people who have lived in this area for millennia recognized long ago that everything is connected, that you must only take what you need, and that it’s important to put back what you do take. We are so lucky!
It is an honour to be your MLA, and I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible in 2026 as I do everything I can to advocate on your behalf for a future that sees all of us enjoying healthy happy lives inside the Doughnut!
