Today in the legislature I presented a petition by 65,721 British Columbians, started by Michelle Coulter in Ucluelet. The petition calls on government to abolish BC’s regressive approach to collecting MSP premiums and switch instead to a progressive system. As the petition states, “BC should follow the lead of other provinces in eliminating its flat-rate MSP premiums.”

Earlier this year I renewed my call to eliminate MSP premiums and pointed out that we don’t have to look far for alternatives. British Columbia should follow the path taken by Ontario in 2004 when they introduced the Ontario Health Premium (OHP), and rolled it into their income tax system.

In Ontario if you earn $20,000 or more a year you pay the OHP. It ranges from $0 if your taxable income is $20,000 or less, and goes up to $900 per year if your taxable income is more than $200,600. Instead of the mail-out system we have in BC, the OHP is deducted from the pay and pensions of those with employment or pension income that meets the minimum threshold. The full range of premium rates in Ontario for those at different incomes can be viewed here.

Remember – only Ontario’s top earners are paying $900 per year. Right now people in British Columbia are paying $900 a year regardless of whether they earn $30,000 or $3,000,000 a year.

Below are the text and video of my introduction of the petition. I also append a copy of the media release associated with it.

Petition Introduction Text

It gives me great pleasure to present a petition with 65,721 signatures from people across British Columbia calling on the government to abolish B.C.’s regressive approach to collecting MSP premiums. As the petition states, B.C. should follow the lead of other provinces in eliminating flat-rate MSP premiums

Petition Introduction Video

Media Release

Media Release: February 11, 2016
Andrew Weaver presents MSP petition with 65,721 names
For Immediate Release

Victoria, B.C. –  Andrew Weaver, Leader of the B.C. Green Party and MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head, tabled a 65,721 signature petition in the legislature today calling on the government to eliminate B.C.’s regressive ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to collecting MSP premiums.

“It is clear that too many British Columbians are struggling with the fixed and increasing cost of MSP Premiums in this province. It is a regressive fee that is hurting those who can least afford it,” said Weaver.

The petition, created by small business owner Michelle Coulter from Ucluelet, B.C., was started in December and has received widespread support from across the province.

“Right now whether you make $30,000 or $3,000,000 annually in you are paying $900 a year,” said Weaver. “In Ontario, only the top earners making more than $200,600 are paying this rate.”

The B.C. Green Party has proposed the introduction of a progressive system in which rates are determined by one’s earnings, mirroring the model used in Ontario. Rolling MSP premiums into the existing income tax system would allow the fee to be graduated and lead to a significant net administrative savings to taxpayers.

“The B.C. Government takes almost as much revenue from MSP Premiums as it does from corporate income tax,” said Weaver. “It’s time we followed the path Ontario has taken and rolled the MSP Premiums into our income tax system.”

In 2004 the Ontario government introduced the Ontario Health Premium (OHP), and incorporated it into their income tax system. In Ontario if you earn $20,000 or more a year you pay the OHP. It ranges from $0 if your taxable income is $20,000 or less, and goes up to a maximum of $900 per year if your taxable income is more than $200,600. Instead of the mail-out system we have in B.C., the OHP is deducted from the pay and pensions of those with employment or pension income that meets the minimum threshold.

“The government’s recently announced change for single parent families is a step in the right direction but doesn’t go far enough to help numerous British Columbians who cannot afford the increases,” said Weaver. “If the government is serious about easing the burden it is placing on low and fixed income British Columbians, then they need to properly fix the way MSP premiums are collected.”

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Media Contact

Mat Wright
Press Secretary – Andrew Weaver MLA
Cell: 250 216 3382
Mat.wright@leg.bc.ca
Twitter: @MatVic

Media Statement – February 9th, 2016
Andrew Weaver statement on 2016 Speech from the Throne
For Immediate Release

Andrew Weaver, Leader of the BC Green Party and MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head made the following comments in response to the government’s 2016 Speech from the Throne:

“The Speech from the Throne demonstrates that with the monumental failure of the government’s LNG pipedream, they are officially out of ideas. It will do little to assure British Columbians that this government is in fact paying attention to the economic challenges facing our province,” said Andrew Weaver. “Their suggestion that there was no way of knowing that LNG was a bad gamble to make, despite the fact that experts have been telling them this for almost 4 years, is a troubling rewrite of history.”

“The claim that ‘Success is not for quitters. Success demands steadfast attention, and resiliency in the face of global challenges’ underscores the reckless disregard this government has for the global economic LNG reality. The global market is oversaturated in natural gas, vast new resources are coming on-line, Iran – with the world’s largest natural gas reserves – just had trade sanctions lifted, and the world is decarbonizing its energy systems. British Columbians would be better off with a government that knows that success means to stop throwing good money after bad. Success means investing in a 21st century economy, not doubling down on an economy of the past century as Alberta and the Harper government did.”

“At the end of the day, and after three years of political rhetoric and broken promises British Columbians should ask themselves this: Has this government done anything to make the lives of British Columbians substantially better? I would suggest not.”

“After I listened to the Throne Speech today it has become perfectly clear that Today’s BC Liberals are nothing more than Yesterday’s Harper Tories”.

Andrew will be responding fully to the Throne Speech later this week in the Legislature.

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Media Contact
Mat Wright
Press Secretary – Andrew Weaver MLA
Cell: 250 216 3382
Mat.wright@leg.bc.ca
Twitter: @MatVic

Parliament Buildings
Room 027C
Victoria BC V8V 1X4

On January 16, I wrote about the need to deal with derelict vessels in a timely manner. In particular, I discussed the situation on Cadboro Bay beach where a number of derelict or abandoned vessels were washed up in the intertidal zone. At the end of that post, I reproduced a copy of a letter I sent to the Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. Below is the response I received to my letter.

Response from Minister Thomson

Reference: 219643

February 5, 2016

Andrew Weaver, MLA
Oak Bay-Gordon Head
219-3930 Shelbourne Street
Victoria, British Columbia
V8P 5P6

Dear Dr. Weaver:

Thank you for your letter of January 13, 2016, regarding the beached derelict vessel Pacific Sun King located in the upper inter-tidal zone of Cadboro Bay.

As you may be aware, dealing with problem vessels and structures on Crown foreshore is a complex, time-consuming and costly job that can involve multiple agencies and levels of government depending on the circumstances. In this case, the Canadian Coast Guard has spent a considerable amount of time attending to this vessel to ensure pollutants have been removed. The Coast Guard is confident that they have mitigated any pollution concerns and have suggested that Transport Canada’s Receiver of Wreck program take over as this is now under their jurisdiction.

Communications between the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Ministry of Environment Emergency Response Officers, Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, and representatives from the Municipality of Saanich took place in mid-December to explore options for removing the vessel from the beach. Collaborative work is ongoing to find a solution and to determine the precise timing for the removal of this vessel.

In fall 2014, the ministry worked with federal agencies to complete a public information document and staff technical guide that clarifies roles and responsibilities when dealing with problem vessels. Provincial and federal agencies are continuing to coordinate efforts to deal with problem vessels and structures on Crown foreshore on a priority basis, those that pose an immediate threat to navigation safety or the environment are top priority.

The province is committed to continue to work with federal agencies, and others, to seek ways to improve the management of problem vessels.

Sincerely,
Steve Thomson
Minister

Dr. Olivia Dam cheerfully handed my colleagues and me hairnets and booties before leading us into the operating area. In the middle of the first room sat a very large laser. We were in a building not far from my constituency office, taking a tour of Victoria Eye and learning more about the services they offer our community.

The impressive piece of machinery in front of us was a Femtosecond refractive laser, Dr. Dam told us, which she uses to perform cataract surgeries. It is the latest technological advancement in the field, allowing her to make a precise 4.9 millimeter capsulotomy incision into the eye and softening the cataract in less than a minute. Dr. Dam assured the more squeamish members of my team (i.e. me) that she uses local anesthesia and a suction-based docking station to keep the eye still and pain free throughout the procedure. “If there is anything that can make the surgery better for the patient, we use it,” Dr. Dam said. “We keep up to date with the very latest technological advancements.”

Victoria Eye was the first facility in Western Canada to receive a consignment of the most progressive extended range lenses available and is the only eye center on Vancouver Island with a Femtosecond refractive laser for refractive cataract surgery. Because these advancements are not classified as medically required to complete cataract surgery, however, they are not insured.

From the surgery center we head past the entirely sterile “clean room” and into the recovery room where a row of curtain separated beds (all empty that day) line the wall. Dr. Dam brings out a silver tray to show us the instruments used during eye surgeries.

Watching Dr. Dam’s steady hand demonstrate how she uses each tiny instrument was fascinating. Because their facility is not located in a hospital, each of the five doctors who work at Victoria Eye are trained in advanced life support. Thankfully those skills are rarely if ever needed, but if anything were to come up every patient is in very good hands.

Dr. Dam is a comprehensive ophthalmologist specialized in managing medical and surgical ocular problems. She did her medical degree and ophthalmology specialization at Queen’s University in Ontario before completing five years of surgical residency. She has participated in medical service and ophthalmological trips to South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Columbia, South East Asia, India and Bolivia. She moved to Victoria in 2005 and has been caring for patients here ever since.

As Vancouver Island’s demographic continues to age the demand for eye care is going to greatly increase. The Victoria Eye center was built anticipating this shift and they are prepared to ramp up care to meet the need. They have capacity for eight doctors, maybe more as many split their time with the hospital.

Collaborating with different eye specialists in one center, Dr. Dam explains, allows them to share expertise, consultations, and the cost of cutting edge equipment. Staying current with the latest technological advancements is far from cheap, Dr. Dam said, but they invest in whatever will make procedures more efficient, effective, and pain-free for their patients. Victoria Eye has been a multi-million dollar project that is ongoing as continues to invest in new technologies to optimize patient care.

Some types of extended benefits cover surgeries done at their center, but some people also chose to pay out of pocket for the latest and greatest. The Symfony Extended Range lens can cost a few thousand dollars per eye, but Dr. Dam says many people are willing to invest in the new technology because unlike traditional multifocal lenses it allows you to focus within near, intermediate and distance ranges, it doesn’t cause halos or glare, and is especially good for patients with presbyopia.

Whatever patient’s condition or ability to pay privately, Dr. Dam and her colleagues aim to provide Victoria with the best possible eye care. They have the capacity to treat urgent issues right away, vision surgeries can be done within a few weeks, and the waitlist for the treatment of less serious chronic conditions is rarely longer than a few months.

At the end of the tour we head back through the main hall and stop to look at the incredible series of paintings hanging along the wall. The artists are students from local schools, Dr. Dam tells us. I have no doubt their work will be admired and appreciated by everyone who walks through that hall, but even more so by patients with renewed vision.

Barry McLean, a fourth generation farmer from a Manitoban town of 300, moved to Victoria eight years ago to care for his mother. He wasn’t necessarily planning on staying, but he has since married and started a business, so the rest is history, so to speak. I had heard that Barry was making incredible advancements in his zero emission landscaping and gardening ventures here in Victoria and I was keen to learn more about his innovative business.

He started Clean Air Yard Care in 2010 inspired by his grandparents who practiced advanced organic farming techniques for 75 years. Earlier that year he had been redoing the landscaping in his front yard to include more native and drought resistant plants. After the fourth neighbour stopped by to admire his work, saying “you should go into landscaping!” he decided to give the idea some serious thought.

   “Looking at the industry in Victoria,” he said, “there are a lot of guys who have just thrown a mower in the back of their truck. But I’ve never been much of a follower so I looked for an underserved niche.” Caring for the environment is a family tradition, Barry told me, building his business based on those values was a given.

What if he created a zero emissions lawn and yard care business, powered by solar energy that made no pollution and no noise? Not wanting to do anything half way, he decided to build a solar trailer that could power all of his equipment. The trailer has four solar panels (the complete unit is worth nearly $30,000) that feed DC power inside into a battery bank which is then converted to AC power. With that, Canada’s first zero emission yard care company was born. Even on a cloudy day, Barry told me, his solar trailer can run for weeks. If needed, he can plug it in and bulk charge the battery, but he has only needed to do that twice in the last two years.

Barry has a few residential clients, though appreciates the year round contracts found with strata and commercial contracts. His team has expanded to include more landscapers and a horticulturist, which he said are a huge assets to their company. They can advise clients on plant care and help them incorporate drought resistant or native plants into their garden.

The cumulative environmental impact of yard care in Canada is huge. Barry explained how a gasoline powered lawn mower emits about 106 lbs of greenhouse gases in one season. “They are very inefficient. Running an old lawn mower for an hour, for example, can produce as much air pollution as driving a new car 550 kilometers.” In addition, Barry continued, the impact of air, ground, and noise pollution associated with yard care in our communities is immense. He argued that “5 percent of Canada’s annual greenhouse gas emissions come from landscaping, not accounting for waste, and the sound of gasoline landscaping equipment can lead to hearing loss and increased anxiety in people nearby.”

Despite the serious drawbacks of conventional landscaping techniques (gasoline, oil, noise)  people seem to resist altering their behaviour. “People get entrenched in the way they do things. The landscapers, but also the people who hire them don’t want to change,” Barry told me. “It comes down to the dollar. People will recycle and use organic fertilizer, but they won’t invest more… They just keep doing things the old way.”

Even when you focus on the dollar, however, Barry’s services are comparable to traditional landscapers. He charges $50 per labour hour, usually working out to around $150 to $200 per month in the summer. It’s tough being undercut by companies who haven’t made a significant upfront investment like he has with his solar trailer and equipment, but the “rampant greenwashing” in the sector is even more disheartening to him, he said. “Some ‘green’ landscapers drive up to consultations in electric cars and then come back for the job with a truck full of electric equipment that they’ve charged by plugging into the grid the night before.”

Moving the emission-intensive work behind the scenes or one step removed isn’t enough when it comes to addressing our personal contributions to climate change. There are other effective options, Barry concluded, but you have to be willing to do things differently.

“The other challenge we face,” Barry said, “is that 99% of the purchasing or contract agents give no environmental weight or considerations when evaluating tenders.”

“People need to understand the impact that the gas and noise of their machines have on their neighbours and the environment. They need to know there are alternatives.”

Clean Air Yard Care has been awarded both a Saanich and CRD Eco-Star Award for “Climate Action” and “Green Energy Leadership.” In 2015 Barry was a finalist for the CRD Eco-Star Awards for Eco-Prenuer of the Year.