In 2012, as I started my journey to become the BC Green MLA for Oak Bay Gordon Head, I was only too aware of how difficult it would be to win  against the incumbent, BC Liberal Ida Chong. I was running for a party that had never elected anyone at the provincial level anywhere in Canada. There were no “party lists” that we could draw from; there was no party “apparatus” to call upon; there was no real “election readiness” or “provincial strategy”. Each of the BC Green candidates had to organically grow their support from the bottom up. And we did so against difficult odds and without access to organization networks like those associated with the so-called BC NDP ground game.  I believed that the pathway to victory involved vowing to do politics differently and promising to work with whomever formed government. Ultimately, this approach was successful and I was able to advance numerous bills working collaboratively with the BC Liberals (from 2013-2017) and then the BC NDP (from 2017-2020).

When we elect politicians to govern on our behalf, we are electing individuals who are each armed with a toolkit of life skills, experiences, qualifications and views. Ideally, each elected person has a complementary, rather than identical, set of tools in their tool kits. For when these complementary tools are spread out on the decision-making table, more creative, inclusive and thoughtful policy and solutions are built. But in my view, what is most important is that we elect individuals who recognize the importance of advancing lasting policy through good governance that transcends traditional partisan divides.

On October 15, we go to the polls in the next general local elections. While I have already voted in an advanced poll for a full and diverse slate of School Board and Council candidates, I wanted to highlight three remarkable individuals on my list. These individuals span the political spectrum, and exemplify what I look for in an elected leader. None of them are presently holding elected office and there are enough incumbents not running to ensure that new people must be at the Saanich Council and School District 61 Board tables. I provide my rationale as to why I voted for these three individuals to help others as they do their research on who they will support on October 15. I recognize the importance of name recognition in local government elections and perhaps by doing this, I might convince a few of you to reach out to the three candidates below to learn more about their compelling campaigns.

1) Sacha Christensen – candidate for SD61 Trustee.

Despite the apparent lack of attention given to school board elections, Trustees in School District 61 actually manage a bigger budget ($268 million for 2022-23) than do the Mayor and Council of Saanich ($222 million for 2022-23). Over the past year, School District 61 was rocked with controversy as two trustees were suspended and subsequently reinstated. The annual budget process was also not without its own public controversy as music and support services took a hit to make ends meet. Given the turbulence of the past year, and with Board Chair Ryan Painter, Angie Hentze, and long time Trustees Elaine Leonard and Tom Ferris not seeking reelection, it is important to elect individuals with demonstrated expertise and experience who understand the importance of a collaborative, as opposed to an adversarial, approach to good governance. 

After being told by one of my children that I should consider voting for Sacha, I decided to interview him to learn more about why he was running to be a School Board Trustee at the age of 24. I was extremely impressed by his maturity, thoughtfulness and profound insight into civic and school politics.

Sacha graduated from the challenge program at Esquimalt High School and has completed his first two years of political science at Camosun College. For the past three years he has been working as the constituency assistant in Randall Garrison’s MP office. Constituency assistants play a critical non partisan role in an MP or MLA office. They are the front line staff who interact with and help constituents access the services available to them. As such, they are the public face of an MP or MLA in many community interactions. They should be unconditionally ethical and trustworthy, articulate, have exemplary interpersonal communication skills, hard working, intelligent and empathetic. It became quickly obvious to me why Randal Garrison had hired Sacha.

I asked Sacha why he chose to run to become a Trustee. He pointed out that the present make up of the Board was closer to retirement than to being back in school and that he felt it was critical to ensure students were always front and centre in School Board decision-making. He expressed concern over the 49% 5-year (57% 6-year) indigenous graduation rate in the district and the emergence of the VIVA slate of candidates who he did not believe shared his values. We talked about the lack of funding for students with diverse abilities and the troubling provincial model of education funding. I came away with the impression that Sacha was an exceptionally pragmatic thinker who understands how to advance policy solutions by bringing people together.

In summary, I am very impressed with Sacha Christensen’s collaborative approach to politics, as well as his perspective as a young candidate. I believe he has the expertise and experience to restore good governance to our school board.

More information on Sacha Christensen’s quest to become a Trustee in School District 62 is available on his campaign website.

2) Mark Leiren-Young — candidate for Saanich Council

I first met Mark many years ago when he came to interview me at my office at the University of Victoria. Mark was doing a podcast series on trees and I had just completed my book: Generation Us – The Challenge of Global Warming. We hit it off right away.

A few years later, I once more bumped into Mark on the set of Wes Borg’s live comedy show, Derwin Blanshard’s Extremely Classy Sunday Evening Program, a show that I had become a regular on before I got elected. He sang “Kumbaya” as I proceeded to “beat the character of an Irish ambassador to Canada“, who was cast as a rabid climate change denier on the show, with a large “Nobel prize” prop! It was good-natured humour and Mark and I saw each other in different lights! It was also the last show I did before getting elected! And then in 2017, Mark interviewed me again in the final days of the 2017 provincial election campaign just prior to our historic election result, wherein the BC Greens were afforded the balance of power in the 2017-2020 BC NDP minority government.

Mark has been surrounded by politics his entire life. His mother met his father when she was running for Vancouver City Council and he was covering it for The Vancouver Sun. His father went on to become the legislative reporter for The Sun and then Bill Bennett’s press secretary. Mark also covered politics as a journalist for years and – among other gigs – used to write for a magazine called Trade and Commerce where he helped translate municipal business plans into plain language to draw businesses and investors to municipalities throughout the lower mainland. He was approached about becoming the city hall columnist for a couple of Vancouver’s better media outlets. And he started writing for the Monday Magazine while he was still a UVic student.

Mark is an exceptionally gifted artist and communicator. He’s won numerous awards for his books, television, theatre and film productions and teaches in University of Victoria’s creative writing department.  Virtually all of his work, including some of my his commercial work, has involved social or environmental themes. Mark is creative, collaborative, innovative, pragmatic and understands how to work across partisan divides to advance inclusive policy for our community.

More information on Mark Leiren-Young’s quest to become a Saanich Councillor is available on his campaign website.

3) Rishi Sharma — candidate for Saanich Council

Rishi and I got to know each other in the 2013 provincial election campaign. He was the BC Liberal candidate for the riding of Saanich South and was running against my friend and colleague (from my days in the legislature), Lana Popham.

While I first met Rishi during an in-studio CFAX 1070 interview/debate early in the campaign, I got to know him better following an all candidates meeting that we we both participated in. Organized by the BC Sustainable Energy Association, this was a packed public event held at the Fernwood Community Centre on the theme: Energy and Climate. Rishi represented the BC Liberals. Rob Fleming (NDP), Duane Nickull (BC Conservatives) and I (BC Greens) were our party nominees. To no one’s surprise, the audience was not particularly warm towards the incumbent BC Liberal government. Yet it was clear to me why the BC Liberals sent Rishi to represent them.  He was a compassionate listener and a thoughtful speaker.

What also struck me early on about Rishi was the respect, ethics and integrity he brought to his election campaign. We were both representing different political parties, yet we were both able to converse in a collaborative way. We  focused on our shared values and spoke about how we could advance creative solutions to the issues facing the province. And over the decade since we first met, I have followed Rishi’s work within the BC Government.

Unlike many candidates running for local government positions, Rishi was born in, grew up in, and still lives in the community of Saanich. He attended Hillcrest Elementary, Arbutus Junior High and Mount Doug High School. His postgraduate studies include classes at UVic, Camosun and, more recently, Royal Roads university where he is finishing off his MA in Organizational Leadership. Rishi was also an accomplished athlete, playing soccer for Gordon Head, Metro Victoria and the BC Selects, while also competing in field hockey. He continues to give back to the community as a volunteer coash with Saanich Fusion soccer.

One of the things that most impresses me about Rishi is his deep insight into the needs of our community. He is pragmatic, principled, empathetic and respectful in all his work. He also brings business acumen to the decision making table.

More information on Rishi Sharma’s quest to become a Saanich Councillor is available on his campaign website.

To bring closure to my 7 1/2 years as an MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head and 5 years as leader of the BC Green Party I felt it was important to add this video to my archived MLA website. Moving forward, I plan to continue my work on climate solutions on the local, provincial, national and international level.

This YouTube video was produced by Robert Alstead, the same person who created the documentary “Running on Climate”. That documentary provided an inside look into the 2013 election campaign set within a greater climate change narrative.

This YouTube video might be of  interest to some as it gives insight as to why I got into and out of politics. The book that I refer to in this video has the working title: “A Climate for Hope” and not “A Vehicle for Change”.

With the announcement yesterday that the province is heading into a general election on October 24, my term as the MLA for Oak Bay Gordon Head has come to an end. This will be my last post on my MLA website.

I would like to thank you, the constituents of this fabulous riding, for extending me the great honour of serving you these last 7 1/2 years. It has been a very rewarding experience for me and I have been so very fortunate to have worked with outstanding constituency staff over this period. If you have contacted my constituency office, you too will have had first hand experience working with these exceptional individuals.

Thank you Judy Fainstein, Perry Fainstein, Devon deLarge, Allie deLarge, Rory Hills, Sarah Miller, Teresa Hartrick and Huxley Johnson.

Over the years I also had the privilege of working with first rate legislative staff. I was first elected in May 2013 and our small but mighty legislative team immediately immersed itself into building a BC Green presence in the BC Legislature. Thank you Taylor Hartrick, Evan Pivnick, Matt Wright, Sarah Miller, Claire Hume, Aldous Sperl and Judy Fainstein for your support during my first term: 2013 – 2017.

With the 2017 election delivering a minority BC NDP government and the BC Greens holding the balance of power, our legislative team grew. I remain grateful to the hard work of Liz Lilly, Macon McGinley, Judy Rendek, Stephanie Siddon and the legislative interns and volunteers who supported our office over the years.

Of course, I would never have been elected were it not for the hard work of the literally hundreds of volunteers who helped me in the 2013 and 2017 election campaigns. I ran on a promise to bring climate policy back to the forefront in BC. And with the establishment of CleanBC, I feel my work is done.

Finally, thank you to the candidates who have stepped forward to seek your vote to represent you as the MLA for Oak Bay Gordon Head in the upcoming election. From the quality of the candidates stepping forward, it is clear to me that our riding will be in good hands moving forward, regardless who wins the upcoming race.

Thank you again.

Andrew

This is the twenty-seventh installment in our series on exceptional youth where we celebrate the outstanding achievements of youth in the Oak Bay-Gordon Head riding. As we commence this chapter in our series we have chosen to celebrate the accomplishments of two sisters in Oak Bay, Olivia and Anna Friesen. These inspirational young adults are enriching our lives with their passion and commitment to the betterment of society.

Olivia Friesen

Although many younger siblings would feel overwhelmed by the pressure of having an older sister as accomplished as Anna Friesen, Olivia has elected to view her older sister as a role model while still managing to distinguish herself as a different but no less remarkable young individual.

In grade nine Olivia obtained marks of 100% in Social Studies and Science, 99% in math, and 96% in English. This past year, she followed up her incredible academic performance in her freshman year with an overall average in the upper 90s.

Like her older sister, Olivia is a multidimensional athlete who has found success in nearly every sport she has decided to attempt. Last season, Olivia played on Oak Bay’s elite U16 Vancouver Island Premiere League team (which won their division) and was an important part of the high school junior girls’ team. She is also an excellent field hockey player who is a valuable member of school’s team and has been chosen to participate in the Rising Stars Elite Training Program. To top it off, Olivia runs the 100, 200, and 400 metre dash for the school’s track and field team and competes in long jump, triple jump, and pole vault.

When she was in grade five, Olivia began playing the cello and has evolved to become an integral part of the Oak Bay High School Orchestra. In grade 9, her hard work and dedication was acknowledged by the Orchestra who decided to give her the Most Improved Strings Player Award. Additionally, while at Monterey Middle School, Olivia decided to take up playing the trumpet and is a now a member of the Oak Bay High School Concert Band.

Despite her young age, Olivia has found numerous ways to give back to the local community and is an active member of the school’s environment club. This past year she helped to organize the rubber ducky race, volunteered as a Christmas gift wrapper for the Mustard Seed, and served as a volunteer for the school’s annual Cops for Cancer campaign. In previous years, Olivia has participated in restoration projects at Bowker Creek and Anderson Hill Park. When she was in grade nine, she was one of just six students in her year selected to participate in the Live Different program and would have travelled down to Mexico during spring break to build two houses for disadvantaged families if not for COVID-19.

As her membership in the school’s environment club would indicate, Olivia is interested in climate change and conservation which she may pursue academically down the road in university. In line with her interests in environmental science, she cites science teacher Derek Schubsole as positive academic influence in her life.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic Olivia has done her best to stay positive and keep a daily routine, but like many others, misses the personal interactions that form an important part of her everyday life. She’s looking forward to the start of the new school year after spending the summer working in the Kiwanis Willows Tea room.

Given her personal drive and natural talent in so many different areas, we believe that Olivia is destined to continue being a high achiever whose work impacts the lives of numerous others.

This is the twenty-sixth installment in our series on exceptional youth where we celebrate the outstanding achievements of youth in the Oak Bay-Gordon Head riding. As we commence this chapter in our series we have chosen to celebrate the accomplishments of two sisters in Oak Bay, Anna and Olivia Friesen. These inspirational young adults are enriching our lives with their passion and commitment to the betterment of society.

Anna Friesen

Normally, my office and I prefer to chat with the youth we’re celebrating in person, but given the circumstances, we elected to conduct our conversation with the two sisters via Zoom. When we spoke to them in early August, they were vacationing at their family cabin in the Okanagan with their parents and family friends – one of whom is Logan Graham a young man we have recognized in the past (link to blog post on Logan to be added here).

Originally from the Okanagan, Anna moved to Victoria in early childhood and attended Willows Elementary School and Monterey Middle School.  Now entering her final year of high school at Oak Bay Secondary, Anna is one of the rare individuals with the natural talent and work ethic required to find success in multiple areas.

Throughout high school, Anna has consistently demonstrated that she is one of the top students in her grade. In grade 10, she obtained a remarkable 97% average with marks of 100% in math, social studies, and entrepreneurship. This past year, Anna somehow managed best her outstanding grade 10 performance by increasing her average to 98%. In grade 12 she will be taking a full load of math and science courses, including the calculus-math 12 combo, physics, biology, and chemistry. And she’s looking forward to the start of the new school year after spending the summer working in the Kiwanis Willows Tea room.

Outside of the classroom, Anna is a gifted athlete who has performed at a high level in soccer, track, and volleyball. Winner of Oak Bay Secondary’s prestigious Female Athlete of the Year Award in 2019 – a trophy won by former Olympians – she was also the track team’s 2018 Rookie of the Year and won Most Outstanding Junior Track Athlete in 2019. And while she is clearly no slouch in the talent department, she is also a natural leader who is highly regarded by her teammates and coaches, evidenced by her role as captain of her Bays United soccer team.

Although athletics and academics are big parts of Anna’s life, it quickly became apparent in our Zoom conversation with her that she is also passionate about music and fine arts.  She is a dedicated member of the Jazz Band in which she plays the tenor saxophone and has taken visual arts and journalism as electives.

Despite being so busy with her pursuits in the classroom, athletics, and fine arts Anna has also found time to give back to the community. For the last year, she has been involved with Live Different Oak Bay, a group of students that would have travelled to travel down to rural Mexico to build two homes for disadvantaged families during spring break if not for the COVID-19 pandemic. Alongside the other Live Different members, Anna spent over one year volunteering in the Great Victoria community and helping to fundraise for the trip. In addition to Live Different, Anna has volunteered for Oak Bay’s Cops for Cancer campaign, served as a Mustard Seed Christmas Gift wrapper, and has spent time as a youth soccer coach.

Although Anna is quick to point out that there are many teachers who have had a positive influence on her during her time at Oak Bay, she particularly enjoyed taking history with Scott Alexander because of his interest in encouraging in class discussions about the course material and current events. Outside of school, Anna cites her parents and the Graham family as positive influences and role models in her life.

With university fast approaching, Anna is looking to enter a discipline which combines her interests in science and fine arts such as architecture. Based on her strong track record of success so far, we have no doubt that Anna will excel in whatever program she ultimately chooses and look forward to hearing about her future accomplishments.