The BC Government today released the Fish Processing Facilities Compliance Audit Report that was commissioned following findings by Tavish Campbell that effluent containing the Piscene Reovirus (so-called “blood water”) was being discharged from a BC fish processing facility.

This issue was explored by my colleague Sonia Furstenau during question period late last year:

The report provides a clear illustration of the type of problems that have arisen from the previous BC Liberal administration’s severe cutbacks to compliance and enforcement initiatives within government.

As the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy noted in the government’s statement accompanying the report’s release:

“The industry has been largely operating under an outdated permitting regime, going back several decades. We are taking immediate steps to ensure permits are updated and strengthened at fish processing facilities throughout B.C.”

Between ICBC, money laundering, the housing crisis and a litany of environmental disasters, it’s increasingly clear that the previous government badly mismanaged our province.

Government has a responsibility to ensure the public interest by proactively updating laws and regulations to fit changing realities. Instead, the previous government left British Columbians with mounting debts while they pillaged the public books and turned a blind eye to harmful activities. We have taken significant steps to remedy this, including banning big money and reforming the lobbying industry, but we must take every opportunity in this minority government to clean up B.C. to prevent such blatant misuse of power.

Below I reproduce the media statement that the BC Green caucus issued in response to government’s release of the report.

Media Release

Findings of fish processing compliance audit show need for reform: B.C. Green caucus
For immediate release
July 4, 2018

VICTORIA, B.C. – The B.C. Green Caucus is calling on government to step up marine monitoring and protection in the wake of an audit of fish processing facilities. Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green Party, says the report shows a disturbing pattern of widespread mismanagement by the previous B.C. Liberal government that must be addressed.

“Between ICBC, money laundering, the housing crisis and a litany of environmental disasters, it’s increasingly clear that the previous government badly mismanaged our province,” said Weaver. “Government has a responsibility to ensure the public interest by proactively updating laws and regulations to fit changing realities. Instead, the previous government left British Columbians with mounting debts while they pillaged the public books and turned a blind eye to harmful activities. We have taken significant steps to remedy this, including banning big money and reforming the lobbying industry, but we must take every opportunity in this minority government to clean up B.C. to prevent such blatant misuse of power.”

Sonia Furstenau, environment spokesperson, added that the findings show why government should adopt Mark Haddock’s recommendations to reform the professional reliance model.

“As the previous government cut the funding needed to fulfill government’s duty to protect the public interest, they saddled our province with completely avoidable messes,” said Furstenau. “Many British Columbians were horrified, like I was, to see Tavish Campbell’s videos of blood water effluent that prompted this audit. It is no wonder people don’t trust the process when we must rely on private citizens and the media to bring such serious issues to light. Adopting Mark Haddock’s recommendations – and the ministry’s recommendations following this audit – will go a long way to restoring the public’s trust that government is looking out for their health and safety, as well as the long-term sustainability of our natural resource sector.”

Adam Olsen, spokesperson for agriculture, said the findings underscore the litany of threats facing B.C.’s wild salmon and added the release of infected blood from farmed fish is another reason why the government should keep its promise to transition away from open-net pen finfish aquaculture.

“Wild salmon are culturally, economically and environmentally essential to our province, yet we are allowing them to be hit at every stage of their development,” said Olsen. “Now we learn they have also been exposed to ‘acutely lethal’ levels of effluent.”

DFO’s 2018 salmon outlook for B.C. states that of 91 different groupings of salmon, only 28 are expected to be at or above the amount necessary for a healthy population.

“This is absolutely unacceptable – we can and we must do better if we want our grandchildren to live in a province with wild salmon,” added Olsen.

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Media contact
Jillian Oliver, Press Secretary
+1 778-650-0597 | jillian.oliver@leg.bc.ca

The BC Government today released Peter German’s long awaited report on money laundering in Lower Mainland casinos.

The report, entitled Dirty Money: An Independent Review of Money Laundering in Lower Mainland Casinos conducted for the Attorney General of British Columbia, demonstrates systemic failure within the previous government to adapt our laws and regulations to changing realities.

Below is the media release we issued in response to the report’s release.

Media Release

Weaver: German report demonstrates need for systemic change, investigation into links with real estate sector
For immediate release
June 26, 2018

VICTORIA, B.C. – Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green Party, welcomed Dr. Peter German’s independent review of money laundering in Lower Mainland casinos. Weaver says that German’s finding that large-scale transnational money laundering has been occurring in our casinos, and that B.C.’s laws and regulations have not kept pace with changing realities, demonstrates the need for wholesale policy change.

“Dr. German’s report demonstrates systemic failure within the previous government to adapt our laws and regulations to changing realities,” said Weaver.

“We have seen significant growth and change, both in B.C. and globally, since many of our laws and regulations were first developed. Outdated policies have left our province vulnerable to exploitation as transnational criminal entities have become increasingly more sophisticated.

“It is encouraging to hear that recent government actions have led to a significant reduction in suspicious activity in B.C. casinos, and I am pleased that the Attorney General has accepted the recommendations. What is most important now is that government provide clear timelines for implementing the recommendations and is transparent with regards to progress. In particular, the recommendation that the Province undertake research into allegations of organized crime penetration of the real estate industry should be at the top of government’s agenda. British Columbians are looking for answers as to why our housing market spiralled out of control so quickly and if we are to develop effective solutions we must undertake a thorough investigation of this issue.

“Government cannot be asleep at the switch amidst such significant threats. Going forward, government must be significantly more proactive in modernizing our laws and regulations so that we are not faced with such a crisis again.”

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Media contact
Jillian Oliver, Press Secretary
+1 778-650-0597 | jillian.oliver@leg.bc.ca

Today, the Ministry of Citizens’ Services announced that it is modernizing and streamlining the government procurement process in order to better support BC businesses.

I welcome this initiative, which we also called for in our election platform, but in my view all government supports for small businesses and entrepreneurs should be modernized to respond to the changing needs of business and to ensure that we are doing everything we can to support these innovative British Columbians.

Below is the media release we issued in response to the government’s announcement.

Media Release

Weaver welcomes new government procurement process, calls for comprehensive streamlining of support for innovators
For immediate release
June 25, 2018

VICTORIA, B.C. – Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green Party, welcomed government’s announcement that it is streamlining procurement to better support B.C. innovators. Weaver added that the government should streamline and modernize all supports for B.C. small businesses and innovators.

“This is a good first step towards supporting B.C. innovators and demonstrates why government should streamline and modernize all support for entrepreneurs,” said Weaver.

“Government needs to be a leader in ensuring that we are invested in the success of B.C. companies. One of the biggest challenges I hear from small businesses and start-ups is that government programs and support initiatives are disparate and cumbersome to navigate. Additionally, business models and the needs of entrepreneurs are evolving due to the changing nature of our economy. Government procurement is an important piece of the puzzle, but there are many other programs that help businesses grow. By ensuring that government programs are responsive to the changing needs of business and making them easier to navigate, we can ensure we are providing useful, efficient support for our homegrown innovators.

“Innovation-driven industries, be they in clean tech, high tech or value-added resources, are undoubtedly the future of B.C.’s economy. Not only are these industries leading the global economy, they provide well-paying jobs and are compatible our province’s strategic strengths and values. I am pleased that key elements of our economic plan to support these industries, the Innovation Commission and the Emerging Economy Task Force, have been adopted by the B.C. NDP government through our Confidence and Supply Agreement. I look forward to continuing to work closely with government to support the development of a thriving, innovative 21st century economy.”

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Media contact
Jillian Oliver, Press Secretary
+1 778-650-0597 | jillian.oliver@leg.bc.ca

The BC Government announced today that it plans to create a publicly accessible beneficial ownership registry in an attempt to ensure transparency as to who owns property in British Columbia.

It’s been more than four years now since I started calling on government to close the bare trust loophole which is being exploited to provide cover for anonymous real estate transactions as well as to avoid paying property transfer and, potentially, capital gains taxes.

A bare trust is a legal entity that allows for the separation of beneficial and legal ownership. The beneficial owner of a property is the person or persons who make all the decisions concerning such things as rent, repairs, management, sale etc.; they are also the person or persons who receive all the revenue from and arrange financing for the property. The trustee of the bare trust has no substantive decision-making capacity as they simply act upon the instructions of the beneficial owner. Typically the trustee is a corporation that has no other purpose but to act as a trustee for the bare trust and for which the beneficial owner owns all the shares.

Now here’s the loophole. Suppose you own a home or apartment building that you want to dispose of. If you simply transferred title, like most of us do when we sell a home, the purchaser would have to pay the property transfer tax.

But if instead the property is in a bare trust where the trustee is a company, then you will pay no tax. All you have to do is sell your shares in the company for 1$ (the company has no assets anyway), and sell the “beneficial ownership” rights of the property to a third party via a “bare trust agreement” which is not registered at the Land Title Office.  Since no change in title occurs, no tax is paid.

While I appreciate that government is now collecting data on beneficial owners and sharing that data with the Canadian Revenue Agency (thereby potentially giving the CRA the ability to crack down on capital gains evasion), the government is still not doing what Ontario did ages ago. That is, to apply the property tax to transfer of beneficial ownership rather that to transfer of title.

This is perhaps the single most effective measure the government could take to clamp down on speculation in BC’s real estate sector.

Below is the press release I issued following the government’s announcement.

Media Release

Andrew Weaver statement on beneficial ownership registry white paper
For immediate release
20 June 2018

VICTORIA, B.C. – Today Andrew Weaver responded to government’s release of proposed legislation to create a beneficial ownership registry.

“Government should match its data collection and transparency efforts with decisive action and immediately close the bare trust loophole,” said Weaver.

“I welcome the collection of more information on who truly owns property in B.C. For far too long, individuals and corporations with the means to navigate the holes in our legal system have been able to shield their identities from tax collection and law enforcement officials. However, it is critical that in addition to collecting more data, government acts decisively to actually crack down on people who use beneficial ownership structures in order to avoid paying taxes.

“Right now, speculators are able to use the bare trust loophole to avoid paying millions of dollars in taxes. This is a loophole so big you could drive a bus through it. Government can close it by simply applying the property transfer tax to the transfer of beneficial ownership. By doing so, government can truly crack down on speculation, tackle tax avoidance and free up huge sums of money that the province can spend on housing affordability.

“I will continue to push government on the urgent need to close the bare trust loophole.”

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Media contact
Jillian Oliver, Press Secretary
+1 778-650-0597 | jillian.oliver@leg.bc.ca

Today the Attorney General released his long awaited report containing recommendations for the upcoming fall referendum on proportional representation. Our spokesperson on proportional representation, Sonia Furstenau, issued a media release (reproduced below) in response to the report.

Media Release

B.C. Green Caucus statement on Attorney General’s proportional representation recommendations
For immediate release
May 30, 2018

VICTORIA, B.C. – Sonia Furstenau, B.C. Green Party spokesperson for electoral reform, responded to the Attorney General’s report and recommendations on B.C.’s upcoming proportional representation referendum.

“I look forward to the Attorney General’s recommendations being finalized by cabinet. It’s time to get started on this important conversation about the future of our democracy,” said Furstenau.

“I am pleased that the AG took advice from a wide range of voices who participated in this consultation process and that his recommendations reflect the concerns and desires of the whole province. Going forward is that voters receive good quality, factual information and a healthy, vibrant debate about their electoral process.

“The B.C. Greens support proportional representation because it leads to more democratic outcomes. Too many people feel they have to vote strategically against whichever party they don’t want. Proportional representation gives voters the chance to vote for what they actually want, so they can vote out of hope, not fear.

“Proportional representation also requires parties to work together to put policy ahead of politics. Under First Past the Post in B.C., parties have received 100% of the power with as little as 39% of the vote and do not have to consult or collaborate with anyone. This leaves voters feeling like their government does not represent their interests and puts political parties into an adversarial, zero-sum situation where they become more focused on tearing each other down than working on solutions to the challenges and opportunities we all face.”

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Media contact
Jillian Oliver, Press Secretary
+1 778-650-0597 | jillian.oliver@leg.bc.ca