Media Release

Media Statement: February 12th, 2014
Green Party MLA Andrew Weaver USes Motion to Open Coal Debate
For Immediate Release

Victoria BC – Andrew Weaver tabled a motion to amend the throne speech today in the Legislature, opening a debate on thermal coal exports from British Columbia. The motion, should it pass, would amend the throne speech to include the following:

Notice to Amend a Motion – And that this, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, recognizes that climate change is one of the greatest issues facing our Province and that this government’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions is inconsistent with the current expansion of United States-sourced thermal coal exports coming through British Columbia’s harbours, and therefore calls upon this government to follow the lead of our Pacific Coast Action Plan Partners, Washington, Oregon and California, and explore all means by which the government may halt the further expansion of thermal coal exports in British Columbia.

BC is expected to increase coal exports to 65 million tonnes by the end of 2015, The province only produces around 30 million tonnes of which the majority is metallurgical coal used for steel manufacturing in Japan, Korea and China. The other roughly 40 tonnes is a mix of thermal and metallurgical coal, mostly originating in the US and Alberta.

The vast majority of thermal coal is trans-shipped from mines in Alberta and the Powder River Basin in southern Montana and northern Wyoming. Over the last decade the amount of thermal coal being shipped through BC has risen dramatically. Thermal coal now accounts for somewhere between 30 to 40% of all coal exported through BC ports, and the number is expected to rise.

“In Tuesday’s throne speech the government stated LNG exports would reduce greenhouse gas emissions in China. Increasing thermal coal exports through BC is completely inconsistent with that message. We need a debate here in the Legislature, and a conversation around the province on our energy future, the impact that will have on climate change here in BC, and around the world.” Said Andrew Weaver

The United States has signalled its intent to reduce dependency on coal fired power generation, moving to natural gas and renewable energy sources. California, Oregon and Washington State have asked regulators to include the impact of greenhouse gas emissions both in the US, and internationally, before approving export licenses.

In October BC signed on to a new Pacific Coast Action Plan on Climate and Energy with Washington State, Oregon and California. A provision in the plan requires the signatories to cooperate with national and sub-national governments around the world on climate action.

Media Contact
Mat Wright – Press Secretary Andrew Weaver MLA
mat.wright@leg.bc.ca
1 250 216 3382

With the February introduction of the next Liberal budget fast approaching, I am calling upon the Liberal government to plug a loophole that lets corporations and wealthy individuals avoid paying BC’s property transfer tax. Plugging this loophole would bring tens of millions of dollars into provincial coffers and correct an injustice that unduly penalizes ordinary BC families.

At present, anyone other than a first-time buyer who buys a house must pay property transfer tax upon transfer of title at the Land Title Office. The tax owed is calculated as 1% of the first $200,000 and 2% of the remaining fair market value of the property (usually the sale price). So if, for example, you buy a $500,000 house, you will be required to pay $8,000 in property transfer tax.

But there is a glaring loophole that is being exploited more and more frequently by wealthy individuals and corporations. That loophole involves having the property held in what is known as a “bare trust”.

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 $10,000,000 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 $198,000 in 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.

Ontario has a similar property transfer tax system in place but they have plugged the loophole. How? It’s straightforward. They apply the property transfer tax upon change in beneficial ownership, not just change in the title registered as the Land Title Office.  This could and should be done in British Columbia to ensure everyone is treated fairly.

With tens of millions of dollars of new revenue, British Columbia could start to address many pressing issues.

For example, a program that has been of huge benefit to many families across BC for the past seven years is ending in March 2014. The Family Fund assists families with a dependent young or adult child who has a developmental disability to remain in their family home. Injecting four million dollars a year into this program would keep it going while reducing the overall burden on our social services. Improving access to adolescent mental health services, reducing the effect of rising electricity rates on schools, hospitals and low income British Columbians and dealing with British Columbia’s appalling child poverty and homelessness rates are all issues that would benefit from an injection of new resources.

We have a rare opportunity to correct a tax inequity that privileges both the wealthy and corporations while penalizing regular British Columbia families. It’s the right thing to do. So let’s do it in the 2014 BC budget!

Today Neil Young kicked off his Canadian Honour the Treaties tour in Toronto. The tour is raising support for the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nations (ACFN) legal defense fun. ACFN are asking Canadians to respect their Treaty 8 rights under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982:

Section 35:

1. The existing aboriginal and treaty rights of the aboriginal peoples of Canada are hereby recognized and affirmed.
2. In this Act, “aboriginal peoples of Canada” includes the Indian, Inuit, and Metis peoples of Canada.
3. For greater certainty, in subsection (1) “treaty rights” includes rights that now exist by way of land claims agreements or may be so acquired.
4. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the aboriginal and treaty rights referred to in subsection (1) are guaranteed equally to male and female persons.

The ACFN  drawing a line in the sand and arguing that unbounded growth of tar sands expansion is unsustainable. They are calling on industry to follow through on their promises to reclaim the land once it is mined instead surging forward unchecked. The ACFN are not calling for a shut down of the tar sands but rather want to see a more responsible path towards development and promised reclamation.

At 13:00 we held a press conference hosted by David Suzuki.  Neil Young, Chief Allan Adam, David Suzuki, Eriel Deranger and I each gave a short presentation.

Below is the text of my statement:

“In 1997 the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was adopted. Canada played an important role in negotiating the protocol and in 2002 ratified it. We committed to reduce our GHG emissions by 6% relative to 1990 levels by 2008-2012. While 192 nations are still parties to the Kyoto Protocol, Canada formally withdrew in 2012.

In 2007 the Harper government announced that it planned to develop a “Made in Canada” solution to greenhouse gas reductions — a 3% reduction of Canadian GHG levels relative to 1990 by 2020.”

Then in 2010 Canada announced that it would match US emission reduction targets. In the Canadian context, this meant increasing GHG emissions to be 2.5% above 1990 levels by 2020. This was in response to the 2009 Copenhagen Accord wherein nations submitted voluntary reduction targets with the goal of keeping global warming to less than 2°C above preindustrial levels.

But here’s the reality. The world has already warmed by about 0.8°C since preindustrial times. We are committed to a further warming of about 0.6°C as the climate system equilibrates to existing greenhouse gas levels, and about another 0.3°C this century through the permafrost carbon feedback. That’s a total if 1.7°C.

Even if every country met its voluntary GHG reduction target submitted to the Copenhagen Accord, we will almost certainly break the 2.0°C number with even odds that we’d break 3°C this century, with 4°C following shortly thereafter if emissions aren’t curtailed.

Without any doubt, there is a profound disconnect between science and policy.

The Alberta tar sands represent the fastest growing source of Canadian greenhouse gas emissions. We cannot hope to even meet our latest voluntary target unless continued growth in these emissions is curtailed.

In the process of trying to squeeze that last drop of oil out of the ground, we are going to greater and greater extents, with more and more profound environmental consequences. And the Alberta tar sands represent the poster child for environmental destruction and degradation that arises.

Canada is missing out on the next technological revolution — the clean tech revolution. Clean tech is the sector involved in the generation, transportation, storage and end use of renewable energy. While nations around the world are positioning themselves as leaders in tomorrow’s clean tech economy Canada is instead doubling down on yesterday’s economy — the economy of fossil fuels.

We’re entering an exciting age of innovation as we develop the means and ways of generating, transporting, storing and using clean, renewable energy. Let’s unleash our home-grown Canadian innovation. All the solutions to global warming are within our reach.”

Media Statement December 19, 2013
BC Greens call for sixth condition for heavy oil pipelines
For immediate release

Victoria BC – In response the NEB Joint Review Panel’s final decision to approve Enbridge’s Northern Gateway Pipeline, BC Green Party MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head, Andrew Weaver, and BC Green Party Leader Adam Olsen are calling on the BC Government to establish a 6th condition for support of heavy oil pipeline projects: A moratorium on dilbit transport along the B.C. coast.

“We are quite disappointed with the JRP report in respect to the risks related to dilbit,” says Andrew Weaver. “The key issue is dilbit because it’s different from refined oils that float on the surface–up to 50% of dilbit sinks making clean-up significantly more difficult if not impossible. We have no way of knowing what would happen if dilbit were to spill on our coast. The science isn’t there to allow for effective spill response and this was not reflected in the report.”

According to the report “Northern Gateway and other hearing participants did not agree on the behaviour of diluted bitumen spilled into water.”

Meanwhile, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has made it clear that “Behaviour models specific to dilbit spills do not exist, and existing commercial models for conventional oil do not allow parameter specific modifications.”

“Clearly the report did not do an adequate job of addressing the risks of dilbit on our coast.” says Adam Olsen. “We have a choice as British Columbians: We can continue to play Russian roulette with our pristine coastline, or we can stand up for British Columbia and put a moratorium on dilbit transport along our coast.”

Mat Wright – Press Secretary Andrew Weaver MLA

mat.wright@leg.bc.ca

1 250 216 3382

Media Statement December 19, 2013
Northern Gateway, Joint Review Panel – Conditional ‘Yes’
For immediate release

Victoria BC – Today the National Energy Board’s Joint Review Panel released its report to the Federal Cabinet on Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline. The panel’s conditional ‘yes’ is deeply concerning, considering the opposition by the BC Government, First Nations, environmental groups and the majority of the people of the province.

However, it is the 209 conditions that apply for the project to proceed which require emphasis. The Federal Cabinet must ensure that these conditions will be fully met before approving the project. It is unclear how the marine spill response conditions can be fully met, given the lack of scientific research and understanding of how diluted bitumen behaves in a marine environment.

“To date, not a single oil spill response study has adequately accounted for what would happen if DilBit were to spill in the ocean. The BC Government has said they require world class, effective spill response capacity, but don’t yet know how they will evaluate this. How can we possibly gauge how well prepared we are for a DilBit spill if the science, the studies and the evaluative criteria don’t even exist?” Andrew Weaver MLA

The question remains if the recommendations will meet the five requirements outlined by the BC Government, or even if the Northern Gateway Project itself can satisfy the conditions outlined by the Joint Review Panel. The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs remain firmly opposed, and their participation is vital for the project to move forward.

“It is deeply concerning that the Joint Review Panel has recommended the approval of the Northern Gateway Pipeline. The vast majority of British Columbians have made it clear they are opposed to the pipeline. My question to the Christy Clark is: Will you stand up for BC like you promised during the election and stop this pipeline, or will you stand by while the Federal government impose its will on our province?” Adam Olsen, Interim Leader BC Green Party

Mat Wright – Press Secretary Andrew Weaver MLA
mat.wright@leg.bc.ca
1 250 216 3382