Media Release

Media Release – December 17th, 2013
Intervener Application for Kinder Morgan/Trans Mountain Pipeline Review

For Immediate Release

Victoria BC – Oak Bay-Gordon Head MLA Andrew Weaver and BC Green Party Interim Leader Adam Olsen will seek intervener status in the forth coming National Energy Board hearings on the proposed Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

If approved the new pipeline would triple existing capacity from 300,000 to 890,000 barrels per day of diluted bitumen (DilBit) that would be transported from a delivery terminal near Edmonton, Alberta to a Kinder Morgan facility in Burnaby, BC. The proposed capacity is nearly double that of the Northern Gateway pipeline that has sparked so much opposition in B.C., with a capacity of 525,000 barrels per day.

The piped DilBit is for export, which will dramatically increase tanker traffic through Burrard Inlet, the Salish Sea, and Straight of Juan De Fuca—some of the most pristine, and economically significant, coastal environments in the province.

The City of Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson has noted an “unacceptable risk” over the dangers of a pipeline rupture, or tanker incident, which would have a profound economic and environmental impact on the metro region. These concerns have been echoed by First Nations, municipalities, environmental organizations and British Columbian’s along the pipeline and tanker routes.

“There is no science on how DilBit behaves if spilled into a marine environment. The risk is simply too high, and we should not be approving a project hoping that sometime in the future the capacity will be available to deal with a land- or sea-based DilBit disaster. Oak Bay-Gordon Head beaches and coastline face that tanker route; I will testify on the concerns being raised by my constituents” Andrew Weaver MLA

“The NEB hearings on Northern Gateway showed how Enbridge failed to adequately consult the people of British Columbia. We need to ensure everyone affected by the pipeline and tanker routes has the opportunity to have their say” Adam Olsen, Interim Leader, BC Green Party

The National Energy Board hearings will likely begin early in 2014 and could last up to 15 months. Kinder Morgan’s application comes ahead of the Joint Review Panel’s much anticipated decision on the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline, which is will be released on Thursday, December 19^th..

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

Media Statement December 16 2013
Local Solar Company Wins Award
For immediate release

Supporting Renewable Energy

Victoria BC – A Victoria based solar technology company has been awarded Canadian Distributor of the Year by the Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA). HES-PV sold over 1000 home and commercial solar systems in 2013, one of over 650 companies in Canada heading towards a goal of generating 3.48 GW, enough energy to power 350 000 homes, by 2018.

“Despite the low electricity prices in Canada, the trend to take control of rising energy costs is made much easier for consumers since solar electric power has become so affordable. The cost of residential solar systems has dropped 40% over the past three years due to the global solar boom, and more Canadians are taking advantage of this technology” Dave Egles, founder HES

While recognizing the success of programs and initiatives like Solar Colwood (www.solarcolwood.ca) in the Capital Regional District, and others around the province and country, the patchwork of incentives at the municipal, provincial and federal level make it difficult for consumers to access clean energy technologies.

The renewable energy sector has enormous potential to reduce energy costs for residences and commercial operations, and to produce quality, well paid, jobs in all regions of British Columbia.

“I am delighted that a constituent Dave Egles and his company HES-PV have received this well-deserved award. I’ve recently toured two of his impressive installations in the riding of Oak Bay Gordon Head.  Across British Columbia, clean technology companies have the potential to stimulate BC’s economy through innovation and job creation. This is a sector that deserves much greater support from all levels of government as we transition towards a resilient and sustainable 21^st century economy” Andrew Weaver MLA.

About HES-PV – HES-PV is a Victoria based technology company, specializing in solar electric systems for homes and businesses.  HES sold over 1000 systems in 2013, with a power production equivalent to the electrical needs of 1000 homes.  HES also has facilities in Barrie Ontario, and participates in Ontario’s FIT and MicroFIT programs with large scale solar installations to help Ontario fulfill its commitment to replace its coal fired generation with clean renewable energy.  Its’ founder, Dave Egles, started in the solar industry as the first commercial applications were being developed in 1988.  He connected the first Net Metered Grid-Connected Solar House in BC that joined BC Hydro’s Net Metering Program. HES has a staff of 25 people.

Contact: Dave Egles degles@hespv.com 250-882-1533.

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

British Columbia presently mines, transports and ships metallurgical coal used in the steel industry in Asia. These are where B.C. jobs are focused. However, the proposed Port Metro Vancouver, Texada Island and even recent Prince Rupert expansion of coal exports, is largely for thermal coal produced in the United States that is burned to produce electricity. North American markets are drying up for this thermal coal due to an explosion of shale gas production. Shale gas burns much cleaner and more efficiently than coal. Even China recently announced plans to significantly reduce their use of coal.

Washington, Oregon and California have all said no to the export of this excess thermal coal through their ports. So should British Columbia.

This is not about lost B.C. jobs or economic growth. It’s about turning the Best Place on Earth or Beautiful British Columbia into a petro province and the message that this sends internationally.

The premier recently toured Asia touting B.C. natural gas as a means of reducing Asian greenhouse gas emissions arising from the burning of thermal coal. Even in the case of Japan, which is shutting down its nuclear reactors, the premier is arguing that B.C. should earn credits for potential greenhouse gas reductions. She argues that Japan could build coal-fired electricity plants if they don’t switch to natural gas — arguably a bit like me saying “give me a credit or I’ll buy an SUV instead of a hybrid.”

The B.C. government needs to be consistent with its approach to greenhouse gas management. We need to send a strong signal to the market that our principles: that the well-being of future generations of British Columbians are not for sale.

But this isn’t just about saying no to development. We can instead promote real opportunities for the growth of stable, well-paid BC jobs.

The Port of Prince Rupert is the third largest port on the west coast of North America and the closest to Asia. Prince Rupert also benefits from having the lowest-grade passes through the Coast and Rocky mountain ranges. This means that ships can get to Asia three days faster than from any other North American port, and trains can be longer, and burn less diesel, as they transport goods eastward.

The modern Fairview container facility built in 2007 is a highly efficient direct ship-to-train system used for both importing and exporting goods to and from Asia.  Most of the exports are wood products, grains, metals, and other resources and most of the imports are manufactured goods (see Figure).

Figure: Prince Rupert cargo category exports (left) and imports (right) by percentage of total. Source: Prince Rupert Harbour Authority.

The potential for job growth at this port is profound. Presently the container facility does not have a capacity for destuffing and restuffing containers upon their arrival from Asia. Let’s suppose a company like Walmart or Costco wants a large order of fridges, stoves, ipods, kettles, shoes and cell phones all manufactured in China. Right now, containers would come into the Port of Prince Rupert; they would be loaded onto a train and shipped to east or to the mid-west US where destuffing/restuffing would occur (in Chicago, for example). There is no reason why the containers couldn’t be destuffed and all of the Walmart or Costco orders restuffed together in their own containers in Prince Rupert instead of in Chicago. Such a process would involve hundreds of jobs and would give North American distributors faster and potentially less costly access to their inventory.

So together let’s say no to coal and yes to jobs.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Statement—December 5, 2013

Andrew Weaver calls on Island Health to delay implementation of new Patient Care Model

Victoria BC – Andrew Weaver, MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head, has called on Island Health to delay the implementation of their new patient care model, titled Care Delivery Model Redesign (CDMR), until comprehensive, independent and publically-available evaluations can be completed.

CDMR is Island Health’s controversial approach to redesigning nursing care at island hospitals. It is scheduled to be implemented at Royal Jubilee and Victoria General Hospitals in the New Year. Under CDMR, Island Health would implement a team-based nursing approach between Registered Nurses (RNs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) and Health Care Aids (HCAs), with HCAs playing a significantly larger role in patient care delivery.

According to Island Health, the new model will address strains on the system while increasing the individual care time a patient receives. However, critics argue that the new model is overly focused on cutting costs and will put patients at risk. They argue that nurses will be stretched too thin to provide adequate care to patients, making one RN responsible for up to 10 to 12 patients, and that Health Care Aids do not have the necessary training to safely take on this larger role.

“Health care professionals are raising serious concerns about CDMR, research suggests it could be problematic, and its impact on our health care system could be significant,” says Andrew Weaver. “Yet while Island Health states that CDMR is an evidence-based approach to health care, they have not released their evidence for public scrutiny.”

In response to concerns raised by several constituents, Andrew Weaver met with executives from Island Health, the British Columbia Nurses Union and the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia last week.

“I applaud Island Health’s efforts to find new and innovative ways to more effectively and efficiently meet patients’ care needs. However, major changes like CDMR should be grounded in evidence. It is for this reason that I have written to Dr. Brendan Carr, President and CEO of Island Health, to request the following:

1. That further roll-out of CDMR, including all plans at Victoria General and Royal Jubilee Hospitals, be delayed until comprehensive, independent and publically-available evaluations of CDMR can be completed.
2. That relevant stakeholders, including representatives of BC’s Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses, be further involved in the evaluation of current CDMR pilots as well as in the development of future plans involving the realignment of care teams.”

For background on CDMR, please click here.

Media Enquiries please contact:
Mat Wright – Press Secretary – Andrew Weaver MLA
Mat.wright@leg.bc.ca
Mobile (1) 250 216 3382

BoardVoice is dedicated to improving social services to people in their communities. We do this by speaking to government and to our communities about the importance of social services to the health and well being of our citizens, bringing to their attention key concerns and issues, and telling the good news about the work of community based social service agencies.

We promote excellence in governance by connecting board members from across the province and providing resources that assist in developing their boards.

We help build bridges between agencies at the community level to ensure community-wide understanding of how best services should be organized and delivered. Board Voice.ca

On Friday November 22nd, at the Board Voice conference in Vancouver BC, Andrew Weaver, MLA for Oak Bay – Gordon Head provided his thoughts in a keynote speech to delegates.

Board Voice Conference Speech

“We live in a province of opportunity. Not opportunity that is handed to us, but opportunity that we create. We live in an time where the challenges of today are no longer addressed by the solutions of yesterday, and so we are called upon to find new solutions to new challenges—to create new opportunities—so that together we can continue to build a more prosperous, equitable and just society.

We have heard the Liberal government talk of a generational opportunity to develop a liquefied natural gas sector in BC. Today, I would like to propose that we have another generational opportunity in front of us; a generational opportunity to rethink how we address the social challenges that for years have afflicted British Columbians—our families, friends, neighbours, and ourselves.

To do so, we must start by recognizing the reality around us. We are working in a context of budget cuts and core reviews, growing social issues and an economy that is still bouncing back from the 2008 recession. It is a context of limited resources and significant challenges where we do not have the luxury or the resources to address social, environmental or economic issues as if they are isolated siloes — each independent from the other. We have tried this for years, and it does not work.

Addressing these issues in a context of limited resources requires us to move beyond the traditional framework that a social issue is social, and an economic issue is economic.

Instead we are required to find those nexus points that wed the economic, the social and the environmental into a coherent and comprehensive framework for developing our society. Developing these nexus points requires the political will to steer our society in that direction. And that is what I would like to talk to you about today: Nexus points and political will.

What do I mean by this?

Tomorrow morning, you’ll be hearing more about what Alberta’s Social Policy Framework entails and how the Government of Alberta developed this framework. Board Voice is advocating for a similar social policy framework for BC. I believe this is an idea that has merit and deserves attention. But I would challenge us to take it one step further.

As you all know, our ability to fund and implement a social policy framework is contingent on a strong economy that provides the resources to do so. In turn, building a strong economy is contingent on addressing social issues and on the sustainable management of our environment and the resources it affords to us.

There are countless examples of where our attempts to develop the economy have caused significant social or environmental challenges, and vice versa. We need to build a framework that does not simply address social issues alongside the economic development plan, but one that integrates social issues into, and weds them with, economic development and the sustainable management of the environment.

We need to find the nexus points that allow us to move all three aspects forward for the benefit of British Columbia. These nexus points exist, but finding and developing them requires the political will to do so, and therein lies a significant challenge.

How do we create the political will to not simply take the easy way out and focus solely on a single issue, like the economy, but instead to explore those nexus points between the economy, social issues and the environment? This is where, I believe, the Albertan example can offer some guidance.

In creating their social policy framework, the government of Alberta reached out to over 31,000 Albertans in order to get their feedback. This process offered Albertans the opportunity to define Alberta’s social priorities and values in a comprehensive, holistic, and inclusive manner.

As an example, let me highlight two of the social policy goals that were identified as a priority in the framework:

(1) protect the vulnerable, and (2) reduce inequality.

These are goals derived from the people of Alberta, not the government of Alberta, nor Alberta’s governing party. And they are goals that are now being addressed as a part of a comprehensive social policy framework, because Albertans had the opportunity to raise their priorities thereby generating a social license and building political will.

The large-scale public consultation was a critical aspect of creating a social license and building political will. We could and should do the same in British Columbia.

I believe the rationale for having such a framework also exists in British Columbia. In particular let me draw your attention to the three central reasons for the implementation of Alberta’s Social Policy. Paraphrasing, they were:

(1) to clarify the priorities and goals of Albertans and how roles and responsibilities should be allocated,

(2) to coordinate and harmonize activities between government divisions and also with other stakeholders while also ensuring that there is policy alignment and consistency, and

(3) to provide overall direction and focus to planning and decision-making.

To be sure, the Albertan example is not perfect. There was criticism of both the public consultation and the framework itself and the Albertan context is quite different from the British Columbian context. But nonetheless, let’s consider these goals in the context of British Columbia and let’s do that through the lens of a specific issue: adolescent mental health care.

We have a chronically underfunded adolescent mental health care system. In fact, the Representative of Children and Youth does not even consider it a system, so much as a patchwork of services. These services are primarily offered by two ministries: the Ministry of Children and Family Development and the Ministry of Health.

The problem is, because they are offered by two ministries with insufficient coordination of care, many young people experiencing mental health issues, and their families, struggle to navigate the services and find the support they need. Effective coordination and harmonization of services is lacking and that reality is having a negative impact on our ability to deal with adolescent mental health problems.

This situation has both social and economic consequences. Socially, it means that many people in need of care are not getting the care they deserve. The significant distress and impact this lack of care has on the individual is impossible to put a number to, but sadly we all know from recent cases, just how far it can go.

Economically, mental health problems and illness are estimated to cost our province more than $6 billion each year through service costs and lost productivity. This amount does not include costs related to the criminal justice, education or child welfare systems. The longer we put off effectively treating mental health care issues, the more we suffer the long-term economic consequences of our inaction. Better coordination and harmonization of services—through a comprehensive framework—could allow for more effective allocation of public resources, making economic sense, and for more effective treatment, making social sense.

Taking this further, right now the Liberal government is administering what they call a core review. Their goal is to use public resources more efficiently by eliminating unnecessary spending. Yet issues such as better coordination and harmonization of services and long-term planning that would see the better treatment of mental health as both a smart social, and a smart economical, choice are not being fully considered.

They are not being fully considered, in part, because we see mental health as a social issue—one that is secondary to the government’s primary economic agenda. We have siloed mental health into the social realm and have failed to see that, in its essence, adolescent mental health is also an economic issue and that developing a strong economy also requires that we address what we have traditionally seen to be simply social challenges.

We need to change that. We need to build the political will for a triple-bottom-line understanding of these issues—one that looks for those nexus points and uses them to move our province forward.

Although it remains to be seen how effective the Alberta example will be, I do think there is value to considering their approach. In fact, I believe the public consultation process that Alberta ran could also serve British Columbia as we consider our own framework. It could help us define for our own government, what our priorities as citizens are and what their priorities as a government should be.

Yet, I would challenge us all to see this not simply as an opportunity to address the social challenges of our time, but also as an opportunity to create a more holistic vision for British Columbia, generated by the people of this province, and predicated on triple-bottom line priorities and finding key nexus points of interaction.

Addressing social issues, building a strong economy, and sustainably managing our environmental resources—these are significant and interconnected societal challenges that must be dealt with as such. And creating the political will to see these issues as interconnected and address them in that way is our challenge.

I believe meeting this challenge will require us to transcend partisan politics and go to the root of what matters to British Columbians. An independent, public consultation offers us the opportunity to accurately reflect the true values and priorities of British Columbians without the interference of partisan politics. And it ultimately builds the social license required to implement the resulting policies.

Thank you very much for your time and for affording me the opportunity to speak.”

Andrew Weaver – MLA for Oak Bay – Gordon Head