Media

Media Statement April 13th 2014
Kitimat Vote a Clear Message Against Northern Gateway
For Immediate Release

Victoria BC – Andrew Weaver welcomes the vote by the residents of Kitimat B.C.to reject the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project. We also congratulate the Mayor and Council of Kitimat for pursuing a democratic process allowing the people directly affected by the terminal to voice their opinion. The 58% against the project is a clear message, and we urge governments at all levels to respect the people of Kitimat, and the majority of people in British Columbia, who oppose this pipeline, and the increased tanker traffic.

“No means No, not a pathway to yes. I wish to congratulate the Mayor and Council of Kitimat for allowing the plebiscite, and the residents for clearly demonstrating their opposition to Northern Gateway. I also urge all levels of government, especially the Federal Cabinet, to respect the decision.” said Andrew Weaver – MLA, Oak Bay – Gordon Head

Coastal First Nations, and those along the pipeline route, are unanimous in their opposition to Northern Gateway. The B.C. government is opposed to the pipeline and terminal saying Enbridge has failed to address fundamental questions in their submission to the National Energy Board hearings. Provincial wide polls have consistently shown the majority of people in B.C. are against the project, and now the people of Kitimat have expressed their opposition.

“This is another nail in the coffin for Northern Gateway. The people of Kitimat should be congratulated by everyone throughout the province for their determined stance. They weighed the environmental risks to the small economic benefits and made the right choice” said Adam Olsen, interim leader of the B.C. Green Party

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

Media Statement: April 9th, 2014
Minister says “No Plan to Intervene” in Esquimalt Sewage Plant Re-Zoning
For Immediate Release

Victoria BC – In the House Tuesday Andrew Weaver asked the Minister of Environment, The Honourable Mary Polak, if the government had any intention of intervening over Esquimalt council’s unanimous rejection of the Capital Regional District plans for a sewage treatment plant at McLoughlin Point.

The reply from the Minister was – “We have no plans to intervene”

“The Minister has been consistent with her message regarding the CRD since I first raised this question in the House last year. She has no plans to intervene, and the program funding is available through to the completion deadline of 2020. “ said Andrew Weaver

Draft Transcript from Hansard, Tuesday April 8^th, Afternoon Session, Committee A.

A Weaver: As the minister is aware, Esquimalt Council voted unanimously last night to reject the capital regional district rezoning request for McLoughlin Point for the sewage plant there. This comes, following considerable public engagement — four evenings of public consultation where only one person spoke in favour of the project, and many, many, many others spoke against it. The public consultation demonstrated there’s little, if any, support for the current plan.

My question is this: considering the CRD currently has no alternative site for the treatment plant and, in fact, Esquimalt have tasked staff with putting together information to rezone McLoughlin Point to not allow a sewage plant there, will the minister reassure residents of the region that the province will not intervene on the zoning unless the CRD proves all other options are exhausted?

Hon. M. Polak: I can assure the member that our position remains the same today as it has in the past. The federal government requires that they treat their sewage by 2020. This is an obligation that falls on the local governments. It’s unfortunate that they’ve reached this kind of an impasse.

I understand that CRD is meeting this week, perhaps even tomorrow, to discuss the implications. I’m not going to speculate on what might result from that, but we have no plans to intervene. We’ve said from the beginning that this is an issue that the local governments need to grapple with, understanding that they’re the ones who are obligated to begin treatment of their sewage. We have no plans to intervene

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

Media Statement: April 2nd, 2014
Andrew Weaver and BC Green Party Interim Leader Adam Olsen Approved as Intervenors in NEB Trans Mountain Pipeline Hearings

For Immediate Release

Victoria BC – The National Energy Board has issued the list of approved interveners and commentators for the upcoming hearings on the proposed Kinder Morgan – Trans Mountain pipeline project. Out of more than 2100 applicants, 1250 have been accepted to comment and 400 to submit evidence as intervenors and question the proponents, with the formal process to be completed by July 2015.

As the only British Columbia MLA to receive intervenor status, Andrew Weaver’s application was approved both as an individual with relevant information or expertise and as a representative of a directly affected group, the provincial constituency of Oak Bay-Gordon Head. As a scientist, Andrew Weaver will be able to directly question the current knowledge and research on the behavior of diluted bitumen in marine environments, and as a representative of Oak Bay – Gordon Head, he will be seeking input from his constituents as to their concerns about what the impact of greater tanker traffic and potential spills will have in their community.

“I believe that my constituents have the right to have their voices represented and their concerns addressed in these hearings. I look forward to engaging with the community on the potential impacts of this project.” said Andrew Weaver

Adam Olsen, Interim Leader of the BC Green Party, also received intervenor status and will be questioning the legality of the pipeline proposal under the Douglas Treaty and the risks to First Nations and commercial fishing should a spill occur.

“There has been a complete lack of meaningful consultation with First Nations by Kinder Morgan and the Government of Canada. We do not know the impacts on First Nations’ and commercial fisheries if a diluted bitumen spill were to happen on the south coast. There are serious questions to answer,” said Adam Olsen.

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

Media Statement: March 3rd, 2014
MLA Charts Own Path on Budget Vote – Andrew Weaver
For Immediate Release

Victoria BC – Andrew Weaver, MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head, voted today for Budget 2014 to proceed to the Committee of Supply. While the budget does not contain many of the priorities the BC Green Party is seeking, the tabling of a balanced budget offers a good starting point that Andrew Weaver, as the only BC Green Party MLA, can build on.

“This is certainly not a budget I would have tabled — that is why I continue to raise my concerns.  Yet the question for me is this: How can I best represent my constituents? Being an effective MLA is about more than just opposing for the sake of it — it is about being constructive and genuinely willing to work across party lines.”

The BC Green Party believes that living within our means is crucial as we build a more sustainable and equitable society. This budget lays out a balanced fiscal plan, which includes small steps towards reducing our debt. It does this while also substantially increasing funding for Community Living BC, and taking an innovative approach to funding research into cancer prevention with revenue generated from increasing the tobacco tax.

This budget also provides direct benefits to the constituents of Oak Bay-Gordon Head through the film tax credit, funding for Camosun College and an increase in the Property Transfer Tax exemption limit. These initiatives help make life slightly more affordable and open up new business opportunities for the region.

Yet while there are strong points in the budget, it falls short of offering a consistent vision for a transition to an economy where we live within our means. This budget does not do enough to directly address our social challenges, such as our country-leading child poverty rate, nor does it offer a concrete and consistent plan to meet our climate action targets, both of which are necessary to ensure that future generations are not burdened by the decisions we make today.

“We still need a back-up plan in case LNG development fails; we need a more consistent approach to making BC more affordable for families and to dealing with systemic issues like adolescent mental health; and we need to re-commit to our 2020 greenhouse gas reduction targets. However, as an individual MLA, I must make a decision about how best I can make a difference. With Budget 2014, I believe it starts by supporting the idea of a balanced budget and by constructively building on the small steps the budget takes to make life more affordable, while challenging the government to go further.”

A more comprehensive analysis of the budget can be found here.

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

Media Statement: February 18th, 2014
Budget Falls Short of a Diversified and Affordable Economy for British Columbians
For Immediate Release

Victoria BC While Budget 2014 rightly places an importance on living within our means, it falls short of providing a diversified and affordable economy for British Columbians.

“I applaud the Government for investing in new trades training facilities, for raising the threshold for exemption from the property transfer tax and for including the Capital Regional District in the Distant Location Tax Credit for the Film and Television industry,” says MLA Andrew Weaver. “These are clear steps in the right direction. Yet it is also clear that more can be done.”

The Government has described this as a status-quo budget at a time when BC continues to have the highest child poverty rate in the country and is quickly losing its leadership in addressing climate change.

The Government can address issues such as these by making smart investments in our Province and in our workforce, which provide real opportunities for British Columbians today, while ensuring that our children have the same opportunities we do. There are a number of examples of these solutions that link the decisions we make in our economy to our social and environmental needs, including

• U.S. states such as Washington and Oregon are already seeing the economic benefits of developing their clean energy sectors. With the establishment of a new BMW manufacturing facility for zero emission vehicles in Moses Lake, WA and a Google Data Centre in The Dalles, OR, these states have been placed “at the cutting edge of the technological revolution”, resulting in both job creation and economic diversity across the region. We could be doing this in B.C.
• Utah has succeeded in reducing homelessness by 78% in the last 8 years. They based this investment on studies that show a clear net economic benefit to society from addressing homelessness.
• As the social and economic impacts of storms linked to climate change increase, we could follow our Pacific Coast Action Plan partners and explore all means by which the provincial government may halt the expansion of thermal coal exports in British Columbia. This approach would be consistent with the province’s commitment to addressing climate change.

“We need to be taking steps like these in British Columbia. The fact is, the economic prosperity of BC depends on the transition of our economy to one where we live within our means. The opportunities that will be afforded to future generations will depend on our ability to make these investments today.” Said Andrew Weaver

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