Our first week back in Victoria this year has been marked by independent officers of the Legislature producing damning reports on BC Liberal government policy.

On our first day back, the Ombudsperson’s office released a scathing indictment of the government’s approach to seniors’ care, which contained 170 recommendations for improvement. The same day the government came up with its seniors’ package: a vague six point plan.

However it does include a U-turn for the BC Liberals: after years of saying the province does not need an independent seniors’ advocate, it now says it will create the position. The NDP has been calling for such an appointment for years and in fact last autumn we tabled a bill which would have allowed for the office to be created. To expedite the creation of the position, we tried to get the government to adopt our bill this week. But they refused. It will likely take months for a seniors’ advocate to be in place but hopefully it will happen and the office will be able to independently represent this growing section of our population.

When the government does want to move rapidly it can. The appointment of a Local Government Auditor General is a case in point. The government introduced a bill to create this role at the end of our session in the autumn and we were back debating it this week because the Liberals want the person in place by the start of the financial year in April. They are so certain that this is the right thing to do and so arrogant about the eventual passage of the bill that they have started the process which will be used to appoint the person to the job by establishing a special audit council.

I argued against this bill after talking with people in local government across the North Island constituency. Local governments already have a great deal of oversight and a number of checks and balances. This new Auditor General will not be an independent officer: She or he will report to a minister and the appointment is being made through a special council set up by Cabinet. To be truly independent, a person has to be appointed by a committee of the legislature and report not the to government but to the whole legislature. In other words, these independent positions are supposed to be non-partisan. It is estimated the office will cost a minimum of $2.6 million a year - enough money for two courtrooms.

We have highlighted the chaos in our courts system in question period. Despite another review being launched by the government (which puts the number of reviews of their own policies and legislation announced since the new premier took office at about 50) and the appointment of a few more judges, the system is still woefully understaffed and under-funded. A healthy judiciary is one of the cornerstones of a democratic society; allowing it to whither as this government has done for the last 11 years is, in itself, criminal.

The end of the week was marked by another harsh report, this one on the health of our forests. It was produced by the provincial (independent) Auditor General. It paints a picture of wilful neglect of one of our prime resources. Our forests should be an environmental and economic mainstay for our province. Nearly two thirds of our land base is forested and yet the Auditor General found that the government has no long term plan for it. Perhaps the plan is to liquidate the resource as quickly as possible. I asked about the increasing amount of log exports during question period on Thursday. BC statistics show that 5.5 million cubic metres of logs were shipped out, unprocessed, from the province last year. That’s equivalent to fully packed logging trucks, nose to tail all the way from Victoria to Thunder Bay, Ontario - a four day drive. Or to put it another way, it is roughly equal to full trucks bumper to bumper stretching from Campbell River to Victoria 137 times. It is no surprise given this reality that mills are opening in China while they are closing in BC.

I am part of a working group in the Opposition Caucus which is looking a forestry issues. We know we need to stabilise the industry and create jobs here, using our resource. We are on the road when the legislature is not sitting to talk with people about what they see as the opportunities for their communities and the province over the coming months and years. We start this weekend with a swing through the Island and the Sunshine Coast. Next weekend we’re going to be in the southern interior.

That means I won't be back in the constituency office for a few weeks, but I can always be reached by email at claire.trevena.mla@leg.bc.ca, by phone at 1 250 287 5100 in Campbell River, 1 250 949 9473 in Port Hardy, or 1 866 387 5100 toll free; or you can friend me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter @clairetrevena.

Best regards
Claire
 

As we near the end of 2011, I would like to take a few moments to reflect on what has been a significant year in BC politics then look to 2012. This year, both major parties elected new leaders, a referendum driven by the people overturned a highly unpopular tax and the conversation about inequality became unavoidable for the elites.

Both the new premier and the leader of the official opposition have been in their posts for about nine months now, enough time for their visions to be known to most people. From Premier Clark we have seen a switch from vague sloganeering about families first to rhetoric about job creation; from Adrian Dix we have heard about fighting inequality through a poverty reduction programme, assisting students through a grants system, ensuring CLBC meets people’s needs, and committing to a truly sustainable and resilient economy.

Campbell River has been chosen as a pilot for the government’s jobs plan. I join with others in hoping that jobs are created in our community and across the North Island and will work with organisations in Campbell River to try to diversify our economy. But the government has said the plan won’t come with any money. A government usually creates jobs by injecting funds into infrastructure - for example improving highways or building schools and hospitals. Campbell River is already working hard to try to find new opportunities and working together we should be able to attract new industry and new business - with or without a government slogans. There are still many rumours around the future of the mill site, but hopefully Catalyst’s decision and the future dispensation will benefit everyone.

Likewise the ‘real’ north island, the Mount Waddington area, is looking for opportunities to diversify, to attract people to live and work there. I am very pleased that some of the core problems facing the region are being addressed - with joint work on housing, on mental health and addictions. VIHA is committed to looking at new ways of providing health care in Port Hardy and I will work with the community to ensure that commitment is honoured. Likewise I am urging the Health Authority to resolve problems with lab services in Port Alice which have left people who have no transport of their own paying $250 to get a cab to get an x-ray or waiting by the side of Highway 19 on dark, cold winter mornings for a ride down island. Health care will continue to be a priority in the coming year as I am also working with the Hospital Stakeholder group I established to ensure that VIHA moves forward on its commitments to hospitals in our communities.

Everything is interconnected and most issues take political will - and continue to be a long political fight. Firstly, our ferry system. We are awaiting the report from the Ferries Commissioner but in my many meetings with the Minister of Transportation I have repeatedly stated that people in ferry dependent communities - which includes all of Vancouver Island - will accept nothing less than fares being rolled back.

Secondly is the question of internet access. In this age of instant mass communication we have people on wait lists for internet access in certain communities, because there is not the band width to accommodate them. What is high speed for the lower mainland is unimaginable on a crowded cable connection. However, Telus and both levels of government have been promising high speed access for everyone and one of the projects I will be working on in the 2012 is a constituency-wide push for improved internet access. High speed internet access is, for the early 21st Century, what electrification was to the early 20th Century.

Also in the New Year I will be working with the Opposition Forestry Critics and another opposition MLA whose riding is forestry dependent, as part of a Forestry Working Group. We will be travelling the province talking with people about the needs and opportunities within communities to ensure a strong and healthy forestry sector for our future.

I have been taking on a variety of issues with a variety of ministers recently, some of which include: developing parks on Quadra Island with the Minister of Environment; trying to prevent conflicts in a number of communities between those who want to log and residents and tourism operators with the Minister of Jobs and the Minister of Natural Resource Operations; and the huge problems facing developmentally disabled with the Minister of Social Development.

As critic for Children and Family Development I have been on the road quite a lot since the Legislature rose at the end of November with meetings in the Okanagan and the lower mainland as well as giving speeches on priorities and visiting MCFD facilities. Social workers, care workers, foster families and specialists are amazing in their work and their commitment: but we all must remember that children are our future and we have to do everything we can to protect and nurture them.

I will be taking some time off around Christmas and into the New Year. However you can always reach me at claire.trevena.mla@yahoo.ca, friend me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter @clairetrevena. The Campbell River office number is 1 250 287 5100 and our Port Hardy office - which will be open Wednesday and Thursday from the beginning of January can be reached on 1 250 949 9473

I hope that everyone has a very good Christmas, and that as we go into the new year we all commit to continuing to work for our neighbours and our communities to build a better tomorrow.

My best,
Claire
 

I’d like to start by congratulating everyone who ran for office last week: win or lose it shows a real dedication to your community to offer to work for the best interest of your communities for the next three years.

The fall session of the Legislature wrapped up Thursday, but there were many questions unanswered. One of the central ones for so many people is whether the government is really committed to getting rid of the HST. We went into the session with the strong referendum result which mandates the return to the GST and the PST: but even this week the BC Liberals would not commit to when that will happen. They are effectively shrugging off the will of the majority who have used their democratic right and voted for a swift end to the tax.

And the Premier has refused to answer questions she herself posed, when she was a radio talk show host, about the $6m pay out and cover up over the Basi Virk scandal; two Liberals who had their court costs covered by their Liberal government when the pleaded guilty. This week in question period we asked the Premier if she would give us those answers she was looking for a year ago, but she ignored it and left it to her Attorney General to continue the cover up.

This week also saw BC once again condemned nationally for our appalling level of child poverty. I joined our leader, Adrian Dix, in question period, asking for a commitment to a poverty reduction plan . We are one of two provinces which has shown no inclination to deal with the poverty in a systematic way: instead the BC Liberals provide us with slogans and gimmicks. We have again tabled our Povery Reduction Bill, which sets out a comprehensive plan to tackle this provincial disgrace.

Through this session we also proposed establishing a seniors advocate, the restoration of student grants, regulation of private post-secondary institutions, a sustainable development board and changes to the Pacific Carbon Trust so that schools and hospitals aren’t subsidizing large corporations.

As the session drew to a close we, for once, were not faced with the Liberal government using closure to force through its agenda. The bills that we have not finished discussing will be carried over into the spring session, and that will allow us to talk with people impacted by them. One of those which came right at the end of the session was for an Auditor General for Municipalities. I look forward to talking over the coming months, to returning and newly elected Mayors and councillors about the likely impact of such a move.

I was pleased to introduce into the House, the outgoing Mayor of Campbell River, Charlie Cornfield, who was in Victoria to push our comumunity’s agricultural opportunities and the outgoing and incoming Mayors of Tahsis, Corinne Dahling and Jude Schooner. I met with them and the Minister of Natural Resource Operations to discuss the serious concerns about an indpendent power project damaging the village’s water supply.

We spent much of the week in “committee” stage of a number of bills. This allows for a line by line examination of bills. In many legislatures, including Parliament in Ottawa, this is done by committees and often brings in outside experts; in BC it is carried out by individual MLAs asking the Minister responsible questions on sections of the bill. While it is an extremely important part of the deliberations, it does limit some of the analysis.

I asked questions on the Family Law Act, which puts a child’s best interest at the centre of decision making when it comes to such issues as separation and guardianship; it also underlines the damage and danger of family violence to the child. I was concerned about the resources being put to ensure the legislation works: for the training of mediators, for the financial support so families can access the services, and for translation for immigrant women and their children. While we support the new law, I remain concerned there will not be the money there to make it accessible. I also used the opportunity to again raise concerns about the massive cuts to legal aid, inflicted by the Liberal government.

We passed the Nurse Practitioners Act and we discussed the Regulatory Reporting Act. The latter requires government to publish an annual report of regulatory accountability; we questioned the need for this act since the government can publish reports without it; our fear is that it is an attempt to further obfuscate deregulation. Some may remember when the now minister of Finance was the Minister for Deregulation and the cuts we saw in legitimate regulations which protect the environment, health, safety and workers rights.

We found ourselves in support of a Finance Statutes Act which streamlines the federal and provincial student loan programmes. However we used the opportunity to emphasise how outrageously costly post secondary education has become in BC: on average a graduate enters the workforce with a debt of $27,000. We are advocating eliminating interest rates on student loans. We should look to other jurisdictions where young people are not burdened with debt when they get an education. I have the pleasure of talking with the North Island College Board of Governors next week and am sure will have some debate about the affordability and accessibility of education.

We won’t be back in Victoria until February, which gives me time to get back into the constituency and to do work on my critic file. I am at a conference in Vancouver with the non-profit sector on Friday and back in Campbell River for meetings Saturday. Next week sees me in the constituency for the first part of the week and then Thursday and Friday off for critic meetings; I’ll be up island Saturday and the beginning of the following week. If you can’t keep up with my calendar you can always call me: 250 287 5100 in Campbell River; 1 866 387 5100 toll free. The phones are going in to the Port Hardy office next week - so we’ll have the numbers and opening hours then. And of course you can email me at claire.trevena.mla@leg.bc.ca. Facebook friend me, or follow me on Twitter @clairetrevena.

Best regards,
Claire