Recently the people of Mackenzie once again held a rally to stand up for their community. My thoughts are with them and everyone who has been impacted by the mill curtailment. I know this is a difficult time for people. I come from a mill town myself, and the situation in Mackenzie triggers memories of […]
Jobs and Economy
COVID-19 Supply Hub: Connecting B.C. Businesses to the Frontline of a Pandemic
In mid-March, Jason Zanatta was facing a difficult choice. With orders in to his Coquitlam textile factory drying up as COVID-19 shut down demand, there didn’t seem to be a way to stay open and keep workers on the payroll through the tough times that were coming. However, with some ingenuity and dedication, and the support […]
Celebrating Labour Day
For many British Columbians, the first Monday of September is a chance to enjoy a long weekend, mark the end of summer, and prepare for the start of the new school year. However, let’s not forget why we call this annual holiday Labour Day. The origins of Labour Day can be traced to 1872 when […]
Local flavours, straight from the farm to your table
Perched next to the Courtenay River stands a rustic heritage building, which is home to one of my favourite restaurants, Locals. When it opened in 2008, with award-winning chef Ronald St. Pierre at the reigns, it was the first restaurant in the city devoted to showcasing local food and drink. When I eat at […]
Standing up for our coast
B.C.’s beautiful coast has long been a part of our community identity, an economic driver, and an international tourist destination. Ten of thousands of jobs rely on this space being clean and well protected. As a Burnaby resident, I share in the community’s concern over another spill. Many will remember that in 2007, there was […]
CleanBC Supports Affordable, Lower-Carbon Living
On Bowen Road in Nanaimo, there’s a building complex that doesn’t look quite like anything else around it: Nuutsumuut Lelum, a new joint housing project from the Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre and BC Housing, is cedar-sided and built to an internationally recognized ultra-efficient energy use standard called “Passive House”. It’s a new home to 25 Indigenous […]
Making sure you are safe at work
Ensuring the safety of workers was one of the reasons I first became politically active, and it will always be an issue I care about. For decades, farmworkers were left out of any legislated labour protections. Unfortunately, it was common for workers to be severely injured or even killed as a result of unsafe working […]
Supporting B.C. craft beer grows local jobs, strengthens communities
B.C.’s craft brewing industry is growing by leaps and bounds, enticing visitors to all parts of the province, and bringing economic growth to our communities. This has been especially true along the Sunshine Coast, where many breweries have set the bar for quality, all the while reinvigorating entire neighbourhoods. This October is the eighth-annual B.C. […]
Ensuring Our Communities Have the Infrastructure They Need
British Columbia is a geographically large province, with diverse and important infrastructure needs. From transportation to education, healthcare to housing, public infrastructure allows us to provide the services people need, all while building our economy. Government has a responsibility to invest in provincial infrastructure, apprenticeships and skills training and we know communities from the coast […]
The Importance of the Arts in B.C.
The first time I ever played guitar and sang in front of an audience, I was so nervous that I was shaking. The song I played was Neil Young’s “It’s a Dream”. I had heard that song performed by a brother and sister duo at the 2008 Port Moody Festival of the Arts, the same […]
Bringing back Buy BC to strengthen communities and grow jobs
Bringing back Buy BC to strengthen communities and grow jobs Buy BC champions local produce and the hard-working agrifood workers who supply them. My dad – born and raised in Trail – ate an apple a day every day of his life. Even when he became ill with dementia, he never went a day […]
Help is On the Way: Making life better for B.C.’s lowest paid workers
Hard-working British Columbians who work for low wages face incredibly difficult situations every day; decisions around whether to purchase groceries or pay rent, buy next month’s bus pass or pay this month’s hydro bill. I believe hard work deserves fair reward, but right now 400,000 British Columbians are getting paid less than $15 an hour […]