The BC Premier called a snap election in October 2020 during a pandemic, violating his
previous working agreement with the Green party, in order to obtain a majority government. That government is expected to sit 7 December 2020. This letter (emailed to BC NDP MLA’s, MPs and Greens) is a review of the BC government’s ongoing ecocide and genocide to inform/remind both the new and the returning Members of the Legislative Assembly. During his campaign, the Premier promised $1000 to every BC family. Now, following the election, there is a cap on eligible income and those funds are being called pandemic relief.
Welcome back to work or welcome to your new job, as the case may be. You have a lot of work to do.
CleanBC
More and more people are realizing what a joke CleanBC is. It fails to mention Hydro’s corporate subsidiary Powerx (secret and exempt from FOI) which buys foreign dirty energy. Also extensive BC fracking, well-known to be health threatening, further contradicts BC government spin touting CleanBC. Revenues from accelerating fossil fuel production no longer exist, royalties are disappearing, emissions are increasing. Taxpayers are on the hook for administration and cleanup costs. Whom do you think you’re kidding?
Old-Growth Forest
Many lovers of BC (as well as BCers demanding unlogged watersheds so they have clean drinking water) — too many to name — are now aware of and outraged at this issue. Many have noticed your stalling tactics of striking committees, apparently seeking feedback and waiting for reports while you resist a logging moratorium and meanwhile furiously log as much as you are able. No wonder Donaldson left. Stop it.
Site C
This site is actively endangering workers with both geotechnical problems (which should have been dealt with way before now) and covid. Again the stalling tactic of waiting for reports has been used. Many scientists have pointed out the dangers, others have pointed out how the ever-escalating costs will severely ding the ratepayer. Most recently, Hydro just “gave the finger” (quoted from the Tyee article) to the BCUC which is supposed to oversee it. Stop it.
LNG & UNDRIP
Your main LNG partner, Shell Oil, recently created a major backlash by trying to reverse fossil fuel responsibility to citizens. No doubt this will severely impact the LNG image. Just goes to show citizens are now highly informed about fossil fuels. Add to that the tanking LNG market. And don’t forget the LNG invasion of Wet’suet’en land is another instance of Canadian colonialism.
Nationwide action against said colonialism is being suggested and your empty/unactioned UNDRIP promises mark you as part of the colonial camp. Rightly so. Especially as you contest Nuchatlaht land title in the courts. Your empty song and dance about lots of work to do is getting very old. A glossy, mainstream, Toronto women’s magazine has bestowed their Women of the Year title on the Wet’suet’en matriarchs. Like many, they obviously don’t believe your spin. Smarten up.
Wildlife
More empty promises have left BC without a species-at-risk law. Watching the furious logging of caribou habitat, this appears to be another of your stalling tactics. (Not updating your five-year-old report on caribou, which repeatedly mentions missing data, is no doubt also part of that stalling.) Substituting non-lethal predator control (scientifically supported since at least 2017 but of course you probably have also neglected studying that) would save the costs of wolf snipers and helicopters and likely save wildlife, livestock and even human lives.
Conservation officers reportedly seem to alternate between inaction and thuggery. Some years ago, Judge Wally Oppal recommended removing thugs from private security and BC began regulation through Security Programs. You might consider similar human relations training for Conservation officers. Might save you/taxpayers some lawsuit costs. Last I heard there were at least two lawsuits pending against BCCOS. Yeah, yeah, they’re working on more BCCOS transparency etc we hear. You really need to find a different tactic than stalling. It’s becoming a trademark.
Backlog
After three years in government, the BC NDP can no longer blame the BC Liberals. There has been more than enough time to clean up their messes. In addition to the neglected forestry, caribou, predator control and species-at-risk data mentioned above, the policies and waste products of mining require immediate attention. Government website input-seeking dated September 21 2019 suggests the same old stalling tactic. Meanwhile the Mount Polley disaster went unpunished and unmitigated, lake dumping was allowed and Canadian Indigenous as well as downstream Americans are suffering the effects of BC mining pollution. Yet another BC NDP example of industry prioritized over human and environmental health.
Spine
The BC premier has repeatedly demonstrated his anti-environmentalism to the point that some of us wonder if all NDP, including federal NDP, are interested in only votes and industry. The BC premier needs to be challenged/educated to prioritize human and environmental health over industry, and he is actively resistant to same. Apparently none of the old guard have enough spine/ethics to do so, not even the former Executive Director of the BC Sierra Club. Presumably the newbie NDP MLAs attracted to this BC NDP, share this lack of spine/ethics. Change my mind.
Mandate
Record-low voter turnout plus a monetary bribe during a pandemic hardly constitute a mandate from the people of BC. You would do well to counter Horgan’s cockiness with genuine attention to what your employers, the people of BC, say. Many are waiting to see what promises the BC NDP break this time around.
