Category: Other Updates

I have been so busy with local issues that I haven’t been paying close attention to the news, so thanks to Lucie McKiernan in Pamela Goldsmith-Jones constituency office for pointing this out.

A private member’s bill calling for a national framework to reduce plastic pollution in Canadian waters passed unanimously in the House of Commons on Dec. 5.

This is good, but it’s only a first step. We need the federal government to ban single use plastics, especially the deluge of packaging that’s stuffing landfills to bursting.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-mp-celebrates-tremendous-victory-as-plastics-pollution-motion-passes-house-1.4934361

CBC news reports: “… preparing for hotter, longer summers, rising sea levels and increased rainfall is a pressing concern for municipalities in British Columbia.”

Certainly this will be at the top of my agenda as we move into SCRD strategic planning in 2019.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/if-climate-change-is-inevitable-here-s-how-bc-can-survive-1.4926135

The Southern Sunshine Coast Ferry Advisory Committee is looking for volunteers interested in serving a four year term. The FAC meets several times a year with senior management of BC Ferries to talk about concerns and plans for the Langdale and Keats/Gambier routes.

Committee members are appointed by BC Ferries from community applicants. They want people who represent customer and stakeholder interests such as local government, First Nations, students, seniors, commercial/economic interests, tourism, Chamber of Commerce and community groups and organizations. Current and former BCF employees are not eligible.

If you are interested in applying for one of the vacancies on this committee, please contact the Chair, Diana Mumford, for an application form. sscferryadvisorycommittee@gmail.com

I just want to add that 6 of the 7 current members are men, so there is room for more gender balance!

The only winning scenario to keep global warming under 2 degrees celsius is “Smarter — transformational change.” And “transformational” means just that. We’ll have to change our whole way of living, not to mention our class structure, cities, politics and economy.

Good article by writer (and former Capilano U instructor) Crawford Kilian.

https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2018/10/24/Save-Life-On-Earth/

The Energy Step Code is a plan to take the BC Building Code from where it is today to where it needs to be by 2032 to increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions. The end goal is to reach net zero building emissions from new construction.

https://thetyee.ca/Presents/2018/11/05/Emission-Free-Buildings-Charting/

In this CBC story, a water treatment engineer describes how fires affect our water supply in the long term.

Emelko said it’s time Canadians stopped thinking solely in terms of fire suppression and water-treatment plants. As water demand increases, water security has to start where the water comes from, she said.

'Hard on water:’ Smoke not the only long-range effect of wildfires

The Agricultural Land Commission has been reviewing the situation of BC’s Agricultural Land Reserve and has issued a preliminary report with recommendations to “revitalize” and protect farmland in BC. The report urges the BC government to adopt an “agriculture first” priority for land use. Here’s an excerpt:

Read Report