Category Archives: op-ed
Government should Govern, says Coons
I believe, as I think most people out there do, that it is the job of the government to govern. Governing is done from our provincial Legislature in Victoria. By abandoning the fall session Premier Campbell and his Liberal MLAs … Continue reading
Filed under op-ed
Education Must Be a Priority
September is here again, and I have been working closely with our Education Critic, Norm Macdonald, to examine the issue of education in our rural communities. Like me, Norm has experience as a teacher, which gives him the background … Continue reading
Climate Action Team recommends more efficient port strategy
Although I have disagreed in the past with some of the actions recommended by Gordon Campbell’s Climate Action Team in the past, I found a few items in their latest report that I hope that this government will see the … Continue reading
A World According to the First Nations Ten Commandments
Lately, I’ve been thinking about the kind of world I’d like to see, and what it would take to make that world a reality. I think, having recently discovered the First Nations Ten Commandments (in the Elders Gathering program) that … Continue reading
Filed under First Nations, op-ed, social issues
Current Plans for Unprecendented Activities in the Skeena Watership Threaten Stocks
A report was released, recently, by the Skeena Independent Science Panel, and while it didn’t create big headlines in the major daily newspapers, it did generate a lot of talk and press here on the north coast. The recommendations made … Continue reading
Filed under environment, op-ed
A Framework for Real Climate Action
This is an important time in history; we must act as a region, as a province and as a country to address the consequences of our current dependence on oil. It isn’t going to be easy, that is why we … Continue reading
Filed under environment, op-ed
Closure
By now, you’ve heard that the Campbell government used closure to ram through eight pieces of legislation on the last sitting day May 29. Closure is the parliamentary equivalent of taking your ball and going home as soon as the … Continue reading
Filed under op-ed
We have a responsibility to take care of all our citizens
I recently read a report put together by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives that shed light on the unfortunate and depressing reality facing people on welfare in this province. Most of the people that the study looked at were … Continue reading
Filed under op-ed, social issues
Environmental Decisions Shouldn’t Be Made In Secrecy
Anyone who knows me and the policy stances I’ve taken over the course of my time as MLA knows that I place high priority on the environment and I am a staunch defender of industries like commercial fishing and tourism … Continue reading
Filed under environment, op-ed
Healthy Ecosystems make Healthy Economies
The sooner we all accept that a healthy ecosystem is a key to a healthy local economy, the sooner we can work towards balancing our communities with the environment that surrounds them. Here, in Prince Rupert, I think people have … Continue reading
Filed under economy, environment, op-ed