Andrew Weaver: A Climate for Hope
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My initial statement on the 2017 Speech from the Throne

February 14, 2017 By Andrew Weaver Comments are Off Issues Blog, Media, Media Release, Uncategorized

Statement from Weaver on 2017 Speech from the Throne
For immediate release
February 14th, 2017

Victoria B.C. – B.C. Green Party Leader and MLA for Oak Bay Gordon Head Andrew Weaver released the following statement in response to the 2017 Speech from the Throne:

“The government started the throne speech with the words ‘Your government has a plan’. They spent the next forty minutes congratulating themselves for their past actions. Clearly, there was no plan and they have no plan. The BC Liberals are out of ideas and out of touch with the issues facing ordinary British Columbians.”

“While the government boasts about our economy, most people are experiencing more and more financial uncertainty. The government is patting itself on the back, rather than watching the backs of British Columbians who are trying to figure out how they’re going to pay the bills. And what the government isn’t saying is that we have a precarious economy driven by an out of control real estate market.”

“The BC Liberals have not articulated a plan for the future. Essentially, their message is ‘trust us’, we’ll  keep doing more of the same. They toss around numbers as evidence without the full context or broader perspective of where these numbers came from. Things aren’t as rosy as their cherry-picked alternate facts would have you believe.”

“What’s ironic with the throne speech is that when the BC Liberals talk about taking action, it’s to solve the very problems that they created in the first place. The affordability crisis should have been addressed years ago, when I first raised it in the house. Instead their inaction is turning Vancouver into a playground for the wealthy.”

“Now that an election is around the corner, the BC Liberals are counting their votes. They’ve realized that British Columbians are looking for change. So rather than outlining a principled path forward that benefits all British Columbians, the BC Liberals cynically undertake political calculations to determine what messaging the should use. It’s say whatever it takes for the BC Liberals.”

“It’s time for a real change. The BC Green Party is offering a vision that is based on principles and evidence, and that puts people first. British Columbians deserve a government that will face the truth of our reality – one that will lead forward with conviction and a long-term plan.”

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Media contact
Mat Wright, Press Secretary, Office of Andrew Weaver, MLA
+1 250-216-3382 | mat.wright@leg.bc.ca

My statement on BC NDP climate action plan and BC Liberal response

February 2, 2017 By Andrew Weaver 1 comment Environment, Issues Blog, LNG, Media, Media Release

Statement on BC NDP climate action plan & B.C. Liberal response
February 2nd, 2017
For immediate release

Vancouver, B.C. – Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green Party, has released the following statement on the B.C. NDP climate action plan and the B.C. Liberal response. Weaver is in Vancouver today and available for interviews from 2:45 to 6:00pm.

“What we just saw today is the reason why I got into politics. Climate change is one of the biggest economic and social issues facing our province, and we need politicians from all parties working towards real solutions.

“Yet sadly we see the Liberals leaking a memo to try to undermine climate action and the NDP releasing a plan that is more of a communications exercise than substantive policy.

“Neither party are asking: What do we really need to do to address climate change and how do we get it done? The BC Liberals have largely abandoned their climate leadership under Christy Clark, while the NDP are only committing to do the bare minimum that is required by the federal government.

“Let’s be honest. The NDP plan is not a Made in BC solution. Their plan is based around federal measures that were designed to achieve targets that were set by Stephen Harper.  I have worked in this field for 25 years. Their plan will not reduce carbon emissions if they also intend to support the LNG industry. The two simply do not go hand-in-hand.

“British Columbians can count on the BC Green Party to put forward an evidence based policy that will build on our unique strengths as a province, grow our economy and tackle climate change.”

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Media contact
Mat Wright, Press Secretary
+1 250-216-3382 | mat.wright@leg.bc.ca

Calling for the Resignation of B.C. Minister of Environment

October 27, 2016 By Andrew Weaver 18 comments Enbridge, Energy and Mines, Environment, First Nations, Issues Blog, Kinder Morgan, Media, Media Release, Pipelines

Media Statement: October 27th, 2016
Weaver Calls for the Resignation of B.C. Minister of Environment
For Immediate Release

Victoria, B.C. – “I do not call for this lightly. I have spent my career in the climate science field advising provincial, federal, and international governments on their climate policies. Never in my life have I witnessed a government using such outrageous rhetoric to describe subpar efforts to protect the environment,” said Andrew Weaver, MLA for Oak Bay – Gordon Head and Leader of the B.C. Green Party.

“The ministry’s responsibilities have too often been neglected, forcing citizens to step in and try to protect the environment themselves. British Columbians have been left investigating and mitigating the impacts of environmental tragedies like what happened at the Mt. Polley mine, the Shawnigan contaminated soil facility, and the Bella Bella diesel spill with their own time and money, often employing the courts to force the Ministry to do their job,” said Weaver. “This government’s policy continues to put vested and private interests ahead of their responsibilities they have to the people of British Columbia.

“I now lack confidence in Minister Polak to uphold the obligations outlined in her ministerial mandate letter. As such, I am calling for her to be replaced by a minister who will stand up for the people of B.C. and the water and environment that we all rely on.

“The absence of a real climate policy, the reaction to the Mount Polley tailings pond breach, and the repeated compliance failures at the Shawnigan contaminated soil facility with no real ministerial response are egregious examples that I have tried to work with the Ministry on,” said Weaver. “The Minister’s failed response to the diesel spill in Heiltsuk Territory is the last straw for me.

“It is appalling that the B.C. Liberals can look British Columbians in the eye and tell them that they have a climate leadership plan. They are not climate leaders, and they don’t even have a plan. At least when Mr. Harper was Prime Minister we knew where he stood on environmental protection. Premier Clark and the Minister of Environment claim one thing and does the complete opposite.”

Sonia Furstenau, CVRD Director and BC Green Party candidate for Cowichan Valley is equally frustrated with the impacts provincial policy is having on her community.  “In Shawnigan, we are experiencing first-hand the downside of this government’s insistence on ‘getting to yes’ at all costs.  The people of Shawnigan are suffering from ongoing stress and anxiety while the Ministry of Environment allows for ongoing non-compliance with the contaminated landfill permit, and compounding failures at the site. This ministry promised the community that all water leaving this site would meet the strictest aquatic and drinking water guidelines, and already, 20 months into the permit, levels of toluene, copper, iron, manganese, aluminum and more have exceeded these guidelines.”

Furstenau has consistently urged the Minister to act. “Under the Environmental Management Act, misrepresentation during permit application stage and ongoing non-compliance since this company began operations gives the Minister more than adequate grounds to revoke this permit.  If she won’t use her authority to revoke this permit and protect the people of Shawnigan Lake, she should step down.

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Media Contacts

Mat Wright
Press Secretary for MLA Andrew Weaver
mat.wright@leg.bc.ca
250 216 3382

Sonia Furstenau
sonia.furstenau@bcgreens.ca
250 812 6136

Government’s release of housing data nothing more than a photo op

July 7, 2016 By Andrew Weaver 4 comments Affordability, Housing, Issues Blog, Media, Media Release

Media Statement: July 7th, 2016
Weaver Criticizes Government’s Laughably Incomplete Housing Data
For Immediate Release

Victoria B.C. – “The BC Government has already allowed the housing market to become a crisis, and now they are sitting on their powder keg holding press conferences based on 19 days worth of data,” said Andrew Weaver, MLA for Oak Bay – Gordon Head and Leader of the B.C. Green Party. “They have dropped the ball on this file — completely dropped the ball.”

“19 days worth of data is completely meaningless. This would be like me arguing that since the Canucks didn’t play any games between June 10 and the 29th, Vancouver doesn’t have a hockey team. It’s just laughable.

“Despite promises made in the 2016 budget, the government has failed to deliver any data on the occurrence and impact of beneficial ownership changes in bare trust owned properties. I have been asking for the data for three years now.

“When properties are registered in bare trusts and beneficial ownership is flipped there is no change in title at the Land Title Office. When there is no change of title there is no property transfer tax paid and no data collected by the BC government.

“The minister said our province has seen higher rates of house flipping in the past, but that data is based on registered sales only. There are a lot of houses out there that are flipping through changes in beneficial ownership, and those people are not paying property transfer tax.”

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Media contact:

Mat Wright
Press Secretary – Andrew Weaver MLA
Email: Mat.wright@leg.bc.ca
Cell: 250 216 3382
Twitter: @MatVic

Backgrounder

At present, anyone other than a first-time or new-home (< $750,000) buyer who buys a house must pay property transfer tax upon transfer of title at the Land Title Office. The tax owed is calculated as 1% of the first $200,000, 2% on the amount greater than $200,000 and less than $2,000,000 and 3% on the portion above $2,000,000.

But there is a glaring loophole that is being exploited more and more frequently by wealthy individuals and corporations. That loophole involves having the property held in what is known as a “bare trust”.

A bare trust is a legal entity that allows for the separation of beneficial and legal ownership. The beneficial owner of a property is the person or persons who make all the decisions concerning such things as rent, repairs, management, sale etc.; they are also the person or persons who receive all the revenue from and arrange financing for the property. The trustee of the bare trust has no substantive decision-making capacity as they simply act upon the instructions of the beneficial owner. Typically the trustee is a corporation that has no other purpose but to act as a trustee for the bare trust and for which the beneficial owner owns all the shares.

Suppose you own a $10,000,000 home that you want to dispose of. If you simply transferred title, like most of us do when we sell a home, the purchaser would have to pay $278,000 in property transfer tax.

But if instead the property is in a bare trust where the trustee is a company, then you will pay no tax. All you have to do is sell your shares in the company for 1$ (the company has no assets anyway), and sell the “beneficial ownership” rights of the property to a third party via a “bare trust agreement” which is not registered at the Land Title Office.  Since no change in title occurs, no tax is paid.

Ontario has a similar property transfer tax system in place but they have plugged the loophole. They apply the property transfer tax upon change in beneficial ownership, not just change in the title registered as the Land Title Office. This could and should be done in British Columbia to ensure everyone is treated fairly.

Responding to government inaction on campsite booking system

July 5, 2016 By Andrew Weaver 5 comments Media, Media Release, Parks

Media Statement: July 5th, 2016
Weaver responds to government inaction on campsite booking system
For immediate release

Victoria B.C. – Andrew Weaver, Leader of the B.C. Green Party and MLA for Oak Bay – Gordon Head, today responded to the provincial government’s encouragement of a campground booking system that excludes British Columbians from accessing public campgrounds and allows private for-profit companies to compete with B.C. families.
“In a new practice welcomed by the B.C. Liberals, B.C. residents are being told they have to pay more to compete with companies who book provincial campsites in bulk and resell them at double the price,” says Andrew Weaver.

“It seems like the B.C. government has lost sight of the public purpose of our parks and campgrounds. Our provincial campsites are not products to be sold, they belong to the people of B.C.

Government agencies have been entrusted by the public to manage our parks as a collective good so they can be preserved and maintained into the future. Instead they are managing them as if they were a nothing more than a commodity.

The public is the owner, not the customer, and the current system is excluding B.C. families from accessing their parks.

The reservation system should give British Columbians priority, either by allocating enough resident – specific sites to meet local demand or by staggering booking openings so British Columbians have first shot at reserving a spot.”

 
Media contact:
Mat Wright
Press Secretary – Andrew Weaver MLA
Cell: 250 216 3382
Mat.wright@leg.bc.ca
Twitter: @MatVic

Parliament Buildings
Room 027C
Victoria BC V8V 1X4