For immediate release
September 11, 2023
VICTORIA, B.C. – Today, Premier Eby announced the launch of an expert task force on emergencies affecting the province. Sonia Furstenau, Leader of the B.C. Greens and MLA for Cowichan Valley has issued the following statement:
“While we are glad to see some action being taken to address the catastrophic losses this summer, the province’s focus should shift from a task force towards establishing regional tables that include First Nations, experts, local government, and the MLAs from that region.
“These regional tables should have been in place a long time ago so that communities could build their security and resilience before emergencies happen.
“This is the piece the BC NDP is missing. The appropriate response to emergencies is not a group of experts behind closed doors, it’s bringing communities together to make decisions and build collective action. It’s deep community work that is desperately needed now and has been for a long time. No government has properly stepped up to the plate on this.
“As an example, this summer, during a period of drought, we saw the consequences of the government’s failure to properly implement the Water Sustainability Act. Rather than creating regional water planning tables that could collaborate during times of crisis, this government went straight to enforcement, neglecting the essential community work that is necessary.
“The premier has an opportunity to recognize that in the ongoing emergencies we will be facing, we need to approach community building and the creation of resilience in a way that brings people together. Provincial and federal governments need to value the benefits of shared leadership, and create the conditions for this to happen in every region of B.C.”
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Media contact
JoJo Beattie
Press Secretary
B.C. Green Caucus
+1 250-882-6187 | jojo.beattie@leg.bc.ca