VICTORIA, B.C. – Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green Party, issued the following statement in response to MLA Linda Reid’s resignation as Assistant Deputy Speaker of the House:

VICTORIA, B.C. – Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green Party, issued the following statement in response to the report written by Speaker Darryl Plecas and released publicly by the all-party Legislative Assembly Management Committee (LAMC):

VICTORIA, B.C. – Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green Party caucus, closed the end of the Fall legislative session noting action on key B.C. Green priorities and key improvements to government legislation.

VICTORIA, B.C. – Sonia Furstenau, MLA for Cowichan Valley and B.C. Greens spokesperson for the environment, responded today to the passage of the Professional Governance Act at Third Reading.

VICTORIA, B.C. – Sonia Furstenau, B.C. Green Spokesperson for gender equality, issued the following statement in recognition of Persons Day.

VICTORIA, B.C. – Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green Party, is reviewing the government’s speculation tax legislation before determining his next steps on the issue. Weaver has raised three main concerns with the speculation tax to date, namely that the tax should treat all Canadians equally, that local government need to have a more direct role, and that the tax shouldn’t unfairly target homeowners who aren’t speculators.

VICTORIA, B.C. – The B.C. Green caucus welcomed the Ministry of Agriculture Advisory Committee’s agricultural land reserve (ALR) revitalization report released today. The Caucus emphasized that the government should act quickly to adopt the recommendations to limit house size on ALR land and to return the entire ALR to a single zone.

“The ALR is crucial to supporting B.C. agriculture, farmers and our local food security,” said Adam Olsen, B.C. Greens spokesperson for agriculture.

VICTORIA, B.C. – Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green Party, says the government’s move to collect information on beneficial ownership of properties underscores the immediate need to close the bare trust loophole. Bare trusts allow for the transfer of beneficial ownership within trusts. Since no title change occurs, no property transfer tax (PTT) is paid.

“This data collection is a good first step, but the province should proceed with applying property transfer tax to the transfer of beneficial ownership,” said Weaver.

VICTORIA, B.C. – The B.C. Green caucus is seeking clarity on what the government is actually trying to achieve through its housing policy measures. Despite media coverage this week, Ministers James and Robinson failed to give a clear response in Question Period.

“Government needs to be clear about what they are trying to achieve with these policies,” said Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green Party.

VICTORIA, B.C. - The B.C. Green caucus issued the following response to the release of the provincial budget.

“It is refreshing to see a provincial budget that puts people back at its centre, but there is still much work to be done to meet British Columbians’ expectations for the future,” said Weaver.