Elizabeth May made history in 2011 when she became the first Green MP in Canada. She

has been a beacon of hope – her lone strong

voice championing democracy on behalf of us all. The BC Legislature needs voices like hers. Let’s make history again.

Green Book 2013

PO Box 8088, STN CENTRAL Victoria, BC V8W 3R7 250.590.4537 888.473.3686 www.greenparty.bc.ca

Green Book 2013 is a living document that is updated periodically as new policy is adopted by the Green Party of BC. The document is current to the end of April 16, 2013.

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Core Green Principles Participatory Democracy Working to create proportionally elected governments that represent and engage citizens. Sustainability Using natural resources wisely to protect the rights and needs of future generations. Social Justice Acknowledging that all humans have a fundamental right to health, wellbeing, and freedom. Respect for Diversity Protecting and valuing all cultures and individuals while conserving variety in the natural world. Ecological Wisdom Learning to live within the physical and biological limits of our Earth and to protect its life-giving nature. Non-Violence Safeguarding people’s security and freedom through cooperation and consensus building.

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Contents Message from the leader ...... iv Building a Strong Economy ...... 1 Jobs and the New Economy ...... 1 Moving to Sustainable Economies ...... 1 Sustainable Economies ...... 1 Developing a Cooperative and Social Economy for BC ...... 2 Getting BC off Gambling ...... 4 Green Economic Concepts ...... 4 Giving Small Business a Boost ...... 4 Advanced Technology ...... 4 Arts and Culture ...... 5 Ecotourism ...... 5 Fuelling the Economy with Clean Energy ...... 6 What does Clean and Green mean? ...... 7 Smart Meters/Smart Grid ...... 7 Planning Better Transportation ...... 8 Caring for One Another ...... 10 Improved Health and Vibrant Communities ...... 10 Promoting Healthy Living ...... 11 Healthy Seniors ...... 12 Healthy Kids ...... 12 Caring for the Sick ...... 13 Mental Health and Social Justice ...... 14 Climate Change and Mental Health ...... 15 Regulating Substance Use ...... 16 Reforming Health Care Governance ...... 16 Providing for People with Special Needs ...... 17 Helping At Risk Families ...... 17 Local Social Trusts ...... 18 Reducing Poverty ...... 18 Homelessness and Housing Affordability ...... 19 www.greenparty.bc.ca Page i

Protecting Strata Property Owners ...... 20 Investing in Education ...... 20 LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Questioning) Education Policy ...... 22 Advanced Education ...... 22 Colleges, Universities and Technical Institutes ...... 22 Retraining, Adult Upgrading, and Trades Training and Credentials ...... 23 Protecting Our Resources ...... 25 Strengthen Environmental Laws and Ensure Food Security ...... 25 Strengthening the Environmental Management Act ...... 25 Improving Environmental Assessment (EA) ...... 25 Safeguarding Biodiversity ...... 25 Restoring Our Wild Fisheries ...... 26 Protecting Wild Salmon from Fish Farms...... 27 Protecting the Wild ...... 27 Moving to Zero Waste ...... 28 Combating Climate Change ...... 28 Emission Targets ...... 29 Conserving Energy ...... 29 Regulations and Taxation ...... 29 Transportation Reforms ...... 30 Forestry Reforms ...... 30 Adapting to Change...... 30 Sharing Information ...... 31 Building Code Changes ...... 31 Public Buildings ...... 31 Changing the Way We Farm ...... 31 Food Safety ...... 32 Smart Food ...... 32 Responsible Mining ...... 32 Modernizing Mineral Tenure Laws ...... 33 Regulating Fracking ...... 34 Rethinking Forestry ...... 35 www.greenparty.bc.ca Page ii

Reform Log Markets and Improve Oversight ...... 35 Wisely Conserve and Manage Our Forest Resources ...... 35 Restructuring Hydroelectricity Production ...... 36 Reforming Government ...... 37 Give Citizens a Voice and Improve Public Oversight ...... 37 Building a Better Democracy ...... 37 Voters' Rights ...... 38 Executives and Board Members of Government Agencies ...... 39 Decentralizing Decision Making ...... 40 Restoring Confidence in Law Enforcement ...... 40 Valuing First Nations as Partners ...... 41

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Message from the leader

The Green Party is excited about Election 2013. Our goal is to win at least four seats so we achieve “official party” status in the Legislature. We are on track to meet or exceed that goal but we need your support to make it happen. The old politics of the NDP and Liberals are responsible for the social and economic problems we now face. Unless something drastic happens, the BC NDP will form a majority government in May. This is where the opportunity comes in for you to help change the nature of politics in BC by electing some Green MLAs. What would you rather have, a rump of unhappy BC Liberals who will spend the next four years defending their record? Or a group of Green MLAs who will be constructive and cooperative and work across party lines to make the government more accountable? BC Greens have gathered solutions from you, the people of BC. Individual citizens, community groups, businesses, and First Nations have helped us put together great ideas for how we could solve the problems we face as a province. This plan is your voice and ensures you regain a say in governing this province. It includes measures to invest in a new green economy, improve healthcare, build affordable housing, care for our families and neighbours and bring the expectations of citizens into public policy decisions. The BC Greens’ plan is all about solutions – solutions that will allow us to flourish for generations. Green MLAs will reach out to the people of BC to help us bring these and other ideas into the legislature. We believe people should have a say and we’ll be using innovative ways to get people involved and assisting Green MLAs to be truly representative of the people of BC. Some of the changes we propose are bold. How will your job security or community change when Greens are elected and participate actively in the Legislature? The well-being of all British Columbians is important for the Green Party. As we encourage needed changes, we will suggest plans to help everyone – individuals, families and communities – adapt to and thrive in the new economy. With your support, we can work together for a prosperous future. With your support, we can build a better BC. Sincerely,

Jane Sterk, Ph.D. Leader, Green Party of BC

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technologies, and jobs, which will address the Building a Strong needs of the next 25 to 50 years. For BC Greens, a sustainable economy would be Economy holistic, ethical, and equitable. It is a green economy driven by sustainable scale, just Jobs and the New Economy distribution, and efficient allocation of By investing in new infrastructure, green resources. technology, retrofits of houses and buildings, BC is a unique and diverse physical and cultural and advanced education designed to educate region. The features, demographics, strengths, young people and retrain skilled workers for the and resources of BC vary from region to region. new economy, we can transform the BC We aim to develop sustainable economies economy. A switch to clean industries and throughout BC that reflect and build on that technologies; a re-investment in traditional diversity. Sustainable economies for BC would industries like forestry, fisheries, and agriculture be balanced, responsible, empowering, hopeful, using sustainable practices; a return to local and centered in communities. provision of social and health services; and support for arts and culture will create Our current economic model leaves us with thousands of new jobs. All of these jobs mean fiscal, social, and ecological deficits. money flowing through the economy and Irresponsible consumption and ever expanding retaining that money in the local region. Greens economic growth made possible by cheap fossil plan to reduce taxes on businesses that are fuels and financed by debt have created the responsible and sustainable. We will work with recipe for the climate crisis that threatens our business and industry to create lasting, skilled, way of life. and meaningful jobs. At the same time, we will The wealth promised by expanding economic reduce the emissions that are changing our growth has not ended up in the hands of climate. working, middle-class Canadians. Indeed, it is contributing to the impoverishment of Canada A Strong Green Economy Will and British Columbia by the over-exploitation of  Create thousands of new green-collar jobs our natural resources and the export of  Be community-based and based in values resources to other countries for processing and of cooperation and giving back adding value.  Encourage municipalities to favour local Sustainable Economies businesses Moving away from an economy that depends  Result in diverse regional economies on growth and consumption and toward one of sustainability will improve health and quality of  Tax waste, not employment life for us and for future generations. Moreover,  Reduce our dependence on gambling and sustainable economies can handle sudden oil and gas revenues shocks and put an end to the boom and bust  Invest in energy efficient buildings and cycles that hurt our communities. retrofits The Green Party of BC proposes moving to a  Support sustainable agriculture, renewable coherent set of economic policies that promote energy projects, and value-added and develop strong, resilient, self-sufficient, manufacturing sustainable regional economies tailored to BC's Moving to Sustainable Economies demographics, natural resources, physical environment, and blend of cultures. Our A sustainable economy is healthy and resilient. economy will create economic prosperity It seeks to develop a diversity of practices, throughout the province. It will benefit all www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 1

British Columbians and will require that we live  Cease all support for genetically modified within our ecological means. Each region will organisms (GMOs); make BC GM free add value to the local and regional resources  Invest in wild fisheries and large-scale close to home. rehabilitation of habitat and spawning rivers The new BC economy will close the gap  Establish spaces in technical schools to train between rich and poor. It will create a province workers to install solar photo-voltaic where all British Columbians can afford housing, systems, solar hot water systems, geo- food, and clothing and find meaningful work exchange heating and cooling systems, and through jobs created locally in the business, to conduct general energy audits and government, and not-for-profit sectors. perform energy efficiency upgrades Promising that our salvation can be found in  Create a program for youth to receive perpetual economic growth is irresponsible and training and provide six months of service in will doom our children and grandchildren to an repairing environmental damage, restoring uncertain future. natural habitats (including, for example, BC Greens Will salmon habitat), and building parks and  Decrease taxes on industries and individual recreation infrastructure practices that promote individual and  Facilitate First Nations participation as community health partners in projects that create long-term  Focus on local and regional economies employment for their people and economic benefits in their communities  Support business, co-operative, not-for- profit, and public creation of jobs to  Introduce Corporate Social Responsibility stimulate the region amendments to the BC Business Corporations Act to require that businesses  Return to balanced budgets, end corporate operating in BC positively contribute to welfare, eliminate subsidies to polluting social, environmental, and economic industries, and develop fair taxation policies prosperity in the communities in which they  Invest in renewable energy and energy do business efficiency that shifts BC to a low-carbon  Allocate one percent from the PST to economy municipal governments for “Green Cities”  Use financial measures to foster value- initiatives for emission reduction programs added industries  Create a BC Legacy Fund from oil and gas  Finance a provincial Green Venture Capital royalties as a recognition of our Fund to encourage local green business responsibility to future generations start-ups and support the creation of green- collar jobs in the green technologies and Developing a Cooperative and renewable energy sectors Social Economy for BC  Encourage restaurants, markets, and A co-operative is an autonomous association of grocers to use local produce and livestock persons who voluntarily cooperate for their to support small and family farms mutual, social, economic, and cultural benefit. Co-operatives include non-profit community  Reduce our dependence on energy and organizations and businesses that are owned pesticide intensive agriculture and imported and managed by the people who use their food services (consumer co-operatives), by the  Finance research to increase local organic people who work there (worker co-operatives), food production or by the people who live there (housing co- operatives). Hybrids include worker co- www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 2

operatives that are also consumer co-operatives eligible small businesses (ESBs), which has or credit unions, multi-stakeholder co- been a productive facilitator of equity operatives such as those that bring together investment into BC companies civil society and local actors to deliver  Amend the Small Business Venture Capital community needs, and second and third tier co- Act to designate “Social Enterprises” and operatives whose members are other co- “Co-operatives” as new eligible categories operatives. for VCCs and ESBs A social enterprise is an organization that  Re-allocate $1 to 2 million from other applies commercial strategies to maximize categories in the Provincial budget to improvements in human and environmental support these new entities well-being, rather than maximizing profits for  Create a co-op and social enterprise external shareholders. Social enterprises can be development and incubation initiative to structured as for profit or not-for-profit. On provide financial and technical support for March 2, 2013, BC’s Business Corporations Act new co-op and social enterprise start-ups; was amended to create a Community for further development of existing co-op Contribution Company, a new hybrid type of and social enterprises; and for assisting in company that combines the traditional benefits the transition of financially viable but of a corporation with a social purpose. challenged companies to a co-operative or Strengthening the co-operative and social social enterprise form through employee economy sector will help diversify the types of buy-outs businesses in BC. Expanded support for co- operatives and social enterprises in BC will help  Create tax incentives to promote with the Green Party of BC’s objective of investment by members and community developing strong local economies throughout supporters in co-operatives and social BC. enterprises Co-operatives have always been an integral and  Adopt innovations in the financing of co- essential part of BC’s economy. In key sectors operatives and social enterprises by like agriculture, financial services, retail, removing barriers to local investing housing, and health care, co-ops provide  Enhance job and business retention by essential goods and services to British providing assistance to employees who Columbians. want to turn a business into a co-operative Co-ops are good at:  Develop an affordable business space 1. Mobilizing and securing community strategy that can assist in the incubation, capital for local economic development start-up, and development of co-operatives and social enterprises throughout BC 2. Empowering ordinary people with modest means to create new wealth  Develop a co-operative and social through enterprise by sharing risks, skills, enterprise shared service strategy to and resources with others support the growth and competitive capacity of small and medium firms in 3. Diminishing economic inequality and strategic sectors providing stability and resilience, particularly in times of economic crisis To ensure the co-operative and social enterprise economy is developed in BC, the BC Greens Will Green Party of BC will assign the Co-operative  Extend to co-operative and social and Social Enterprise development to a Ministry enterprises British Columbia’s tax credit for for Economic Development. venture capital corporations (VCCs) and www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 3

Getting BC off Gambling policies do not recognize their importance. BC The Green Party supports a moratorium on Greens will take small businesses seriously. We additional gambling licenses and a gradual will work with local governments to ensure phase-out of the most addictive forms of small businesses have every chance to succeed. gambling. The Green Party would use a defined Key Goal percentage of gambling tax revenues to help Create a business climate in which more locally gambling addicts as well as to develop owned businesses, across a range of industries, educational programs aimed at reducing can be started and prosper gambling. BC Greens Will Green Economic Concepts  Introduce a Buy Green BC campaign that Triple Bottom Line Accounting: Greens believe provides consumer incentives to buy that accounting should consider not only the made-in-BC green products and services economic bottom line, but the social and  Provide Small Power Producer (SPP) Loan environmental bottom lines as well. The Green Guarantees – interest-free loans for small Party would ensure all provincial ministries, and mid-sized businesses to install green crown corporations, government funded energy solutions agencies, and government contractors use this practice. This will guarantee the public is not  Offer Clean Air Tax Credits – tax credits for left paying huge social, health, and green business initiatives environmental clean-up costs in the future. Advanced Technology Genuine Progress: As a measure of progress the Advanced technology is an area of strength Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is out of date. It and innovation in BC and one where BC does not take into account social and ecological Greens would like to see increased costs. A Genuine Progress Index (GPI) paints a investment. It is through advanced technology much truer picture of our well-being. The GPI that solutions can be found to some of the values unpaid labour such as parenting and volunteer work. It considers the costs of serious problems we face. Greens would build pollution, poverty, and crime and the use of on BC’s reputation as an advanced technology natural and non-renewable resources. The goal powerhouse. of switching to GPI is to combine social, Key Goal environmental, and financial indexes to better Make investment in advanced technology a measure the well-being of BC citizens. priority for British Columbia Giving Small Business a Boost BC Greens Will Greens would like to see the production and consumption of goods moved closer together.  Reduce taxes on advanced technology This will result in a smaller ecological footprint. businesses to the same level afforded to It will also increase diversity and help the film industry decentralize the economy. A diverse and  Reinstate funding for Discovery BC to help decentralized economy is a stronger economy. turn BC research into commercial The future health and stability of BC’s economy applications lies in our small businesses. Ninety-eight  Offer incentives to private investors and percent of all businesses in BC are small to mid- philanthropists (with contracts to gain) to sized. They invest money directly into the fund new initiatives and research communities where they operate. They are an important part of community spirit and quality of life. Unfortunately, current government www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 4

Arts and Culture  Encourage the formation of co-operatives The Green Party of BC recognizes the important within the community to reduce members’ health and economic benefits of arts and operation costs and improve profits culture to our society and minimal associated  Strengthen school curriculum on arts and impacts on the environment. A vibrant arts and culture subjects to encourage young culture community in BC will give the province people to develop an interest in arts and an edge over other places in attracting talents culture and to take part in art activities as for our high-tech, biomedical, and renewable amateurs or as professionals energy sectors as well as nurses, doctors, and  Establish a Ministry of Arts, Culture and other professionals. Greens believe that the arts Heritage and culture communities are a significant part  Cooperate with other levels of government of the BC economy. to provide funding for an indigenous Key Goal peoples arts and culture plan for BC Create vibrant and sustainable arts and culture Ecotourism communities throughout BC Ecotourism is a fast growing sector of British BC Greens Will Columbia’s tourism industry. As more and more  Restore arts and culture funding to 2008- tourists to BC are attracted by the amazing 09 levels of $23.8 million landscape, iconic species and travel and  Expand the BC Arts Council mandate to recreational opportunities afforded by include liaising with the sponsorship world ecotourism, companies are responding by by connecting arts and culture programs promoting niche markets like sports fishing and with corporate benefactors, in a way that landscape level activities that take advantage of provides the excitement, profile, and protected areas like the Great Bear Rain Forest. accolades that a sponsor is looking for BC Greens want British Columbians to continue  Establish funding objectives including to experience economic benefits from this measurable outcomes focusing on prudent growth and we want to ensure that all fiscal practices as well as artistic output ecotourism activities meet the high standards of ecological stewardship that visitors and British  Provide multi-year funding to emerging Columbians expect. BC Greens will improve and experimental arts and culture groups regulation and raise habitat preservation to incubate their programs, while also standards to counter the environmental providing multi-year funding to established impacts that are already in many areas and traditional arts and culture groups as unacceptable. they transition to financial independence Key Goals  Provide funding to develop affordable  Expand the opportunities for ecotourism rental facilities for local arts and culture  Insure that ecotourism meets high development environmental standards  Maintain a stock of affordable housing in BC Greens Will arts and culture hot spots in BC  Sponsor annual international events and  Renew BC parks by providing funding to competitions hosted by the arts and restore interpretive services and to hire culture community rangers and conservation officers  Enhance arts and culture community  Ensure that BC parks are funded on par capacity for fashion and industrial design with national parks

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 Re-open public campgrounds and upgrade  Promote local and district scale generation aging infrastructure and trails over remote and large projects  Expand BC’s protected areas system on  Correct the operational and accounting land over the next ten years and create deficiencies at BC Hydro ocean reserves BC Greens Will Fuelling the Economy with Clean  Establish a Ministry of Environment, Energy Energy and Climate Change BC Greens will encourage the building of green  Create a BC Energy Authority (BCEA) to and clean renewable energy facilities. We diversify energy sources. BC Hydro and all believe a mixed public/private energy system is new power producers will report to BCEA appropriate. We support a system that favours  Create a clear reporting relationship for the regional energy production over inefficient, BCEA to the Ministry large-scale projects. Regional energy is resilient and creates more long-term jobs and  Make the BC Transmission Corporation contributes to regional self-sufficiency. A new (BCTC) a division of the BCEA Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate  Restore the independence and oversight of Change will oversee a new BC Energy Authority. the BC Utilities Commission The ministry will be responsible for all energy  Institute Regional Resource Management regulation and planning for the province. Boards that report to the BCEA for planning Our past reliance on hydroelectric power puts and approval of regional energy generation BC in a unique position to be among the first and distribution systems nearly emission free jurisdictions in the world  Redesign calls for power to: within a generation. This is not the time, o Promote geothermal, solar, ocean, and however, to be building additional large dams wind power and the Green Party opposes building the Site C Dam on the Peace River. o Favour local generation projects A vibrant and thriving power generation o Develop co-operative and public industry based on geothermal, solar, and wind ownership as well as Small and power can eliminate the need to import coal- Independent Power Producers (IPPs & based power. The Green Party believes that SPPs) conservation (building codes, industrial reform,  Explore the use of feed-in-tariffs as a way and behavioural change) will move us towards to diversify energy production and support energy self-sufficiency and an emission free BC, renewable projects without resorting to nuclear energy or fossil  Reinstate local oversight over public fuels like natural gas to create energy. resources Key Goals  Include local and regional governments  Get the province off oil and gas within Regional Resource Management  Power the province using only green and Boards clean power  Cancel plans for and consideration of the  Develop strategies that make it easy to Site C Dam on the Peace River reduce energy consumption  Subject new river-based energy generation  Provide incentives for citizens and projects to the Green Party’s stricter businesses to generate their own power environmental assessment process in order to mitigate impacts on salmon and other  Encourage new clean and green energy wildlife generation projects www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 6

 Where necessary, revoke water licenses for What does Clean and Green mean? river-based energy generation and provide  Clean energy does not produce harmful by- fair compensation to license holders products such as sulphur dioxide, carbon  Require methane capture and power dioxide, radioactive waste, and other toxic generation plants at all wastewater and or harmful substances landfill sites  Green energy does minimal harm to the  Restore public ownership of the environment and its planning and Nechako/Kemano generation system development considers broader economic  Phase out all power imports from fossil and social concerns fuels or GHG emitting sources  In keeping with green principles, green  Halt consideration of the proposed energy projects can be smaller scale and Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline managed regionally project (Alberta Tar Sands to Kitimat) Smart Meters/Smart Grid  Reject any expansion of the Kinder-Morgan Greens recognize that a Smart Grid can be an pipeline from Alberta to Vancouver important part of an energy conservation and energy management plan. Smart Meters are a  Establish a permanent ban on crude oil small but expensive component of a Smart Grid. tankers on the west coast of BC to protect Many other components should have been in BC’s fisheries, tourism, coastal place long before BC Hydro decided to install communities, and natural ecosystems Smart Meters. BC Greens believe incentives for  Require that BC’s short- and long-term conservation and retrofit programs; incentives energy needs are fully met before foreign to make homes and buildings more energy energy sales take place efficient; investment in non-hydro renewable  Prohibit the use of food products other energy; and a plan to develop a distributed grid than local food waste for the production of should have been in place before switching fuels meters. The Green Party of BC also thinks feed- in-tariffs are needed to encourage the development of small and mid-scale renewable energy projects. By May 2013, BC Hydro will have installed wireless Smart Meters on most of their customers’ homes and businesses. BC Greens believe that this program was undertaken prematurely and it needed to be part of a strategic plan designed to conserve electricity. The implementation of the program gave license to BC Hydro, its employees, and subcontractors to ignore the needs and wishes of BC Hydro customers. Greens believe people have a right to feel safe in their own homes. Key Goals  Provide those adversely affected by the installation of wireless Smart Meters with a wired-in alternative

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 Call a public inquiry into the operations of BC Greens believe BC Hydro should be BC Hydro generally and the Smart Metering accountable to the people of BC. We want to program specifically make sure that the Smart Meters contribute to BC Greens will: energy conservation and to making the necessary transition to renewable energy.  Instruct BC Hydro to provide any customer with health, privacy, or security concerns who requests it, a replacement wired-in Smart Meter at no added or at minimal cost to the consumer  Provide rural internet providers with compensation to cover costs arising from disruption of internet services due to Smart Meter installation and use  Place BC Hydro under the jurisdiction of the BC Utilities Commission, whose mandate will be strengthened so that the provincial government cannot interfere in the operations of BC Hydro and other utilities Further, the Green Party of BC will call a commission of inquiry into the operations of BC Hydro. This inquiry would look at:  Technical aspects of the Smart Meter program including the decision to use wireless Smart Meters rather than wired-in meters  The cultural deficiencies at BC Hydro that allowed rudeness, threats of service removal, and disdain and ridicule of genuine concerns to be the norm, rather than a customer/consumer focus  The decision to continue the Smart Meter program after public and community Planning Better Transportation opposition mounted, including the call for The Green Party wants to improve the quality of a moratorium by local and regional life in BC communities. We support clean, governments throughout BC affordable, and efficient transportation. We  How the Smart Grid will be achieved cannot build our way out of gridlock. Expanded  Whether Time-of-Use (TOU) rates can be highways and bridges lead to urban sprawl and advantageous for large industrial and increase long-term overcrowding. Greens want commercial users walkable neighbourhoods, an increase in cycling paths, and affordable transit systems.  Why BC Hydro paid substantially more per meter than was paid in many US Key Goals jurisdictions  Limit urban sprawl  The concerns raised by the Auditor General  Institute regional land use and about BC Hydro's fiscal accounting transportation planning www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 8

 Improve public oversight of transportation system planning  Encourage walking, cycling, transit, and car sharing by implementing Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies including road pricing BC Greens Will  Review the corporate structure of BC Ferries to make it more accountable to the people of BC  Explore the use of distance driven Pay-As- You-Drive (PAYD) insurance to provide cost savings for driving less  Expand the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) network  Introduce Location Efficient Mortgages (LEMs), enabling car-free citizens to afford housing in urban centres  Investigate the feasibility of commuter and light rail as well as trams in Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, the Interior, and on Vancouver Island

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vital clinical information. Repeated research Caring for One studies show that patients often do not receive evidence-based preventive and clinical care Another service and that there is widespread error and waste in the system. Hence, care is substandard Improved Health and Vibrant and costs are high. Communities Health care costs continue to increase faster The overall health of the population is getting than government revenues, as a consequence worse. Poor nutrition, obesity, a lack of physical of the increasing burden of chronic disease, activity, smoking, and alcohol and drug abuse, aging, and the increased costs of health, human along with aging, have led to an increasing resources, drugs and technologies, as well as burden of chronic disease. Some credible waste and inefficiency in the system. In a projections indicate that this generation of political environment where tax increases are children may live shorter lives than their difficult to implement, this leads to the erosion parents. There are several serious of other services and a continued push for consequences: privatization of health care.  Lower productivity of the workforce erodes As a result of these factors, jurisdictions across the sustainability of the economy the developed world have adopted the 'Triple  An increasing burden of chronic disease Aim', which the Green Party of BC supports, as (hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, follows: stroke, cancer, metal health, and 1. Improve population health and reduce musculoskeletal conditions) causes health inequities increasing demands on both primary care 2. Improve the patient experience and the and acute hospital care. Most of these quality of care conditions are preventable 3. Reduce health care costs  Ever increasing costs of health care are The Green Party of BC’s health care plan consuming more and more available involves improving people’s overall health. We government revenues. As a consequence, will shift priorities and financing to preventative other important (and health enhancing) strategies. We will ensure there are adequate services are compromised, such as primary, dollars for acute and hospital care. We will also secondary and advanced education; skills address the social determinants of health by training; early childhood care and supporting at risk children and families, education; social housing; income improving access to quality childcare, and supports; food security; the justice system; supporting education designed for the new family supports; physical infrastructure century. (highways, ferries, recreation facilities, The Green Party of BC believes that co- libraries, etc); job creation; and operatives and social enterprises will be integral environmental sustainability to the more efficient provision of community- Both the patient experience of care and the based health services. quality of care are substandard. Patients A Society that Cares Will frequently experience frustrations in accessing primary and specialized care, visits in primary  Improve our health care are often limited in time and to one  Educate our citizens problem per visit, return visits are often  Provide for seniors required for the renewal of prescriptions and to follow up on test results, and there is a lack of coordination of care and a lack of sharing of

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 Treat workers fairly BC Greens Will  End homelessness and poverty  Enforce existing laws for industrial  Create local support systems that promote pollution, increase pollution fines, and health, child welfare, and accessibility for create a graduated pollution tax that people with disabilities and the aging increases with the amount of pollution  Regulate substance use  Legislate a province-wide ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides that applies to Promoting Healthy Living institutional, industrial, business, and Our province spends far too much money on residential properties and that restricts managing disease. Greens believe that we can sales and provides for enforcement save some of that money by focusing on preventing disease. British Columbians will  Implement Right-to-Know Product labeling become healthier through green initiatives that legislation, requiring a clear hazard symbol reduce environmental pollutants. Prevention on products that contain carcinogens and initiatives would also promote changes to Genetically Modified (GM) ingredients. This lifestyles through better nutrition and exercise. legislation will enhance current protections By cleaning and greening our environment and in the federal Food and Drugs Act our economy, we reduce cancer, asthma, and  Eliminate the import and use of products other lifestyle and environmentally related containing the most toxic substances illnesses.  Increase tobacco taxes Key Goals  Expand Medical Service Plan (MSP)  Remove environmental contaminants from coverage to include preventative soil, water, and air treatments such as chiropractic,  Legislate controls on the use of pesticides physiotherapy, eye exams, and massage therapy  Focus on creating lifestyles and  environments that promote health Establish a routine clinical prevention program that would include age-  Invest in public health and preventative appropriate screening for hypertension, measures high cholesterol, breast, cervical, and  Reduce pollution from industry bowel cancer; preventive care for diabetics Our Commitment and post Acute Myocardial Infarctions (heart attacks); and appropriate We are committed to working with many immunizations stakeholders (policy-makers, community groups, health agencies, multiple levels of  Institute a junk food tax government, the private sector) to reduce,  Initiate a public inquiry into the rising cost eliminate, or overcome those factors that harm and over-prescribing of drugs health or act as barriers to health enhancement.  Commission a cost-benefit analysis on the We will promote those factors that enhance the feasibility of establishing a new Crown health, well-being, and quality of life of all corporation to bulk purchase and dispense British Columbians. generic drugs to pharmacies in BC Our changes to the health care system include a  Establish an initiative to support the drug plan; reformed primary care; better development of co-ops and social governance; reducing waste and inefficiency; enterprises for the provision of better home care, long term care, and mental community-based health, social, and health services; and better end-of-life care. education services www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 11

 Mandate that Requests for Proposal (RFP)  Increase funding to residential care processes and selection criteria by all facilities in order to improve staffing levels government bodies will facilitate and ensure a higher quality of care participation by health, social service, and  Provide transition coaches (specially education co-operatives and social trained nurses or case managers) to aid enterprises seniors in the transition from hospital to  Establish education programs about co- home care operatives and social enterprises in the  Expand BC’s Chronic Disease Self- training and retraining programs of existing Management Program and other health, social service, and education educational programs to ensure more professionals; for Health Authorities and accessibility to low-income and immigrant social and educational agencies; and for seniors as well as those living in rural areas the governing bodies of these professions  Establish a community support network to Healthy Seniors help seniors remain independent, build The BC Green Party believes in providing self-esteem and improve knowledge and appropriate and affordable community and understanding of available health and home-based care for all BC seniors. As the community resources population for BC seniors is projected to  Provide funding to create a broader increase over the next decade, the BC Green network of seniors outreach programs in Party recognizes the urgent need to address the the community and/or seniors centres current inadequacies in seniors’ health care, focusing on providing a strong foundation for  Encourage the construction of senior- community and home-based care. Taking the BC oriented communities, providing housing Northern Health Authority as a model, the BC options to suit all seniors’ different needs, Green Party aims at improving seniors’ health ensure proper access to health care care with a fundamental reallocation of existing facilities, and offer social engagement resources. opportunities Key Goals  Follow the BC Ombudsperson recommendations and improve public  Improve home and community care reporting of key indicators in order to  Give a voice to patients increase accountability and aid in effective  Provide social support networks planning and health system improvements  Improve public reporting  Provide an independent review of all public BC Greens Will reporting to ensure transparency and accountability  Integrate community, home, and primary Healthy Kids care services for seniors in order to address their unique and complex needs, with a The Green Party of BC resolves to improve the focus on preventative health care Healthy Kids Program – and any similar future initiatives program – to pay for dental fillings that do not contain mercury (which has harmful side effects  Reconfigure services around seniors' to children and adults). The improved program home-based care needs, provided by an will cease to reimburse providers for interdisciplinary team (nurses, care aids, administering mercury-based fillings and the and community workers) of health care provincial government will cover any increased professionals, 24/7 costs.

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For low-income British Columbian families, the Key Goals Healthy Kids program helps cover the costs of  Reduce health care costs and maintain basic dental care for children under the age of service levels by getting rid of waste, 19. Children are eligible for $1400 of basic improving primary care, and increasing dental services every two years. This coverage multi-disciplinary service includes services such as exams, x-rays, fillings, cleanings, and extractions.  Provide adequate access to health care in both rural and urban communities Mercury is extremely toxic to humans. Modern dentistry has developed an increasing range of  Preserve universal single-tier health care alternative filling materials, which do not Our Commitment contain mercury. The Green Party of BC is committed to creating Key Goals a robust public health care system that  Improve health of children of low-income guarantees our children the same standard of families care we have enjoyed. BC Greens Will  Increase public health through effective reduction of the use (and environmental  Provide increased and new training discharge) of dental mercury programs for health care professionals for  Better the health of health service both acute and preventive care providers by reducing their exposure to  Facilitate the recognition of the mercury from dental amalgam qualifications of foreign-trained doctors, BC Greens Will nurses, and other professionals  Require that dentists providing dental  Provide payback incentives for graduating services to children from low-income doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other families under the Healthy Kids Program health care professionals who staff use dental fillings that do not contain facilities where recruitment is currently a mercury problem Caring for the Sick  Restore publicly managed and delivered food, housekeeping, laundry, and security We are facing a crisis in BC’s public health care services in public health care facilities system that is more than two decades in the making. The problem began in the 1990s with  Offer financial assistance to families decreases in federal government transfer providing home care for seniors and payments. The provincial NDP added to the disabled family members problem by cutting the number of health care  Establish 24-7 clinics in rural areas staffed professionals being trained in BC, reducing by salaried doctors and nurse practitioners funding for mental health, and eliminating who can perform emergency surgical home support for seniors. Since then the services Liberals have closed hospitals, surgical services,  Implement e-Hospital services that monitor and long-term care beds. The result has been patients at a distance and allow for local increased wait lists, over-crowded emergency provision of timely care rooms, and the increased privatization of  Establish community health care centres. services. We have watched the steady development of a two-tiered system.  Gradually change from the fee-for-service BC Greens can and will do better. We will MSP billing towards salaries for doctors reform health care so that people get the care  Expand home support and home care they need, when they need it. programs and assisted living services to www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 13

support people with chronic care needs, BC Greens Will including seniors, so they can remain in  Amend the BC Mental Health Act to comply their own homes with the Canadian Charter of Rights and  Educate the public about end-of-life issues Freedoms and the U.N. Convention on the  Enact living will legislation that guarantees Rights of Persons with Disabilities people the right to limit or refuse medical  Support independent mental health intervention and treatment so that people advocacy services that help maintain have the choice to die with dignity universal access to a comprehensive range Mental Health and Social Justice of programs and ensure accountability The Green Party's core values celebrate cultural  Enact legislation to establish the right to and personal diversity and acknowledge that all appoint substitute decision makers and humans have a fundamental right to health, develop advance directives well-being, and freedom. We also recognize  Provide increased support to parents and that cooperation, consensus building, and active families impacted by mental illness participation in decision making at all levels of  Revitalize social services that have been our lives are crucial to the growth of our shown to have direct impacts on mental individual and social health. health outcomes, such as affordable and Key Goals supportive housing, education and work  Improve our mental health care system training opportunities, and prison while protecting human rights, supporting recidivism programs prevention and recovery, encouraging  Broaden the publicly funded treatment participation and cooperation amongst options available in our hospitals and those affected by mental illness, and communities such as counselling and improving access to services psychotherapy services, peer support  Establish monitoring, evaluation, and groups, and physician-recommended identification of the most successful and exercise and nutrition programs cost-effective programs by using  Increase funding for non-institutionalized measurable outcomes such as people mental health patients, including children engaged in recovery, returning to work, and youth, to provide adequate housing, and finding and remaining in appropriate community-based support, and ongoing housing outpatient and inpatient care  Re-establish the office of the Mental  Improve accountability of the mental Health Advocate to provide ongoing, health system by developing clear goals for independent feedback and recovery with measurable outcomes as recommendations to the legislature well as better evaluations of program regarding improvement and cost- effectiveness effectiveness of our mental health care  Assist post-secondary institutions in system providing specialized training to  Fund an independent scientific team such psychiatrists and physicians in the value to as the UBC Therapeutics Initiative to mental health of complementary evaluate the long-term efficacy of the treatments such as exercise, nutrition, and major psychiatric drug classes and provide other non-drug therapeutic interventions recommendations on the most appropriate  Support the involvement of families, uses of these drugs patients and ex-patients, consumers, and survivors in the ongoing development of www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 14

mental health research, policies, and governments, donors, NGOs, universities, and practices civil society at large.  Improve access by increasing funding to Building healthy resilient communities involves independent mental health legal advocacy capacity building, strengthening existing to adequately meet British Columbia's structures, creating new or reinforcing social needs in order to: networks, and recognizing the value of local and o Reduce demands on extremely indigenous community knowledge and expensive hospital services perspectives, as well as increasing the availability of psychosocial resources and o Allow people who do not need to be services. treated in psychiatric hospitals to access services in their communities instead Our Commitment o Free up needed beds for people who do The Green Party of BC is committed to helping want treatment in hospital our health care, social, and education systems to help people prepare for potential mental  Increase funding for disability benefits, health and psychosocial impacts induced by supportive housing, and low-cost climate change. counselling services Key Goal  Encourage creation of networks of peer- Implement a full range of direct and supportive run crisis supports and non-medical programs for people to help mitigate the impact emergency responders in order to reduce of climate change on mental health and costly police encounters and the use of psychosocial well-being as part of a emergency hospital services preventative health care budget  Invest in Research and Accountability that BC Greens Will establishes clear and achievable short- and long-term goals for our mental health care For Education: programs  Train both specialized and non-specialized Climate Change and Mental Health staff in mental health and psychosocial Climate change is increasing the severity of care disasters and adverse weather conditions.  Train local professionals (such as school Growing scientific evidence shows that events teachers, nurses, doctors, and first such as natural disasters can have severe and responders) in the basic principles of long-lasting effects on physical health as well as psychological first aid and in providing on mental health and psychosocial well-being. referrals to specialized staff if necessary Climate change will disproportionately affect  Teach students (K—12) about the potential individuals with lower resources. Women, impacts of climate change and appropriate children, the elderly, the disabled, and those response strategies to familiarize children with pre-existing mental health or substance with the potential problems and to use problems are especially vulnerable. They empower them to overcome fear or deal are more likely to show severe and persistent with it in a positive way stress reactions and are less likely to recover  In high-risk areas, provide community- socioeconomically. based training in disaster response, first Addressing the projected impact of climate aid, urban search and rescue, and disaster change on mental health and psychosocial well- mental health, using community training being requires the collaboration and effort of models implemented successfully in Japan, multiple stakeholders including global agencies, the United States, and elsewhere www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 15

 From grade 8 onwards, teach students BC Greens Will disaster first aid in a progressive fashion, so  Support the use of evidence-based, harm that they are better able to assist their reduction practices such as needle- communities should climate-related exchanges, substitution treatments, and disasters increase in severity and frequency safe consumption sites For Social Services:  Work toward regulation and control of the  In high risk communities, existing social production and distribution of cannabis services should inventory the strengths of through licensed outlets specific social groups as well as talents and  Support regulated access to currently skills within the community that could illegal drugs through a physician’s contribute to mitigation and alleviation of recommendation the psychosocial impacts of climate change  Implement school-based drug education Regulating Substance Use focused on science, reason, and evidence- British Columbians recognize that substance use based public awareness is a public health concern, not a criminal matter.  Ensure that regional health authorities in The Green Party agrees with this approach. We British Columbia offer a variety of options support an end to the prohibition of illegal for treatment of addictions of all kinds substances, especially cannabis, as well as the  Regulate access to substances traditionally regulation and control of their production, used for spiritual purposes and provide manufacture, distribution, and sale. Greens funding for research into their therapeutic would control and tax these substances as we potential do tobacco and alcohol. Greens will focus on harm reduction rather than Reforming Health Care Governance criminalizing substance use. By ending The Green Party would reform the governance prohibition and controlling distribution, we of provincially funded health services to create would remove the scourge of criminals and more effective and responsive provincial health gangs from the streets of our communities. services. The Green Party’s “Green Strategy for BC Greens Will Substance Use” is evidence-based. Public health  Establish Regional Health Trusts based on is at the centre. Organized crime has its power the demographic and geographic realities taken away. Those who struggle with addictions of British Columbia to replace Health are not criminals. We believe that enforcement Authorities has a role to play, focused on protecting the  Establish public accountability in public from serious crime, and not on harassing provincially-funded health organizations and criminalizing personal substance use.  Institute a health ombudsperson to Key Goals investigate and resolve complaints  Establish drug policies based on clear  Establish executive pay scales appropriate scientific evidence to senior public sector executives  Treat substance abuse as a health problem,  Phase out MSP premiums and fund the not a criminal problem public health system from general revenue  Reduce crime associated with marijuana  Negotiate access to provincial health prohibition programs for members of the Canadian  Help addicts to stop abusing drugs Armed Forces, RCMP, and other federal employees www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 16

 Encourage ongoing Health Canada impairments as full citizens, within a investment in First Nations health framework that: programs in BC  Provides a comprehensive continuum of Providing for People with Special ongoing services (as well as appropriate Needs capital and one-time investments) Nearly 640,000 British Columbians have special  Supports inclusion in the social fabric of BC needs. If they do not have access to services  Promotes economic participation in the and cannot participate in the social and province economic life of BC, this has a negative effect  Implement an Access and Ability Strategy on their quality of life, and ours. According to with a commitment to fund its the 2006 Participation and Activity Limitation components. Initial actions must address Survey, in BC: improvements in accessible transportation,  25% of children with disabilities have health and support services, and income unmet educational needs supports  For 60% of children with disabilities,  Establish services to ensure fair access to families pay the costs for the aids that are programs, by: needed to manage their condition o Appointing an Advocate for Persons  Loss of financial and other supports and with Disabilities as an independent the lack of accessible transportation were officer of the Legislature named as barriers to working by 27% of o Requiring an annual report be tabled in adults with disabilities the Legislative Assembly The Green Party understands that a  Enter into a formal agreement with the fundamental shift is necessary in order to federal government to ensure full coverage create inclusion and opportunity for people for those who have some form of fiduciary with disabilities and programs to help them and relationship with the Government of their families cope with their disabilities. Canada The Green Party of BC recognizes that co-  Support co-operatives and social operatives and social enterprises can provide enterprises as a means of training and vital, community-based care and services to employing marginalized individuals and vulnerable individuals and the broader people with disabilities community.  Remove income and social assistance Key Goal restrictions to individuals being trained by To improve the level of services and supports so social co-operatives and other social that people with disabilities can participate enterprises actively and productively in our communities,  Promote the use of social co-operatives and not simply deal with their impairments as if and social enterprises to serve high priority those define them as individuals groups, especially the elderly and those BC Greens Will living with disabilities  Request that the Auditor General review Helping At Risk Families services to persons with disabilities with BC’s programs for children at risk and their particular attention to structural barriers families have fallen short. Current funding and  Take a partnership approach to developing programs that deliver ‘one size fits all’ solutions a strategy supporting people with have not worked.

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British Columbians want an effective plan that employment, and to develop good parenting focuses on whole and healthy families. When a and family communication and coping skills. child is at risk, this requires a 3-step process: (1) When children need to be removed from their remove the child from danger, (2) fix the issues families for their protection, the government within the family, and (3) reunite the family. will work with the families to help them make The current system only deals with the first the changes necessary to allow the safe return step. Greens know how to do better. of the child as soon as possible if the child’s Key Goals safety and healthy development can be  Protect children from harm achieved. In instances where a child cannot be returned to her family, the trust will ensure a  Work with families to overcome conditions permanent home is found and the child is that lead to abuse helped to adjust and to deal with abandonment  Provide local programs to support at risk issues. families so they can learn to care for their Trusts will develop prevention and remediation children strategies to deal with the health and social  Establish caring homes and appropriate issues of at risk families. Local authorities will be support for children who need to be responsible and accountable for planning and permanently removed from their families coordinating complete support service plans BC Greens Will that address housing, education, employment, remediation, and prevention for children and  Implement a full range of programs for families faced with the challenge of overcoming families, including: their histories. o Direct services: parental, life-skill, When adult activity shows criminal intent, employment, and education training; financial exploitation of a child, abuse, or grade school and high school neglect, the acts will be dealt with in the completion; and health and mental criminal justice system rather than the child health education welfare system. o Supportive, indirect services: The Green Party plan acknowledges the needs prevention services such as child care, of First Nations families in BC. One in 20 British in-home support, emergency and crisis Columbians is an aboriginal person but one in services; a guaranteed liveable income; two children in care are aboriginal. Indigenous and adequate and safe housing British Columbians struggle with a quality of life  Establish local child care trusts with that is, according to the Provincial Health provincial standards that are monitored by Officer, 20% lower than other citizens. Progress the Ministry of Children and Family for aboriginal children in care has been Development disappointingly and unacceptably slow. Local Social Trusts The most effective form of child welfare is Greens will create local social trusts that will family restoration. work with families living in poverty or Reducing Poverty experiencing mental health issues, domestic British Columbia is rich in resources. Sadly, our violence, and/or substance abuse. The trusts resources have been mismanaged and this has will implement programs throughout the contributed to unacceptable levels of poverty. province to foster healthier family functioning and to support families who are experiencing The Green Party understands the need for difficulties. Whenever possible, families will action so that every British Columbian has the receive help to stay together, to find gainful opportunity to share in the wealth of this province. www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 18

The Guaranteed Liveable Income (GLI) will make sure that there is enough affordable replace all existing income assistance programs. housing so that people of all incomes live in Cost of living and other factors determine the healthy, well-constructed homes. eligibility and the amount of the income British Columbians see these problems supplement. The GLI provides a basic income everyday in their communities: people sleeping and removes systemic barriers that keep people on our streets, people begging for money, tent poor, untrained, unemployed, or cities springing up, people lined up for free underemployed. At the same time, it meals, increasing numbers of shelters for encourages employment and job creation. overnight accommodation, and pleas for When access to assistance is streamlined, the support for food banks and charities. result is a more efficient system and a better These problems are the result of 25 years of quality of life. harmful government policy, starting with: Key Goals  Federal government cuts to funding of  Ensure that we can all meet our basic social housing programs in 1993 needs  The closing of residential treatment for the  Reverse the trend towards greater mentally ill and a lack of replacement disparity between rich and poor services in communities BC Greens Will  Provincial government reductions to  Unify all current income support programs welfare rates into one comprehensive Guaranteed BC can do better. We can learn from places that Liveable Income are addressing homelessness with Housing First  Protect children by securing universal, safe, policies. For Housing First policies to work, and affordable childcare however, we need homes for people to move into and we need them now.  Create tax benefits for companies that provide on-site childcare, flex-hours, and That is why BC Greens propose that the job sharing government purchase or support the purchase of housing by non-profits. During economic  Reinstate and improve funding for downturns, there are unfinished and unsold women’s emergency shelters and properties available to turn into long-term rent- transition houses geared-to-income housing.  Provide employment assistance for BC Greens recognize that co-operative housing individuals, businesses, and community in BC has been successful in providing organizations affordable housing options for lower-income  Modernize services for people with British Columbians. We will partner with the co- disabilities based on a social model of ability rather than a medical model operative housing sector and other levels of Homelessness and Housing government to include co-operative housing as Affordability an option when addressing housing affordability. A home is essential to a healthy life. Greens believe that housing is a basic human right. Yet, To deal with the issues of housing affordability in BC, more than 10,000 people are homeless in the longer term, BC Greens will establish a and many more are on the verge of provincial housing program. We will work with homelessness. local governments as partners to ensure that an We must find homes for the homeless; we must adequate percentage of newly built housing is eliminate sub-standard housing; and we must www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 19

affordable. We will also advocate for a national ownership opportunities for British housing program. Columbians A basic income supplement, through our Protecting Strata Property Owners commitment to a Guaranteed Liveable Income Twenty-eight percent of all taxable properties in strategy, will be instrumental in addressing the BC are strata properties. In much of the lower housing crisis. If people have adequate income, mainland and Victoria, this number rises to over there will be less need for the government to be fifty percent. Since the Strata Property Act was in the business of providing houses. passed in 2000, strata developments have BC Greens know there are some people who grown in number and complexity. The Strata will need government support and services to Property Amendment Act of 2009 made assist them in living to their capability within changes to enable developers to build all-rental our communities. Services must accompany condo buildings, and to require most strata housing as part of a holistic program. corporations to prepare a depreciation report Key Goal every few years or specifically opt out of doing Ensure all British Columbians can live in safe so. The May 2012 Civil Resolution Tribunal Act and affordable homes provides a new alternative for resolving a dispute between a strata owner and a strata BC Greens Will corporation. This Act does not, however,  Commit 1% of the annual provincial budget address disputes arising from misconduct by a to solve the housing crisis property manager or developer. None of this  Provide financial support for small-scale, legislation provides for public input or mixed-income, co-operative, and non- meaningful review by a legislative committee. profit housing Key Goal  Construct healthy, energy efficient green Conduct a comprehensive and public review of housing for people with disabilities and the Strata Property Act that is focused on (1) mental health problems and for low- protecting the rights of strata owners and (2) income people the sustainability of strata communities  Modernize the BC Building Code to ensure Investing in Education that buildings are more energy efficient Universal public education has long been the  Update the Residential Tenancy Act to pride of Canadians. Education is an essential ensure a balance in the rights of renters building block of our society and a well- and landlords educated province will be a top priority for  Restore the local Residential Tenancy Green MLAs. offices that were closed across BC However, in today’s British Columbia, education  Mandate that BC Housing purchase existing is constrained in such a way that it marginalizes units of market housing that are in current and diminishes educational opportunities for or stalled projects to provide an immediate learning disabled and gifted learners, older and expanding pool of permanent below teens, and BC First Nations; ignores market and market rental housing extraordinary new insights into optimal learning  Support the development of new, non- and best practices from science; and falls short profit housing co-operatives for low and of providing students with the knowledge and moderate-income households experience they will need to meet future environmental and social challenges. In short,  Explore the potential for using the co- today's education policy reflects yesterday's operative model to create affordable home knowledge and practices and is in need of a significant upgrade. www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 20

The Green Party of BC supports education  Fosters the disposition to respond policies that will foster within the present positively and effectively to the significant generation of children and young people the challenges posed by global warming and dispositions and knowledge needed to adapt to increasing environmental and social the impacts of global ecological, social, and stresses economic shifts.  Celebrates and rewards environmental, Policies must address the unacceptable limits social, and sustainability initiatives and that disadvantage some groups, as well as the solutions to pressing environmental and mounting stresses posed by rising costs for social challenges educational services, including tuition charges  Uses learning innovations and for universities, colleges, and trade schools. It is opportunities arising from the Internet, unacceptable that students leave higher best learning practices, and recent insights education with extraordinary levels of debt. from the learning sciences Green MLAs will work to develop solutions to  offset these costs for students. Supports and encourages educational innovation to create new, cost-effective, Key Goals multi-purpose learning opportunities,  Foster a well-educated, well-trained especially for groups marginalized and/or society constrained by present education policy  Improve affordability and accessibility as  Supports and advocates on behalf of we move towards a more equitable system reducing educational service access fees of adequately funded education and tuition charges for students of all ages  Focus on the individual needs of students and especially teenage and college aged with different abilities and interests to students make sure all students receive a strong  Models and advocates on behalf of optimal education communication, mutually-supportive  Turn schools into community centres conflict resolution, peace, inclusion, offering educational and other programs to tolerance, diversity, and social sensitivity youth and adults  Models and advocates on behalf of The Green Party of BC supports an environmental sensitivity, sustainability, education system that: appropriate stewardship, and the Precautionary Principle  Develops all British Columbians' strengths, potential, natural desire to learn, and BC Greens Will curiosity  Apply the above mentioned principles to all  Nurtures and encourages a passion for education policy development lifelong learning and the skills needed for  Find an alternative to the “per-student” students of all ages to participate funding model to increase flexibility and meaningfully in society program options for students  Provides choices in education and access to  Meet the needs of differentially-abled a wide range of education programmes children, including early intervention for that meet the diverse needs and unique autistic children learning styles of students of all  Promote greater bandwidth capacity with backgrounds and learning abilities, as well obsolescence resistant fibre optic cabling as the needs of various learning instead of wireless networks communities  Promote a community school model that provides libraries, recreation facilities,

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technology and training areas, fine arts  Provide sexual health education that theatres, and studios in partnership with addresses the needs of the LGBTQ municipalities and elementary and community secondary schools  Establish several educational courses  Support a variety of schooling options that providing a choice for parents on which better meet the needs of underachieving program their child will attend, aiming to students and different learning styles address personal and religious concerns  Fund extra-curricular sports, fine arts, and regarding LGTBQ sexual health education student clubs that encourage healthy  Require education on the needs of LGBTQ community spirit, creativity, and leadership youth be added to Bachelor of Education  Promote instruction in nutrition and programs in BC healthy living, including sexual health and  Ensure that educational information is up sexuality, to ensure students understand to date, accurate, and inclusive of the what it means to live a healthy life needs of LGBTQ youth LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,  Provide inclusive dialogue with LGTBQ Transgendered, Questioning) Education community and parent groups to develop Policy best practice guidelines and curriculum The Green Party of BC supports a diverse and Advanced Education progressive BC society. As such, BC Greens Colleges, Universities and Technical believe that the BC education system should be Institutes inclusive and supportive of all peoples regardless of their sexual orientation. According to the BC Branch of the Canadian Federation of Students, “Post-secondary Key Goals education and training is among the most  Establish anti-homophobia policies and important social programs provided by the BC action plans government, and is indispensable to improve  Create inclusive K-12 curriculum and BC's competitiveness and standard of living. By learning resources equipping British Columbians with adaptive skills for a rapidly evolving workforce, education  Ensure accurate and inclusive sexual health also helps to address socio-economic inequities education for over 150,000 students in the province.”  Provide teacher education programs Post secondary education is becoming a  Work with the LGTBQ community and necessity for students graduating from high parents school. It equips students with increased BC Greens Will opportunities for employment.  Build upon the ERASE Bullying program to At the same time, the increasing costs of studies ensure uniformity in implementation beyond high school are putting an economic  Ensure all polices and actions plans are burden on students that previous generations found at the provincial, school district, and did not face. The average student debt for a school level four-year program in BC is $26,738. This amount increases for students who must live  Ensure that references to LGBTQ people away from home. BC Greens believe this are included in learning resources constitutes intergenerational inequity. That  Provide learning resources that address inequity is felt most by students and families current issues facing the LGTBQ with the fewest financial resources. community, such as bullying www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 22

Key Goal for employment or post-secondary education. To ensure that students The government has reduced funding to graduating from post colleges and universities offering these secondary studies do not programs, making it difficult for these start their adult lives so institutions to maintain ABE classes. indebted from education It is increasingly evident that high quality trades costs that they will have and apprenticeship programs provide the difficulty establishing foundation for rewarding careers, labour themselves in their mobility, and innovative BC-grown businesses. careers, gaining Previous governments made a mistake in independence from their reducing funding to apprenticeship programs. parents, and having to delay starting families Over the past few decades, with increased and purchasing homes industry involvement in training, BC Greens Will comprehensive trades have been modularized into short-run programs that train individuals to  Implement a program similar to that of do a narrow job without providing an avenue to Newfoundland and Labrador to eliminate become a credentialed trades person. Short- the interest on student debt, to be phased term training for a specific job may serve the in over five years immediate short-term needs of some  Introduce a needs-based grants program to industries. In the long term, however, it serves assist low-income students with tuition. A to de-skill the trades workforce by limiting the student’s financial need will be determined scope of skills taught. There needs to be a re- by a means test, based upon the students’ investment in comprehensive trades training, finances apprenticeships, and credentials.  Increase core funding to colleges and Laid off workers represent another area where universities by at least $200 million there needs to be new investment in training annually and re-education. BC Greens believe we have a  Immediately reduce tuition fees by 20% responsibility to provide re-training and increase funding to post-secondary opportunities that will prepare people to work institutions to improve service levels, in the new economy. provide new equipment, and maintain Key Goals infrastructure  To re-establish comprehensive trades  Explore how we could provide further education tuition refunds for post-secondary  To maintain free Adult Basic Education graduates who work, live, and pay taxes in (ABE) the province for five years after receiving their degree  To provide training and re-education for Retraining, Adult Upgrading, and Trades laid-off workers Training and Credentials BC Greens Will In a constantly changing economy, increased  Commit to free ABE, lift enrolment targets, education or educational upgrading is a and provide the funding to support new necessity. The provincial government and existing spaces recognized this when it eliminated tuition fees  Re-balance the oversight of the Industry for Adult Basic Education (ABE) in 2007. This Training Authority (ITA) to reflect all enabled adults without a high school diploma to stakeholders return to secondary level education and qualify

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 Work with employers to guarantee apprenticeship spaces  Restore a system of employment councillors to liaise between the public's investment in skills training and the employment market  Provide training for laid-off workers to get them get back into the workforce by training them for jobs in the green economy

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Improving Environmental Protecting Our Assessment (EA) The current environmental assessment Resources legislation and regulation has limited scope and Strengthen Environmental Laws restricts public participation. BC Greens will and Ensure Food Security appoint an independent Commissioner for Environment and Sustainability. Environmental British Columbia can truly be the ‘Best Place on assessments will assess all potential economic, Earth’. Our province is a spectacular part of our environmental, and social effects as well as world and we have much for which to be examining cumulative impacts. The EA process grateful. However, in the last one hundred will evaluate alternatives to proposed projects; years, the rapid depletion of resources and utilize a Watershed Based approach; be poorly planned development has led us into inclusive of local governments, First Nations, environmental debt. and public participation; and be part of a The Green Party recognizes that a healthy broader land-use and planning regime. environment and responsible resource use is BC Greens Will essential for healthy communities and a strong economy. Our plan for the environment focuses  Strengthen Environmental Assessments upon the conservation of resources through and Standards improved efficiencies, the reduction of toxic  Reform the process of appointing people to pollutants, and the protection of wilderness. the Environmental Assessment Office Protecting Our Resources and Environment  Pass strong Species-at-Risk legislation that Will includes appropriate habitat protection  Guarantee the prosperity of future Safeguarding Biodiversity generations BC is Canada's most biologically diverse  Result in meaningful action on climate province. The health and well-being of our change citizens depends upon this biodiversity, which  Ensure our economy runs sustainably provides life-supporting ecosystem services Strengthening the Environmental such as the air we breathe, the food we eat, the Management Act water we drink, and many of the resources that are vital to our economy and lifestyle. The Green Party is committed to restoring and With 94 percent of the province comprised of enhancing public and local government control Crown land, much responsibility lies with the BC over resource use, development, and the government to ensure that this great protection of ecosystems. We will re-establish the right of local and regional governments to biodiversity is protected. Specifically, the say no to development and resource use that is Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations not in the best interests of their region. The BC are mandated to conserve, maintain, and Greens will establish elected Regional Resource enhance native species and ecosystems in the Management Boards to review development province. proposals. This will strengthen the environmental assessment process by Unfortunately, however, BC's biological introducing a local focus that will ensure diversity is in decline. According to a report resource use is sustainable and in the released by the BC Auditor General in February community interest. 2013, the BC government is not doing enough to address this loss. Moreover, the report found that (1) significant gaps exist in government's

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understanding of biodiversity in BC, (2) biodiversity conservation relative to government does not know whether its actions provincial, national, and international are resulting in the conservation of biodiversity, commitments1 and (3) government is not adequately Restoring Our Wild Fisheries measuring and reporting on its progress in the Well-managed wild fisheries can be sustainable conservation of biodiversity. and provide healthy food and jobs in many The Green Party of BC recognizes that, in order smaller communities. However, many salmon for BC to reverse the current decline in our runs have gone extinct due to poor logging province's biodiversity, specific and strategic practices, road building, fish farming, and urban actions must be taken by government. We are development. committed to the long-term improvement of BC Greens will rehabilitate decreasing wild BC's biodiversity management and to salmon stocks and restore their habitat. We will implementing the Auditor General report's six recognize First Nations’ right to fish. We will key recommendations in order to ensure that also put the control of fisheries back into the such improvement occurs. hands of coastal communities and small fishers. Key Goals Key Goals  Improve BC's biodiversity management  Restore healthy natural fish stocks to BC’s  Reverse the decline of biological diversity waters in the province  Create local jobs in coastal communities  Ensure long-term conservation of BC's BC Greens Will biodiversity  Negotiate with the federal government to BC Greens Will take over management of coastal marine  Expand programs to collect and apply fisheries sufficient and reliable information on the  Implement stream-by-stream actions to status of biodiversity in BC, towards rejuvenate wild salmon by restoring habitat improvements in conservation decision-  Re-evaluate run-of-river projects pending making strengthened environmental assessments  Identify and address gaps, inconsistencies, and better regulation and barriers within BC's conservation  Phase out bottom trawling and less- legislation selective seine and gillnet fishing and  Establish goals, objectives, targets, and replace them with more selective methods timelines in order to fully implement  Phase in terminal salmon fisheries to habitat designation tools and determine replace open ocean interception salmon whether other tools are needed to reach fisheries and to restore traditional First measurable conservation goals and Nations fishing practices objectives  Implement transition plans for workers and  Assign specific responsibilities so as to First Nations communities to ensure reach these measurable conservation goals and objectives  Develop science-based monitoring programs to assess the effectiveness of the 1 From An Audit of Biodiversity in BC: province's conservation programs Assessing the Effectiveness of Key Tools, by the  Report regularly to the Legislative Office of the Auditor General of British th Assembly and the public on the progress of Columbia (OAGBC). Published February 10 2013. www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 26

employment when fisheries closures are  Provide employment security through needed to rebuild wild stocks retraining and job matching for workers  Reform licensing of fishers, breaking up the displaces from fish farms that close corporate concentration in big seiner Protecting the Wild licenses and reallocating licenses back to Some of our greatest public assets are the small-scale fishers water, land, air, and wildlife of this beautiful Protecting Wild Salmon from Fish Farms province. Clean water, fresh air, incredible The dramatic decline of BC’s wild salmon began green spaces, and recreation opportunities are when fish farms were introduced to the the foundation of our economy. However, the province. Wild salmon cannot be saved until protection and management of these assets is open net finfish farms are removed from inadequate and the results increasingly salmon migration routes, because of their damaging. deadly role in pathogen amplification and The Green Party understands that our introduction. continued prosperity and well-being depends One benefit of the fish farm industry has been on a strong economy based on and in a healthy the development of state-of-the-art processing environment. plants in BC. These plants are capable of BC Greens Will processing soft-fleshed seafood into high quality  Create a Ministry of Environment, Energy products. BC’s wild fisheries could benefit from and Climate Change this local processing capacity. The BC Green Party will ensure that the province benefits from  Direct this new ministry to increase BC’s these plants and explores further options for parks and protected areas system, their use. including marine environments, to 20% of the land base over the next 100 years Key Goals  Enact an Environmental Protection Act that  Protect wild salmon will go beyond the Management  Encourage coastal employment in Framework of the existing Environmental traditional fisheries, sport fishing, and eco- Management Act to deliver science and tourism evidence-based environmental BC Greens Will assessments that place biodiversity on an equal footing to economic considerations  Ensure that the BC coast is free of finfish and that considers cumulative and long- farms along the length of the east coast of term impacts Vancouver Island and the west coast of the mainland from the Fraser River north to  Form elected Regional Resource the Broughton Archipelago, by not Management Boards renewing the licenses of finfish farms with  Make permanent the moratorium on annual tenure and by revoking the licenses offshore oil and gas exploration, offshore of finfish farms with long-term tenure drilling, and tanker traffic to protect our  Provide transitional money so that fish coastal waters and marine wildlife farm processing plants can find alternative  Enact BC Species-at-Risk legislation that sources of soft-fleshed seafood for includes habitat protection processing and to establish markets for the  Place a moratorium on logging, road resulting seafood products both building, and industrial development in domestically and internationally critically endangered species habitat  Stop old-growth logging www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 27

 Appoint an independent Commissioner of of our economic strategy because it uses waste the Environment with responsibility to and reduces the burden on our resources and make sure resource development is creates green-collar jobs. undertaken in the public interest and to ensure compliance with environmental Key Goals legislation   Strengthen the environmental assessment Make better use of industrial waste process  Place cradle-to-grave recycling  Develop park co-management agreements responsibility on producers for their with First Nations products   Expand the Ecological Reserve system to Declare BC a ‘Plastic-Shopping-Bag-Free encompass one percent of BC’s land base Zone’ BC Greens Will  Ban trophy hunting and restrict any hunting of species threatened by trophy hunting  Establish an inspection and certification  Eliminate sport and trophy hunting of program to allow and encourage the use of grizzly bears recycled and reclaimed materials in new  Restore funding to create jobs for monitoring of pollution, protection of species at risk, and enforcement of fish and wildlife regulations  Reinstate funding for the Bear Smart program, with 50% funding support – up to $10,000 annually – for community bear- proofing measures  Increase funding for the Conservation Officer Service in order to provide more training in non-lethal bear aversion and renovated buildings strategies  Create demand for recycled pulp by  Establish bear information kiosks at mandating a minimum 50% post-consumer roadside campground entrances and recycled paper content for all newsprint institute penalties for those who attract bears  Phase in recycling deposits to be paid when purchasing all manufactured goods in order Moving to Zero Waste to ensure the internalization of recycling Waste needs to be seen as a resource and a costs into the initial price of the product potential source of revenue. In order to take Combating Climate Change advantage of new technologies in thinking about waste management, we need to shift Climate change is the critical issue of our time away from seeing it as a problem and towards and it is a crisis. There is consensus that we seeing waste management as an investment. must avert a 2°C temperature increase above The Green Party supports the goal of zero waste pre-industrial times. Global temperature is to the extent that it can be responsibly already about 0.7° above that level, and achieved. another 0.5° is “locked in” due to an ever- thickening blanket of heat-trapping greenhouse We believe that a goal of zero waste provides gases in the atmosphere. Run away global direction and inspiration for improving reducing warming will damage our economy. waste. A goal of zero waste is also a major part www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 28

Climate change is also a social justice issue BC Greens Will because it penalizes those in poverty, the  Implement refundable tax credits for all working poor, and the lower middle class energy retrofit costs based on before-and- disproportionately. Therefore, BC Greens will after EnerGuide or infrared heat tests for ensure that all measures to limit climate change include protections for the most vulnerable in residential, commercial, industrial, and our society. institutional buildings The Green Party has an action plan to address  Introduce tax-deductible ‘Green’ loans for both carbon emissions and climate change in home-owner energy retrofit costs BC. We know that BC on its own cannot address  Give a 100% Accelerated Capital Cost this global problem but we can become a Allowance for all businesses for energy beacon of leadership in an otherwise retrofit costs irresponsible world. We can shame other governments into action.  Offer revolving loans for residential or business energy retrofits Greens understand the need to price the cost of pollution and greenhouse emissions into the Regulations and Taxation economy. We will emphasize energy One of the ways to address climate change is to conservation and alternative energy sources. use the taxation and regulation powers of Our package includes emission targets, government to achieve the targets. regulation and taxation, transportation reforms, BC Greens Will increased information sharing and coordination,  Amend the Environmental Management Act and adaptation. to include GHG reduction regulations Emission Targets  Mandate the Ministry of Environment, The Green Party of BC shares the greenhouse Energy and Climate Change to audit GHG gas (GHG) emission targets identified by the emissions and prescribe GHG remediation Green Party of Canada:  Increase the carbon tax to $50/tonne and  At least 30% below 1990 levels by 2020 make the tax incrementally progressive to help reach emission targets on schedule. In (47% below 2007) addition:  At least 50% below 1990 levels by 2030 o Tax all GHG emitting industries (62% below 2007) o Capture the full social global cost of  At least 80% below 1990 levels by 2040 carbon emissions (85% below 2007) o Exempt British Columbians living below the low-income cut-off as established Conserving Energy by Statistics Canada o A fiscally responsible energy strategy starts by Extend carbon emission taxes to oil and reducing energy waste through increased gas and cement industries o conservation and efficiency. Convert fuel taxes to carbon and environmental taxes Key Goals  Place a hard cap on large final emitters of  Reduce our overall energy demands GHGs (the ten largest industrial sources  Use existing energy resources more account for 15% of all BC GHGs) efficiently  Ensure that GHG emissions reporting in BC takes into account the GHGs of coal-fired electricity imported from outside the province and work to eliminate imported coal-fired electricity www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 29

 Make the Environmental Risk Assessment  Rail is the most carbon efficient way to (ERA) by the Oil and Gas Commission a move goods and people. Invest in renewing regulated requirement under the Ministry and expanding rail systems in BC. Move of Environment, Energy and Climate Change cargo to routes serviced by rail in order to  Phase out the nearly $350 million in annual reduce the volume of trucks moving goods subsidies to the oil and gas industry through Metro Vancouver  Place a permanent moratorium on coal bed  Implement distance-based auto insurance, methane projects and shale bed gas congestion, road, and parking pricing exploration and production policies  Mandate that the oil and gas industry meet Forestry Reforms provincial GHG reduction targets and make The pine beetle has destroyed 80% of BC’s pine records available for GHG audits forests and the climate crisis is linked to this  Prohibit gas flaring by sector industries, devastation. Trees and intact forests pull CO2 with significant penalties for non- from the atmosphere and store it in their compliance (flaring and fugitive emissions structure and the soil that supports the at natural gas facilities account for nearly ecosystem. When managed well, forest offset 14% of GHG emissions in BC) Greenhouse Gas emissions. BC’s forests need to be considered as part of the solutions to reduce Transportation Reforms GHG emissions and as part of our strategies for Transportation accounts for 37% of BC’s adapting to climate change. Our current greenhouse gases. The Green Party of BC will industrial forestry practices leave clear cuts that work with British Columbians towards release CO2 and accelerate climate change. BC significant reductions of these gases. In the Greens would move to ecological forestry future, BC Greens will phase out gasoline practices and a community based forestry powered cars and short-haul trucks. model that places biodiversity and the BC Greens Will contribution that forests can make to action on  Regulate vehicle carbon emissions to fall by climate change equal in importance to 85% by 2030, using tax incentives and continuing to use our forests simply as a source regulatory standards of logs.  Cancel the exemption of BC Ferries BC Greens Will Corporation from the GHG Reduction  Conserve more forests Targets Act  Change to logging methods that increase  Introduce an automobile environmental carbon storage carbon tax — by sliding scale according to  Phase out clear cutting in second-growth the fuel efficiency of the vehicle and stands distance driven  Move to frequent light commercial  Regulate the hydrogen fuel cell industry to thinning and longer rotations ensure the use of only zero emission energy  Maintain the ecological integrity and for hydrogen production resilience of forests as a strategy to combat  Provide tax breaks and funds that support climate change cycling, transit, rail, tele-working, walking, Adapting to Change and video-conferencing  Match any federal tax incentives for The Green Party believes that a responsible Canadian manufacturers of super-efficient, government will show leadership in developing Plug-in Hybrid Electric, and electric vehicles an adaptation strategy. All levels of government sold in BC will be involved in the effort to limit the climate crisis. Failure to do so will result in millions of www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 30

lost dollars. We will not allow this kind of  Require that heat recovery devices be put wastefulness to continue. in place on suitable (water and waste) BC Greens Will drains  Establish special task forces to prepare Public Buildings region-specific climate change adaptive  Implement a provincial program to energy strategies involving all stakeholders retrofit public sector buildings such as  Set up a Climate Change Adaptation fund to universities, schools, museums, and assist those regions hard hit by natural hospitals disasters  Mandate the use of occupancy sensors on Sharing Information all public area lighting, including all multi- tenant and office buildings  Create an independent Climate Change  Require that all new publicly-funded Science Panel and an all-party Standing buildings in BC are energy self-sufficient and Climate Change Committee to complement qualify as net-zero GHG emitters by 2020 the work of the BC Climate Action Secretariat Changing the Way We Farm  Maintain BC’s participation in the Western Organic farming is the fastest growing Regional Climate Action Initiative (WRCAI) agricultural sector and the most profitable.  Include local governments as key players in However, much industrial agricultural all initiatives, and provide incentives and production is heavily subsidized, which lowers increased budgets for successful projects the price of many foods.  Support global verification and certification The Green Party recognizes the economic and standards for carbon credits and establish a ecological potential of organic farming. We hear provincial carbon bank to support the the concerns of family farmers throughout the purchase of local offsets. This may be the province. Industrial agriculture poses numerous redefined role of the Pacific Carbon Trust risks for our continued health. Intensive large- Building Code Changes scale farming methods make our food supply vulnerable to disease. We believe we can do  Mandatory installation of solar hot better. water systems and pre-wiring for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on new Key Goals buildings  Ensure that BC enjoys high quality, healthy,  Mandatory 2 kW solar PV systems on all and plentiful local food supply systems roofs two years after the price of solar falls  Encourage biodiversity to $2/watt  Prevent food-related illnesses  Inclusion of pre-wiring building  Encourage long-term jobs in the food requirements for electric cars. Particular production sector attention will be given to implementation BC Greens Will for multi-tenant buildings, work-place parking, and public parking lots  Stimulate local production to improve  Energy efficiency labeling for buildings regional food security before they are sold or leased, including  Enable small organic producers to raise and the average energy consumption sell – independent of the marketing boards  Promote geothermal, solar hot water, and – an economically viable number of ground/water/air source heat exchange in livestock home heating  Limit any further establishment of marketing boards or expansion of www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 31

marketing board jurisdiction over small Food Safety farm production  Phase out synthetic chemical pesticides  Remove taxes on value-added BC  Make BC a Genetically Modified Organism agricultural products such as juices and free (GMO-free) agricultural zone wines  Require the labeling of all foods for  Influence the distribution chain to support genetically modified organisms and other the sale of locally produced food and harmful products remove any subsidies that distort the true  Re-establish regional independence and cost of imported foods authority in setting regulations for  Shift taxes onto imported foods and off slaughtering to enable smaller producers to locally produced food slaughter on-site under conditions  Work with the livestock industries to inspected by local health officers establish slaughterhouses in BC and help  Work with the federal government to market BC range-fed livestock change regulations on slaughterhouses and internationally food processing facilities to encourage small  Reform the Agricultural Land Commission community-owned and operated facilities, (ALC) in membership and process, with through interest-free loans, and tailored members selected in a transparent and inspection and safety measures open competition Smart Food  Freeze all further withdrawals of Class One and Class Two agricultural land from the  Provide technical expertise with respect to Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) standards and best practices, supported in  Prohibit landowners from degrading Class part by local experimental farm research One and Class Two ALR lands by activities  Set up a heritage seed bank and seed such as removing topsoil and depositing exchange program and heritage botanical sand, gravel, or construction wastes on gardens on Vancouver Island, in the Fraser these lands Valley, and in the Okanagan  Employ farmland covenants, trusts, and  Implement consumer-focused and school- long term tenure as tools to increase based education designed to support local the amount of land used for agriculture food production and to provide access to land for those  Foster a preference and a market for local who want to farm and for whom the in-season food grown without pesticides cost of land is prohibitive using bio-dynamic or organic farming  Establish locally grown food procurement methods policies for government and government  Develop a school curriculum that provides agencies children with farming and food production  Re-establish a Buy BC program to identify experience BC grown agricultural products and  Support university-based programs in promote agricultural based tourism sustainable food production and  Provide small grants to support agriculture, including seed saving and municipalities and school boards that wish preservation of bio-diverse, non-genetically to maintain and expand community modified food varieties, and traditional gardens and urban agriculture farming methods  Re-instate a permit system based on Responsible Mining scientific criteria for milk grading by For a number of years, mining has been a authorized inspectors to allow the licensing significant source of investment, jobs, and and sale of raw milk revenue in BC. In order for us to continue to www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 32

profit from our resources, changes in our  Review and upgrade current reclamation practices are necessary. Mining need not come security and bonding provisions with the high environmental and social price tag Modernizing Mineral Tenure Laws it has had in the past. A responsible government BC’s mineral tenure laws are over 100 years old providing oversight can avoid many of the and allow mineral claims to be staked on most negative impacts. land in the province, without consent required The Green Party is dedicated to ensuring British from landowners and without providing for the Columbians will benefit from the work of the duty to consult with First Nations. Once staked, mining industry for years to come. We will a claim holder has the right to convert their improve laws and make changes to mining claim to a mineral lease. The BC government financing and implementation. We will also has no discretion to refuse this conversion to couple reform in mining policy with changes in leases. two other areas of public policy - environmental The BC Green Party recognizes that this tenure assessment and recognition of First Nations’ system interferes with effective land-use title and rights. planning, community decision-making, and Key Goals environmental stewardship, the costs of which  Reduce the impact of mining on the fall to taxpayers. BC’s mineral tenure laws must environment be updated in order to better reflect the  Share profits from mining expectations of British Columbians. BC Greens Will Key Goal  Eliminate all subsidies for mining and To modernize the mineral tenure system so that mineral developments it is consistent with good land use planning and environmental stewardship  Establish a tax on mining profits that gives the people of BC, the owners of the BC Greens Will resource, a fair return on their investment  Modernize BC’s mineral tenure laws,  Require that all mining proposals through consultation with First Nations, incorporate triple-bottom-line accounting industry, environmental groups, and full environmental assessments, communities, landowners, and other including public hearings stakeholders  Ensure that reclamation plans, including  Replace free entry with a discretionary plans to deal with acid mine draining, are licensing and permitting system requiring in place before active mining begins consideration of environmental and other  Expand the Mine Reclamation Fund to interests when allocating access to mineral clean up and reclaim old and recently rights abandoned mine sites and decommission  Provide landowners and other interested mine access roads parties the right to petition government to  Move to cost-based compensation (based withdraw lands from mineral tenure on monies spent on developing the availability property) in cases where mineral claims are expropriated in the public interest, such as  Establish no-go mining zones, including for parks or drinking water watersheds. land for unsettled First Nations’ land  Require any third party applying for an claims, domestic use watersheds, private exploration or development permit within conservation lands, sensitive lands with a designated exploration area to submit a poor environmental restoration capability, consent document issued by the affected and fisheries sensitive watersheds First Nations www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 33

 Create adequate no mining buffers around Key Goals areas of cultural and ecological importance  Put a moratorium on new gas exploration and lands that link existing protected areas and drilling  Require mines to conform to the terms of  Establish industry responsibility for land use plans and agreements with First repairing the environmental damage from Nations fracking operations  Explicitly acknowledge Aboriginal rights BC Greens Will and title with mineral tenure legislation  Require full disclosure of all chemicals used  Require consultation with, and prior in the fracturing process consent from, First Nations and private  Call for detailed mine reclamation plans landowners before mining permits are with adequate bonds to ensure granted and mining activities begin environmental liabilities are not passed  Call for fair compensation and the option onto the province for relocation for affected landowners  Impose an immediate moratorium on new  Ensure that comprehensive environmental exploration permits and land tenure assessments are completed before agreements significant exploration activity begins2  Provide for the comprehensive mapping of all ground and surface fresh water Regulating Fracking resources and an improved Environmental There is increasing and incontrovertible Assessment (EA) process prior to any evidence that the use of hydraulic fracturing consideration of lifting the moratorium (fracking) to extract natural gas and petroleum  Reform the Environmental Assessment (EA) poses risks to human health and the process so that it considers all potential environment. Using current practices, fracking economic, environmental, and social has an unacceptable impact on our fresh water impacts as well as the cumulative effects resources due to the massive amounts of water from all industrial activity within a region. used in the fracturing process. In addition, there The EA process will: are concerns about management of the contaminated water that returns to the surface; o Evaluate alternatives to proposed the impact fracking has on agricultural and projects forest lands as well as wildlife habitats; and the o Utilize a Watershed Based approach contribution that the mining of unconventional o Be inclusive of local governments, First gas makes to climate change. Nations, and public participation The BC Green Party will work with the fracking o Be part of a broader land-use planning industry to ensure all environmental liabilities regime and health concerns are addressed before granting any new tenure agreements for  Determine the natural limits to fresh water unconventional natural gas development. withdrawals from streams, lakes, rivers, and underground sources and grant withdrawal permits accordingly  Put a fair price on fresh water to be applied 2 From MINING: Mineral Tenure Reform by Emma Hume to all current projects in Maintaining SuperNatural BC for Our Children:  Require long-term monitoring of spent and Selected Law Reform Proposals, Edited by Calvin capped well sites by the company to guarantee public safety Sandborn, Published by Environmental Law Centre, University of Victoria. www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 34

 Set royalty rates that are fair to both  Ensure small and value-added BC-based extraction companies and the province forest businesses have access to a reliable while considering comparative rates in wood supply through regional log markets other jurisdictions  Develop a licensing system and enforceable  Change the role of the Oil and Gas rules for sustainable commercial harvest of Commission to that of an oversight non-timber forest products by local people regulator that is required to meet the  Increase small-scale forest tenure such as aforementioned standards and that is not community forests and woodlots influenced by industry or the government  Support companies that want Forest  End subsidies to the oil and gas industry Stewardship Council eco-certification for their wood products and help market eco-  Revise the Clean Energy Act to require the certified BC wood products internationally gas industry pays for its GHG emissions  Establish post-secondary programs and Rethinking Forestry professional development opportunities The impact of the global economy has affected for training and skills upgrading to ensure the forest industry dramatically. The public- professional foresters are competent in all private forest tenure model has also damaged aspects of sustainable forest practice, the industry. Industrial forestry as practiced in stewardship, and management BC since the 1950s has mined the quality and  Provide extension services for preparation squandered the value of our forests. As a result, of management plans, forest valuation, BC has seen a flight of forest industry capital to and capacity building the USA and other areas. Reform Log Markets and Improve It is time for something better. Oversight The Green Party is dedicated to strategies that  Set up an inquiry into stumpage will shift forestry from an industrial model to an manipulation, reinstate government log ecologically based model. This means protecting scalers, and set stumpage rates at fair ecological integrity as well as producing market value sustainable high quality, profitable forest  Establish Regional Resource Management products Boards with the mandate to incrementally Key Goals achieve Green forest policy goals and provide stewardship role over local forests  Manage our forest resources for present  Accelerate tenure reform to require no less and future generations than fifty per cent of public forest tenures  Create long-lasting, wood industry be held by First Nations woodlots and employment in communities throughout communities by the year 2019 BC  Establish competitive regional log markets  Preserve ecosystem biodiversity that sell all logs from public land through  Stop old-growth harvesting open auction, and in the interim replace BC Greens Will the current stumpage tax system with the  Stimulate local wood-based and forest payment of a percentage tax on the logs products industries sold  Encourage the development of value- Wisely Conserve and Manage Our Forest added, second-growth processing facilities Resources through tax-shifting  Establish an independent review into the  Provide low-interest start-up loans to state of British Columbia’s forests and their encourage small, labour-intensive eco- management, focusing on area-based forestry www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 35

tenure, industrial structure, and managed. However, the treaty is out-of-date sustainability of forests and needs to be restructured.  Institute watershed-and ecosystem-based Key Goal management plans and rate of cut Update the Columbia River Treaty in order to determinations based on ecologically prioritize healthy rivers and communities sustainable forestry principles that protect BC Greens Will timber and non-timber forest values,  Support re-opening the Columbia River including cultural, environmental, tourism, Treaty for negotiation in 2014, in order to recreational, and fishery values put in place new measures to maintain the  Maintain natural (fire, wind, insects, etc.) ecological flow, shape, connections, and human (logging) disturbances within quality, and life of BC’s rivers the historic range of natural variability  Ensure that First Nations and local  Phase out clear cutting in second-growth communities are meaningfully involved in stands and replacing this practice with the Columbia River Treaty re-negotiation frequent light commercial thinning and process longer rotations  Incorporate ecological considerations into water flow management, so that decision-  Designate as off-limits to logging our making becomes based on the following remaining intact watersheds, domestic three priorities (in order of importance): drinking water watersheds, endangered (1) flood prevention, (2) minimizing ecosystems, habitats of endangered ecological impacts, and (3) maximizing species, and First Nations lands on which electricity generation approval to log has not been granted  Encourage treaty measure that channel  Ban the use of pesticides and synthetic revenue from electricity generation chemical fertilizers in public forests towards restoring or replacing the lost  Eliminate coastal old-growth logging ecological, agricultural, cultural, and  Maintain the ecological integrity and fisheries values in the Columbia River Basin resilience of forests to reduce vulnerability  Develop a comprehensive sustainability to natural and human caused stresses assessment protocol for evaluating the  Set the same standards of environmental individual merits of BC dams before determining if service continuation, protection for logging on private lands over modification, or decommissioning should five hectares, as established for public lands occur  Establish a reserve fund to enable

increased forest restoration activities during times when the forest economy experiences a downturn Restructuring Hydroelectricity Production Over 80% of BC Hydro’s power comes from the Columbia and Peace River systems. The Columbia River Treaty is the 1964 agreement between Canada and the United States that governs how dams on this river system are

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However, the governing Liberals (with the Reforming support of the opposition NDP) decided that, in order to pass and change the voting system, an Government undemocratic 60% of the voters would have to say yes and over 50% would have to say yes to Give Citizens a Voice and Improve the change in 60% of the electoral districts. In Public Oversight fact, a total of over 50% said yes in 77 of 79 The BC Green Party has witnessed British ridings. Columbians’ growing frustration with a political system that is much too inaccessible. We will restore integrity and accountability to our government through increased public oversight for ministries, Crown Corporations, the privatized BC Ferries, and public appointments. Greens will change the structure of our government to reflect what we want to build. We will create new ministries and combine existing ones to build a new culture. By doing so we will reduce the size of Cabinet. Green MLAs will decentralize decision-making. Had the requirement been a simple majority, BC We will strengthen the role of local government would now have a fair voting system. Dishonest by transferring to them the power and politicians, corruption, strict party control, and resources necessary to meet the needs of their the excessive influence of narrow interest communities. We will work to find new groups, all of which have led to distrust and strategies that respect the autonomy of First disillusionment among citizens, would be a Nations and that provide for community, social, thing of the past. Quite simply, BC can do and economic development. better. Green Party Reforms Will In conjunction with the people of BC, the Green  Encourage greater citizen participation in Party will develop a comprehensive program to our democracy bring participatory democracy to BC and to  Reduce the influence of special interest build a more cooperative and effective groups in governing government that works for the benefit of all  Strengthen public oversight of government British Columbians. bodies and policing Based on the trend toward greater secrecy in  End the culture of secrecy in government government and the use of strategies that avoid subjecting information to the Freedom of Building a Better Democracy Information and Protection of Privacy Act The BC Green Party has promoted fair voting (FIPPA), BC Greens would implement a and cooperative politics since our inception framework of oversight checks and balances to thirty years ago. The citizens of BC are eager to ensure BC has a responsible system of public help make our democracy work better. In the administration and governance. We believe that referendum on electoral reform in 2005, 58% of the general public, media, and oversight British Columbian voters said they wanted to agencies should have a reasonable ability to change to the system of voting recommended review or scrutinize the fiscal, operational, and by the Citizen’s Assembly. decision-making practices of public institutions and agencies.

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Key Goals  Establish appropriate penalties of non-  Ensure that voters receive fair election compliance in the duty to document results  Amend FIPPA to empower the  Bring in campaign finance reform to reduce Commissioner to investigate the the influence that special interest groups inappropriate destruction of government can gain over government with their documents campaign contributions  Require that all lobbyists declare their  Encourage free votes in the Legislature lobby status when providing information and recommendations to public agents  Reduce the concentration of power in the Premier’s office  Strengthen the Society Act to make societies more accountable and their  Make government information easier and operations more transparent less costly to access  BC Greens Will Introduce effective “whistle-blower” legislation  Require by law that political parties use democratic means to nominate candidates Voters' Rights and that these democratic processes are BC Greens believe that political parties are not made public being held accountable for their election  Institute a system of free votes in the promises. We also think that the current Legislature for all matters, including the political party structure allows Members of the budget. The BC Greens will not “whip” Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to not be held party members accountable for not representing constituents. In addition, big-money donors to political  Initiate a one-hour question period every parties inevitably influence government day the Legislature sits policies. Greens believe voters have the right to  Require that all-party parliamentary honest election platforms and to easy access to committees hold public hearings on draft election platforms from all political parties. legislation Voters also have the right to impartial  Delegate to committees the power to politicians. modify the legislation and to have the Key Goal modified version considered in the The Green Party of BC will advocate for Voters’ Legislature Rights legislation  Amend the Initiative and Recall Act to add BC Greens Will clarity related to conduct, decision-making,  Require that all political parties and criteria for both Initiative and Recall participating in an election declare their and to make this an effective tool for both election platforms to Elections BC three citizens and legislators weeks before the election date  Reduce the power of the Premier’s office  Establish an Independent Platform  Establish fixed dates for sittings of the Commissioner to perform an audit Legislature between elections and issue a report to the  Make Freedom of Information (FOI) public requests more affordable and responses  Have Elections BC post the declared more timely platforms online, with one hard copy  Establish the administrative legal available at each public library and each requirement for detailed documentation in Service BC location, no less than two weeks key decisions of government before the election date www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 38

 Implement campaign finance reform that government. These appointments tend to go to limits political donations from any one friends of the party in government. The organization or individual to $2,000 per compensation for board members has risen political party per year sharply and includes both a salary and per diem  Institute an annual subsidy of $2 per vote rates for days when the board meets. At the per year until the next election for any same time, the oversight of many government political party receiving at least 10% of the entities has been lax. BC Greens believe that total votes cast in an election. This public this compensation structure needs to be subsidy is to compensate parties for the reviewed, with a view to reducing it to an loss of union and corporate donations honorarium and coverage of expenses. We would also create an independent agency to  Appoint an Independent Debates solicit applications and make appointments Commission to ensure fair rules for the from qualified individuals who reflect local televised Leaders' debates demographics. Executives and Board Members of Key Goal Government Agencies To review the structure of government There has been a dramatic increase in the salary organizations with the aim of reducing the levels of senior executives in the public service compensation level of senior executives, over the past ten to twenty years. The encouraging promotions from within, and assumption has been that the public sector ensuring there are no more executives than must pay salaries equivalent to the private needed sector to attract executives with appropriate BC Greens Will skills. Accompanying this assumption is a belief  Review executive salaries and set those that executive positions in the public and wages to reflect the expectations of the private sector require similar skills. The citizens of BC Government has adopted private sector compensation strategies such as bonuses. These  Review the appropriateness of the practice strategies are often based in private sector of awarding bonuses within the public practices or cost containment and staff sector for simply doing one's job reduction in the name of increased productivity.  Tie the compensation of the highest paid The Green Party of BC challenges all of these employees within government agencies assumptions. (CEOs of Crown Corporations and Deputy While there has been lip service paid to the Ministers) to that of the lowest paid need for lean government, the number of employees on a 10 to 1 ratio. In other senior executive positions has increased words, the highest paid employee cannot exponentially. Organizations often have make more than ten times the lowest paid multiple Vice Presidents, Senior Vice Presidents, employee and other positions in the executive suite. BC  Cap executive and non-union severance Greens believe in leaner government and would packages in government, Crown review the executive structure of all corporations, and other government- government bodies with the objective of funded bodies to bring them in line with BC reducing the number of executive positions. Employment Standards (maximum of eight The board members of Crown Corporations; weeks severance) municipal police boards; health authorities; the  Fill management and other non-union Agricultural Land Commission; BC Transit; positions from within before seeking Translink; and government-owned corporations candidates from further afield to reduce such as BC Ferries are appointed by the

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the likelihood of overly generous right to do so entirely at their own discretion compensation and without any actual “alternate approval”  Provide mentoring and training to develop mechanism being in place - in practice or a pool of well-qualified candidates for theory. promotion to executive and management BC Greens Will positions from within government  Implement elected Regional Resource  Review the compensation of board Management Boards, Regional Health members with a view to making these Trusts, and Local Social Trusts volunteer positions with commensurate  Expand recall legislation to include honorariums and coverage of expenses municipal officials  Create an independent office to make non-  Restore local land-use decision-making partisan appointments to Boards  Revoke the Alternate Approval Process Decentralizing Decision Making Restoring Confidence in Law The Green Party is committed to expanding the Enforcement authority of local governments to include A fundamental principle of a free and authority over energy development, social democratic state is that its police must be services, and transportation. In consultation above reproach, independent of political with First Nations, local governments would powers, and committed to enforcing the law in also be able to make decisions about regional an impartial and professional manner. growth, climate change, zero waste principles, and agricultural, forest, and recreational land The Green Party supports a police service with protection. the highest standards of conduct that earns the respect of all British Columbians. We believe Green MLAs will propose new funding formulas that, as with all public bodies, law enforcement for municipal and regional governments to must be subject to reasonable limits and ensure there is sufficient financial support for undergo periodic reviews, if police are to their new decision-making and programming maintain the highest level of service. responsibilities. Key Goals The Green Party of BC recognizes that civic democratic due process is indispensable for  Bring public oversight to internal police achieving long-term, balanced, and maximized investigation economic and social development within BC’s  Rebuild public trust in our police communities. Unfortunately, in the last several  Set community supported guidelines on years an increasing number of municipal appropriate tools for police to employ in councils and regional districts in BC have their duties resorted to the Alternate Approval Process BC Greens Will (APP) in order to push forward large community projects without the direct consent of their  Establish a provincial police service constituencies.  Appoint an independent Provincial Police The APP was introduced within the 2004 BC Commissioner to oversee investigations of Community Charter. BC Greens believe that the police conduct and process for all APP contravenes the principles of prudent, jurisdictions democratic, and transparent civic due process.  Remove electric stun devices from all law Through the APP, not only are BC’s municipal enforcement agencies within BC councils legally permitted to presume the consent of constituents for extraordinary municipal initiatives, they are also afforded the www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 40

 Put in place a citizen’s assembly to make  Honour existing treaty rights and work in recommendations on policing and law good faith with the federal government to enforcement models for British Columbia settle the outstanding claims of First Valuing First Nations as Partners Nations and enact historic treaties While aboriginal rights, aboriginal title, and  Implement the spirit of the Kelowna treaty rights are enshrined in the 1982 Accord, “The New Relationship”, and RCAP Constitution Act, denial of these rights  Work with First Nations as partners to continues. The BC government has been ensure just consultation and negotiating modern treaties through the BC accommodation of First Nations’ Treaty Commission since 1992 but this process aspirations and co-management and has resulted in only two treaties. The citizens of equitable sharing of BC’s natural resources BC understand that this process is taking too on traditional territories long, costing too much, and is not addressing  Work with First Nations peoples so that First Nations’ needs. they develop economic capacity for their First Nations with historic treaties continually communities struggle to have their existing treaty rights  Invest in First Nations economic recognized by the BC government. For example, development most of the Treaty 8 First Nations in northeast  Support First Nations to find solutions to BC have had outstanding reserve land eliminate the disparity in the quality of life entitlements owing to them for almost 100 experienced by First Nations communities years. Oil and gas development surrounds the using quality of life indicators as defined by Treaty 8 First Nations. They are losing cultural First Nations and spiritual lands at an alarming rate.  Enhance the First Nations component in In 1996, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal the education system curriculum Peoples (RCAP) published a report of recommendations to improve the lives of  Train educators to include materials and aboriginal people. Disgracefully, little progress methodologies that better inform people has been made since publication of the report. on the history of First Nations peoples in Denial of aboriginal rights and treaty rights BC and Canada, the continuing impacts of continues. The Green Party believes in colonization on First Nations peoples, and implementation of rights agreements and the the necessity of recognizing aboriginal and Royal Commission’s recommendations. treaty rights The Green Party recognizes the need to improve the quality of life of First Nations peoples through improved housing, better education, more employment opportunities, and increased access to health programs, including traditional medicines.

Key Goal Recognize and affirm aboriginal and treaty rights in a fair, efficient, and respectful manner BC Greens Will

 Honour BC’s fiduciary duty to aboriginal people by defining aboriginal title and rights in partnership with First Nations www.greenparty.bc.ca Page 41

When you read Green Book 2013, we believe you will find that our values reflect your values; and, that they are shared by your friends and most other British Columbians. We want a stronger British Columbia and one that promotes responsible prosperity and well-being. All British Columbians want and deserve a more effective, representative and accountable government that makes sensible decisions for the future so that our children and grand children inherit a province where they can flourish. Phone and fax: 1-888-473-3686 (toll-free) or 250-590-4537 (Victoria) Address: PO Box 8088, STN CENTRAL, Victoria, BC V8W 3R7 Email: [email protected] Web: www.greenparty.bc.ca

Authorized by David Pearce, the Financial Agent of the Green Party of BC, 1-888-473-3686

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