Shannon Waters

"I've got my tentacles on the ground."

Yeah, question period is weird #bcpoli

I'd accept making them sing all QP questions and responses

It's already a ridiculous circus most of the time

Today's hot take: Singing should be banned in the legislative chamber 🙅‍♀️

Everyone can have a little time chaos, as a treat!

Quote from Dr. Baiwan on areas of focus for the upcoming coroners inquest into the Tumbler Ridge tragedy: “A key area of examination will be how individuals in crisis are identified and supported, including access to mental health supports and services in rural and remote and small communities across British Columbia, such as crisis intervention and wraparound supports. This will include consideration of how mental health services and public safety systems work together to support people experiencing complex mental health crises, including broader issues of community awareness, education and support, and matters relating to gender diversity, where relevant to the evidence.”

It was from the coroner before media questions

Here's the full quote:

Statement from the chief coroner here:

...and how tech (like AI) interacts with law enforcement

The specifics of the inquest, including whether it will take place in Tumbler Ridge, are still being determined

Also: emergency response and coordination, communication with families and the school community

Opportunities of strength and preparedness and response in rural settings

The inquest may also look at how mental health and public safety systems intersect with firearms oversight...

Other areas the coroners inquest will consider:

how mental health services and public safety systems work together to support people experiencing complex mental health crises and related matters of community awareness, education and support, and gender diversity, where relevant to the evidence

A coroners inquest is a public inquiry that serves three primary functions: To determine the facts related to a death, including the identity of the deceased, and how, when, where and by what means the individual came to their death, as well as a classification for the death To make recommendations, where appropriate and supported by evidence, to prevent deaths in similar circumstances To ensure public confidence that the circumstances surrounding the death of an individual will not be overlooked, concealed or ignored

BC Coroner Dr. Jatinder Baidwan will launch a coroner's inquest into the Tumbler Ridge tragedy

"A key area of examination will be how individuals in crisis are identified and supported, including access to mental health supports and services in rural and remote and small communities across BC"

People in northeast B.C. say rest of province should embrace living in a single time zone year-round | CBC News "You'll love it," is the message Oliver Hachmeister of Fort St. John has for British Columbians who will soon be joining B.C.'s Peace region in a single, year-round time zone.

People in northeast B.C. have operated on a single, year-round time since the 1970s. They love it, and say you will, too
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

They've already done the estimates for Citizens' Services 👀

Estimates debate started Thursday

Hello it is March 2 and I just received an acknowledgement letter for an FOI filed on January 30 🫠

5 weeks for a preliminary response

I wonder what the chances are of receiving my request by the legislated due date of March 16...

Oh, here we go! After 6 days of debating the budget, the BC legislature is starting estimates debate today

Up first: Attorney General an Infrastructure with Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation on deck #bcpoli

Here's the story that prompted my question last year with an update from @michellecyca.com!

A group of children dancing with Premier David Eby and Attorney General Niki Sharma in the BC Legislature's Hall of Honour

The press conference, which features a group of school children, has been paused for a dance break to Daft Punk's One More Time #bcpoli

Last year, was not the time to be making the change, apparently

Believe me, I asked!

bsky.app/profile/noco...

When the province polled British Columbians about ditching the time change in 2019, support was strong

93% of the 223,000 responses to the government's survey said go for it

90% of businesses were supportive

7 years later, BC is finally making the change #bcpoli

Locations that observe Mountain Time There are a small number of communities in eastern parts of British Columbia that observe some form of Mountain Time instead of Pacific Time. Those regions will not be impacted by these changes. However, as a result of Pacific Time no longer changing twice a year, many of these communities will be brought into greater alignment with the rest of British Columbia. For example, Dawson Creek, which observes Mountain Standard Time year-round, will be on the same time as most other places in British Columbia, both in the winter and summer months. Whereas places like Cranbrook that observe Mountain Time, but switch between standard and daylight times, will be aligned with the rest of the province during in the winter months, but will be one hour ahead in the summertime. Quick Facts: • B.C.’s new time zone, Pacific Time (PT), will be aligned with the Yukon year‐round. • From November to March annually, PT will match Alberta and other regions observing MST; and from March to November every year, will align with California, Washington, Oregon and other Pacific Daylight Time jurisdictions. • Neighbour jurisdictions like Washington, Oregon, and California are all in the process of creating or enacting similar legislation.

Here's what the change means in practice:

BC will share a time zone with the Yukon year round

November to March, BC will be on the same time zone as Alberta

March to November, BC will be on the same time zone as Washington state, Oregon and California

Why permanent DST makes sense for B.C. In summer 2019, the Province conducted a public engagement on time observance that saw participation from a record 223,000 people, with 93% supporting adopting year-round DST. Similarly, across all industry groups and nearly all occupational groups, support for year-round DST observance was higher than 90%. Evidence suggests there are many benefits to ending the seasonal time change, including: • more consistency and fewer disruptions to sleep patterns, school schedules, and daily routines • more usable light in the evenings in winter, allowing more leisure time, participation in outdoor activities and consumer activity • reduced administrative burden for small businesses and service providers, who may require less system reprogramming, schedule shifts and operational resets every spring and fall • more consistency for planning across transportation and technology services. How the change will be made The Interpretation Amendment Act, which is the legal framework that enables the Province to adopt permanent DST, became law in 2019. At the time, government chose not to bring it into force in order to coordinate timing with neighbouring U.S. states in the same time zone. Recent actions from the U.S. have shifted how B.C. approaches decisions that merit alignment, including on time zones. Making this change now reflects the current preferences and needs of British Columbians and helps ensure the province is well‐positioned to thrive, even when circumstances across the border evolve. Regulation will bring the amendments into effect after March 8. Government will work closely with organizations, small businesses, and public-sector partners between March and November 2026 to ensure a smooth, well-coordinated transition to permanent DST.

Seven years after passing legislation to make it possible, BC will make the shift to permanent Daylight Saving Time this year

On March 8, clocks will spring ahead for the last time

There will be no time change in November

BC will be on Pacific Time (PT) #bcpoli

Independent MLA Tara Armstrong introduced a bill to get rid of BC's human rights commissioner

Division at first reading

BC Conservative caucus voted aye, as did MLAs Brodie, Kealy and Armstrong

BC NDP caucus, Green caucus and MLAs Sturko and Boultbee voted nay

It failed at first reading #bcpoli

‘It was an embarrassment’: B.C. Speaker scolds MLAs following unruly debate British Columbia’s Speaker of the Legislative Assembly delivered a rare public rebuke to members of the legislature Tuesday, after question period deteriorated into shouting, heckling and repeated int...

Welcome to a pretty typical question period in the BC legislature! 🥲

To meet that timeline, consultation on the DRIPA changes (including with First Nations) has been "expedited," sparking questions about the legitimacy of that process

A lawyer who helped draft DRIPA told me the rush will almost certainly spark a lawsuit #bcpoli

The BC government is moving extraordinarily fast to change DRIPA. "Warp speed," some might say

Premier David Eby vowed to alter the law and block courts from ruling on it in early December. The gov's plan is to pass the changes by end of May

In the legislative world, that's a big hurry #bcpoli

Energy Minister Adrian Dix was asked about LNG Canada's flaring issue last week during QP

He insisted BC has "strong oversight" of LNG facilities

He also told the house BC has "the lowest emission LNG in the world" #bcpoli

Link: www.leg.bc.ca/hansard-cont...

LNG Canada was actually flaring 205,000m3 of gas daily last summer and fall, per the BC Energy Regulator

Since the flaring issue was identified, regulators have inspected LNG Canada twice

"To date, the regulator has issued no penalties, no inspection reports and no formal non-compliance findings"

Whoa

"LNG Canada told the BC Energy Regulator it needed to flare an additional 170,000 cubic metres of gas daily to mitigate the issue, which would produce roughly 430 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per day — equal to driving a gasoline-powered car roughly 1.5 million kilometres." #bcpoli

BC has asked the RCMP "to make sure that they have done preservation orders with all of the relevant social media companies and online forum companies that the shooter may have been interacting with" to aid in the investigation, possible coroner's inquest or public inquiry - Eby

"There were no revelations from open AI that they had any information to be concerned about," Eby said of the two initial meetings

On Feb 12, OpenAI asked to connect with the RCMP, per Eby

"It is our understanding that the RCMP has all of the relevant records from OpenAI" #bcpoli

OpenAI did not mention Tumbler Ridge shooter’s posts in meeting with B.C. officials day after mass shooting: province Company says it suspended the shooter’s account in June after posts were flagged by an automatic screening system

OpenAI met with BC's Minister of State for AI and New Technologies the day of the Tumbler Ridge shooting and a rep from the premier's office the day after

Premier Eby told reporters the meetings were to discuss regulatory issues and OpenAI possibly setting up an office in BC #bcpoli