The Public Circle w/ Adam Olsen – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Recently, I had the privilege to engage in a fascinating conversation with Khelsilem, Chair person for Nexwsxwníw̓ntm ta Úxwumixw, of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Council of the Squamish Nation.)

The conversation was inspired by a series of tweets by Khelsilem, and centers on Indigenous governance. We talk about the perception and evolution of Indigenous governance, as well as important questions surrounding present-day legitimacy and authority in decision-making – particularly regarding jurisdiction and land use decision-making.

Khelsilem addresses the profound disruption and tangling of Indigenous governance structure, jurisdiction, legitimacy, and authority driven by dehumanizing colonial policies. Drawing on specific examples, we also discuss the variable progress across BC Nations to untangle the consequences of these disruptions and how this has, and continues to affect, relationships with governments, industry, environmental organizations, and activists. Emphasis is placed on how misguided narratives have shaped these processes and beliefs.

HÍSW̱KE Khelsilem, for an insightful and rich conversation.

In this episode of The Public Circle Podcast I connect with Jonathan Morris, CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association, B.C. Chapter. He has worked in the sector for the past two decades and we start our conversation discussing how he got started and what he and the CMHA is doing today.

We cover a variety of relevant topics including,
• The resilience of the accomplishment made to date in destigmatizing mental health,
• How we need to take care in what we say and how we say it,
• The impact of the toxicity of illicit drugs, including both the tragic number of lives lost since the public health emergency was called in 2016, and also the growing number of brain injuries resulting from repeated drug poisonings,
• My experience sharing my substance use, abuse and addiction story,
• An update on the provincial government supports, services, response, and resources,
• Resetting our whole approach by creating a coherent system of care so that people know what to expect,
• Updating the Mental health act ensuring it is “fit for the purpose,”
• Emergency mental health crisis response, the role of police and civilian responses, and the PACT (peer assisted care teams) program to change the first response model,
• 911 (ECOMM) calls and how those calls are handled,
• Debunking the institutionalized stigma that all mental health calls end in violence,
• Impact of the prolific offender’s report and social service approach rather than a criminal justice approach to people who are repeat offenders
• Resisting the temptation to “fall into poles or camps” and the reminder to be thoughtful and evidence-based in our approach
• Recognizing that the victims of crime need support, respect, and justice but also that words are powerful, and
• Peer support and how we help the people in our lives – ask, listen, and offering a little help

For more information about Jonathan and the programs and services offered by the Canadian Mental Health Association visit https://www.cmha.bc.ca.

Visit The Public Circle Podcast website.

This episode of The Public Circle Podcast features a conversation I had with John Juricic and Kelly Darwin for their podcast Northern Conversations. I am re-publishing it here.

There is a great deal of confusion with respect to the current state of Indigenous relations in British Columbia. There is even less understanding of how we got here. This has not been helped by the willingness of the provincial government to wrap themselves in the glory of being the first jurisdiction to pass the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, while failing to honour the complexity of the situation and continuing to over-simplify it in the public sphere.

British Columbians are uncomfortable with the dysfunctional relationships that we see once again playing out in the Wet'suwet'en territory as part of the colonial legacy of our province and country.

Who is responsible for the fact that fully armed RCMP officers are once again removing Indigenous peoples from their territory? Is it the fault of Indigenous people who can't get along? Or, is it the fault of the federal and provincial governments who created the conditions for the confusion? In this frank discussion we address these question (and many more) and hopefully create a starting point for unpacking the complexity of the challenges we face.

In this episode of The Public Circle Podcast I connect with South Island Prosperity Partnership (SIPP) Interim CEO Bruce Williams.

This is the not the first time that Bruce and I have sat across from each other with microphones. It was the first time that I was interviewing Bruce though.

Williams joined the SIPP after a successful career as a television and radio host, producer and manager. You will likely recognize his voice as he worked for many years in the Victoria market. Bruce is a networker and connector so he fits perfectly in his role building partnerships and collaborations with the SIPP.

Bruce has been serving as the Interim CEO for the past year.

In this episode of the podcast we discuss,

• The SIPP's efforts to build meaningful relationships with the 10 Indigenous communities on Southern Vancouver Island through the critical work of creating sustainable economic development,
• How the partnership is working to bring the business community together across many local and Indigenous governments. After all, despite the numerous boundaries it's just one economy in the region,
• Outline how the SIPP's Prosperity Index has created a dashboard of metrics to measure the region. The Index measures more than the GDP, it looks at economic resiliency, transportation and mobility, housing and affordability, human health and environmental health, and
• A myriad of other topics such as increasing connectivity and how the SIPP is working to attract businesses from international markets and encouraging them to establish a base on Southern Vancouver Island.

I have been involved with the SIPP from the very beginning and support the work they do to bring our communities together. I really enjoyed this conversation with Bruce and look forward to catching up with him again in the future to get another update on the SIPP's progress.

In this episode of The Public Circle Podcast I connect with youth climate activist Emma-Jane Burian.

We recorded this conversation in late Fall 2019 and admittedly I have been slow in publishing it. No matter, here it is.

Burian is a grade 12 student who lives in Victoria but grew up in Burnaby with the Trans Mountain pipeline running through her backyard. She asks a lot of questions and as she learned of the risks of pipelines and climate change she became more active.

Emma-Jane's passion is clearly evident in this conversation. We discuss her efforts,

• Organizing with Our Earth Our Future Victoria,
• Organizing with Climate Strike Canada, a grassroots, cross-country, youth-led group coordinating climate strikes, and
• Participating in the City of Victoria Youth Council.

It is inspiring to hear how Burian and her peers invest their time in raising awareness on the "biggest issue of our generation" and the challenges of developing voting structures for a consensus-driven democratic organization.

Emma-Jane's goal is to work on social justice issues as a human rights lawyer. I wish her all the best as she pursues her education in political science and philosophy.

After a brief unintended hiatus from the podcast Adam Olsen and Nick Gilchrist resume their conversation about life in British Columbia politics.

It has been a busy year and with the original week 7 episode languishing in the dustbin of unpublished podcasts, this second attempt will be much more successful - it will be published.

Part of the challenge of producing a podcast is editing and writing the show notes. So until there his a team producing this show, the show notes are going to be brief.

In Episode 7 Nick and Adam discuss:

• Nick's amazing new microphone (Shure SM7B),
• The missing podcast  (mentioned above),
• Taking a break (replacing work with puzzle-making),
• Embracing a new role as the Interim-Leader of the BC Green Party (https://www.bcgreens.ca/leadership_2020)
• A question from a listener about what is meant when people talk about unceded territory,
• Looking forward to 2020,
  - Focusing on personal health and well-being,
  - Improving communications,
  - Forestry,
  -- The economic perspective and resource harvesting practices of the W̱SÁNEĆ with the SX̱OLE (reef net),
  -- Embracing the restoration economy,
  -- Having new conversations with the leadership of resource communities about their future,
  - Education,
  -- Protecting and enhancing public education as the cornerstone of our modern society.
  

Episode Summary

- In Week 6, Adam Olsen and Nick Gilchrist have a lengthy discussion about jurisdictional issues and frustrations.

- The conversation begins with Adam reflecting on the transition between the legislative and constituency focus of his work. There is always a backlog of meeting requests in the constituency when the legislative session ends and it usually takes a few weeks to get caught up. Adam also highlights the series of community meetings he is hosting in early December. Find out more here.

- Last week Nick's wife (and Adam's sister) Joni was re-elected to Tsartlip First Nation Council. This is her seventh election since 2007. Nick and Adam take a few minutes to honour Joni's work and the challenge that First Nations governments face with respect to the Indian Act and their relationships with the federal and provincial governments.

- One of the more frustrating aspects of governance for the public is confusion around the responsibility of the different levels of government. Who is responsible for what? Nick and Adam turn their attention to the complexities of overlapping jurisdictions and how the difficulties that surround them can often overwhelm and cause a lack of engagement by the public.

- As part of the discussion about jurisdiction they cover the shortcomings of the "world class oil spill response" and the criticisms of elected officials from Washington State in their attempts to get the Province of British Columbia and Government of Canada to the table to address issues of mutual interest.

- In addition, Adam and Nick canvas issues around salmon, the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the provincial ministries with decision-making authority over salmon policy and endangered species legislation.

- The discussion turns to the relationship between government and industry. With resource extraction being an important part of the British Columbia economy, Nick and Adam discuss the extensive use of subsidies and incentives and the work ahead in transitioning away from such a heavy reliance on extracting natural resources to a more diverse and sustainable economy for the future.

- Finally, the conversation lands on some of the more philosophical thinking that Adam has been doing around leaders, leadership and the violent narratives that emerge as politicians and political parties play the partisan games that are often associated with political campaigns. Adam discusses this further in a recent blog post.

If you would like to contact Adam, please send him an email here.

If you would like to contact Nick, please send him an email here.

In Week 5 of the podcast Adam Olsen and Nick Gilchrist get together to continue their discussion about life in British Columbia politics.

They open with a brief chat about feedback Adam received regarding the opening music. One listener literally shook their head in dismay over the song and so Nick is going to head back to the drawing board. Perhaps Week 6 will open with a new tune.

On Friday night Nick and Andy Sloniowski back up Madison Olsen who played a few sets at the Brentwood Bay Village Empourium. Adam and Nick talk about the music and they feature one of Maddie's recent songs called 5930 Exhausted. The recording was mastered by Malcolm Owen Flood.

The conversation moves to the final week of the last legislative session of the decade. Nick and Adam discuss the significance of Royal Assent, when Lt. Governor Janet Austin comes to the legislature to provide the final nod to completed Acts. They discuss briefly the voting process, and highlight the need to move from legislating the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act to developing an action plan.

Nick has done quite a bit of research on the early history of the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia and reads a long letter to the editor to the Victoria Standard newspaper from August 28, 1874. What he reads is written by a settler named C.J. Grandidier from the B.C. Interior. Grandidier admonishes the provincial policy for Indigenous people and demands the government treat Indigenous people justly. It is an incredible example of how little has changed in the past 145+ years in our province.

Nick highlights a recording he made of his wife (Adam's sister) Joni Olsen discussing the Douglas Treaty. The Treaty was signed in the early 1850's between the Indigenous people and settlers surrounding Fort Victoria. Listen to the recording here.

As Adam and Nick begin to wrap-up the episode they talk about the next couple of weeks in the Saanich North and the Islands Constituency Office and the final community meetings Adam is hosting in the first few weeks of December. Check out the times and locations of the remaining meetings here.

Nick returns with his Top 3 segment by asking Adam about his top three favourite Acts that they have passed since he was elected. Adam's list is the Bill to ban "big money" in British Columbia politics, the name of John Dean Provincial Park to ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱/John Dean Provincial Park and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.

Finally, Nick and Adam pick their SENĆOŦEN word of the week. This week the word is KELȽOLEMEĆEN which means killer whale. Nick ends the episode with by speaking KELȽOLEMEĆEN. (It's pretty decent.)

If you would like to contact Nick, email him here.

If you would like to contact Adam, email him here. Check out his blog here.

In this episode of The Public Circle Podcast, I return to the original format with a conversation with Salt Spring Island folk singer Luke Wallace. As it turns out, Luke had many more questions for me than I had for him. He is a fantastic interviewer! Over the past few years, I have come to know Luke as a powerful advocate for social justice and environmental issues and it has long been a goal of mine to get him on the podcast.

For the past decade he has been making incredible music and touring the province hosting fundraising concerts for issues he is passionate about: Trans Mountain Pipeline, Lelu Island and Site C Dam.

In this conversation, we discuss approaching life and our work with honesty and authenticity. We cover the disconnection between people and the land and our approach to governance at the community, provincial and federal levels.

Luke is a powerful advocate for Indigenous rights and we have an extended discussion about the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. I highlight how the legislation will set British Columbia on a new path, create more certainty in governance and on the landscape by requiring relationships with Indigenous people to begin at the start not after the decision has been made.

Our conversation morphs into a discussion about energy policy and the challenges with BC Hydro's policy direction.

Needless to say, this is an expansive exchange that covers a lot of ground including future elections and political philosophy. It is highly likely that Luke and I will return with another episode together.

Until then, I encourage you to check out Luke's website at http://lukewallacemusic.com/ and check him out on Instagram. In Spring 2020 he has a new album dropping and I truly hope you will help lift him up by supporting his music.

You can read my blog at https://adamolsenmla.ca/, check out my Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Email me at Adam.Olsen.MLA@leg.bc.ca or call my office at 250-655-5600.

In week four of the podcast Nick Gilchrist and Adam Olsen cover quite a bit of ground.

They open the episode with a potential new theme song for the series and discuss a possible name other than just the current week. Listeners are encouraged to provide their ideas of possible names for the podcast.

The labour disruption in School District #63 was finally sorted out last weekend and the kids are back in school. Adam provides a little context to the work that is still needed to ensure the district can compete to recruit and retain support staff.

Both Nick and Adam went to the Barney Bentall & the Cariboo Express show at the Mary Winspear Centre. They discuss the quality of the music and the fundraising efforts. Over $45,000 was raised over three nights for the Saanich Peninsula Food Bank. In the 14 years the Cariboo Express has been doing the fundraising concerts they have raised over $2 million. Check out Matt Masters, Ridley Bent, Daniel Lapp, Dustin Bentall and Lorna Crozier.

The conversation then turns to what a day, or week, is like in the legislature. Nick and Adam chat about question period and how partisan it is. In the end it's a long and winding conversation about the quality of our democracy and some ideas on how we can improve it. It is followed by a more brief discussion about the role of the Whip, how the BC Greens manage their workflow and keep everybody organized.

This week the SENĆOŦEN word of the week is SĆÁÁNEW̱ (salmon). Adam and Nick also talk about the pronunciation of W̱SÁNEĆ (Saanich).

Finally, Nick challenges Adam to name his top three favourite places to visit with his family in Saanich North and the Islands. They are SṈIDȻEȽ (Tod Inlet), ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱/John Dean Provincial Park and Helen Point on Mayne Island.

This podcast is fueled by coffee. This week Adam opened a brand new bag of Winter beans from Level Ground Trading. Level Ground is a fair trade roasting company based in Central Saanich on the Saanich Peninsula.

You can reach Nick Gilchrist by emailing him here.

You connect with Adam Olsen by emailing him here.

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