Image Credit: BC Govt. / Flickr / File

By Bob D’Eith, MLA for Maple Ridge-Mission

Sound Off

Reflecting on 2021

Dec 9, 2021 | 5:05 AM

As we near the end of 2021, we have a chance to reflect on the challenges and accomplishments of the past year. This year, like last year, has not been an easy one for people around the world, including in B.C.

While we are making good progress on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, we are not out of the woods yet. Climate change is making severe weather more frequent and intense, and we need to re-double our efforts to mitigate it’s impacts.

Amid these and other challenges, we do have reason to be proud of the things we’ve achieved together this year.

Over 88% of eligible people 12 and up have received their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and vaccines are now available for all kids 5-11. Vaccines have made a huge impact in our fight against COVID-19 and allowed kids and adults alike to resume many of the things we love – including spending the holidays with our loved ones.

As a government we took two historic steps this year to protect people’s health.

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We became the first province in Canada to introduce 5 paid sick days for workers, starting in January 2022. With over 50% of workers in B.C. currently without any paid sick days, this move will reduce the spread of infectious diseases in our workplaces and communities, and have a huge impact for some of the most marginalized people in our province.

We also applied to Health Canada to decriminalize people who use illicit drugs. It’s important to understand that this move is about removing the stigma associated with the disease of addiction. Instead of being criminalized or staying silent out of shame, people who are struggling should be given the support and health care they need. In addition, we are steadily adding more spaces in treatment and recovery programs across the province so people can take that step when they are ready.

This fall in the Legislature, we also made progress to better protect and manage our environment.

We have strengthened the role of Indigenous nations in decision-making about forests in their traditional territories, and created more opportunities for public engagement on forest harvesting plans. We are also giving communities, First Nations, and smaller companies new tenure opportunities, to better share the benefits of our forests.

To get harmful plastic out of the environment, we are taking steps to limit single-use products like straws and cutlery. We also created a new 143-hectare provincial park, and added 23 square km to existing provincial parks, to ensure these special places will be here for generations to come.

We also strengthened our CleanBC climate plan, accelerating measures to reduce our emissions and shift from fossil fuels to cleaner alternatives.

These are just a few of the many actions we have taken this year to make like better for people in B.C. But it is clear that we have many important challenges still ahead of us – in particular, the COVID-19 pandemic, the toxic drug crisis, and climate change.

As we have always done, we will respond to these challenges by putting the needs of people first. By working together and looking out for each other, we can recover and build a stronger, more equitable province for everyone.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.