How can one person create lasting change?

The climate crisis is upon us — but governments are asleep at the switch. It’s up to us to accelerate the shift to clean local power.

With the climate crisis looming, Justin Trudeau wants taxpayers to borrow billions of dollars to help the oil industry expand.

Construction on the Trans Mountain pipeline has barely started. But already the cost has ballooned to $12.6 billion.

Wild salmon are the backbone of Indigenous cultures across B.C. and a key part of the food chain. Diluted bitumen is a toxic heavy crude oil blend that sinks in water. One spill could wipe out salmon runs already hit hard by climate change and habitat loss.

While everyday people struggle to get by, Canadian politicians give billions of dollars in handouts and tax breaks to oil, coal and gas companies each year. Our precious public resources should be making people’s lives better and tackling the climate crisis, not lining the pockets of CEOs.

The Mount Polley tailings dam failure unleashed billions of litres of contaminated sludge — destroying a salmon stream, dumping mine waste into Quesnel Lake and sending a plume of toxic chemicals down the Fraser River. To this day, the company responsible has faced no charges, fines or penalties. Instead, taxpayers spent $40 million to clean up the company’s mess.

The Tsilhqot’in were the first Indigenous nation in Canada to prove title to their territory in the Supreme Court. But five years later, they still have to fight for companies to respect them on their own land.

Remember the Mount Polley mine disaster? It’s worse than you thought. The company responsible is now pumping untreated mine waste straight into Quesnel Lake. Not only has Imperial Metals never faced fines or charges, they’re still polluting this prime sockeye salmon lake.

Imperial Metals still hasn’t faced any charges or fines after the Mount Polley mine dam collapse. Five years later, the company pipes its mine waste straight into Quesnel Lake.

Now Imperial wants a new permit to drill for gold next to Manning Park and Skagit Provincial Park.

More and more youth are becoming engaged and participating in politics, around the world and here in British Columbia. They are well-educated, compassionate, mature and ready to make a difference in our province. It’s time to lower the voting age to 16 in B.C. and give youth a voice!