Latest news with #JohnRustad
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
New law forces B.C. legislator to quit her ‘part-time' job as municipal councillor
Langley-Walnut Grove Conservative MLA Misty Van Popta attends a campaign stop with Conservative Leader John Rustad, not seen, in Vancouver, on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press) VICTORIA — A B.C. Conservative legislator has lost what she called her 'part-time' job as a councillor after a new law banning MLAs from also serving as municipal representatives came into effect. Misty Van Popta represents Langley-Walnut Grove in the provincial legislature, but lost her job as a municipal councillor in the Township of Langley in the Fraser Valley on Thursday when the Eligibility to Hold Public Office Act came into effect and forced her to resign. 'I'm obviously disappointed, but not shocked,' she said after the passage of the law. 'When you see that bill being presented, and you know that the government has the balance of power, you know it is going to pass.' Van Popta was elected as councillor in 2022, but didn't step down after being elected to the legislature last year, drawing criticism from the provincial NDP. The NDP's Darlene Rotchford, who tabled the new law as a private member's bill, said legislators needed to give '110 per cent' to their jobs, and can't do that if they are trying to hold down another. Van Popta – whose photograph no longer appears on the township's website – said her decision to hold two elected offices at the same time had precedent and was always meant to be a 'temporary solution.' Van Popta added that she was planning to resign as councillor in 2026, the year of the next municipal elections, to save her municipality the cost of a byelection. The last general municipal election in the Township of Langley cost about $500,000. Van Popta's Conservative colleague Heather Maahs quit her Chilliwack school board position after becoming an MLA last year. The school board byelection in March cost an estimated $100,000. Van Popta said she felt that the NDP singled her out, and she was able to prove she could do both jobs. 'There is just no evidence to substantiate the fact that I haven't been working 100 per cent as an MLA,' she said. She said that being a municipal councillor in her community with a population of about 162,000 was a 'part-time job.' Van Popta said being a councillor with the township is not the 'same thing as being a municipal councillor in the City of Vancouver' or other large community. 'I have demonstrated over the last seven months that it was doable,' she said of her two jobs. Rotchford said the bill was not focused on anyone in particular, but meant to close a loophole. 'This is something that shouldn't be allowed,' Rotchford said in the legislature on Wednesday. 'We are ensuring that all (MLAs) are giving 110 per cent in closing that loophole, when you are an MLA in the province of British Columbia, similar to other provinces across the country.' There is no rule preventing federal members of Parliament from serving as councillors. Richmond Coun. Chak Au was elected as an MP representing Richmond Centre-Marpole in April. This report by Wolfgang Depner of The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025.
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
B.C. Tories say NDP government should have fallen because of blurred Zoom screen
B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad speaks to reporters following the throne speech at the legislature in Victoria, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito If it were up to B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad, British Columbians would have found themselves at the start of an election campaign Thursday — because of a blurred Zoom screen. Rustad says Speaker Raj Chouhan shouldn't have counted an online vote on Wednesday night by Rick Glumac, minister of state for trade, arguing the blurred background of his screen violated the legislature's prohibition against virtual backgrounds. The vote on the government's Bill 14 was a confidence vote — and without Glumac's vote, or the tiebreaker cast by Chouhan, Rustad says the Opposition would have won 46 to 45. But B.C. NDP house leader Mike Farnworth says Glumac was clearly sitting in a room, with his face visible. He says that blurring the background of a room is an established practice and it's not the same as using a virtual background. Farnworth says a true example of a virtual background would be a member of the Opposition 'sitting on a beach with half a coconut, with an umbrella in it, and palm trees' and that the complaint about Glumac is 'nonsense.' This report by Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press, was first published May 29, 2025.
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
B.C. Tories say NDP government should have fallen because of blurred Zoom screen
B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad speaks to reporters following the throne speech at the legislature in Victoria, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito If it were up to B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad, British Columbians would have found themselves at the start of an election campaign Thursday — because of a blurred Zoom screen. Rustad says Speaker Raj Chouhan shouldn't have counted an online vote on Wednesday night by Rick Glumac, minister of state for trade, arguing the blurred background of his screen violated the legislature's prohibition against virtual backgrounds. The vote on the government's Bill 14 was a confidence vote — and without Glumac's vote, or the tiebreaker cast by Chouhan, Rustad says the Opposition would have won 46 to 45. But B.C. NDP house leader Mike Farnworth says Glumac was clearly sitting in a room, with his face visible. He says that blurring the background of a room is an established practice and it's not the same as using a virtual background. Farnworth says a true example of a virtual background would be a member of the Opposition 'sitting on a beach with half a coconut, with an umbrella in it, and palm trees' and that the complaint about Glumac is 'nonsense.' This report by Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press, was first published May 29, 2025.
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
B.C. Tories say NDP government should have fallen because of blurred Zoom screen
VICTORIA - If it were up to B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad, British Columbians would have found themselves at the start of an election campaign Thursday — because of a blurred Zoom screen. Rustad says Speaker Raj Chouhan shouldn't have counted an online vote on Wednesday night by Rick Glumac, minister of state for trade, arguing the blurred background of his screen violated the legislature's prohibition against virtual backgrounds.
Globe and Mail
5 days ago
- Health
- Globe and Mail
B.C. Premier, Opposition Leader spar over solution for Victoria's Pandora Avenue
The leaders of B.C.'s two main political parties are sparring over a solution to the addictions and homelessness crisis in Victoria that was detailed in a Globe and Mail investigation published last weekend. The Globe spent months speaking with Victoria residents, business owners, police officers, local politicians and drug users in an effort to chronicle the impact of the decline of Pandora Avenue, the epicentre of the city's fentanyl crisis. The reporting was part of Poisoned, a continuing series examining the opioid crisis, and its impact on the country. Premier David Eby said Monday that there 'have been improvements on Pandora, thanks to a significant new supportive housing development.' The NDP Leader said that he understands the 'urgency' of addressing the crisis and promised more supportive housing for the B.C. capital. John Rustad, Leader of the Conservative Party of B.C., said the investigation 'laid bare the devastating reality on Pandora, where addiction, death and chaos are spiralling out of control.' He said the NDP's solution – more supportive housing – is the wrong one. The crux of the issue is something B.C. Housing confirmed to The Globe: that residents of all supportive housing buildings in the province are allowed to smoke and inject drugs in their units, something that was not widely understood. 'The Premier said that supportive housing would save lives,' said Mr. Rustad. 'Instead, he's created taxpayer-funded sites where drug use is rampant, crime is routine, and people have no hope for recovery.' Mr. Rustad noted that Victoria police are constantly called to these buildings for standoffs, trafficking and weapons seizures. 'Just last week, they seized a kilo of fentanyl, a loaded handgun and $40,000 in cash from one of the Premier's so-called supportive housing sites, and yet the NDP still claims that this is helping people and moving them toward recovery.' Mr. Rustad called on Premier Eby to replace supportive housing with treatment-focused housing that bans deadly drugs. For her part, Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto called the national attention a 'watershed moment' for the city. Since 2023, the City of Victoria has spent nearly $25-million on homeless-resident supports and repair costs from encampments. She said that municipalities like hers need help to address the crisis. Councillor Marg Gardiner said the investigation brought much needed attention to the issue that Victoria is grappling with. 'It is crucial – both for residents and business owners in our city – that this story to be told beyond the City of Victoria. The provincial government has not assumed the responsibility for housing and health care for these desperate people."
