Latest news with #Warbus
Vancouver Sun
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
B.C. Conservatives demand government help residents whose homes now valued at $2
The B.C. Conservatives are calling on the NDP government to revisit a decision not to provide financial aid to Chilliwack River Valley residents whose homes are now valued at $2 because of increased landslide risk. In a news release, the Conservatives demanded the government release internal records and explain why protecting a road was worth millions in 2009, but protecting people today is worth just $2. The Conservatives pointed to a recent Postmedia investigation that revealed the province spent $2.25 million to buy out two landslide-threatened properties in Chilliwack Lake Road, one in 2009 and another in 2011. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. But today, six families in the same area face similar risks but have been denied all compensation or support , noted the Conservatives. The properties have been valued at $2 by the B.C. Assessment Authority, as reported earlier by Postmedia. 'You can't live in the home, you can't fix it, you're told to keep paying the mortgage, and then they have the audacity to offer you two dollars. What does that say about this government's priorities?' said Á'a:líya Warbus, the Conservative MLA for Chilliwack-Cultus Lake and Opposition House Leader. The six Chilliwack River Valley property owners were refused financial help from the province after their homes were classified as unsafe to live in following heavy rains from an atmospheric river in November 2021 that caused billions in damage in B.C. and killed five people. The province has said no financial assistance was available because their homes were not actually damaged. But Warbus said the B.C. government is hiding behind claims of technical policy advice instead of showing compassionate leadership. She explained the Conservatives would like to see all correspondence on the government's decision, including how it was elevated, through which ministry or ministries, the basis for the decision, and how it was communicated. To the residents, it feels like nobody cares, said Warbus. Chris Rampersad, one of the six homeowners, said the increasing attention on their plight is helpful. 'The problem can't be ignored any longer, and the government can't say the case is closed. Some of the answers from government contradict their own policies,' said Rampersad, who continues to pay a mortgage on a home he can't live in. Macklin McCall, the Conservative critic for emergency management, added the province is dodging its duty to protect and represent people. He noted that other provinces offer buyouts and British Columbians deserve the same. 'This isn't the first time the NDP has ignored its responsibilities. It's a pattern,' said McCall. 'Instead, we're watching the government pass the buck while families are left stranded, again.' In Postmedia's reporting, the province has not responded to questions about why it does not have a provincial buyout program. Other provinces have bought homes at risk from floods and slides, including in Alberta, Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland. The B.C. Emergency Management Ministry has said buyouts are the responsibility of municipal and regional governments. But the Union of B.C. Municipalities has said local governments do not have the revenue to take on such costs or risks. Trish Mandewo, the president of the Union of B.C. Municipalities, said earlier that since attention had been brought to this issue it is clear there is a policy gap that needs to resolved because climate change means landslides and other natural hazard risks are only going to increase. ghoekstra@
The Province
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Province
Á'a:líya Warbus: Right-hand woman to B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad
Douglas Todd: First Nations leader and hip-hop singer does a lot of "heavy lifting" for the Conservatives As Opposition house leader, Áʼa꞉líya Warbus manages the daily business of the Conservative party's 41-member caucus in the legislature. Warbus was elected by a 2,300-vote margin last October in the riding of Chilliwack-Cultus Lake. Photo by Jason Payne / PNG Sto:lo Nation member Á ʼa ꞉líya Warbus, a documentary filmmaker, Capilano University instructor and one-time hip-hop artist, readily acknowledges that of course she was criticized for running as a candidate for the B.C. Conservative Party. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. 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Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Conservatives aren't normally associated with caring that much about Indigenous people's issues, the environment or marginalized people — even though Warbus is intensely concerned about all of those issues and more. By contrast, the B.C. NDP have three Indigenous MLAs. And for what it's worth, the premier of Manitoba, Wab Kinew, is NDP. (Warbus once knew Kinew from the hip-hop circuit, and believes he's a leader for all people.) The B.C. Conservatives have only one Indigenous MLA. That's after Warbus was elected by a 2,300-vote margin last October in the riding of Chilliwack-Cultus Lake. Warbus, 40, has no trouble going against stereotypes, countering cliches and breaking down barriers. Inspired by her well-known father, Steven Point — a former Sto:lo Nation chief, former B.C. lieutenant governor, and former university chancellor — she wants to do what is best for Indigenous people and the wider culture. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'My dad would never tell you his politics, but he's always been for Indigenous rights. He was always asking how is this work going to benefit the larger community, as well as our community. His point of view, really, is that we just need to be involved.' Warbus is involved, to say the least. She's a community leader, a former hip-hop singer with the band Rapture Rising, a digital-film instructor at Capilano University, a podcaster, and the enthusiastic head of a self-financing group of about 25 Sto:lo war canoeists and catamaran paddlers. Known as Star Nation Canoe Club, they enter sprint competitions around the world. B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad has noted her organizational skills. Warbus now serves the crucial role of Opposition house leader, which means she manages the daily business of the party's 41-member caucus in the legislature. Stay on top of the latest real estate news and home design trends. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In effect, she is the right-hand woman to Rustad. 'I would say in many instances I become a stand-in for John, representing him as best I can. We have a really good working relationship. He trusts me,' she said in an interview last week. 'House leader is a lot of heavy lifting. I would say that I have a high threshold for, I don't want to say chaos, but for organizational demand. Especially when I have support, I can carry quite a load.' She likes to think both she and Rustad approach potentially divisive issues, of which there are many, with 'human kindness.' Á'a:líya Warbus (far left) with some members of Star Nation Canoe Club, which competes in sprint competitions around the world. Photo by Kalvin Warbus A mother of three children, she attributes her willingness to take on eclectic challenges to several people, including her mother, Gwendolyn, her husband, Kalvin Warbus, a filmmaker who works with troubled Indigenous boys, and her father, Steven Point. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. At age 73, Point is a criminal lawyer, retired provincial court judge, former lieutenant governor of B.C, former head of the B.C. Treaty Commission and, until last year, chancellor of the University of B.C. In 2022, when the city of Richmond renamed Trutch Avenue because of its link to B.C.'s first lieutenant governor, Joseph Trutch, who was openly hostile toward Indigenous people, council chose the name Point Avenue . Despite her many influences, Warbus has her own ideas about what needs to be done. Last year, before the provincial election in which the B.C. Conservatives came in a surprisingly close second to the NDP government, Warbus said she put her name forward in part because she opposes the NDP's emphasis on providing so-called 'safe supply' of opioids to people with addictions. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Instead of fighting for prevention and rehabilitation, Warbus said, the NDP government has been 'pushing addictive drugs on both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. It has to end.' In the legislature, Warbus recently recited the names of the many Indigenous people she has known who have died because of drug overdoses. 'I've lost so many people close to me.' She has been close to people on drugs who become psychotic, who don't at that time really know who they are, she said. People in that state, she said, must be provided services and treatment, although she recognizes the sensitivity of the term 'involuntary care.' When it comes to Indigenous economic development, she said one of her inspirations is Ellis Ross, a former chief councillor for the Haisla Nation who in 2022 came in second for the leadership of the B.C. Liberals. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Ross was a big force behind getting a 650-kilometre pipeline built to serve LNG Canada's new terminal in Kitimat. As of this spring's federal election, he is the Conservative MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley. Her admiration of Ross doesn't mean she will be rah-rah for every resource extraction project, though. 'We do need to get our resources moving and developed, but it has to be in a way that applies the highest possible environmental standards and that takes into consideration the impacts it's going to have on the people and the land.' For his part, Rustad often cites how, when he was Indigenous relations minister in the former B.C. Liberal government, he completed more than 400 economic agreements with First Nations. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Warbus, Conservative Party MLA for Chilliwack-Cultus Lake, with husband Kalvin Warbus and one of her three children. On a different controversy, Warbus stood side by side with Rustad when he pushed back this spring against three members of the B.C. Conservative caucus who made light of the harms done to Indigenous people by the federally funded, church-run residential school system. After a showdown in which the dissenters accused Warbus of being in league with the NDP, two of the three MLAs went on to form a new party. Warbus stays in the fight for a better world in part because of her spiritual convictions — like her father, who attended the Roman Catholic church while growing up on the Skowkale First Nation reserve, next to Chilliwack. Like almost half Indigenous people in Canada, Warbus blends First Nations spirituality with Christianity. Yet she understands why some Indigenous people whose family members attended the defunct residential school system are suspicious. 'Christianity, unfortunately, has negative ties to residential schools, to people who did bad things. You know, if you're burned by a stove, you don't want to go near the stove again. And I totally respect that. So I never want to be presumptuous. But my own experience is growing up and going to church with my dad and hearing the stories of Jesus has been positive.' dtodd@ Read More Crime News Vancouver Canucks NHL Sports Betting
Vancouver Sun
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Á'a:líya Warbus: Right-hand woman to B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad
Sto:lo Nation member Á ʼa ꞉líya Warbus, a documentary filmmaker, Capilano University instructor and one-time hip-hop artist, readily acknowledges that of course she was criticized for running as a candidate for the B.C. Conservative Party. Conservatives aren't normally associated with caring that much about Indigenous people's issues, the environment or marginalized people — even though Warbus is intensely concerned about all of those issues and more. By contrast, the B.C. NDP have three Indigenous MLAs. And for what it's worth, the premier of Manitoba, Wab Kinew, is NDP. (Warbus once knew Kinew from the hip-hop circuit, and believes he's a leader for all people.) Stay on top of the latest real estate news and home design trends. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Westcoast Homes will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The B.C. Conservatives have only one Indigenous MLA. That's after Warbus was elected by a 2,300-vote margin last October in the riding of Chilliwack-Cultus Lake. Warbus, 40, has no trouble going against stereotypes, countering cliches and breaking down barriers. Inspired by her well-known father, Steven Point — a former Sto:lo Nation chief, former B.C. lieutenant governor, and former university chancellor — she wants to do what is best for Indigenous people and the wider culture. 'My dad would never tell you his politics, but he's always been for Indigenous rights. He was always asking how is this work going to benefit the larger community, as well as our community. His point of view, really, is that we just need to be involved.' Warbus is involved, to say the least. She's a community leader, a former hip-hop singer with the band Rapture Rising, a digital-film instructor at Capilano University, a podcaster, and the enthusiastic head of a self-financing group of about 25 Sto:lo war canoeists and catamaran paddlers. Known as Star Nation Canoe Club, they enter sprint competitions around the world. B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad has noted her organizational skills. Warbus now serves the crucial role of Opposition house leader, which means she manages the daily business of the party's 41-member caucus in the legislature. In effect, she is the right-hand woman to Rustad. 'I would say in many instances I become a stand-in for John, representing him as best I can. We have a really good working relationship. He trusts me,' she said in an interview last week. 'House leader is a lot of heavy lifting. I would say that I have a high threshold for, I don't want to say chaos, but for organizational demand. Especially when I have support, I can carry quite a load.' She likes to think both she and Rustad approach potentially divisive issues, of which there are many, with 'human kindness.' A mother of three children, she attributes her willingness to take on eclectic challenges to several people, including her mother, Gwendolyn, her husband, Kalvin Warbus, a filmmaker who works with troubled Indigenous boys, and her father, Steven Point. At age 73, Point is a criminal lawyer, retired provincial court judge, former lieutenant governor of B.C, former head of the B.C. Treaty Commission and, until last year, chancellor of the University of B.C. In 2022, when the city of Richmond renamed Trutch Street because of its link to B.C.'s first lieutenant governor, Joseph Trutch, who was openly hostile toward Indigenous people, council chose the name Point Street . Despite her many influences, Warbus has her own ideas about what needs to be done. Last year, before the provincial election in which the B.C. Conservatives came in a surprisingly close second to the NDP government, Warbus said she put her name forward in part because she opposes the NDP's emphasis on providing so-called 'safe supply' of opioids to people with addictions. Instead of fighting for prevention and rehabilitation, Warbus said, the NDP government has been 'pushing addictive drugs on both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. It has to end.' In the legislature, Warbus recently recited the names of the many Indigenous people she has known who have died because of drug overdoses. 'I've lost so many people close to me.' She has been close to people on drugs who become psychotic, who don't at that time really know who they are, she said. People in that state, she said, must be provided services and treatment, although she recognizes the sensitivity of the term 'involuntary care.' When it comes to Indigenous economic development, she said one of her inspirations is Ellis Ross , a former chief councillor for the Haisla Nation who in 2022 came in second for the leadership of the B.C. Liberals. Ross was a big force behind getting a 650-kilometre pipeline built to serve LNG Canada's new terminal in Kitimat. As of this spring's federal election, he is the Conservative MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley. Her admiration of Ross doesn't mean she will be rah-rah for every resource extraction project, though. 'We do need to get our resources moving and developed, but it has to be in a way that applies the highest possible environmental standards and that takes into consideration the impacts it's going to have on the people and the land.' For his part, Rustad often cites how, when he was Indigenous relations minister in the former B.C. Liberal government, he completed more than 400 economic agreements with First Nations . On a different controversy, Warbus stood side by side with Rustad when he pushed back this spring against three members of the B.C. Conservative caucus who made light of the harms done to Indigenous people by the federally funded, church-run residential school system. After a showdown in which the dissenters accused Warbus of being in league with the NDP, two of the three MLAs went on to form a new party. Warbus stays in the fight for a better world in part because of her spiritual convictions — like her father, who attended the Roman Catholic church while growing up on the Skowkale First Nation reserve, next to Chilliwack. Like almost half Indigenous people in Canada, Warbus blends First Nations spirituality with Christianity. Yet she understands why some Indigenous people whose family members attended the defunct residential school system are suspicious. 'Christianity, unfortunately, has negative ties to residential schools, to people who did bad things. You know, if you're burned by a stove, you don't want to go near the stove again. And I totally respect that. So I never want to be presumptuous. But my own experience is growing up and going to church with my dad and hearing the stories of Jesus has been positive.' dtodd@
Vancouver Sun
04-06-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
B.C. Conservatives' first session includes bright spots and recriminations
VICTORIA — It was hard to know what to expect back in February when the B.C. Conservatives settled into their seats for their first session of the legislature. Party leader John Rustad and a half dozen or so holdovers from the B.C. Liberal/B.C. United parties had experience and records in politics. The other members of the Opposition caucus were, as a recent movie title had it, complete unknowns. But as the 11-week session unfolded, they showcased unexpected diversity and more than a few surprises. One of those moments happened the first week, when Premier David Eby was defending his government's safer supply drug program. A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'Fourteen years ago, I was a homeless addict living on the Downtown Eastside,' returned Skeena MLA Claire Rattée. 'And I can tell you that the people that are going to die today and tomorrow deserve better than that answer.' Rattée brought a 'lived experience' to the floor of the House unlike any that had been heard there before. When she spoke, the whole chamber listened with respect. 'One of the reasons that I came to this place is because I know what it's like to feel invisible, abandoned and hopeless, as someone that's unhoused,' she said late in the session. 'In Terrace, one in every 84 people is homeless. Let that sink in. If that same rate applied to the Lower Mainland, it would be as if everyone in the City of Langley suddenly became homeless overnight.' Another unique perspective was provided by A'a:liya Warbus, the MLA for Chilliwack-Cultus Lake. Warbus, the daughter of former Lt.-Gov. Steven Point, had a sobering personal tale to tell. 'I came here to this house and to this position to serve British Columbians because far too many people in this province have had to bury their loved ones,' she said in a poignant wrap up of the last Question Period of the session. 'My family is unfortunately included in those statistics and the lives that have been lost by the toxic drug crisis. Today, I'm going to say their names, because I think that too often we repeat numbers and we play politics with issues that actually affect people. Stanley, Jared, Sheila, Chetan, Kevin and Tamara.' Rustad raised more than a few eyebrows when he named Warbus as Opposition house leader, although she had never before served in the House in any capacity. But it was an inspired choice, as Mike Farnworth, her counterpart on the government side, acknowledged early on. For some other Conservative newcomers, the record was mixed. Harman Bhangu, an outspoken trucker from Langley-Abbotsford, knew how to get attention. On the X social media platform last week, he posted a walkthrough of the provincial capital's squalid Pandora Avenue, something that few Victoria residents (including me) would dare to attempt. 'It's absolute chaos,' declared Bhangu. 'People are in deep crisis with mental health and addiction, and it's heartbreaking. This is not compassion. This is failure.' Grandstanding also got Bhangu into trouble when he accused a Teamsters Union local of being 'blatantly corrupt' and guilty of 'systemic nepotism.' He later withdrew the comments 'without reservation.' But the union is suing Bhangu, in a legal action filed by lawyer Andrew Mercier. Until the last election, Mercier was the NDP MLA for another of the Langley ridings. Other rookie Conservatives who distinguished themselves include Brennan Day, critic for rural and seniors' health, and Judy Toor, who managed the rare feat for an Opposition member of steering a private member's bill through the House. They and other newcomers, along with more experienced Conservatives — especially veterans Elenore Sturko, Trevor Halford and Peter Milobar — held the NDP government to account, which is, after all, the first job of the Opposition. The Conservatives struggled with the second job, which is presenting their party as united and ready to govern. The session was less than a month old when the Opposition caucus split wide open. Rustad expelled Dallas Brodie, the party's lone MLA from Vancouver, over her provocative comments on residential schools. MLAs Tara Armstrong and Jordan Kealy joined Brodie in protest to sit as independents. The trio of independents has so far proven to be more-effective critics of their former party than the NDP government. They ended the session by accusing Rustad of spending $100,000 in party funds to recruit a block of South Asian voters to pack the Conservative convention earlier this year. They presented no evidence of their insinuations. Nor was it the first time that a B.C. political party was accused of recruitment shenanigans in a South Asian community. Yet it raises the question of what's next for the three independents. If they form a party, they would vault past the Greens into third place in the House and all that entails in financial resources, staffing and access to the daily Question Period. Not a happy prospect for the Conservatives, but one that would surely gratify the New Democrats. • A total of 74 tankers were loaded at the Burnaby terminal of the TMX pipeline in the first quarter of this year, not 741 as I reported in error Wednesday. vpalmer@
CBC
07-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Divisions over residential school facts erupt inside B.C. Conservative caucus meeting
Social Sharing A meeting of the B.C. Conservative caucus devolved into a shouting match Thursday, exposing more divisions within the Official Opposition over the history of residential schools. Things got so heated, some MLAs stormed out, several people inside the meeting told CBC News. One of the MLAs who left abruptly was Conservative attorney general critic Dallas Brodie, who made comments in a YouTube video posted earlier this week that upset some of her colleagues. In it, Brodie slammed Conservative House leader A'aliya Warbus, saying she's aligned with the NDP. Warbus, a member of the Sto:lo Nation and the MLA for Chilliwack-Cultus Lake, criticized Brodie last month over a social media post she made about the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, which First Nations leaders said amounted to residential school denialism. Brodie wrote: "The number of confirmed child burials at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School site is zero. Zero. No one should be afraid of the truth. Not lawyers, their governing bodies or anyone else." According to Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc, preliminary findings from a 2021 ground-penetrating radar survey indicated the remains of approximately 200 people could be buried at the site. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation estimates about 4,100 children died at Canadian residential schools, based on death records, but has said the true total is likely much higher. WATCH | Brodie recieves backlash following social media post: Conservative MLA accused of questioning the deaths of children at residential schools 10 days ago Duration 2:26 A B.C. Conservative MLA is being accused of calling into question the deaths of children at residential schools following a social media post which pointed out that no burials have been uncovered at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. As Katie DeRosa reports, Dallas Brodie is even facing criticism within her own party. In response to Brodie's claim, Warbus said on social media: "Questioning the narratives of people who lived and survived these atrocities, is nothing but harmful and taking us backward in reconciliation." Earlier this week, Brodie called out Warbus and some other Conservative colleagues in a YouTube video discussion hosted by Frances Widdowson, a former Mount Royal University professor who came under fire for saying that there were educational benefits to Canada's residential school system. Speaking in the video, Brodie told Widdowson that "the most vociferous hatred" she's received in response to her social media post has been from within her own party. "There's a person in our party who is Indigenous and she was super angry and went to town and joined the NDP to call me out. We've actually brought in some people who — I'm just going to say this — belong in the NDP." Warbus told reporters Thursday that Brodie is causing a distraction for the party, in the midst of a trade war, record budget deficit and the opioid crisis, which disproportionately affects Indigenous people. "It's causing division, we need to address the divisions within the caucus and get on the same page as a team. If we cannot do that then I do not know why I came here," Warbus said. After Brodie left the caucus meeting, attended by all 44 Conservative MLAs, she skipped question period. She declined to be interviewed by reporters on her way out of the caucus room. Walter Mineault, president of the Métis Nation of B.C. reached out to CBC News to express his disappointment in Brodie's video comments. Mineault said he met with Brodie last week and expressed to her the hurt and harm that were caused by her social media post last month. He said Brodie, the MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena, eventually apologized and pledged to repair the relationship. When Mineault saw the video, he said he was "appalled and devastated." Mineault's grandparents attended residential schools and his parents attended day school. "I'd like to state to Rustad and his party how hurtful these comments are to all our people," Mineault said. He called on Brodie to be removed from the Conservative caucus. Premier David Eby said B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad needs to draw the line on what's acceptable within his party. "A big tent that has space for racism is not a political tent, that's a circus tent," Eby said at an unrelated news conference. "And he's gotta kick the clown out of the tent." Rustad would not say if he will kick Brodie out of caucus. "That's something I'm not prepared to discuss at this point," he told reporters. Rustad again insisted that some divisions are inevitable within a big tent party. However, the dust up between right-leaning Conservative MLAs and more centrist ones is just the latest example of party divisions spilling out into the public eye.
