By Jean-Michel Toriel

I consider myself a “change agent”. I look for opportunities to create the positive change I want to see in the world. I’ve worked in corporations, small business, and not-for-profit organizations, and I recently graduated from a sustainable business MBA, where I focused on renewable energy. Most recently, I managed the expansion of the Vancouver Biodiesel Co-op. I am well-versed in economics and I believe in establishing a steady-state, green economy that serves all British Columbians without sacrificing our future productivity and sustainability (see our platform at www.bcgreens.ca).

Seven months ago, my wife and I became parents to an incredible little girl, Ruby, who represents the future for me. Ruby is a sixth generation British Columbian, and she continually reminds me of the importance of sharing the only planet we have with the rest of the world. So as a first-time candidate and a first-time father, I am committed to remembering the future in every decision I make. Given the severity of the issues we face economically, socially and ecologically (they are all connected), decision-makers must change course. Although I do not have a good chance in winning with a first-past-the-post system of elections, I’m determined to discuss better policies, and to promote a yes vote for BC-STV as a more democratic and representational electoral system.

Taking the lead, the B.C. Green party has developed a plan that is visionary and global, but also proposes new ways to make the lives of British Columbians from all walks of life healthier, stronger, and more secure. With this plan, we can flourish—and assist those who need our help—even as we protect our planet.

Here's how we'll do it: We'll shift taxes to favor environmentally-friendly technologies, and to discourage pollution. We'll shift taxes to assist entrepreneurial small business. We'll stop subsidizing sunset resource-based industries that don't care about our local environment and local economies. And we'll launch a green economic stimulus to create green collar jobs in B.C.

To become more competitive, we must invest in our community. We are only as wealthy as the poorest individual in our community and the existing gap in this city is more evident than in any developed city on the planet. Investing in education, from pre-school to post-secondary is essential and should not be looked at simply as expenditures. Children are the future and we are letting them down. Tuition fees for post-secondary students must be lowered for those in need and for those who achieve. We must also invest in social services to help at-risk youth, and invest in low-cost and cooperative housing. The solution for homelessness is homes. Public housing, exemplified by Little Mountain in Langara, sits idle and boarded up, when it could be housing mixed-income families. I want our communities to be healthy, prosperous, and fiscally responsible.

In health care, there is too much emphasis on providing for the sick and not enough on preventing illness and healthy living. To alleviate the shortage of doctors, the Green party will help foreign-trained medical professionals upgrade their skills and qualify to work as doctors in B.C. We will establish more local healthcare centers. And by reducing pollution, the Green party will help us all live healthier lives.

The gang war issue concerns Vancouverites and brings to light failures of the status quo position on drug enforcement. Billions of our tax dollars have been wasted fighting an ideological war on drugs that has failed. Our young people are still in harm's way, while our cities suffer from growing gang violence. By enforcing laws that make drugs scarce, we merely increase prices—and gangster's profits. And by criminalizing drug users, we exclude them from society and prevent their recovery. Obviously this is not helping.

Instead, the Green party will emphasize harm reduction, not punishment. We must legalize and regulate psychoactive drugs so that gangs cannot profit by selling them. We must reduce demand by educating everyone more honestly about the consequences of drug use, much as we have successfully campaigned against cigarettes. And we must encourage the contributions of young people to society, so that they can find a purpose in life, rather than resorting to drugs. Harm reduction has proven successful in other countries, and it can work here too.

To make these important changes, we require courageous, intelligent leadership. And that's what I have to offer. A vote for the Green party is a vote for fairness, prosperity, and sustainability. A vote for the Green party is a vote for ourselves, for our children—and for everyone. So I'm asking you to vote for J-M Toriel on May 12.

Thank you! And remember to vote for STV.

Jean-Michel Toriel is the B.C. Green candidate for Vancouver-Langara.