| Taylor Bachrach, MP: A Visit to Haida Gwaii |
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| Written by Lin Armstrong | Photos courtesy the office of Taylor Bachrach |
| 19 October 2021 |
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There is a very interesting trend happening in northern BC politics. Young voter turnouts have increased and younger people are being elected to serve their municipalities. This trend extends to federal politics too. And there’s more. Politicians can no longer ignore social media, which makes it much easier for constituents to make their voices heard. Fully aware of this new way of dialoguing between elected officials, politicians have learned to connect on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. In 2019 Taylor Bachrach was elected to represent the Skeena-Bulkley Valley federal electoral district by winning 40.9% of the vote. The district covers an area of 326,290/km2, which is roughly the size of Poland and has a population of 89,000. That translates into 0.30 people per square kilometre. This huge area is bounded in the north by the Yukon, east beyond Fort St. James, south beyond Bella Bella and west to Haida Gwaii. Formerly a municipal councillor in Telkwa and then mayor of Smithers from 2011 to 2019, Taylor is now the New Democratic Party (NDP) critic for Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities in the House of Commons in Ottawa, fighting for affordable housing, public transit, and working to grow the local economy. Haida Gwaii Trader Editor in Chief and political layperson, Shellene Patience, caught up with our MP just before he boarded the ferry … Tuesday, July 27th, 2021 at 8am. 
Shellene: So, you had a good trip? Taylor: It’s been a fantastic trip and my head is really full of all the stuff that I’ve heard about over the past five days. I’m looking forward to reflecting on it and then getting to work for the people of Haida Gwaii. S: And the people of northwestern BC as a whole, right? T: Yeah the Northwest, it’s a huge region. You know, as diverse as all the communities are, I’m noticing that there are some issues and themes that really tie us together…and that communities have in common. S: So what would you say- a brief overview - what ties us all together? T: Much of northwestern BC is made up of small remote communities and, especially in this day and age, they have some common challenges. I really see it as my job to help people in Ottawa understand what those challenges are. We’re one of the farthest ridings from Canada’s capital. The way of life here on the North Coast is dramatically different than other parts of the country. So, helping people in the federal bureaucracy understand the way of life here and how important supporting and improving services for residents in places like Haida Gwaii is, that’s really a big part of our job moving forward. S: I read that you have been named the NDP Critic for Transportation, Infrastructure, and Communities. Might you help me and perhaps some of our readers understand what that means? T: So right now, the NDP is in opposition in parliament. We have 24 MPs and each MP has a different portfolio that we focus on, so we specialize in holding the government to account on specific issues. The areas I focus on are transportation, infrastructure and communities. I come from a background in local government. I worked as the mayor of Smithers for almost a decade, so it’s an area where I have a lot of experience and certainly a lot of passion. A lot of issues that we heard about over the past five days relate to infrastructure, communities and transportation. It’s a big focus for remote places. S: I read via social media that the Sandspit Inn is one of the local topics you have been assisting with. Can you tell me more about that? T: Several months ago I met with the Minister of Transport, the minister in charge of Transport Canada which owns the Sandspit Inn, and brought the communities’ concerns to his attention. I really impressed upon him the need to ensure the inn doesn’t get de-molished and that it remains a community amenity. There’s a bunch of different ways that can happen in the future, but the key thing I heard from the people I talked to in [K’il Kun] Sandspit is that they want that infrastructure to keep supporting community. Whether it continues to operate as an inn or gets converted to housing… those are all decisions for the community to make. The key thing is that Transport Canada, it seems, wants to get it off their books. It’s an op-portunity to ensure that it continues to be a community asset. That’s the bottom line. 
S: Right, so you’re just at the front line making those wishes known. T: Yeah, for sure. Now we have a new Minister of Transport, so I have to go back and educate the new guy, help him understand why this inn in the little community of [K’il Kun] Sandspit on the West Coast matters so much to people who live there. S: Another topic I read that has come up is affordable housing and there are some very exciting things going on, yes? T: Across the Northwest there are exciting housing projects happen-ing. The reality though is that there is a huge demand, and in many ways the housing that exists in communities isn’t meeting the needs of the population. And those needs are changing over time. I know that community leaders are really scrambling to find new and cre-ative ways to ensure that everyone has a roof over their head, and the housing market is changing all the time. What I heard from people on island is that the prices of real estate have gone up dramatically, which is making it difficult for people to find a place they can afford. Also, one of the things we see in northern communities is there can be a mismatch between the type of housing that exists and the needs of the current generation. S: Right…accessibility…affordability… T: Yeah, and just, say for seniors, who are in larger houses, who might have raised a family in those houses and their kids have left. Having options for them to downsize is really important. And then we hear about young professionals that are looking to move to these communities to fill important roles and they can’t find places to live. They don’t necessarily need a huge house, but they need somewhere that’s adequate that meets their needs. There’s a big opportunity to help the federal government and provincial government understand those needs and bring even more resources to bear. I was up in [Gaw Tlagee] Old Massett talking to Band Councillor Patrika McEvoy about their very cool project using the trades program through Nicola Valley Institute of Technology to build tiny houses in the community, and they are going to make them available for people who are currently experiencing homelessness. S: Amazing. T: It seems like such a win-win. When I sat down with the Old Massett Village Council, I asked them what work they were most excited about in the community, and they mentioned this project. There are so many challenges that can be overwhelming, yet at the same time there’s always positive stuff happening. The tiny house project is a perfect example of what helps build community capacity and meet housing needs at the same time. S: I know the Internet is always a hot topic here on Haida Gwaii. T: Internet is a huge one. I met with community members in [Tll.aal] Tlell. It’s one of many rural communities that has been left out of the development of internet over the years, and Tow Hill as well. We talked about the impacts of not having adequate internet and about the big initiatives that are taking place right now. S: So, those big initiatives are coming down the pipe soon? T: Connected Coast is a huge project to bring an under-sea cable down the coast of BC and it’s going to land on Haida Gwaii, so the opportunity is to build the “last mile” fibre optic capacity to rural resi-dents in places like [Tll.aal] Tlell. There are also other initiatives under way that we’re hoping to hear more about in the coming weeks from the provincial government, but I am feeling optimistic that finally the folks who’ve been left out for so long are going to get the service they need. [Editor’s Note: Between our interview with Taylor and time of printing, Connected Coast announced that a contractor has been chosen for moving forward with the project. Check out the “News” tab on connectedcoast.ca] S: Within the next year? Or do we have any sort of timeline on this? T: Yeah, that’s certainly the hope. I know Connected Coast has been delayed, but I’m hearing really positive signs that construction is going to start this year. I know that for the rural residents I talked to, it can’t come soon enough. It’s really desperate. We are no longer talking about a luxury in terms of a service, this is a basic necessity. 
S: I understand you have experienced some wins in regards to seeing the Northern Residents Tax Deduction for Haida Gwaii reinstated, yes? Any news about that? T: We’re going to keep pushing. This is going to be a long fight, but it’s an important one. And I’m not the first person to bring this up or the first politician to work on it. But it is such an important one because if there is anywhere in the country that should be recognized as remote and for having a high cost of living, it’s Haida Gwaii. You’re seven hours from the mainland on the ferry. I did table a private member’s bill in this past parliamentary session. S: I don’t really know what that means. T: So, every MP has the ability to bring forward a private member’s bill in the House of Commons and have it voted on. Right now we are in a minority parliament, so that means that the possibility of an election could happen anytime. [Editor’s note – At time of printing, federal election has been called for September 20, 2021. Check out elections.ca for voting information.] The session that just ended when the House of Commons rose on June 23 for the summer, in that session my bill wasn’t called up for a vote. If we come back in September and there isn’t an election, then we will keep going through the private member’s bills in the order that’s determined by the House of Com-mons. It’s actually determined by a lottery. S: Say what? T: There are 338 MPs, and the order in which private member’s bills get brought forward is determined by a draw. S: Is it because every issue is important, so how do you possibly decide which one is dealt with first? T: Yeah, I guess they felt like it was the most equitable way to determine the order in which MPs are heard. The opportunity is to keep bringing the private member’s bill back until my number gets called and it comes forward for vote. It’s also important that at the same time we are putting pressure on the Minister of Finance, because this bill involves changes to the Income Tax Act. The minister can alternatively choose to bring forward the change herself and make it happen as the government. S: So, people can actually start connecting with that minister? And encourage it to be more top of mind? T: Absolutely. Writing the Minister of Finance is one way to keep it on her radar. We have been sending all of the postcards that we receive. We’ve been sending those on to the Minister of Finance and helping her understand that this is something that residents of Haida Gwaii deserve and want. And my commitment as MP is to keep up the pressure until this change gets made. Because it’s long overdue. S: Does it come down to a prioritization of how our tax dollars are spent? T: Yeah. It’s also, I think, that they’re reluctant to set a precedent. Because, of course, there are other communities in Canada that also consider themselves remote. But this is a unique situation. I think this makes a lot of sense, and I’m going to keep fighting for folks here to get that deduction back. S: We appreciate that. T: They had [a full deduction] once before in the 1990s, and the government changed the rules. I think excluding Haida Gwaii was a real oversight. S: I really like your point. (The ferry announcement rings out and Taylor must run to board the ferry as a walk-on.) T: The other thing I wanted to quickly bring up is the Canada Post Remote Designation. So many folks I talked to brought up the high cost of shipping things here. So we’re going to talk to Canada Post and get to the bottom of the issue, see if there are changes we can push for. There were a whole host of other things, we could talk for another hour, easily. Speak Up for Haida Gwaii As Taylor said, it is important for representatives to hear from their constituents. If you would like to make your voice heard on any of the topics that are currently affecting Haida Gwaii, the following contact information is included here for your convenience. It’s worth noting that any letters sent to a Member of Parliament go in the post for free!
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