MLA Michelle Mungall will be hosting Surrey-Fleetwood MLA Jagrup Brar for a panel discussion that focuses on his experience doing the MLA Welfare Challenge where he lived on BC’s welfare rates this past January.

Wednesday April 11 at Nelson’s Self Design High, Mungall will be interviewing Brar along with three local anti-poverty experts from our region. This free event begins at 7pm.

“Jagrup has had a powerful experience, and he will be in our community to share his story and the hundreds of those he heard from people living everyday on BC’s welfare rates,” says Mungall. “If you’re interested in ending poverty, here’s your chance to hear how we can start doing it in BC.”

Brar garnered provincial attention in January of this year when he accepted Raise The Rates challenge to live on the current welfare rate of $610 for one month. Visit www.mlaonwelfare.com for more information on the challenge and to read Brar’s January blog.

Local panelists rounding out the evening are Becky Quirk of Nelson’s Advocacy Centre, Nelson Committee on Homelessness coordinator Katie Tabor, and Aimee Watson who is the Food Security Coordinator for Kaslo’s North Kootenay Lake Community Services.

MLA Michelle Mungall honoured the life of Will Schooler and the growing “I Will” campaign in the Legislature Tuesday. The ‘I WILL’ campaign, started by friends and family of recently deceased, Will Schooler, encourages snowboarders and skiers to make the commitment to wearing their helmets. Schooler died late 2011 after sustaining a head injury while skiing. Uncharacteristically, he was not wearing his helmet at the time.

“Before I WILL,  I didn’t know that skiing and snowboarding lead to twice as many hospitalizations as hockey. One study found that traumatic brain injuries account for more than half the fatalities at ski hills,” Mungall noted in her speech.

Mungall’s statement noted her own turning point in learning the importance of wearing a helmet while on the slopes. In 2002, she sustained a head injury, which could have been prevented had she worn a helmet. It has been obvious to her since then that the benefits of helmets are life-saving. However, her age group remains the most reluctant to wear helmets.

“I admit that I used to think helmets were an unnecessary part of my snowboarding equipment,” says Mungall. “It had to take a head injury to prove me wrong. I Will is about commemorating Will Schooler and sharing these lessons so that no one learns the hard way anymore.”

She hopes that the growing trend to donning helmets on the ski hill will continue, and with the help of campaigns and foundations like I WILL, more people will educate themselves and their loved ones about the benefits helmets have for their safety and continued enjoyment of the sports.

“Every skier and snowboarder has the ability to pay tribute to Will, while also having a tremendous positive impact on their own life. Say “I WILL” wear a helmet when you hit the slopes, the backcountry or urban rails. I know I will.”

Watch the Video Transcript here.

DEBATES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

(HANSARD)

HOUSE BLUES

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2012

Afternoon Sitting

CAMPAIGN FOR HELMET USE
BY SNOWBOARDERS AND SKIERS

M. Mungall: In January 2002 you could find me on my snowboard, ripping it up at my local hill, Whitewater winter resort. At 24 years old, I was invincible — no need for a helmet. Plus I figured I looked kind of goofy in one. In March 2002 I was still ripping it up on the slopes, but this time I had a helmet. So what happened in February? I left the hill in an ambulance because of a head injury, an injury that would have easily been prevented had I been wearing a helmet. I was lucky — only seven stitches.

This past November a young Selkirk College student in Nelson was not so lucky. Will Schooler passed away on November 28, 2011, from head injuries sustained while skiing. Uncharacteristically, he was not wearing a helmet.

Will hailed from my hometown, Edmonton. He was a fun-loving, kind-hearted young man, so it didn’t take him long to make many friends in Nelson. When those friends and his family had to say goodbye to Will, they decided to honour his life with “I Will.” Reminding people that helmets save lives, the “I Will” campaign is reaching out to skiers and snowboarders to put their lids on before heading down the hill.

Since it started just a few months ago, “I Will” has grown into a foundation that’s motivating people to learn more about why helmets should be just as important as boots, boards and bindings. For example, before “I Will” I didn’t know that skiing and snowboarding lead to twice as many hospitalizations as hockey. One study found that traumatic brain injuries account for more than half the fatalities at ski hills, and while helmet use is on the rise, with the majority of skiers and boarders wearing them, it is still my age group who are the most reluctant.

So every skier and snowboarder has the ability to pay tribute to Will while also having a tremendous, positive impact on their own life. Say, “I will wear a helmet,” when you hit the slopes, the back country or urban rails. I know I will.

http://bcndpcaucus.ca

KELOWNA – As students across Canada stand together to call for a well-funded, high-quality, public post secondary education system, New Democrats are calling on the B.C. Liberal government to reinstate needs-based student grants.“Ten years of tuition increases and the elimination of grants by the Liberals have made pursuing higher education increasingly difficult,” said Adrian Dix, New Democrat leader, as he joined advanced education critic Michelle Mungall, other New Democrat MLAs and students at the University of British Columbia Okanagan today.

“Restoring grants is key to improving accessibility, supporting young people and building a more prosperous economic future,” said Dix.

Feb. 1 is the National Day of Action for post secondary students across the country. Thousands of students are participating in campus rallies to the share stories of the financial challenges they face and to urge governments to adequately fund post secondary education. Students in B.C. have the highest student loan interest rate in the country, on top of rising tuition and an average student debt load of $27,000.

“A primary way government can improve the level of prosperity in B.C. is by providing young people from middle- and lower-income backgrounds the opportunity to build their knowledge and skills so they can accomplish their goals,” said Dix. “B.C. Stats reported this week that British Columbia is dead last when it comes to income inequality, and pointed to education and training as a key to narrowing the gap. University and college program graduates on average earn more.”

New Democrats have been urging the B.C. Liberal government to proceed now with a needs-based grant program for postsecondary students. The non-repayable grant program – eliminated by the Liberals in the 2004-05 fiscal year – could be financed through reinstating a minimum tax on financial institutions.

“Ensuring access to advanced education must be a cornerstone of any economic growth and jobs plan for the province,” said Mungall. “It’s time for the Liberal government to step up and provide support for students to get the credentials they need to enter the economy of tomorrow.”

The B.C. Labour Market Outlook to 2020 suggests that 80 per cent of expected employment openings will require post secondary education.

“I have met with young British Columbians from across the province who are worried that they cannot meet their aspirations because of the rising cost of post-secondary education,” said Mungall. “Grants would help ensure that many young people can overcome barriers in getting the education they need to fulfill their dreams, and the B.C. economy will have the skilled labour force it needs.”

NEW DEMOCRAT ADVANCED ED CRITIC HEARS LOCAL COMMUNITY CONCERNS

Prince George – New Democrat advanced education critic Michelle Mungall wants to see investment in apprenticeship and skills training programs in Prince George.

Over the last three weeks, Mungall has toured colleges and universities across the province.  On Wednesday, she was in meetings with president George Iwama and others at the University of Northern B.C. and at the College of New Caledonia.  Mungall notes that investment in post-secondary programs is lacking. “After talking with students at CNC and UNBC, it is clear that students are given the back seat in Christy Clark’s ‘friends first’ agenda,” she said.

Young British Columbians have been abandoned by the Liberal government. They eliminated student grants, dismantled a program aimed at helping formeryouth-in-care get a fair start, doubled tuition fees, and froze the minimum wage for 10 years. Now, students are saddled with large debts, and many others are put off by the obstacles they would face pursuing any educational opportunities at all.

“Communities like Prince George need to see action from the government. Currently there is a shortage of apprenticeship and skills training programs and now these colleges and universities have had their provincial funding frozen,” noted Mungall. “This is critical for Prince George. We need to ensure that the Liberal’s are taking steps prevent resource-based communities from suffering economically.”

The Liberal governments own reports suggest that close to 80 per cent of expected employment openings – new jobs and replacement positions – will require some post-secondary education, or a university degree.

“So far on the Premier’s jobs plan tour, we have seen nothing to make education more affordable for B.C. students and in fact, there has been very little on any aspect of education and training which should be a key part of a jobs plan.

“The so-called jobs plan won’t help the many other important programs that are starved for funding now. Years of frozen post-secondary funding, cuts to apprenticeship training dollars and shrinking facilities grants leave students worried about their programs and administrators uncertain about how much more they can stretch dollars.

“The New Democrats, on the other hand, are proposing positive steps. At the beginning of this tour, Adrian Dix proposed the restoration of a needs-based grant plan that would aid struggling post-secondary students,” said Mungall. “The feedback from students on our ideas has been enthusiastic, and we look forward to continue working with them.”

During the Budget Estimates debate for Advanced Education, MLA Michelle Mungall, critic for Advanced Education, Youth and Labour Market development, uncovered that the BC Liberals are profiting off of low-income students who need loans to go to school.

“The BC Liberal government is borrowing money for students loans at prime minus 1% then turning it around to students at prime plus 2.5%. That’s a 3.5% markup,” said Mungall. “BC has the highest student loan interest rate in the country, one of the highest student debt loads and the BC Liberals are profiting from it.”

When the Minister initially stated that revenue from student loans go into one of the few grant programs the province has for students with disabilities, Mungall questioned the legitimacy of generating revenue from low-income students’ loans for grants for low-income students. However, this further uncovered that the revenue from students loans does not in fact fund student grants. Rather, it goes into general revenue.

With student debt and poverty at such high levels in BC, Mungall also asked about student grants, noting that most of the 2500 FTE students at Selkirk College don’t have access to financial needs-based grants from the province. Since 2001, BC Liberals have been cutting funding for post-secondary grants so that now they are about half of what they were in 2001.

“BC has the lowest level of student grants in Canada. Couple that with the highest interest rate on loans, and we shouldn’t be surprised that student food banks are seeing more and more clients,” notes Mungall. “The reality is that without upfront financial needs-based grants, many low income students are just not able to get their foot in the door.”

Alternatively, the BCNDP see advanced education as an investment in the province. With a skilled labor shortage of approximately 160,000 jobs in the next five years, BC needs to make post secondary education accessible and affordable for BC families. To start, the BCNDP will eliminate interest on students loans and increase student grants by $100million.

“Post-secondary education isn’t a frill, it is a necessary component of our economy that requires investment by individuals and the Province,” sates Mungall. $30million dollars to eliminating student loan interest rates and $100million will pay tremendous dividends to our communities.”

Leader Adrian Dix and BCNDP Opposition will continue to stand up for students and strong provincial investment in post-secondary education.

www.michellemungall.ca

Nelson- Let your MLA know why community sport is important and you could win tickets to this season’s West Kootenay Roller Derby bouts. Michelle Mungall is drawing pairs of tickets to see one of this region’s most explosive sporting events. Just email your submission to  michelle.mungall.mla@leg.bc.ca . First Draw is May 26 for the May 28^th bout in Nelson.

“Promoting and supporting community sport is good on so many levels. I know why it’s important to me, but I want to hear why it is important to the people of this region,” says Mungall, “And as an extra incentive, I’ll be entering everyone who participates into draws that take place two days before each West Kootenay bout.”

The West Kootenay Women’s Rollerdderby League currently boasts eight teams including the Babes of Brutality, Lumberjackies and Killjoys. They represent a sport that is fast paced, fun and growing in popularity throughout BC.

Recently, Mungall spoke to this “roller derby explosion” in BC’s Legislature. “The West Kootenay women, while the largest league [in Canada], aren’t the only growing league,” said Mungall before the last bout. She then proceeded to list all BC leagues from the originators, Eves of Destruction, to Fort St. John’s Energetic City Roller Derby Association.

“Roller derby is among the many great community sports in our region,” says Mungall “Getting out and being active is good for your health, your community and the province.”

MLA Michelle Mungall made a  statement in the Legislature on Monday May 16th about two of this region’s spring festivals. The first, Creston’s Blossom Festival, will be celebrating its 70th year and will host its annual parade on Saturday May 21. Kalso’s May Days hosts many activities, including the famous ‘Logger Sports’, and will be hosting its parade on Monday May 23. Watch for Mungall and her fiance on their motorcycle. 

Please click on the below link to view the webclip.

May 16, 2011 ~ Statement: “Festivals in Kootenays” ~ Michelle Mungall, MLA Nelson – Creston

FESTIVALS IN KOOTENAYS

M. Mungall: Well, it did take a while this year, but spring finally did come, and the Kootenays, of course, know just how to celebrate its long-awaited arrival. As the rain showered over Baker Street in Nelson on May 7, locals piled on to the famous downtown street to get their seeds, flowers, herbs, shrubs, trees and garden decor. It was the West Kootenay EcoSociety’s tenth anniversary of their garden festival, and the rain stopped no one from supporting their neighbourhood businesses.

This upcoming weekend brings two more festivals and, of course, a prayer for a little sunshine. The 70th annual Creston Blossom Festival starts this upcoming Friday. To celebrate the past 70 years, the blossom festival is hosting a very fun event in honour of a past long-serving festival board member and woman who left a tremendous legacy in the Creston Valley, the late Lela Irvine.

The event is a pageant tea for women over 70 years of age. Mr. Speaker, you might notice that I’m not eligible for this pageant, so I will be taking in the baking and the handicrafts and the fashion show that entrants will be proudly showing off. I welcome all to join me after they catch enough candy at the parade earlier in the day. The pageant is at the Creston and district rec centre from 2 to 4 p.m.

But not to be outdone by its Kootenay neighbour Creston, Kaslo also boasts a lively May festival this weekend. So whether you’re entering the 5K run, the skate jam or logger sports or all of the above, May Days are sure to entertain and bring community together.

Like Creston’s blossom fest, there is a parade. Watch for me and my fiancé on our motorbike as we reach into the saddlebags and toss candy to eager kids and kids at heart. As the House knows, Nelson-Creston is the most beautiful constituency in B.C., so I welcome all to attend our wonderful May festivals. You will no doubt have a ball.

Nelson- Since learning of the BC Liberals’ betrayal on the Harmonized Sales Tax, the BCNDP has been clear the HST is the wrong tax at the wrong time. With an upfront and honest approach to the HST, the BCNDP has stood with families and small businesses to stop this tax shift. Despite calls on the BC Liberals to do the same, Christy Clark and her MLAs have done the opposite.

“The BC Liberals have chosen to say whatever is convenient to push through the HST rather than be upfront,” says Mungall. “This week, not only has the Minister of Finance failed to come clean on retaining previous PST exemptions once the HST is voted down, but now he is claiming that the BC Liberals are neutral in the referendum campaign. Their dishonesty when it comes to the HST never seems to end.”
 
Recently, the BC Liberal government started a $7million HST advertising campaign. Under the guise of explaining the tax, they are persuading people’s votes with their own tax dollars and false information. This $7million is outside the already determined funding for both sides of the referendum.
 
“This is just shameful. $7 million for HST ads after they misled the public, $6 million for convicted BC Liberal insiders on BC Rail, and $1.3 billion more out of BC families’ pocket books. This clearly shows the BC Liberals’ priorities.” Mungall adds, “It’s time for a real change.”
 
British Columbian families and small businesses can trust that the BCNDP will retain all exemptions that existed under the previous PST system once the HST is voted down.
 
“You will no longer see the HST’s 7% increase on haircuts, vitamins, bicycles, energy-saving appliances, and the long list of other items and services that are now more expensive,” states Mungall. “The BCNDP will ensure fair taxation that recognizes families’ realities today.”
 
Adrian Dix and the BCNDP continue to stand with British Columbian’s  to stop the HST, and are committed to making life better and more affordable for families by investing in health care, education, and other vital services.

After a government-appointed panel released a report on the impacts of the HST, Nelson-Creston MLA Michelle Mungall is disturbed at the discrepancies between the results and the promises made by BC Liberals. Although the BC Liberals assured that the harmonized sales tax will create over 100,000 jobs and economic growth in the province, the data clearly shows otherwise.

“Every single BC Liberal MLA adamantly asserted that the HST would create 113,000 jobs,” says Mungall. “And now we see that the projections are a fraction of that. Add to this the possible job losses in industries like the food services, and the gains are even less.”

According to the panel report, Canadian families will continue to pay a higher price since the introduction of the HST, shelling out an average of 350 dollars more per year. This estimate does not include outside expenses such as home renovations, and the costs of other basic amenities. Meanwhile, taxation for corporate business in BC is the lowest in Canada.

“The burden of this tax is on the backs of small businesses and BC families,” Mungall states. “Judging by the evidence of this panel report, it is fair to say the BC Liberals cannot be trusted.”

Since the day the HST was introduced, the BCNDP has been clear on its position.

“We oppose the HST because it is the wrong tax at the wrong time,” says Mungall. “In addition, we support the people’s referendum to stop this dig into their pockets. We will be working with them to ensure a fair process, and that the public’s voice is heard.”

Adrian Dix and the BCNDP Opposition will continue to offer fair, concrete solutions on the negative impacts of the HST on British Columbian families.