BURSTBC NDP Leader David Eby promised what he called “some of the toughest rules in North America” around AI data centres and watershed protection at a Comox Valley campaign stop over the weekend.
“Rural communities in the province understand very intimately where their water comes from. It comes from the watershed,” Eby said. “They understand that if their community is to survive, if it is to have the water that it needs for agriculture, for food, for drinking, then the watershed has to be protected.”
Eby made the announcement about continuing commitment to clean energy, environmental protection, clean energy investment, and resource management in the face of future AI data centres in the Comox Valley on Oct. 10.
According to Eby, the government will continue with its $30 million investment into the Watershed Security Fund and maintain current rules around electricity use and AI data centres, adding that data centres will also be brought into the Water Sustainability Act.“I’ll be blunt, these will be some of the toughest rules in North America, because I believe water needs to be protected, and I believe the priority should be British Columbians, not big tech firms,” Eby said.
Cumberland resident and watershed activist Meaghan Cursons also spoke at the event. Cursons noted how the Comox Valley is facing its lowest reservoir levels in 60 years.
“In rural communities like ours, where the watershed landbase is owned and managed for industrial forestry, investment in this Watershed Security Fund is critical to support local communities on a path towards protecting and co-managing community drinking water systems and the surrounding lands,” she said.
Cursons said that value from watershed lands for communities, workers, and future generations extends beyond the short-term value of timber.
Eby’s promise includes advancing the federal government’s “30 x 30″ nature protection plan: conserving 30 per cent of B.C.’s land for environmental and habitat protection by 2030.
Eby also used the campaign stop as an opportunity to comment on B.C. Conservative campaign director Katy Merrifield’s recent anti-Islamic social media posts. Merrifield’s posts follow on the heels of another conservative candidate’s offensive remarks about Pakistanis and Palestinians.
The Conservatives dropped Victoria-Beacon Hill candidate Joachim Agou from the party last week, and Merrifield has removed her original anti-Islam post, publicly stating that her anger stemmed from her own trauma and was directed at extremism, not at Muslims or their faith.
In response, the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) said in a Facebook post: “We are deeply hurt by the comments made by BC Conservative campaign director Katy Merrifield, where she wrote ‘F*** Islam’ and made several subsequent posts that demonstrate a pattern of promoting Islamophobic views … We recognize that Ms. Merrifield has contextualized those remarks. However, at no point did she apologize for her statement or recognize the pain caused.”
Eby said the Conservative leader Lorne Doerksen should take the same action he did with Agou.
“I call on the leader of the Conservative Party to live by his own words: that hate has no place in our province,” said Eby. “He has to remove her.”