First-term Cowichan Valley MLA Sonia Furstenau is the first into the race to succeed Andrew Weaver as leader of the B.C. Green Party.

Furstenau said there is a disconnect between government and people that sees good ideas stalled due to “old ways of thinking and partisan divisiveness.”

Furstenau, a Shawnigan Lake resident, got into local politics several years ago while fighting the plan to dump contaminated soil in a quarry above the lake. That turned into a years-long campaign, during which the site eventually closed down, leaving questions about what to do about it. She was elected to the regional board and has worked as a high school teacher.

Furstenau said the Greens have been behind major policy changes including strengthening oversight of resource industries, making the legislature more transparent and accountable, and banning big money from politics.

Alaska Highway News, January 27, 2020