VICTORIA – Environment Minister Barry Penner failed to show leadership during this Legislative session and bring forward a practical solution to the hundreds of animal deaths caused by poisonous antifreeze, New Democrat MLA Scott Fraser said today.

“I proposed a simple and effective solution, and the Environment Minister said he’d look at it. I had hoped that he would agree to either support my Private Member’s Bill or bring forward another solution by the end of session, but that didn’t happen,” said Fraser, the MLA for Alberni-Qualicum. “Needless to say, I am very disappointed.”

Fraser introduced a Private Member’s Bill to bring in an incremental ban on the sale of sweet-tasting but highly-poisonous ethylene glycol-based antifreeze. The Promotion of Safe Antifreeze Act has drawn wide support, and has been endorsed by groups including the B.C. Society for the Protection of Animals (B.C. SPCA), the David Suzuki Foundation, the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, the B.C. Chapter of the Sierra Club of Canada, and the Pacific Assistance Dogs Society.

“I hope that the Minister finds the time over the next few months to listen to the concerns of British Columbians who are demanding that something be done, and that he either brings something forward at the beginning of the fall session or agrees to support my bill. If he doesn’t, I will bring my bill forward for second reading debate,” said Fraser.

This session, Fraser has tabled petitions with well over 10,000 signatures supporting his Promotion of Safe Antifreeze Act. He tabled over an additional thousand signatures this afternoon, and will continue to collect petitions over the summer.