Re: Wildflower seeds

By Murray Rankin, MP for Victoria

Recently, a letter was published in the James Bay Beacon from a reader who was unhappy that I sent out bee-supporting wildflower seed packets to households in Victoria. Unfortunately there was a great deal of inaccurate information in the letter that I feel I need to address.

All offices of Canadian MPs have been allocated an advertising budget.  This budget can be utilized in a variety of ways. Many MPs use newspaper advertising to reach their constituents and let them know how they can be reached.  I chose to allocate a portion of that advertising budget to send flower seed packets to 7000 households, randomly selected throughout Victoria. The packets contained my contact information and cost just over a dollar each.  The total cost was around $8,500.00 dollars.

Instead of just allocating that budget to conventional advertising, I thought this would be a great to give something tangible back to the community.  As the packets said, these seeds support bees, some of the smallest, yet hardest working members of our community. 

The response to the seed packets has been overwhelmingly positive. People have tweeted, phoned our office and emailed me to tell us how happy they were to have received these wildflower seeds, and how much they share my serious concerns about our declining bee populations.

A phenomenon referred to as "Colony Collapse" has been plaguing bee populations for about the last 7 years and presents a very real threat to our ecosystem and our food supply, which relies so heavily on pollinators. The root causes of colony collapse have been a source of controversy, but evidence points to a link to the use of certain pesticides. While I will continue to work on this issue at the legislative level, the opportunity to send out bee-supporting flower seeds was a small way to help support bee populations right here in Victoria, and to allow people to enjoy some lovely wildflowers at the same time.

My office also did ensure prior to purchase that the seeds were native and non-invasive.  They are also organic, not genetically modified and, as noted, produce bee-supporting wildflowers. The seeds can be sown from March 1st to the end of May, or mid-August to late October for the next year and can be kept for several years. The contents of the packet can be found here:

From the positive feedback my office has received, I am very confident that most Victorians support this initiative of allocating wildflower seeds rather than merely relying upon traditional advertising. My office has received almost no correspondence from people who did not want the seeds. CBC On the Island interviewed me recently about the seed packets and I relayed all the information above on air.

I hope this sheds light on the issue for Beacon readers. Please feel free to contact my office should you have any concerns.  If anyone would like a seed packet, but did not receive one, please drop by my office, as a few seed packets are still available.

Murray Rankin, MP for Victoria

Email: Murray.Rankin@parl.gc.ca

Phone: 250-363-3600

Community Office: 1057 Fort Street (between Cook and Vancouver)