By raising the living standards of millions, labor miraculously created a market for industry and lifted the whole nation to undreamed levels of production. Those who today attack labor forget these simple truths, but history remembers them. Martin Luther King speaking in 1961 On Labour Day 2011 unions in North America are facing historic challenges. [...]
Entries from August 31st, 2011
On Labour Day, think about unions as an equalizing force
August 31st, 2011 · Keith Reynolds · 2 Comments · Economy, Employment & labour
Tags: BC Federation of Labour·CFIB·Inequality. Canadian Labour Congress·Labour Day·unions
HST referendum: was the vote split along income lines?
August 26th, 2011 · Iglika Ivanova · 7 Comments · Economy, Poverty, inequality & welfare, Taxes
One of the first things I did after the HST referendum results came out today was look at how different electoral districts voted. I noticed that West Vancouver, North Vancouver and Point Grey had the highest number of “No” votes (to keep the HST) while Surrey and East Van districts had the highest number of [...]
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So the HST was defeated. Now what?
August 26th, 2011 · Iglika Ivanova · 45 Comments · Economy, Poverty, inequality & welfare, Provincial budget & finance, Taxes
Earlier today, Elections BC announced the much anticipated HST referendum results. British Columbians have voted to scrap the HST. The best part about having the results is that now we can move on from the narrow issue of what type of sales tax is better and focus our energies on some of the bigger issues [...]
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Public private partnerships under increasing attack in the UK
August 19th, 2011 · Keith Reynolds · 2 Comments · Privatization, P3s & public services, Transparency & accountability
While British Columbia continues to invest billions in public private partnerships(P3s), a UK Parliamentary Committee today told its government to “wean itself off the practice.” The Treasury Select Committee found: We have not seen clear evidence of savings and benefits in other areas of PFI projects which are sufficient to offset this significantly higher cost of [...]
Remembering Gideon Rosenbluth
August 18th, 2011 · Marc Lee · Comments Off · Uncategorized
Below is the text of the obituary for Gideon Rosenbluth, a renowned progressive economist, and a past president of the Canadian Economics Association. Gideon was a long-time Research Associate of the CCPA, and served many years on our Research Advisory Committee. **** Gideon Rosenbluth January 23, 1921 August 8, 2011 Gideon Rosenbluth died suddenly [...]
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BC Hydro Review
August 12th, 2011 · Marvin Shaffer · 2 Comments · Energy
If it were true that BC Hydro could effectively plan and operate its system with 20% fewer workers, as the government panel has recently suggested in its Review of BC Hydro, one would have to assume that the BC Hydro Executive and Board, as well as the BC Utilities Commission, have all grossly failed in their [...]
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What’s behind the push for a municipal auditor general?
August 12th, 2011 · Keith Reynolds · 1 Comment · Taxes, Transparency & accountability
The call for the creation of an Auditor General for BC’s municipalities almost seems like a “no-brainer,” doesn’t it? Charlie Smith had a good article in the Georgia Straight outlining reasons why a municipal AG would be a good idea. Some people, in some municipalities have had problems with transparency. And while the Province does [...]
BC’s wood trade with China may be booming – but at a price
August 11th, 2011 · Ben Parfitt · 4 Comments · Economy, Employment & labour, Environment, resources & sustainability, First Nations & Aboriginal
This year, members of the Lax Kw’alaams First Nation expect to fill the holds of nine ocean freighters in Prince Rupert with raw logs from BC’s north coast – logs that will then be shipped across the Pacific Ocean to ports in China. The northern coastal Nation has been active in logging for some time, [...]
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Hochstein and the demand to cut union wages
August 8th, 2011 · Keith Reynolds · Comments Off · Employment & labour, Municipalities, Poverty, inequality & welfare, Taxes
Last week Philip Hochstein had an op-ed in the Vancouver Province accusing municipalities of profligate spending and accusing municipal workers of being vastly overpaid. Hochstein is president of the Independent Contractors and Business Association of BC – representing non union construction corporations. He is the public face of the hard right in British Columbia and has [...]
Public consultation down the drain as government comes to fracking industry’s aid
August 3rd, 2011 · Ben Parfitt · Comments Off · Economy, Energy, Environment, resources & sustainability, First Nations & Aboriginal, Transparency & accountability
It has been a year since word began to percolate in the Hudson’s Hope area that Talisman Energy Inc. was eying the Williston Reservoir a short distance east of town as a long-term source of water for use in developing its gas resources. Yet in the intervening months – months in which local residents watched [...]
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