As I write, it has been just a few days since the provincial election. As was the case for most of you, the result was unexpected. We are still processing what it means for our work and rethinking some of our research plans. For those of us who engage in deep thinking about policy ideas, [...]
Seth Klein’s Blog Posts
Seth Klein is the BC Director of the CCPA. Seth’s research deals primarily with welfare policy, poverty, inequality and economic security. A social activist for over 20 years and a former teacher, Seth is a founding board member with the Vancouver-based Centre for Native Policy and Research. He is also an advisory board member for the Columbia Institute’s Centre for Civic Governance, and an advisor and instructor for Next Up, a leadership program for young people committed to social and environmental justice.
Lessons from the 2013 BC Election: What’s a progressive research institute to do?
May 22nd, 2013 · Seth Klein · 8 Comments · Climate change, Economy, Employment & labour
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Comparing platforms with respect to climate action
May 9th, 2013 · Seth Klein · 2 Comments · Climate change, Environment, resources & sustainability
As many readers of this blog will know, back in February the CCPA (with the assistance of a number of our partners in the Climate Justice Project) published an Open Letter to the BC political parties calling on them to recommit to BC’s legislated greenhouse gas reduction targets, and to table plans for how to [...]
Tags: Climate change
The call for a BC poverty reduction plan: where have the parties landed
May 8th, 2013 · Seth Klein · 1 Comment · Poverty, inequality & welfare
The CCPA is a founding member of the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition (PRC), which for over four years now has been advancing the call for a comprehensive BC poverty reduction plan. Its Open Letter calling on the BC government to adopt a legislated plan has been signed by hundreds of organizations. The PRC has now [...]
Tags: poverty·poverty reduction
Assessing BC’s Fiscal Health: Can BC afford more deficits?
April 17th, 2013 · Seth Klein · Comments Off · Economy, Provincial budget & finance, Taxes
By Seth Klein and Iglika Ivanova [Note: this piece has also appeared in the Tyee here.] OK, time for a reality check on BC’s deficits. Simply put, while arguments about deficits and “who is the better fiscal manager” may make for entertaining politics, there is no compelling economic reason why BC cannot run a few [...]
Social Housing Reality Check: Government’s own numbers reveal modest investment in new social housing
March 31st, 2013 · Seth Klein · Comments Off · Housing & homelessness, Poverty, inequality & welfare
[This post has also appeared on the Tyee here.] One of the more contentious issues regarding the BC government’s record concerns the issue of social housing. To hear Minister Rich Coleman tell it, BC’s record has been above and beyond. For the last few years, barely a week has gone by without a government news [...]
Tags: budget·homelessness·housing
BC has plenty of room to increase taxes
March 19th, 2013 · Seth Klein · 4 Comments · Economy, Taxes
by Seth Klein, Iglika Ivanova and Shannon Daub (previously run by the Tyee here) Our last post argued that British Columbians are open to tax increases, and that the province would be well advised to increase revenues so that we can invest in services that improve our quality of life (such as affordable child care, [...]
Your BC income taxes are lower than you think
March 15th, 2013 · Seth Klein · 1 Comment · Provincial budget & finance, Taxes
As we approach tax filing time, here’s a little context regarding your BC income taxes… One of the problems plaguing debates about taxes in BC is that people think they pay much more in provincial income taxes than they actually do. For example, if I suggested that everyone pay 20% more in provincial income taxes, [...]
Tags: Taxes
The Shifting Terrain of Taxes in BC: Budget signals new openness to tax increases
March 3rd, 2013 · Seth Klein · Comments Off · Provincial budget & finance, Taxes
[The following piece was also published on The Tyee here.] These are certainly interesting times. For all the faults in last week’s BC Budget (and there were many), it’s worth noting that the conversation about taxes has fundamentally shifted, and in a welcome direction. After vigorously insisting for years that tax increases would be ruinous [...]
Parliamentary reform idea: Get Out of the House
February 15th, 2013 · Seth Klein · 2 Comments · Transparency & accountability
By Seth Klein and Shannon Daub [Note: Samara Canada has been gathering ideas for reforming Parliament. All the ideas they have collected are being posted on their blog, which you can find here. What follows is our contribution.] Here’s the big dilemma: Whatever reforms are made to Parliamentary practice and conduct, the simple truth is [...]
RIP Clyde Hertzman
February 11th, 2013 · Seth Klein · 2 Comments · Children & youth
As many of you have likely heard, late last week we at the CCPA lost a great friend, and Canada lost one of its greatest advocates for children: See here and here. The sudden and untimely passing of Clyde Hertzman comes as a terrible shock. Clyde was the life partner of our former Chair and [...]
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