I think that Philip Hochstein, president of the Independent Contractors and Business Association, is probably more hostile to the interests of working people than just about anybody else in British Columbia. So when I find myself agreeing with him on something, my fingers twitch at the keyboard. But that is just what happened with the [...]
Entries Tagged as 'construction'
Construction industry accuses Partnerships BC of conflict of interest
September 15th, 2012 · Keith Reynolds · 1 Comment · Privatization, P3s & public services
The Premier speaks out on labour issues
April 30th, 2009 · Keith Reynolds · Comments Off · Employment & labour, Privatization, P3s & public services
On April 27th I posted about the BC Federation of Labour’s report on the impacts of changes to BC’s workers compensation system under the current government. Today Tom Sandborn writing for the Tyee posted a story quoting Premier Campbell’s response to health and safety issues. The story also dealt with the NDP and labour issues, [...]
Tags: BC Federation of Labour·Building Trades Council·construction·labour·P3·pensions·Tom Sandborn·welfare·workers' compensation·WorkSafe
Oh, about that recession …
April 27th, 2009 · Marc Lee · Comments Off · Economy
BC’s recession started in 2008. That is the upshot of today’s release of Statistics Canada’s Provincial Economic Accounts, which provides the first estimates of BC’s GDP for 2008. Unlike national data, which are provided quarterly and on a timely basis, we have to wait about four months to tally the various provincial beans. These numbers [...]
Tags: Agriculture·budget·campaign·construction·deficit·exports·fishing·forestry·mining·oil and gas·recession·service cuts
Unemployment surges again in March
April 9th, 2009 · Marc Lee · Comments Off · Economy, Poverty, inequality & welfare, Provincial budget & finance
Just in time for a heated election campaign, the latest unemployment numbers paint a grim picture for BC. Just a year ago, BC was coasting along with an unemployment rate of just over 4%. By the end of 2008 that had crept up to 5%. And now a truly brutal first quarter that saw the [...]
Tags: construction·unemployment
Numerically Challenged
February 20th, 2009 · Michael Goldberg · Comments Off · Provincial budget & finance
The BC budget just doesn’t add up once you look at some of the details. Since the 2009 economy is shrinking, how can revenues from personal income tax be greater in 2009 than 2008, when the yearly economy was still growing? A more for less approach seems to be endemic with the premier. When commenting [...]
Tags: Aboriginal·budget·construction·housing
Talk of addressing homelessness in Throne Speech remains just that
February 17th, 2009 · Iglika Ivanova · Comments Off · Housing & homelessness, Poverty, inequality & welfare, Provincial budget & finance
Yesterday’s Throne Speech got me excited with its promise of finally addressing homelessness in BC. Like everyone else, I expected the economy to be the main focus of the document and was not surprised to hear that the government is planning to create jobs through ramping up infrastructure spending. But then I got to page [...]
