Seven reasons why you should support a move to low tuition fees for higher education

May 29, 2012
Much of the media coverage of the Quebec student protests has dismissed the protestors as cranky middle and upper-middle class children trying to protect their unfair privilege. And in fact, the vast majority of today’s university students do come from relatively well-off families. But rather than weakening their position, this supports the protestors’ claims that… View Article

Bringing a vision of climate justice into focus

May 28, 2012
One of the key barriers to change facing those of us working towards climate justice is the lack of a clear vision. By advocating for bold climate action, we are asking people to embrace dramatic change — yet the picture of their new life remains fuzzy and difficult to imagine. Compounding this challenge is the… View Article

The myth of the left-wing CBC

May 24, 2012
To anybody following CBC TV’s news and current affairs over the past five years, it’s no surprise that far from tilting leftward, the Mother Corp gives disproportionate access to Conservative politicians, as noted in Peter Stursberg’s book (see Charlie Smith’s article in the Georgia Straight).  An even broader concern is how CBC is framing issues. … View Article

Inequality undermines collective action on climate change

May 23, 2012
Much has been written of late about the costs of inequality — the social and health costs, the costs to democracy and social cohesion, and the costs to the economy and productivity. But here’s another cost to rising inequality that has received less consideration — the costs to our climate. As we seek to urge… View Article

A decade of eroding tax fairness in BC demands progressive tax reform

May 23, 2012
(with Marc Lee and Iglika Ivanova) Most British Columbians would agree that everyone should pay their fair share of taxes. And most assume that the wealthy pay more, not only in straight dollars, but also a higher tax rate as a share of their income. So most would probably be shocked to learn that, in… View Article

From Bad to Worse — The Latest in BC Energy Policy

May 23, 2012
It is, I suppose, not surprising that the government would step in and effectively terminate the BC Utilities Commission’s hearing on BC Hydro’s rates. The issues and the evidence were getting embarrassing. In its rate application, BC Hydro reported that by 2014  it will be purchasing over 5000 GWh of private power that it acquired… View Article

So why is all the good writing on privatization of liquor distribution in the business press?

May 17, 2012
Privatization of government assets is always a controversial subject.  One side says the genius of the marketplace will cut costs and improve efficiency.  The other side says costs will go up and the public will lose control.  One thing both sides should agree on, however, is that the process should be transparent.  Thanks to Business… View Article

De-growth or growth? Maybe we don’t need to figure that out

May 16, 2012
There has recently been a renewed interest in the question of whether the ecological crisis means we need to see (or plan for) a stabilization or even a decline in economic growth. This week there is a major conference on degrowth in Montreal. York University’s Peter Victor has made important contributions to this debate in… View Article

Overcoming climate despair: We are the U-turn generation

May 12, 2012
This week, federal Environment Commissioner Scott Vaughan released a disheartening report, slamming the Harper government for having no plan to meet is own 2020 greenhouse gas emission reduction targets (targets that are already completely inadequate). It’s not surprising news, but adds to the feelings of desperation harbored by many. Those of us concerned about climate… View Article

BC’s P3s promise “eye-watering” profits” for private investors. And more of them coming

May 9, 2012
Two stories that came out on the same day last week should raise concerns about where the BC government continues to go with public private partnerships (P3s).  The government announced it was going to build two hospitals on Vancouver Island in Campbell River and in the Comox Valley.  Premier Clark then told the Campbell River… View Article