Will Frankenstorm put climate change back on the political radar?

Oct 30, 2012
In recent years the world has experienced a sequence of climate-change-related disasters. Hurricane Sandy comes on top of massive drought through the summer that has led to 40% loss of American corn and other grain crops, raging wildfires in the southeast US, tornados and derechos, etc – and that is just the US. Check out this extreme weather… View Article

Imbalance in residential tenancy rights enforcement in BC

Oct 25, 2012
Yesterday some media outlets reported that the Residential Tenancy Branch has conditionally waived the first (and to my knowledge only) administrative penalty it has issued. BC’s Residential Tenancy Act was amended in 2006 to allow the Branch to issue administrative penalties, essentially monetary fines, against landlords or tenants that contravene the Act or repeatedly ignore… View Article

BC’s Natural Gas Strategy nothing more than a fairy tale

Oct 21, 2012
I have an oped in Saturday’s Vancouver Sun. The editor wanted me to focus on the claims of economic gains for BC, so the piece ended up being a complementary piece to the Behind the Numbers report on GHG emissions and the Natural Gas Strategy. The title was his choice not my own, but I… View Article

Plan for $10 a day child care striking a chord with British Columbians

Oct 15, 2012
More than thirty years ago, the women’s movement put child care on the public agenda. And while there have been important successes along the way, it can get depressing for grandmothers like me to see so little political progress. Parent fees are too high, staff wages are too low, there are nowhere near enough spaces… View Article

BC government non-response to study on how Natural Gas Strategy breaks BC’s GHG law

Oct 11, 2012
Since my report on how BC’s legislated GHG targets are being compromised by the 2012 Natural Gas Strategy, I’ve been keenly interested to see how the government would respond. The report prompted a story in today’s Metro news, but the reporter was unable to get a response from the government by deadline. Then belatedly she… View Article

Is BC breaking its GHG law by pursuing natural gas development?

Oct 10, 2012
Today we released a new report by yours truly, BC’s Legislated Greenhouse Gas Targets vs Natural Gas Development: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. It was just five years ago that BC brought in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act, a signal that BC was serious about climate action. The Act calls for a 33% cut in emissions by… View Article

Time to Rethink The Way We Fund Higher Education

Oct 9, 2012
This September, like every year, a new group of high school graduates headed to college or university to pursue higher education. But today’s generation of students is in for a very different experience from the ones their parents had. On campuses across the country shiny new buildings are popping up, bearing corporate logos or the… View Article

The importance of culture in big decisions

Oct 6, 2012
I sometimes think we underestimate the difference in culture between the various regions of Canada. I was reminded of that last month at a meeting of the Union of BC Municipalities. The UBCM always has separate forums for local governments of various sizes. I always make a point of attending the Electoral Areas Directors’ Forum…. View Article

Will a flu shot keep you healthy? (hint: probably not)

Oct 2, 2012
BC’s Provincial Health Officer Dr Perry Kendall announced in August that BC will be adopting a policy mandating flu shots for health care workers.  Or they have to wear masks. This is likely  the most aggressive flu prevention policy in Canada, one which could set the trend for the rest of the country. But Dr… View Article