Month: July 2015

When Alex first arrives at the drop-in computer class at his local neighbourhood house he’s never used a keyboard or surfed the Internet before. But he’s determined to learn so he can apply for government services he needs as a recently unemployed person with disabilities. Alex attends the weekly drop-in classes faithfully, working with a… View Article

It is no doubt quite naive to think that the BC government (or any government for that matter) would transparently ensure that it imposed the same price on carbon emissions from different industrial sources. Still, carbon is carbon and GHG emissions raise the same concerns regardless of the source. So at least from a naive… View Article

The Best and Worst Places to be a Woman In Canada 2015 ranks Canada’s 25 biggest cities based on the gaps in how men and women are faring in five key areas: economic security (as measured by gender gaps in employment, pay and the likelihood of living in poverty); education; health; representation in municipal governments and… View Article

Imagine if the BC government put as much energy and effort into solving BC’s child care crisis as it does in promoting LNG. This week, our Premier recalled the legislature from its regular summer break to pass special laws paving the way for one potential LNG project (more about why this is a bad deal here and here). What if… View Article

Last week, the BC government released the text of its Project Development Agreement with Pacific Northwest LNG (led by Malaysian state enterprise, Petronas), considered the front-runner in getting BC an LNG export industry. The agreement goes to the BC legislature this week in order to convince Petronas to make a “final investment decision.” There are still other barriers to this… View Article

The Project Development agreement that the provincial government negotiated with Petronas (Pacific Northwest LNG) and now plans to enshrine in legislation has only one purpose. It is an agreement very clearly designed to prevent this and any future British Columbia government from increasing LNG-specific taxes or changing LNG greenhouse gas regulations in ways that would increase… View Article

I was prompted to write this post by the very unusual fact that, right now, Vancouver skies are smokey from the various wildfires burning in southwest BC. Of course, skies filled with smoke and ash are not uncommon in the summer, but it’s a black day in July when fires are so widespread and so… View Article