Month: January 2016

I was very pleased to see that MP Don Davies introduced a private member’s bill this past week calling for the voting age to be lowered to age 16. I know private member’s bills usually never make it, but this one is well worth other MPs’ backing. I’ve long been of the view that youth… View Article

As we welcome refugees in larger numbers this year, the spotlight is turned on our disintegrating social infrastructure. For example, Government Assisted Refugees (GAR) receive a monthly allowance equivalent to the provincial social assistance rates. A family of two adults and two children receives a maximum monthly shelter allowance of $700; families with four children… View Article

The political appeal of a revenue neutral carbon tax is clear. The tax provides an incentive to reduce fossil fuel use, and the revenue neutrality — reducing income or other taxes in amounts more or less equal to the amount of carbon tax revenues that the government receives — makes the whole exercise rather painless…. View Article

Every six years the BC legislature reviews the provisions of the province’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and makes recommendations for changes.  The Special Committee to Review the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act held hearings on the legislation in the autumn and will be taking further submissions until January… View Article

New federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau has invited Canadians to submit their ideas and priorities for the next Federal Budget. People are welcome to share their suggestions via email, a survey and social media on a site the government has created here. The finance minister says, “I am embarking on an intensive cross-Canada conversation with… View Article

This week British Columbia’s provincial Finance Minister announced a $100,000 (9.1%) increase in the threshold for the province’s homeowner grant raising it to $1.2 million. There is more to this story than has been reported in the press release or the media. What looks like “tax relief” to homeowners has actually in recent years been… View Article