BC throne speech rhetoric doesn’t match reality

Feb 10, 2016
Yesterday’s throne speech paints a rosy picture of BC as an “island of prosperity.” It acknowledges that “all British Columbians deserve to share in the benefits of a growing economy” but it glosses over the fact that many currently don’t. What is worse, the provincial government’s own inaction in key policy areas is what’s causing tremendous hardship… View Article

Lower premiums for single parents not enough; it’s time to see the end of MSP

Feb 9, 2016
In the lead up to the provincial budget we talk a lot about the changes we want to see in how our government is spending our public funds. And with good reason. After years of neglect and underfunding, alarming holes are emerging in key areas from child protection services and public schools to housing affordability and climate action. They need… View Article

Site C’s biggest beneficiary? Natural gas companies, not us.

Feb 5, 2016
This post originally appeared on DeSmog Canada. On January 20, BC Hydro issued a press release singing the praises of a new hydro transmission line not far from where preliminary work has begun to build the $9-billion Site C dam. The release, headlined “New transmission line to power development in the south Peace”, featuring boosterish… View Article

How Canada’s WTO “victory” on food labelling undermines BC’s local food efforts

Feb 3, 2016
In December Canada once again made international headlines by defeating the Americans at the World Trade Organization, and, paradoxically, made it harder to promote and protect British Columbia’s agrifood sector.  After a seven-year dispute, the United States was forced to repeal legislation requiring country of origin labelling (COOL) for muscle cuts of beef and pork. The… View Article

Honouring Dr Kerry Preibisch

Feb 2, 2016
I am writing to honour the legacy of Dr Kerry Preibisch, a much loved University of Guelph professor who passed away on January 28th after a very courageous journey with cancer. Kerry was a mentor to me and many other students and colleagues. Throughout her impressive career, she became an internationally recognized scholar for her work… View Article