Month: October 2016

On August 30th, the provincial government issued a review of job creation since the last election, and a preview of an update to their jobs plan, which was intended to be released in full this fall, however, an announcement has yet to be made. In short, this is the precursor to a pre-election platform statement. … View Article

The international spotlight is about to shine on Canada’s track record on women’s human rights and BC may get caught in the glare. Provincial and federal compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women is set to be reviewed on October 25th by the expert UN Committee tasked with… View Article

According to the Toronto Star,1 “Precarious work is the new norm.” The same article reports on research findings from a 2013 study2 by McMaster University/United Way/PEPSO that looks at precarious employment in the Toronto region. This study found that less than half of all jobs in the Toronto region are permanent, secure full-time jobs, and outlined the… View Article

Thanks to the Labour movement, we’ve made significant gains in working conditions over the years. On average, unionized employees make higher wages than non-unionized employees, and are more likely to receive health benefits and to have pension plans. But for those people working at or minimally above the minimum wage, whether they are unionized employees… View Article

If the government were listening to British Columbians, it would have heard that families are struggling to make ends meet because of rising food and housing costs, childcare fees, MSP premiums, and hydro rates. It would have heard that over 1,000 people in the highest-ever homeless count in Vancouver this year are new to homelessness…. View Article

On September 22, we presented CCPA-BC research and recommendations for BC’s 2017 Budget at a public hearing as part of BC’s 2017 budget consultation process. Here’s what we told the Committee. At first glance, BC appears somewhat isolated from the economic challenges facing the rest of Canada. Headline economic indicators like GDP growth and job creation… View Article

As more information becomes available about the controversial $3.5-billion, 10-lane Massey Bridge project, concern about the project increases. Issues had already been raised about the cost and need for the project given questions about traffic growth, but the publication of two new documents raises concerns about the plan to build the bridge as a public private… View Article

Imagine a far-off dystopia when foreign corporations are given the same status as citizens in public hearings. When the overriding priority for government in issuing licenses for fracking, pipeline and other projects is to make the process simple for corporations. When, regardless of how much a project is opposed by the public, governments have to… View Article

Vancouver Coastal Health recently announced it will close two publicly owned and operated residential care facilities in Sechelt. The creation of 600 new beds will be contracted to private for-profit facilities. The decision to go with private for-profit beds contradicts the scientific evidence about ownership and residential care quality. We reviewed the link between ownership… View Article

Royal Bank of Canada CEO David McKay made a few headlines last week when he offered his thoughts to the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce on the energy and climate challenges facing Canada. In his speech he called on the federal government to help get fossil fuel resources to market by approving new bitumen pipelines and… View Article