Month: November 2017
BC Budget 2018 should use progressive tax options to deliver on affordable housing promises
Nov 7, 2017
BC’s real estate boom has created winners and losers and has led to a growing housing affordability crisis with tremendous social and economic consequences. Metro Vancouver continues to have a massive housing affordability problem—in both home ownership and rental markets—that threatens to undermine the region’s long-term prosperity. Moreover, the 2017 Homeless Count revealed that homelessness… View Article
BC needs a full public inquiry into fracking
Nov 6, 2017
Last year, more natural gas was produced in British Columbia than at any point in the past 10 years. That may come as a surprise to some people who thought that growth in BC’s natural gas industry hinged on the emergence of a Liquefied Natural Gas sector. It does not. The reality is that even… View Article
The end of Site C? BC Utilities Commission finds “tension cracks” in BC Hydro’s case for the mega dam
Nov 3, 2017
The BC Utilities Commission final report on Site C is a bombshell. It now seems very likely we will see the termination of the BC Hydro mega-project by the end of the year. I had anticipated a final report that was more equivocal, which would result in a difficult decision for the BC government. But… View Article
The University of Victoria seeks to profit from climate change deniers and policy obstructionists: The Exxon connection
Nov 3, 2017
The school year is now well under way. For many new students starting at the University of Victoria, the university’s stated commitments to sustainability were likely attractive, especially for BC residents whose summers were haunted by relentless wildfires. Given the needed move towards low-carbon economies it makes excellent sense for students to select universities that… View Article
Seven immediate steps to reduce poverty while the government consults on a comprehensive poverty reduction plan
Nov 1, 2017
Earlier this week, the BC government appointed an Advisory Forum on Poverty Reduction to provide expertise and assistance to the Minster of Social Development and Poverty Reduction in the development of a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy for BC. The 27 people named to the Forum represent communities across the province and bring diverse skills, perspectives… View Article