Budget 2019: Strengthening public education vital after years of chronic underfunding

Jan 30, 2019
This post is part of our BC Budget 2019 series, which highlights key findings from the CCPA’s research and outlines our recommendations for the 2019 provincial budget. Find more from the series at: policynote.ca/budget2019 Strengthening public education is a vital public policy area as the government of BC prepares its 2019 budget, and the CCPA-BC… View Article

Accelerate investment in public transit

Jan 28, 2019
This post is part of our BC Budget 2019 series, which highlights key findings from the CCPA’s research and outlines our recommendations for the 2019 provincial budget. Find more from the series at: policynote.ca/budget2019 Expanding public transit is a win-win for the province: it reduces costs for households, improves mobility, creates good jobs and supports… View Article

Human Rights Commission has opportunity to change workplace culture around sexual harassment

Jan 25, 2019
Sexual harassment in the workplace has been a focus of recent talk and action, spurred on by the #MeToo movement. As one of many ways in which women continue to experience inequality at work, more needs to be done to prevent and address workplace sexual harassment. The forthcoming BC Human Rights Commission is well-positioned to… View Article

Through the front door, then the back: How government methodically killed environmental oversight of major gas industry projects

Jan 23, 2019
Few regulations in British Columbia have died as quick and ignoble a death as a 2014 Order in Council exempting proposed natural gas plants from having to undergo environmental assessments. It was a change that fossil fuel companies drilling and fracking for natural gas in the northeast of the province had demanded for some time…. View Article

Investment needed for dedicated affordable housing

Jan 21, 2019
This post is part of our BC Budget 2019 series, which highlights key findings from the CCPA’s research and outlines our recommendations for the 2019 provincial budget. Find more from the series at: policynote.ca/budget2019 The 2018 BC Budget took some major new steps towards housing affordability, in particular on the taxation side with new progressive… View Article

Review and reform natural resource revenues

Jan 18, 2019
This post is part of our BC Budget 2019 series, which highlights key findings from the CCPA’s research and outlines our recommendations for the 2019 provincial budget. Find more from the series at: policynote.ca/budget2019 Natural resource revenues account for $2.7 billion or 5.2 per cent of provincial revenues. Resource revenues are generally not taxes, but… View Article

TimberWest forestry operations destabilizing Vancouver Island communities

Jan 17, 2019
TimberWest is consistently one of the top exporters of raw, unprocessed logs from British Columbia’s coastal forests. The company also has growing ties with Island Timberlands, BC’s other top log exporter. The two companies share roads, log sort yards and other infrastructure to generate profits. “As affiliated companies, TimberWest and Island Timberlands can each do… View Article

How (and how much) doctors are paid: why it matters

Jan 15, 2019
How we pay doctors through our public health system is an important issue that receives little public scrutiny, despite the fact that physician compensation represents a significant share of the provincial budget and has been among the fastest-growing health care costs in recent years. A very useful analysis was conducted by BC’s Auditor General in… View Article

Priorities and funding for health care in BC

Jan 14, 2019
This post is part of our BC Budget 2019 series, which highlights key findings from the CCPA’s research and outlines our recommendations for the 2019 provincial budget. Find more from the series at: policynote.ca/budget2019 In any provincial budget, health care is one of the biggest line items and, of course, one of our most vital… View Article

Our BC Budget 2019 priorities: Poverty reduction and climate action

Jan 8, 2019
In anticipation of the 2019 BC Budget—which the provincial government will present in February—the CCPA-BC is publishing a series of Policy Note posts highlighting the recommendations from our submission to the Budget Consultations. Those recommendations include ideas for improving BC’s health care, education, transit, child care and much more. Today, I kick off the series… View Article