Archive
7 things that should be in the BC Budget but were missing from the Throne Speech
Feb 15, 2016
BC Budget 2016 will be tabled tomorrow but we already know it will include a break on MSP premiums for some single parents, $50 million for new affordable housing initiatives this year (with funding also committed in each of the next four years), help for first-time home buyers, more resources for the long neglected BC child welfare system,… View Article
BC’s job market is weaker than the government would like you to believe
Feb 12, 2016
Premier Christy Clark rarely misses a chance to take credit for BC’s recent economic growth and job creation numbers even though they have more to do with plunging oil prices and the low dollar than with any action her government has taken. This year’s throne speech was no exception, calling BC “an island of prosperity” and a leader:… View Article
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
Yes, let’s lower the voting age in Canada.
Jan 31, 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
Refugees are bringing new attention to the gaps in our social safety net
Jan 27, 2016
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
What’s wrong with a revenue neutral carbon tax?
Jan 22, 2016
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
Changes to FOI law a chance for the BC legislature to improve trust in government
Jan 19, 2016
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
No shortage of compelling ideas for Finance Minister Bill Morneau
Jan 19, 2016
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
Province’s bump in home owner grant threshold is not the good deal suggested, especially for Metro Vancouver home owners
Jan 6, 2016
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
Admitting a post-Paris truth: BC’s LNG pipe dream is over
Dec 28, 2015
Since the signing of the new climate treaty in Paris earlier this month, there’s been plenty of debate as to whether the new global agreement is a turning point or merely more hollow promises. The answer, as the CCPA’s Marc Lee has written, will be revealed in how governments and markets react. In particular, the… View Article
Massey Tunnel Replacement: where’s the data to support this project?
Dec 17, 2015
It seemed like a good thing to do on a cold rainy day — curl up by the fire and read the long delayed, potential best seller: George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project — the Business Case. Admittedly, to some there are more exciting reads; but for a policy wonk like myself I couldn’t wait to get… View Article
Real test of Paris climate agreement will be how markets and regulators react
Dec 13, 2015
So did we save the planet? From the outset, this was never about “saving the planet.” Our spinning hunk of rock has been around billions of years and will continue to support diverse life forms long past the time humans roam it. The question is whether we have a planet that can support human life… View Article
BC’s climate action masquerade
Nov 29, 2015
When BC Premier Christy Clark arrives at the Paris climate conference, as part of a reinvigorated Canadian delegation under PM Trudeau, the world will hear bold statements about BC’s climate leadership. BC has received much praise since its 2008 introduction of a carbon tax (under previous Premier Gordon Campbell), and for its legislated greenhouse gas… View Article
We’re putting fossil fuel industry influence under the microscope
Nov 27, 2015
By Bill Carroll and Shannon Daub The tremendous concentration of power and influence we see in the fossil fuel industry today places sharp limits on our democracy (for examples, see our previous post). And as oil, gas and coal corporations pursue their relatively narrow, short-term profit goals, crafting effective responses to the climate crisis becomes… View Article
Why corporate power is a problem at the climate crossroads
Nov 27, 2015
By Shannon Daub and Bill Carroll As world leaders head to Paris for next week’s UN climate conference, the spotlight is being turned on the fossil fuel industry’s tremendous economic and political clout. The COP21 talks are sponsored by some decidedly climate-unfriendly multinationals, prompting the watchdog group Corporate Accountability International to launch a petition —signed… View Article
Want to create good, sustainable jobs for Canada? Try co-ops.
Nov 26, 2015
In the coming months and years, the new federal government will make important decisions about jobs: how we create them, protect them and make them more sustainable. Many Canadians believe there’s a trade-off to be made between employment and environmental sustainability. But that doesn’t have to be the case — particularly if we look at… View Article