Archive
826 reasons Kinder Morgan got a green light for its Trans Mountain pipeline expansion
Nov 30, 2016
Despite sustained opposition to Kinder Morgan’s plan to twin the Trans Mountain pipeline, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Cabinet gave it their blessing yesterday. Reaction from the many people, communities and nations opposed to the pipeline was swift. Twenty one municipalities and over 100 First Nations and Tribes have registered their opposition since the… View Article
BC Tax Commission focuses on business and not the rest of us
Nov 23, 2016
This fall we presented recommendations to the provincial government’s “Commission on Tax Competitiveness”, which released its final report today. But the Commission suffered from a basic flaw: an exclusive focus on business taxes. What about how BC’s overall tax system affects the large majority of British Columbians? The Commission’s terms of reference precluded consideration of… View Article
Low-income seniors also victim to affordable housing crisis
Nov 22, 2016
It may be hard to believe, but Statistics Canada data shows that 52 per cent of senior renters (65+) in Metro Vancouver spend 30 per cent or more of their monthly income on rent, and 21 per cent spend half or more. So how are low-income seniors expected to survive? The ratio of rent to… View Article
The biggest source of waste in Canadian health care? The private, for-profit sector
Nov 21, 2016
Brian Day’s legal battle against universal public health care in Canada is now before the BC Supreme Court. Day—along with other would-be profit-makers—are hawking unprecedented privatization as the solution to challenges in Canada’s health care system. But two crucial facts are often missed in debates about public vs. private health care. First, Canada already leaves… View Article
The US election results: Brief thoughts on the unthinkable
Nov 18, 2016
Having watched the US electoral horror show unfolding over several months, I’m trying to stand back from the emotional impact of the outcome, to think of some of the themes for progressive debate and research in politics and communication. What understandings are relevant to the political action that our collective survival now necessitates? First, we… View Article
Lessons from the Trump election for progressives in Canada
Nov 18, 2016
It’s been a little over a week since we were jolted by the profoundly disturbing reality of a Donald Trump US presidency. We’ve all found ourselves in many discussions about how such an abhorrent and blatantly racist and misogynist candidate could have won the most powerful political office in the world, and about how to… View Article
Four planks for a bold and progressive BC jobs agenda
Nov 17, 2016
BC needs a revitalized jobs plan. The provincial government’s narrow focus on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) hasn’t worked. The government hitched BC’s economic wagon to the elusive investment decisions of foreign transnational corporations, and to the ups and downs of international commodity prices, and the hoped-for investment simply didn’t materialize. And for all the talk… View Article
What BC’s energy industry has to do with violence against Indigenous women
Nov 16, 2016
The following post was adapted from the executive summary of Out of sight, out of mind: Gender, indigenous rights, and energy development in British Columbia, Canada. “It’s not a pity story. We’re not looking for sympathy. But the public has to recognize that this is a disaster in the making.” —Norma Pyle, Blueberry River First Nations… View Article
British Columbians will pay the LNG industry’s power bills
Nov 14, 2016
In his Tyee article BC’s LNG Fraud, Andrew Nikiforuk pointed out that the government’s new eDrive policy—under which BC Hydro will supply electricity to LNG plants at the standard industrial rate, instead of the much higher rate that government had determined was needed for BC Hydro to recover its costs—will result in a subsidy of $34 million… View Article
The election story is an addiction story
Nov 9, 2016
I know I am not alone shedding tears for the story of the 2016 American election. These aren’t the tears of a campaign or game lost, or an ego wounded, nor are they tears of aloneness, because I know I am not the only one who is afraid. These tears connect me to all of… View Article
A critical juncture for BC’s forest industry
Nov 7, 2016
When it comes to understanding the risks that BC’s forests and forest-dependent communities face, you’d be hard-pressed to find two more qualified individuals than Anthony Britneff and Martin Watts. Between them, the two have worked a combined 70 years in forestry, Britneff serving four decades in senior positions with the provincial forests ministry and Watts… View Article
The case for a progressive property tax
Nov 2, 2016
In 1993, then-Finance Minister Glen Clark tabled a controversial BC Budget, featuring a wide range of tax changes. A one-point increase in the provincial sales tax was the largest measure, tempered by the introduction of a refundable sales tax credit. Most of the budget measures increased taxes on the wealthy and corporations. Up went the… View Article
BC government plots new course for job creation: Optimism or wishful thinking?
Oct 27, 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
Shining an international light on women’s human rights in BC
Oct 24, 2016
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
If precarious employment is the new normal, how come we’re not talking about it?
Oct 21, 2016
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
Working poverty on the rise in Metro Vancouver
Oct 18, 2016
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
Poverty Reduction: When will the government start listening to British Columbians?
Oct 17, 2016
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
Our recommendations for the 2017 BC Budget
Oct 17, 2016
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
Massey Bridge P3 borrowing costs yet another problem
Oct 14, 2016
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
CETA: A significant shift from democratic governance
Oct 13, 2016
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