Archive

BC’s provincial government has said it is committed to ensuring seniors can remain in their homes and “age in place.” Yet, the lack of adequate and affordable housing in BC means many seniors are forced to choose between paying for accommodation or buying food and prescription drugs, accessing transportation or participating in their communities. The… View Article

Assessing BC’s Fiscal Health: Can BC afford more deficits?

Apr 17, 2013

By Seth Klein and Iglika Ivanova [Note: this piece has also appeared in the Tyee here.] OK, time for a reality check on BC’s deficits. Simply put, while arguments about deficits and “who is the better fiscal manager” may make for entertaining politics, there is no compelling economic reason why BC cannot run a few… View Article

Investor alert: TSX over-valued due to a “carbon bubble”

Apr 15, 2013

Canada’s economic development model is on a collision course with the urgent need for global climate action. Worldwide, extreme weather events from drought to floods to powerful storms and record-breaking temperatures are making a powerful statement that climate change can no longer be denied. Hurricane Sandy, which rudely interrupted a US election in which candidates… View Article

Climate justice and BC’s political moment

Apr 5, 2013

The following is based on a talk at the Bring Your Boomers election forum on April 3 at the Rio Theatre in Vancouver, the fourth in a series of intergenerational dialogues from Gen Why Media, and was co-sponsored by the CCPA, Get Your Vote On, LeadNow and Vancity credit union. I was asked to set the stage for a conversation on climate justice between… View Article

BC’s Auditor highlights big differences between the Evergreen and Canada Lines

Apr 4, 2013

With all of the uproar over the British Columbia Auditor General’s report on the Pacific Carbon Trust in late March there was a second report that didn’t get as much attention as it deserves. The AG issued his report on the Evergreen Line being built through Coquitlam and Port Moody on March 28th. Compared to… View Article

Powell River citizens talk forestry: democracy in action

Apr 2, 2013

By Janet Newbury

With a provincial election just around the corner and municipal elections to follow shortly thereafter for many BC communities, this is a good time for us as citizens to think about how we can be more engaged in the decisions and policies that affect our communities. When it comes to the democratic process, voting is… View Article

Absolving our Carbon Sins: the Case of the Pacific Carbon Trust

Apr 2, 2013

Last week’s report from BC’s Auditor General dealt a huge blow to the credibility of carbon offsets and claims that BC had achieved a state of “carbon neutral government.” Coverage of the AG’s report was coloured by accusations from the Pacific Carbon Trust, the Crown corporation created to buy and sell BC offsets, and “experts”… View Article

Social Housing Reality Check: Government’s own numbers reveal modest investment in new social housing

Mar 31, 2013

[This post has also appeared on the Tyee here.] One of the more contentious issues regarding the BC government’s record concerns the issue of social housing. To hear Minister Rich Coleman tell it, BC’s record has been above and beyond. For the last few years, barely a week has gone by without a government news… View Article

Closing the Loop: Zero Waste, GHG Emissions and Green Jobs in BC

Mar 28, 2013

Below is the summary for our latest Climate Justice Project report, Closing the Loop: Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Creating Green Jobs through Zero Waste in BC (I recommend checking the much prettier full paper, stand-alone summary, and awesome infographic by Sam Bradd on the website). Closing the Loop was a complex and challenging project that made my head… View Article

BC has plenty of room to increase taxes

Mar 19, 2013

by Seth Klein, Iglika Ivanova and Shannon Daub (previously run by the Tyee here) Our last post argued that British Columbians are open to tax increases, and that the province would be well advised to increase revenues so that we can invest in services that improve our quality of life (such as affordable child care,… View Article

BC Office: Seniors Fact Sheet Series

Mar 18, 2013

Here at the CCPA, we are exploring how we can ensure our elders have the resources and supports needed to retain their health and dignity as they grow older. Many British Columbians wonder if our health system will be able to provide a high standard of care to the whole population as the baby boomer… View Article

Your BC income taxes are lower than you think

Mar 15, 2013

As we approach tax filing time, here’s a little context regarding your BC income taxes… One of the problems plaguing debates about taxes in BC is that people think they pay much more in provincial income taxes than they actually do. For example, if I suggested that everyone pay 20% more in provincial income taxes,… View Article

BC governments extends outsourced health information management despite issues raised by Auditor General

Mar 11, 2013

British Columbia’s government today announced it had extended its agreement with Maximus BC, a US subsidiary corporation, to manage BC’s health information for another five years. The $264 million contract will run from 2015 until 2020. The original contract began in 2005. That ten year deal cost $324 million. On a comparable basis the new five year… View Article

The Shifting Terrain of Taxes in BC: Budget signals new openness to tax increases

Mar 3, 2013

[The following piece was also published on The Tyee here.] These are certainly interesting times. For all the faults in last week’s BC Budget (and there were many), it’s worth noting that the conversation about taxes has fundamentally shifted, and in a welcome direction. After vigorously insisting for years that tax increases would be ruinous… View Article

A new government? It’s not as easy as it looks

Feb 28, 2013

If there is a new government in BC on May 15th, it will be confronted with issues that make the transition particularly challenging. The financial issues are a given. Debt has gone up. Possibly, given the economic recession we faced, it should have gone up even further. The dramatic rise in long term contractual obligations… View Article

BC’s social infrastructure house of cards

Feb 23, 2013

In her report on BC’s 2013 budget CCPA-BC economist Iglika Ivanova concluded that the province’s financial statement focused on balancing the budget at the expense of British Columbians’ present and future wellbeing. The following are a few examples of this. Last Tuesday’s budget continues a 12 year record of systematically undermining the province’s social infrastructure…. View Article

Seniors Advocate position a mixed bag of hopeful and disappointing

Feb 21, 2013

A year ago (February 2012), the province’s Ombudsperson released a comprehensive report addressing the crisis in BC’s home and community care system, including 176 recommendations for a creating a more accessible and accountable system. The centrepiece of the provincial government’s response was the announcement that it would create an Office of the Seniors Advocate, following… View Article

Spot the Seniors: 2013 Budget Edition

Feb 21, 2013