Archive
Phony numbers, screaming headline
May 31, 2013
An enormous error in a report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) led to a screaming headline in Wednesday’s Vancouver Sun suggesting spending by local governments was out of control. The CFIB’s report looked at spending in major Canadian cities, including Vancouver, from 2000 to 2011. It concluded: From 2000 to 2011, Vancouver’s… View Article
Keeping democracy alive: Engaging in political process between elections
May 30, 2013
Last week, Seth Klein reflected on some lessons from the 2013 BC election. Among the many important lessons he noted was the fact that “we need to better understand why so many people feel disengaged from politics and key policy debates.” Indeed. Now that the election is over, those of us who are passionate about… View Article
Lessons from the 2013 BC Election: What’s a progressive research institute to do?
May 22, 2013
As I write, it has been just a few days since the provincial election. As was the case for most of you, the result was unexpected. We are still processing what it means for our work and rethinking some of our research plans. For those of us who engage in deep thinking about policy ideas,… View Article
Big Numbers – Big Lies
May 22, 2013
The election results were disheartening; it was, as many have commented, a victory of style over substance. Hope for something unachievable (a debt free B.C. in fifteen years) and fear of a leader and party that does not exist (an untrustworthy Chavez of the north) won the day. It was not a great moment for… View Article
The Green Part of Green
May 10, 2013
Unlike a number of green advocates, political and otherwise, I think there can be some significant benefit for British Columbians from the development of LNG exports, particularly if issues around the supply and pricing of electricity, and the regulation and offset of industry GHG emissions are properly addressed. Nevertheless, I do agree with those who argue… View Article
Reality check on government spending: is the overspending fear mongering justified
May 9, 2013
Both main parties in this election campaign are accusing the other of being big spenders. The BC Liberals claim the BC NDP is making election promises that are too expensive and argue the 1990s (the last time the NDP was in government) was a time of particularly high spending. The BC NDP points out that… View Article
Comparing platforms with respect to climate action
May 9, 2013
As many readers of this blog will know, back in February the CCPA (with the assistance of a number of our partners in the Climate Justice Project) published an Open Letter to the BC political parties calling on them to recommit to BC’s legislated greenhouse gas reduction targets, and to table plans for how to… View Article
Coal association gets free pass on election advertising while public interest groups chilled
May 8, 2013
Just when I thought the situation with BC’s third party advertising rules couldn’t get any more ridiculous, this comes in from the “Are You Kidding Me?!” department: According to The Tyee, a three page advertorial for the Canadian Coal Association “extolling the virtues of BC’s coal industry” in last week’s Globe and Mail has been… View Article
The call for a BC poverty reduction plan: where have the parties landed
May 8, 2013
The CCPA is a founding member of the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition (PRC), which for over four years now has been advancing the call for a comprehensive BC poverty reduction plan. Its Open Letter calling on the BC government to adopt a legislated plan has been signed by hundreds of organizations. The PRC has now… View Article
Vancouver child poverty rate is second-highest in Canada
May 8, 2013
The story of child poverty in Canada is very much an urban story. One out of every 10 children living in urban areas was poor in 2010, compared to one in 20 children living in non-urban areas. Three quarters (or 76%) of all poor children in Canada lived in one of the urban centres shown… View Article
Beyond the economy: Where are BC’s major parties on health care and our aging population?
May 7, 2013
By Shannon Daub & Janine Farrell We have been surprised, to say the least, at the lack of public discourse around health care during this election period. As a top-of-mind issue for British Columbians, you’d think it would be as central as the always large and looming economy. So what are the burning issues in… View Article
Final election fact sheet: Enhancing social support for seniors living in BC
May 6, 2013
We have completed the last of our series of three fact sheets on seniors issues in preparation for the upcoming election! This fact sheet highlights the importance of communities that are inclusive and accessible to people of all ages and abilities. And, while it is important for seniors to “age in place,” they must also be… View Article
Debt Free BC?
May 4, 2013
It is pretty clear that the election-inspired promise of a debt free BC is not to be taken seriously. There is no credible market analysis indicating that the royalties from B.C. LNG exports would be sufficient to do that in 15 years, as the Premier would have it. The potential for increased gas supply from… View Article
Living wage reports reveal a big gap between actual wages and the costs of raising a family in BC
May 2, 2013
How much do working parents need to earn to be able to afford to live in our community? There reports released today provide the answer for the three largest regional districts in BC, home to 2/3 of this province’s population: $19.62/hour in Metro Vancouver, $18.73/hour in Greater Victoria and $16.37/hour in the Fraser Valley…. View Article
Why BC’s lower-wage workers are struggling: the case for stronger employment standards
Apr 30, 2013
This is an opinion piece that I co-wrote with David Fairey, CCPA research associate, labour economist and Co-Chair of the BC Employment Standards Coalition. BC has acquired the “distinction” of being home to Canada’s largest income gap, highest poverty rate, and second highest child poverty rate. It also has greater employment insecurity and lower wages… View Article
Project Mania
Apr 26, 2013
One can excuse politicians in the heat of a campaign of simplifying issues and seeking out tags and slags in lieu of substantive debate. But there is no excuse for leading columnists of major newspapers, like Barbara Yaffe in her most recent attack on the BC NDP, to do the same. Yaffe raises the spectre… View Article
Are average Canadians paying too much in taxes?
Apr 24, 2013
On April 23, the Fraser Institute released the annual update of their misleading Consumer Tax Index report. The piece is meant to feed the anti-tax sentiment with numbers sprinkled liberally for their shock value instead of providing any meaningful analysis. Here are some of the main flaws with the report’s methodology. If what follows sounds… View Article
BC Office: Fact sheet on affordable housing options for seniors now available.
Apr 18, 2013
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