Archive
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
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
As mentioned in last week’s Speech from the Throne and Tuesday’s 2013 provincial budget, BC’s population is aging. It’s projected the seniors population in BC will double over the next 25 years – meaning more than 30% of our population will be over the age of 65 by 2036. While the budget does mention aspects… View Article
Thank you, Hugh Segal
Feb 21, 2013
The debate on Bill C-377 has moved to the Senate. As many Policy Note readers probably know, Bill C-377 would impose onerous and unfair financial and operational disclosure obligations on unions and other labour organizations, in the lofty name of “transparency and accountability,” but with the actual malicious aim of weakening Labour and publicizing the… View Article
BC Budget 2013 News Release
Feb 19, 2013
We will be posting more commentary on the budget in the coming days; this is our news release from today’s budget lockup. Budget may be “balanced,” but lack of action on poverty, climate creates serious social, environmental defecits (Victoria) The 2013 BC budget focuses on balancing the budget at the expense of British Columbians’ present… View Article
Parliamentary reform idea: Get Out of the House
Feb 15, 2013
By Seth Klein and Shannon Daub [Note: Samara Canada has been gathering ideas for reforming Parliament. All the ideas they have collected are being posted on their blog, which you can find here. What follows is our contribution.] Here’s the big dilemma: Whatever reforms are made to Parliamentary practice and conduct, the simple truth is… View Article
Fairness by design: a framework for tax reform in Canada
Feb 14, 2013
A new CCPA (National) report by Marc Lee and myself argues that Canada’s tax system needs a “fairness” overhaul and presents a framework for progressive tax reform. Those of you who have been following our tax work so far will find this study a great complement to the BC Tax Options Paper. Tax policy is… View Article
BC throne speech repackages old announcements, lacks courage and vision
Feb 12, 2013
Today’s Speech from the Throne reads more like a list of what this government sees as its main achievements than a true framework for going forward. New initiatives are few and far between, sandwiched between pages of self-congratulatory recap of the natural gas strategy, the jobs plan and highlights from the last budget. All in… View Article