Archive
Employment rights justice denied to thousands of BC Workers
Apr 14, 2022
For decades, the BC Employment Standards Branch has not effectively enforced the Employment Standards Act, meaning thousands of workers are denied their legal rights, a new report that we co-wrote with the BC Employment Standards Coalition shows. Complaints take between 18 months to three years to resolve; the Branch doesn’t proactively investigate employers, industries and… View Article
The last of the green gold: With the best trees gone and revenues plummeting, what’s next?
Apr 14, 2022
Last year, as hundreds of protesters were arrested at Fairy Creek on Vancouver Island for trying to stop logging of old-growth forests, the BC government raked in more money from companies doing such logging than at perhaps any point in history. In total, it collected more than $1.8 billion dollars in stumpage fees—a number that… View Article
BC needs a public intercity transportation service
Apr 11, 2022
Northern British Columbia is a vast, rugged, mostly mountainous area roughly the size of France. In winter, its two-lane public highways often get hit with snow and ice storms, making travel hazardous and sometimes impossible for the 280,000 or so people who live and work in the region. But these are not the only storms… View Article
The Revolving Door: Troubling questions raised as BC’s chief forester prepares to work for global wood pellet giant, Drax
Apr 6, 2022
At mid-afternoon on Monday (April 4), senior staff at British Columbia’s Ministry of Forests were told that one of their highest-ranking members—the province’s chief forester, Diane Nicholls—was entering the revolving door that would sweep her seamlessly out of government employ and into the industry her ministry regulates. “Diane is leaving us to further her work… View Article
Freedom of information review: how to fix a broken system
Mar 29, 2022
A lot of people don’t trust their governments these days. One of the things that undermines trust in government is when people don’t think government is being transparent. What is the government doing and how is it making its decisions? That is where Freedom of Information (FOI) can come in. When FOI works, it lets… View Article
Over a barrel: The case for a windfall profits tax to address surging gasoline prices
Mar 17, 2022
Do you support a windfall profits tax on oil and gas corporations? Let us know at the bottom of this article and sign up to receive e-mail updates! The recent surge in oil prices has caused pain at the pumps for many working people, further stoked inflation in the economy, and led to a rash… View Article
Jobs and forests up in smoke: Coalition calls for investigation into wood pellet juggernaut Drax
Mar 14, 2022
At 944,000 square kilometres in area, British Columbia is nearly four times larger than the United Kingdom. But what the latter lacks in size it compensates for in reach, a reach that extends deep into the old-growth forests of Canada’s westernmost province. To appreciate that reach it helps to consider the tremendous loss of forests… View Article
What happened to the 114,000 new affordable homes promised in BC?
Mar 11, 2022
During the 2017 election campaign as part of its plan to make life more affordable, the BC NDP promised if elected to “build 114,000 affordable rental, non-profit, co-op and owner-purchase housing units through partnerships over ten years. These homes will be a mix of housing for students, singles, seniors and families and will range from… View Article
BC’s property tax increases: What has been the impact of the 2018 changes?
Mar 8, 2022
Four years ago, the 2018 BC Budget introduced a number of new taxes in support of an affordable housing agenda. The taxes, along with new spending measures and renter protections, were part of the government’s Homes for BC 30-point housing plan and included: Higher provincial property taxes (Additional School Tax) for homes assessed at more… View Article
Upzoning and housing affordability
Mar 3, 2022
With the 2022 municipal elections now in sight—and a housing affordability crisis that’s as bad as ever—the City of Vancouver has embarked on two new directions for more dense housing in its detached-housing neighbourhoods. These moves are modest but point to the type of new housing supply needed region-wide. First, as part of a new… View Article
What happened to the National Housing Strategy?
Mar 1, 2022
Launched in 2017, the National Housing Strategy (NHS) was billed as a major re-engagement by the federal government on affordable housing after more than two decades on the sidelines. Starting with a headline commitment of $40 billion when first announced and supplemented in subsequent budgets, the NHS is now ostensibly valued at more than $75… View Article
BC budget moves in the right direction but too slowly to address pressing challenges like housing, climate, toxic drug supply and poverty
Feb 24, 2022
With COVID centre stage for the past two years, Budget 2022 marked a shift back to normal. Yes, the budget earmarks $2 billion in contingencies for potential COVID needs, but this took up a mere half page of the main budget document. The budget narrative instead is framed around child care, climate change and investments… View Article
As deadline looms, what’s BC government’s plan for 15,000 businesses who will soon be violating provincial water laws?
Feb 21, 2022
In just days from now, March 1 to be exact, the BC government is going to find itself in difficult straits. That’s the day that all businesses in the province who rely on well water or groundwater to run their operations must, by law, have applied for a licence to continue to use that water…. View Article
Being a Hope Amid Crises with Dr. Cornel West
Feb 16, 2022
The CCPA-BC Office and the BC Black History Awareness Society co-presented an online event with Dr. Cornel West on Wednesday, February 16, 2022. View the video recording of the event below. Dr. West is an American philosopher, political activist, social critic and public intellectual. He is the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary. He… View Article
Energy giant Drax’s monopoly of BC’s wood pellet industry must be investigated
Feb 16, 2022
The following letter has been sent to Matthew Boswell, Commissioner of Competition, Competition Bureau of Canada. Dear Mr. Boswell, We write today to formally request that the Competition Bureau of Canada investigate the Drax Group’s dominant position in the wood pellet industry in British Columbia, Alberta and Canada more generally. The company has monopolized much… View Article
Why increasing government spending makes economic sense
Feb 14, 2022
Author’s note: The latest BC government throne speech promised “to help solve big challenges – like inequality and climate change – with growth that is inclusive and sustainable.” CCPA-BC will closely analyze the upcoming BC Budget to determine whether the government’s intention is backed by the increased levels of public investment needed to meet the… View Article
Modernizing BC’s Oil and Gas Royalty Regime to Tackle Climate Change
Feb 7, 2022
In 2021, BC got a full serving of extreme weather events due to global warming. It is clear that the BC government must speed up meaningful action to phase out domestic consumption and production of fossil fuels that are the principal cause of climate change. The BC government’s current review of the royalty regime for… View Article
Time to reform the unfair Home Owner Grant—here’s how
Jan 28, 2022
Early January showed how much BC’s housing system is biased towards existing homeowners to the detriment of renters and housing affordability. First, the latest property value assessments in BC revealed double-digit increases across the board. Large annual increases, such as the 16 per cent hike we see in the City of Vancouver, have become the… View Article
BC should look to zero waste solutions to reduce GHG emissions and create jobs
Jan 24, 2022
British Columbia is ahead of most North American jurisdictions in implementing composting and recycling programs. Yet, we are systemically burdened by endless amounts of packaging, especially the mass proliferation of plastic, which is an environmental tragedy of our times. BC shares the core problem with other jurisdictions: a culture of consumption and an extraction-oriented economic… View Article
Water protection must be a top public policy priority
Jan 14, 2022
The devastating floods that destroyed homes, farms, highways, dikes and critical infrastructure during November’s record rains are both unprecedented and a climate change wake-up call. Let’s hope they are also a wake-up call for something else: our government’s failure to make water protection a top public policy priority. Over the past several years, the BC… View Article