Transparency & accountability

New look, same nerds.

May 19, 2016

Hello readers and followers! As you can see, we have a brand new look thanks to our fine friends at Affinity Bridge. We had two goals with the redesign. First was just to get a bit more in step with the times. Goodbye narrow columns and small font — hello white space, pretty pictures and… View Article

In Edinburgh, the public private partnership walls are falling. Seriously. Walls are falling.

Apr 20, 2016

By Keith Reynolds

If 17 schools were closed in Vancouver, or Edmonton or Regina, because parts of them were at risk of falling down and injuring children, do you think it might raise some questions about the way the schools were built? That is exactly what is happening in Edinburgh, Scotland. It all began in January 2016 when… View Article

The unintended consequences of massive hydro rate increases

Mar 22, 2016

By Ben Parfitt

The Province newspaper recently published an op-ed of mine that looked at one of the unintended consequences of our provincial government’s fixation on building the exceedingly expensive Site C hydroelectric dam. Even though actual construction of the dam has yet to begin, BC Hydro customers are already paying far more for electricity than they were just a… View Article

Site C’s biggest beneficiary? Natural gas companies, not us.

Feb 5, 2016

By Ben Parfitt

This post originally appeared on DeSmog Canada. On January 20, BC Hydro issued a press release singing the praises of a new hydro transmission line not far from where preliminary work has begun to build the $9-billion Site C dam. The release, headlined “New transmission line to power development in the south Peace”, featuring boosterish… View Article

Changes to FOI law a chance for the BC legislature to improve trust in government

Jan 19, 2016

By Keith Reynolds

Every six years the BC legislature reviews the provisions of the province’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and makes recommendations for changes. The Special Committee to Review the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act held hearings on the legislation in the autumn and will be taking further submissions until January… View Article

Massey Tunnel Replacement: where’s the data to support this project?

Dec 17, 2015

By Marvin Shaffer

It seemed like a good thing to do on a cold rainy day — curl up by the fire and read the long delayed, potential best seller: George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project — the Business Case. Admittedly, to some there are more exciting reads; but for a policy wonk like myself I couldn’t wait to get… View Article

We’re putting fossil fuel industry influence under the microscope

Nov 27, 2015

By Bill Carroll

By Bill Carroll and Shannon Daub The tremendous concentration of power and influence we see in the fossil fuel industry today places sharp limits on our democracy (for examples, see our previous post). And as oil, gas and coal corporations pursue their relatively narrow, short-term profit goals, crafting effective responses to the climate crisis becomes… View Article

Why corporate power is a problem at the climate crossroads

By Shannon Daub

By Shannon Daub and Bill Carroll As world leaders head to Paris for next week’s UN climate conference, the spotlight is being turned on the fossil fuel industry’s tremendous economic and political clout. The COP21 talks are sponsored by some decidedly climate-unfriendly multinationals, prompting the watchdog group Corporate Accountability International to launch a petition —signed… View Article

Beyond speed: Who is talking about access to e-government this election?

Aug 28, 2015

By Suzanne Smythe

The problem of equitable access to high speed Internet in Canada entered the election campaign on Wednesday, August 26, when Stephen Harper promised that a re-elected Conservative government would spend an additional $200 million to promote high speed access in rural and remote communities. Although the promise is short on detail (what counts as high… View Article

An effective poverty reduction plan is not just a piece of paper

Dec 2, 2014

By Kendra Milne

Last week, First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition published its annual report card on child poverty in BC. As in past years, the results were sobering. Based on 2012 data, 20.6% of children, or one of five, live in poverty in BC. Nearly half of children living in single parent families live below… View Article

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