Archive
What’s Wrong with Site C
Oct 1, 2015
In a #SiteC tweet no doubt designed to complement an unabashedly political debate taking place in the legislature this week, the Liberal caucus stated that Site C is the most reviewed project in BC’s history, it will create 10,000 jobs and will provide affordable, reliable clean power. The tweet is partially true. The problem though… View Article
Fraser Institute vastly overstates impact of regulatory delays in developing a BC LNG industry
Sep 22, 2015
Today’s report from the Fraser Institute, LNG Exports from British Columbia: The Cost of Regulatory Delay, states that “revenue losses from regulatory delays imposed upon the BC LNG export market would be on the order of $17–23 billion (US) per year.” This, they say, is equivalent to 9.5% of 2014 BC GDP. A closer examination… View Article
Some strengths and weaknesses in the Green Party platform
Sep 18, 2015
My recent post comparing the NDP and Liberal election positions to date drew some criticism for leaving out the Green Party. So hoping to rectify that with this post on what I see as some strengths and weaknesses of the Green plan. On Sept. 9, The Green Party became the first of the major parties… View Article
Leaping into a new carbon-free economy
Sep 17, 2015
Tuesday Sept. 15 saw the release of an exciting new document – The Leap Manifesto: A Call for a Canada Based on Caring for the Earth and One Another. In essence, the manifesto is a positive vision for Canada. It calls upon the next government to move Canada off fossil fuels quickly, insisting that baby… View Article
Who’s not coming to school this September?
Sep 8, 2015
Today is the first day of school and newspapers, Twitter feeds and Facebook pages are filled with photos of backpack-carrying children and well wishes from their community for a new school year. This celebration speaks to the importance we all place on learning, and on our collective effort to educate our children. It’s one of the most important… View Article
One year after the BC teachers’ strike, what’s happening for kids with special needs?
Sep 7, 2015
by Seth Klein and Tyson Schoeber It’s been a year since the longest strike in the history of BC’s public school system. A key outcome of that dispute was increased understanding of the phrase “class size and composition.” During the strike, the public came to appreciate that teachers were fighting not just for better wages,… View Article
BC employment holds steady in August but anemic private sector hiring is a sign of economic weakness
Sep 4, 2015
Canada is officially in a recession and while BC is expected to sail through it relatively unscathed, the projected modest GDP growth performance does not seem to be translating into job gains for British Columbians. Statistics Canada’s latest job numbers show BC created 3,100 jobs in August, which represents a gain of one tenth of one percent in… View Article
The best of all policies: my wish for the ideal platform
Sep 2, 2015
I’m often asked which opposition party, with a potential to win the election, has the better platform when it comes to tackling climate change and inequality – the two great inconvenient truths of our time, and the focus of much of our work at CCPA. (I’m leaving out from this comparison the Conservatives, who have thus… View Article
3 worrisome facts about Canada’s economy beyond the drop in GDP
Sep 1, 2015
The much anticipated quarterly GDP numbers are out, and StatsCan confirmed what 79% of Canadians already felt to be the case — Canada’s economy is in decline. A drop in economic activity of 0.1% in the second quarter of 2015 officially tipped Canada in recession territory (after a drop of 0.2% in the first quarter). The… View Article
The diminishing of access to government information – and some things to do about it
Sep 1, 2015
Freedom of Information legislation (FOI), or Access to Information (ATI) as it is known at the federal level in Canada, was a pretty important addition to government accountability when it became law in jurisdictions across Canada. The Supreme Court of Canada described freedom of information legislation as a pillar of our democracy that provides citizens… View Article
Beyond speed: Who is talking about access to e-government this election?
Aug 28, 2015
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
The problem with the Fraser Institute’s consumer tax index
Aug 27, 2015
Every summer, the Fraser Institute releases a report pointing out the average family now spends more on taxes than food, clothing and shelter. But is it really a bad thing that as our economy grows we spend less of our income on basic survival and more on better education, better health, parks, environmental protection and… View Article
Raising RRSP withdrawal limit no solution to unaffordable housing
Aug 13, 2015
Far be it from me to school the Prime Minister on the laws of supply and demand. He is, after all, the one who has extensively studied neo-liberal economics. But the Conservatives’ plan to increase what first-time homebuyers can pull from their RRSPs for a down payment – from a maximum of $25K to $35K… View Article
BC Muni’s issue verdict on local government Auditor: They are polite but stupid
Aug 12, 2015
After more than three years of existence, chronic controversy and underperformance from British Columbia’s Auditor General for Local Government (AGLG), the Union of BC Municipalities has issued its own verdict on the office. The office of the AGLG was created in 2012 following up on a promise by Christy Clark to the business community when… View Article
When telling the truth gets you in trouble: Getting serious about serious issues
Aug 12, 2015
“As leaders we have a responsibility to fully articulate the risks our people face. If the politics are not favorable to speaking truthfully, then clearly we must devote more energy to changing the politics.” – Marlene Moses, Ambassador to the United Nations for the South Pacific island nation of Nauru, 2012 “The ecologically necessary is… View Article
TransLink boss salary of $319,244+? Peanuts
Aug 5, 2015
Lately, there has been quite a fuss about how much the top people at TransLink get paid to provide road and transit services in BC’s lower mainland. The Huffington Post describes the salary for a potential new Chief Executive Officer as “eye popping.” The job advertisement describes “a salary of $319,244 plus an annual bonus… View Article
Where is Canada’s digital inclusion strategy?
Jul 23, 2015
When Alex first arrives at the drop-in computer class at his local neighbourhood house he’s never used a keyboard or surfed the Internet before. But he’s determined to learn so he can apply for government services he needs as a recently unemployed person with disabilities. Alex attends the weekly drop-in classes faithfully, working with a… View Article
Inconsistency in BC’s GHG Regulations
Jul 22, 2015
It is no doubt quite naive to think that the BC government (or any government for that matter) would transparently ensure that it imposed the same price on carbon emissions from different industrial sources. Still, carbon is carbon and GHG emissions raise the same concerns regardless of the source. So at least from a naive… View Article
Best and worst cities to be a woman in Canada: how is BC doing?
Jul 15, 2015
The Best and Worst Places to be a Woman In Canada 2015 ranks Canada’s 25 biggest cities based on the gaps in how men and women are faring in five key areas: economic security (as measured by gender gaps in employment, pay and the likelihood of living in poverty); education; health; representation in municipal governments and… View Article
$10 a day child care: smart public policy whose time has come
Jul 14, 2015
Imagine if the BC government put as much energy and effort into solving BC’s child care crisis as it does in promoting LNG. This week, our Premier recalled the legislature from its regular summer break to pass special laws paving the way for one potential LNG project (more about why this is a bad deal here and here). What if… View Article