Archive

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

By Marvin Shaffer

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

By Iglika Ivanova

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

By Marjorie Griffin Cohen

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

By Marvin Shaffer

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

By Iglika Ivanova

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

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

By Keith Reynolds

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

By Janet Newbury

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