Archive
Economist <3 car-sharing
Aug 1, 2013
It started with a car accident in February, and the total loss of our 2004 Prius, which had only been ours for less than a year. We were quickly compensated for its market value and were in a position to buy another car, but we held off due to a looming sabbatical that would take… View Article
The absurdity and injustice of now
Jul 25, 2013
I’m back from a short sabbatical, grateful for some time outside of my daily work and home life, feeling all big picture. But as I settle back into work, I feel like I’m seated in a Theatre of the Absurd play. My news feeds are pulling up astonishing things. Exhibit one: the North Pole at the… View Article
BC doctors need unbiased info on prescription drugs
Jul 25, 2013
As a family physician, I need to be sure that each medication I prescribe has good evidence behind its use for my patient’s diagnosis, concurrent medical conditions, and demographic. This isn’t as straightforward as it sounds, because good evidence isn’t always easy to find. In an often polarized culture of illness and suffering in which… View Article
Why does BC have the highest poverty rate in Canada?
Jul 16, 2013
Statistics Canada recently released new data on the incomes of Canadians and it shows two worrisome trends continuing through the economic recovery: BC has the highest poverty rate in Canada and the highest child poverty rate (tied with Manitoba); and Ordinary families in BC haven’t had a raise since 2008 – family incomes in the… View Article
Latest Statscan poverty numbers paint bleak picture for BC
Jul 8, 2013
Statistics Canada has released Incomes in Canada for 2011, with the latest poverty rates. You can find it here. And the numbers for BC are grim indeed, painting a very different picture from the rosy one the government likes to present. First Call has put out a news release detailing some of the latest child… View Article
Why wheelchair fees are not ‘fair’ and what they say about the state of seniors care in BC
Jul 5, 2013
The recent announcement of a $25/month user fee for wheelchairs used by people in long-term care facilities in the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health regions has been unpopular – particularly given the simultaneous announcement of pay raises for top government political staff. Premier Clark has since withdrawn the promise of pay raises, except for her… View Article
Get a grip indeed
Jul 2, 2013
One wonders if the Globe and Mail’s intrepid Victoria correspondent, Justine Hunter, appreciates the irony of her weekend dispatch on Energy Minister Bill Bennett’s ‘vow’ to rein in BC Hydro spending. Pretty well everything Bennett promised to do, and that Ms Hunter dutifully reported, completely missed the point of what ails BC Hydro and what has… View Article
Short BC throne speech neglects climate crisis, poverty
Jun 26, 2013
Everyone expected today’s throne speech to be a brief recap of Christy Clark’s election platform. And on this front, it certainly delivered: only 8 pages, compared to the usual 20+, pinning our province’s hopes on LNG exports, and using much of the same language, word for word, that we’ve heard repeatedly throughout the election campaign…. View Article
Does Premier Clark, the great petro pretender, have a Plan B?
Jun 24, 2013
In January, one of the world’s most sophisticated deep-sea drilling vessels, the $540-million Chikyu, left the Japanese Port of Shimizu destined for a distant point in the Phillippine Sea. The voyage marked a milestone in what by then was an 18-year, $700-million research and development effort aimed at one day weaning Japan off of its… View Article
Is the Fraser Surrey Docks coal port proposal in the best interest of BC?
Jun 18, 2013
Today’s CBC Edition Business Panel focused on the proposal by Fraser Surrey Docks to build a new coal terminal on the Fraser river to export US thermal coal (if you missed it, here’s the recording starting at 1:50). My co-panelist, Jock Finlayson from the BC Business Council, kept trying to narrow the conversation to technical… View Article
CFIB spokesperson blames downloading for muni cost increases
May 31, 2013
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) published a report this week talking about the alarming rate of increase in municipal spending and blaming it all on overpaid public employees. It turns out their numbers are suspect but there are other problems that raise questions about whether this is just about a political agenda. BC’s… View Article
Phony numbers, screaming headline
May 31, 2013
An enormous error in a report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) led to a screaming headline in Wednesday’s Vancouver Sun suggesting spending by local governments was out of control. The CFIB’s report looked at spending in major Canadian cities, including Vancouver, from 2000 to 2011. It concluded: From 2000 to 2011, Vancouver’s… View Article
Keeping democracy alive: Engaging in political process between elections
May 30, 2013
Last week, Seth Klein reflected on some lessons from the 2013 BC election. Among the many important lessons he noted was the fact that “we need to better understand why so many people feel disengaged from politics and key policy debates.” Indeed. Now that the election is over, those of us who are passionate about… View Article
Lessons from the 2013 BC Election: What’s a progressive research institute to do?
May 22, 2013
As I write, it has been just a few days since the provincial election. As was the case for most of you, the result was unexpected. We are still processing what it means for our work and rethinking some of our research plans. For those of us who engage in deep thinking about policy ideas,… View Article
Big Numbers – Big Lies
May 22, 2013
The election results were disheartening; it was, as many have commented, a victory of style over substance. Hope for something unachievable (a debt free B.C. in fifteen years) and fear of a leader and party that does not exist (an untrustworthy Chavez of the north) won the day. It was not a great moment for… View Article
The Green Part of Green
May 10, 2013
Unlike a number of green advocates, political and otherwise, I think there can be some significant benefit for British Columbians from the development of LNG exports, particularly if issues around the supply and pricing of electricity, and the regulation and offset of industry GHG emissions are properly addressed. Nevertheless, I do agree with those who argue… View Article
Reality check on government spending: is the overspending fear mongering justified
May 9, 2013
Both main parties in this election campaign are accusing the other of being big spenders. The BC Liberals claim the BC NDP is making election promises that are too expensive and argue the 1990s (the last time the NDP was in government) was a time of particularly high spending. The BC NDP points out that… View Article
Comparing platforms with respect to climate action
May 9, 2013
As many readers of this blog will know, back in February the CCPA (with the assistance of a number of our partners in the Climate Justice Project) published an Open Letter to the BC political parties calling on them to recommit to BC’s legislated greenhouse gas reduction targets, and to table plans for how to… View Article
Coal association gets free pass on election advertising while public interest groups chilled
May 8, 2013
Just when I thought the situation with BC’s third party advertising rules couldn’t get any more ridiculous, this comes in from the “Are You Kidding Me?!” department: According to The Tyee, a three page advertorial for the Canadian Coal Association “extolling the virtues of BC’s coal industry” in last week’s Globe and Mail has been… View Article
The call for a BC poverty reduction plan: where have the parties landed
May 8, 2013
The CCPA is a founding member of the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition (PRC), which for over four years now has been advancing the call for a comprehensive BC poverty reduction plan. Its Open Letter calling on the BC government to adopt a legislated plan has been signed by hundreds of organizations. The PRC has now… View Article