Archive
Clean electricity, conservation and a zero-carbon future
Jun 20, 2012
Today we released a new Climate Justice Project report, Clean Electricity, Conservation and Climate Justice in BC: Meeting our energy needs in a zero-carbon future, co-authored by John Calvert and myself. The report is central to the vision we have been developing of a zero-carbon BC, with a focus on the need to transition off of fossil… View Article
New BC welfare rules: some positive steps forward (and a couple steps back)
Jun 12, 2012
Yesterday (June 11) the BC government surprised many when it announced a host of welfare policy changes. In all, almost 30 welfare rule adjustments are to be enacted (the full list can be found here). After more than a year as premier, the announcement was billed as “the first pillar of [Premier Clark’s] Families First… View Article
A Green Industrial Revolution
Jun 12, 2012
Today the CCPA (national) released a new big picture report by myself and student researcher Amanda Card calling for a Green Industrial Revolution. The report builds on work done for the BC-focused Climate Justice Project, bringing to bear a national analysis of green and not-so-green jobs. We take a close look at GHG emissions and employment by… View Article
Federal Budget Bill and Employment Equity
Jun 1, 2012
So many big changes are happening in the Federal government’s budget bill — Bill C-38 — that some significant issues like the changes to the Federal Contractors Program (FCP) have escaped attention. Part 4 Division 42 of C-38 is very short. It merely says that subsection 42(2) of the Employment Equity Act is replaced by… View Article
Seven reasons why you should support a move to low tuition fees for higher education
May 29, 2012
Much of the media coverage of the Quebec student protests has dismissed the protestors as cranky middle and upper-middle class children trying to protect their unfair privilege. And in fact, the vast majority of today’s university students do come from relatively well-off families. But rather than weakening their position, this supports the protestors’ claims that… View Article
Bringing a vision of climate justice into focus
May 28, 2012
One of the key barriers to change facing those of us working towards climate justice is the lack of a clear vision. By advocating for bold climate action, we are asking people to embrace dramatic change — yet the picture of their new life remains fuzzy and difficult to imagine. Compounding this challenge is the… View Article
The myth of the left-wing CBC
May 24, 2012
To anybody following CBC TV’s news and current affairs over the past five years, it’s no surprise that far from tilting leftward, the Mother Corp gives disproportionate access to Conservative politicians, as noted in Peter Stursberg’s book (see Charlie Smith’s article in the Georgia Straight). An even broader concern is how CBC is framing issues. … View Article
Inequality undermines collective action on climate change
May 23, 2012
Much has been written of late about the costs of inequality — the social and health costs, the costs to democracy and social cohesion, and the costs to the economy and productivity. But here’s another cost to rising inequality that has received less consideration — the costs to our climate. As we seek to urge… View Article
A decade of eroding tax fairness in BC demands progressive tax reform
May 23, 2012
(with Marc Lee and Iglika Ivanova) Most British Columbians would agree that everyone should pay their fair share of taxes. And most assume that the wealthy pay more, not only in straight dollars, but also a higher tax rate as a share of their income. So most would probably be shocked to learn that, in… View Article
From Bad to Worse — The Latest in BC Energy Policy
May 23, 2012
It is, I suppose, not surprising that the government would step in and effectively terminate the BC Utilities Commission’s hearing on BC Hydro’s rates. The issues and the evidence were getting embarrassing. In its rate application, BC Hydro reported that by 2014 it will be purchasing over 5000 GWh of private power that it acquired… View Article
So why is all the good writing on privatization of liquor distribution in the business press?
May 17, 2012
Privatization of government assets is always a controversial subject. One side says the genius of the marketplace will cut costs and improve efficiency. The other side says costs will go up and the public will lose control. One thing both sides should agree on, however, is that the process should be transparent. Thanks to Business… View Article
De-growth or growth? Maybe we don’t need to figure that out
May 16, 2012
There has recently been a renewed interest in the question of whether the ecological crisis means we need to see (or plan for) a stabilization or even a decline in economic growth. This week there is a major conference on degrowth in Montreal. York University’s Peter Victor has made important contributions to this debate in… View Article
Overcoming climate despair: We are the U-turn generation
May 12, 2012
This week, federal Environment Commissioner Scott Vaughan released a disheartening report, slamming the Harper government for having no plan to meet is own 2020 greenhouse gas emission reduction targets (targets that are already completely inadequate). It’s not surprising news, but adds to the feelings of desperation harbored by many. Those of us concerned about climate… View Article
BC’s P3s promise “eye-watering” profits” for private investors. And more of them coming
May 9, 2012
Two stories that came out on the same day last week should raise concerns about where the BC government continues to go with public private partnerships (P3s). The government announced it was going to build two hospitals on Vancouver Island in Campbell River and in the Comox Valley. Premier Clark then told the Campbell River… View Article
Poverty Reduction: Even Alberta joins the fold. When will BC?
Apr 29, 2012
With Alison Redford’s big re-election as Alberta premier last week, Alberta will now join the ranks of provinces with a comprehensive poverty reduction plan. This will leave BC and Saskatchewan as the only jurisdictions in Canada without a provincial or territorial plan. The Alberta plan may prove to be the most ambitious to date. On… View Article
Climate change will shape BC in 2035, one way or another
Apr 28, 2012
I have an oped in today’s Vancouver Sun as part of its BC in 2035 series. Climate change will shape BC in 2035, one way or another We live on a different planet from the one our parents grew up on, says environmentalist Bill McKibben. Climate change from our rampant combustion of fossil fuels has pushed the… View Article
Hail to the Chief? Or Bailing on the Chief?
Apr 18, 2012
A leaked provincial Cabinet document indicates that the provincial government is contemplating “suspending” the powers of one of its most powerful public servants in order to expedite a controversial logging program that has raised alarm bells in the professional forestry community. The document leaked late Tuesday afternoon, is the second confidential report in as many… View Article
Environmental Assessment
Apr 18, 2012
It’s hard not to sympathize with those who want to drastically change provincial and federal government environmental assessment processes. You only have to suffer through one or two, witnessing seemingly endless meetings, memos, draft terms of reference, real terms of reference, draft reports, real reports, and the obligatory sprinkling of highly structured consultations — all… View Article
And they all fall down: The day of reckoning in B.C.’s over-cut interior forests looms
Apr 18, 2012
For more than a quarter century, logging companies at the government’s blessing have been on a tear through British Columbia’s expansive interior forests. In the name of “salvaging” economic value from forests attacked by mountain pine beetles, beginning with a smaller outbreak centered in the Williams Lake area in the 1980s and followed by the… View Article
Canadians want higher taxes from the federal budget
Mar 29, 2012
The Globe and Mail released the results of a new poll they conducted on what Canadian priorities are for the upcoming budget. The findings seem to have stumped at least some of the journalists, judging by their account: What stood out most was the across-the-board call for higher taxes. Yes, you read that right. Respondents… View Article