Economy

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

3 worrisome facts about Canada’s economy beyond the drop in GDP

Sep 1, 2015

By Iglika Ivanova

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

Best and worst cities to be a woman in Canada: how is BC doing?

Jul 15, 2015

By Iglika Ivanova

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

By Iglika Ivanova

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

LNG Project Agreement – A Risky Business

Jul 8, 2015

By Marvin Shaffer

The Project Development agreement that the provincial government negotiated with Petronas (Pacific Northwest LNG) and now plans to enshrine in legislation has only one purpose. It is an agreement very clearly designed to prevent this and any future British Columbia government from increasing LNG-specific taxes or changing LNG greenhouse gas regulations in ways that would increase… View Article

#BoycottTims? It’s about time.

Jun 9, 2015

By Jonathan Chapnick

Twitter was raging against Tim Hortons last Thursday. According to the Ottawa Sun, for much of the day the hottest trending topic in Canada was #BoycottTims. It’s about time, I thought to myself, these allegations have been in the news for at least a couple of years. Back in 2013, a group of Tims employees… View Article

Economic Development and the Environment

May 9, 2015

By Marvin Shaffer

The biggest challenge facing the new NDP government in Alberta, and an NDP government in British Columbia should one be elected in 2017, is finding the right balance between economic development and environmental objectives. There are some who suggest that there is no conflict — there can be jobs and environmental policies effectively prohibiting certain… View Article

Why the Metro Vancouver living wage is not enough for single parents and how to fix it

Apr 29, 2015

By Iglika Ivanova

The living wage calculation is based on the needs of two-parent families with young children, but the idea behind it is that this wage would also support different types of families throughout the life cycle so that young adults are not discouraged from having children and older workers have some extra income as they age. In… View Article

Doubling contribution limit to Tax-Free Savings Accounts exposes true intent of a bad policy

Apr 15, 2015

By Seth Klein

Last week, federal finance minister Joe Oliver re-affirmed that his government seeks to double the annual limit to Tax-Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs), from $5,500 to $11,000. This is a terrible idea. When the TFSA was first introduced, the claim at the time was that the policy was intended to support modest income people wanting to… View Article

Balanced Budget Legislation – another zombie policy returns from the dead

Apr 11, 2015

By Seth Klein

Ah, here we go again – when seeking to assert credibility as sound fiscal managers, governments reach for the tired gimmick of “balanced budget legislation” (BBL). It’s not about good economics. Nor about good public policy. Just crass politics. And now the federal government is once again dangling this useless policy ploy. The CCPA-BC was… View Article

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A progressive take on BC issues

A progressive take on BC issues

Economy

BC employment holds steady in August but anemic private sector hiring is a sign of economic weakness

3 worrisome facts about Canada’s economy beyond the drop in GDP

Best and worst cities to be a woman in Canada: how is BC doing?

$10 a day child care: smart public policy whose time has come

LNG Project Agreement – A Risky Business

#BoycottTims? It’s about time.

Economic Development and the Environment

Why the Metro Vancouver living wage is not enough for single parents and how to fix it

Doubling contribution limit to Tax-Free Savings Accounts exposes true intent of a bad policy

Balanced Budget Legislation – another zombie policy returns from the dead