Economy

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

BC isn’t broke: putting teacher bargaining in perspective

Mar 2, 2012

By Iglika Ivanova

Last Monday, BC teachers held a Day of Action in communities across the province to protest the BC government’s decision to legislate a contract and put an end to their collective bargaining process. I was invited to speak to teachers at the Surrey rally, where I had the opportunity to share some of my analysis… View Article

The Great Natural Gas Footrace: Where Have We Seen This Before?

Feb 24, 2012

By Ben Parfitt

Several weeks ago, some running buddies of mine – two fine chaps working in the provincial civil service – invited me to speak on a panel at the annual Association of BC Forest Professionals meetings in Victoria. I had the good fortune to be joined by Bruce Fraser, former chair of the BC Forest Practices… View Article

After Self-Sufficiency — Will the Public or Private Interests be Served?

Feb 4, 2012

By Marvin Shaffer

It was, I suppose, too much to expect the government to acknowledge that the self-sufficiency and insurance requirements it had imposed on BC Hydro was a serious mistake. So it was no surprise that they simply stated in their announcement paving the way for the powering of the proposed new LNG plants that the Campbell-era policies… View Article

Kevin Falcon’s narrow take on tax options

Jan 28, 2012

By Seth Klein

BC Finance Minister Kevin Falcon says he is keen to take a fresh look at the BC tax system. He is welcoming new ideas, and he even wants your opinion. He has struck an “expert” panel to review BC’s tax regime, and in early January the government launched an online tool that the public can… View Article

Breaking down financial barriers to higher education is more affordable than you think

Jan 25, 2012

By Iglika Ivanova

In a new report released today by the CCPA, I revisit the important question of who really pays for university education. Convention wisdom has it that the public heavily subsidizes post-secondary education. The illusion of a subsidy comes from the fact that tuition fees, high as they are, don’t cover the entire cost of education…. View Article

The BC government could start with local purchasing to build jobs in our communities

Jan 3, 2012

By Keith Reynolds

The BC government has been heavily promoting its “jobs plan” over the last week on television, radio and on the internet. On twitter they invited people to come on line to give their ideas about what could be done to promote more jobs in communities. But there is one idea to promote jobs in communities… View Article

Business dominated think tank winds up with report showing little progress in BC

Dec 19, 2011

By Keith Reynolds

The British Columbia Progress Board came out with its last report today. Gordon Campbell started the think tank in 2001 and now Christy Clark has ended it. The report shows progress, but often in the wrong direction. You can find the whole report here but it will take patience. It weighs in at a hefty… View Article

Time to give shale gas industry a closer look before we’re totally fracked

Nov 9, 2011

By Ben Parfitt

Despite the recent release by Canada’s natural gas industry of a set of guiding principles governing the controversial gas well “stimulation” method known as hydraulic fracturing or “fracking”, and despite the almost immediate endorsement of those principles by BC Premier and industry cheerleader Christy Clark, more and more British Columbians are justifiably worried about what… View Article

Occupation, democracy and coops

Oct 18, 2011

By Marc Lee

I hung out a while yesterday at the Vancouver Occupation, and was impressed with their efforts at radical democracy. Many in the mainstream press have been quick to pile on for how time-consuming decision-making can be under this model, but perhaps they have not spent enough time in legislatures and committee meetings and public consultations…. View Article

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