COLUMN: Canada takes major step to curb emissions
Canada has taken a major step in cleaning up its oil and gas sector. We’re the first country to commit to methane emission regulations for the industry, marking an important shift toward climate protection. The new regulations help uphold a major plank in the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change, under ...
If BC won’t act for mountain caribou, the federal government will
Last Friday, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna declared an “imminent threat” to mountain caribou recovery, ordering the BC government to take immediate action to protect core mountain caribou habitat—or the federal government will step in and do it for them. Mountain caribou populations have been steadily declining since...
Stats Can data shows rental housing costs are pushing renters into crisis level spending
Nearly half of Canadian renter households are spending more than the recommended 30 per cent of their income on housing while nearly one in five are spending more than 50 per cent of their income on housing, putting a growing number of families and individuals at a crisis level of spending and at risk of homelessness. The...
Iniitiative Petition in the works to cancel Site C dam
British Columbia’s Chief Electoral Officer, Keith Archer, has granted approval in principle on an initiative petition application. The petition will be issued to proponent Ion Delsol Moruso on July 3, 2018. The title of the initiative is: “An initiative to cancel the Site C Dam project”. “This initiative petition application...
Affordable Housing Projects to Receive Funding
ROSSLAND -- The Government of British Columbia is working with the Columbia Basin Trust to build 167 new homes for people struggling to find housing they can afford, in ten Kootenay communities. Rossland will receive funding to develop 24 housing units, planned to be built on the western side of the land known as “the Emcon...
COLUMN: From the Hill -- Canada far behind Europe
Julie Gelfand, the federal Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, released a report entitled Perspectives on Climate Change Action in Canada at the end of March. Canada has a pretty dismal track record when it comes to meeting its climate action commitments. We’ve already missed two targets—Rio in 2000...
Editorial: How much time is enough, what's going on, and what's best for us all?
How much time do citizens need to be informed enough to vote on an issue? Discussions about electoral reform and different forms of proportional representation compared with our long-standing system called “first-past-the-post” have been going on in BC for years. During that time, we've heard many opinions, but few as...
Last-minute Tax Filing Tips from CRA
The Canada Revenue Agency wants us all to file out tax returns on time. For good reason: even low-income people need to file tax returns in order to benefit from such things as lower Medical Services Plan premiums, and other benefits. And it makes life easier for taxpayers and the bureaucrats too. Here's a press release ...
Column: From the Hill -- Pipeline Questions
The Trans Mountain Expansion pipeline has dominated news in the past few weeks. The public is divided over whether we should build this pipeline and allow Alberta oil sands output to increase, or whether it presents too much risk to BC’s rivers and coastal environments. Many experts described the original project approval ...
Commentary: Big Money's Last Hurrah
The big money party is over and what a party it was. Given its well-deserved reputation in B.C. it's fitting that it went out with a bang in 2017. First, though, a walk down memory lane for an appreciation of its shock and awe legacy on B.C. politics. Between 2005 and 2017, B.C.'s political parties reported $206.9 million in...
