Support for oil and gas projects is often justified on economic grounds: they fuel the economy and create jobs. But do those arguments hold up? Even leaving aside the enormous costs of climate-related disasters such as flooding, drought and increasing water scarcity, and pollution-related health impacts and premature deaths,...

Decisive climate action will bring a healthier, more prosperous future There’s no shortage of available, affordable solutions to avoid the worst impacts of a changing climate — and more are being developed every day. Employing them will also bring many other benefits. But with the world rapidly heading toward the threshold ...

I learned this week that Canadians are considered to rank 42nd out of 50 countries based on how good they are to drive in. This disappointed me until I sat back and thought about it a bit. Based on a bit of self examination and what I see happen around me when I drive I think that I have to say that we are not serious about...

Part Two   Summary introduction from part one: I began with an opinion and a lament: my dream of a better human world as I recall my optimism in 1970 was proven false in the succeeding decades. Are humans getting better, worse, or not changing much, as you read the historical record? (Of course, I have no idea what you read...

What’s in a name?  A contentious sign of the times Alzheimer’s is, especially for older people like me, a frightening possibility.  Most of us know people, some of them close and cherished, who have been altered by the disease and died from it.  Some of us don’t like to be reminded of it. Many decades ago,  locals enjoyed...

Dear Neighbours, Friends and Community Members, People from across the country and around the world are moving to B.C. because of our strong economy, high standard of living, and wealth of opportunity. B.C. is growing, and while this means great things for our province, it also means more pressure on our local infrastructure....

As of early February, police have “made more than 90 arrests and dozens of detentions” to facilitate construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline in northern B.C., “running up a taxpayer tab of more than $25 million,” according to the Narwhal. François Poirier, President and CEO of TC Energy, which owns the project, was...

Human Consciousness, under construction: Doing Good, Becoming Better, Following Leaders I fought in the old Revolution on the side of the ghost and the king. Of course, I was very young And I thought that we were winning. I can’t pretend I feel very much like singing As they carry the bodies away.        -- Leonard Cohen, The...

On February 3, a 150-car train carrying toxic chemicals derailed near East Palestine, Ohio. Close to half the town’s 4,700 residents had to evacuate as deadly gas and smoke fouled the air and chemicals contaminated waterways. Fortunately, no people were killed (although at least 3,500 fish perished), unlike in the devastating...

Dear Neighbours, Friends and Community Members, My colleagues and I have heard from constituents, community members, and Indigenous people across B.C. on how best to recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, honouring residential school survivors and those who never returned home. To those of you who reached ...