Governments change — along with laws, regulations and priorities. It’s the nature of democracies. In Canada, we’ve seen environmental laws implemented, then weakened or overturned, then strengthened and re-instated. But the basic necessities of health, well-being and life shouldn’t be subject to the shifting agendas of political...

This weekend, Graeme Lee Rowlands reached the end of an impressive six-week journey across the Columbia Basin. Calling himself “the anadromous cyclist”(in reference to the Columbia River’s spawning fish), the 22-year-old university student has spent the past month cycling up the river – from its mouth...

For the past month, we have seen a series of wildfires race through the British Columbia interior, destroying homes, disrupting lives and damaging businesses.  The BC government has already spent over $150 million fighting the fires and has provided over $100 million in relief to those who have been forced from their homes....

As the new B.C. government settles in and email accounts are transferred over, it’ll soon be time for them to pluck up the courage to check the cellar. The nooks and crannies of government operations, if you will. Some of what they’ll find may come as a shock. Think of it as the former government […]

An acquaintance recently said to me, "I guess you're smiling because the NDP are forming the government now."  Actually, I was smiling about something completely non-political.  Besides, I tend to be a bit agnostic about party politics; are political parties really necessary?  She went on to say that in her recollection, "when...

On Friday, June 30, the federal Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) issued an advisory that essentially banned credit unions from using the term “banking” to describe the services they offer Canadians. Their advisory takes a strict interpretation of the Bank Act, and based on this interpretation, the federal government could lay criminal […]

Ontario electricity prices increased twice as fast as the national average over the past decade, and the average Toronto resident now pays $60 more per month than the average Canadian for electricity, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian policy think-tank. “Electricity is a necessity, and Ontario’s high […]

Of all the plastic products we use and take for granted, plastic drinking straws are among the most unnecessary. Designed to be used once and discarded, their only real purpose is to keep your mouth from touching a glass or ice. It made more sense in the days when contaminated vessels were more of an issue. Now, there’s a...

While four of six Tsilhqot’in communities are evacuated due to raging wildfires surrounding  their communities,  Christy Clark’s outgoing Liberal government has granted permits to Taseko Mines to conduct extensive pre-construction exploration and drilling for the New Prosperity  mine proposal in a place precious to the Tsilhqot’in Nation.  Never mind that the federal government has twice […]

Canadian household debt has increased significantly since 1990—but so has the value of household assets, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank. “Despite alarmist headlines, concerns about Canadian household debt levels can be overblown. When looking at debt levels it’s important to consider the degree […]