MP speaks to BC/Alberta angst
Pipeline politics have been in the news a lot over the past couple of weeks, as British Columbia and Alberta square off over Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain expansion project. Both provincial governments are doing exactly what they promised to do when elected, so their positions are not surprising. But where is the federal ...
Editorial: Fingerprints, security, and 'Big Brother'
A recent news item explained that a Vancouver doctor is upset that he was forced to undergo fingerprinting to prove that he was not a sex offender who had the same (or similar) name. He is quoted as asking, “Why are we being pulled aside as if we were criminals?” Well, there’s the matter of having the same name as a criminal. ...
COLUMN: We can't afford to ignore climate change
Contrary to a common perception, ignoring climate change won’t make it disappear. Global research going back to 1824 in fields ranging through physics, oceanography, biology and geology have confirmed human activity — mainly burning fossil fuels, raising livestock and destroying carbon sinks like forests and wetlands — is...
OP/ED: BC Poverty Reduction Coalition says minimum wage hikes inadequate
The BC government’s announcement to increase the minimum wage to $15/hour is good news for low-wage workers in BC but the long timeline will continue to keep workers in poverty for too long. Following the recommendations from the first Fair Wages Commission report, the government will increase the minimum wage incrementally...
From the Hill: Cannings' Bill C-354 passes at second reading
Yesterday MP Richard Cannings’ Bill C-354 an Act to amend the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act, (Use of Wood) passed its first vote at second reading. The bill will now be sent to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources for review. Bill C-354 proposes to require the federal government...
Column: A strange way to pick a leader
When a political party sets rules for a leadership race and tries to be all things to all members, the result can end up looking more like the proverbial camel designed by a committee than a true and fair method for members to choose a new leader. As they did in 2011, the B.C. Liberal party opted to continue with its practice...
Editorial: On how we vote in BC -- will it change, or not?
Come the next BC election, will we have Proportional Representation (of some kind) or business-as-usual with First-Past-the-Post? A lot of ink and pixels have been swirling around the news and opinion media on the topic. It still bears more examination, given the disparate views expressed. Let’s do some examining, and...
Science Matters Column: Bugs for lunch?
People sometimes get bugged by insects, but we need them. They play essential roles in pollination, combatting unwanted agricultural pests, recycling organic matter, feeding fish, birds and bats, and much more. They’re the most numerous and diverse animals on Earth and form the base of many terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems....
Column: 'From the Hill' -- BC's natural resources
In mid-January I attended the British Columbia Natural Resources Forum in Prince George. This is one of the biggest gatherings of resource companies, government leaders and nongovernment organizations in Canada, and is always a good place to hear the latest news from that sector. I was happy to see federal Natural Resources...
Column: On Science and Belief
We find ourselves on different sides Of a line that nobody drew. Though it all may be one in the higher eye Down here where we live it is two. I to my side call the meek and the mild You to your side call the Word. By virtue of suffering I claim to have won You claim to have never been heard. ...
