Column: Money and Influence -- Telling It Like It Is
Former chief of staff to then-Premier Gordon Campbell, Martyn Brown made some refreshingly candid comments about B.C.'s political financing culture on Shaw TV's Voice of B.C. the other day. “No corporation, no industry, no union gives the level of money that they give to politicians without expecting special consideration in...
Column: From the Hill -- Bill C-14 and Access to Medically Assisted Dying
By Member Of Pariliament for South Okanagan- West Kootenay, Richard Cannings: Bill C-14, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make related amendments to other Acts (medical assistance in dying) In March I wrote in this column about the ongoing debates in Parliament around medical aid in dying, brought on by the Supreme...
COLUMN: Feeding Humanity in a Warming World
Calculating farming’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is difficult, but experts agree that feeding the world’s people has tremendous climate and environmental impacts. Estimates of global emissions from farms range widely. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency puts them at 24 per cent, including deforestation,...
COLUMN: Catastrophe Punctuates the Human Story
Disaster in “Canada’s most divisive city” When I label Fort McMurray our ‘most divisive city’ I am stealing the phrase of a Globe and Mail journalist. It is an apt label. Fort Mac and what it symbolizes – the fossil-fuel industry and resource capitalism – does indeed divide us into camps according to our political response ...
COLUMN: Eating Less Meat Will Reduce the Earth's Heat
Will vegans save the world? Reading comments under climate change articles or watching the film Cowspiracy make it seem they’re the only ones who can. Cowspiracy boldly claims veganism is “the only way to sustainably and ethically live on this planet.” But, as with most issues, it’s complicated. It’s true, though, that the ...
OPINION: Electoral Reform Committee makes a mockery of Law Commission Recommendations
How We Vote Reforming the system by which we elect members to the House of Commons was an issue for at least one political party in the last federal election, but it is not a new topic. Arguably the most extensive study undertaken on the subject was the 2004 Law Commission Canada report: Voting Counts: Electoral Reform for ...
OPINION: BC encouraging environmentally risky mining and creating massive taxpayer liability
The BC government is enabling a dangerous disregard for environmental monitoring, reporting and protection among mining companies by letting them off the hook for the full costs of environmental reclamation – leaving taxpayers liable for more than $1.5 billion, a new report shows. “Other industrial sectors treat accident...
LETTER: Construction at Millennium Park is overkill
For the past several years, Millennium Park has undergone many changes. The path allowed access and allowed the community to stroll through nature. The ongoing additions for the past several years have just taken away from the beauty of the walkway, in my opinion. Now I am greeted by tractors driving down the paths, sometimes...
COLUMN: Ain’t nothing like the real thing — but virtual reality comes close
By David Suzuki The digital revolution is breaking new ground every day. Technology has a way of doing that. I remember when Hewlett-Packard introduced its first “laptop” computer, which stored a page and a half of writing. It revolutionized my life as a newspaper columnist, allowing me to write on planes or in a tent and...
LETTER: Former councillor pans parcel tax
As most of us know the City budget is very complex and takes considerable time to put together. Weighing out what to fund and what not to fund or somewhere in between can be very stressful for those directly involved. My experience has been that decisions made by our elected officials are done with the best intentions using...
