Cash or plastic? A peek at the B.C. government's credit card charges
Governments must dread the day they have to post their credit card charges online. Thousands of charges totalling in the millions of dollars, it's a sure bet someone will find something to highlight. The 2017/18 charges didn't disappoint: 94,726 records totalling $59.7 million. It's tough to always get a handle on the smallest...
Letter: Hydro Bill out of Control
To The Editor: Otherwise normal intelligent people seem to lose all their common sense when the sun comes out. Read this and your hydro bill before the sun comes out. The Nelson Community Solar Garden, a feelgood political project was to be fully funded by those opting in. This didn't happen and you're paying, as well as any...
OP/ED: B.C.’s first ever Poverty Reduction Plan tracks strong start with comprehensive approach but gaps need to be filled moving forward
The B.C. Poverty Reduction Coalition (BCPRC) congratulates the provincial government for launching the first ever poverty reduction plan for B.C.: TogetherBC. After a decade of advocacy, B.C. is no longer the only province without a poverty reduction strategy. The BCPRC welcomes the strong start outlined in the plan tracking...
OP/ED: BC SPCA urges public to support bill protecting animals
The BC SPCA is encouraging members of the public to show their support for Bill C-84, which broadens the definition of bestiality and expands provisions against animals used for fighting. Bill C-84 was introduced by former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould and includes amendments to section 445.1(1)(b) and 447 of the...
Letter: Spilling more wolf blood won’t save caribou
To The Editor: RE: Increase wolf cull, pen pregnant cows to save endangered caribou: study Despite compelling evidence that caribou will disappear without mature forests, a recent report risks their survival by giving cover for government to ramp up wolf killing while allowing industry to continue destroying critical habitat. ...
Greening Up — The Past is Not Prologue
“I am relentlessly practical when it comes to climate change. Scientists have said we have three years to peak global greenhouse gas emissions or we risk climate catastrophe. I carry that timeline in my head and in my heart every day, and I think about what I can do to make it better.” – Grace Nosek A famous line from William...
Editorial: We aren't enlightened, we're just short of workers
Will the new Builders Code help women and other minorities survive in the trades? Time will tell. Race and gender still provoke ostracism, bullying, harassment, hazing … call it what you will, it is all too common, and it creates a toxic workplace, especially for those at whom it’s directed. In some cases,...
Letter: FortisBC residential customers paying more
To The Editor: In response to a recent editorial by Minister Mungall, I direct readers to the report referred to by the Minister, which states, in a section entitled “Waneta Expansion EPA”: "Ultimately, this review was not able to determine why or to whom the Waneta Expansion project was important or why BC Hydro was directed...
Op/Ed: Working to make our communities safer
Everyone deserves to feel safe where they live. From action to deal with guns and gangs and organized crime, to more support for programs that prevent and reduce crime, our government is working to make communities safer for all British Columbians. This week, we introduced timely changes to our civil forfeiture law, to better...
B.C.’s tax on new natural gas investments among highest in North America
British Columbia has one of the highest tax rates on new investments in the natural gas sector among all major energy-producing jurisdictions in North America, which is harming the province’s competitiveness, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian policy think-tank....
