ICBC releases Hall of Shame winners for 2015
You can't dream up some of these stories as ICBC released its Hall of Shame for 2015. From a man who torches his vehicle then claims it was stolen to a woman embellishing the extent of her injuries to collect two paycheques to a man crying wolf to get out of doing the dishes the stories keep on getting crazier from in ICBC's...
Corporate tax hikes ultimately reduce the wages of Canadian workers
Increasing corporate tax rates results in lower average wages for workers, finds a new study, released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank. Corporate income taxes are ultimately paid for by individuals either as workers through lower wages, consumers through higher...
With federal transfers at all-time high, provinces can’t blame Ottawa for a lack of money
Federal transfers to the provinces and territories are at an all-time high, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think tank. “After accounting for inflation and population changes, federal transfers to the provinces are higher now than they have ever...
Are Canada’s rich gaining at the expense of the poor?
One set of government statistics shows that the average incomes of Canadians in the lowest quintile of the distribution, the “poor”, remained constant during the period from 1990 to 2009. Another set of government statistics indicates that, over the same period, the “poor” enjoyed a 180% increase in income. The same two sets...
Buying local boosts B.C. bee industry in 2015
The year 2015 was successful for the beekeeping industry in British Columbia, with more and more people buying honey direct from beekeepers, bringing the estimated total farm receipts of the year to more than $25 million. British Columbians preferred to buy their honey straight from beekeepers in 2015, with estimated farm...
CBT Committee seeks applications for economic development funding
A local group has spent more than half of $600,000 allocated to meet community needs in the Lower Columbia, but is still looking for more economic development projects to support. Economic and tourism development were identified as the top community priorities during extensive public consultations last year by the Community...
BC government increases home owner grant threshold in 2016
British Columbians are getting a bit of a reprieve a few days after the 2016 assessment notices were sent out to homeowners. The Liberal government has said in a media release homes valued up to $1.2 million may be eligible to receive a full home owner grant this year, while a partial grant may be available if the home is...
Interest payments exceed $60 billion as Canadian governments continue racking up debt
Interest payments on government debt in Canada consume substantial shares of taxpayer dollars and come at the expense of other budget priorities, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank. The study, The Cost of Government Debt in Canada, finds...
B.C.'s economy: up, down and sideways
'Tis the season of lists and stocking stuffers of economic forecasts. But instead of soothsaying over what could happen in 2016, a look back at B.C.'s economic performance over the past few years might be more illuminating. Deciphering economic forecasts is a murky task anyways, not that interpreting statistics is any less ...
CBT shifts gears with new Board Chair to guide the Trust
Columbia Basin Trust will have a Chair as of the New Year following some changes to its Board of Directors. Cranbrook resident Rick Jensen will take over after current Chair Greg Deck announced his retirement. Jensen joined the Trust Board in 2013 and served as Vice-Chair in 2015. The three-term mayor of Cranbrook is the Chair...
