I’m grateful to be attending the First Nations Leadership Gathering in Vancouver this week for my first time. It was helpful that I do know a handful of FN leaders from my previous local government work. The week has been very educational for me as I was entrusted to host a handful of meetings with […]

An independent review of E-Comm 911’s governance structure, operational efficiencies and financial controls has identified improvements that are necessary to ensure the emergency-dispatch service remains financially sustainable for local governments. “The B.C. government commissioned a review of E-Comm’s operational and cost-management functions in response to concerns of local governments about unsustainable levy increases for E-Comm […]

BC’s NDP government has proposed that pipelines shouldn’t have to pay municipal property taxes at the same rate as other landowners. The other taxpayers in municipalities with pipelines would see increases in their tax bill, to  make up the difference in the amount of money required to continue providing services and amenities. According to the […]

The BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) has reached a tentative agreement with the provincial government, bringing an end to a historic strike that involved more than 25,000 public service workers and eight weeks of job action across British Columbia. The next step is ratification: all 34,000 members of the public service will now have the […]

Monday, October 20 Statement – I rise today to shine a light on a remarkable organization serving the Cherryville community, the Cherryville Community Food and Resource Society. This small but mighty centre is proof that when people care deeply about one another, they can build something truly special. Cherryville is a tiny, unincorporated rural community with […]

By: Living Lakes Canada Living Lakes Canada is joining communities across British Columbia in calling on the Province to modernize outdated industrial water rates and reinvest new revenues in watershed security. The BC Watershed Security Coalition’s new report, Modernizing Industrial Water Rates in BC: Ending the Great Water Giveaway, shows that British Columbia has some […]

By Bruce Campbell Mark Carney has long been recognized as an authority on climate change. In 2015, as the governor of the Bank of England, he gave his famous “tragedy of the horizon” speech that introduced climate change to bankers as a threat to international financial stability. In an interview shortly after he was appointed […]

On September 20, I had the privilege of attending the grand opening of the Lower Columbia Community Health Centre in Trail, a project eight years in the making, driven by the vision and determination of local leaders Linda Sawchenko, Win Mott, Frank Marino and a large team of community folks volunteering their time and expertise to achieve […]

As part of ongoing work to improve and modernize access to justice, the Province has introduced new legislation to make online versions of B.C. laws official. If passed, the new statutes act and the updated Regulations Act will let people use B.C.’s acts and regulations accessed through a government website as official versions for evidentiary […]

The BCGEU returned to the bargaining table with the provincial government today for the first time since negotiations broke down in July. Unfortunately, talks have once again collapsed. Despite indicating that they would come forward with an improved wage proposal, the B.C. government failed to deliver a meaningful offer. “We came to the table ready […]