BC Increases Firefighting Budget by 58%
The B.C. government has released its updated action plan in response to the government-commissioned, independent Abbott/Chapman report on the unprecedented 2017 wildfire and flood seasons in British Columbia. The initial action plan was released October 2018, with a commitment to provide updates over six-month intervals until...
Column: From the Hill -- Invasive Species Action Inadequate
Lost in the recent media frenzy over the SNC Lavalin scandal were the 2019 Spring Reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development. These last reports from Julie Gelfand before her retirement focused on protection of fish and their habitat from mining effluent, subsidies to the fossil fuels industry...
LETTER: Asking why only two members of council appear to have spoken out about homophobic commentary during council's question period
To the editor, Regarding last week's council meeting, wherein the city, as represented by its council, once again laid bare its parochial colours of phobic postulation and intolerant ideation: I haven't been following too closely the fallout because, as you might surmise, it sets me off- I might almost use the word "triggering"...
LETTER: Councillor apologizes after homophobic comments allowed from the gallery
At Monday, April 1st council meeting a gentleman stood up and made some very inappropriate homophobic comments, along with comments about the homelessness in our community. When I got home, I could not sleep as it really bothered me that not one of us on council or our staff intervened to tell him to sit down and be quiet -...
Column -- From the Hill: Taxpayers and Abandoned Wells
The BC Oil and Gas Commission recently revealed some concerning figures about abandoned oil and gas wells in British Columbia. In one example, Ranch Energy recently declared bankruptcy, leaving up to 500 abandoned wells in care of the Commission. Much of the cost to clean up those sites will likely fall on the shoulders of […]
Editorial Rant: RCMP Surveillance of Social Media -- to What End?
Recent articles in The Tyee discuss the revelation that the RCMP have been engaged in monitoring social media – characterized in the article as “ongoing wide-scale monitoring of individuals’ social media use [that] could pose a threat to Canadians’ privacy and charter rights, say experts.” But ...
Investigation: Petrowest numbered company awarded $10 million Site C dam contract on eve of bankruptcy
Petrowest’s financial woes were widely known when BC Hydro quietly awarded a major contract to a B.C. numbered company — 1054143 — that an investigation by The Narwhal reveals was incorporated by key Petrowest executives. The numbered company received millions in public funds while Petrowest fell into...
Column: From the Hill -- Canada needs Pharmacare
When Canadians are asked what makes them proud to be Canadians, many say that our health care system is a big part of that pride. We care about each other and want to make sure that everyone has access to health care when they are sick or injured. But our medicare system has some big gaps, and one of those is our access to...
Council shaves almost $1.5 mill from five-year budget in deferrals and straight cuts
Tonight (Monday) will see city council once again wrangling with the 2019 Castlegar budget as staff return to them with information describing the impact of an aggressive infrastructure plan spread out over either five years or seven. This, after public meetings last Monday and Thursday discussing the operational and capital...
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...
