Aboriginal groups slam police and justice system
The First Nations Summit (FNS), the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC), the BC Assembly of First Nations (BCAFN) and the Native Courtworker and Counselling Association of BC (NCCABC) today expressed shock and outrage at the RCMP beating of a 17 year old handcuffed aboriginal girl in Williams Lake and an aboriginal death in...
LETTER: Democracy wins at UBCM with regard to Smart Meters
Dear Editor,The BC Liberals' attempts to silence the growing Smart Meter controversy have failed at the Union of BC Municipalities convention with delegates voting for a province-wide moratorium. Could the heavy-handed, dictatorial edicts of Rich Coleman and the Liberals have actually prompted this clear vote for democracy,...
OP/ED: CTF pushes for municipal political hopefuls to sign contract on taxes
By: Jordan Bateman, B.C. Director, Canadian Taxpayers Federation As hundreds of municipal politicians gathered in Vancouver last week for the Union of BC Municipalities conference, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) released the contract with taxpayers they will be challenging B.C. candidates to sign ahead of the Nov. 19 municipal elections. “Taxpayers are stretched thin and […]
Idea of a fence along Canada-U.S. border gets tossed around
U.S. authorities have raised the possibility of putting up fencing along parts of the long, open border between Canada and the U.S., the Vancouver Province reports. The proposal is part of a draft report from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency in Washington, D.C. “Barriers would include selective fencing at selected points along the […]
Economist predicts brighter future for B.C. forests
TD is predicting a significant increase in lumber prices by 2013 – and has praised British Columbia’s government for opening up new markets to counteract the slump in the U.S. housing market. Leslie Preston, an economist at the TD banking group, stated that, “The B.C. industry and government have been very proactive in marketing wood […]
B.C.’s financial bookkeeping is ‘unacceptable,’ says auditor general
The government’s financial statements were ripped apart by a recent report by the Auditor General, the Victoria Times Colonist reports. The province is keeping books in an “unacceptable” way, the report claimed, with too few details, nor does it explain billions in spending. John Doyle produced the report on the government’s financial statements Thursday, underlining […]
BC energy policies help wealthier homeowners, hurt low-income households
A new study calls for a more fair and effective approach to residential energy efficiency in BC as part of an aggressive climate action framework. The study recommends protecting low-income households from rising electricity costs and investing in retrofits for multi-unit buildings and rental housing. “To reduce residential greenhouse gas emissions in BC we must […]
Provincial police force an option, says former B.C. solicitor general
The stoppage in negotiations between the province and the RCMP is the perfect time to begin looking at a provincial police force, says B.C. former solicitor general, the Vancouver Province reports. Kash Heed said the province should step back and look at what effective, efficient and accountable police service looks like for the province. The […]
IHA admits problems with sleep testing at Kelowna Hospital
Patients who took sleep tests in Kelowna between 2007 and 2011 may need to be re-tested or re-diagnosed, says Interior Health Authority (IHA) review released this week. Interior Health contacted 13 patients who underwent polysomnography testing at the Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) Sleep Lab and will be reviewing a further 980 cases given potential concern […]
Feds threaten to march Mounties out of B.C.
A threat to pull the nation’s police force out of B.C. was delivered Tuesday as the province and the federal government continue to argue over the cost of the RCMP, the Vancouver Province’s Ian Austin reported. However, currently the negotiations have stalled and Solicitor General Shirley Bond told the Union of B.C. Municipalities annual convention […]