Referendum deadline extended to December 7
The voting period for the 2018 Referendum on Electoral Reform has been extended. Elections BC will now accept completed voting packages until 4:30 p.m. on December 7, 2018. “We have worked closely with Canada Post to understand the full impact of rotating strikes on the referendum process,” said Chief Electoral Officer Anton...
Private airplane last seen in 1987 located
Search efforts to locate a missing Alberta plane this past September in the Clearwater, BC area, has led to the discovery of a plane last seen in 1987. On September 18, 2018, Clearwater RCMP were advised that the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre were conducting a search for a missing aircraft from Stony Plain, Alberta, when...
NDP gets its knuckles rapped by Elections BC
VICTORIA – Administrative monetary penalties have been issued and posted on the Elections BC website at https://elections.bc.ca/resources/investigations/administrative-monetary-penalties. In 2017 the Election Act was amended to give the Chief Electoral Officer the authority to levy administrative monetary penalties in specific...
BC Court of Appeal grants injunction against drilling in Fish Lake area
The BC Court of Appeal has granted an interlocutory injunction against a drilling permit within the sacred sites of Teẑtan Biny (Fish Lake) and surrounding areas. On August 23, 2018, the B.C. Supreme Court upheld a permit authorizing Taseko Mines Limited (TML) to undertake an extensive drilling program at Teẑtan Biny and ...
Opponents fail to stifle referendum
According to a tweet today (Tuesday, August 28) by Keith Fraser of the Vancouver Sun, a bid to stop this fall's referendum on electoral reform has failed. The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) sought an injunction to stop the vote, but in order to obtain an injunction to stop a thing from happening,...
Op/Ed: Buy BC First, says BC Premier
By John Horgan, Premier of British Columbia This B.C. Day long weekend, let's take time to enjoy food, friends and family. Let's also celebrate the farmers, producers, and local businesses who provide quality food and drink grown right here in B.C. B.C. farmers grow fresh, local food delivered to us at farmers’ markets, grocery...
OP/ED: National lobby group calls for Victoria to give BC Interior a tax break
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is calling on the provincial government to give interior residents a break by cutting fuel taxes, fixing ICBC and axing the Employer Health Tax (EHT). With many interior businesses depending on long haul trucking, tourism and shipping, the high cost of fuel and fuel taxes are punishing...
Seniors Advocate Report: Better Patient Outcomes, Savings Possible
The Seniors Advocate, Isobel Mackenzie, has issued a report on some of the different patient outcomes between private-contractor care facilities for seniors, and facilities operated by a Health Authority. The findings are compelling. The report explains that there are 293 publicly subsidized care facilities in BC, and that...
Opinion: Reconciling Energy and Indigenous Rights
In 2007, Canada was one of four countries to vote against the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (with New Zealand, the United States and Australia). With its single-minded focus on making Canada an “energy superpower,” albeit only with fossil fuels, the Harper government feared the declaration’s concept of ...
Initiative Petition: 90 Days to sign against Site C
A BC voter has begun the next stage of an initiative petition process seeking to have the BC government cancel the Site C dam project; see this May 3 article first announcing the petition. The petition sheets were issued on July 3, so the proponent has 90 days to collect signatures. To move to the next stage of the process,...
