Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Photo credit:  Atli Resources LP   BC’s Forestry Crisis Continues with Closure of Beaver Cove Chip Facility   As industry leaders, Indigenous partners, and contractors gather this week at the BC Natural Resources Forum in Prince George, the gap between government rhetoric and reality could not be clearer. Just hours after the Eby government once again touted reconciliation, certainty, and economic opportunity under DRIPA, Atli Chip Ltd, a company wholly owned by the ’Na̱mg̱is First Nation, announced it is managing the orderly closure of its Beaver Cove chip facility. The closure comes despite public tax dollars, repeated government announcements, and assurances that new policy frameworks would stabilize forestry employment and create long-term opportunity in rural and coastal British Columbia. “British Columbians are being told one story, while communities are living another,” said Ward Stamer, Critic for Forests. “This closure makes it clear that announcement...

While promising to fix DRIPA, the Eby government continues to quietly sign binding land-use agreements that fundamentally alter how Crown land is governed in British Columbia. On January 15, 2026, the government signed four ministerial orders advancing the Gwa’ni Land Use Planning Project with the ’Na̱mg̱is First Nation, amending the Vancouver Island Land Use Plan and changing how more than 166,000 hectares of Crown land can be accessed, developed, and managed. “This is Land Act reform by stealth,” said Critic for Indigenous Relations Scott McInnis. “British Columbians already rejected these changes once. In 2024, public backlash forced the NDP to pull its Land Act amendments. Instead of listening, this government has gone underground, signing individual deals behind closed doors, just like we’ve already seen in places such as Squamish, Teẑtan Biny, and across Northwest BC.” “The Premier admits DRIPA ( the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act) is creating ...

From the start, Trump has been openly playing from the Nazi playback. The carefully orchestrated dictators tactic of seizing every branch of government, controlling the military and law enforcement and stifling the "lying" media. Whipping up racial hatred and division.  We watch in horror as he sends armed forces into the streets of America, arresting and murdering any who oppose him. He's ordered his Department of Justice to investigate governors, mayor's and public officials who speak out. And now he's threatening the invasion of peaceful countries, including us, with his newly renamed 'Department of War'.  America, its abundantly clear, to anyone willing to acknowledge history, that your legislators must act NOW to stop him. Before history repeats itself.  What we are witnessing today is a mirror image of how World War 2 started, and the cost in lives was horrendous.  Had Hitler and his Nazi party been stopped at the stage America has reach...

IMAGE CREDIT:   Katie DeRosa - CBC News Outside the British Columbia Legislature today, MLA Peter Milobar launched his campaign to become Leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, delivering a clear message: British Columbians are ready for change. Under Peter Milobar, BC Conservatives are ready to lead. “ People are leaving this province because they cannot afford to stay ,” he said.  “ A generation has given up on ever buying a home. Communities are dealing with open drug use and repeat violent offenders, while our health care system is on the brink of collapse. That is a failure of leadership in Victoria .” Milobar’s campaign will focus on restoring affordability, public safety, and health care by reversing BC NDP policies that have driven up costs, unleashed chaos on our streets, and left families without access to proper healthcare. “As Conservatives, we believe in common sense, a strong and growing economy, and safe communities. We believe law-abiding citizen...

The political right in Canada has spent much of its time since last summer complaining that Mark Carney hasn't gotten a deal with the USA while everyone else has.   Of course, that's entirely false.   Donald Trump promised 90 deals in 90 days and after a full year not one single trade agreement has been signed and sent to the US Senate for ratification. Not one.   What Donald Trump did agree to were the frameworks for formal discussions to begin. Canada was already at that step and was in formal negotiations. Then Donald Trump called off the talks in July, which Mark Carney got restarted. Donald Trump called off the talks again last fall and Carney walked away.   The European Union and the UK each have one of those framework deals and are in formal negotiations.    Now Donald Trump is saying he might issue new tariffs to any and all nations if they don't support his demand that Greenland become part of the United States.    Here'...

My heart is heavy. I fear for the future of our country. To me, Canada is a powerhouse, indivisible, not because we are all the same, but because are all so different and we love each other for what we bring to our society.  The one end result of this era I want is a strong, united Canada. I embrace the people who live in the arctic, I love our first nations, I embrace the truckers who had the freedom to make a blockade and their right wing supporters, I embrace those who want French first and most importantly, I endorse all Canadians. I want to share some of my family political background to help illustrate the view. Tommy Douglas (shown with my mom in the photos), whom many consider to be the greatest Canadian ever, was a close family friend. At a time when I was learning how to stack wooden blocks (poorly), my entire family was working hard with Tommy to bring social justice and unity to Canada. If you skip my political posts and think I should just stick to tech...

Although official confirmation has not yet been provided, the federal government has indicated its willingness to re-negotiate the 20-year RCMP Police Service Agreements (PSA) that are set to expire in 2032. This comes as local governments, including UBCM, continue to call on the federal government to directly involve local governments as part of any negotiations.  Following the federal government’s 2022-2024 assessment of RCMP contract policing, the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs advised of the intention to work with provinces and territories on the renegotiation of the PSAs. However, a March 2025 white paper by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which recommended that the federal government end its contract policing program, combined with the subsequent federal election, re-introduced uncertainty. In October, as part of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Justice and Public S...

Conservative Party of BC Forestry Critic, and Kamloops - North Thompson MLA,  Ward Stamer As the Truck Loggers Association convention begins today, BC Conservative Forestry Critic Ward Stamer says British Columbia’s forestry crisis is the result of government mismanagement, not market forces, and that an urgent policy reset is needed to restore certainty, sustainability, and accountability. “For generations, forestry supported families and communities across BC,” said Stamer.  “Today, mills are closing, contractors are parking equipment, and families are being forced to leave home, not because the resource is gone, but because policy has failed.” Government data shows timber shipment values dropped by more than half a billion dollars in the past year, with harvest levels falling by roughly 50 per cent in just four years. At the same time, prolonged permitting timelines, unreliable fibre access, outdated forest inventories, and rising costs have made long-term planning impossib...

IMAGE CREDIT:  NDTV Conservatives are responding to new allegations that an RCMP national security assessment alleges the Lawrence Bishnoi gang has acted “on behalf of” the Indian government, revelations that surfaced as Premier David Eby continues a trade mission to India. Statement from Interim Leader Trevor Halford, MLA for Surrey-White Rock: “Here at home, British Columbians are dealing with the consequences of a growing transnational terrorist organization: rising threats of extortion, intimidation, and violence. Meanwhile, the Premier is in India overseas chasing deals that have failed to materialize. No one will invest in a province where people don’t feel safe, where organized crime is allowed to grow, and where government leadership is so far removed from reality that public safety gets sidelined. Economic growth depends on safety, stability, and trust. It’s unacceptable that British Columbians are being left to wonder whether the threats posed by the Bishnoi gang, a...