Thoughts on BC Politics and More

... this 30th anniversary (of the Winds of Change Conference) sees Canadian Conservatives not only defeated, but divided: the satisfied versus the resentful; the trustful versus the mistrustful; insiders versus outsiders. These splits do not map exactly onto the splits of 1996. Those were essentially regional: energy-producing West versus energy-consuming Centre. This time, the splits are about relationships to authority, expertise, and institutions ... CLICK HERE for the full Commentary

The province’s economic strategy needs to look beyond shovels in the ground and confront deeper weakness in private-sector growth  The BC government’s economic development strategy is increasingly centred on facilitating a new wave of large projects—mainly in the energy, mining and infrastructure sectors. Such projects are important and offer the tantalizing prospect of kick-starting a struggling economy. Advancing more projects will generate good jobs, foster new business for local suppliers of “inputs” (like engineering, technical and financial services), and add billions to the economy. But on their own, a few big projects will not be sufficient to sustain a healthy pace of growth or materially move the dial on overall economic well-being ... CLICK HERE for the full story

More Canadians now say economic growth should be a bigger priority in Canada’s energy policy than protecting the environment, a new Angus Reid Institute report suggests. The pollster released a report Monday indicating 61 per cent of Canadians now see economic growth as the biggest priority in energy policy. The question offered two options on the top priority shaping federal energy policy: economic growth or environmental protection. That’s a shift in public opinion since seven years ago, when the same question had 55 per cent of Canadians saying the environment should be the top priority in energy policy ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

Caroline Elliott is an articulate, policy-driven candidate promising to lead — and unite — BC Conservatives at a moment when voters are fed up with Premier David Eby’s NDP government. “We have a 10-point lead right now in the polls. The best way to blow that is to divide ourselves,” says Elliott, front-runner in the BC Conservative leadership race. “A divided party is the biggest gift we can hand the NDP" ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Provincial records show the NDP government has spent nearly $100 million on the second phase of the Burnaby Hospital expansion and seven long-term care facilities — projects now all on indefinite hold. The province announced on April 30 that contracts had been cancelled for Phase 2 of the Burnaby Hospital redevelopment and those related to the construction of long-term care homes in Kelowna, Fort St. John, Delta, Abbotsford and Mission. The fate of long-term care developments paused in Squamish and Campbell River remains unclear ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

Lisa Pineault was in her 30s when she developed a medical condition that required regular doctor appointments in Vancouver over several months. For the average BC resident, visiting a specialist multiple times a week could be an inconvenience. But Pineault lives on Haida Gwaii, and a trip to the Lower Mainland requires either a two-hour flight or a multi-day road trip involving ferries and long drives. So it was sheer luck that Pineault’s medical needs coincided with a work secondment to Vancouver  ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

"We are t ired of a government that keeps concentrating more power in its own hands while making it harder for the public to hold them accountable" ~~ Trevor Halford, Interim leader of the Conservative Party of BC   Debate on Bill 9 continued through the night and into the early morning hours, with the House sitting until approximately 4:00 a.m. after the Official Opposition introduced a hoist motion to delay the bill for six months to allow for greater public consultation on legislation Conservatives view as an assault on British Columbians’ right to freedom of information, transparency, and government accountability.  The motion was voted down by the NDP government before further debate was shut down and the House adjourned by the government to silence further discussion on the bill. Trevor Halford, Interim Leader of the Official Opposition, released the following statement: “We are not tired because we stayed up until 4:00 in the morning debating Bill 9. We are tired of ...

The federal government will pay $8.7 million to settle a class-action lawsuit involving tens of thousands of Canadians whose sensitive information was compromised or stolen when hackers got into their accounts on government websites, including the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) portal. Hackers targeted government accounts over several months in 2020 largely for the purpose of applying for financial aid in the victims' names during the earliest months of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Canadian Emergency Relief Benefit (CERB) or the Canadian Emergency Student Benefit (CESB).  More than 47,000 people had their personal and financial information compromised that summer alone, from social insurance numbers and home addresses to details of their bank accounts ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

The Carney government is planning to propose changes to make it easier for natural resource projects — including pipelines — to be approved and built faster. Two federal sources say an announcement is planned for later this week that could shift the regulatory framework for all natural resource and federally regulated major projects, with a big focus on energy and natural resources. CBC News is not naming the sources because they were not authorized to speak publicly about internal conversations. The full details of the plan were not shared with CBC News, and sources warned elements of it are subject to change ... CLICK HERE for the full story