Thoughts on BC Politics and More

It’s been a century or so since surgeon and Burnaby sanatorium owner Dr. Robert ­Telford was opining in the Vancouver Sun about the urgency of launching a facility in BC that ­provided treatment for “drug fiends.” Debate had been heating up about these ­so-called drug fiends for a while. Fueled by racism toward Chinese labourers in the ­country, opium was the new enemy. Prohibition ­politics were in play, and an appetite for treatment was ­building. Everyone in the province had an opinion on whether to manage illicit drug use as a criminal problem or a social concern. But the commonly held view was that drug users were moral degenerates from the ­“underclass” who needed saving from the evil, soulless criminals selling drugs. The world has changed hundreds of times over since then ... CLICK HERE for the full story  

Whoever gets elected the next leader of the BC Conservatives on Saturday will inherit a party largely free of caucus drama—for the first time, perhaps, in its history. They can thank Trevor Halford, who as interim leader has helped stage a remarkable turnaround of the opposition party during the spring session of the legislature. The BC Conservatives have now gone five months without public fights, split votes, controversial bills or unauthorized renegade speeches that exploded into crisis management. That’s no small feat  ... CLICK HERE for the full story

BC’s recreational fishing industry lures thousands of tourists to the province each year generating an estimated $1.25 billion in expenditures, but it could soon be clubbed over the head again, ocean charter operators say. Following a round of public consultation that concluded in March, the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is now set to revise the 1999 Salmon Allocation Policy, which could further limit recreational fisher access to coho and chinook salmon. A revision to the policy was launched in 2018 following a BC Supreme Court decision affirming Indigenous rights to commercial fishing on Vancouver Island. With those new rights legally bestowed and only so many fish to go around, charter operators and sport fishers alike are preparing for the worst—much greater limits on when they may fish and how many fish they can retain ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is blaming Prime Minister Mark Carney’s policies for Canada entering recession territory. Statistics Canada released a report Friday that said the economy contracted slightly for the second quarter in a row to start the year — a benchmark that meets some definitions of a technical recession. Some economists weighing in after that release said the recession talk was premature and argued that while Canada’s economy is soft, the declines are marginal and do not meet the definition of a widespread downturn. Poilievre said Friday there’s nothing technical about rising rates of mortgage delinquency, increased food bank usage and five quarters of falling business investment ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

If Team Canada brings the same gimmicky craftiness to the World Cup that the NDP government displayed in disclosing the costs of hosting it, then by God, we could win this thing! The BC government’s own betting parlour (PlayNow) is currently offering a $150 return on every dollar bet on that outcome. Those government odds makers don’t seem to recognize home-field advantage. But if Team Canada learns ball-handling skills from the way the BC government juggled the hot-potato cost issue, it might be worth taking a flyer on Canada to win ... CLICK HERE for the full story

The BC government provided its long-awaited update on the cost of hosting FIFA World Cup games in Vancouver Friday, showing the tournament is either getting more expensive or more affordable, depending on how you look at it. The gross cost of hosting seven matches at BC Place starting next month is now estimated at between $685 million and $729 million, according to the updated figures the province released Friday ... CLICK HERE for the full story  

The BC Conservatives are expected to announce their new leader on Saturday ... the announcement at a leadership convention in Vancouver could also represent a pivotal moment for the governing NDP, which Angus Reid Institute president Shachi Kurl says has suffered a "brutal, bruising" spring session. "It has not been this government's finest hour," she said, after controversies over the government's handling of Indigenous relations, the province's finances and health care ... CLICK HERE for the full story

As separatism burbles in two provinces, it's worth remembering how federalism in this country should, and should not, work. The common good is a universal goal that cannot be realized universally. At best, that good can only ever express itself locally, among a specific people, in a specific time, and a specific place, and through social bonds among groups of people. Aristotle called this kind of social connection, which he believed was a precondition for a healthy social order, a “civil friendship.” “Civil friendship” exists on a spectrum of social ties somewhere between the personal bonds of a family and the transactional bonds of a commercial enterprise — but closer to the family than to the corporation. A man might willingly die for his family or his country, but only a fool would die for corporation. Let’s start there, with a discussion of Canadian federalism ... CLICK HERE for the full story

It was a big week for Prime Minister Mark Carney's one-liners. On two occasions he made headlines for his offers to help U.S. President Donald Trump with his vow to "make America great again" and his advice to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith given what he saw first-hand with Brexit.  Plus, ardent environmentalist Steven Guilbeault has finally had enough, and why one bill proposing easier access to digital evidence has privacy and tech heavyweights sounding alarm bells.   The week that was Let's start with the most recent development because it could be the most consequential of the week.  While some Liberals may have bristled at Carney's offer to ...