Thoughts on BC Politics and More

While Canada posted modest job gains in July, warning lights are still flashing in British Columbia. Youth unemployment remains stubbornly high, leaving too many first-time jobseekers shut out of the workforce. BC also lost 3,400 public administration jobs in July, likely as temporary Census positions ended. “BC's jobs divide remains stark. Unemployment is far higher in business-driven communities like Kelowna (9.3%) and Abbotsford-Mission (8.3%) than in Victoria (5.0%). Government should be focused on creating the conditions for private-sector investment and job growth,” said Gavin Dew, MLA for Kelowna-Mission and Shadow Minister for Economic Development. “We need an economy where young people can find work, businesses can hire, and every region has the opportunity to prosper.” This comes as BC faces five straight quarters where more businesses are closing than opening, an NDP cabinet rift over job-creating projects like Tilbury LNG, and fresh signs that even the province's to...

The NDP just got caught buying back the exact kind of power plant it spent years telling British Columbians they didn't need. The NDP government announced today that BC Hydro is purchasing the Island Generation natural gas facility in Campbell River, an admission that its electrification-only energy policy was never realistic. The 275-megawatt plant was originally privately owned yet kept to a minimal backup role under the NDP, operating just 15 days a year on average. Now, with demand outpacing what the NDP's plan can support, the government is spending taxpayer funds on the very gas capacity it once treated as obsolete. "You cannot electrify everything and pretend natural gas doesn't matter," said Larry Neufeld, Shadow Minister for Energy.  "Buying back a gas plant they once wrote off is proof their own plan couldn't keep the lights on. It's a step towards more energy reality, but the government needs to go further and scrap the impending province-w...

Private property rights hang in the balance, along with control over all of British Columbia in an upcoming BC Supreme Court case. A trial date has now been set for the Pender Harbour and Area Residents Association’s constitutional challenge to DRIPA. The 16-day trial before the BC Supreme Court is set to begin on November 22, 2027. This is a crisis the government saw coming. David Eby himself admitted DRIPA is a “significant legal liability” to the province and promised to amend or suspend parts of it, yet did nothing, leaving citizens to do the work the government should have done itself. If this constitutional challenge fails, businesses, workers, and homeowners in BC will face a crisis of confidence. “DRIPA is a threat to British Columbians’ democratic and property rights, and it would be great if the court overturns it,” said Scott McInnis, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Relations. “DRIPA has created tremendous uncertainty in BC. Businesses have made it clear they are very concern...

IMAGE:  Government of BC The NDP government is failing to keep the interests of all British Columbians in mind when making decisions on public land. In what is part of a trend of short-sighted road closures and denying public access to public land, the NDP government is planning to eliminate public access to the Incomappleux Conservancy in the Kootenays. These decisions threaten public safety during emergencies and deprive communities of tourism and recreation opportunities. “The NDP government continues to make decisions about forest service roads and public lands in isolation, without considering the cumulative impacts on rural BC,” said Donegal Wilson, Shadow Minister for Water, Land, Fisheries, and Wildlife Management.  “These roads are far more than forestry infrastructure. They provide emergency access during wildfires, connect people to private property, and support hunting, fishing, camping, and outdoor recreation that rural economies depend on. Yet while communities a...

The NDP government’s reckless drug policies have fueled a homelessness crisis that it is doing nothing to address. Two encampments on provincial Crown land beside Highway 99 in Richmond are rapidly growing and pose a major public safety threat, but the NDP government has completely ignored the issue. One of the encampments is directly above a jet fuel line, and regular fires create an unacceptable risk of disaster. “Richmond is dealing with a major crisis, and the NDP government is doing nothing to help,” said Steve Kooner, MLA for Richmond-Queensborough.  “Widespread drug use, weapons, and fires in the encampments endanger residents of nearby neighbourhoods as well as the people living inside. And an encampment that has propane tanks and that has had a recent major fire, and which is sitting right above a jet fuel pipeline, is a recipe for a major public safety disaster. The BC government must take urgent action to end this safety crisis unfolding on Crown land.” “These encampment...

Dr. Anna Kindy BC’s hospitals are being stretched dangerously far beyond their limits. 57 out of 80 hospitals in BC are running over capacity, with some running at as high as 160% capacity. “Evidence shows that when hospitals reach 90% capacity, patient care becomes compromised, and at over 100% serious adverse events including death increase dramatically,” said Dr. Anna Kindy, Shadow Minister for Health. “Hallway medicine is not only dangerous but also demoralizing to ER doctors and that is why so many are leaving or quitting.” BC’s 1.9 hospital beds per 1,000 people ranks significantly lower than the Canadian average of 2.5, which in turn is far worse than the rates for most developed countries. The average for OECD members is 4.6. “BC is getting further behind in healthcare infrastructure,” said Kindy.  “This government has cancelled seven badly needed long term care projects and a Burnaby Hospital expansion this year alone. As BC’s population continues to age, more seniors will...

NDP policies are driving businesses out of B.C., and the forestry industry just suffered yet another calamity. Interfor, a BC company founded more than 60 years ago and now one of the world's largest lumber producers, is moving its headquarters from Burnaby, BC to Atlanta, Georgia. As BC’s forestry sector faces mill closures and mounting uncertainty, this move is another warning sign that the crisis is deepening and conditions are fatal. “This is the NDP’s record: endless job losses with no hope in sight for the forestry sector,” said Ward Stamer, Shadow Minister for Forestry. “Interfor still has three mills in BC which are now in serious jeopardy, and it is likely we will see even more companies pull out of BC. The NDP government is suffocating the forestry industry with high taxes, excessive regulations, and permitting delays, while DRIPA has made it impossible to plan for the future.” “Decisions like this are sadly not surprising given the NDP’s indifference if not hostility tow...

The NDP government is letting down British Columbians who suffer life-changing injuries in serious car crashes. Sheldon Clare, MLA for Prince George-North Cariboo, appeared before a Special Committee to push for immediate action on reforms to support people with catastrophic motor vehicle crash injuries. Clare is the sponsor of Bill M237, the Insurance (Vehicle) Amendment Act, 2026, which includes two amendments: give catastrophically injured people more time to access benefits and ensure the loss of a single limb qualifies as a catastrophic injury." “Bill M237 will ensure that British Columbians who suffer life-altering injuries are not excluded from support because of restrictive definitions or procedural barriers,” said Clare. “When someone loses a limb, the consequences are profound. The law should recognize that. This bill makes common-sense fixes to address clear gaps in the current system.” Instead of fixing the problem this spring, the NDP sent it to a committee, delaying ...

The NDP is making billion-dollar promises with BC Hydro, but British Columbians still don’t know who will pay the bill. Last week’s memorandum of understanding isn’t what the federal government and the NDP are making it out to be. It’s an admission that the NDP failed to make the long-term investments needed to keep B.C. powered. Now British Columbians have serious questions about the cost and whether BC Hydro ratepayers will end up paying the price. David L. Williams, MLA for Salmon Arm-Shuswap and Shadow Minister for BC Hydro and Electrical Energy Development , said British Columbians deserve clear answers about the full implications of the Canada–British Columbia Cooperative Prosperity Agreement. “British Columbians deserve the full truth,” said Mr. Williams. “This multi-billion-dollar announcement does not answer who pays for cost overruns, who pays for new generation, who carries the risk if industrial customers do not materialize, or whether ratepayers will be forced ...