Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Her oldest brother came to the door while the party was winding down, sporting a cowboy hat and boots. Jackie Tegart had been hosting a party to cap her campaign for re-election to the school board in Ashcroft, a village of roughly 1,600 residents where a handful of votes could sway an election. The election would end up being declared a tie — which was broken by a coin flip that Tegart lost ... CLICK HERE for the full story

  A good political scientist is also, at the very least, a bit of an historian. Alberta, like the rest of the western world, had not had gay rights in the mainstream for the vast majority of its history. Then in 1997 the Vriend Case was decided at the Supreme Court stating that a Catholic School Board was legally wrong to fire a teacher for the sole reason he was a homosexual. In other words, one's religion didn't trump another person's Charter rights. This set off a firestorm of debate across the province. Premier Ralph Klein vowed at one point to use the Charter's Notwithstanding Clause, to stand up to the Courts pushing their wildly anti-family agenda. Many Alberta politicians were furious at the ruling. Many Albertans were disgusted and they let it be known. That was in 1997. Alberta has always been a socially backwards province. It is a province of three major cities: Grand Prairie, Edmonton, and Calgary and a pile of small towns and other smal...

 " For far too long, the BC NDP has ignored the economic challenges facing British Columbians. Manufacturing jobs are vanishing, forestry is in decline, and private sector employment growth has stagnated. Meanwhile, affordability has worsened for both families and businesses. British Columbians deserve better, and we’re here to deliver real solutions to rebuild our economy and create jobs that support everyday working people and their families ." – Gavin Dew, MLA and Shadow Minister for Jobs, Economy, Development, and Innovation.   December 3, 2024, Vancouver, BC – The Conservative economic team met today with business leaders and stakeholders to tackle critical issues impacting British Columbia’s economy. Attended by 9 critics from the Conservative Caucus, this meeting was convened by MLA Gavin Dew – Shadow Minister for Jobs, Economic Development, and Innovation - as a direct response to an October 30th open letter from seven of the province’s largest industry associations. ...

... this month’s election resulted in the end of its standalone Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions which signals a step backwards in BC. And, across the country, we continue to witness a patchwork of mental health services, resulting in inconsistent care and inequities in access to services and treatments, which is prolonging or worsening the suffering of many British Columbians living with mental illness. A stark example is the ongoing inequities in access to medications used to treat mental illnesses ... CLICK HERE for the full story

British Columbia’s legislators last appeared inside the marble-clad chamber on May 16, before ducking out the door to prepare for a fall election. That election has now come and gone, but the 93 men and women chosen to represent their constituents won’t return to the House until February 18th ... ... Eby has talked a lot about respecting the verdict of voters, who came very close to tossing out his New Democrats. He says he heard a clear message that British Columbians want action on issues of affordability, health care, housing and public safety, but they also wanted a government that would listen ... CLICK HERE for the full story

An energy trade association forecasts that Canadian oil and gas drilling will reach levels not seen since 2015 despite the Liberals’ oil and gas emissions cap and other anti-energy initiatives working against the industry in a time of worldwide need. The 2024 State of the Industry Report and 2025 Forecast from the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors projects that 6,604 wells will be drilled in 2025, an increase of 448 (7.3%) from 2024 ... CLICK HERE for the full story

A story by Levi Landry , just the other day in InfoNews, stated: A former Kamloops RV dealership on the North Shore is poised to spend the next two years as a homeless shelter ...  ... BC Housing plans to open the 44-bed shelter in late-December. With a total $6.1 million budget, that's $138,636 per bed for 20 months. Okay, at first glance ensuring the homeless have somewhere safe, and providing for their needs, seems like a good idea.  NOT, however, when you start crunching the numbers! To start with, the proposal is for 20 months, not 2 years, although there is an option to extend it. Let’s stick with the 20 months though because that is what’s been agreed to. Averaging the total $6.1 million budget over that 20-month time frame works out to $305,000/month. That’s a monthly cost of $6,931.82 for each of the 44 people who will be housed and cared for. Compare that to BC's average monthly mortgage payment -- for an entire house -- of $2,913. Compare that to the rent for a 2-b...

Right out of the gate, it will be Minister Beare’s task to work on Premier David Eby’s election promises for public education, including the promise of a mental-health counsellor in every school ... At last count, there were 1,586 active public schools and 364 active independent schools in B.C., with 577,024 students in public schools and 86,201 in independent schools ... ... Newly appointed Education Minister Lisa Beare faces a formidable task, the demands of which far exceed any of her previous organizational or political experience as a school trustee, minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture and minister of Citizens’ Services ... CLICK HERE for the full story