Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Recent media reports and government disclosures reveal that up to 24 million acres of BC Crown land and more than $1 trillion in mineral wealth could be up for grabs, stripping elected representatives of decision-making power and undermining democracy. Today’s Public Accounts, released by NDP Finance Minister Brenda Bailey, list 334,643 acres as provincial Crown land obligations under treaty agreements. The sweeping commitments include 113,147 acres to Kitsumkalum, 87,203 acres to Kitselas, 34,461 acres to Wuikinuxv and 23,411 acres to In-Shuck-ch. Media reports have also revealed that the NDP plans to hand over up to 96,000 square kilometres (23.7 million acres, larger than the country of Portugal) of northwest BC—and $1.28 trillion in mineral wealth—to the Tahltan Nation based on unproven land claims. Why wasn't this massive transfer included in today's Public Accounts list? Furthermore, we learned that this government is also transferring 30 Crown land parcels to the Te’mexw...

Okanagan farmers are facing a water crisis as government-imposed restrictions threaten to kill their crops and destroy one of B.C.’s most important agricultural industries. In perhaps the most water-rich province in the country, our farmers have been left high and dry by the NDP government. For nine weeks, Okanagan and Shuswap farmers have proposed solutions, only to be met with NDP foot-dragging. Now forest fires have come to these regions as they are simultaneously reckoning with a water crisis that has been made worse through years of government inaction. Vernon-area farms have lost 70 percent of their water, while Kelowna and Summerland growers face severe restrictions. This situation is unacceptable and cannot continue. Ian Paton, Shadow Minister for Agriculture, said the NDP is once again forcing farmers to pay for its own failure to plan. "Farmers and ranchers must be listened to when decisions affecting their livelihoods are made, and under the NDP, they aren’t," said...

Macklin McCall, MLA for West Kelowna-Peachland, and Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Leader of the Conservative Party of B.C., are calling on Premier David Eby to immediately declare a provincial state of emergency in response to the Bald Range wildfire, which has forced the evacuation of the entire District of Summerland and thousands more in Peachland and surrounding areas. The fire has burned more than 95 square kilometres and is showing aggressive, fast-moving behaviour, with embers carried up to a kilometre ahead of the main fire front. More than 20,000 people are now under evacuation order, Highway 97 is closed, and the District of Summerland has declared a local state of emergency. A provincial declaration would unlock additional resources for crews on the ground, including funding for equipment such as self-contained breathing apparatus and upgraded firefighting gear, expanded training facility resources, and broader access to personnel and heavy equipment. "Families in Summerlan...

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 ...

Image Credit:  BC Nurses Union BC nurses have reached a breaking point after years of unsafe conditions, rising violence in the workplace and a government that wouldn’t listen. Now they are on the picket line fighting to be heard. Last week, nurses began job action with a 72-hour strike notice, refusing non-essential overtime and stepping back from non-nursing duties. As of Tuesday, they have escalated to picket lines for the first time in decades. This moment was avoidable. It is the result of years of unanswered concerns from the frontline workers who keep our hospitals running. Nurses have been raising the same concerns for years: unsafe staffing levels, rising violence on the job, and a workload no single person should have to carry. None of it is new, and none of it should have taken a strike vote to get the government's attention. "Nurses are exercising their legal right to job action, but it shouldn’t have had to come to this," said Kiel Giddens, MLA for...

By Sylvain Charlebois — June 22, 2026 Under Carney, food prices have risen faster than inflation for 15 straight months -- and that is leaving Canadians facing some of the fastest-rising food prices in the G7 The latest inflation numbers from Statistics Canada should make policymakers uncomfortable. In May, overall inflation reached 3.2 per cent, while food inflation climbed to 3.8 per cent. At first glance, the difference may seem modest. But beneath the headline lies a trend that should concern anyone paying attention to Canada’s economy: food inflation has exceeded overall inflation every single month since Mark Carney became prime minister in March 2025. Not once during his tenure has food inflation fallen below the national inflation rate. That streak has now reached 15 consecutive months. For Canadians, this matters far more than many economists realize. While inflation is often discussed as a broad economic concept, consumers experience inflation through everyday purchases. They...

Public Safety Deteriorates While Chronic Property Crime Continues to Hurt Communities and Businesses BC Conservative MLAs say British Columbians are still waiting for results from an NDP government that has spent a decade promising action on repeat offenders wreaking havoc on our communities. “British Columbians are paying the price for a justice system that too often gives repeat offenders chance after chance while law abiding citizens are left to deal with the consequences,” said Macklin McCall, Conservative Critic for Public Safety and Solicitor General.  “People deserve to feel safe in their communities, and that requires a justice system that prioritizes public safety, supports victims, and holds prolific offenders accountable.” A recent report out of Dawson Creek has once again raised concerns about repeat violent offenders with extensive criminal histories who repeatedly breach court-ordered conditions, fail to comply with probation orders, and continue cycling through the j...

Dr. Anna Kindy, Conservative Critic for Health, is calling on the government to take action as a Vancouver woman with a rare disease faces starvation unless she is given a crucial formula.   Lauren Paulsen, whose diet was already severely limited by a rare blood disorder called hyper eosinophilic syndrome, hasn’t been able to eat solid food for months after her jaw was broken during a dental surgery. Doctors have been petitioning the province to provide a specialized liquid formula that would meet her needs, but the government has ignored these requests. Lauren previously spent years fighting to get a prescription for Dupixent, which would have helped keep her disease in check, but was denied by the government, resulting in permanent damage.   “Lauren Paulsen is being failed by the government,” said Kindy. “Her family is advocating for her, her doctors are advocating for her, but the government is ignoring her. A healthcare system that will not provide life-savi...

The BC NDP Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, Christine Boyle, has claimed that it is becoming more affordable to rent in BC, and is celebrating NDP accomplishments in building affordable housing. But the reality of rental prices in B.C. remains quite troubling. “Despite Minister Boyle’s rosy statement, rental prices have actually increased in BC since the NDP came into power in 2017, and the factors that are causing a short-term decrease in some rental prices should be warning signs for BC’s economy,” said Linda Hepner, Conservative Critic for Housing . Since 2017, when the NDP formed government, average rents have more than doubled. The average rent for a one-bedroom unit has increased by: 236% in Kelowna 235% in Surrey 228% in Victoria 228% in Kamloops 221% in Vancouver 171% in Prince George 147% in Abbotsford “The short-term decreases in rental prices, which still remain too high, come not from responsible housing policy from the NDP, but from policy failures t...

Gavin Dew, BC Conservative Critic for Jobs, Economic Development, Innovation, and AI is asking " Why doesn't British Columbia have its own AI strategy ? " British Columbians have now heard two very different stories from this NDP government. In April, Minister of State for AI Rick Glumac told the Legislature that BC was working closely with Ottawa and pushing for a national framework on artificial intelligence.  In May, Minister Ravi Kahlon claimed British Columbia was actively shaping the federal government's AI strategy and helping lead the conversation. Now that the federal strategy has finally been released, Minister Glumac is suddenly criticizing it and suggesting British Columbia's concerns were not addressed, according to a statement given to BC Today. So, which is it? Either Minister Kahlon was wrong when he said British Columbia was helping shape the strategy, or Minister Glumac is admitting that despite all the government's talk, BC wasn't even a...

While British Columbians wait years for basic medical care, the NDP government has allowed non-residents to rack up $200.6 million in unpaid health bills since 2020-2021. New research from SecondStreet.org, obtained through a freedom of information request, revealed that people from outside Canada are coming to BC, receiving health services, and leaving without paying their bills.  The losses span every health region in the province. "British Columbians are not guaranteed timely access to healthcare, be it treatment or diagnostics, and this situation continues to deteriorate under the NDP," said Anna Kindy, MLA for North Island and Critic for Health. "Taxpayers are footing the bill for tourists' health treatments to the tune of over $200 million, enough to cover over 21,000 hip replacements in this province while British Columbians wait months to years for that surgery.” The research found BC has the worst record of any province in Canada examined so far. Under a dec...

Gavin Dew, MLA for Kelowna-Mission and Critic for Jobs, Economic Development, Innovation and Artificial Intelligence, is sounding the alarm on BC’s youth job crisis following the latest Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, which shows rising youth unemployment, increasing unemployment overall, and continued losses in private sector employment across British Columbia. Youth unemployment increased from 14.4 per cent to 15.3 per cent in May, while more than 7,300 young people left British Columbia over the past year. BC's unemployment rate remained at 6.8 per cent, but total unemployment increased from 210,700 to 212,200 people while the province's population declined. "We are facing a youth jobs crisis. You see it in the stats and you hear it from youth and their worried parents," said Dew. "I'm getting more calls than ever from people desperately looking for summer jobs for their kids. More than 7,000 young people have left B.C. in the last year in search of...

Peter Milobar, MLA for Kamloops Centres and Official Opposition Finance Critic, released the following statement in response to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation's 2026 Finance Minister Report Card, which ranked BC Finance Minister Brenda Bailey dead last among provincial finance ministers in Canada with an overall grade of "F":  "British Columbians didn't need a report card to know things are headed in the wrong direction. They see it every time they pay their bills, try to buy a home, or watch another government deficit pile up. But now an independent national organization has confirmed that NDP Brenda Bailey is the worst-rated finance minister in Canada. "After nearly a decade of decline under this NDP government, British Columbia has become a province where people pay more, government borrows more, and families get less in return. We have some of the highest debt in the country, repeated credit downgrades, and no credible plan to get our finances back on...

The federal government has announced new measures to support British Columbia's forestry sector, including $65 million in funding for projects across the province. While any support is welcome, it falls far short of the level of assistance other provinces have secured for key industries. Conservative Forests Critic Ward Stamer says the NDP government needs to take responsibility for its mismanagement of B.C.’s forest industry instead of trying to pass on the blame. Despite promising to create more jobs in the forest sector, the NDP government has overseen the loss of thousands of forestry jobs and 21 mill closures which have devastated communities. “If Premier Eby spent more time addressing the regulatory issues impacting the forestry sector than he did complaining about the federal government, we would not be in the position we are now,” said Stamer. “And instead of trying to place the blame for mill closures on Donald Trump, Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar should t...