Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Questions about whether consultations with First Nations not involved in projects have been adequate are coming up in the Utilities Commission's process ( my emphasis ) BC Hydro opened its second call for new sources of electricity barely two weeks ago, but the projects in its 2024 call for power remain under review by the BC Utilities Commission, with questions raised about cost and overlapping claims of First Nations during the process. The province has promised to expedite the addition of new, renewable power sources to BC Hydro’s inventory, using Bill 14 to exempt projects from environmental review processes. Last December, BC Hydro picked 10 such projects to add up to 4,800 gigawatt hours per year of electricity, with some starting to deliver electricity by 2028. However, the Utilities Commission’s panel reviewing the energy purchase agreements has extended the timetable for the written review seven times ... CLICK HERE for the full story

It didn't take long for the BC government to expand on the limited projects designated as "streamlined" by Bill 14, the Renewable Energy Projects (Streamlined Permitting) Act. All future wind and solar projects will now be covered under the act, making them the responsibility of the BC Energy Regulator. This allows the regulator to control permitting and make orders related to land use and wildlife protection, among other things. This adds to the nine wind energy projects and the North Coast Transmission Line, which were the only projects initially slated for streamlining when the bill passed on May 28 ... CLICK HERE for the full story

British Columbia Premier David Eby said Saturday that he is confident that recent Indigenous opposition to certain fast-tracking laws will not affect the province's ability to attract investment from Asian trade partners. Eby said that international investors need to realize that they would need "strong partnerships with Indigenous people" and high environmental standards to have fast-moving projects in BC ... ... the remarks also came a day after BC Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee pulled out of the trade mission, citing continuing criticism from Indigenous leaders on the passing of Bills 14 and 15, two pieces of legislation aimed at speeding up certain projects CLICK HERE for the full story

While much has been made of First Nations opposition to Bill 14 and Bill 15, it is important to remember that major business groups including the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) and the BC Chamber of Commerce), the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) – BC's major municipal organization, along with most environmental organizations, also opposed them.   This is a coalition of forces previously unimaginable in opposition the power grab by Premier David Eby’s BC NDP government. The real question is why should we care?   The NDP had just enough votes to get it passed, it’s law, and so everyone should just go home and settle down. And therein lies the problem ... The NDP argues that these Bills are necessary to give the government flexibility to meet potential tariff threats from the US. Despite other jurisdictions not seeking these kinds of powers, and the tariff threat seemingly on the decline, let's for the sake of argument say the NDP truly needed the pow...

Conservative Party of BC Caucus I HAVE TO laugh at the emails I receive from the BC NDP.   There’s never a time they don’t outright trash the BC Conservative Party, but hey, all party’s do it, right? Still, I found yesterday’s email very entertaining because of their so-called two key points about the Conservatives, and of course their solicitation of donations.   Here’s a snapshot from the email: I spend A LOT of time watching our BC NDP team work for people in the Legislature and this spring I noticed two key things about John Rustad and his BC Conservatives. 1.    They’re completely out of touch with what matters to everyday British Columbians; and 2.    They’re absolutely serious about trying to bring down our government as soon as they can. We have a razor-thin majority. To defend it — and preserve all the good work we’ve done for people in the last seven years — we have to be ready for whatever he throws at us. Right now, we aren’t. We have...

It took a tie-breaking vote from Speaker Raj Chouhan to save the government from potentially falling, after government house leader Mike Farnworth made the bill a matter of a confidence vote. All three of BC’s political parties will be licking their wounds this summer as the last few months have left First Nations and municipalities united in their anger at the governing NDP, the Conservatives dealing with a number of defections, and the Greens’ caucus of two struggling. Premier David Eby in February said the session would be focused on addressing the “existential threat” posed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats ... CLICK HERE for the full story

While the NDP brought forward a thin legislative agenda this session, our Conservative Caucus delivered real wins for British Columbians — not just through legislation, but through consistent advocacy, public pressure, and principled opposition. “ As the spring session comes to a close, I want to thank our team for a season of hard work and meaningful results ,” added John Rustad, MLA for Nechako Lakes and Leader of the Official Opposition. From repealing the carbon tax and ending unwitnessed safe supply, to securing critical services for children like Charleigh Pollock and calling out government failure in tragedies like the death of Chantelle Williams, our team has made a tangible impact. While the NDP struggles to manage public backlash over Bills 7, 14, and 15, our caucus was advancing practical solutions. Our members tabled 11 private members’ bills focused on affordability, mental health, emergency response, public safety, and interprovincial trade. Several of these initiatives w...

A controversial bill in British Columbia responding to American tariffs has passed with Speaker Raj Chouhan casting the deciding vote Wednesday evening. Bill 15 fast-tracks public and private infrastructure projects, and Chouhan’s vote means that the bill has passed third and final reading by a 47-to-46 vote ... ... passage of Bill 15 comes after it has faced weeks of criticism from Indigenous groups, municipal officials, environmentalists and some business leaders ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Divide and conquer. It’s the new strategy the BC NDP government is deploying against what used to be two major allies: The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) and the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM). Both have fallen offside with Premier David Eby’s administration in the last month over their vocal calls for him to pause Bills 14 and 15 due to a lack of consultation and potential infringements on Indigenous rights. Eby, so far, has refused. Instead, the NDP has started chipping away at the political credibility of the organizations, suggesting in subtle and not-so-subtle ways that they don’t truly represent the views of their members, and that the government knows better than they do what people actually want ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Did you know? More than 5,000 hunters visit BC each year, generating approximately $116 million in annual revenue. The guide outfitting industry is a major part of our economy here in Cariboo-Chilcotin, providing 2,000 jobs. This week in the Legislature, I had to immediately speak out against the NDP government’s Bill 14 – the Renewable Energy Projects (Streamlined Permitting) Act. On the surface, this bill appears to simply accelerate the permitting of projects like wind-farms in our province.  Of course, “streamlining” and “cutting red tape” always sound nice. But the claws of this legislation dig much deeper. Under Bill 14, guide outfitter, hunting, angling, and other Wildlife Act licenses can be suspended or cancelled indefinitely, without any chance for a hearing, appeal, or compensation.  Let’s imagine that you operate a small guide outfitter business in the Cariboo, and that is how you earn your income and support your family. You consider yourself a steward o...

Bill 15 continues to dominate BC politics this week. The bill would give the BC government sweeping powers to fast-track major infrastructure projects and Indigenous groups say they are concerned the proposed legislation would allow the government to avoid legitimate consultation.  Prime Minister Mark Carney's first cabinet was also sworn in this week, which includes 5 faces from BC. Joining us on the political panel are former BC United candidate Caroline Elliot and political panelist Nikki Hill.   CLICK HERE for the panel discussion

When you start looking at what’s going on with these projects, with overlapping boundaries with First Nations and all through the consultation process, I’m just wondering how this is actually going to work if it’s only up to cabinet to make that decision and not allowing the people of this province, the people that are in this room right now, to be able to be part of that process ~~ Ward Stamer – MLA for Kamloops North Thompson, and Opposition Forestry Critic The reality is we have an energy electrification deficit in this province. We knew this was coming years ago. BC Hydro did not adequately plan for the future. Now they’re trying to wrap everything together in clean energy because of some unknown reason other than we’re supposed to save the planet all by ourselves. The reality is we need to have certainty of supply not only for electrification and electricity but for a wide variety of things in this product. Without input, we don’t have output ... ... some of the concerns th...