Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Canada is at a turning point. For years, many Canadians worried about scarcity: skyrocketing housing costs, chronic healthcare strain, and unstable jobs. Now, those concerns are mutating into a sense of deeper precarity. People aren’t just scrambling for what they need today; they’re increasingly afraid that core systems—healthcare, housing, and social programs—may fail altogether. Rising geopolitical tensions and U.S. tariff threats only heighten this unease, feeding questions about Canada’s resilience ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Canada’s expansive immigration policy from 2016 to 2024 has expanded the labour force but has also increased demand for goods, services, and infrastructure, more likely sustaining or even increasing overall labour shortages rather than easing them, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “The Immigration Paradox: How an Influx of Newcomers Has Led to Labour Shortages,” Pierre Fortin explains that while higher immigration does benefit individual employers in urgent need of workers, these gains can be offset when the additional demand newcomers generate ripples through the broader economy. Fortin’s research points out that surging immigration rates have increased overall labour demand. He finds that this demand often keeps job vacancy rates elevated, making it unlikely that rising immigration alone will alleviate nationwide labour shortages. He warns that this outcome, though counterintuitive, exposes a “fallacy of composition.” What works for a single employer does no...

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

Randy Sunderman, the newly-announced BC Green Party candidate for Kamloops Centre, says issues related to climate change, healthcare, cost of living and housing will define the next provincial government. Backed by a group of supporters — family members, friends and neighbours — as he announced his candidacy at Riverside Park on Thursday, Sunderman said a future provincial government needs to focus on new ideas and sustainable approaches to such pressing issues ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Following a lacklustre Throne Speech outlining the NDP’s status quo direction for the election year, BC United is slamming the government for more than seven years of policies which have made British Columbians worse off today than they were in 2017. “This out-of-touch government hasn’t learned from its mistakes. British Columbians are looking for real action and results on the key issues of housing, costs of living, healthcare, and public safety and yet today David Eby and the NDP are content promising more of the same,” said BC United Leader Kevin Falcon . . . . . CLICK HERE for the full story

... Canada’s immigration policy needs to consider two stark realities: a serious housing shortage and a collapsing health care system — with both getting worse every day. The year 2022 set a record for housing starts at 320,000, but that’s less than a third the immigration rate and not even enough to house the 446,000 employees added to the federal public service in the past three years. A recent bulletin from public policy think tank SecondStreet.org reported the number of patients who died while waiting for medical care had reached a five-year high, further evidence that our that our health-care system has suffered a precipitous collapse. And yet, incomprehensibly, the Trudeau government decided 2022 was a good time to bring in a million new immigrants ... CLICK HERE for the full commentary

  The BC government's recent investments into health care have focused on capacity for acute care facilities, such as acquiring new MRI machines . While a reduction in wait-times will be welcome, in my opinion, a more comprehensive approach is required, one that invests not just in machines, but in the very foundations of our provincial healthcare. Public health is the first and most fundamental level in any effective healthcare system. This should include community services, youth outreach, access to housing and education, a social safety net, harm reduction, school food programs, and tackling social issues such as isolation and loneliness .  Unfortunately, over the last four decades we have witnessed a decline in such investments in public health and wellbeing, resulting in a weakened foundation for the entire system. The second level of our healthcare system after public health is primary care, represented by family doctors, nurse practitioners, and walk-in cl...

... The excitement they imagine stems from the estimate there will be one million job openings in the next decade. That number has been in play for more than decade and whichever party is in power always hails it as a sign of a strong economy. But the excitement turns to something different when you look closer at the labour outlook. When the plan for filling one million jobs in 10 years is compared to the all-consuming housing crisis, there’s not much in the way of jubilation ... CLICK HERE for the full story

The Union of B.C. Municipalities says it would be “practically impossible” for municipalities seeking to remove tent cities to show shelter is available for all of the unhoused ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Councillors consider removing some requirements after little interest shown in building missing-middle housing.   Victoria’s missing-middle housing initiative may be tweaked, simplified and improved this week as council considers a series of amendments to make the program more workable. At Thursday’s committee of the whole, council will consider changes including eliminating a requirement for an adaptable dwelling unit in development proposals, increasing the allowable height of houseplexes, eliminating the requirement for a suite to be included in projects, reducing required setbacks for townhomes and increasing the maximum allowable site coverage for some townhome projects ... CLICK HERE for the full story

When it comes to the grim reality on cost-of-living, the Liberals are falling over themselves to attack imaginary hobgoblins    The House of Commons is back and the prime minister had barely cleared his throat before he turned the Opposition leader’s questions on housing and grocery affordability into a response about the Conservative party’s plan to “restrict access to abortion, deny the impact of climate change and put more assault weapons on our streets.” Politicians looking to pass the buck have always kept the public alarmed by menacing it with an endless series of imaginary hobgoblins, as American journalist H.L. Mencken once put it. The Liberal government engaged in its own well-worn political theatre on Monday by summoning the heads of Canada’s largest grocery chains for a meeting with Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne. If they were diplomats, the notice would have read “meeting, without coffee,” to indicate its gravity. A government that has bee...

  UBCM president Jen Ford said in an interview that it’s a very challenging time to be in local government. The triple threats of wildfires, opioids and housing needs facing B.C. are the focus of a weeklong gathering of elected municipal and provincial leaders in Vancouver at the annual Union of B.C. Municipalities convention. A record attendance of more than 2,000 delegates is expected at the convention, which starts Monday and concludes Friday with a speech by Premier David Eby ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Caucus members want to settle on strategy to counter Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's attacks Some Liberal members of Parliament heading into a national caucus retreat this week say they're facing blowback from voters at the doorsteps — and they hope the prime minister and his inner circle listen to their concerns before it's too late. The Liberals are holding three days of meetings starting Tuesday in London, Ont., a key battleground region of southwestern Ontario, as their party faces its worst polling numbers since forming government in 2015. The talks are set to focus on making housing more affordable and increasing supply, improving health care and fighting climate change, according to a senior government source. Ahead of the gathering, several MPs told CBC News they don't feel the prime minister listens to their views or solicits their advice ... CLICK HERE for the full story  

Canada’s housing minister says the federal government isn’t ruling out changes to its ambitious immigration targets, but maintains the country should also focus on what it can do to increase housing supply when it comes to addressing current housing challenges.     “When we look to the future of immigration levels planning, we want to maintain ambition and immigration, but we want to better align our immigration policies with the absorptive capacity of communities that includes housing, that includes health care, that includes infrastructure," Sean Fraser said in an interview on CTV’s Question Period with Vassy Kapelos on Sunday ...   CLICK HERE for the full story

The Conservative Party's moment has come to sell Canadians on its "common sense" plan, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told his caucus on Thursday, as they gathered in Quebec City for the federal party's three-day policy convention where controversial policy pitches risk impacting the party's broadening appeal.   To start the day, Poilievre rallied his MPs with a speech filled with the anti-Justin Trudeau messaging that would be familiar to anyone who had attended one of his rallies this summer: the prime minister and his nearly eight years in power are to blame for the rising cost of living, housing costs and the "crime, chaos, drugs and disorder" that are "common on our streets."   "Justin Trudeau of course, would like us to erase our past and cancel our future, and replace it with the dystopia that now exists in this country," Poilievre said, listing off proposals for how he'd govern differently, to ap...

  It’s that time. We need to know. What do you think:    Does Canada need a new federal political party ?   Here at Centre Ice Canadians, we have spent the last six months or so thinking about that question and asking for your thoughts. During that time, we have put together, driven by the input from folks on this email list, a draft policy framework  and a constitution. We have done the behind-the-scenes work so we can move ahead - if that is the right decision to make.   We have invested the time and money to explore the idea. Thank you to everyone who helped with both – and please help our volunteer team offset costs with a donation to cover our research and admin costs .   We have heard the pros and cons of starting a new party. There is no question it’s a huge project. No question that there is absolutely no guarantee of success.   Here’s how I see it. There’s only one reason to start a new party: if existing parties don’t offer ser...

A recent main-street media (MSM) report shows that our Establishment is loath to address the uncomfortable aspects of any serious issue. Therefore, the issue of too many international students won't get resolved.   CLICK HERE to hear the full commentary

        As the issue of housing/ international students/ immigrants heats up, one side is pretending to want to close the barn door, while the other side is pretending that the animals are still in the barn, so closing the door is unnecessary.    For my latest article CLICK HERE

  While RBC posted stronger-than-expected earnings results, the bank said it expects credit losses to intensify in the coming months as interest rates remain elevated. In comments made during the bank’s Q3 earnings call, chief risk officer Graeme Hepworth said the impact of inflation and high interest rates is expected to play out over the coming years.    “We are still in the early stages of the current credit cycle,” he said. “As we move further into the credit cycle, we expect to see losses driven by more systemic factors arising from the anticipated economic slowdown.”   The full extent of the anticipated slowdown or potential recession remains largely in the hands of the Bank of Canada, Hepworth added ... CLICK HERE to see the full story

  Many agree we're in the middle of a national housing crisis. So how did we get here?   It depends on who you ask, but for many housing experts, affordability advocates and municipal officials, the answer lies in part with a policy shift consecutive federal governments joined decades ago. A shift that some argue provides clues on how to fix the current housing conundrum ... CLICK HERE for the full story