Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister One week ago, the government of Manitoba premier Brian Pallister proclaimed the final legislative provisions, and regulations, necessary to officially adopt the New West Partnership Trade Agreement, which it entered into with BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan in 2016. According to George Chow, BC’s Minister of State for Trade, the New West Partnership Trade Agreement (NWPTA) was initially put in place between the three western most provinces on July 1, 2010, and was then was fully implemented two years later (2013). Manitoba’s adoption of the agreement, now means all four western provinces will fully share in the benefits of the New West Partnership Trade Agreement. According to Economic Development and Training Minister Ralph Eichler: “ The potential through the New West Partnership for the creation of quality jobs is in step with our government’s Manitoba Works program, which aims to generate 40,000 new jobs in our province over the next fo...

John Twigg Don't look now but it will soon be three years since the last provincial election in B.C. (on May 9) and that signals several things, notably that an election call could come anytime between now and October next year. The likelihood of a snap election call is highly unlikely at present, with the COVID19 pandemic having shut down public meetings, caused an early adjournment of the Legislature and suspended the leadership contest in the B.C. Green Party, which holds three seats in the Legislature - enough seats to hold the balance of power between the B.C. Liberals with 42 seats and the B.C. New Democrats with 41 seats. (The 87th seat is held by Darryl Plecas, who as a rookie MLA chose to leave the Liberal caucus, sit as an Independent and thus be elected Speaker by the NDP and Greens and earn great enmity from his former Liberal colleagues for doing so - but it also has helped expose some questionable financial transactions in the Speaker's realm in years ...

The third week of April is National Volunteer Week . It’s the time each year that we collectively pause to acknowledge and appreciate the effort of millions of Canadians and British Columbians. Amidst a global health crisis, the contribution of volunteers is even more pronounced. Non-profits and charities make a huge contribution in our communities. They provide a human touch, connectivity and for many a reprieve from isolation. Volunteers support vulnerable people, the arts and youth sports, they dedicate their time and efforts to ensure our communities are vibrant and healthy. Many of the volunteer-run organizations that we have come to depend on are critically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time that service delivery has been disrupted, demand is skyrocketing. Additionally, fundraising has dramatically decreased as businesses are shut down, people have been laid off and financial markets are in chaos. As we raise our hand...

Back in the day, working on the ranch at Big Lake Which is it – There are NO jobs, or Just No “GOOD” Jobs? Two days ago, the Federal Liberal government announced 9 billion dollars in financial aid for post-secondary students and recent grads. Why? Because there are NO summer jobs available for them. So, applicants will get $1250.00 a month from May to August. Some will qualify for up to $1750.00 per month. To keep things fair, those who are already working but earn less than these amounts can apply for top-up. Kind of makes you wonder why any student would actually seek work this summer, doesn’t it?? And yet, farms in Canada cannot find local labour to harvest their crops. Instead, we import up to 60,000 temporary migrant workers from other countries like Mexico each year. Thanks to coronavirus (COVID-19), when these workers come into the country, each has to complete a 14-day quarantine. The federal government is giving Canadian farm...

Two weeks ago, the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), which represents companies providing private auto insurance across Canada (excluding Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and British Columbia), made a major announcement, due to the impacts of COVID-19. The April 8 th media release IBC stated that to help Canadians cope with the financial impact of COVID-19, Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) member companies would be offering substantial consumer relief measures. And what did that consumer relief look like?  According to the Insurance Bureau, for consumers whose driving habits had changed significantly, their member companies would be offering reductions in auto insurance premiums which they estimated could result in $600 million in savings to consumers. Now, today, Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) announced they would be returning up to $110 million to provide financial relief to policyholders in that province. Crown Services Minister Jeff Wharton announced: ...

North Cowichan Mayor Al Siebring Just a short week and a half ago (April 14 th ) North Cowichan Mayor Al Siebring, along nearly three dozen other elected officials on Vancouver Island and Coastal communities, issued a letter of concern BC’s Provincial Health Officer, Bonnie Henry – the letter was also copied to federal and provincial government officials including Premier John Horgan, Health Minister Adrian Dix, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as well as BC Ferries CEO Mark Collins. In their letter, the community leaders expressed concerns that during the previous Easter long-weekend ... ... an influx of off-Islanders who've decided to ignore you, the Premier, and the appeals from each of us as community leaders to "stay close to home".   Instead, they decided to recreate on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and along the Sunshine Coast ...   The letter went on to state while it was clear that while overall ferry traffic was considerably r...

You may notice some memes and other images on social media celebrating Earth Day today – chances are, some of these images may even portray Canada’s oil and natural gas industry in a less than positive light.  So, we thought it would be important to provide a little balance to today’s narrative and highlight the great work that Canada’s oil and natural gas industry is doing every day to protect our environment – initiatives the activists like to ignore.  As stewards of the environment, Canadians should be proud of the work our industry is doing! Canada’s oil and natural gas industry spends more on environmental protection than any other industry: According to Statistics Canada, Canadian businesses reported spending $8.4 billion on environmental protection in 2016 (the latest year for which Statistics Canada has published data). The lion’s share of that spending - $3.7 billion or 44 per cent was by the oil and natural gas ...

This week, not unlike last week, and the week before, the Government has announced another “Emergency Assistance” program ... This latest program is the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) and is intended to provide supports for those students who do not qualify for the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). The formal details of this new program have not yet been released, and will require legislation, however the general guidelines of the program are as follows: Eligibility for this CESB program is said to apply to “post-secondary (college and university) students who are currently in school, are planning to start school in September 2020, or graduated from school in December 2019, if they have lost work or cannot find work due to the pandemic.” It is also open to working students “ earning less than $1,000 per month who also able to apply for the benefit if their hours have been cut due to COVID-19 .” This benefit will provide monthly support payments of $1,...

Today Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – LIVE ... from the doorstep – made another of his daily pronouncements. And with it, I am beginning to wonder (well to be honest I already was about a week ago) another cash hand-out. Justin Trudeau, today announced an investment of $350 million to support vulnerable Canadians through charities and non-profit organizations that deliver essential services to those in need. According to Trudeau, the government will provide additional support to charities and non-profit organizations through the Emergency Community Support Fund . “ While COVID-19 is affecting all Canadians, some people are more at risk to the impacts of the pandemic”, said Trudeau. “Today’s announcement will further help our most vulnerable Canadians and ensure organizations have what they need to help. Canadians need to look out for one another in these difficult times. We will get through this together .” Again ... and I’ve said this before ... the vulnerable...

Kamloops South Thompson BC Liberal MLA Todd Stone While COVID-19 has posed a very serious public health risk, we have also watched it become a considerable threat to people’s livelihoods. To address the financial hardships brought on by this pandemic, the province has introduced several measures to support British Columbians through these difficult times. Included among these measures is the new temporary rental supplement, announced by the government on March 25 th .  Support for renters and landlords is certainly a necessary step to provide relief, but it is becoming clear to many British Columbians — including the Official Opposition Caucus who are hearing from countless constituents — that the temporary rental supplement falls short. It is overly restrictive, the application process is complicated and time-consuming, and it provides less support than what was expected by renters.  Because of its strict eligibility requirements, many people who genui...