The Liberal government of Premier Gordon Campbell told us the HST would be “revenue neutral.”  Not true. They promised 100,000 jobs by 2020 as a  result of all the money companies would be saving and reinvesting. Latest estimate: a quarter of that.  And they assured consumers, onto whose backs the HST transfers the tax burden, prices will come […]

A 2007 wildfire in a portion of the Pend D’Oreille Valley was good news for a family of Lewis’ woodpeckers, a species which prefers dead or well-decayed trees for nesting.  But while the fire created valuable breeding habitat for the woodpeckers, the high risk of trees falling was a serious threat to transmission lines.  The […]

“Democracy has become a government of bullies, tempered by editors” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson A strong statement and I think most would agree, an exact one. Particularly at this point in Canadian history. Here we are, a couple of days after yet another federal election, and there are many who still are jubilant in victory, many […]

An alliance of 23 animal rights and environmental groups in BC and across Canada is furious at the BC Liberal government’s decision not to consult them regarding a new “wolf management plan” it is developing. According to a press release from the Canadian Wolf Coalition, speaking on behalf of the alliance, “The groups are greatly […]

A new amendment to the Clean Energy Act could allow families to finance energy efficiency improvements to their homes through a utility company loan. Bill No.7, the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2011 was introduced in the legislature Thursday by Attorney General Barry Penner. If passed it will amend: Clean Energy Act An amendment allows B.C. […]

After losing their battle in B.C. Supreme Court two weeks ago the B.C. government announced it will work with the B.C. Teachers’ Federation rather than continue a battle over control of class size and special needs support in public schools. The Province has appointed Paul Straszak, president and CEO, Public Sector Employers’ Council, to lead […]

Vancouver South Conservative candidate Wai Young is having a difficult campaign: she’s been criticised for attending a BC Khalsa school meeting, where she was endorsed by Air India bombing suspect Ripudaman Singh Malik; her own siblings are suing her in a family dispute over an inheritance; and, they’ve also announced they will not be voting for her. […]

One man is dead after a missing plane was found crashed in a national park near Golden. Golden RCMP say they located the plane late Wednesday in Yoho National Park. The Cessna was found in a gorge on Mount King. RCMP said a man and his dog were on the plane when it took off […]

Forget hope that the BC Hydro rate increase would be overturned, the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) recently approved an interim rate increase of eight per cent, effective May 1. For the average residential BC Hydro customer, this would amount to a bill increase of about $6 per month, albeit until the final decision comes […]

The Province will provide $2 million to the Union of BC Municipalities for West Nile Virus (WNV) monitoring and larvaciding  —insecticide that affects only developing stages of mosquitoes — for targeted areas of the Kootenays, the Okanagan and the Fraser Valley. WNV is transmitted to people and animals, such as horses, through a bite from an […]