When is a bank bail-out not a bailout? When the Canadian bankers’ Association President, Nancy Hughes Anthony says so. In her letter to the Vancouver Sun (which published my blog on the issue)  Hughes Anthony points out that not a single bank went bankrupt and therefore did not require a bail out.But call it what you will ...

Wow! What a pleasant surprise. There, as CTV Vancouver’s local news top story tonight (Tuesday), was a hidden-camera investigation into B.C.’s program to prevent voluntarily self-restricted problem gamblers from entering casinos.  The system failed … repeatedly … as a supposedly “listed” problem gambler entered three Vancouver-area casinos, gambled, and cashed in his proceeds without a single security […]

A group of eight British Columbia medical and health organizations are calling on the provincial government to enact province-wide legislation banning the sale and use of cosmetic pesticides. The group is also clarifying two common myths surrounding cosmetic pesticides because of emerging evidence of human toxicity, especially to the vulnerable, young and old.  “Despite the completion […]

The sorry spectacle of Conservative cabinet ministers flying around the world defending banks from a tax to cover their next, inevitable, meltdown is bad enough. What is perhaps worse is that it is being largely justified by the perpetuation of the myth that Canada did not have to bail out its banks.Wrong.We are, according ...

In March, the government released a discussion paper intended as background for its Canada-wide public consultation on pension reform and Canada’s Retirement Income System.  If you haven’t heard about it, it’s not surprising. It involved only three town-hall meetings, three by-invitation expert roundtables, and a voluntary on-line component.  You could also write in. Their plan […]

 Is it my imagination or are the NHL refs favoring the U.S. teams when they play Canadian teams? This radical thought crossed my mind last year during the playoffs: it just seemed to me that whenever I watched a Canadian team in the NHL playoffs come up against ANY U.S. contender, the refs were tougher on […]

My colleague, Nathan Cullen MP – Skeena-Bulkley Valley recently issued the following Op-ed which I would like to share with you. Days after the Deepwater Horizon offshore oilrig blew up off the coast of Lousiana killing 11 workers, British Petroleum assured the public that they would contain the leak quickly. They were wrong. The leak […]

The BC Recreation and Parks Association’s (BCRPA) Walk BC initiative is launching its newest venture and online resource, an interactive walking route map. As the first map of its kind, it features walking routes and recreational facilities from around British Columbia. Powered by GOOGLE™, it enables people to find the right walking route for their […]

People with disabilities who are already struggling to manage on provincial disability benefits have been told by the Province it will no longer pay for some of the medically essential items and services they depend on. Beginning April 1st, the Province will no longer fund a range of health items including pre-made foot orthotics, diabetic […]