This site will look much better in a browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any browser or Internet device.


Unique newspaper coverage of local, regional and global topics - serious and light-hearted.


Articles



The BC Legislature


Legislature in session: a flurry of bills proposed

March3, 2017

A flurry of legislation has been proposed, now that the BCLiberal government has called the Legislature for the first time in nine months (it’s Budget time). The list includes: Lower Voting Age to 16, First Responders As Essential Services, Right To Roam Act, University Amendment Act To Protect Academic Autonomy, Protecting School Board Democracy, Endangered Species Act.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


BC 2017: Questions to ask your candidates

January 19, 2017

Island Tides is kicking off its election coverage with 12 questions to ask your candidates. In upcoming editions we will print answers from all candidates we are able to contact.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Teachers vindicated, education opportunity lost

November 17, 2016

The Supreme Court of Canada upheld a BC court decision which found that the Christy Clark government deliberately tried to provoke a strike with BC teachers for political gain while leaving children under-supported in overcrowded classrooms.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Electoral reforms in BC

November 3, 2016

While federal electoral reform is under consideration, Saanich North and the Islands MLA Gary Holman says that that process needs to go provincial. The BC electoral system could do with some reform, according to Holman.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


The Douglas Treaties

October 20, 2016

Adam Olsen discusses the importance of the ocean and salmon to the First Nations people of the Saanich Inlet. Treaties and governments have been neglecting this importance for decades.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


The CRD moves closer to halting discharge of raw sewage

September 22, 2016

Currently, Victoria dumps its sewage into the Strait of Juan de Fuca untreated - but that could soon change. A new report by the Core Area Wastewater Treatment Project Board has come up with a comprehensive plan for updating the city’s sewage facilities.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


BC’s Climate Plan released, showcases LNG

September 8, 2016

BC’s long awaited climate plan was released in August. The report ignores several of the Climage Leadership Team’s key recommendations, lacks details, and showcases natural gas production.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Industrial damage threatens Blueberry River

August 25, 2016

The territory of the Blueberry River First Nations in northern BC is crisscrossed with industrial activity - 110,300 kilometers of linear disturbance, to be exact. 75% of their territory is within 250 metres of an industrial disturbance. It’s damaging key habitat and destroying the First Nations’ ability to carry on traditional activities.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Court rules, zoning bars Shawnigan soil dump

April 7, 2016

After many court proceedings, BC Supreme Court rules that Cowichan Valley Regional District’s zoning bylaws trump provincial toxic waste dumping permit in Shawnigan Lake’s watershed.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Budget 2016 Report Card

February 25, 2016

Gary Holman gives a hard-hitting and punchy sum-up of the BCLiberals’ budget. He says the BCLiberals use soundbites and window dressing to make BC’s economy look good.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Putting a ‘price’ on water

July 23, 2015

The Water Sustainability Act puts a ‘price’ on groundwater, bringing up concerns about making water a tradable good under NAFTA. But others are arguing the rates aren’t high enough - Nestlé only pays $2.25 per million litres for water bottled.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


MLA Report

March 19, 2015

North Island MLA Claire Trevena examines BC’s 2015/16 budget. More for the well-to-do, less for the poor?

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Let the ancestors rest in peace

February 19, 2015

Andrea Palframan tells the story of Grace Islet. The protection of the First Nations' burial ground is an achievement, but there is still a long way to go.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Monopoly could force bankruptcy of Gulf Islands’ recyclers

October 16, 2014

MMBC’s monopoly over BC recyclables could force rural recycling depots into bankruptcy. Meanwhile, these valuable depots are providing more service than just recycling packaging.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Chill factor in revised BC’s Society Act

October 2, 2014

Patrick Brown points out the ‘chill’ factor in BC’s rewritten Society Act, which seems to allow anyone to initiate litigation against any society that they see as acting detrimental to the public interest. The courts would define ‘the public interest’. Comment period ends soon.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Teachers’ 12-year struggle highlights government’s contempt for courts, and Charter

September 18, 2014

Has the provincial government met its nemesis? Patrick Brown gives a blow-by-blow account of the court action and legislation since 2002. It’s far from over…

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Editorial: People—BC’s best renewable resource

June 12, 2014

A people-based diversified economy for BC?

[ download PDF | top of page ]


MLA Report

June 12, 2014

Gary Holman summarizes the actions he and the BCNDP took during the spring session of the BC Legislature.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Budget: regressive tax increases and tricky accounting

March 6, 2014

MLA Gary Holman gives his take on the BC 2014 Budget, North Island MLA Clair Trevena adds more commentary.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Shaking up the carbon credit business

April 11, 2013 | Patrick Brown

John Doyle, BC’s recently departed Provincial Auditor, left a time bomb in the form of a report on the Pacific Carbon Trust, an organization invented by the also departed Premier Gordon Campbell to trade carbon credits between BC’s public sector and its corporations.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Friday night environmental deal

March 28, 2013 | Patrick Brown

The Legislature only sat for 19 days this spring. Hours after closing, an MOU between the the federal and provincial governments was signed to devolve environmental assessments to the province. What are the implications for the Raven Coal Mine and Kinder Morgan pipeline?

[ download PDF | top of page ]


BC creates vacant town next to melting Jumbo Glacier

November 29, 2012 | Sara Miles

The controversial 104-hectare Jumbo Glacier resort development is going ahead, under the guise of a municipality.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


An answer-less end to 2011

December 15, 2011 | Claire Trevena

When do we return to the GST/PST system? Why did two Liberals implicated in the Basi-Virk scandal have their court costs covered by taxpayers? What is this government doing about increasing child poverty in BC? Why do students start their working lives $27,000 in debt? The answers are not forthcoming from the BCLiberal government.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Jobs Plan relies on risky shale gas development

December 1, 2011 | Patrick Brown

By prioritizing resource exports and cheap electricity for mining and natural gas development, the BC Government Jobs Plan creates the need for LNG tanker ships, upgraded ports, and a pipeline to the BC coast. The chemical- and water-intensive shale gas industry in BC’s north is a major component of the Plan, and will also power bitumen extraction from Alberta’s tar sands. With Asian markets paying almost four times North American prices for natural gas, it seems lucrative.

However, not only is BCHydro building the transmission lines, government is offering subsidies for private infrastructure development. With industrial electricity rates set at $40/MWh, but new electricity costing BCHydro up to $100/MWh, the Jobs Plan puts BC taxpayers at risk by using BCHydro, a public crown corporation, to subsidize private resource development, not to mention the risks to the environment.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


The BC Legislature Report

December 1, 2011 | Claire Trevena

The BC Liberals are reluctant to have open debate; a new Family Law Act creates greater protection for children and women; the Advanced Education Statutes Amendment Act would disallow faculty or union members from sitting on college or university boards; too many BC children and youth are living in poverty; some mining operations may become exempt from permitting processes.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


The BC Legislature Report

November 17, 2011 | Claire Trevena

The MLA for North Island reports on the day-to-day issues in BC's government.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


The BC Legislature Report

November 3, 2011 | Claire Trevena

North Island MLA Claire Trevena reports on the continuing CLBC crisis, changes to the Privacy Act, and the Jobs Plan in her community.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Cooking the books

October 20, 2011 | Patrick Brown

BC's Provincial Auditor doesn't accept the government's accounting method for P3 contracts and BC Hydro payments to Independent Power producers; John Doyle says the deficit should be $80 billion higher than the reported $50 billion.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


The Legislature - View from the North Island

October 6, 2011 | Claire Trevena

MLA Claire Trevena comments on the delay to re-implement the GST/PST, government policies hurting her constituents, and the Ferry Commissioner meetings.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Jobs, jobs, jobs!

October 6, 2011 | Patrick Brown

Everyone is talking about them. But what kind of jobs are they talking about? And what is the best way to create them? Patrick Brown's special report works out the cost of providing employment—and the most effective method is not corporate income tax reduction.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Economic mismanagement of the public good

August 11, 2011 | Gary Holman

From the HST to the Clean Energy Act, economist Gary Holman summarizes the Liberal government's trend of managing public resources for private profit.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


HST: more than meets the eye

June 16, 2011

The HST referendum is about nothing less than the shape of the future in BC. The biggest shift in provincial tax policy ever, the HST encourages old-style resource extraction rather than encouraging smaller, innovative, people-centred enterprises. It reveals much about our government.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


HST: smoke thickens, mirrors dazzle

June 2, 2011

In a last ditch effort, Finance Minister Kevin Falcon proposes reductions to HST - but later, and if the HST survives the June/July referendum.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


The HST - Yes, it's a tax grab

May 19, 2011

The BC government's new report shows the costs of the HST will be borne entirely by BC families, with benefits going to big business and provincial coffers.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


BC's HST muddle hurtles forward

May 5, 2011

Voting for the mail-in HST referendum is scheduled for July. Referendum ballots will be mailed to all registered voters in the province, starting on Monday, June 13. It is expected that the majority of voters will have received them by June 24.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Editorial: Failed party politics

Feb 10, 2011

BC party politics is a mess of infighting, horse-trading, lack of representation and a plethora of muddled elections. No wonder the province is in an economic mess.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Dam regulations swamp Gardom Pond license holders

Jan 27, 2011

Outfall from the 2010 Oliver mudslide has reached the Gulf Islands; a twitchy government is requiring water license holders to get dams inspected everywhere.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


The List - two dozen questions to ask BC politicians

Jan 13, 2011

26 questions succinctly outline BC's issues.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


BC's 2011 political calendar

Jan 13, 2011

Some dates to watch for in BC's tangled political life this year.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Double Editorial: Gordon Campbell's final hurrah: the restructuring of BC government

Nov 11 and 25, 2010

Maybe Premier Gordon Campbell's 'cabinet shuffle' (actually a restructuring of BC government) followed by a quasi-resignation was no strange muddle but rather a carefully planned strategy. BCLiberals are left with a new, currently unassailable ministry designed to exploit BC's environment. Will they have the courage to undo this? (Restructuring listed in detail.)

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Fight HST recall recruitment race

Oct 28, 2010

The same organizational team, which successfully completed a Citizens’ Initiative against the BC HST, has swung into action to recall Liberal MLAs. Which riding will be the first to start a recall its MLA?

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Provincial budget suite

March 18, 2010

Patrick Brown takes apart the provincial budget to show what makes it tick and that BC has a structural deficit.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Throne Speech and BC Budget

September 10, 2009

A suite of two articles and an editorial examine the BC budget. In the September 1st Budget Update, Finance Minister Colin Hansen had to admit to a runaway deficit and announce measures to deal with it. A crisis is an opportunity for change, and the BC Liberal government has taken the opportunity of severe economic downturn to make a massive change in the tax regime. Wholesale cutting of grants is a poor move, removing an important avenue of stimulus.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


BC Appeal Court judgement opens up Jordan River lands for development

September 10, 2009

The Capital Regional District's bylaw, to control development of some 2,500 hectares of wild land on the Vancouver Island coast just north of Victoria, has been struck down on a technicality.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Tree Farm Development

June 18, 2009

Shirley residents express their reservations about RV park lodge and cabin development with a capacity of 1200/night on the boundary of The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Gag law upset in court

April 9, 2009

The BC government’s ‘gag law’, which limited advertising by ‘third parties’ in the 60 day period prior to the 28 day ‘election period’ has been struck down by the BC Supreme Court.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


BC-STV: the pros and cons

April 9, 2009

Any version of Single Tranferable Vote will be more democratic than First Past The Post voting but the BC-STV election system will require a more informed electorate and vote counting by computer.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Getting ready for the election

April 9, 2009

What are the BC's 2009 coastal electoral districts and how will they translate into 2013 BC-STV electoral districts should the May 12 referendum pass?

[ download PDF | top of page ]


The HST Suite: an editorial and three articles examine the provenance and implications of the Harmonized Sales Tax

August 27, 20

Editorial: 'Tax switch to consumers', 'HST fooferaw: it's not as if they didn't know', 'HST benefits to business', 'Premier's HST justification stems from flawed research'

[ download PDF | top of page ]


STV referendum defeated - Why?

May 21, 2009

Not the end of the road—reasons the BC-STV referendum was defeated show that electoral reform is not off the map, just delayed.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


The road ahead — new ideas for government.

May 21, 2009

Two lists—one about principles of government, the other about critical issues for BC in the coming years.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Editorial: None of the above … won the election

May 21, 2009

Ins and outs of a disappointing election, poor turn-out; no clear mandate.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Editorial: The List: the BC Liberal record— love it or hate it

May 7, 2009

An (incomplete) list of BCLiberal actions during the last two government terms.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


BC budget accuracy and GAAP questioned

February 26, 2009

Journalist questions size of budgeted deficit; govenment not using 'Generally Accepted Accounting Principles' for Olympic shortfall.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Public-private partnerships questioned

February 12, 2009

Given the current economic down-turn and the move to infrastructure projects to get the economy moving, public-private partnerships (P3s) have stepped into the forefront. However, a just-released study by forensic auditor Ron Parks, and Rosanne Terhart, raises questions about taxpayer value for money in the use of P3s to build and manage infrastructure.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


BC Single Transferable Vote quiz

February 12, 2009

Get ready for May 12. An eye-opening, quick-study on the background to the proposed new voting system for BC, which goes to referendum this spring.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Holiday ferry fare cuts part of premier's economic plan for BC

October 30, 2008

Is the Premier's Economic Plan just handy housekeeping? Will the Legislature be called at last but only for trivia and circuses?

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Strategic voting only a stopgap till proportional representation

October 2, 2008

Can we really say we have a healthy democracy, if the only way we can produce a functional government is for citizens to vote en masse against their conscience'.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


UBCM wins protection from the TILMA for municipalities

Aug 21, 2008

Municipal Land Use Bylaws will be exempted from the provisions of the BC/Alberta ‘Trade, Investment, and Labour Mobility Agreement.’ This means that property rights will continue to be subject to local bylaws, and bylaws and other measures cannot be challenged because they may be ‘obstacles’ to investment under TILMA.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Amendment Bill Amended; Advertising Restrictions Remain

June 12, 2008

BC Bill 42, 3rd party advertising restrictions for elections, was amended after public outcry (but no legislative debate). The special exclusion was reduced from 120 days to 60 and then passed, once again without the benefit of legislative debate.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


BC Government would regulate 3rd-party political advertising for 120 days before an election

May 29, 2008

With proposed Bill 42, BC's Liberals are going one step further than Canada's Supreme Court in limiting election advertising. Spending on advertising by unions, NGOs and individuals would be restricted for four months before an election, not just during the election period. Does this unnecessarily restrict public dialogue?

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Stonewalling about Medicare

May 29, 2008

Corky Evans makes a speech in the BC Legislature about BC Liberals' refusal to debate a change to the Medicare Protection Act.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Credit unions merger possibility highlighted in TILMA Act

May 15, 2008

The largest credit unions in the country are in BC. They are led by Vancity Credit Union, with assets of well over $11 billion, and Coast Capital Savings, at over $9 million. No other credit unions come close, though several of those in the top ten are in Alberta. BC’s Credit Union Incorporation Act is extensively amended by TILMA Bill 32, apparently to provide for interprovincial credit union takeovers.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Bill 21 — not what, but why?

May 15, 2008

The suspicion about Bill 21, the Medicare Protection Amendment Act, 2008, is a measure of the mistrust in which many people hold our current ‘Liberal’ provincial government.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


BC's Carbon Tax - revenue neutral

May 1, 2008

BC is in the process of setting greenhouse gas emission targets for the next forty years or so. However, nobody knows how effective a newly announced ‘carbon tax’ will be in reducing fossil fuel consumption and resultant GHG emissions. Nonetheless, it is an important complement to the ‘cap-&-trade’ system announced for large point source emitters.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Carbon tax versus cap and trade

April 17, 2008

With worldwide acceptance of the connection between increasing accumulations of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere and global climate change, many governments are moving to regulate GHG emissions through systems of economic incentives.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Electoral reform vote set for 2009

March 20, 2008

The Electoral Reform Referendum 2009 Act, legislation to allow a second referendum on an alternative electoral system, was introduced by Attorney General Wally Oppal on March 6.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Rejigging the political map; a Valentine for BC?

February 21, 2008

On February 14, the BC Electoral Boundaries Commission announced its final report on political boundaries for BC.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Government to repeal sections of Bill 29 declared unconstitutional

February 21, 2008

The sections were imposed by the government in January 2002 without any consultation with unions representing affected employees.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


TILMA a major hurdle to BC’s climate action plans

February 21, 2008 | Commentary by Marc Lee and Caelie Frampton

Premier Gordon Campbell has positioned BC as a global leader on climate change, but his interest in harmonizing provincial standards through the BC-Alberta Trade, Investment andLabour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) could prove to be a thorn in the government’s side. Fighting climate change will necessarily involve a lot of regulation, while TILMA is fundamentally a deregulatory initiative.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Teachers sign-on to undebated TILMA

January 24, 2008

As of April 1, teachers from Alberta’s public and independent schools will be able to teach in British Columbia’s schools and vice versa.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Boundaries commission will complete work

December 13, 2007

The provincial Electoral Boundaries Commission has announced that it will complete its work under its original terms of reference, even though the final fate of its recommendations is in considerable doubt.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Not all the bullies are on the playground

November 29, 2007 | Russ Searle

For the past several years the Campbell government has been taking flak from smaller districts around the province due to a lack of specialist teachers in these districts for subjects such as calculus, social studies, and science.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Call for carbon tax

November 15, 2007

On November 1, Sierra Club BC called on the BC government to introduce a revenue neutral carbon tax in the next provincial budget. The environmental group applauds the 69 BC economists who recently wrote an open letter to the BC government asking for a carbon tax to help tackle global warming.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Municipalities question TILMA

October 4, 2007

On Wednesday, September 26, a substantial majority of delegates to the annual convention of the Union of BC Municipalities voted to support a resolution which questions the BC/Alberta Trade, Investment, and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA).

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Editorial: Gnawing at the Heart of Government

October 4, 2007

The British Columbia Legislature sat for only 46 days in 2006; the governing party neglected to call a fall session. In recent years, the Alberta Legislature has sat for about 45 to 55 days each year. The 2007 fall session of the House of Commons has been delayed for at least two weeks by the governing party.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Deconstructing TILMA: Investment Protection

July 26, 2007

Premier Gordon Campbell has been heavily promoting the adoption by other provinces of the Trade, Investment, and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA). ‘It’s time we make up our minds what kind of country we want to be,’ he said at a recent meeting of premiers in Iqaluit.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Municipalities aren’t buying into TILMA

May 31, 2007

Several of BC’s regional municipal associations have passed resolutions expressing their concerns about the effects of the TILMA.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


MLA pay raise may be dwarfed by pension costs

May 17, 2007

An Independent Commission proposal that MLAs once again have a defined benefit pension plan may be more significant than a recommended 29% pay raise (to $98,000), according to the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


MLA’s pay—are they worth it?

May 17, 2007

Behind the public indignation that the governing BC Liberals would introduce a bill that would give each MLA a 29% pay increase, is the public suspicion that they aren’t worth the money.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Proportional representation elections viewed

May 3, 2007

Fair Voting BC’s director Julian West is joining an international team which will observe the May 3 English local election and the parliamentary election in Scotland.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


TILMA creates hurdles for endangered species and for curbing pollution

May 3, 2007

Although the aim of TILMA is to turn Alberta and BC into an economic powerhouse, Sierra Legal’s analysis reveals that the agreement could seriously threaten the provinces’ endangered species and jeopardize potential initiatives to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Bill 11 and Jumbo Glacier Resort

April 19, 2007 | Corky Evans Commentary

An excerpt from a speech made by MLA Corky Evans in the BC Legislature on March 26. The entire speech, in inimitable Corky-style, can be read in Hansard.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


BC Government Scrambles to Clarify TILMA

March 22, 2007

The BC provincial government, faced with mounting criticism of the Trade, Investment, and Labour Mobility Agreement which it signed with the Government of Alberta, has been scrambling to explain and reassure individuals and local governments about the expected effects of this complex document. It appears that, in their efforts to draft an all-inclusive agreement, the two governments have over-reached themselves.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


BC Liberals block TILMA debate

March 22, 2007

On March 5, the BC Liberal majority in the provincial legislature changed its position from neglecting to debate the Trade, Investment, and Labour Mobility Agreement signed with Alberta, to refusing to debate the Agreement.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Good Government vs. TILMA

March 22, 2007 | Chris Bowers

By now I hope that all Islanders have at least heard about the BC/Alberta Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) which will be coming into effect on April 1 of this year. If you have not, it can fairly be said that this was not the fault of this paper which has been calling the alarm for a number of months now.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Educational squeeze tighter in rural schools; minister not listening

March 8, 2007 | Commentary by Russ Searle

During the past school year, the Minister of Education, Shirley Bond, backed by Premier Gordon Campbell, committed to visiting every school district in BC, and Wednesday, January 24 was the turn of Gulf Islands School District.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Kwan calls for public hearings on TILMA

February 22, 2007

NDP MLA Jenny Kwan says that there has been no public forum in which to debate TILMA, the contentious BC/Alberta trade agreement. ‘British Columbians have questions and concerns about the impact TILMA will have on our province’, says Kwan MLA for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


TILMA Forum in Nanaimo

February 8, 2007

Despite the wide ranging implications of this agreement British Columbians and local governments are just beginning to learn about the existence of this agreement and its impacts.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


BC Government Approves Three Proposals for Parks

January 11, 2007

The Request for Proposals for new fixed-roof accommodation in BC provincial parks received proposals for four parks: Mount Robson, Elk Lakes, Maxhamish Lake and Cape Scott.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


An Editorial + Letter on TILMA

January 11, 2007

TILMA is due to come into effect on April 1, 2007; here are the opinions of a few people on this agreement.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


TILMA: the Trojan Horse

December 14, 2006

The Trade, Investment, and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) between British Columbia and Alberta, signed last April in Edmonton, could be a 'Trojan horse’ to create an opportunity for the addition of property rights to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a key part of Canada’s constitution.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


BC Needs More Than Promises When it Comes to Accountability

November 30, 2006 | Keith Reynolds

‘I think legislators made a mistake,’ said BC’s recently retired Auditor General Wayne Strelioff in his final report. He was referring to the government’s decision to cut his office’s funding at the same time that his list of responsibilities was getting longer. These are strong words, and they should worry all of us who want our provincial government to be accountable and transparent.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Islanders Protest TILMA

November 30, 2006

A small but motivated group of protesters joined forces on the steps of the BC Legislature on November 22 to show their opposition to the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement ( TILMA), made last April between British Columbia and Alberta.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


TILMA: While You Were Sleeping, Your Government Sold Your Democracy

November 16, 2006 | John Hill

This agreement gives big corporate interests the right to sue your local government, even after the fact, if they make any decision that is seen to conflict with any individual or corporate interest in trade, investment or labour’s right to move.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Editorial: The Invisible Opposition

November 16, 2006

Premier Gordon Campbell decided not to have a fall session of the Legislature. One of his reasons was undoubtedly a reluctance to provide a platform from which the NDP, the Official Opposition, could criticize the actions of his government.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


BC Green Party leader steps down

October 5, 2006

On September 24, Adriane Carr, Green Party of BC leader, announced her intention to step down as party leader at the end of November 2006.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Editorial: Real Government

September 21, 2006

The BC Liberals have decided not to have a fall session of the legislature. Their excuse is that they don’t need one, since they have no legislation to propose that can’t wait until spring, and it costs $30,000 a day to run.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Education finance biased against small districts, says report

September 7, 2006

An analysis of the way school districts are funded by the provincial government has concluded that the formula used to calculate grants is biased against smaller and rural districts.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Campaign launched to oppose new resorts in BC parks

August 24, 2006

A group of high profile BC conservationists have joined forces to deal with the challenge of maintaining the integrity and sustainability of BC Class A Parks.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Spotted owl survival to get prompt action, says BC government

May 18, 2006

The BC government has announced a $3.4-million, five-year action plan to recover BC’s northern spotted owl. Based on the work of the Canadian Spotted Owl Recovery Team, BC will act as soon as possible to initiate measures to re-build spotted owl populations.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


BC to Hold Another Referendum on Electoral Reform

September 22, 2005

British Columbians will choose between a Single Transferable Vote system and the current first-past-the-post system in a second, more informed, vote on electoral reform in November 2008.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


BC STV: Ingenious and Not So Complicated

April 7, 2005

BC-STV stands for the British Columbia version of the single transferable voting system. It was devised last year by the 160 members of the Citizen’s Assembly to deal with growing flaws in BC’s electoral system.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


More than 10 Reasons to Vote ‘YES’ for BC-STV

March 24, 2005 | Louis Vallée

British Columbia’s May 17 referendum is our chance to change our voting system; the opportunity may not present itself again for many, many years.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Redesigning BC Democracy

February 24, 2005 | Patrick Brown

BC’s Citizens Assembly has completed its work begun last January.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Referendum on New Voting System Will Take Place Next May

November 4, 2004

On Sunday, October 24, the Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform recommended that British Columbians adopt a new voting system—the Single Transferable Vote (STV).

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Citizens Assembly Faces Decision Time

September 9, 2004

BC’s Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform wrapped up its public consultation at the end of June with seven meetings (the last of 50)...

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Proportional Representation Could Add 1.5 Million Voters

June 3, 2004

Fair Vote Canada has called on all federal parties to support a referendum on a more proportional voting system to help combat decreasing voter turnout.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Public Finds Voice Over Electoral System

May 20, 2004 | Paul Harris

The historic public debate over what kind of electoral system would best suit BC is being joined by hundreds of British Columbians during a series of lively public meetings.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Citizens’ Assembly Invites You to Look at Voting Systems

April 8, 2004

Since January the Citizens’ Assembly has been studying the structure of BC’s political system and five different ‘families’ of electoral systems.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Citizens' Assembly Learning the Ropes

February 26, 2004

The work of the BC’s Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform has begun...

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Various Bills: Tidings from the Legislature

November 20, 2003 | Patrick Brown

The government has been busy passing bills in the provincial legislature, with, as usual, minimal debate and little explanation...

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Bill 46: ‘Working Forest’ Legislation Goes Forward Despite 97% Opposition

September 11, 2003 | Patrick Brown

Despite public consultation in which 97% of 2700 respondents opposed the provincial government’s ‘Working Forest’ discussion paper, the government appears set to go ahead with Bill 46, the enabling legislation.

[ download PDF | top of page ]


Bill 48: Sablefish Hatchery Raises Concerns

July 31, 2003

At Walker Hook on Salt Spring Island, Sablefin Hatcheries Ltd. is in the process of building a hatchery for sablefish, sometimes known as Alaska Black Cod.

[ download PDF | top of page ]




Google
www www.islandtides.com

Home | Top | Site Map | Contact | © Island Tides Publishing Ltd. | 1.250.216.2267