Column: 'From the Hill' -- BC's natural resources
In mid-January I attended the British Columbia Natural Resources Forum in Prince George. This is one of the biggest gatherings of resource companies, government leaders and nongovernment organizations in Canada, and is always a good place to hear the latest news from that sector. I was happy to see federal Natural Resources...
Local investment: putting our money where we live
In today’s interconnected world, it is easy to see how your hard-earned money can end up going towards projects and businesses all around the world. In 2013, British Columbians contributed $4.5 Billion of new monies into their RRSPs, much of that money disbursed outside the Province and Canada. Imagine what an impact ...
Opinion: BC Hydro asking for a loan? Overheard by a fly on the wall
Loans Officer (LO): So you'd like to borrow $10.7 billion? BC Hydro (BCH): Yes sir. It's for a hydro-electric dam. LO: Well that's a lot of green for green energy. How exactly did you arrive at that cost? BCH: Happy to report we went to the same team that came up with the $1.5 billion estimate for the Port Mann bridge....
10 Questions with BC Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver
By Carol Linnet of DeSmog Canada B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver went from being B.C.’s solitary Green MLA in 2013 to holding the balance of power in the province’s current minority government. While the transition has had its ups and downs for the climate scientist, public scrutiny of Weaver’s position and what he ought...
Opinion: The second 'Warning to Humanity' and what we can do
A year ago, we revisited the 1992 “World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity.” Signed by a majority of Nobel laureates in sciences at the time and more than 1,700 leading scientists worldwide, the document warned, “Human beings and the natural world are on a collision course.” It called for a new ethic that encompasses our...
BC Supreme Court overturns decision of BC Oil and Gas Commission
The BC Supreme Court has ruled against the BC Oil and Gas Commission (OGC), and overturned the approval of a natural gas pipeline north of Fort Nelson. In an oral decision on December 15, 2017, Madam Justice Gerow found that the OGC’s conduct was “unreasonable” and described the Commission as being “intransigent” (or...
Column: From the Hill -- the wine case at the Supreme Court of Canada
One of the many happy tasks of a Member of Parliament is meeting up with constituents when they visit Ottawa. Last Thursday I had the pleasure of inviting representatives of the Okanagan wine industry to lunch. They and their legal team had just had a memorable morning intervening in an important Supreme Court action, known...
Credit Unions join together to offer VirtualWealth
Until recently, investors could work with an advisor or they could self-manage their own investments. Now there’s another option: robo-advice (or digital advice). In partnership with Qtrade Financial Group, EKC, Nelson and District Credit and Grand Forks credit unions are offering VirtualWealth to its members. VirtualWealth...
Column: time to talk about universal pharmacare
Universal pharmacare is a hot topic on Parliament Hill these days. The concept is simple—a single program that would ensure that all Canadians had free access to prescription drugs. Canada is the only country in the world with universal health care that doesn’t include the cost of drugs in its coverage. And that doesn’t...
Kootenay, Boundary Credit Unions in merger talks
Credit union customers in the south-east interior might soon have access to more services and more convenient banking if a proposed merger goes ahead. Seven local credit unions in the Columbia Valley, Boundary and Kootenays are in talks to merge into one large regional banking institution. The credit unions announced on...
