Column -- From the Hill: Climate change urgency
Last week I became a grandfather for the first time. Politicians are fond of talking about what kind of future we will leave our grandchildren, but I can now say that having a grandchild sharpens that perspective dramatically. On Thanksgiving Monday, two news headlines jumped out at me, both dealing with our path to a...
NDP gets its knuckles rapped by Elections BC
VICTORIA – Administrative monetary penalties have been issued and posted on the Elections BC website at https://elections.bc.ca/resources/investigations/administrative-monetary-penalties. In 2017 the Election Act was amended to give the Chief Electoral Officer the authority to levy administrative monetary penalties in specific...
COLUMN: From the Hill -- the new trade agreement
After months of negotiations and a seemingly endless series of false deadlines, negotiators have hammered out a new trade agreement between Canada, the USA and Mexico. The new agreement (called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA for short) will create winners and losers, of course, and the general consensus...
From The Leg: Cannabis legalization top issue
The Legislature will resume sitting in Victoria on October 1st. As this is a continuation of the spring session there will be no Ceremonial Speech from the Throne. There are many issues that will be debated between now and December but I am sure the Cannabis legalization on October 17th will be number one on everyone’s minds....
Have your say this fall!
Have you moved or changed your name since the last election? Are you a registered voter for BC? The BC government wants to make sure that everyone who is eligible can vote in the October – November referendum on electoral reform, and urges everyone to either register, or make sure their voter information is up-to-date. Chief...
Column: From the Hill -- Court Ruling on KM Pipeline; an Emergency Meeting
Last Tuesday I was in Ottawa for an emergency meeting of the Standing Committee on Natural Resources in the wake of the Federal Court of Appeal decision that quashed the federal government’s approval of the Trans Mountain Expansion project. The court quashed the approval based on two errors—the lack of consideration of marine...
Column: Constituents' concerns
On Sunday I completed my third annual “Ride the Riding” event, cycling 411 kilometres from Naramata to Nakusp. The ride provides an opportunity to meet and talk with constituents on the trail or at scheduled stops in cafes and restaurants in communities throughout the riding, celebrates the beautiful cycling trails we have ...
Opponents fail to stifle referendum
According to a tweet today (Tuesday, August 28) by Keith Fraser of the Vancouver Sun, a bid to stop this fall's referendum on electoral reform has failed. The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) sought an injunction to stop the vote, but in order to obtain an injunction to stop a thing from happening,...
Community Leadership! What’s important on City Council.
We all have ideas about how City Councillors should conduct themselves and all the things our council ought to do, but Monday evening’s session in Castlegar was presented by two well-informed experts on the topic whose ideas have withstood the test of reality. If you have served on Council and think you’re...
From the Hill - MP speaks to wildfires
It’s now official — 2018 has just become British Columbia’s second worst forest fire season in history, second only to last year. Residents have endured weeks of heavy smoke, some have been evacuated from their communities, and some have unfortunately lost their homes. Businesses have suffered as tourists leave or stay away,...
