Oil tankers off West coast are bad but drilling for oil off Newfoundland's coast is OK
We all know politics is the art of the possible. Perfection isn’t for the real world. We aren’t surprised when tradeoffs and the occasional compromise creep into government policies. Nor do we require elected members of government, even at the ministerial level, to be experts in their portfolio areas, although we expect them to avail…
Provincial mismanagement and disrespect for childcare operators has finally hit a boiling point
“I jump through the flaming hoops of death and I’m beyond frustrated.” This is one British Columbia childcare provider’s description of the circus the government is running regarding the administration of childcare. B.C. parents looking forward to $10-a-day childcare are in for disappointment. Provincial mismanagement of childcare and disrespect for childcare operators has been going…
Canada is the solution to reliable, affordable, responsible energy security
The federal government’s plan to require a 42 per cent reduction in emissions from Canada’s oil and gas sector by 2030 is based on assumptions divorced from reality and will ultimately hurt Canadians. Setting aggressive targets to cap and reduce the sector’s pollution – while no other major producing nation does the same – is…
It won’t be easy because Canada lacks the infrastructure to ship oil or gas to Europe directly
With serious endeavours to reduce dependence on Russian energy supplies underway, global energy markets are faced with a real challenge: where will the oil come from to fill the emerging supply shortfall? As part of their efforts to punish Russia for its Ukraine misadventure, Western countries are trying to cut off their dependence on Russian…
Economist Steve Ambler says carbon taxes ‘make everything more expensive’
A leading Canadian economist says the case for carbon taxes is limited, with its proponents delivering more rhetoric than reality. In an interview, Steve Ambler, an economics professor at the University of Quebec at Montreal, gave an excellent analysis of one of Canada’s most controversial taxes. He disagrees with a Supreme Court verdict that called…
A six-year obsession finally pays off
Ever been in business with a spouse? How about a sibling? How about three siblings, all brothers? Daunting as that sounds, it is a successful business recipe employed by the Brothers Schroenn (Justin 56, Matthew and Gareth, 49) as they attempt to transform the world’s aquatic recreational market. The trio is inventor/creators of SWMBRD –…
They’ll need them
Apparently, both the British Columbia ministry of education and the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation would rather not encourage the province’s students to develop and utilize their critical thinking skills. Better to just take the teachers’ truth in the classroom rather than discovering and understanding both sides (or all sides) of a contentious subject. Shame on…
A significant boost to the Canadian economy
The case for the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion remains strong as the world enters another year of exceptional growth in oil demand, according to industry analysts. Following nearly two years of global demand exceeding supply, oil inventories are now at the lowest level ever in Europe and Asia, according to a report by IHS Markit. The…
Living in B.C. is unaffordable for many people and carbon taxes make it worse
Drivers in Vancouver are paying record-smashing prices at the gas pump and taxes are an extra kick in the head. Prices have hit more than $2 per litre for regular gasoline in Metro Vancouver. That’s the highest gasoline price in North America, along with the highest gasoline taxes. Before chuckling at the pipeline-blocking-moon-units getting their…
Unfortunately, Canada is in no position to help because of decades of poor energy policy
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine didn’t cause the energy crisis in Europe. Rather, the energy crisis enabled the invasion – and it’s been decades in the making. So what are we going to do about it? Energy policy must be strategic. Unless Western nations address our energy security, we may be destined to see this kind…
And taxes are a big part of the problem
The price at the gas pumps has hit a record-breaking $1.82 per litre in Vancouver. That’s the most expensive gasoline in North America. While some readers in Winnipeg and Calgary might chuckle at the karma coming back to bite a city whose mayor personally blocked the building of pipelines, it’s important to remember that bad…
Kudos from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation for uncovering abuse of taxpayers' money
Darryl Plecas has given British Columbians a gift that keeps giving all year long: government transparency. Before you stop reading because that sounds as dry as a Griswold Christmas turkey, remember that if it weren’t for the former speaker of the legislature, we wouldn’t know about the wood splitter and whale-watching party bought on our…
Drug users are going to keep using, so a better route to saving lives is to ensure drugs are clean and safe
We’re supposed to be merry and bright as we approach the holidays and the new year. This year, there are many reasons to be less cheerful and festive. We’ve managed to make it through floods, fires and heat domes, but the pandemic persists with the Omicron mutation, inflation threatens our economy and the big, ugly…
Charging money to access this essential information is an attempt to block people from knowing what the government is up to
If democracy dies in darkness, the government of British Columbia just threw our freedom of information rights into a black hole. Victoria has slapped a brand new fee on requests for public information. Now, when journalists and government watchdogs file freedom of information requests to get government documents, they will need to pay between $5…
It was responsible for nearly 26,500 direct jobs and more than 36,100 indirect jobs in 2017
By Ven Venkatachalam and Lennie Kaplan Canadian Energy Centre British Columbia has been producing oil and natural gas since 1952. As of 2018, B.C. produced 32 per cent of Canada’s natural gas and two per cent of Canada’s conventional daily oil production. The government collects royalties from oil and gas development, supporting economic prosperity in…