John Horgan announcing a new framework for LNG (Province of BC / Flickr) In his desperate bid to keep Christy Clark’s LNG pipe dream alive, John Horgan has become completely untethered from reality. Today, he announced further tax incentives for the industry – as if the sweetheart deal the Liberals
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In-Sights: Governmental pandering and corporate fiction peddling
Following is an item contributed by an In-Sights reader who chooses to be known as “Anonymous.” Most people are unlikely to remember the following… from J. Wellington Wimpy “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.” I’m old, so I remember. Again, sensing the usefulness of predicting disaster (cue organist) … unless
Continue readingIn-Sights: Fossil fuel pollution we forget
After Canada’s federal government and its energy regulator chose to examine broader environmental effects of Trans Mountain’s Energy East pipelines, including upstream and downstream emissions, the American owned company abandoned the project. According to Alberta politicians and their fossil fuel puppeteers, investigating all impacts of oil and gas development are an
Continue readingIn-Sights: Plug pulled on LNG
Today, China pulled the plug on Aurora LNG, the last large LNG project proposed for British Columbia. This comes 55 months after Christy Clark, leading her first general election campaign, announced: …the new British Columbia Prosperity Fund to ensure communities, First Nations and all British Columbians benefit from the development of
Continue readingIn-Sights: Socialized losses, privatized gains
Postmedia’s Michael Smyth came to Gordon Wilson’s defense after the LNG advocate was relieved of vague but costly responsibilities for gas industry promotion. But, did the political commentator make even a small effort to examine BC Liberal ambitions for this “generational opportunity”? Given Postmedia’s partnership with the Canadian Association of Petroleum
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Jerry Dias writes that corporate greed is the common thread in numerous stories about Canadian workers being left without jobs or support. And Yves Engler points out that trade agreements have ultimately served little purpose but to entrench corporate power. – Chris
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Angella MacEwen offers her suggestions as to what a fair and progressive trade agenda should look like: Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms are especially unpopular, as they prioritize investor rights over investor responsibilities. Canada and Mexico have had similar dismal experiences under NAFTA
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Cathy Crowe writes that there’s no excuse for putting off action to provide housing to people who need it – not only because of the inhumanity of waiting, but because there’s plenty of evidence as to what works: Over the years big
Continue readingIn-Sights: BC dodged a bullet
The lack of thoughtful analysis about LNG found in BC’s daily newspapers is disappointing but not surprising. In 2015, Rafe Mair told us what to expect in his article Canada’s biggest newspaper chain sold its soul to oil and gas: Agreements between Postmedia – the country’s largest newspaper chain –
Continue readingIn-Sights: Huge cost, high risk, low government revenue, few permanent jobs, better choices
When thinking about the Petronas LNG project (PNW LNG), we should consider which supporting claims for it were believable. For example, proponents have routinely misrepresented the value and benefits of the project. The Star Online explains how the capital cost was calculated: Adding values of the export terminal and TransCanada’s troubled
Continue readingIn-Sights: Behind the ostensible government
An item previously published, with minor updates: I studied political science at university long, long ago. In those days, I was naive and idealistic and a member of the Liberal Party. Because I did not stay naive, I did not remain a Liberal. Yet, the theory of party politics makes
Continue readingIn-Sights: Pembina Institute reacts
The trillion dollar charade has ended and the sparkle ponies are pissed. Not that the whole thing was anything but a big lie from the start, created to save a desperate Liberal party that worried it was headed for defeat at the 2013 polls. Sustaining the fantasy cost taxpayers a
Continue readingIn-Sights: Stakes high, LNG bets unsafe
Today Pacific Northwest LNG announced what has been obvious for a considerable time. Unless the provincial government was prepared to guarantee profits and underwrite losses, the project was not proceeding. The following article is from 2014. Some years ago, Premier Gordon Campbell announced the Gateway Program for improvement of roads
Continue readingIn-Sights: Circular flow of income
Dr. Eoin Finn, an expert in international business and a leading Woodfibre LNG opponent, spoke to the independent Coast Clarion and said, “The fight is nearly over.” This was a project that Christy Clark’s Liberals hoped to promote in the May election as proof their LNG strategy was not constructed
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Rafe: It’s got to be the NDP to replace Lyin’ Liberals…but LNG complicates matters
NDP Leader John Horgan Like a large number of people in the WestVancouver- Sea-To-Sky constituency, I am breaking the usual rules – I want the NDP to form the next government but I am passionately opposed to Woodfibre LNG which the NDP candidate supports. If I were to support her, my
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Dirtier Than We Had Ever Imagined.
Oil and gas fracking doesn’t draw the same attention in Canada as it has attracted in the United States. It’s probably fair to say that most of us hardly think of it at all. That could be about to change. Two new studies into fracking operations in western Canada show
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Trumplandia vs. Clarklandia: How BC stands to lose on LNG, lumber and trade
Part one in a series by Kevin Logan February 17th 2017 As the faux populist facade fades and the new reality show “Trumplandia” begins to emerge from the ruins of the Democratic elite’s embrace of hedge funds and wall street masters, one thing is crystal clear: Big oil and gas
Continue readingWe Pivot: Let’s Fix Canada’s Green Energy Posture
Ok, there are clearly two problems with Justin Harper’s approach to green energy, among so many others. Here, read this, then read on to see what Canada should look like: The declining cost of rooftop solar panels — down over 90 per cent since 2000 — has offered hope for
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Rafe: With LNG approval, Trudeau govt shows true colours…but we shouldn’t be suprised
Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna with Industry Minister Jim Carr (left) and BC Premier Christy Clark (right) announcing the federal government’s approval of PNWLNG (Province of BC/Flickr) Developing a climate plan to meet Canada’s Paris Agreement commitments is a challenging but achievable task for the federal government. Doing so
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how a recent spate of announcements signals that contrary to their campaign commitments in both theme and detail, there’s been little difference between the Trudeau Liberals and the Harper Conservatives in substance. For further reading…– The point is one being made by plenty of other observers as well
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