R.I.P. Merv Adey
It’s a sad day today. I knew Merv had been seriously ill for some time. Four weeks ago, he was hoping that a series of new treatments would be successful…
Norman Farrell
LNG facilities: siting, safety, regulation
An August 19 fire and gas leak at the Tilbury Island LNG facility reminds of the fuel’s inherent dangers. Luckily, Delta’s Firehall No. 7 is only 1,500 meters from the…
Similarities
Muskrat Falls was always a done deal, and a bad one, Pam Frampton, Saint John’s Telegram: One week the project was all about clean energy, the next it was job…
Rising prices have only just begun
During the seventies and eighties, inflation was substantial in Canada. However, BC Hydro was not a major contributor to the rising cost of living. In the 20 years to 2006,…
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…
My country, tears of thee…
Racism and bigotry are nothing new. In my youth, I assumed these scourges would fade away through enlightenment ensured by modern education, communication and human migration made easier in a…
Falsehood flies, truth comes limping after it
The following article was first published in February. It is still relevant today because, despite a change in government, agents of Site C beneficiaries continue to spread falsehoods trying to…
From the news archives: Site C history – UPDATED
An item previously published at In-Sights but worth reviewing as the BCUC finally gets to examine BC Hydro’s latest mega-project. Large Dams Cost Twice Original Budget, Researchers Say, Bloomberg Business,…
Not-Net-zero, on steroids
In 2016, the BC Liberal Government boasted that its four year program of executive salary restraint “demonstrates the effectiveness of ongoing measures to increase affordability, transparency and accountability in public…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
Rafe & Scotty on Denman
A preceding article contains two comments from readers whom I regard highly. The contributions were to Overrun with dullards, bums, and hacks… Because they merit close attention, I present them…
Careless or captured?
When you read or listen to resource industry advocates, especially ones masquerading as objective political pundits, compare their concerns in 2009 about burning natural gas to generate peak-demand electricity to…
Overrun with dullards, bums, and hacks…
Hunter S. Thompson: As far as I’m concerned, it’s a damned shame that a field as potentially dynamic and vital as journalism should be overrun with dullards, bums, and hacks,…
When the call screener makes life difficult – Replay
A bit out of date but this item first published in January 2015 is worth repeating. It shows something about the quality of political reporting in BC. January 2, an…
BC’s natural gas revenues
This is a communication that I sent to the office of British Columbia’s Auditor General: I note that one of your works in progress is an examination of public revenues…
We should all have a stake in the Peace
At the Boon family farm near Fort St. John: The Yellow Stake Campaign