Pretending less is known than we know
At times, I wonder if mainstream political journalism in BC is written by the uninformed for the uninformed. Gary Mason provided an example to consider when he commented on the…
oil and gas
Climate Criminals: Harper Misses Canadian People’s Climate March Caravan
By skipping the UN Climate Summit, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is solidifying his place among the ranks of global climate criminals. The post Climate Criminals: Harper Misses Canadian People’s Climate…
Captives of industry
Regular readers are aware that British Columbia’s natural gas industry provides surprisingly little return to the province by way of royalties for depleting non-renewable public assets. In the last two…
Nova Scotia is not ready for fracking
An independent panel commissioned by the government of Nova Scotia to examine the impact of hydraulic fracturing has concluded that Nova Scotia is not read for fracking. The post Nova…
This week’s Liberal direction: lower LNG expectations
Friday, The Common Sense Canadian — a site that usually provides worthwhile journalism — posted an article written by Keith Baldrey for Glacier Media, publisher of numerous community recyclables. Not…
Socialized losses, privatized gains
Every megaproject conceived and executed by BC Liberals in recent years has ended with massive cost overruns, despite the predictable “on-time and on-budget” claims. Most involved contractors with foreign domiciles.…
Court Upholds Small Towns’ Right to Ban Fracking
The New York Court of Appeals has ruled that local communities have the right to ban the environmentally-harmful practice of fracking by oil and gas companies. The post Court Upholds…
Volatile gas revenues tend to evaporate
BC Liberals are reluctant spenders when it comes to improving public schools. However, they’re not reluctant to put money into the pockets of natural gas producers. The amounts are in…
Will Enbridge’s pipeline ever get built?
You have to wonder why the Harper government bothered with process at all. It’s like there was never any doubt that Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline would get approved. But historians…
Super Industrial BC
Richard ‘Hub’ Hughes-Positively Political Rafe Mair is back in the saddle and zoning in on issues of significance to all British Columbians. Mair is calling out to BC NDP Leader…
Poll: Albertans clearly support stronger rules for industrial greenhouse gas emissions
by: Pembina Institute | Press Release | May 23, 2014 EDMONTON — New poll results show that 76 per cent of Albertans support the Government of Alberta requiring stronger greenhouse…
Vapourtax
A few tech companies are noted for vapourware, which are products announced with much fanfare that never materialise. In my view, BC Liberal assurances of more than $70 billion new…
Charting BC natural gas revenues
The following charts are created with production data from Statistics Canada (CANSIM 131-0001) and other reports from government ministries. These demonstrate significant changes of income from exploration and production of…
Don’t believe the (LNG) hype
Today we released a new report, Path to Prosperity? A Closer Look at British Columbia’s Natural Gas Royalties and Proposed LNG Income Tax, about liquefied natural gas (LNG ) development…
BC proposes LNG tax
I posted this on CCPA’s BC Policy Note blog but others across Canada should pay attention to BC’s quest for LNG gold. I’d also recommend this comparison of the Quebec…
BC’s Big Favour? LNG Exports and GHG Emissions
The hype on LNG has grown to staggering proportions. I have not had much time to debunk all of the government’s grotesque exaggerations and outright falsehoods. But Christy Clark’s claim…
The Staple Theory @ 50: Mel Watkins
We now present the final installment in our autumn-long series of special commentaries marking the 50th anniversary of the publication of “A Staple Theory of Economic Development,” the classic article…
Propaganda presented as credible news
Were I a new arrival in Canada who relied on major media, I would believe, as Canadian Press reported, Northern Gateway is a project that, “…will put billions of dollars…
Christy Clark arrest may be imminent
Sunday, RCMP announced arrest of Qing Quentin Huang for attempting to communicate knowledge of Canadian ship construction to China. Huang is employed by an Ontario based subcontractor of Irving Shipbuilding.…