The Hook: Political news, freshly caught
BC liquor workers to strike in Vancouver, Victoria, Kamloops
The union for B.C.'s liquor distribution system issued a 72-hour strike notice this morning, saying workers will picket three distribution branches early next week. Read more…
Should There Be More Regulations on Big Tech?
- Yes.
- No.
- I don’t know.
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Are you watching the winter Olympics this year? Read the results of that poll here.
Disease rates in oil and gas region show need for monitoring
Air monitoring in northeastern British Columbia is a step in the right direction, said the author of a new report on how the province's oil and gas industry may be affecting people's health. Read more…
BC 'carbon tax shift' a success, says think-tank report
B.C.'s carbon tax has worked to cut down the fossil fuels use of British Columbians to the lowest in Canada with little economic damage to show for it, according to a new report. Read more…
As BC Ferries lost money and traffic, executives got bonus bump
Executives at BC Ferries got a big bump in their total compensation last year as the government owned company lost money and passenger levels sank to a 21-year low. Read more…
Exxon CEO: Fossil fuels will warm planet, but humans can adapt
ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson says fears about climate change, drilling, and energy dependence are overblown. Read more…
Changes to Fisheries Act provide 'flexibility' for pollution: Minister
Fisheries Minister Keith Ashfield says that controversial changes to the Fisheries Act will make it legal for the Canadian government to allow corporations to pollute Canadian waterways. Read more…
Tory ad calls carbon tax 'dangerous'; oil sands firms disagree
The federal Conservatives' new attack ad against Thomas Mulcair refers to a carbon tax as 'dangerous'. Several leading oil sands firms, meanwhile, alongside 150 of Canada's top corporations, publicly support such a policy. Read more…
Broad support across BC for carbon tax: Pembina report
British Columbia's carbon tax is broadly supported by businesspeople, academics, local governments and environmentalists, indicates a new Pembina Institute report. Read more…
Contradicting BC premier, shale gas calculated to be 'dirty' as coal
B.C. Premier Christy Clark announced on Thursday that natural gas is a "clean energy" if used to develop and ship liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Asia.
But experts have calculated that "fracked" shale gas of the sort that B.C. produces has a large greenhouse emissions footprint -- as big as coal's, even. Read more…
Canadian Labour Congress accused of 'selling out' Quebec students
In a statement posted on the Recomposition website and widely circulated in BC labour circles this week, Canadian Labour Congress president Ken Georgetti and Michel Arsenault, president of the FTQ/QFL, the Quebec labour umbrella group are attacked for discouraging Anglo Canadian unions from taking "possibly illegal" actions to support the student uprising.
But Jim Sinclair, president of the BC Fed, says that there is nothing to these criticisms and nothing in the letter "to keep us from supporting the students." Read more…
Don't want coal mines? Then don't buy steel: Compliance Energy CEO
BC-based mining company behind Vancouver Island's Raven coal mine held its annual general meeting today, faced by opponents outside. Read more…
Public ferry process aimed at finding $30 million in cuts, says minister
The British Columbia government is planning to ask the public where it would like the coastal ferry service to be cut to save money, says the minister responsible. Read more…
More ferry consultation delays fixing problems: NDP's Coons
A provincial government plan to consult the public about coastal ferry services is a delaying tactic that won't address BC Ferries' real problems, said NDP ferries critic Gary Coons. Read more…
Oil sands jobs too few, too GHG-intensive to justify expansion: report
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) report Green Industrial Revolution: Climate Justice, Green Jobs and Sustainable Production was released today, providing a bird's-eye view of the GHG emissions per job in everything from retail work to oil and gas extraction. Read more…
BC to keep CETA drug patent letter secret
British Columbia officials have decided to keep secret a letter regarding trade with Europe that Premier Christy Clark had previously said she believed could be released. Read more…
Canada 5th in G20 for green performance: report
As the Rio+20 Earth Summit kicks off Monday in Rio de Janeiro, one high-profile academic is arguing countries should be assigned an environmental rating, much the same way financial agencies rate government credit. His proposed ranking for Canada? Fifth out of the G20 countries. Read more…
Teachers, employers declare LRB ruling a victory
Both the teachers' union and their government employers have declared victory over today's Labour Relations Board ruling that determines what outside classroom work is part of teachers' jobs. Read more…
BC Ferries passenger traffic dropped to lowest level in 21 years
With dropping vehicle traffic and passenger levels, BC Ferries lost money last fiscal year despite receiving a boost from the provincial government. Read more…
Competitive process skipped to hire technology consultant for BC premier
The British Columbia government has awarded a one-year, $198,000 contract to a new president of the Premier's Technology Council without holding a competitive process. Read more…
Who are the 275,000 people in Canada's top one per cent?
A paper released last week by University of British Columbia economics professors sheds new light on income inequality trends in Canada, who the top earners are and what policies might best address the country's growing income gap. Read more…
