ICBC is a wreck
British Columbia’s once-celebrated public auto insurer has become a financial train wreck, its critics say as studies into the beleaguered Crown corporation call for dramatic rate hikes and drastic structural changes to save it from ruin. But while everyone appears to agree the system is broken, there is disagreement over how the Insurance Corporation of […]
Help for fire-hit businesses
Small businesses affected by devastating wildfires in British Columbia will be getting some financial relief from the provincial government. Forests Minister Doug Donaldson says small businesses, First Nations whose livelihoods are based on cultural practices and not-for-profit organizations that have been under evacuation orders or alerts are eligible for a $1,500 emergency grant. The funding […]
BC a thorn in Trudeau’s side
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lost the harshest critic of his plan to impose a carbon tax with Brad Wall’s surprise announcement Thursday that he’s retiring as Saskatchewan’s premier. But just as Trudeau pulled that persistent thorn from his right side, he was stabbed in the left side by another thorn as British Columbia’s fledgling NDP […]
BC to fight pipeline project
B.C.’s minority NDP government has unveiled its plan for opposing the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion through the province. In a press conference Thursday, Environment and Climate Change Strategy Minister George Heyman and Attorney General David Eby outlined legal and constitutional steps the government will take action on. “Our government made it clear that a seven-fold increase […]
Fires bad for business
B.C. tourism officials are starting to assess the impact of devastating wildfires and have received mixed feedback on the toll so far on the travel sector. Maya Lange of Destination BC says businesses outside the fire zone have complained of cancellations, while evacuation orders and restrictions to backcountry parks, particularly in the Interior, have limited some […]
Ranchers promised help
Angry B.C. ranchers have been promised help from the federal and provincial governments in response to the wildfires burning their way through grasslands, especially in the Cariboo. The potential impact is severe as ranchers have an estimated 30,000 animals within the boundaries of wildfire-affected areas. The number of livestock injuries and losses is unknown as the […]
US bashes BC wine rules
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has an issue with getting U.S. wine into Canada. “It’s an extraordinary problem for those people who are affected,” Lighthizer said June 22 when he appeared before the House of Representatives ways and means committee to talk about trade priorities. “And there is no justification for it.” Two days before […]
Worst fire season in 6 decades
This year’s wildfire season has become British Columbia’s worst in six decades, and a provincial spokesman says the action is far from over. Kevin Skrepnek of the BC Wildfire Service said Thursday that 4,910 square kilometres of forest, bush and grassland have been torched, making 2017 the second worst year in recorded history in terms […]
Avg Metro home tops $1M
The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says the typical price of a home in Metro Vancouver has surpassed $1 million. The board says the composite benchmark price for all residential properties in the area is currently $1,019,400, up 8.7 per cent from July 2016. The benchmark price for detached properties in the area is […]
BCUC to review Site C
British Columbia’s New Democrat government has asked the province’s utilities commission to review the $8.8-billion Site C dam, throwing into doubt one of former premier Christy Clark’s major accomplishments. Energy Minister Michelle Mungall says the regulator will be tasked with determining the economic viability of the megaproject, with interim results in six weeks and a […]
