BC trying to help renters

VICTORIA — The B.C. government has opened access to its $500 million rental-protection fund that will help non-profit groups purchase rental buildings. The goal of providing the capital funding is to allow renters to stay in the buildings and keep their rents affordable. The province said in a statement that more than 97,000 units where […]

Port strike vote this weekend

VANCOUVER — The union representing more than 7,000 terminal cargo movers in ports throughout British Columbia has scheduled a strike vote as it negotiates a new collective agreement. Rob Ashton, the president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada, says in a bulletin to members that the union’s negotiating committee has authorized a strike […]

Spec tax area expands

VICTORIA — B.C. is expanding the tax it created to clamp down on real estate speculation and ensure homes in rental-strapped communities don’t sit empty. A statement from the Ministry of Finance said the Speculation and Vacancy Tax now includes the municipalities of North Cowichan, Duncan, Ladysmith, Lake Cowichan, Lions Bay and Squamish. Starting early […]

Teck cancels vote, stands firm

Teck Resources Ltd.’s move to cancel a key shareholder vote on its plan to separate its businesses may be seen as a win for Glencore in its ongoing campaign to acquire the Vancouver-based mining company. But Teck is standing by its assertion that the offer by the Swiss commodities giant remains a “non-starter,” and Teck […]

Teck shareholder backs split

Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd., a key shareholder at Teck Resources Ltd., says it will vote in favour of the company’s plan to separate its metals and steelmaking coal operations into two companies. The Japanese company says in a statement that it has built a trusted partnership with Teck in the mining business. Swiss company […]

Business groups decry wage hike

A 6.9% minimum wage hike mandated by the B.C. government is “unsustainable” for some businesses when stacked on all other costs downloaded onto business, say a number of business groups. As of June 1, the B.C. government is raising the minimum wage from $15.65 to $16.75 per hour, the province announced Wednesday. “Having a minimum […]

PM ‘surprised’ by cocaine news

VICTORIA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “as surprised as” B.C. Premier David Eby after a firm received Health Canada licence amendments to produce and sell cocaine. Trudeau said Friday that the federal government was “working very quickly” with Adastra Labs of Langley “to correct the misunderstanding” caused by the company’s statement saying […]

BC posts foreign workers record

B.C. businesses are hiring a record number of temporary foreign workers as they struggle to fill jobs. The latest federal data show there were more than 32,200 people in B.C. under the federal government’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program at the end of 2022, more than Ontario, which has more than twice B.C.’s population. It’s a […]

Teck fosters sustainable finance

CALGARY — Experts say Teck Resources’ plan to separate its coal business from its base metals operations shows the influence of the sustainable finance movement. The Vancouver-based mining company announced Tuesday that it will spin off its steelmaking coal assets to create a separate publicly traded company called Elk Valley Resources Ltd. Teck Resources will […]

Salmon farm licences denied

VICTORIA — Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray says the government will not renew licences for 15 open-net Atlantic salmon farms around B.C.’s Discovery Islands. Murray says the Discovery Islands area is a key migration route for wild salmon, where narrow passages bring migrating juvenile salmon into close contact with the farms. She said in a news […]