Friday, November 30, 2018

Victoria Viewpoints: Friday, November 30, 2018




Our compilation of some of the stories of note from the day, reviewing the political developments from the Provincial scene for Friday, November 30, 2018



Globe and Mail 

Oil and gas commission investigating earthquakes in BC; expert suspects fracking is cause
West Fraser Timber to curtail holiday lumber production at four BC sawmills
Community engagement works only when promises are kept
B.C. speaker's office faces rare challenge from Liberal opposition
B.C. officer raises concerns about online sales of edible cannabis


CBC

Earthquake near Fort St. John 'very likely' caused by fracking
B.C. firefighter fired after spy camera catches couple having sex in chief's office
Powerful quakes buckle Alaska roads, briefly trigger tsunami warning
Massey Tunnel will not be replaced with 10 lane bridge, report suggests
$9.5M underwater listening station to monitor Salish Sea as part of federal whale initiative
Squamish First Nation negotiates $225M in benefits from Woodfibre LNG plant


Vancouver Sun

Vernon fire department employees fired after hidden camera catches them having sex
Stricter rules in BC mean parental consent required for minors on party buses
Vancouver Mayor's office budget may face review if council motion OK'd
Citing 'taxpayer fatigue,' Metro Vancouver board re-examines regional budget
Province talking to metro Mayors about future of the Massey Tunnel
Fort St. John area earthquakes likely caused by fracking: Expert
Good reasons to avoid public inquiry into money-laundering
ICBC launches computerized information pilot project for new drivers


Vancouver Province

--


Victoria Times Colonist

Voter turnout surges in BC referendum, with Island leading the way
$6.8 million upgrade to draw bigger cruise ships to Ogden Point
True reconciliation in B.C. requires implementing United Nations declaration
Scandal shines light on house's management


Victoria News

Four coastal  B.C. communities to receive funding for maritime information pilot project
Leonard Krog steps down as MLA of Nanaimo


Global BC

Squamish Nation inks deal with Woodfibre LNG
Fort St. John quake was 'likely caused by fracking: officials
Vancouver School Board implements final phase to lower lead in water fountains
Party bus operators must now obtain consent forms for underage bus riders
Surveillance video catches two Vernon firefighters having sex in fire chief's office
NDP facing tough test in upcoming teacher contract talks


Georgia Strait

PHS housing director Andy Bond promoted to lead the Vancouver non-profit through challenging times
The richer the neighbourhood, the more homes are empty, Vancouver tax report finds
Why I am voting against the tuition increases for domestic students


Vancouver Courier

Gastown development involves preserving facade of historic McConnell Block
Video of sexual relations can be used at grievance in fire department firings
What Vancouver's impressive Empty Homes Tax revenue tells us
Coquitlam considers hiking development fees on new homes


The Tyee
Miscellaneous


Ottawa Observations: Friday, November 30, 2018



Our compilation of some of the stories of note from the day, reviewing the political developments from the Federal scene for   Friday, November 30, 2018


Globe and Mail 

How Alberta's oil patch is fighting the crude slump
Why Canada should be helping Alberta
Grewal says in video statement he has repaid millions in debt, is rethinking resignation
Albertans fell Oshawa's pain, but see a double standard
Ottawa vows to deliver Indigenous child-welfare legislation next year
The USMCA has been signed - what comes next?
Commons to provide translation for MPs speaking Indigenous languages
Canada led joint G7 statement condemning Russian aggression in Ukraine, Freeland says
Stephen Harper's approval needed to release some files in criminal case against vice-admiral Mark Norman




CBC

'Battle' over as Trudeau, Trump, Pena Nieto sign 'new NAFTA'
Liberal government making little progress on backlogged veterans' disability claims
'Dark day for press freedom': Vice must give ISIS notes to police, top court rules
Canada led joint G7 statement condemning Russian aggression in Ukraine: Freeland
Métis leader says UNDRIP bill 'tainted' by potty-mouthed NDP MP
Ottawa to hand over child welfare services to Indigenous governments
Canadian party leaders, politicians weigh in on the signing of NAFTA 2.0
Trading acronyms: Have your say on what to call the new NAFTA
Statistics Canada says pace of Canadian economic growth slowed in third quarter

Toronto Star

USMCA? CUSMA? What the new NAFTA is called depends on who's talking
Supreme Court ruling against Vice doesn't impact protection on confidential sources, experts say
Brampton MP Raj Grewal rethinking decision to resign, says he repaid gambling debts
Ottawa promises Indigenous child welfare changes to end 'humanitarian crisis'
'Free Willy' bill lands Liberal support in the House
Figures on homeless vets used by Veterans Affairs wrong, minister says
General Motors leaves Canada wondering what comes next
Canada, U.S., Mexico sign revised NAFTA deal Trump claims 'changes the trade landscape forever'
Canada should do all it can to stop anti-gay terror in Tanzania
After GM, we need a plan for the 21st century workplace
Democracy is dying. The executioners are our leaders

Toronto Sun

UN migration compact spells radical change for Canada
Feds' migrant border bill $1B and growing


National Post

RCMP called to probe tale of two Liberal MPs, a suburban overpass, trip to Indian and multimillion dollar land deal
Canada's fantasyland politics can't fix our refugee backlog
Budget officer finds illegal migrants entering via a 'loophole within a loophole'
Alberta's United Conservative Party seeks to join Saskatchewan's legal battle against federal carbon tax




Maclean's

Why Andrew Scheer is spouting nonsense about GM

Global

Liberal MP Raj Grewal says he may not resign due to gambling addiction
Paramount Resources CEO backs calls for production cuts to support oil prices
New NAFTA is now signed, but nobody knows what to call it
Maxime Bernier claims People's Party of Canada true conservative choice
Trudeau urges "Donald" to drop steel tariffs at USMCA signing
Relations between Canada and Saudis 'fractured,' kingdom seeking exit strategies from existing deals: memo
USMCA deal signed by Trudeau, Trump and Pena Nieto - finalizing months of negotiations



Miscellaneous 





BC Government to share Gaming revenue with First Nations

The British Columbia Government has announced plans
to share gaming revenues with First Nations in the province 


Looking to act on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the British Columbia government has announced an agreement to share provincial gaming revenue to support self-government and services to make life better for families in First Nations communities.

The first step towards implementing the new revenue sharing program will be funding of two million dollars in immediate support to establish a BC First Nations Gaming Distribution Limited Partnership.

Calling the initiative a step on the path towards reconciliation, Finance Minister Carole James noted the opportunities that the shared revenues will offer First Nations communities.

“This is an enormous step forward on the path to reconciliation and truly recognizing the right to self-determination for First Nations,”  ... “First Nations know better than anyone what their communities need to thrive. When First Nations can focus on their priorities, it creates new opportunities for communities to flourish both today and for the generations to come.”

The plan to share in the revenues from gaming in BC is the start of the province's ambitions towards implementing the UNDRIP resolution.

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, the president of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs observed how that resolution is considered the framework for reconciliation in BC by his organization,

“Today’s historic announcement marks a significant achievement in the Government of B.C.’s journey to reconcile its colonial history with the unextinguished Title and Rights of Indigenous peoples,”  .. . “First Nations in B.C. continue to experience the ongoing impacts of colonization, including a lack of recognition for our rights and disproportionately poor living conditions. We are hopeful that the joint work we commit to with the Province will improve the lives of our people and for all British Columbians. Jointly-developed, recognition- and rights-based legislative, policy and operational changes are needed to get out of this colonial hangover. B.C.’s commitment to developing a legislative framework for the full implementation of the standards and principles of the UN declaration, and its commitment to share gaming revenue, is a significant step towards the realization of Indigenous peoples' right to self-determination and the revitalization of Indigenous governments and a nation-to-nation relationship. We cannot reiterate enough, the UN declaration must be the framework for reconciliation in B.C.”


As part of Thursday's announcement, the BC government highlighted three key elements of the program.


All First Nations will be eligible for a portion of the new gaming revenue fund. A new limited partnership, comprised of a First Nations-appointed board of directors, will oversee the distribution of the funds. 

First Nations will determine the best use for the new funding from a share of annual provincial gaming revenues. Funding will focus on priorities in the following framework: health and wellness; infrastructure, safety, transportation and housing; economic and business development; education, language, culture and training; community development and environmental protection; and capacity building, fiscal management and governance. Within that framework, First Nations governments will determine their own priorities for these funds. 

Gaming revenue sharing will be provided in addition to existing revenue sharing. Currently, economic benefits agreements between the Province and First Nations are primarily resource based and provide approximately $125 million annually to First Nations whose land and rights are affected.

The province of British Columbia already offers a share of gambling revenues with municipal governments across the province.  The most recent distribution provided Prince Rupert with just over ten million dollars in funding.

The BC Government also distributes some of the gambling revenue to community groups across the province.

You can learn more about the new First Nations revenue sharing program here.

Further background material provides a wider overview of how the province and First Nations plan to approach the new initiative,.

Vision, guiding principles, goals and objectives

Polices and Policies

Commitment Document


More items of interest related to the BC Legislature can be found from our archive page here.

A wider overview of the provincial scene can be reviewed from our political blog D'Arcy McGee

Cross posted from the North  Coast Review

Tsunami risk being evaluated as 7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes near Anchorage



No Risk for British Columbia from today's quake in Anchorage, Alaska

See updates below:

There has been a large earthquake north of Anchorage Alaska, with 7.0 magnitude seismic event striking the Alaskan city at 9:29 BC time  this morning.

Original recordings had listed the quake as a 7.2 event, but it was subsequently downgraded.

The event was located 10 kilometres North of Anchorage, with a depth of 38.5 kilometres.

Some background on the event can be found here.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has issued an advisory for tsunami activity for a number of Alaskan cities and towns so far, while the risk to points south including British Columbia are still be assessed by officials.



So far there have been no additional warnings issued, we shall update this item should that situation change.

The City of Prince Rupert issued a notification through its mobile app program at 10:07 advising of the earthquake and noting that Emergency Management BC has not issued any warning related to the event at this time, adding that the City is monitoring the situation.

The City also posted updates to their website and Facebook page




Television station KTVA  is streaming live through their Facebook page providing the latest details from Anchorage following today's quake.

At just before 11 AM BC Time, the Tsunami Warning Centre cancelled its original Tsunami Warning




For more items of note related to seismic events see our archive page here.


Cross posted from the North Coast Review

Senate report calls for Coast Guard to stand alone with focus on Search and Rescue funding

Increases in staffing, better funding and making more use of the Coast Guard Auxiliary and exploring the use of private contractors make for some of the recommendations from a Senate report which has reviewed the capacity of Canada's Coast Guard and it's Search and Rescue duties.

Should the Federal government follow through on the recommendations, the West Coast services of the Coast Guard could see some significant improvements and funding increases, something which could expand the Coast guard footprint on the North Coast out of the Seal Cove base in Prince Rupert, as well as for First Nation coastal communities along the British Columbia Coast.

The 71 page document with the title of When Every Minute Counts provides an extensive review of the services and resources available to the Coast Guard and finds that the Federal government needs to deliver more attention to the needs of the Coast Guard to attend to its duties across the nation.

The report digs deep into the way that Search and Rescue duties are tasked in Canada, making note of the partnership between the Coast Guard and Armed Forces and how the division of duties between the two is handled.

From its look at the history of the Coast Guard dating back to its creation in 1868, the review examines the various shifts in responsibility for the service, which in 2005 was merged into operations of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans,  something that a number of those providing background to the Senators suggests isn't working to the benefit of the Coast Guard.


To address the need for a better approach towards delivering on its core duties of providing for Search and Rescue and Safety on the water, the Senate Committee made two recommendations:

That the Canadian Coast Guard be established as a separate statutory agency reporting to the Minister of Transport.

That Capital planning for the Coast Guard be extended to 20 years to reflect the need for the fleet's renewal, upgrade and modernization.


The Senate Committee travelled across Canada as well as to Europe to see what does and doesn't work when it comes to Coast Guard services and mission statements and how the Canadian Coast Matches up with some of the other services that they examined as part of the findings of their report.

Some of those discussions with the European agencies helped to shape some of the findings, including the final recommendation to return the Coast Guard to the oversight of the Transport Canada Ministry.

It was noted that a separate statute for the CCG along with a transfer to the TC portfolio would better align with its mandate and the approach taken by other jurisdictions, such as, for example, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

Solutions at home were also explored, with the Senate Committee noting that improved funding for Coast Guard Auxiliary services and expanding the relationship with First Nations communities could help to increase the ability to respond to incidents.

In British Columbia, the Senators recommend more training opportunities for Coastal First Nations, observing that often it is their members who are the first on the scene when a call for assistance issued.

Given the valuable experience gained to date by members of coastal and Indigenous communities as part of this course and the high demand for this training, the committee sees the Coastal Nations Search and Rescue Course as an excellent opportunity to improve maritime SAR response on the West Coast. The committee heard remarkable stories where Indigenous peoples were actively involved in maritime SAR incidents. Similar courses could be provided in other regions, including, for example, coastal communities in the Canadian Arctic that are experiencing an increase in maritime activity. 

Indigenous peoples living in remote coastal communities are and will continue to be the first responders to marine incidents in their waters. It is the view of the committee that the time has come to meaningfully develop the capacity of local peoples willing to help respond to maritime SAR incidents in their regions as they arise.

With the coast guard facing staffing challenges today and the prospect of a twenty five percent turnover with retirement in the years ahead, the committee has called for an aggressive recruitment and retention strategy to address those shortages, recommending the Coast Guard target a wider pool of potential  employees.

The committee recommends that the Canadian Coast Guard, in collaboration with the Canadian Coast Guard College, expand and intensify its human resource recruitment strategy to target a broader audience. 

The committee recommends that the strategy have a particular focus on attracting and retaining Indigenous cadets and employees within the Canadian Coast Guard organization.

The report also offers praise for those who participate in the Canadian Coast Auxiliary program, recommending that the Canadian Coast Guard establish a maritime Search and Rescue Fund to support the purchase of equipment and services needed by regional Coast Guard Auxiliary organizations.

The report also recommends that assistance be provided to Regional Coast Guard auxiliary organizations so they can diversify their funding sources.

The Report also urges the Government to provide the Canadian Armed Forces with the ability to increase and diversify its search and rescue workforce to respond to the increased demand for search and rescue.

The prospect of making use of private contractors was also explored in the report, with the Senators reviewing how the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway and Australia make use of private resources to compliment their own services.


And while they don't recommend that Canada follow the lead of the us of private contractors as found in some of the services that were studied, they do see an opportunity for public/private partnerships.

The committee does not believe that privatization of aeronautical SAR (like in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia), or another large government capital expenditure project for additional SAR aircrafts (or to rebuild the older ones), fit Canada’s unique requirements. 

However, the committee believes that alternative service delivery – in the form of public-private partnerships that leverage the best of both public and private capabilities/resources – could offer, in the short- and medium terms, an innovative and cost-effective solution to supplement SAR resources in regions with little or insufficient coverage.

As part of the review, the Senate report also called attention to the risks involved in the commercial fishing industry, noting that it hosts the highest fatality rate among employment sectors in Canada.

The recurring finding of an average of 12 deaths per year in the commercial fishing industry is of great concern to the committee. The persistence of this number indicates that something must change. Along with witnesses, members of the committee believe that real and lasting improvements in fishing safety can be realized through changes to fishing vessel regulations, commercial fisheries management, and prevention.

Towards addressing those concerns, the Senate Report has recommended that Transport Canada amend its regulations to extend the mandatory use of Emergency position locating radio beacons, as well as to develop and disseminate user-friendly information regrading vessel stability to reduce unsafe practices in the commercial fishing industry.

The Senators also have set a three year timeline from the tabling of the report for Transport Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard an the Canadian Marine Advisory Council to work with Fish harvesters to develop an action plan on safety in the commercial industry.

The Senators report provides for seventeen different areas for recommendations, with twenty two individual recommendations.



The twenty two recommendations from the Senate
Committee Report in Search and Rescue services in Canada
(click to enlarge)


You can review the full report from the Senate here.

For a look at some of the work of the Coast Guard and other Emergency Responders across the Northwest see our archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast 

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Victoria Viewpoints: Thursday, November 29, 2018




Our compilation of some of the stories of note from the day, reviewing the political developments from the Provincial scene for  Thursday, November 29, 2018



Globe and Mail 

Vancouver sees $38 million fro vacant homes tax
B.C. coroners jury recommends better mental-health assessment after RCMP sergeant's suicide
Vancouver coping with the unintended consequences of the previous council's rezoning decision
B.C. joins Alberta in pledge to impose clean up timelines on oil, gas wells


CBC

King tide floods part of Vancouver's seawall, offering glimpse into city's future
Empty homes tax not helping rental crisis, generating millions more for Vancouver: report
Inquest into Mountie's death calls for more mental health services in RCMP
Massey Tunnel will not be replaced with 10-lane bridge, report suggests
20 year promise honoured as BC pledges gaming revenue share for First Nations


Vancouver Sun

Squamish First Nation makes 'difficult decision' to back Woodibre LNG worth $1.1 billion in benefits
Vancouver says 38 million to be collected in first year of empty homes tax
Fall a lovely time of the year for B.C.'s Premier


Vancouver Province

The Speaker's Man at the Legislature has an ironic resume


Victoria Times Colonist

Ride hailing in B.C.: Where is it going?
Legislature ouster likened to firings at Health Ministry
Scandal shines light on house's management
Hailing a ride, to go around in circles


Victoria News

Inquest jury makes five recommendations into BC RCMP spokesman's death
Precedent setting, province commits $231M to build homes for Indigenous families
Municipal flag ranking project sparks controversy in Tofino
Making BC's inexperienced drivers smarter than their phones
B.C. to share gambling revenues with Indigenous communities
B.C., Alberta drop in oil and gas investment ranking


Global BC

Report hints 10 lane bridge to replace Massey Tunnel is dead in the water
Vancouver collects $21M from empty homes tax, expects $38M total for first year
Vancouver, which had no legal pot shops on legalization day, recommends first 4 retail stores
Inquest recommends Mounties make mental health assessments mandatory
B.C. government to share gaming revenues with First Nations across British Columbia
ICBC launching new pilot project aimed at inexperienced drivers
Wearable Compass Card wristbands coming to TransLink system


Georgia Strait

B.C. Federation of Labour elects Laird Cronk as new president
Compass Card wristbands available from Monday


Vancouver Courier

Is Vancouver getting a renters' advocate, or not?
Hundreds gather in Vancouver to protest back-to-work legislation for Canada Post employees
Vancouver's empty homes tax revenue higher than expected
Limited release of wearable Compass bands announced by TransLink
Decision on renoviction motion expected December 4
Leislature ouster likened to firings at Health Ministry
Attitudes toward ride-hailing in B.C. stay within political lanes


The Tyee
Miscellaneous


Ottawa Observations: Thursday, November 29, 2018



Our compilation of some of the stories of note from the day, reviewing the political developments from the Federal scene for  Thursday, November 29, 2018


Globe and Mail 

Grewal resignation announcement made days after PMO learned of RCMP probe, met with MP
Ottawa on pace to spend more than $1 billion over three years on unauthorized border crossings: watchdog
The border just became an election issue
Hate crimes in Canada rose by 47 per cent last year: Statscan
U.S. demands more power over auto quotas ahead of USMCA signing
Ottawa to send officials to Cuba amid brain-injury scare
Canada imposes sanctions on 17 Saudis linked to Jamal Khashoggi killing


CBC

Trudeau, Trump and Pena Nieto to sign new USMC trade agreement in Argentina
'It's not good:" Security report on Trudeau's problem plagued India trip set to drop Monday
Grewal still in Liberal caucus a week after saying he'd resign over gambling addiction
Canada sanctioned 17 Saudis over Khashoggi killing - but is it enough?
Asylum seekers entering Canada outside legal border points cost an average of $14K each: PBO
RCMP's disciplinary review body struggling with a 'significant backlog of files'
Why can't Ottawa get military procurement right?
Another Canadian diplomat in Cuba affected by mysterious brain injury
USMCA signing could be overshadowed by larger divisions between nations at G20
Liberal MP's name came up in wider police probe into money laundering: CP source
Hate crimes reached all-time high in 2017, Statistics Canada says
Confusion abounds over plans to sign NAFTA's replacement on Friday


Toronto Star

The Clement and Grewal scandals surely show that Canada needs better screening of its MPs
Brampton MP Raj Grewal still has not resigned his seat
Ottawa reviews embassy operation in Cuba after another diplomat falls ill
Tory MP Ambrose says she faced death threats as environment minister
GM's long history in Oshawa is not over yet
Final text of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement still being worked on, top official says
Ottawa must take 'immediate' action as rental vacancy rate hits 10 year low, Singh says


Toronto Sun

Canada sanctions Saudis linked to Khashoggi killing
Irregular immigrants will cost Canada $340 million and rising, says PBO
Climate change fight about money


National Post

PBO report on border migration puts lie to Liberal claim 'the system is working'
'They're making it free to pollute': Enviornment Minister Catherine McKenna rejects Ontarios 'backwards' climate policy
Tory Senator says he heard 18 months ago MP Grewal was under investigation, questions why PMO didn't act then
Can more trains really save the Alberta oilsands? Here's what you need to know about Notley's plan
Canada sanctions Saudi officials over murder of journalist: what to watch as G20 summit gets underway
Trudeau's corporate-welfare reflex won't help Alberta
Luckily, Alberta has practice in saving itself from federal neglect and incompetence


Maclean's

Rachel Notley on an economy that's 'being held hostage', dealing with Trudeau and the next election
Rachel Notley to oil sands foes: Be progressive, support pipelines


Global

Wife's MS has Alberat MP urging more support for people with episodic disabilities
USMCA to be signed Friday outside G20 with Trudeau, Trump and Nieto in attendance
Canadian Coast Guard should be its own agency for the sake of saving lives: Senate report
Rachel Notley says Alberta is 'essentially giving oil away for free' in Toronto speech
Each irregular migrant costs the Canadian government between $10K and $34K: PBO
Liberal MP Raj Grewal's name came up in money laundering case: source


Miscellaneous 


GM's plant closure offers chance to make Oshawa the next Silicon Valley
Trudeau promises to save Orcas - and his pipeline - with smoke and mirrors
Trudeau government creates legal quagmire with law allowing random. mandatory roadside breath  tests


BC Legislature breaks for Christmas with NDP looking to showcase highlights; but trapped by public's view of chaotic end

With the fall session coming to an end, Premier John Horgan was trying
to keep the focus on the NDP's success on legislation, all while controversy
swirls around the electoral reform referendum and recent staffing
developments at the BC Legislature

(BC Gov't photo)

Premier John Horgan was looking to put the best light on the final day of the Fall session of the Legislature on Tuesday, and by most measuring sticks he should have been able to head off into the season of Christmas cheer in a fine mood.

Housing initiatives have seen the governing NDP making some headway on the long standing issue, with announcements made across BC delivering housing resources for a number of communities including Prince Rupert and Port Edward.

And with the government outlining the nature of an increasing surplus this fall, Finance Minister Carole James is proving to be a fairly steady hand with the province's books.

“We’re taking on the big challenges in our province, from the housing crisis to child care, while getting the Province’s finances in order,  ... The second quarter results show we can make B.C.’s economy work for everyone, while investing in people and providing strong fiscal leadership for B.C.” -- Carole James, Minister of Finance and deputy Premier. 

There were some success stories in education as well with a number of new school announcements made by the NDP (though none yet for Prince Rupert) and the health ministry has made some significant announcements in the Northern Health region for both Terrace and Smithers.

Of major note to the Northwest, when it comes to economic development, the Terrace-Kitimat corridor received some positive news this fall.

With the Final Investment Decision for the LNG Canada's terminal project for Kitimat, a the NDP government was able to share in the accolades for having successfully delivered on one of the many LNG proposals for the region.

Though for the residents of the North Coast, the celebrations of the Kitimat area were a reminder of that the once promising future for LNG development for the Prince Rupert area has been all but dashed with the cancellation of a number or proposed terminal developments over the last few years.

As the fall session came to a close, the government released its review of the successful ticks of the To do list for 2018.

All told as the final day of the Legislature came to a close, the final tally of Bills Receiving Royal Assent looked as follows:





Yet for all those positive developments and an energetic agenda, two end of session themes have pretty well knocked all of that good news out of the spotlight and for the most part have framed the end of the fall work with more than a bit of curious suspicion from the public.

First there  is the final stage of an electoral reform referendum that has been marked more by the lack of interest that has been found among the voters, as wall as a significant amount of confusion of the process and the options that the BC NDP and Greens are hoping will find favour once the votes, whatever number they reflect are counted up.

The referendum campaign to this point has seen a twenty nine percent return rate,  (19 percent on the North Coast) and has also seen the Premier change one of the elements of the Pro Representation options at mid-referendum, something which provided the Opposition Liberals with more than a few talking points over the last  month.

You can catch up on the referendum notes from our archive page here.

The other issue that loomed large over the Legislature came last week, with a chaotic week at the Parliament buildings all after Speaker Darryl Plecas initiated an investigation into two senior Legislature officials, resulting in the surprising announcement that both had been suspended.

The story became even more controversial after it was disclosed that the investigation was conducted by a friend of the Speaker, hired to a newly created position by the Speaker in January.

Making the the situation even more confounding wast the revelation that Speaker Plecas had then recommended that his newly hired assistant be promoted to one of the suspended officials post.

In the end, more sensible heads prevailed and that did not come to take place, but the handling of the affair and the many unanswered questions related to it have clouded much of the final weeks of the Fall session.

The situation related to the Speakers' role in it all will remain unresolved over the holiday season, that as an RCMP investigation  also continues into the original concerns related to the two now suspended staff members.

The post holiday blues may follow the Premier upon his return to work in January when there will most likely be renewed calls for more transparency on the controversial events of November, a situation which may yet provide for more drama and a potential showdown with the Opposition Liberals over the fate of the Speaker.

You can follow all the latest twist and turns in that controversy from our political blog D'Arcy McGee.

North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice has for the most part spent the bulk of the last few weeks taking to her social media streams to get out the vote in favour of Proportional Representation options in the Referendum campaign, with a large volume of messages to constituents to share the preferred NDP themes on the choices available.

As for the other major story of the last week out of Victoria, Ms. Rice has not had much to say on the current controversy over the decision of the Speaker to suspend two senior Legislative officials, or the hiring of a friend of Mr. Plecas to a newly created assistants role.

In a session ending post to her Facebook page, Ms. Rice did however make note of  some of the success of the NDP agenda this fall, and noted how they get "a bit silly" at the legislature as the Fall session came to an end.



Constituents will be able to catch up with their MLA in December when she and Skeena Bukley Valley NDP MP Nathan Cullen host an Open House at their Ocean Centre offices on December 7th.




For a look back at some of her work in the Legislature this fall see our Legislature archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.

Ellis Ross returns to themes of electoral reform for final day of Fall Session

Skeena Liberal MLA Ellis Ross spent his final day of the fall session
raising further concerns over the nature of the Electoral reform referendum

With the clock ticking down towards the end of the fall session at the British Columbia Legislature on Tuesday, Skeena MLA Ellis Ross chose the topic of the current electoral reform referendum process as his parting shot before the holiday season takes MLA's back to the home constituencies.

Speaking in both the morning and afternoon sessions of the final day for Legislators, Ross raised a number of concerns that he still has with the way the NDP government has introduced the electoral reform plans and how the mail in balloting of the vote itself has been conducted.

The concept of proportional representation and the issues that it raises for the MLA framed the early portion of his presentation to the Legislature, with Mr. Ross tying any positive result for the Proponents of proportional representation to current arrangement of governance between the NDP and Green Parties.

Proportional representation is more about compiling a power base in this Legislature to gain a certain amount of seats so you can gain power, so you can form government. It's done not in this Legislature. It's not open and transparent. It's done in a back room, in exchange for single-interest parties to get recognized — all this in the name of power and authority. Now, when we're talking about how proportional representation stalls or falls in other places around the world, the government dismisses this as fearmongering, even though all the major news outlets all around the world report on this and show and expose how unstable these governments are under proportional representation. 

We're fortunate here in B.C. that our current system of first-past-the-post, regardless of what's being said about politics or politicians for that matter…. We're extremely lucky that first-past-the-post, our current system, has provided such a stable government for many, many decades. The rare case of instability mainly comes from a minority government, where you have to negotiate a confidence and supply agreement, much like we see in the House today. It's a tough job to maintain a confidence and supply agreement. We're seeing it already. Our current government is always balancing the needs of British Columbians while trying to keep the Green Party members happy and in line at the same time. 

The government, so far, has done a good job, because they haven't been voted out by the Green Party in a confidence vote, but the assumption is that all bets are off if proportional representation is not successful. That is not governing; that is politicking. If this is truly the case, where is the responsibility to represent the interests of B.C. for all British Columbians if we're just looking out for our party's survival in the Legislature? That's got nothing to do with British Columbians.

The Skeena MLA also reviewed some of his concerns when it comes to what would be a follow up referendum, should the current version deliver a positive outcome for the proportional representation option.  With Mr. Ross, suggesting that the move was one of desperation by the governing NDP and nothing more than a political stunt.

The amendment is mainly about holding another referendum in the future just in case proportional representation passes. That was how it was explained to us, but this motion came at a time when the government felt they were losing the current vote. The polls were showing that it was dead even. Some polls even showed that the first-past-the-post was actually edging them out. So this really had nothing to do with the process itself. It had nothing to do with the flaws. It was just a political statement, to encourage people that if you did vote for proportional representation and it did get passed, there's always a back door to get back to our current system, which is first-past-the-post. 

Now, everyone that I've talked to, especially on this side of the House, knew and still knows today that this was just a stunt. It was just a stunt in an effort to sway voters and to get more voters convinced to vote for proportional representation. 

 Why it's a stunt is because everybody in this place knows — not many people know outside of this place, outside of the House — you can't bind future governments to decisions made today, especially political statements. It's just another empty promise when we're talking about the referendum. Another broken promise like whether or not the ballot would have a simple yes-or-no question. 

We didn't see that. That's the biggest reason why we get so many people coming into our offices in our constituencies asking about how to vote and whether or not they get voided or whether or not they're voting for proportional representation if they vote on question No. 2.

Picking up his themes for the afternoon session, the format of the referendum vote also made for some observations from Mr. Ross who outlined a number of his concerns as part of the discussion.

The ballot is complicated. Many residents in my constituency are coming to me asking me for explanations and just wanting more information in terms of what to expect. There are members on both sides of this House that don't truly understand the full nature of what will happen or, even under the current process, what's happening with a referendum on proportional referendum.

 Now, we know that there was a promise made for a simple yes-or-no question for the ballot, and that didn't come through. We were also expecting, and all British Columbians were promised, an all-party committee to consult with British Columbians. We know this didn't happen. Instead, what happened was an on-line survey that British Columbians didn't participate in, let alone hear about.

So, basically, if you know your way around the Internet and are a political junkie and care about Legislature business, then you are most likely to participate. Unfortunately, nobody in my community participated because none of the people that I represent in my own community actually are political junkies or care what happens in this Legislature and don't know their way around the Internet.

Another theme that has caught the attention of the Skeena MLA is the threshold of the vote and what amount of voter participation will make for a valid endorsement of any change to the electoral system.

The term "threshold" has been thrown around quite a bit. And for those many people watching at home — watching us right now, hello — just to explain to you what "threshold" means in this context…. When the past government held a referendum on proportional representation, they included a term called "thresholds."

 They understood this because they understood what it meant to be changing the fundamentals of our democracy. So it was said in the past that there was a 60 percent threshold needed for the mandate to change our electoral system. So 60 percent…. Not many people understood this. In today's context, if we applied 60 percent threshold, that would mean 52 out of the 87 ridings in B.C. would've had to vote yes for a mandate to change our electoral system. That meant that 52 ridings out of the 87 ridings in B.C. had to understand and, more importantly, had to want a system like proportional representation. But this is not what happened in this current referendum.

There is no threshold in this current referendum. The government said that even if 5 percent of the electorate — not the ridings — voted, then the results would be binding. This is an unbelievable position to take considering the amount of information that has to be absorbed by the average citizen and isn't available to the average citizen. Combine that with a mail-in ballot process instead of in-person voting, where the rules are clear already, whether it be a provincial or municipal election. Substituting an on-line survey for actual meaningful consultation with voters is just another mechanism to ensure a yes vote.

You can review the full presentation from the Skeena MLA through the House Video Archive for both Tuesday morning and afternoon.

Mr. Ross's early talking points can be found starting at the 11:30 AM mark, the Skeena MLA picks up the conversation in the afternoon at 1:35 PM.

You can view his response from House Video archive or review the comments from transcripts of the days proceedings from the Legislature.

Tuesday afternoon  (Transcript)  (House Chamber Video)
Tuesday morning    (Transcript)  (House Chamber Video)


You can review some of our past items of interest related to the referendum campaign here.

A wider overview of the work of the Skeena MLA at the Legislature can be explored here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review

Counter Attack Program to launch from across British Columbia this week



(Video from ICBC of Vancouver area Counter Attack roadblock)

Tis the season to make sure you have a ride home if you've been celebrating the season, with ICBC announcing that the RCMP and municipal forces across the province will be launching the annual Counter Attack program this weekend.

The road safety initiative will see patrol officers setting up traffic stops around the province, including the Northwest, to make sure that those on the roads have not over indulged, and this year, with the arrival of the legalization of cannabis that will mean police officers will be watching for impairment from legalized pot.

The pro-active enforcement program returns with statistics that show how that there have been an average of 68 lives lost every year owing to impaired driving. 19 of those lost lives were recorded in the North-Central portion of the province.


ICBC stats on the impact of impaired driving in the province

ICBC has sponsored the annual Counter Attack program for over forty years, with Mike Farnworth, the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General offering up a few thoughts on the success of the program.

"Generations of B.C. drivers and passengers have grown up with CounterAttack's deterrent messages and stepped-up seasonal enforcement. With cannabis now legal in Canada, we're determined to preserve CounterAttack's life-saving benefits in detecting alcohol- and drug-affected drivers and removing them from B.C.'s roads."

The annual holiday season campaign may also be the template for a wider introduction of Counter Attack programs throughout the year.

This week ICBC announced that it was shifting a large segment of their advertising campaign funding towards expanding the Counter Attack program beyond the Christmas/New Year period. A move that the insurance company says will help to get more police officers on the roads to provide for expanded enforcement.

You can review some of the highlights of the Counter Attack program here.

The RCMP's E Division, which oversees policing across British Columbia also made note of the start of the Counter Attack program, issuing their own information update on the launch of the annual enforcement plan.

For more items of note on the work of Emergency Responders in the Northwest see our archive page.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review

Referendum campaign not resonating with North Coast Voters, with but a 19 per cent return rate with one week to go before voting closes



Unless there is a surge in votes coming in over the next week towards the new December 7th deadline, the final numbers from the North Coast will deliver a less than resounding response to the mail in electoral reform referendum currently underway.

As of yesterday, Elections BC had reported a return rate of only 19.3 percent from the North Coast, with only 2,857 of the potential 14,903 registered voters having bothered to send in their response cards to be counted.

The only area where participation in the vote is worse, is found in a number of Surrey area constituencies where four riding's report returns of 18.6% 16.8%, 16% and 15.6%.

The pace of the returns is somewhat more positive when it comes to returns from Skeena where 22.3 percent of eligible voters have delivered their ballots to Elections BC,  while the residents of Stikine do them one percent better, with a 23.9 percent return rate as of yesterday.

By comparison, the voters of Parksville-Qualicum are the most engaged in the referendum process, with a return rate of 42.6%, with 19,879 of the eligible 46,673 voters having returned their ballots to Elections BC.

The results can be reviewed from the latest update from the interim ballot package return review from Elections BC, which notes that of the 3,297,395 voters in British Columbia, less than 1 million (932,129) have had their ballots screened by Elections BC officials.

Beyond what appears to be a rather alarming lack of interest in the future of the province's electoral system, the slow nature of the return rates could come from the recent labour dispute between Canada Post and it's union CUPW.

With Canada Post recently noting that there is a significant backlog of mail in its processing plants across the nation, including one of its largest facilities in Vancouver.

The lethargic return of votes has been on of the key concerns for the opposition Liberal party, which has been asking the government to declare some kind of thresh hold level for the vote before any form of electoral change would be considered valid.

Something that the NDP government had not addressed prior to the break of the Legislature on Tuesday evening.

The tepid response rate from the North Coast comes despite what has been an ongoing push from MLA Jennifer Rice, who for the most part over the course of the last few weeks has featured her support for the NDP's  Proportional Representation options as one the more frequent messages delivered their her social media streams.






The original deadline of November 30th for the receipt of ballots was extended by one week last Friday, with the new deadline for British Columbians to get their ballots in now set for December 7th.

If you have not voted yet, you can drop off your completed ballot in the mail or take it to the Service BC office on Third Avenue West (across from the Credit Union).

You can review the latest news items related to the electoral reform vote from our archive page here.