Posted in The Tyee on Dec 27th, 2012
Is a May election that puts in power true defenders of BC’s natural bounty. To me the dominant issue before all others going into May’s provincial election is the environment. Fiscal fudge-ups can be fixed as can most bad policy. But environmental damage — be it due to fish farms, pipelines, tankers, Site C or [...]
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Posted in The Common Sense Canadian on Dec 7th, 2012
There is good news in the environment field and, for some reason the Fraser Institute-driven Vancouver Sun won’t talk about it – nor will the Province. The reason they won’t? Because it is a triumph of the people over monetary and Establishment interests. Private power producer AXOR, under subsidiary Purcell Green Power, planned to dam [...]
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Posted in General on Aug 19th, 2012
A letter from Jay Spark of Victoria: About a decade ago I wrote to a few people about the issues of methane hydrate development and southwestern US water-shortages. I can’t remember if you were one of them. I know the tar sands pipelines, coastal trans-shipment of hydrocarbons, and BC Hydro’s dismantling are all vitally important and at a [...]
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Posted in The Common Sense Canadian on Jun 12th, 2012
After more than a week of some ailment where solid foods were a problem (not liquids, however) I should be at my rest, book in hand to help me snooze…but I find myself so goddam angry I’m here spouting venom. Why? I’ve just read our economist Erik Andersen’s blog in the Common Sense Canadian and [...]
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Posted in The Common Sense Canadian on May 29th, 2012
Yesterday morning, listening to Suzanne Anton, one of my co-panellists on Rick Cluff’s Early Edition political panel, avoid the issue of BC Hydro rates rising because of the scandalous sums they are forced to pay private power companies – and government avoidance of the BC Utilities Commission (BCUC) – fill the airwaves with hot air and non [...]
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Posted in The Common Sense Canadian on May 13th, 2012
This is neither a complicated nor a long story – but it’s a tragic vindication for a hell of a lot of people who have been telling the story, ignored at best, more often vilified. Look at page 1 of the story in the Vancouver Sun, May 11 under the heading “HYDRO AWASH IN PRIVATE [...]
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Posted in The Common Sense Canadian on Mar 10th, 2012
These opening words from Gwen Barlee of the Wilderness Committee which cry out (in my mind at any rate for I don’t speak for the W.C. which certainly doesn’t need my help) for the highest manifestation of protest including civil disobedience: Tucked away in the wild of northern Vancouver Island, the Kokish River is a [...]
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Posted in The Common Sense Canadian on Feb 27th, 2012
In the first of a two-part interview, Rafe Mair grills BC NDP Leader Adrian Dix on private power, Site C Dam and BC’s flawed environmental assessment process. What will the NDP do with existing and future private river power projects (a.k.a. IPPs) if they form the next government – and where do they stand on [...]
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Posted in General on Oct 1st, 2010
The environmental process in this province is awful. It’s especially awful because it exists in a form that looks fine on paper but is an exercise in futility for anyone who really wants to learn what’s planned and put their two bits in. I do a weekly little radio spot called the Political Panel with [...]
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Posted in General on Sep 29th, 2010
What the hell is in it for us? I hate to sound ungracious towards our friends and neighbours by asking that question but it’s occurred to me quite often and I, for one, would like an answer. With fish farms, what the hell is in it for us with them? Over 90% of the farms [...]
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