Peter Ladner
Over and out, and thanks for listening for the past 28 years
It seems fitting that the day the morning news carried an item about the last print edition of the Yellow Pages, Business in Vancouver Media Group has decided that my days of paid commentary are...
Coming clean: the growing value of investing with your values
"Put your money where your ethics are.” For many people, that’s asking a lot. Most of us invest money to survive, educate our children or get us through retirement. For many people it’s more...
Documenting the destructive effects of gross income inequality
While puttering in my garden recently, I overheard a passing cyclist calling out to his friend, “This area used to be affordable.” They were riding by a large house across from me in Kitsilano...
Clearing speed bumps on the rocky road to a low-carbon economy
The election that won’t go away will have come to some kind of end by the time you read this. But what will persist, regardless of the eventual deals and coalitions, is the painful stretch between a...
BC Greens’ gains set to redraw the province’s political landscape
If business investors feared the uncertainty of NDP policies, this election has delivered uncertainty on steroids, starting with ongoing uncertainty about its outcome If the BC Green Party keeps...
Voters’ choice: government or ‘free market’ housing solutions
An unavoidable narrative that permeates every B.C. election is whether government or the free market can best allocate resources to deliver a better life to British Columbians. This election is no...
Inane election promises threaten urban mobility initiatives
Even before the writ had dropped, the crazy promises were out in full blossom – stunning in their vote-getting beauty, devastating in their long-term impact. Freeze hydro rates! Cap tolls! End tolls!...
Political parties face rough road to ride-hailing reality in B.C.
The war on cars has just begun. If you thought a few bike lanes were an issue, wait until you see what Uber, Tesla, GM and a plethora of ride-share companies are planning. This isn’t, strictly...
New ‘semi-market’ housing sector needed to fill affordability gap
Adding supply to the local real estate market is absolutely necessary, but let’s not kid ourselves that it will ever deliver affordability. Former Vancouver city planner Larry Beasley is among those...
Soaring real estate adds up to sagging high-tech prospects in B.C.
Could it be that the leading industry in B.C. – real estate – is putting the squeeze on the industry that ought to be the leader – high tech? The happy budget numbers from the last provincial budget...