Commentary
Tune in regularly to Commentary on BIV.com, where you can find the latest insight into issues facing Vancouver, British Columbia and Canada
Everyone has a stake in defending freedom of the press
It seems difficult some days to get what are typically referred to as “the media” to agree on whether the Sun rose from the East or the West, so different are our perspectives. Upon one point,...
Canada’s premiers the main barrier to inter-provincial free trade
Opinionsvary as to whether the meeting of Canada’s premiers in mid-July in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, was a success. The expectations for those hoping for freer trade within Canada were high. But if...
Editorial: Permitting future port growth in B.C.
Trade wars aside, the more pressing question for B.C. and the rest of the country is this: will Canada be able to handle increases in trade volumes through its ports, especially those on its West...
Campaign trail tips for B.C.’s rookie municipal election hopefuls
I am in possession of a few tips. It isn’t as if I have been asked for them. Nor necessarily will I be. But when I ran for the mayoralty in 2014, I learned much about candidacy and campaigning. As...
Business of B.C. pro sports teams hits discouraging losing skid
Our major-league sports teams – if not vital indices in our economy, then barometers of our city’s mood – have rarely been so collectively forlorn and at a crossroads. Worry, we should. On paper,...
Editorial: Metro’s new regionalized taxi realities
The provincial government’s ride-hailing road show remains largely stuck in neutral. It shifted gears somewhat with the release of Hara Associates’ Modernizing Taxi Regulation report and a...
What can Whitney Houston teach us about business?
What if Whitney Houston was on to something? What if the answers about how to run your business exist within your walls? The music industry is very different from other businesses, but I believe...
Absentee leadership is a clear and present workplace danger
Earlier in my career, I had a boss whose only feedback was “You’re doing a great job.” Despite multiple attempts to connect with him and get regular feedback about my performance, what I got were...
Canada’s federal carbon tax appears destined to fail
If there ever was a federal carbon tax consensus in Canada, it’s now dissolving. Rumours of its death have been floating for some time, but the recent Prince Edward Island announcement rejecting it...
Political paralysis looming without a better politicians-to-people ratio
Thanks to their provocative premier, Doug Ford, they are asking in Toronto something we might ask, too: do we have too many municipal politicians? No, it’s not a rhetorical question. Yes, there are...