Commentary
Tune in regularly to Commentary on BIV.com, where you can find the latest insight into issues facing Vancouver, British Columbia and Canada
Residents increasingly share a dim view of real estate developers
For the past three years, housing has consistently topped the charts as the most important issue facing most cities in Metro Vancouver. Aside from Surrey, where crime and public safety are regarded...
Editorial: B.C. needs to revisit infrastructure spending sprees
Infrastructure spending needs to be a top priority in any provincial government review of BC Hydro. The Crown power corporation has rightly pointed out that upgrading an electricity system that was...
Networking without fear: tips for both introverts and extroverts
So much of success is still based on who you know – I didn’t truly grasp this until my 30s and avoided networking like the plague. In an article for Business in Vancouver last year, I confessed my...
Notable NIMBYism numbers in the lead-up to B.C.’s municipal elections
During B.C.’s municipal election campaigns, we are going to hear a lot about the so-called not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) attitude. Depending on which municipality you live in, the next five weeks will...
Regulation and red tape are hampering B.C. resource development
To encourage natural resource development and the prosperity that comes with it, mining investors need more certainty about exploration activities – not less. It’s an issue that deserves immediate...
Complexities of navigating the new digital-disconnect imperative
The way we work, and how we stay connected to our tasks, has changed dramatically over the past couple of decades. The office follows us everywhere. Email addresses are created with our names and...
Editorial: Beneficial property ownership boondoggles
Dirty money likes Canada, and, even more disturbing, Canada appears to like dirty money. How else to explain political foot-dragging in requiring transparency of beneficial ownership for...
The perils of ambiguous language in employment contracts
The importance of precise language in employment contracts cannot be overstated. Ambiguity in a contractual provision, especially when it comes to bonuses and other forms of compensation, can create...
Fear far more than a chronicle of White House bluster and blunder
I spent the transformative summer afternoons of 1972 affixed to the new colour television set in my grandparents’ living room. The Watergate hearings chaired by the drawling and laconic Sam Ervin...
Campbell’s departure underscores the erosion of municipal party politics power
The sudden departure of Ian Campbell from the City of Vancouver’s mayoral race came as a surprise to many political observers. Vision Vancouver, the party that has controlled city hall for the past...