Commentary
Tune in regularly to Commentary on BIV.com, where you can find the latest insight into issues facing Vancouver, British Columbia and Canada
Trudeau unveils COVID-19 Plan B for businesses; Plan C might be needed
In politics, it’s called a pivot. And in politics, a weekend is an eternity. Thus the move Monday by the Justin Trudeau government to widen the breadth of its proposed wage subsidy. Plan A was...
Most Canadians support jail for COVID-19 quacks, profiteers: poll
As municipal and provincial governments begin to ponder firmer measures to enforce social distancing guidelines and stop the spread of COVID-19 in Canada, residents of the country are starting to...
Trudeau should reconsider decision to snub bigger companies in need of wage subsidies
At first blush, Justin Trudeau’s announcement Friday to subsidize employee wages got the principle dead right, but the application dead wrong. It is baffling how his government determined that small...
Lessons in judgmental adjustment courtesy of COVID-19
I am learning more about myself in the COVID-19 era. I’d expect you’re doing the same, even if you or I don’t instantly notice. I am newly aware of how much time I was spending on things I cannot...
Swift action needed to prevent pandemic from devouring Canadian economy
With each day that passes with no word from Ottawa on a wide-ranging wage-subsidy program, our economy is slipping into perilous shock. We can buttress employment insurance programs with greater...
A note to our readers and advertisers from BIV's publisher, March 24, 2020
To our readers and advertisers: I hope you are safe and well during this unprecedented time as we deal with COVID-19. Our team is working from home to keep you abreast of news and to provide our...
Court clarifies legal principles in wrongful dismissal claims
In the recent Quach vs. Mitrux Services Ltd. decision, the BC Court of Appeal clarified three important legal principles in wrongful dismissal claims related to: 1) how employers can modify...
Only bold, immediate action can keep economy from plunging off pandemic’s cliff
It is time for big decisions from governments of all sizes and stripes in Canada. One week of workplace hemorrhaging from COVID-19 has punched a sinkhole into the economy, with a half-million...
Most Canadians want more say in choosing senators, poll finds
Before the entire country became gripped in the fight against the coronavirus, Research Co. asked Canadians about their views of the upper house. Discussions about the Senate of Canada can be...
Editorial: Canada’s coronavirus unification factor
Business and political leaders cannot afford to waste COVID-19’s unifying role as a common villain. Partisan divisiveness has become a major negative force in 21st-century enterprise and politics...