Commentary
Tune in regularly to Commentary on BIV.com, where you can find the latest insight into issues facing Vancouver, British Columbia and Canada
Editorial: Applause for IEA’s ambitious green power plan
That thesis is at the core of an International Energy Agency (IEA) game plan that warrants more than lip service from governments in Canada and elsewhere. The sticking point, however, is that it...
Government’s approval rating up in pandemic’s 100-day checkup
More than 100 days have passed since Canadians were compelled to stay at home in order to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. We have seen countless televised messages from elected politicians, as well...
Is a 5% property tax-hike cap in Vancouver realistic for 2021?
Remember back in February when Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart announced that he wanted next year’s property tax increase to be no more than 5%? Seemed odd at the time, considering the mayor a few...
Interior monologue: was B.C.’s provincewide shutdown overkill?
John Horgan and Bonnie Henry have taken the Saran Wrap off the province and encouraged us at last to dig in. Not that there is a less risky, full-meal deal to feast upon much farther away this...
Canadians take more pride in multiculturalism, less in economy this year
The arrival of Canada Day presents an opportunity to reflect on the institutions and features that can elicit feelings of pride among Canadians. Last year, when Research Co. and Glacier Media asked...
Canada braces for brass-knuckles birthday present from U.S. trade authorities
This arrival of July 1 this year feels more like something to get through than to savour, so squelched are the celebrations by both the pandemic and the social tensions of the times. It doesn’t help...
Unswerving support for automated speed enforcement in B.C., poll finds
A few months ago, drone videos of empty streets in Europe served as a stern warning about what life at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic would look like. Stores were closed and plazas had no...
Pandemic hasn’t cooled climate-change concerns in Canada and U.S.: poll
When Research Co. and Glacier Media asked Canadians earlier this year about Justin Trudeau’s government, the highest level of satisfaction from voters was recorded on three issues: Canada’s...
Pandemic is magnifying B.C.’s property assessment inequities
There’s nothing like an economic meltdown to expose a skewed property assessment system in British Columbia’s commercial real estate market. Many B.C. communities have looming 2020 budget shortfalls...
Editorial: Deal with difficult debt decisions now
Government has some difficult debt decisions ahead that will have a lot to say about Canada’s future prosperity. They will also have a lot to say about your local politicians, because dealing with...