Working toward a socially and economically just British Columbia
Established in 1997, the CCPA’s BC Office investigates key challenges facing our province through independent research, analysis and expertise. We propose real, workable solutions, and share our findings as widely as possible to advance social, economic and environmental justice – and to challenge the message that there is no alternative.
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Major tax cuts are on the table in BC’s election—namely, cuts to the provincial sales tax (PST) and speculation tax. But these proposals won’t help…

Workers in Canada will have access to a federal paid sick leave benefit, but it doesn’t go far enough. The new Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit…
martinbertrand.fr / /Shutterstock” style=”border-radius:0px;–objectFit:cover;–imagePosX:50%;–imagePosY:50%” decoding=”async” srcset=”https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_sep2020_for-better-or-worse.jpg 900w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_sep2020_for-better-or-worse-300×133.jpg 300w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_sep2020_for-better-or-worse-768×341.jpg 768w” sizes=”(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px” />Since the provincial election was called last week, the focus of debate so far has been the timing. But like it or not, we’re headed…

In North American cities with growing populations and economies, a similar political story on housing affordability is playing out. Calls to permit more dense housing…
CarpathianPrince/Shutterstock” style=”border-radius:0px;–objectFit:cover;–imagePosX:50%;–imagePosY:50%” decoding=”async” srcset=”https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_sep2020_federal-debt.jpg 900w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_sep2020_federal-debt-300×133.jpg 300w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_sep2020_federal-debt-768×341.jpg 768w” sizes=”(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px” />Public policy in Canada remains haunted by large deficits that prevailed in the 1980s and early 1990s. With COVID-19 economic response pushing the federal deficit…

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READ THE REPORT HERE. VANCOUVER–While millions of Canadians lost their jobs because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s top 20 billionaires have amassed an average…

BC Hydro knew 30 years before it started building the Site C dam that its chosen location for the most expensive publicly funded infrastructure project…
ValeStock / Shutterstock” style=”border-radius:0px;–objectFit:cover;–imagePosX:50%;–imagePosY:50%” decoding=”async” srcset=”https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_aug2020_public-investment.jpg 900w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_aug2020_public-investment-300×133.jpg 300w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_aug2020_public-investment-768×341.jpg 768w” sizes=”(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px” />A depression is still around the corner if the Canadian government does not continue to radically intervene in the economy. We have all encountered the…
Vytautas Kielaitis via Shutterstock” style=”border-radius:0px;–objectFit:cover;–imagePosX:50%;–imagePosY:50%” decoding=”async” srcset=”https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_july2020_lng-nightmare-hughes.jpg 900w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_july2020_lng-nightmare-hughes-300×133.jpg 300w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_july2020_lng-nightmare-hughes-768×341.jpg 768w” sizes=”(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px” />Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) has been embraced by British Columbia’s government as a budding engine of growth for the provincial economy. Claims by industry lobby…
BC Hydro Dam site gallery (2019) slide 10/150.” style=”border-radius:0px;–objectFit:cover;–imagePosX:50%;–imagePosY:50%” decoding=”async” srcset=”https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_august2020_site-c-tunnel.jpg 900w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_august2020_site-c-tunnel-300×133.jpg 300w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_august2020_site-c-tunnel-768×341.jpg 768w” sizes=”(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px” />Earthquakes triggered by natural gas industry fracking operations near BC Hydro’s troubled Site C dam construction project are far greater in number than previously thought,…

(VANCOUVER) The BC government should immediately appoint an independent panel of geologists and engineers to assess the ongoing geotechnical problems at Site C and whether the…
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