On November 16, I participated in a workshop organized by the Alberta Alternative Budget Working Group. Held at the University of Alberta’s main campus, speakers discussed macroeconomic, health care and social policy considerations for the next Alberta budget. Here are 10 things to know: 1) Alberta’s still recovering from a…
The current system for buying prescription drugs in Canada – a hybrid system of multiple public and private drug plans – is totally dysfunctional. First, the diversity of drug plans means Canadians are covered for their drugs according to the province in which they live or work, not necessarily to…
No Time to Lose Download 1.26 MB84 pages With the country facing significant and unpredictable headwinds going into another federal election year, the 2019 Alternative Federal Budget (AFB) shows that Canada can boost competitiveness and encourage innovation by investing in people, not by giving corporations more tax cuts. The progressive…
A subsidiary of Petronas, the Malaysian state-owned petro giant courted by the BC government, has built at least 16 unauthorized dams in northern BC to trap hundreds of millions of gallons of water used in its controversial fracking operations. The 16 dams are among “dozens” that have been built by…
Months after five killed, experts to determine if failed logging road caused fatal mudslide Seven months after a mudslide killed five people on Highway 99, the provincial Ministry of Forests is launching an investigation into the event, marking the first time that it has indicated that a failed logging road…
BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure / Flickr” style=”border-radius:0px;–objectFit:cover;–imagePosX:50%;–imagePosY:50%” decoding=”async” srcset=”https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_jun2022_deadly-wake-up-call-300×133.jpg 300w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_jun2022_deadly-wake-up-call-768×341.jpg 768w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_jun2022_deadly-wake-up-call.jpg 900w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px” />In aftermath of a landslide that killed five, experts say government must act now to avoid more “preventable” deaths Second of Two Parts (read the first) As 2021 drew to a close, Premier John Horgan said many British Columbians would remember it “as the year that climate change arrived on…
Take a deep breath, Ontario: we have reached the conclusion of this bizarre and dramatic election period. We wade now into unchartered territory. Sure, there have been PC governments before. But there has never been a PC government quite like the one we are about to experience under Premier-designate Doug…
Hatred unmasked: Tracking the rise of right-wing extremism in Canada Download 4.99 MB Issue highlights: The wellness-to-white-supremacy pipeline is alive and well. Stacy Lee Kong’s examines the role that wellness influencers like Oh She Glows’ Angela Liddon play in funneling white women into right-wing radicalization. Uprooting the racism in our ranks. Members…
arindambanerjee / Shutterstock” style=”border-radius:0px;–objectFit:cover;–imagePosX:50%;–imagePosY:50%” decoding=”async” srcset=”https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_dec2020_winddown-300×133.jpg 300w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_dec2020_winddown-768×341.jpg 768w, https://www.policyalternatives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pn_dec2020_winddown.jpg 900w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px” />Resource development has long been central to BC’s economy. But commodity prices swing, industries consolidate and patterns of demand change over time. When they do, resource industry workers are often left holding the bag. The price is often much more than just involuntary unemployment for laid-off workers, but also includes…
British Columbia is experiencing the worst opioid overdose crisis in its history. By October 31st, the BC Coroners Service reported that 1208 people had died from overdose: higher than the next three causes of unnatural deaths combined—suicides, motor vehicle incidents and homicides. The numbers for November and December will be…
The essence of BC Hydro’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) is straightforward. Maintain aggressive conservation targets and plan to build Site C as soon as possible in order to meet the forecast growth in British Columbia’s basic electricity requirements. As for LNG, the energy needed for the liquefaction process is expected…
VANCOUVER—The BC government made some needed investments in its 2021 budget for COVID-19 recovery, but there is scarce new funding for major priorities like child care, housing and climate action says the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. “Aside from time-limited spending on the COVID-19 pandemic, the BC government tabled a…