Inside this issue:
The Ombudsperson’s Report on Seniors Care: A Brief Analysis of the Government’s (Non)Response by Marcy Cohen and Janine Farrell
Are we undermining our schools by not investing enough in education? by Iglika Ivanova
BC’s GHG targets and LNG: not compatible by Marc Lee
BC’s public sector pensions plans need to divest from fossil fuels by Marc Lee
Are big-five forest firms about to get a windfall? by Ben Parfitt
Environment and sustainability
With the images of burning cop cars, the Mi'kmaq blockade in New Brunswick has been associated with violence, but the protest against fracking is an act of hope and peace, and has a long pedigree in the history of Canada's colonialism.
The recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) should be a wake-up call for Canada. With a development model based on ever more fossil fuel extraction, Canada's economy and financial markets are on a collision course with the urgent need for global climate action.
The IPCC, for the first time, specified an upper limit on total greenhouse gas emissions – a global "carbon budget" to keep temperature increase below 2°C. This is considered to be the threshold for "dangerous" climate change, and also the target for international climate negotiations.
"If it is wrong to wreck the climate, then it is wrong to profit from that wreckage." —From the mission statement of the Fossil Free movement.
Rarely are we invited to consider ethical questions of right and wrong in matters of economic development, particularly in times of economic fragility, when jobs and investment are in high demand. Yet if the above quote is true for a corporation, pension fund, or other institutions, then it is equally true for a society or economy as a whole.
British Columbia’s forests represent the single-largest renewable asset that we have, a public resource shared with First Nations across the province.
Whatever the fate may be of our non-renewable natural gas resources, a topic that dominates today’s news headlines, our forests can and should be there for generations to come.
This open letter was sent to Premier Christy Clark and Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Minister Steve Thomson on December 9, 2013, and released to the public on December 19.
Dear Premier Clark and Minister Thomson,
We are a diverse group of organizations, representing many British Columbians. We share a common desire to see our forests nurtured and sustained as resilient ecosystems that can provide economic, social and environmental benefits for present and future generations.
The Ontario Green Energy Act was a creative effort to reduce the impacts of climate change and revitalize a faltering provincial economy. Though the Ontario government missed a self-imposed 2013 target of 50,000 new jobs, evidence shows the policy has attracted new manufacturing to the province while creating permanent employment in the renewable energy services sector.
This study examines the WTO ruling on Ontario's Green Energy Act, its implications, and options moving forward.
OTTAWA—The recent World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that the Ontario Green Energy Act’s local content requirements conflict with international trade rules is based on an overly restrictive interpretation, concludes a new study released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
The study, by CCPA trade policy analyst Scott Sinclair, explores options for Ontario to comply with the ruling while preserving the vital job creation component of the Act.
The final National Energy Board (NEB) public hearings on Enbridge's controversial Line 9B oil pipeline reversal are scheduled for Montreal (Oct. 8 to 11) and Toronto (Oct. 16-19). (Locations and times can be found on the NEB website under "Hearings and Information Sessions.")