BC Political Discussion: Election 2024 & 43rd Parliament

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by whatnext

If she really wanted to do something meaningful about housing why doesn't she put together a report on how much housing in Shaughnessy is owned by non-Canadians or purchased with funds earned outside the country.

Or we could just upzone the whole neighbourhood despite said foreign owners' objections, instead of indirectly supporting Ken Sim and ABC's attempts to protect them?

[chowhou]

Oh no, an effective politician with a goals-oriented agenda! The NIMBY worst nightmare!

[RedArbutus]

Everything I don't like is woke, etc.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by chowhou

Oh no, an effective politician with a goals-oriented agenda! The NIMBY worst nightmare!

Cheering on the socialists now? Will wonders never cease.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Cheering on the socialists now? Will wonders never cease.

Housing deregulation = socialism is definitely a new one.

[Alex Mackinnon]

Originally Posted by chowhou

Housing deregulation = socialism is definitely a new one.

The government won't tell me what I can't do with my land! I thought this wasn't the Soviet Union!

Oof. Discourse here has gone downhill.

[CanSpice]

Originally Posted by whatnext

If she really wanted to do something meaningful about housing why doesn't she put together a report on how much housing in Shaughnessy is owned by non-Canadians or purchased with funds earned outside the country.

Oh sure, putting out a report that xenophobes want so they can point to the evil offshore owner as the cause of all of our housing problems is what she should do. Or she could force cities to allow four storey apartment buildings across every single residential zone instead and actually do something that'd have an impact.

[mcj]

Originally Posted by CanSpice

Oh sure, putting out a report that xenophobes want so they can point to the evil offshore owner as the cause of all of our housing problems is what she should do. Or she could force cities to allow four storey apartment buildings across every single residential zone instead and actually do something that'd have an impact.

What else do you expect? West side homeowners taking responsibility for decades of Nimbyism?

[whatnext]

WTF is BC sleepwalking in to?!

Rob Shaw: B.C. court ruling puts Aboriginal title above private property rights
Ruling could scare the general public and businesses considering investing in B.C.
Rob Shaw
a day ago

It will take time to fully understand the implications of a landmark court ruling that appears to place Aboriginal title in British Columbia above standard private property rights.

But already, there’s a fierce political debate.

The B.C. Supreme Court ruled Friday that the Cowichan Tribes holds title over federal, city and private land in Richmond that it historically used as a fishing village. This title sits higher in the legal hierarchy than fee simple land rights of other current owners. The ruling could set a precedent that fundamentally changes the security of standard private property in B.C.

“This ruling just cracked open the door for your land title to mean nothing,” Opposition Conservative MLA Harman Banghu posted on social media.

“Allowing this decision to stand will only invite further conflict, deter economic investment, and place vital infrastructure at risk,” added Opposition Indigenous Relations critic Scott McInnis in a public letter to minister Spencer Chandra Herbert.

“The City of Richmond has already warned that as much as $100 billion in critical infrastructure could be thrown into legal uncertainty.”...

https://www.theorca.ca/commentary/rob-sh...e-above-private-property-rights-11059874

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by whatnext

WTF is BC sleepwalking in to?!

The provincial government is quite awake - it's already indicating it intends to appeal the decision.

[logicbomb]

It's been a slippery slope since day one a there's no limit to how far reparations can go. We've pretty much already lost any hope for a future E&N corridor on Vancouver Island and will very well see portions of the former BC Rail line on the South Coast get chopped up to bits.

It's one thing to provide financial compensation and systemic reforms but it's another to continuously cede lands and public access. Unfortunately there's some terrible actors that rise to the surface in some of these groups too so throwing billions of dollars does very little for the communities as a whole.

[Migrant_Coconut]

The E&N can always go over or under; no reason why the province can't renegotiate with the reserves in good faith instead of sitting on empty tracks with no business case that continue to divide their land in half.

As for Richmond, the Cowichan have said they'll respect the private owners' rights. I think even the most zealous activists know what an ugly can of worms it would be to try and evict the warehouses.

[whatnext]

Scary piece from the Globe & Mail’s editorial board:

The mystery of B.C.’s darkening debt outlook
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
PUBLISHED 8 HOURS AGO
UPDATED 5 HOURS AGO
FOR SUBSCRIBERS

The finances of British Columbia have taken a stunning turn in recent years. The province’s debt load, which had been relatively stable, is soaring, outpacing economic growth.

As the accompanying chart shows, the dollar value of the province’s debt is projected to more than double over a half-decade, rising to $208.8-billion from $89.4-billion.…

…. What happened in Year 5 to trigger this fiscal calamity, you might ask? Perhaps the economic crisis sparked by the pandemic? Or maybe it was Donald Trump’s global trade war?

Neither – the answer is the arrival of David Eby as Premier in the fall of 2022, succeeding John Horgan. That year, fiscal 2022-23, was the last year of the relative fiscal sobriety of Mr. Horgan’s BC NDP government. Now, British Columbia is on a dangerous fiscal path….

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/...id-eby-debt-bc-british-columbia-finance/

[Bcasey25raptor]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Scary piece from the Globe & Mail’s editorial board:

The mystery of B.C.’s darkening debt outlook
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
PUBLISHED 8 HOURS AGO
UPDATED 5 HOURS AGO
FOR SUBSCRIBERS

The finances of British Columbia have taken a stunning turn in recent years. The province’s debt load, which had been relatively stable, is soaring, outpacing economic growth.

As the accompanying chart shows, the dollar value of the province’s debt is projected to more than double over a half-decade, rising to $208.8-billion from $89.4-billion.…

…. What happened in Year 5 to trigger this fiscal calamity, you might ask? Perhaps the economic crisis sparked by the pandemic? Or maybe it was Donald Trump’s global trade war?

Neither – the answer is the arrival of David Eby as Premier in the fall of 2022, succeeding John Horgan. That year, fiscal 2022-23, was the last year of the relative fiscal sobriety of Mr. Horgan’s BC NDP government. Now, British Columbia is on a dangerous fiscal path….

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/...id-eby-debt-bc-british-columbia-finance/

This doesnt even make any sense. Compared with Horgans budgets which increased public spending year after year, Eby has basically held things flat in the last 2 budgets.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Bcasey25raptor

This doesnt even make any sense. Compared with Horgans budgets which increased public spending year after year, Eby has basically held things flat in the last 2 budgets.

Nope:

… The 2024-25 fiscal year closed with a $7.3-billion deficit. That’s a tad less than budgeted, mainly due to investment earnings in places like ICBC. Yet it’s still the largest ever—blowing past the $5.5 billion in red ink the province ran during the height of the global emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s a wild turnaround from just two years prior, when a departing John Horgan left Premier David Eby a $6-billion surplus that fuelled an Eby-style spendapalooza. The numbers show it hasn’t stopped since. The resulting overspend on programs and services is now baked into the annual budget, leaving it decoupled from the realities of the provincial economy.…

https://www.biv.com/news/commentary/rob-...se-than-the-ndp-will-ever-admit-11052606

[Bcasey25raptor]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Nope:

… The 2024-25 fiscal year closed with a $7.3-billion deficit. That’s a tad less than budgeted, mainly due to investment earnings in places like ICBC. Yet it’s still the largest ever—blowing past the $5.5 billion in red ink the province ran during the height of the global emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s a wild turnaround from just two years prior, when a departing John Horgan left Premier David Eby a $6-billion surplus that fuelled an Eby-style spendapalooza. The numbers show it hasn’t stopped since. The resulting overspend on programs and services is now baked into the annual budget, leaving it decoupled from the realities of the provincial economy.…

https://www.biv.com/news/commentary/rob-...se-than-the-ndp-will-ever-admit-11052606

name a single program in BC thats seen legitimate spending increases the past 2 years.
income assistance? nope
expansion of healthcare coverage? nope
childcare? none more than budgeted

where the fuck did this money go? Thats what I mean here. These deficits make NO SENSE

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Bcasey25raptor

name a single program in BC thats seen legitimate spending increases the past 2 years.
income assistance? nope
expansion of healthcare coverage? nope
childcare? none more than budgeted

where the fuck did this money go? Thats what I mean here. These deficits make NO SENSE

Compared to 2 years ago, the 2024/25 forecasts show $1.4bn more spent on education and childcare (17% more), and $7.4bn more on health (29% more). Advanced education and training is costing $788m more (+30%), and social services and poverty reduction is costing $725m more (+16%). Capital expenditure is up 60% (nearly $2bn).

Revenues are almost exactly the same, so the deficit has increased. Corporate tax revenue, natural gas royalties and timber revenues are significantly lower than 2 years ago, (over $5bn).

[Bcasey25raptor]

Originally Posted by Changing City

Compared to 2 years ago, the 2024/25 forecasts show $1.4bn more spent on education and childcare (17% more), and $7.4bn more on health (29% more). Advanced education and training is costing $788m more (+30%), and social services and poverty reduction is costing $725m more (+16%). Capital expenditure is up 60% (nearly $2bn).

Revenues are almost exactly the same, so the deficit has increased. Corporate tax revenue, natural gas royalties and timber revenues are significantly lower than 2 years ago, (over $5bn).

Why are we spending substantially more to maintain the exact same programs the same as they were 2 years ago? What changed?

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Bcasey25raptor

Why are we spending substantially more to maintain the exact same programs the same as they were 2 years ago? What changed?

They're not all the same programs. Spending on subsidised rental housing has increased a lot. There are at least seven sizeable DTES non-market projects being built in the past two years for example. Childcare programs are expanding - there are more $10 a Day child care spaces funded. The Collective agreement with teacher's saw pay increases of over 5.5% in 2023, and another raise in 2024.

There has been considerable additional health spending, with wage increases, expanded cancer care programs, a new contract for GPs, and expanded spending on seniors (as they become a larger proportion of the population, for a few years). And IVF is now funded for the first time. There are several new (expensive) hospitals being funded, including St Paul's in Vancouver.

And an increased deficit, with no drop in interest rates, means the government has to pay more interest on the accumulated debt. Fortunately BC's debt isn't as significant a proportion of the provincial GDP as most other Canadian provinces, but it's still costing more.

[logicbomb]

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-bc-fiscal-update-deficit-116-billion-carbon-tax

A fiscal update released Monday shows British Columbia’s provincial outlook has declined and the government’s deficit will rise in the current fiscal year to a record $11.6-billion, in part due to U.S. tariffs and a slowdown in the housing market.

But mostly, the rise in red ink is a result of the NDP government’s elimination of the carbon tax.

The new report says the provincial economy is still resilient despite tariffs imposed by the U.S. administration, with the economic growth forecast revised slightly, down to 1.5 per cent in 2025.

In March, the government forecast a record deficit of $10.9-billion based on modest economic growth of 1.8 per cent. But those estimates, included in the budget documents, were written before the tariffs were introduced.

Premier David Eby promised to eliminate the carbon tax as a campaign promise in last fall’s provincial election. The change took effect on April 1, and will reduce revenues to government by $2.8-billion. Those losses are partially offset by a one-time influx of cash due to a settlement with tobacco companies.

B.C. relies less on the United States for trade than most provinces, with a little more than 52 per cent of the province’s exports last year heading south of the border.

We desperately need to open the province up. All resources should be extract and no lands should be sacred. Extract goal and lumber. Screw the environment for a bit and let's forego any emissions targets.

Cut social spending and cease all the failed pet projects. NGO's and non-profits receiving any share of government money should be audited with inefficient ones being left to fend for themselves.

There was maybe a time where you could aim at taxing the rich but it's simply ineffective at this point.