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jordan bateman
Another week, another weak attempt by the Lower Mainland mayors to pin all the region's problems on the provincial government. Fastballs of problems are flung fast and furious by the city politicians: homelessness, property taxes, TransLink.
We're now three months from the provincial election. The government doesn't seem to want to talk in-depth about BC Hydro, so it will be up to the voters to press it as an issue. What are the parties' plans to get BC Hydro out of debt? How much will they increase our rates? How will they bring costs under control?
Heading into this month's B.C. budget, Premier Christy Clark is saying all the right things about scrapping the Medical Services Premium (MSP) tax. The B.C. Liberals have been busy pouring water on every smoldering election issue they can find. On and on the list goes, leaving the MSP tax as one of the few big potholes remaining on the road to re-election.
Why is flushing money down the toilet the thing the Capital Regional District board seems to be best at? And how can the municipal politicians and officials charged with building a sewage treatment centre be so oblivious to things that don't pass the smell test? (No pun intended.)
Despite all the good the FNFTA has done in B.C., members of 23 bands are still waiting to see this year's disclosures, and three are missing two full years. This is basic transparency that every citizen deserves - how does government spend their money, and how much do politicians spend on themselves?
After eight years of British Columbians paying and paying and paying, still no North American jurisdiction has followed B.C.'s lead and brought in a carbon tax. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is now trying to force carbon pricing on the entire country, but several provinces are rightfully resisting.
"The art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest amount of feathers with the least possible amount of hissing." Mayors forgot that axiom last year when they spent millions trying to convince taxpayers to hand over a new sales tax to TransLink -- an agency widely reviled for its wasteful spending.
Leaders have a responsibility to resist their own cynicism and scratch beneath the surface to hear what people -- even those who are opposed -- are saying. What is the core concern driving the speaker? Is it affordability? Safety? Mayors should ask genuine questions of people, and actually listen to their responses
Robertson's vacancy and Airbnb taxes are a significant stumble down a slippery slope. If these new taxes don't raise the vacancy rate high enough, will he go after unoccupied suites in homes? Empty bedrooms? If private housing is now a social good, with its use essentially controlled through tax and regulation, what's to stop these next steps?
Robertson wants a 70 per cent cut in natural gas use by 2020, and 90 per cent gone within 10 years. This will cost individual residents thousands of dollars -- and was approved by Robertson and his council without any thought to the affordability crisis in Vancouver.
