Community Stories
BC Budget Consultation – by 2 pm, June 19
The NDP Budget Committee is accepting written submissions for its 2027 Budget. What should we be asking for? You can make up to three recommendations, with an explanation for each. Participate by using the submission form HERE . We have set up a google doc to share…
Flood the Consultation: Don’t Fast-Track Destruction
The Government of Canada is proposing major legislative changes that would make it easier for mega-corporations to profit while our communities and the planet suffer the consequences. Act now. See email template to send critical feedback to Prime Minister Carney and…
One of the Strongest Marine Protected Areas in the World
Six First Nations, BC and Canada will preserve and steward a large chunk of the Central Coast. That means no pipelines. The area will be protected under Indigenous law, and known as Mia-yaltwa Ha’lidzogm hoon , pronounced “Me-ah-yall-twa Ha-lee-joh-gom hOH-own,”…
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What is The Finkelstein Formula? – And How is it Destroying Democracy
Worth reading if you care about democracy! This info helps us see where politicians may be coming from. Good to know, and good to share with others. “You’ve noticed the pattern: politicians who never discuss their own policies but spend every breath demonizing…
12 Powers Meditation – Meditation for Health
Meditation for Health – meditation reduces stress by lowering cortisol levels and physically shrinking the amygdala, the brain’s fight-or-flight centre. It consistently improves focus, emotional regulation and sleep quality while lowering blood pressure.
Electoral Reform Opportunity
The best chance of having a citizens’ assembly focused on how to make the system more proportional is if it is written into the BC NDP and BC Green Party agreement for 2026. They are negotiating it right now. Let your MLA know that constituents care about…
Did You Know? Bill C-15
The government is pushing through Bill C-15, the 600-page Budget Implementation Act. Buried inside it is something called the Red Tape Reduction Act. It lets any cabinet minister exempt any company from any federal law (environmental protections, public safety…
Reclaim the Economy for People and the Planet
As readers of this column know, I often refer to a piece of wisdom put forth by the World Wide Fund for Nature in 2014: “Ecosystems sustain societies that create economies. It does not work any other way round.”
Modernizing Industrial Water Rates in BC: Ending the Great Water Giveaway
Your voice is a key part of making water rates fair and protecting BC’s watersheds. Tell decision-makers that British Columbians care about clean water and strong, sustainable funding for our watersheds. Budget day is Feb. 17th. Talking points appear after you click…
Science Alliance for Forestry Transformation Update
“SAFT is group of leading forest ecologists/forest practitioners advocating for both legislative/policy and forest practices changes in B.C. The forest industry to date has largely been one of unsustainable resource extraction and conversion of primary forests…
Vancouver Island Duo Provides Free Pet Care for Owners in Treatment
The call would come in, a treatment bed ready, motivation high, everything lined up. Then the same answer, again and again. “I don’t have anywhere for my dog to go.” For Priya Sharma and Kayleigh Busch, it was one of the hardest…
Twenty-Five Ways to Make Life Affordable for All
Robert Reich is right. In a recent Substack post he laid out how tariffs, monopolies, and corporate power are driving up the cost of living for ordinary people. Much of what we call “inflation” is not an economic inevitability, but the result of policy choices that…
Rare Wetland For Sale
Water is life and we desperately need to keep land for nature reserves. Please lend your support for Hamilton Marsh, the largest wetland between Nanaimo, Cumberland, and Port Alberni – located just minutes from the Town of Qualicum Beach by donating or writing a…
There Is No Denying The Level Of Cycling Here
Hardly a day goes by that we don’t see letters to the editor decrying the waste of public money on bicycle facilities that apparently no one uses. Here are some numbers for those so afflicted with windshield myopia…
Why Become a UNESCO Urban Biosphere Region?
Largely lost in the flurry of pre-Christmas distractions was a Dec. 10 announcement from the Greater Victoria Naturehood that the Capital Regional District board had approved a staff recommendation to prepare nomination documents designating Greater Victoria a UNESCO urban biosphere region.
