Latest news with #BritishColumbians
Global News
a day ago
- Business
- Global News
‘We'll be ready for you': Bellingham council pens letter to B.C. residents
Bellingham City Council in Washington State has penned a letter to British Columbians, reaffirming their commitment to relations with residents north of the border amid ongoing tensions between Canada and the U.S. 'I believe the letter, if I'm going to summarize, was essentially a governmental handshake in a city capacity, just wanting to reach over and show, just collaboration,' said Guy Occhiogrosso, president and CEO of the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce. 'One of the ways that we're terming it among a couple of other local agencies is just [being] ready for the warm welcome, letting everyone know that when Canadians are ready to come back, for those that aren't, we'll be ready for you.' Occhiogrosso said it is hard to pinpoint the exact impact the decline in cross-border travel is having on Bellingham but restaurants and stores are noticing a difference. Story continues below advertisement 'The entities that we represent as the chamber are having an interesting time trying to assess the impacts, and I think that's what we're doing at this point,' he said. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Last weekend, a bipartisan group of five U.S. senators visited Ottawa to say they want to bolster the Canada-U.S. relationship despite U.S. President Donald Trump's recent attacks. The lone Republican in the group urged Canadians to 'give us another chance.' The senators met with Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has vowed to pursue a new economic and security partnership with the U.S. while acknowledging that the trend of 'deep integration' between the two countries is over. The American lawmakers say that long-standing relationships must continue, with trade, tourism and defence partnerships among the key areas where collaboration is critical. 'We have to do this stuff together,' Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota told Mercedes Stephenson in an interview that aired Sunday on The West Block. 'We'll be better at it if we're friends than if we're just tolerating one another… I'm just here (in Ottawa) to say thank you, and then to encourage Canadians to take another look and give us another chance.' 0:41 Carney says US senators discussed tariffs, security during Ottawa visit Occhiogrosso also expressed the importance of rebuilding and maintaining the relationship between the U.S. and Canada, recognizing that it may take days, weeks, months, or even years for Canadians to feel like they want to cross the border again. Story continues below advertisement 'And us, in partnership with our tourism bureau, are really kind of leaning in on this warm welcome to say we recognize where people are,' he said. 'Locally, there's not a lot that we can do to fix some of those emotions, some of these concerns, but we're ready. We're ready for you when you come back. And I think this leans into the hundreds of years of relationship that our communities experience.' -with files from Sean Boynton
Vancouver Sun
2 days ago
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Opinion: Just as B.C. has less water to make electricity, we have more demand for clean energy
If you're like most people, you flick the light switch without giving much thought to how the electricity gets to your home and turns on the lights. And like most British Columbians, you pay your bill every month to B.C. Hydro unless you are in another service territory like me — I pay Nelson Hydro. Day in and day out, most of us don't consider much more than this when it comes to what's powering up our communities. Those of us who work to keep our electrical system dependable like that you can trust us. But for a moment, let's say you wanted to nerd out with us. We'd love that too. Because we all think that working in this energy transition is amazing and we're pretty happy to get noticed. A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. For my part, I've gone from being B.C.'s minister for energy to now working in the private sector with Energy Storage Canada. Since walking into that minister's office in 2017, I've believed that B.C. can be a clean powerhouse for Western Canada. However, the parameters to making that happen have changed since then. What we believed to be true and the forecasts we made at the time have taken other directions. Maybe I should have known better, maybe experts should have known better just eight years ago, but hindsight is always 20/20. The biggest change is the impact of global warming. As I wrote last year, snowpacks have been the lowest on record for several years, with 2023/24 the lowest. This year isn't much better. I could tell while paddling the shores of Kootenay Lake or after camping last weekend on Arrow Lake — two key reservoirs in the Columbia Basin system that generates nearly 50 per cent of B.C.'s electricity — that things are worse than expected eight years ago. But the B.C. government's May 15 Snow Survey and Water Supply Bulletin says it best: 'Low snowpack, early snowmelt and warm seasonal weather forecasts are pointing towards elevated drought hazards for this upcoming season.' Once again, that means less water to generate electricity and another year where B.C. Hydro is projecting to be a net importer of power. Just as B.C. has less water to make electricity, we have more demand for it. Electric vehicles, more electric home appliances and tools, more computers and data centres, major industry wanting to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions with clean electricity. You name it. The demand for clean power is escalating as we all want to do our part to reduce our impact on climate change — the very reason we have less hydro-power capacity. It's great to see demand for clean power grow, but how are we going to meet it when supply is less? Luckily, B.C. has many resources to generate clean electricity. In the last few years, there has been an incredible amount of innovation to capitalize on these resources in a way that minimizes environmental impact. Power generation and storing renewable energy for later use is advancing. Not only do I see it every day in my work with B.C.-based researchers and businesses, but the International Energy Agency stated that grid-scale 'battery storage is the fastest growing clean energy technology on the market' in their 2024 World Energy Outlook Special Report: Batteries and Secure Energy Transitions. Governments at all levels see this advancement too. With the launch of the Clean Power Action Plan, the current B.C. government and B.C. Hydro are opening a second call for power. The clean energy industry and First Nations are poised to respond again, as was evident at the Clean Energy B.C. Generate conference this month. Energy conservation remains a critical component to keep bills affordable and address the situation of high demand and a decreasing supply. Every utility in B.C. has plans to help customers reduce energy as well as improve infrastructure for efficiencies. But there is a new fly in the ointment that I didn't foresee in 2017 as a new energy minister, nor did I predict last year when writing about our energy situation. The U.S. Trump administration's threats and trade wars since last fall, before he was even in office, have turned reliable energy relationships and trade via B.C. Hydro's Powerex upside down. Powerex has long bought low-cost solar power from places like California and Nevada and sold them hydro power at night. Now, this relationship doesn't feel as secure. This means that any response to meeting clean energy needs must also focus on building greater connections between Canadian jurisdictions. The government of Canada's speech from the throne delivered by King Charles III prioritized such nation-building projects earlier in the week, while the governments of B.C. and Yukon have already signed an agreement to integrate their electricity grids for greater reliability. A lot is happening in the world of electricity right now. However, some worry that it's not happening fast enough. My guess is that the current B.C. Minister of Energy Adrian Dix agrees. His key word for the work he has to do is 'urgent' as he finds ways to streamline oversight and permitting to get things done. Because, after all, you expect the lights to go when you flick the switch.
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
B.C. Tories say NDP government should have fallen because of blurred Zoom screen
VICTORIA - If it were up to B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad, British Columbians would have found themselves at the start of an election campaign Thursday — because of a blurred Zoom screen. Rustad says Speaker Raj Chouhan shouldn't have counted an online vote on Wednesday night by Rick Glumac, minister of state for trade, arguing the blurred background of his screen violated the legislature's prohibition against virtual backgrounds. The vote on the government's Bill 14 was a confidence vote — and without Glumac's vote, or the tiebreaker cast by Chouhan, Rustad says the Opposition would have won 46 to 45. But B.C. NDP house leader Mike Farnworth says Glumac was clearly sitting in a room, with his face visible. He says that blurring the background of a room is an established practice and it's not the same as using a virtual background. Farnworth says a true example of a virtual background would be a member of the Opposition 'sitting on a beach with half a coconut, with an umbrella in it, and palm trees' and that the complaint about Glumac is 'nonsense.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025.
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
B.C. Tories say NDP government should have fallen because of blurred Zoom screen
VICTORIA - If it were up to B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad, British Columbians would have found themselves at the start of an election campaign Thursday — because of a blurred Zoom screen. Rustad says Speaker Raj Chouhan shouldn't have counted an online vote on Wednesday night by Rick Glumac, minister of state for trade, arguing the blurred background of his screen violated the legislature's prohibition against virtual backgrounds.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
B.C. Tories say NDP government should have fallen because of blurred Zoom screen
VICTORIA – If it were up to B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad, British Columbians would have found themselves at the start of an election campaign Thursday — because of a blurred Zoom screen. Rustad says Speaker Raj Chouhan shouldn't have counted an online vote on Wednesday night by Rick Glumac, minister of state for trade, arguing the blurred background of his screen violated the legislature's prohibition against virtual backgrounds. The vote on the government's Bill 14 was a confidence vote — and without Glumac's vote, or the tiebreaker cast by Chouhan, Rustad says the Opposition would have won 46 to 45. But B.C. NDP house leader Mike Farnworth says Glumac was clearly sitting in a room, with his face visible. He says that blurring the background of a room is an established practice and it's not the same as using a virtual background. Farnworth says a true example of a virtual background would be a member of the Opposition 'sitting on a beach with half a coconut, with an umbrella in it, and palm trees' and that the complaint about Glumac is 'nonsense.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025.
