Latest news with #ChristyClark
CBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CBC
B.C. government is going to be ‘biggest barrier' to new pipeline, says former B.C. premier
The federal government introduced legislation on Friday that it says will eliminate federal barriers to internal trade and speed up major national projects. Former B.C. premier Christy Clark tells Power & Politics that the two big challenges to getting a new pipeline through B.C. will be seeking Indigenous consensus and getting the agreement of the provincial government.
Calgary Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Pipeline planned to supply LNG project receives green light from B.C. regulator
Article content British Columbia has once again green-lit the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) pipeline, reaffirming an approval first issued under the former Christy Clark government for the line that will supply a major new liquefied natural gas export terminal proposed on the province's northern coast. Article content The decision by the head of B.C.'s Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) on Thursday means that PRGT's environmental assessment certificate will remain in effect for the life of the project, clearing a major regulatory hurdle for the 12-million-tonne-per-year (Mtpa) Ksi Lisims LNG project. Article content Article content Article content 'This is an important step, not just for PRGT, but for the Nisga'a Nation's vision of self-determination and long-term prosperity,' Eva Clayton, president of Nisga'a Lisims Government, which co-owns PRGT and Ksi Lisims with Houston-based Western LNG LLC, said in a statement. Article content Article content The floating LNG terminal proposed for Pearse Island, north of Prince Rupert, B.C., still awaits key environmental sign-offs from provincial and federal officials, but Thursday's decision confirms that the 750-kilometre pipeline intended to supply feed gas to the liquefaction facility can go ahead. Article content PRGT, which would transport around two billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) of natural gas from northeastern B.C. to the West Coast, had initially been granted its certificate in 2014 when TC Energy Corp. advanced the project to supply the Petronas-backed Pacific NorthWest LNG project. Article content Article content But Petroliam Nasional Bhd. — the legal name of Malaysia's state-owned Petronas — cancelled Pacific NorthWest LNG in 2017 amid economic and regulatory headwinds, leaving PRGT to languish until Western LNG and the Nisga'a Nation bought the project in 2024, amending and shortening the proposed route to supply Ksi Lisims LNG. Article content Article content The long delay put the pipeline at risk of losing its environmental certificate since, under provincial rules, each certificate comes with a deadline by which a project must be substantially started and PRGT's was contingent upon a November 2024 start date. Article content But in his decision released Thursday, Alex MacLennan, head of the EAO, pointed to the clearing of 42 kilometres of the pipeline's right-of-way and the construction of permanent features identified in the project's plans, including nine bridges, 47 kilometres of roads and a lodge.
Vancouver Sun
30-05-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
B.C.'s minimum wage is going up: Here's everything you need to know
Minimum wage was first established in Canada in the early 20th century as a way to prevent labour exploitation of women and children. B.C., along with Manitoba, were the first provinces to introduce minimum wage legislation in 1918. Minimum wage is the lowest amount an employer can pay an employee per hour of work. In Canada, the rate is set by the provincial governments except for federally regulated businesses, where it is set by the federal government. Read more to find out about B.C.'s minimum wage: Stay on top of the latest real estate news and home design trends. 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 Westcoast Homes will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Starting June 1, 2025, B.C.'s minimum wage will increase by 2.6 per cent to $17.85 an hour from $17.40, a 45-cent hike. In April, the federal government increased the minimum wage to $17.75 an hour for federally regulated industries, such as banking and telecommunications. If a province or territory has a higher minimum wage, the higher rate applies. In B.C., minimum wage increases are pegged to annual increases in inflation based on the consumer price index. Last spring, the B.C. government made changes to the Employment Standards Act that mandates annual wage increases on June 1 to keep pace with inflation. 'Minimum-wage earners will be able to count on increases every year,' the province said at the time, saying that the scheduled increases will provide certainty and predictability for both workers and employers. B.C.'s minimum wage was frozen at $8 an hour from 2001 to 2011 under the Premier Gordon Campbell's Liberal government. When Christy Clark took over the helm in 2011, she increased the minimum wage to $8.75 an hour. The rate inched up slowly to $10.85 by 2017, when Clark left office. Starting in 2018, the NDP government implemented a series of annual increases, starting off with recommendations by the Fair Wages Commission to increase the minimum wage over four years with a goal of hitting $15.20 an hour by June 2021. The minimum wage has since climbed steadily from $11.35 in early 2018 to $17.40 in June 2024. Nunavut has the highest minimum wage in the country, at $19 an hour. Yukon is second, at $17.94 an hour after an increase last April. Currently, B.C. is third at $17.85 an hour — topping all provinces — and Ontario fourth at $17.20 an hour. Ontario's minimum wage is scheduled to rise in October to $17.60 an hour. Rounding out the top five is the Northwest Territories, where minimum wage is $16.70 an hour. Among provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island have the next highest minimum wage after Ontario, both at $16 an hour. Raising the minimum wage helps reduce poverty and income inequality for the approximately 150,000 lowest-paid workers in the province, say advocates. The B.C. government said it supports increasing minimum wage as a way to make life more affordable and the annual increases are necessary to keep up with rising costs of living, especially in B.C. where housing affordability is a constant issue. Some economists and business groups warn that wage hikes can be counterproductive if businesses can't keep pace and end up cutting jobs, relying on technology instead of workers, or move to a different jurisdiction with cheaper labour costs. According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, recent minimum wage hikes forced 64 per cent of B.C. small businesses to raise wages for other non-minimum wage workers. It also prompted 61 per cent of them to raise prices, contributing to inflation, and about a quarter to cut staff. A living wage is the hourly rate workers need to earn to cover basic expenses like food, clothing, rental housing, child care and transportation for a family. It is not set in law, although some municipalities, non-profits and businesses have committed to paying their employees a living wage. In Metro Vancouver in 2024, the living wage is calculated at $27.05 an hour. chchan@
Vancouver Sun
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
B.C. NDP finally begins debate on controversial fast-track legislation as opposition continues to mount
With just five days left in the legislature's spring sitting, the NDP's controversial infrastructure bill is finally up for debate as critics continue to voice concerns. Bill 15, the Infrastructure Projects Act, was introduced May 1 and allows the provincial cabinet to fast-track approval of major public infrastructure projects, such as schools, hospitals, cancer centres, student housing and any other projects deemed 'provincially significant,' like critical mineral mines, through an expedited environmental assessment process and easing of the permitting procedure. It has been roundly criticized by First Nations, municipalities and environmental groups for overriding local decision-making and being introduced without proper consultation. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. 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 Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The First Nations Leadership council has warned the legislation contravenes the government's own Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, which it passed in 2019. 'I've been around provincial politics a while now. If (former B.C. Liberal premier) Christy Clark tabled this bill in 2014, we would never have heard the end of how awful it is (from the NDP),' said Adam Olsen, a lead negotiator for the Tsartlip First Nation and a former Green MLA from 2017 to 2024. Trish Mandewo, the Union of B.C. Municipalities president, said she wants to see the government retract the bill, having heard from many local governments concerned that it will further erode their autonomy. Though she agreed with the need to build hospitals and schools, she questioned whether it was necessary to override municipalities to do so. 'We have seen in the past that when legislation is passed with little or no consultation, it fails, generally, and when the province proceeds that way, the legislation creates as many problems as it solves,' said Mandewo. Both Opposition parties, the Conservatives and the Greens, have voiced opposition to the legislation, leaving the government with the possibility that it will have to call on Speaker Raj Chouhan to cast the tiebreaking vote to pass it. If a single NDP MLA isn't present or votes against the legislation, it could fail. Nevertheless, Premier David Eby has signalled his intention to push the legislation forward, while his House leader, Mike Farnworth, has made the bill a confidence motion, meaning the government could fall if the legislation is rejected. Farnworth has also introduced a requirement that a final vote must be held no later than 8 p.m. on May 28. This effectively gives the House no more than four days to get through second reading, committee stage and third reading. Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma told reporters Tuesday that the legislation is needed for the province to be able to support 'economic development' and provide infrastructure needed by growing communities. 'We heard loud and clear in the 2024 election that British Columbians liked what we were doing, but they wanted more of it to be done,' said Ma. 'We need to get the schools built. We need to get the hospitals built. We need to bring economic opportunity into communities that desperately need it. We need to meet the moment, the needs of the moment. And so we're moving quickly, because British Columbians expect that of us.' Conservative Leader John Rustad called the government's actions 'undemocratic' and suggested the NDP is trying to cover up their mistakes over the last eight years. He also accused the government of giving itself the power to pick 'winners and losers' when it comes to which private sector projects are deemed significant enough for accelerated permitting. 'They've decided to use the legislative hammer to limit how much debate time we have,' he told reporters. 'They obviously do not respect this legislature. They don't respect the elected people in this province. They don't respect the people of this province. They think that they have all the answers and that they should just be given a blank cheque to be able to do anything.' Olsen noted the government does have the opportunity to delay Bill 15 until the fall, allowing time for revision and consultation with First Nations and municipalities. At the same time, he said that consultation should have occurred before the legislation was introduced in the first place. Tara Marsden, Wilp sustainability director for the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs, said her nation had been given only weeks to review the bill and that all the changes they proposed were rejected. She said that Indigenous leaders around the province have had emergency meetings, but doesn't know if there's time to be influential. 'We shared our concerns and their response was that they will be proceeding and that they will continue to recognize our own assessment processes that we have in place,' she said. 'It will be difficult to do that when they have really removed themselves, or plan to remove themselves, from their own assessment process.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
FWP hosts workshops to get input for new mule deer management plan
May 9—Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is developing a new Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan and is looking for public feedback through a series of workshops that will give people a chance to ask questions of FWP staff and share their opinions on key mule deer management concepts. "One of our guiding principles is to maximize the opportunity for public input of all stakeholders and the workshops show our commitment to transparency of agency decisions and rationale," FWP Director Christy Clark said. "Simply said, the more input from the public, the better." In Northwest Montana, the workshop will be held Wednesday, May 14, 5:30-8 p.m. — Region 1 Headquarters Office, 490 North Meridian Road, Kalispell The new Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan will reflect public concerns FWP has heard over the past several years, as well as the latest science and research around mule deer numbers and management. The new plan will provide more comprehensive guidance for FWP as it manages mule deer and include strategies and information on management concepts that address hunting harvest, mule deer habitat conservation and herd health. FWP's goal is to manage for the long-term welfare of Montana's mule deer resource and provide hunting opportunities that reflect the dynamic nature of deer populations. Through these public workshops, FWP will get a clearer understanding of what the public wants to see in the Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan, which will help us achieve this goal. Mule deer population overview Over the past several years, mule deer populations in Montana have fluctuated, and in many areas declined. The three main drivers for mule deer populations are weather, habitat and disease. Declining and fluctuating mule deer numbers have concerned both hunters and FWP staff. Assessing the population statewide is complicated. Not every part of the state has the same set of challenges. However, persistent drought and the broadening impacts of chronic wasting disease seem to be widespread. Each workshop will have breakout group discussions led by FWP staff.
