Hi, this is Aaron Gun, your member of Parliament for North Island-Powell River. I’m reaching out to personally invite you to join me on Cortes for a public town hall this Thursday, April 9th, starting at 7:00 PM at Manson’s Hall. Doors will open at 6:30.
Continue reading 7 PM April 9: Aaron Gunn Town Hall on Cortes Island
BC comes under fire after cutting fees on LNG, pipeline projects
By Sonal Gupta, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
BC’s energy regulator is weakening oversight at a time when it should be making it stronger, according to environmentalists, Indigenous leaders and public‑health experts in the province.
The BC Energy Regulator (BCER), a Crown corporation funded largely by the companies it oversees, recently lowered levies for LNG Canada, Woodfibre LNG and the Coastal GasLink pipeline. The fees are collected “to meet [BCER’s] regulatory obligations and recover expenses,” the regulator says on its website.
LNG Canada’s annual levy fell from $900,000 to $600,000, Woodfibre’s from $2.5 million to $1.4 million and Coastal GasLink’s per‑kilometre charge dropped from $1,700 to $420.
Continue reading BC comes under fire after cutting fees on LNG, pipeline projects
In the Midst of a Global Energy Transition: Canada’s New Pipeline
Someone sent me a Facebook post in which North Island-Powell River MP Aaron Gunn points to a Petro Canada sign advertising gas for $2.09.9 a litre.
Gunn wrote, “Ridiculous. 4th-largest oil reserves on the planet. $2.09 per litre at the pumps. It’s time to build pipelines, refineries and an energy policy that puts Canada, and Canadians, first!”
My first response, when I calmed down enough to have a polite response, was ‘does he think a fully operational pipeline is going to drop out of the sky?’
So far, no proponents have stepped forward to build the proposed pipeline. Premier Danielle Smith of Alberta recently said there are some Middle Eastern and Asian investors who expressed interest in a minority stake. IF a proponent steps forward and clears all the necessary preliminary steps, it is still going to take years before oil flows through the proposed pipeline.
Continue reading In the Midst of a Global Energy Transition: Canada’s New Pipeline
Campbell River’s Acropolis: Power, Politics and the Price of Strathcona Gardens
The Acropolis is now perceived as a pinnacle of human achievement, yet 2,500 years ago many Greek city-states viewed it as a monument to tyranny. The funding for monuments like the Parthenon, Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike came from the Delian League—a coalition originally formed to resist the expanding Persian Empire. However there came a point when the Persian campaigns were more about the Athenian Empire than liberty. The traditional date for this transition is 454 BC, when the great Athenian statesman Pericles transferred the Delian League’s treasury from Delos to Athens. Plutarch described this as the moment the city lost its integrity and reputation. The funds raised to free Greek cities were instead used to adorn Athens with ‘costly statues and temples worth their millions.’ (Plutarch, Life of Pericles, 12.)
Continue reading Campbell River’s Acropolis: Power, Politics and the Price of Strathcona Gardens
New Westminster aims to protect tenants from extreme heat
Editor’s note: Will any other municipalities or regions follow this example?
By Theresa McManus, Freshet News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
New Westminster tenants aren’t allowed to freeze to death in their apartments — nor should they be allowed to succumb to heat in their homes.
That’s the motivation behind bylaws that will require New Westminster landlords to maintain safe temperatures in at least one living space in rental units occupied by a tenant. City council unanimously supported three readings to business bylaws at its March 30 meeting.
“This is a very exciting piece of work that the city is taking on,” said Coun. Nadine Nakagawa. “To the best of my knowledge, we are the first municipality in Canada to take this move to protect renters against extreme heat.”
Continue reading New Westminster aims to protect tenants from extreme heat