In a highly emotionally charged Christmas Eve twitter message, Aaron Gunn, the MP for North Island-Powell River, announced that he will not be running for the leadership of the Conservative Party of BC. Instead, he will continue to serve as the Conservative representative for the North Island-Powell River riding. Gunn described this decision as the toughest of his life.
Continue reading Aaron Gunn Will Not Run For Leadership Of The BC Conservative Party
Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Potential leadership candidates for the BC Conservative Party are rapidly emerging after the party’s near implosion and the forced removal of John Rustad last week.
At this stage, many of the higher profile candidates, including newly elected federal Conservative MP Aaron Gunn and former BC Liberal premier Christie Clark, are playing coy, floating social media messages that suggest they are open to running, but reserving the right of refusal.
Gunn declined an interview with Canada’s National Observer, however, the BC MP for North Island-Powell River said he’ll likely make a final decision by the end of next week.
Continue reading BC Conservative leadership bids cropping up, but party politics remain perilous
By Sonal Gupta, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
British Columbia Opposition Leader John Rustad floated the idea on Monday of imposing a carbon tax on American thermal coal exported through B.C. ports, in response to the U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber. While some climate activists fighting coal exports say this would lead to positive results by increasing the price of a dirty fuel, they argue the most effective action would be to ban exports altogether to tackle the climate crisis.
Continue reading BC Conservatives pitch a carbon tax on US coal as a trade-war measureEditor’s note: In February 2013, the Christy Clark government proclaimed “LNG development is poised to trigger approximately $1 trillion in cumulative GDP within British Columbia over the next 30 years.” Eleven years later, the list of ‘proposed or under construction projects’ has shrunk from 20 to 7. The only local proposal, Discovery LNG in Campbell River, is no longer on the list.
According to Natural Resources Canada, “LNG Canada, in Kitimat, BC, will be Canada’s first large-scale LNG export facility once complete, aiming for first exports by 2025. The majority of the other projects target beginning operations between 2027 and 2030.”
By Matt Simmons, The Narwhal, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
As Teresa Waddington proudly proclaimed LNG Canada is on track to wrap up construction in Kitimat, B.C., this year, the room full of hundreds of attendees at the BC Natural Resources Forum erupted in cheers.
“We are 90 per cent complete, bringing Canada’s first LNG export facility to life,” she said in mid-January, at the annual gathering of industry bigwigs and hopefuls, First Nations leaders, provincial and federal politicians and civil servants who had travelled from around the province to Prince George for the event.
Continue reading The door to B.C.’s liquefied natural gas export sector is about to open. Here’s what you need to knowThere could be a federal election next Spring and Green party leader Annamie Paul is looking for promising candidates. Also, the Canadian Government is expected to release its proposed climate legislation on Monday. These were a couple of the ideas mentioned Saturday, when the North Island-Powell River Greens hosted a ZOOM conference entitled Annamie Paul in conversation.
Continue reading Annamie Paul in conversation
