Explore every episode of the podcast Carole Taylor's Journal

How did DRIPA, the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act – supposedly a step forward in reconciliation – become such a political and legal mess?

On this edition of Journal, we speak with a man who was a member of the British Columbia legislature that gave birth to the now-controversial DRIPA bill, Mike de Jong.

No stranger to this file, Mike served as the aboriginal critic when in the BC Liberal opposition and then Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation in the Gordon Campbell government.

This was, of course, in addition to serving as Attorney General, Minister of Finance, Minister of Health, and on, and on. In other words – a senior politician to be taken seriously.

Not surprisingly, on this complicated and controversial DRIPA bill, Mike had questions. A lot of questions. How would it work? Had the bill been vetted by the province’s lawyers?

And there were other voices expressing concern. Jody Wilson Rayboud also warned this would be unworkable.

Yet, even after a passionate speech from MLA and former Haisla chief Ellis Ross, warning of the dangers of this bill, DRIPA was voted on and passed – unanimously.

Two years later, adding more fuel to the fire, the government introduced an amendment to the Interpretation Act, saying all provincial laws “must” be consistent with UNDRIP. It’s that word “must” that has been taken seriously by the courts.

What happened?

Well, we know what’s happened: court decisions against the government, lawsuits, accusations, and flip-flops. A fine mess.

To bring context to how we find ourselves in this position, Mike de Jong.

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

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On this edition of Journal, we ask the question: Why, in a recent front page story, was one expert quoted as saying he was not too concerned about reported job losses in the construction sector?

Meanwhile, another in the same article says the current situation in terms of residential construction is the worst he has seen in decades.

So, where does that leave us? To worry or not to worry?

We do know layoffs overall in the construction sector are happening in numbers not seen since the 1990s. In British Columbia: 6,900 job losses in February alone.

In some ways, it doesn’t make sense. We have a federal government, a provincial government, and a municipal government all tripping over themselves making big housing announcements – big dollars, big numbers.

Prime Minister Carney, early in his mandate, promised 500,000 residential units to be built annually. This was “passing strange” since Canada has only managed to build an average of half of that in previous years. As well, major infrastructure projects are touted and fast-tracked – all good for the construction industry, right?

But despite this political zeal to “build, build, build,” a number of developers are just walking away from projects that have already been approved and many real estate companies have announced major layoffs.

In addition, there are now thousands of already completed condos sitting empty and unsold in Metro Vancouver.

What is going on?

To help us understand the whole picture, we are joined by Chris Gardner, President and CEO of ICBA (Independent Contractors and Business Associations). His members are on the front lines during this challenging time for the construction industry.

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

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On this edition of Journal, we lift the curtain on the chaos of the NDP in British Columbia.

If you are shaking your head in disbelief at some of the stunning flip-flops and bad policy choices of our current provincial government, you are not alone.

Decriminalization: a disastrous policy now abandoned.

How about the infamous Land Act, which would have given First Nations co-control with the government of all the Crown land in the province? It was so controversial that it disappeared.

Premier David Eby loudly and repeatedly said that private property wouldn’t be affected by the aboriginal title agreements being negotiated – until a judge ruled in the Cowichan decision that maybe private property could be affected after all.

Another court has now ruled that the provincial system for mineral claims staking violates their own act, saying that all BC laws and regulations MUST be consistent with the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (DRIPA).

Interesting that David Eby was the Attorney General at that time, who helped draft those very words – “MUST be consistent.”

Realizing that the act would now have to be rewritten, Premier Eby presented changes that he said were urgent and non-negotiable – until they weren’t, and instead there would just be a 3-year pause on the troublesome phrases.

Then the Premier declared even this pause motion to be a matter of confidence, meaning the government would fall if it didn’t pass. Then lo and behold, he changed his mind yet again and announced it wouldn’t be a confidence vote.

Then the 3-month pause became 1-month and now it's completely off the table for this legislative session.

What is going on in Victoria? To help make sense of it all, Alec Lazenby, one of the top reporters covering the provincial government for the Vancouver Sun, joins us.

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

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On this edition of Journal: a closer look at the recently released forestry report that says we have to abandon the old ways of managing our forests because the status quo is not working.

That statement won’t be a surprise to anyone touched by this industry, be it municipalities, First Nations, the provincial government, or the workers and their families. More than two dozen mills have closed in the past four years, laying off more than 8,000 workers. Many companies have decided to do their capital investments elsewhere, in the US or Europe, but not in British Columbia.

The report called, “From Conflict to Care,” acknowledges that currently in forestry, “we have a complex system of legislation that is hard to comprehend, combined with bureaucratic inefficiencies such as Ministries working in silos and sometimes at cross purposes with opposing mandates. Adding to this challenge is the instability caused by election cycles which drive frequent shifts in priorities and mandates.”

That brutal assessment is not from opposition literature – it is taken word-for-word from this new report compiled by the Provincial Forestry Advisory Council done for the BC government. One of the chairs, Garry Merkel, calls it “another freakin’ review of BC forest policy.”

So, the table is set:

What can be done to save this important resource industry that used to be such a major player in our province?

Shannon Janzen, Merkel’s co-chair, a forester, and former vice-president of Western Forest Products, believes there is a way. First of all, we must accept the status quo is broken; then, after broad consultations, come up with a radical new model that works in 2026.

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

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On this edition of Journal, mayor Brad West of Port Coquitlam walks us through some of the failures we are seeing in our governments at all levels and some of the solutions.

Brought up by his mother after his father died, Brad remembers the importance to the family when she finally got a union job, good wages, and good hours. Brad went on to study at the University of Victoria before taking a job in communications with the United Steelworkers.

You can see with his personal experience he would be a natural fit with the NDP of British Columbia, a social democratic party. So how surprising was it when, last year, Brad West took a swing at the NDP government by saying they were more interested in pronouns than jobs?

In other words, ideology over workers.

Recently in another op-ed, the mayor elaborated. This time, about how governments in general are failing and frustrating their citizens.

People, he says, want results not announcements. Service, not ribbon cutting.

Based on his successful time in municipal government – elected as a councillor in 2008, the youngest mayor elected in Port Coquitlam’s history in 2018, then re-elected by acclamation, meaning no one chose to run against him. Based on that alone, his ideas are worth listening to.

For instance:

Less high school behaviour in the legislature, more listening to citizens and their needs.

Fewer studies and more action.

And stop overspending taxpayer’s hard-earned dollars.

Mayor Brad West joins us to outline a road to recovery and a way for politicians to regain the public trust.

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

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On this edition of Journal, we open our eyes to the challenges and needs of those living in some of British Columbia’s most remote communities.

We have highlighted the crisis in healthcare that many of our cities face every time their local ER is unexpectedly closed, or the maternity ward, or the pediatric unit.

But imagine if you lived in a community where there may be limited road access – or no access at all. How do you get food supplies? Medications? Medical attention?

Owen Sitnam, a helicopter pilot and whose father Danny Sitnam founded and built Helijet, saw a need and set out to fill it. In 2021, he formed a non-profit called Helicopters Without Borders to ensure there is a method for marginalized communities and people in distress in British Columbia to access health and wellness services.

For Owen, he didn’t believe it was right that there are children in our province who had never seen a dentist or a doctor. So Helicopters Without Borders started to fly in medical and support teams.

Imagine being excited to see a dentist – the joy and smiles on the faces of these little ones tells you all you need to know.

Last year, they transported health professionals to over 700 clinical sessions, meeting with over 3000 individuals across BC.

By partnering with others, they also support a travelling team of pediatric specialists. And believing food security to be a major issue, they work with charities and food banks across the province, flying in these essentials.

We meet the man behind this wonderful initiative, Owen Sitnam.

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

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On this edition of Journal: the role arts and culture play in our lives.

My premise is they are essential to a vibrant community. They lift us up out of our daily worries. They help form our identity. Think of New York: Broadway. Think of Paris: galleries. Italy: opera.

So, why are they constantly underfunded here, especially since they are also economic engines providing jobs, not just for the actors, the singers, the painters, and directors, but for the people who build the sets, write the words, the music, and design the makeup and costumes?

I found it incredibly ironic to see politicians proudly celebrating the work of so many Canadian artists honoured at the Oscar, when government funding and support has been unreliable for years. Go Canada!

One man who has worked in the arts around the world all his life is Christopher Gaze, founding artistic director of Bard on the Beach.

I mean, honestly, who would have believed that anyone could inspire 88,000 people each year to sit out on a warm summer evening to listen to the words of Shakespeare?

But not one day of his journey has been easy. He has had to wiggle and squirm every day to make ends meet.

I loved the story of his early days as a penniless actor. He could be seen hauling a bag of his meager belongings to yet another audition. Ah, but the secret was, in his battered bag was one beautiful, well-pressed tux, always ready for showtime.

Make no mistake – for 37 years, Bard on the Beach, one of Canada’s largest theatre companies, has only been possible because of Christopher Gaze’s ingenuity.

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

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On this edition of Journal, Chief Constable Steve Rai. It’s almost a year since he was chosen to lead the Vancouver Police Department into the future – the first South Asian Chief for the VPD.

His story is so interesting: born in Punjab, India, he came with his family to Canada at age 5. A boy who lived next door to him in Kitsilano was unable to pronounce his name, Satwinder Singh, so he named him Steve. So, Steve it is.

A new immigrant, his dad found work in maintenance at the Vancouver Police Department and loved it, perhaps influencing his son’s decision to join the VPD at the age of 23.

When the Chief talks about his first assignment, walking the streets of East Vancouver 36 years ago, his amazement and enthusiasm boils over. “Remember that?” he says to a Business in Vancouver reporter. “Gun violence every day. Open warfare with machine guns out the back windows of cars, shooting each other on Kingsway.”

Sometimes we think we are the only ones living in dangerous times.

Steve Rai has always believed in hard work, education, and learning. While he was carrying out his policing duties on the streets of Vancouver, he was also learning by taking many additional courses, including being the only Canadian police officer accepted for the US International Leadership Development program in 2006.

And now, Chief Rai can put all that experience to work, starting with his dream of Vancouver having its own police academy. Steve once said that about 40% of his time is spent lobbying and, for sure, that has paid off with the province and city officially blessing this new academy.

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

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On this edition of Journal, we try to untangle the evermore confusing issues surrounding aboriginal title in British Columbia and what it means for private property owners.

My head is spinning with all the contradictory information that is out there. Private property is not affected, says our premier. Oh, maybe it is, says a judge.

One pattern is emerging – decisions are being made by governments in negotiations with First Nations in private, then grandly announced as a fait accompli to the broader public, businesses, and property owners. That’s no way to build support or buy-in.

To whit, the proposed-then-withdrawn Land Act giving First Nations a 50% say on all the province’s Crown land, the Haida title agreement, the dispute on the Sunshine Coast, the Cowichan court case, and then the federal signing of a deal with the Musqueam claiming vast sections of Metro Vancouver and surrounding municipalities as their hereditary land.

It is a fact that when you lose trust, you lose trust. So now, when any of these players say, “Oh, trust us. We won’t touch private property,” it’s a hard sell, especially since the judge in the Cowichan case said her decision may give rise to some uncertainty for private property owners. Indeed.

A final irony is that some of the agreements are now being challenged by other First Nations: the Musqueam and Tsawwassen First Nations are appealing the Cowichan decision, Squamish First Nation said it wasn’t consulted on the Musqueam decision, and even the Cowichan First Nation is appealing its own successful court case because they only were awarded half of what they asked for!

Thomas Isaac, one of Canada’s top lawyers in the field of aboriginal law, joins us to say what worries him about the BC situation.

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

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On this edition of Journal, a subject that is near and dear to me – governance. I know, I know. Your heart is beating faster at just the thought of this topic, but bear with me.

If you are a government or a nonprofit or a business of any size, if you get the governance right, then you are on your way to success.

Sadly, it is often in government that we find problems. The example that is glaring in its unmanageability is Metro Vancouver.

Imagine: you are the Chair of this organization with 41 members, many mayors sitting around a very large table representing 21 municipalities, Tsawwassen First Nations, and Electoral Area A. Every single one of them has their own priorities and problems they want addressed.

How can you ever make that work?

Importantly, how are decisions made? Like for the overdue, vastly over-budget wastewater project that went from $700 million to $3.6 billion? Is it by consensus or by accepting a staff recommendation?

In part because of this dollar shock for taxpayers, Deloitte was asked to have a look. Their report highlighted many challenges with the Metro Vancouver model, including the obvious fact that the Board is just too large to manage, that directors’ expenses should be trimmed, and perhaps the Chair should not be a politician.

With all these problems, why would anyone willingly take on the near-impossible task of reorganization? Well, fortunately, mayor Mike Hurley of Burnaby has stepped into the fray and is serving as Chair. He calls himself a person of action and warns that possibly big changes are coming.

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

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On this edition of Journal, we join the chorus of voices repudiating British Columbia’s new budget.

To be charitable, Premier Eby is having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day (to borrow from a children’s book).

Even before the actual numbers were released, one headline from Business in Vancouver magazine stated: “Eby may go down as the worst fiscal manager in BC history.”

Another said, “The stunning deterioration in BC’s fiscal health during Premier Eby’s tenure will not soon be reversed.”

Vaughn Palmer said, “NDP’s fiscal credibility shredded.”

And on and on.

The facts are these – during Premier Eby’s time, the province has gone from a $6-billion surplus to a deficit of $13.3 billion dollars.

Our debt in the 3 year budget will be up 200% since 2021/22 – and the cost of paying interest on that debt will have gone up 220% during that time, making interest charges the fastest-growing line in the budget.

As we all know, money going to the bank to pay for past borrowing excesses means less money for health, seniors, and our kids.

As if that weren’t bad enough, in a time of economic stress for many, taxes are going up on everything from basic cable and land lines to shoe repair, accounting services, and – oh yes – on security costs that many small businesses have been forced to absorb because of retail crime and street disorder.

As columnist Rob Shaw says: all pain, no gain.

To make sense of all this is David Williams, vice-president of policy at the Business Council of BC.

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

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On this edition of Journal, we examine one of the received truths in British Columbia: that one of our economic advantages is that BC offers businesses and industry a plentiful supply of hydroelectric energy at reasonable cost.

What could be a better pitch? It is clean energy to run your enterprise.

In fact, Premier Eby has had press conferences highlighting the government’s demand that new mines, LNG, data centres, will be powered by electricity.

Sounds pretty appealing in a time of climate awareness. But is it the reality?

A couple of hard facts – for the third year in a row, BC has not produced enough electricity to even serve our own current needs, let alone all these new initiatives. That’s right: we import electricity.

And, besides that, according to Energy Futures, BC Hydro has a backlog of demands for more clean energy.

So we already have an electricity deficit in our province, a queue of current requests for more permits while at the same time, we are actively encouraging new businesses to electrify, customers to buy electric cars, and home heating to move away from natural gas to electric heat pumps.

Realizing the impending crisis, the Premier announced this week heavy users such as AI and data centres will have to compete for electricity through a managed process. How will that work? Who decides which businesses win the lottery?

Barry Penner, Chair of the Energy Futures Institute and a former BC cabinet minister calls this “a serious case of policy dissonance.”

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

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On this episode of Journal: an examination of the worrisome new expansion of what it means when we talk about food security.

In the good old days – actually only 9 months ago – when Journal last spoke with Lenore Newman, one of Canada’s top experts in this field, much of the focus was on the effects of climate change: how our supply chains must adjust and how Canada’s own agriculture would be affected.

Who would have believed that Lenore would now pen an op-ed that says, “We are living in a world of sharks who don’t think twice about sacrificing communities to the whim of politics.”

She goes on to say that “an irascible US government could starve us within days and we would have no easy alternatives.”

Wow. This, of course, comes on the heels of our Prime Minister’s remarkable speech at Davos, where he posited that “a country that can’t feed itself, fuel itself, defend itself has few options.”

So, this discussion of food security has become a lot more serious – and fast. What if CUSMA goes away? What if 100% tariffs were put on all food imports – remembering that over half of our agrifood imports come from the United States? What if the border was “temporarily” closed?

So what are we to do? As Prime Minister Carney has said, “Nostalgia is not a strategy.”

To help guide us in this discussion is Dr. Lenore Newman. Besides being the Director of the Food and Agriculture Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley, she also holds a Canada Research Chair in food security.

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

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On this edition of Journal, we take a closer look at one piece of our health care system that doesn’t usually get much attention, even though we see them working on our streets all the time: paramedics.

We hear about doctor shortages and nurse shortages, but did you know we have a paramedic shortage? In rural and remote areas of the province alone, there are close to 400 vacancies.

The problem is exacerbated when an emergency call comes in but the ER is closed or on diversion. According to Mayor Goetz (of Merritt, British Columbia), a paramedic – if available – must transport and accompany the patient around 100 kilometres to the nearest hospital for emergency care. That takes time, leaving the community vulnerable.

Also, the province does not allow the service to pre-schedule overtime coverage in advance when there are known holes in the schedule – for vacations, as an example. This results in a patchwork system, sometimes covered by firefighters but often resulting in wait times that are too long.

So, a few questions:

What is a day in the life of a paramedic like?

What training is required?

Why aren’t more people applying for these vacant positions?

I can’t help but worry about the constant stress that our overdose crisis has added to the job of being a paramedic. Imagine reviving the same person over and over again with the same result. That must take a toll.

To talk about some of these issues is Ian Tait, spokesperson for the Ambulance Paramedics of BC, who are currently in negotiation with the government. What are the biggest issues and possible solutions?

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this edition of Journal; an opportunity to look back at British Columbia’s failed experiment of decriminalization – and look forward to what might come next.

Dr. Julian Somers, a clinical psychologist and distinguished professor at Simon Fraser University, was one of the first voices to speak up about the perils of decriminalization and safe supply of drugs when these initiatives were first announced, and the powers-that-be didn’t like that – or him. At one point, he was told to destroy his report and not rock the boat.

Initially, we were all told that the goal of these policies was to destigmatize drug addicts and prevent overdose deaths. But as the Minister of Health, Minister Osborne, has now admitted, it didn’t work. What it did do, however, was lead to increased public use of drugs on our streets and in our neighbourhoods, raising disorder and public safety concerns – an unintended consequence that should have been anticipated.

So, now we are moving on. To what, you might ask? And how?

Is there a consensus on first steps? I would suggest one of the most important changes that must happen is a sea change in attitude away from just supplying drugs to addicts, to the consideration of other strategies for care or recovery.

For sure, it will involve more treatment beds, more available social services for support, and – in some severe cases – involuntary care models. But are we ready to even have this conversation?

Dr. Somers believes that underpinning any future success must be data. “We need to state how our interventions are expected to result in improvements and how we’re going to measure progress.”

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

ctj064 #decriminalization #britishcolumbia #bcpoli

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On this edition of Journal, we look at the sad Vancouver tale of the rise and fall of Woodward’s on Hastings Street.

Built in 1903, the Woodward’s building was the place to be in Vancouver – a one-stop department store famous for its renowned food floor. Glory days.

But few things stay the same forever. The Woodward's decline began in the 1960s as both shopping patterns and Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside began to change. Many shoppers chose the shiny new suburban malls rather than the deteriorating downtown location. The losses at Woodward’s began to mount company-wide until they declared bankruptcy in 1993, 90 years after its much-celebrated opening on Hastings Street.

But that wasn’t the end of the Woodward’s story. The heritage building remained empty until the city bought it in 2001, with grand visions of a revitalized anchor for the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, providing homes and services for the community. This project was controversial from the outset, with some fighting against this so-called gentrification, while others worried that too much social housing in one project would not work.

But reopen it did, in 2009 with much fanfare about the anchor tenants supporting the redevelopment: Nesters Market, TD Bank, London Drugs, J.J. Bean, among others. But that was then and this is now: TD bank has closed its doors, J.J. Bean is gone and now London Drugs has announced its imminent closure.

The reasons are all similar – increased crime and disorder on the streets, worry about safety for staff and customers, and financial losses.

Clint Mahlman, CEO of London Drugs, joins me to talk about this difficult decision.

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On this edition of Journal: another hitch in the plan for a smooth path to reconciliation in British Columbia.

First, we had the BC government’s introduction of the Land Act, which unsettled many of its assertions of co-management with First Nations of all the Crown land in the province. The Act was withdrawn, but not before some name-calling.

But then in a splashy press conference, Premier Eby announced the granting of aboriginal title to Haida Gwaii. When people of all stripes and professions raised questions about what that would mean for private property owners, the Premier announced again and again it would not affect private property.

And then, boom – there was the court decision granting aboriginal title over land in Richmond to the Cowichan, with the Judge suggesting – despite what had been asserted by Premier Eby – there were issues around private property rights.

Finally, last month in another twist on this reconciliation journey, a different judge in a separate case found that BC’s mineral claims regime, fundamental to our hoped for resurgence in mining, is inconsistent with the province’s own declared law, DRIPA – the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act – because mining claims were made before receiving free, prior, and informed consent from First Nations.

With all of this cumulative confusion and uncertainty, is it any wonder that support for reconciliation has fallen in recent polls?

Joining me to make sense of all this is Thomas Isaac. As one of our country’s leading experts on aboriginal title and the law, he has concerns about what he is seeing in BC.

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On this edition of Journal, we try to make sense of the mish-mash of housing initiatives coming at us from all directions – federal, provincial, and municipal governments.

Two things seem obvious. First, no one is coordinating these various programs, since some of them overlap and some even contradict each other. At one point last spring, research showed there were at least 60 initiatives aimed at developers and builders, supposedly to increase the supply of housing, therefore leading to affordability. But have they?

Second, the whole issue of housing is fractured into parts. There is home ownership, market rental, below market rental, social housing, seniors housing, assisted living, and on and on. Each category gets debated on its own with little attention to how it fits with all the other needs. Policies are then developed sector by sector.

Beau Jarvis sees this as a problem. Beau is the President and CEO of Wesgroup Properties, one of Canada’s largest housing providers. For many years, his company has been a major player in purpose-built rental housing. Many people in government and in the community feel that this is the only answer to affordability, but is it?

Have we completely given up on the idea of ownership – in any form – because it seems so expensive and so impossible?

But at the moment, rental is the flavour of the month, garnering much of the attention and policies to support it. Despite Wesgroup’s strong presence in that market, Beau feels it is a mistake if we aren’t talking about housing as a whole with all its permutations and combinations since piecemeal policy does not guarantee a liveable, affordable city.

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On this edition of Journal, we examine what is happening to the City of Vancouver – and what can be done, if anything, to turn this situation around.

When I was a councillor in the late eighties, I remember one example of how neighbourhood planning was done in those days: on the street, not in backrooms.

A brand new False Creek residential development, to be built on industrial land, while controversial, was to be a centrepiece of new urban planning principles. Immediately, questions arose. How can you have density without amenities like parks? Or the idea that you can’t start building without thoughtful plans for infrastructure and traffic management. Most importantly, you have to talk to residents (or future residents) about their needs.

Larry Beasley, an urban planner for the city, was not content to just send paper reports to Council – he took a group of us councillors down to False Creek so we could actually see the design initiatives that were important to liveability, rather than just plunking down apartments.

As a sidebar, part of the lesson was about quality, dramatically emphasized when he was mid-sentence explaining why a certain kind of rock – rip-rap – had to be used along the shoreline to prevent rats from infesting the residential area. Just at that moment, a rat appeared and scampered up to us. Alright, alright. Pay for the right rip-rap! 

But the point actually is, Larry Beasley was always hands-on: walking the streets, talking to residents, asking questions, listening and responding, ensuring we built a city for its citizens. It is a big reason why Vancouver has so many unique neighbourhoods. And for many years, those streets became mini communities – safe to walk, shop, and talk to your neighbours.

Larry is not happy with what he is seeing today: that the province has decided it can design our cities from Victoria.

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On this edition of Journal: What has happened to the centre-right coalition that ran British Columbia for so many years, under various names (SoCreds, BC Liberals, etc.)?

The latest iteration was cobbled together just before the last provincial election when John Rustad, who had been kicked off the BC Liberals before they became BC United, joined up with the dormant Conservative party – and then Kevin Falcon, the BC United leader, pulled his party out of the race.

And we’re seeing the same kind of division on the right at the municipal level in Vancouver.  

Ahh, BC politics.

And unbelievably, this party with virtually no money, no organization, and a lot of newbie candidates almost won the election. Such was the unhappiness with the NDP government and Premier Eby.

Now, one might have thought that such a surprisingly good result would have given this new group hope and enthusiasm for the future. But no. Instead of all pulling together in the same direction with one eye on the future, the backstabbing and innuendo began.

Whispers and more whispers: John Rustad, the man who brought them so close to victory would be gone by Monday, or next week, or next month.

One year later, five MLAs have left or been kicked out of caucus and a majority of the Conservative Party executive have called for Rustad’s resignation, as have the presidents of five Metro Vancouver ridings. And yet, John Rustad is becoming more and more prominent on social media, talking about issues such as Cowichan, affordability and EV mandates.

To help us understand the machinations of politics in this province is my guest this week, Dr. Stewart Prest, a lecturer in political science at the University of BC.

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On this edition of Journal: healthcare.

How can we ever have a meaningful discussion on how to improve healthcare delivery in Canada when we aren’t even allowed to ask the question? Medicare is perfect – until it isn’t.

Tangentially, this reminds me of the President Biden situation, when all his spokespeople were insisting that he was in perfect health until the public saw with their own eyes during the debate – that, in fact, something was very wrong.

So what are we seeing with our own eyes about healthcare delivery?

All seven OB-GYNY doctors – the entire unit – resigned their positions in the Kamloops hospital, citing unsafe working conditions and staff shortages.

People in Kelowna were told in the spring that the entire pediatric team at Kelowna General Hospital was being closed down due to poor working conditions.

Last year, British Columbia started sending some of our cancer patients to Bellingham, in the US, because we couldn’t guarantee timely treatment.

And of course, our headlines are filled with ER closures around the province: Merritt, Mission, Delta, and on and on. I can’t imagine the family that showed up in the middle of the night with a sick child, only to find the ER closed, thinking our healthcare system is just fine.

And I haven’t even mentioned waitlists and the shortage of family physicians.

One man who has been warning of this impending crisis since 1995 is Dr. Brian Day. He has devoted years – 13 of them – in court fighting provincial and federal governments, trying to be heard.

Brian has recently written a book: “My Fight for Canadian Healthcare.”

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On this edition of Journal: the complexities and needs of our aging population.

I’m a baby boomer and to this day, I am astounded that institutions never saw us coming. With at least five years’ warning before this population boom hit the school system, it seemed to be a surprise when we all arrived – not enough desks, not enough classes, not enough schools.

But that bureaucratic “miss” is nothing compared to what we face today, as these same baby boomers age. Who knew?

Who knew boomers would need more and more complex healthcare as they got older?

Who knew that it would become harder and harder for some seniors to pay rising rents on a fixed income, leading to an increase in homelessness for those over 55?

Who knew that, along with longer lifespans, there would be a commensurate demand for those not able to take care of themselves – a demand for long-term care beds and assisted living services?

Well, here we are – and now we know.

According to British Columbia’s Seniors Advocate, we need at least 5,000 new long term care beds, as the waitlist for seniors needing these beds has grown by 200% in the last ten years.

And this shortage becomes a chokepoint for our entire healthcare system. Hospital beds are often occupied by someone ready to be released from acute care, but can’t until a long-term care bed is available. Then the E.R. gets backed up because a patient that should be admitted to a hospital bed has to stay in the hall of the emergency department because there isn’t an open bed upstairs.

Sounding the alarm on this issue, as well as ageism, is Dan Levitt, our province’s Seniors Advocate.

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On this edition of Journal: an in-depth look at the recent federal budget with one of Canada’s top economists, Jock Finlayson.

You know, a lot has changed recently in how budget information is released. It used to be considered a major failure if anything was leaked before the minister stood up in Parliament and officially read the document into the record. This was to prevent insiders from using information for their own benefit.

In 1983, Marc Lalonde found himself in hot water because he had let a television crew into his office while the yet-to-be-released budget lay on his desk.

In 1989, Michael Wilson took responsibility when a leaked copy was handed to a reporter from a recycling plant. Michael didn’t resign but this was recognized to be a serious misstep.

Not anymore. Now, prereleasing budget initiatives is regarded as performance art. In the weeks leading up to Budget Day in Parliament this year, minister after minister would discuss initiative after initiative that would be included. Housing? We’ve got something for that. Critical minerals? We’ve got that covered.

Prime Minister Mark Carney even gave a speech promising the budget would be transformational, generational – whatever that means.

So while politicos probably regarded all the early positive stories to be a successful manoeuvre, it kinda backfired when Budget Day headlines said: “Over promised, under delivered” or “Big day wasn’t quite as advertised” or “Carney’s budget misses the mark.”

So what should we really be taking away from the government’s financial blueprint in 2025? Jock Finlayson has some warnings we should pay attention to.

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On this edition of Journal, we examine the issue of retail crime and street disorder, and how they are changing the cities we live in.

Last year, Caren McSherry, owner of the Gourmet Warehouse on East Hastings, told her story of how retail crime and intimidation is making her reconsider her business after more than 20 years. Broken windows (that she has to pay for), open theft where three big guys come in and simply take 3 very expensive juicers from the shelves, drugs and disorder on the street, even staff intimidation by one man who came in wearing a garbage bag and stripped. Is it worth it?

Another recent headline featured the owner of the Aura Nightclub on Granville Street, Allan Goodall, talking about how his business has been affected by the move to replace the Howard Johnson Hotel above him with supportive housing in 2020. Since that time, there have been more than 900 calls to the fire department and police say they have received thousands of calls. So, closed business for costly repairs – repeatedly – and intimidation of customers who really don’t feel safe coming into the area. How long can he keep going?

So many small businesses have given up – just look at the boarded-up “For Lease” signs.

John Clarides is the owner of Marquis Wine Cellars on Davie Street. Even though he is not in the direct hit of the Downtown Eastside, his business is also suffering from disorder on the street, vandalism, and shoplifting. His worry is that this is not just hurting his business; the long-term danger is that people are discouraged from coming downtown at all. He says, “When a street dies, a city dies.”

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On this edition of Journal, we look at what is happening in our economy. It is a tumultuous time, quite apart from tariffs. Housing prices, while falling, are still unaffordable for many. Real estate companies have been forced to lay off long time employees. Forestry companies are in big trouble. Youth unemployment hit 14.6% this summer – highest since 2010. And governments are announcing unbelievable deficits.

As well, many citizens are turning against one of the principles of what it means to be Canadian: immigration.

A Nanos poll showed an erosion of support, with 71% of Canadians either strongly or somewhat strongly wanting to reduce the number of immigrants. Most of the wrath is focused on the careless way in which the numbers of Temporary Foreign Workers and international student visas were allowed to balloon, putting pressure on housing, healthcare, education, and social services across the country.

As mayor of Port Coquitlam, Brad West is no stranger to taking the brunt of policies designed by another level of government – the forced densification of British Columbia’s municipalities by the provincial government, which he calls “throwing urban planning out of the window.”

Brad also laments the lack of real action on involuntary care, when we need at least one other forensic psychiatric hospital to care for those who are in desperate need of help. Then there is decriminalization that precipitated such disorder on our streets.

So, it is not surprising that Brad West also has something to say about our economy and immigration. However, his analysis may surprise you.

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On this edition of Journal, we try to find truth amidst all of the contradictory data and headlines on housing.

Not long ago, there was one newspaper story lamenting the disastrous state of residential construction and another story (the very same day) saying things were looking up.

And then, the confusing headline – “Housing starts are up but sales are down.” Huh? What does all this mean?

One thing to know is that in the real estate business, “starts” are a lagging indicator – that means those “starts” are about the past, as contradictory as that sounds. Many of those projects were initiated several years before today and may have been years in the developing / permitting / financing process and are just now in construction – thus, the use of the term “starts.”

On the other hand, sales tell you what is happening real time. How many actual properties successfully changed hands this quarter? How many built condos are sitting empty? One estimate says there are more than 2500 newly built, never lived-in condos available in Metro Vancouver – the highest number in this market in 25 years. rennie Intelligence calls this a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” for buyers.

But does availability mean affordability?

And why so many layoffs in the housing industry?

Ryan Berlin is the senior economist and Director of rennie Intelligence and the man leading a team of housing experts analyzing the data and the public policies shaping our housing market.

He has always been generous to me with his time, his analysis, and his predictions of where we are in the housing cycle and where we might be headed.

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On this edition of Journal, we talk with a woman who embodies the gold standard of leadership. What does it take to be a great leader?

Crystal Smith, Chief Counsellor of the Haisla Nation from 2016 to 2025, was a major public voice supporting LNG Canada in Kitimat, at a time when opposition was vocal and sometimes vicious. But she stood her ground. Crystal believed that only through economic development would she be able to help lift her people out of poverty and despair.

And she did it. LNG Canada is now operational and Cedar LNG, the world’s first to be majority owned by an Indigenous nation, is on its way.

Today, if you visit the Haisla Nation (as I have), you will see a large recreation centre hosting sporting and cultural events, a beautiful health centre offering mental health and addiction support, as well as seeing to the basic medical needs of the community. Overall there is a sense of confidence and well being in the Haisla Nation. Much gratitude is owed to Crystal and former Chief Ellis Ross.

But what did it take to become the leader Crystal is today? It wasn’t easy. She has talked emotionally about her personal or family connection to sexual abuse, drug addiction – and suicide.

Was being a woman an advantage or a disadvantage on this journey?

Was being indigenous an advantage or a disadvantage?

There are lessons to be learned from one woman’s already successful life – and she’s just beginning.

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On this edition of Journal, we focus on the rural-urban divide in healthcare.

Mayor Goetz has spoken movingly about the stress in his community of Merritt caused by the intermittent and unpredictable closings of his hospital’s ER. What do you do when your emergency department is closed and the next nearest is, maybe, a hundred kilometres away?

How many times in the last year have we seen these “temporary” closures in headline after headline, affecting hospitals throughout British Columbia? And it is not just ER closures – we have also seen pediatric care in Kelowna under threat, as well as maternity care in Kamloops and Prince George.

It’s as though we have come to accept the current state of healthcare delivery as the new model.

There are other issues: if your rural hospital can’t do complex operations and you must travel to a city centre – well, who pays for these additional expenses? Not just travel costs but also hotel stays if the procedure requires extended care. And doesn’t the Canada Health Act promise reasonable access to healthcare wherever you live?

Dan Levitt, BC’s Seniors Advocate, also raises the issue of long term care in rural communities. Where do you go if your community just doesn’t have these services?

Working on all these issues is Paul Adams, the executive director of the BC Rural Health Network. This network brings together more than 30 rural municipalities, several regional districts, and more than 70 non-profits to focus on needs and possible solutions. He believes this rural-urban divide has gotten worse since COVID.

So what can we do about it?

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On this edition of Journal, we look at the looming deadlines for mandatory electric car sales in both our province and in the country as a whole.

One headline reads, “Feds on track to eliminate gas cars by 2035” – but are they? That’s only ten years from now – no gas cars being sold?

Besides which, the first deadline is in 2026, only 3 months from now. The federal government says by that time, 20% of car sales must be EVs, while our province is more ambitious in saying it must be 26%. In just 3 months!

So how are these mandates possible? Or is this another of those ambitious promises like the Paris Accords on climate that get signed but never done?

Like most people, I applaud aspirational goals, but I am against writing laws and regulations that are nearly impossible to meet.

Up front, I have to say I have driven an electric car for ten years and I don’t feel biased either for or against EVs. But when it comes to forced mandates on how many electric or plug-in hybrids dealerships must sell, I have some questions.

First of all, 56% of British Columbians oppose forced EV mandates. So how are you going to make this happen?

Then, as Barry Penner, Chair of the Energy Futures Institute, says: It’s like putting the cart before the horse – requiring people to buy electric cars before the infrastructure is in place. We don’t have enough charging stations in the right places to make it work.

Another major consideration is cost. So why would governments stop the rebates when you are wanting more people to buy these cars?

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On this edition of Journal, we take a close look at British Columbia’s recent budget update – and try not to rant in frustration.

It is bad news: a deficit of $11.6 billion, the largest in our history. And it would have been much worse except that the government chose to include revenues of $2.7 billion in future payments from a settlement with tobacco companies. In other words, even though the province is only receiving just over $900 million this year, they included all 18 years of future payments at once, as if it happened today. One journalist called this a dodge, but at the very least, it is misleading.

It’s hard to remember that Premier John Horgan had a surplus of $6 billion when he left government, even after dealing with COVID costs. Today? A different story.

And the much ballyhooed spending cuts are only $300 million in a budget of $95 billion – not even enough to cover revenue losses.

Talented journalist Rob Shaw, senior political reporter with CHEK-TV, says, “It’s like bailing out a flooded bathtub with a shot glass while the tap is still running full blast.”

So, why should we care, when households are focused on just trying to hold it together paying their own mortgage and expenses? 

Well, it’s exactly because households are doing that: trying to keep their finances in order that we should expect our provincial government to do the same.

Joining me to analyze how desperate things are in BC is David Williams, senior policy analyst with the Business Council of BC. David is a scholar who has long studied the direct relationship between public policy and a community’s well-being.

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On this edition of Journal: another look at the growing tension between aboriginal title and individual property rights.

This issue was brought to the fore by the NDP government’s introduction of the Land Act just before the last election. It was a bit of a bombshell, as it indicated that First Nations would co-manage all of British Columbia’s Crown land – 94% of the province.

Because this was done without proper consultation with all the many affected players, including private property holders and businesses, the resulting uproar forced the government to withdraw the Act.

Then this spring, an agreement between the provincial government and the Haida Nation announced the granting of aboriginal title throughout Haida Gwaii. Once again, the question of private property rights arose. Does aboriginal title override both government and private ownership?

And now, we have the momentous Cowichan court decision granting title of land in Richmond to the Cowichan Tribes. The voices expressing concern over private property are growing even louder.

In her judgement, the judge said, in part, that her decision “may give rise to some uncertainty for the fee simple title holders.” That means private property owners; she goes on to say “it may have consequences for their interest in land.”

To help us sort out the actual legal issues and repercussions is one of Canada’s top legal minds in the field of aboriginal law.

Thomas Isaac joins us to analyse these latest developments and what it means to homeowners.

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On this edition of Journal we take a look at one of the most challenging jobs in society: policing.

Think about it. You take an oath to serve and protect others, even if it means putting your own life on the line. Long gone are the days of peaceful protests, putting the bad guys in jail – and keeping them there as your mission.

Police are now expected to be mental health workers, peacekeepers, drug addiction experts, organized crime investigators, and, oh yes, please deal with the disorder on our streets.

Meanwhile, the legal and health environment keeps changing around them. Frequently, the police, after making an arrest, find that individual back on the streets, sometimes on the same day, ready to offend again and again. The courts are letting us down, but is it because of the way the law is written, or is it political directives that influence these decisions?

As well, a new term, complex co-occurring disorders, has entered our vocabulary. This refers to those who are both mentally ill and drug addicted. There is no debate that we as a society have not provided adequate care and facilities for these individuals. So where do they go? In part, due to decriminalization, we see them on our streets – often in desperate shape, sometimes violent.

Into this complex environment has stepped Steve Rai, Vancouver’s new Chief Constable. While he is new to this position, he is not new to the VPD, where he has served for 35 years doing everything from walking the beat in East Vancouver, to being a hostage negotiator for the Emergency Response Team.

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On this edition of Journal, we examine two public policy initiatives that are turning the governing of our province upside down.

Mayor Mike Hurley is directly affected in his 2 roles: first as Chair of the Metro Vancouver Board and second as mayor of Burnaby.

First, an independent report looking at the governance of Metro Vancouver was needed as a result of the tremendous overrun on the wastewater treatment plant – a budget that went from $700 million to $3.6 billion! How could that happen?

Well, the Deloitte report that was just released paints a grim picture:

The Board is too big: 41 directors representing 21 municipalities, Tsawwassen First Nations and electoral area A – too many people around the table.

The politically elected chair should be replaced by a non-elected professional governance expert.

Expenses for the directors should be reevaluated and trimmed.

Basically, the report says that this regional government has outgrown its governance structure and must be changed.

And as if problems at Metro Van weren’t enough of a distraction, the province recently pushed through legislation that, in effect, overrides the municipal jurisdiction of zoning and permitting – Bill 15 – all in the name of fast-tracking favoured projects.

And who gets to decide these lucky winners? The premier and cabinet. Not the Legislature, not First Nations, not municipalities – certainly not you or me.

The government is saying, “trust me.” Already, at least one lawsuit is being threatened.

So for Mayor Hurley, the challenges and changes are coming at him from all directions.

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On this edition of Journal, a look at our food industry and how it is affected by the US President’s on-again, off-again, and maybe on-again tariff threats.

Prime Minister Carney has said our relationship with the United States will never be the same again as a result of this major politically driven trade dispute. Canadians must now rethink our defense policies: our supply chain vulnerabilities, our jobs, and our food security. Do we even have food security if over half of our agrifood imports come from the United States?

Does this need to be the case? What can we do to change that around? Can we grow or process more of our own food? Are we using our land and resources to the best advantage? Are there innovations that we should embrace with an open mind?

Dr. Lenore Newman is one of Canada’s top experts on food security. Currently, she is director of the Food and Agriculture Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley, where she holds a Canada Research Chair in food security.

As early as 2019, Lenore was part of BC’s Food Security Taskforce that presented to premier John Horgan and his government their recommendations on how we could improve our situation. Did anything come of that report?

Recently, she contributed to a Canada Research Council document called “The Next Course,” which enthusiastically makes the case for Canada to become a “living lab where the world’s food future is born.”

Dr. Lenore Newman joins us to explore the opportunities Canada has to enhance our own food security.

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On this edition of Journal, we examine economic reconciliation in action – and not just in theory. Derek Epp is Chief of the Ch’íyáqtel First Nations, one of 9 First Nations in the Chilliwack area. What they have managed to achieve is remarkable.

The Conference Board of Canada has done reports identifying the factors that lead to successful economic development for First Nations communities. In brief they are: strong leadership and vision, an economic development plan, access to capital, good governance and management, accountability, and strong relationships and partnerships.

The Chee-act-in have ticked all of these boxes under Chief Epp’s leadership. Derek adds one more essential value: ownership. He is an active investor, developer, and partner. And as he says, they have flipped the script and gone from being 90% government-supported to 90% own source funding.

As well, as a result of their emphasis on healthcare and mental health support, they now have no children in the Ministry’s care. Derek Epp is a visionary as he tries novel solutions to the issues a small urban reserve faces.

While his first degree was in social work with a specialization in First Nations studies, he has gone on to study aboriginal management at the University of British Columbia. He is comfortable talking about zoning, infrastructure, financial partnerships, taxes, and deal making – all part of the Chee-act-in success story.

Chief Derek Epp joins us to discuss why his model works and what others can learn from their experience.

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On this episode of Journal, we try to untangle the complicated, twisted world of transit.

I think most would agree that good transit makes for a liveable city or region and also helps with affordability. So when Translink announced that by June of this year, they would be running a $600 million deficit and would have to start cutting service, it got my attention.

Already there are some routes where the bus is full by the first stop, and others where service is too infrequent to be useful. So more people, less service – and a huge deficit.

Even more surprising was trying to figure out who is actually driving the bus. Who is responsible for a regional transit plan? Is there one? Since the business plan is obviously broken, who has the authority to fix it?

TransLink – the organization that announced it was in trouble – has its own board of directors but it isn’t exactly independent. The Mayor’s Council on Regional Transportation over at Metro Vancouver must approve their budget. But – and it is a big BUT – they can’t tell TransLink how to spend the money.

Ultimately it comes down to the provincial government. In an attempt to stanch the bleeding, the Eby government promised $312 million in operations funding, which will give TransLink stable funding for 2 years. At best, this has been described as a bandaid and not a long-term solution.

Mayor Brad West is the Chair of Metro Vancouver’s Mayor’s Council on regional transportation. He is very aware of the weaknesses inherent in this overlapping governance model and has some thoughts on the need for a long term solution.

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On this edition of Journal: in the midst of political turmoil on all fronts, we take a look at how democracy is holding up as a governance construct. Too often, the phrase thrown at political adversaries is that you or your party are a threat to democracy – overused, in my opinion.

As Paul Wells says in one of his thoughtful commentaries, “Democracy is supposed to be a conversation.” But what happens if one of the sides stops talking? For instance, by proroguing parliament because no business could be done while the prime minister refused the Speaker’s order for him to produce requested documents?

Or what happens when the Emergencies Act, a powerful last resort to maintain the security of our nation, is enacted over a messy, noisy truck convoy? The courts eventually found this action to be unreasonable, not justified, and violated the Charter right to freedom of expression.

Or when Bill 7 is written enabling the Premier of British Columbia to override regulations and rules without engaging the legislature, all in the name of Trump tariffs? Public outcry forced Premier Eby to remove the most egregious Clause 4.

What is going on?

We, as a community, as a country, trust in the idea of democracy. We trust our elected leaders to not take advantage of their power position, to not ignore the rights of legislatures or parliaments to be part of the discussion.

So are honking horns and threatening trade tariffs on the same level of national security? I think not.

Clearly, democracy takes vigilance and work. Dr. Stewart Prest, a lecturer in political science at UBC joins me to consider these trends.

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On this edition of Journal: a postmortem on our federal election.

Wow, what a ride! What started out as an expected pounding of then-prime minister Justin Trudeau by the Conservative Party under Pierre Poilievre ended up with a Liberal Party win for political novice Mark Carney, our new prime minister.

Mind you, there were a few bumps along the way – or rather, one big bump: President Trump. If you were writing a script that said, “Out of the blue, an American President will take over the ballot question for a Canadian federal election,” no one would believe you. But he did, by calling Canada his “cherished 51st state.”

All of a sudden we woke up, elbows up, and said, “NO WAY! No way you’re taking our water, no way you are dissolving what you call an ‘artificial line’ that we call a border. No way you are going to bully Canada with threatened tariffs and penalties.”

And so the ballot question became, “Which leader would be stronger in standing up to President Trump?” While there will be lots of finger pointing going forward, the people decided – Mark Carney.

Whatever happened to the anticipated issues: cost of living, inflation, housing, economic blues? All important, all real – but all put aside in the name of national pride. So very interesting.

To help us understand the undercurrents and consequences of this federal election, we are joined by Rob Shaw, senior political correspondent for CHEK-TV. Rob had a front row seat as he covered the drama of this surprising election with his daily reporting insights. What does it all mean for Canada going forward?

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

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On this edition of Journal, we look at how we can’t avoid the escalation in violence against police in British Columbia – police who take an oath to serve and protect us, no matter the cost to themselves.

In just the last 3 months, there have been 35 assaults on Vancouver police officers.

In one horrific attack – one I’m sure we would all like to “unsee” – an officer was doused in a flammable substance and set afire. In this case, the assailant had ten outstanding warrants. In a rare show of emotion, the spokesperson for the Vancouver Police Department said that these attacks were enraging to our officers who are just trying to do their job: protecting us.

So we circle back to the question of why these dangerous individuals are out on our streets. Time and time again, they are repeat offenders, frequently with complex co-occurring mental health and addiction issues.

So how is our system letting all of us – including the police – down?

Is it bail reform that is needed? I mean, really – how can someone come before a judge thirty or more times and still be released?

Is it a lack of mental health support or a lack of involuntary care for those with deep, deep problems?

Is it an addiction treatment model that just doesn’t work?

These are some of the questions Elenore Sturko has been asking in the Legislature as the Conservative Critic for the Solicitor General and Public Safety.

Her passion comes, in part, from her thirteen years experience as an RCMP officer, seeing first-hand the devastation our current approaches have wreaked.

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On this edition of Journal, we look at how inflation and higher costs for just about everything, especially housing, are affecting British Columbians.

Right at the pointy end of the stick are our food banks. They are among the first to sense when something is going very wrong. Usually when you say something has had a record-breaking year, it is a good thing. Not so with food banks.

In the last 5 years, visits to food banks in our province rose 81%. One month topped 100,000 visits, the most ever seen since food banks first started some 40 years ago in this province.

Even more concerning is the change in who is coming through the front door. More and more often, it is someone with a job, but a job that can no longer cover the costs of food and housing in BC. Towards the end of the month, many turn to our food banks for help in feeding their families.

As well, according to Dan Levitt, BC’s Seniors Advocate, many older British Columbians are feeling the squeeze, trying to pay their rising bills on a fixed income. Sadly, it is often the cost of food that is one bill too far – thus they turn to our food banks as well.

Food Banks BC is the provincial association of food banks; over a hundred hunger relief agencies belong. As executive director, Dan Huang-Taylor supports the mission to not only meet the emergency short term needs of British Columbians, but also work with others towards a hunger free community – a monumental task to take on.

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On this episode of Journal, we try to understand the complexity of our interprovincial trade barriers – those infamous barriers everyone is now talking about. One man who knows something about this is Colin Hansen, one of British Columbia’s most accomplished politicians.

In Gordon Campbell’s governments, he served as Minister of Health, Finance Minister, Minister of Economic Development, Minister responsible for the Asia Pacific and the Olympics, back to Finance after I left, and then was named Deputy Premier.

One of his most challenging assignments was to tackle the interprovincial trade barriers between BC and Alberta.

Today we have the prime minister, most premiers, and many business people responding to Trump’s ever-changing tariff threats by recognizing that it’s sometimes harder to trade with our own provinces than it is to do business with the United States – thus, the renewed call for free trade within Canada.

Sounds good. I’m all for it, but it is not easy. I watched Colin Hansen struggle in 2006 trying to get a free trade agreement with just one province, Alberta.

Why can’t our doctors, nurses, engineers, etc. automatically have their credentials accepted in every province?

Whose standards for food safety or environmental requirements will be accepted?

I remember during Colin Hansen’s negotiations, there was a moment when we ran into a roadblock – literally – over the size of truck tires, which are different in each province.

So I applaud the words that are being said. It is the right thing to do. But turning those words into action will not be quick. Every province will have their own list of non-negotiables.

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On this edition of Journal, we take a close look at something we all take for granted: water. That is, we took it for granted until President Trump started talking about taking it away from us. 

This is particularly important for British Columbia since he has focussed on the mighty Columbia River, whose headwaters are north of Cranbrook. 

This is the faucet that the president suggests could be opened so that more of Canada’s water could flow to the US, helping with the drought and wildfires of California. Experts shake their heads at his concept – there is no faucet and the Columbia River doesn’t flow near to California. But politicians are paying attention. 

In 1964, after some pretty heavy negotiations, Canada and the United States signed the Columbia River Treaty, giving the two countries shared management of the river. Canada would build dams to control water flow, thus preventing flooding in Washington State. In return, Canada received 50% of the profits from the hydroelectric power produced downstream.

Interestingly, Senator Jack Austin, who was involved in those negotiations, says that Canada got more than it deserved in that Treaty.

As it stands, more than 40% of US hydroelectric power comes from this Columbia River system. So you can see why it has caught the President’s attention.

The Treaty was due to be renegotiated last year but try as they might, to have a new deal ratified before the change in presidency, it didn’t happen. As a result, there is plenty of uncertainty about how aggressive the US will now be to change the deal to their advantage.

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On this edition of Journal, we take a look at the dramatic changes we have seen in policing in the last few decades through the eyes of retiring Chief Constable of the Vancouver Police Department, Adam Palmer.

1987 was the year Adam joined the VPD, becoming Chief Constable in 2015. He leaves as the longest serving Chief in the department’s history. Just imagine how the streets have changed over those four decades.

In ’87, Vancouver was coming off the high of Expo ’86. There was a feeling of pride in our step; after all, we invited the world to our beautiful city. Of course there was a darker crime story as well, but not like today. Now, we are experiencing new and seemingly intractable and overlapping problems. Despite recent data indicating violent crime is actually declining, that’s not how it feels. We have an area of Vancouver that is almost a no-go zone, with homelessness exacerbated by drug addiction and mental illness.

How has our police department had to adapt to these challenges? How has their mandate expanded? What should we be thinking about from a public policy point of view going forward?

Sir Robert Peel, thought to be the father of modern policing, believed in the principle that “we don’t police the community, we police WITH the community”. That has been a hallmark of Adam Palmer’s time as Chief Constable.

At his retirement announcement he said, “This career is full of ups and downs, various crises, challenges, laughter and tears, but it’s also incredibly rewarding and I would do it all over again, in a heartbeat, without thinking twice.”

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On this edition of Journal, Dr. Julian Somers joins me to examine the need for a province-wide plan to support those with Complex Co-occurring Disorders, or CCDs. This refers to those individuals with substance abuse and mental disorders at the same time. The care required is complicated, involving “medical, psychiatric, housing, social and legal issues,” according to a paper co-written by Dr. Somers.

Mayor Ken Sim of Vancouver shocked many when he announced the city would no longer permit net-new supportive housing. On the surface, this seems crazy when we see the homelessness on our streets, the criminality, and the crying need for mental health support. How could we say no to more supportive housing?

However, surprisingly to me, Dr. Somers sent a letter of support to the mayor, complimenting him on this initiative to put the brakes on more supportive housing in Vancouver. As a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in addiction who has worked in this field for 37 years, one would expect him to say give us as much supportive housing as you can.

His perspective on what we are doing wrong is illuminating.

Why are we concentrating so much of our support systems and services in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver?

Why are rural areas so under-serviced that people feel they must come to Vancouver to get help?

Why do we see crime and violence increasing in these areas rather than decreasing despite the concentration of services?

Perhaps we are offering the wrong kind of support in the wrong places?

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In this edition of Journal, we wade into the fraught topic of city planning, density and affordability by examining Vancouver’s latest efforts to get more housing built – no matter what.

In the beginning, when the province mandated more density around transit hubs, people grumpily agreed, even though it was stomping on the right of municipalities to control their own zoning.

After all, having people live close to transit lines should lead to more people using the system, therefore making the massive infrastructure costs worthwhile.

Thus, the Broadway Plan allowed increased density and towers along the new rapid transit route.

But then Vancouver City Council went further by proposing to greatly increase the areas where this was allowed. It now encompasses many different character neighbourhoods, often at some distance from the transit corridor.

The idea that, without needing a rezoning process, anyone can build a 20-story tower next door has worried many city planners, architects, and community activists. Whatever happened to all the work that went into those individual neighbourhood plans?

Larry Beasley was one of 23 community leaders who wrote to Council, asking them not to pass this further expansion of the Broadway Plan and its towers.

However, the Council disagreed and passed the changes.

Larry Beasley is an internationally respected urban planner who, as Co-Director of planning for the City of Vancouver, helped develop what is now known around the world as Vancouverism. He is frequently asked to speak and advise on this urban planning concept.

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In this edition of Journal, we take a close look at the art of pollsters. You know – if you want to know what your neighbours are thinking, or what Canada is thinking, ask a pollster. 

Poillievre is ahead of Trudeau by 20 points. Or now Carney is ahead, maybe. Or 45% of Americans think Trump is doing a swell job. 

And then we remember 2016, when the majority of American pollsters said with confidence that Hilary would win the election. Then she didn’t. Whoops.

Since that time, much self-examination has been going on in the world of pollsters. Who is your sample? How do you reach people when many don’t have a landline anymore or don’t answer their cell when they don’t recognize the number? Or how about those cagey folks who give the wrong answer just to complicate the results?

So, like it or not, polls play a big role in how we see the issues of our time.

What intrigues me is what the pollsters see behind the numbers. After all, they are looking at these questions over and over. What trends are they identifying? What changes are happening? What does it mean?

Mario Canseco is president of a well-respected and often quoted Canadian company, Research Co. He looks beyond the obvious question of which party are you going to vote for. He wants to know the why and who you are. A senior? A young man? Someone in the sandwich generation caught between raising a family and caring for aging parents?

And how do you capture in numbers the worries and uneasy feelings of the average Canadian? That’s where the analysis comes in.

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In this edition of Journal, we examine the “horrors that exist on our streets.” That phrase was used by Leonard Krog, the mayor of Nanaimo to describe what he sees every day in his city.

Others use the euphemism “the disorder in our streets.” But whatever you call it, it certainly denigrates the liveability of so many communities – and it started way before decriminalization.

All across North America, not just in British Columbia, there was a movement in the 1970s, away from institutionalized care for the mentally ill, in part as a result of the movie “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.”

That was a terrifying tale of abuse that no one would support.

However, rather than ask how we could improve the way we care for the severely mentally ill, it was broadly decided that almost no one should be in secured care. Thus, Riverview was closed. A huge mistake, in my opinion.

I realize that the percentage of those who are severely mentally ill and in need of help is small, but to think these individuals would be able to cope on their own, find housing, remember to take their meds, eat properly and be safe is absurd. Instead, so many have become the victims of drug dealers and pimps.

So now, this vulnerable population has to deal with a decriminalization experiment that has increased the public use and abuse of drugs. The drugs are stronger, overdoses are frequent, brain damage too often the consequence. And still there are those who hear of the violent stranger attacks or see individuals lying on the streets in a desperate state but continue to argue against secured care.

Mayor Leonard Krog isn’t one of them. He has been outspoken about the need for a new approach.

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In this edition of Journal, “To Tariff or not to Tariff – that is the question.” With apologies to Hamlet, but it is what people are talking about. 

Whatever you think of him, President Trump has certainly turned the status quo upside down. From his point of view, it works.

By simply threatening to apply tariffs to all Canadian goods if we didn’t take action on our border and fentanyl issues, our prime minister and premiers sprung into action. Helicopters to the border, more raids on mega drug labs! Drones in the air!

But how will we respond to actual tariffs?

Canadian politicians and economists have had various ideas: We’ll match your tariffs dollar for dollar – or we will target sectors that Americans care about the most.

Our NDP premier floated the idea that we would take liquor and wine off British Columbia’s shelves if they came from red Republican states. I guess that means Kentucky bourbon is out and California wines are in!

While one can’t give in to bullies, it is fair to ask some questions.

Will retaliatory tariffs work, stop a trade war and change President Trump’s mind? Or just up the ante?

And who pays the cost? Consumers on both sides of the border, I would say.

One economist has written an essay titled: “Tariff retaliation is a dead end.” Canada needs to retool its economy, not chase self-defeating tariffs. That economist’s name is Dr. Roslyn Kunin.

Roslyn is an award-winning labour economist and forecaster who has taught at both UBC and SFU. Amongst her many career accomplishments, she served 20 years as Regional Economist for the federal government.

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In this edition of Journal, we take a close look at the challenges that mayors face every minute of every day. There is no such thing as a time-out when you are in that job.

It always surprises me when I hear our governments described in this way – most important, the federal level, next the provincial, then the municipal.

When I served in Vancouver’s municipal government, I was often asked, “When are you going to run provincially, or federally?” – as if that must be the goal. It was never my aspiration, even though for other reasons, I did eventually serve provincially.

But municipal governments are closest to the people they serve. They know what the issues are. Constituents can visit you in your office. They can appear in person to state their concerns before council, whether it is about potholes, the symphony, or supportive housing.

And mayors are the pointy end of that stick. In our minds, they are the ones responsible for housing costs, crime in our streets, fentanyl deaths, not enough density, too much density, too few bike lanes, too many bike lanes.

In many ways, a thankless job. But when done well, the good mayors become our voice on the public stage.

Mayor Mike Hurley of Burnaby is certainly in the spotlight these days. Elected in 2018 as an independent, he was re-elected in 2022 by acclamation – a strong vote of confidence.

And, as if being in charge of this bustling, well-run, and growing municipality were not enough, Mayor Hurley has recently taken on the role of Chair of the Metro Vancouver Regional District at a tense time when the overdue and over-budget waste water plant fills the headlines. Brave.

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In this episode of Journal, we take a close look at what is happening to city planning.

When I was in civic politics, things were definitely not perfect, but I would say the governance structures and roles were clearer than today.

For instance, at that time, the federal government did not deal directly with municipalities – they worked through the provincial government. Not today. The Trudeau government has gone straight to certain cities with financial enhancements, even if it’s not a provincial priority. Several premiers are not happy.

On the question of zoning: in the past, that was exclusively a municipal responsibility. Not today. British Columbia’s provincial government has introduced density rules. Some call it a one-size-fits-all policy for cities throughout the province. This initiative overrides any neighbourhood planning done by municipalities. Many mayors are not happy.

Of course, one of the consequences of increased density is the need for infrastructure improvements – water, sewer, and electrical loads all need to be upgraded. As Mayor Mike Hurley of Burnaby has said, we have to handle all those new flushing toilets. These are major costs. Who is going to pay?

And what about transit, the service that ties communities together? We have been told that BC Transit’s business model no longer works and they will be $600 million in the hole by summer – never mind even considering increasing service and buses for all those new residents.

These are all pieces of a puzzle that don’t seem to fit together. Andy Yan is someone who has the responsibility of looking at the city holistically. As the Director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University and a planner himself, he is a respected commentator on what makes cities work and what doesn’t.

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Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

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