Provincial Politics

Get ready for a spending spree by the B.C. government. Premier David Eby says it’s his intention to spend the almost $6 billion surplus his government is currently sitting on, rather than let it expire in March and automatically go to debt repayment.

As we begin to say goodbye to 2022 and ring in 2023, it is important to reflect on both the challenges and opportunities we face here in British Columbia.

Traditionally, the relationship between government and the business community has been understood to be relatively simple: Government stay out of the way, and let businesses get on with growing the economy.

Premier David Eby is walking back two key promises from his leadership campaign – a new provincial mental health facility, and a proposal to involuntarily detain people who overdose for treatment.

When Amber Hockin announced she was leaving her job as deputy chief of staff to the premier last month, she made it sound to her colleagues like she was choosing to resign.

Premier David Eby took great pains this week to try and blame the worsening problems of homelessness in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside on his government’s greatest villain and most-frequent scapegoat: The previous BC Liberal administration.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: A premier, trying to appease angry voters, raids the finances of B.C.’s public auto insurer for short-term political gain at the expense of its long-term financial stability.

Premier David Eby’s mandate letters to his new cabinet are mostly vague by design, but they do offer a few clues on the near-term direction his government will take to address some top-of-mind issues.

A premier’s first cabinet is an amalgam of reward, distance and ego. Translation: Reward for the supporters, distance from the ancien regime and ego on what will be micro-managed from his office.

Families in British Columbia need a break. They need life to be more affordable, and the B.C. government can help make that happen.