British Columbia

Until very recently, BC Political Parties were allowed to received unlimited amounts of money. BC was the Wild West of political cash:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/13/world/canada/british-columbia-christy-clark.html?unlocked_article_code=1.bE8.4Jpf.54nkVpZalefG

In 2017, the newly elected NDP Government of John Hogan did two great things.

1. They severely limited, money in politics.

2. They introduced a tougher lobbying law

I'm very grateful for what they did, because it created real positive change.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-election-2020-campaign-donation-limits-analysis-1.5765772

Thanks to these two laws, BC is now less corrupt than Alberta or Ontario.

But there are still serious loopholes :

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/north-van-chlorine-plant-campaign-1.7319259

I decided to write to the BC Legislature when I learned they will review the BC Lobbyist Transparency Act

https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/01042_01

I received an answer. They created this page:

https://www.leg.bc.ca/parliamentary-business/committees/43rdparliament-1stsession-lta

I intend to send a memo with two proposals:

Measure 1. Requiring lobbyists in BC municipalities to publically register. They currently only have to register if they lobby the province.

Measure 2. Significantly increasing the maximum penalties for lobbyists breaking the law

If it was entirely up to me, I would push EXTREME ethics measures. But that would scare lawmakers and they would think I'm nuts. So I came up with these 2 modest measures. I'd rather have 30% of what I want implemented than 0%.

I'm still working on the memo. If you have ideas, I urge you to write to lawmakers about this topic:

https://www.leg.bc.ca/parliamentary-business/committees/43rdparliament-1stsession-lta

See this link for details on changes and eligibility: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2025HLTH0076-000739

See this link for specifics and FAQ: https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-library/health-features/get-hpv-vaccine

Map:

“Temperatures are very high and there is a moderate risk to public health,” said ECCC in its warning posted online. “A building ridge of high pressure will bring elevated temperatures to BC interior regions today through Thursday.”

EmergencyInfoBC, operated by the Government of B.C.’s Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, listed the 14 regions currently under active heat warnings:

    Central Okanagan – including Kelowna
    North Okanagan – including Vernon
    South Okanagan – including Penticton
    South Thompson
    Cariboo – north, including Quesnel
    Cariboo – south, including Williams Lake
    Prince George
    North Thompson
    Northwest
    Stuart – Nechako
    West Kootenay
    Boundary
    Fraser Canyon – north, including Lillooet
    Fraser Canyon – south, including Lytton

The MP representing B.C.'s Sea-to-Sky region wants to see passenger rail introduced in the booming region north of Vancouver, just weeks after CN Rail said it intends to discontinue its operations in the area.

"And it's having a major impact on the communities — not just in the Sea-to-Sky, but actually all the way down to creating congestion into Metro Vancouver. So ... there is a major need for alternative transportation options."

Weiler said the Sea-to-Sky region, which has been seeing an influx of residents ever since Highway 99 was expanded for the 2010 Olympics, has had its population grow by 60 per cent since then.