Langara College fire may have been deliberately set

1 April 2019

VANCOUVER Police say that a fire in Langara College may have been deliberately set. Police said they were on site to ensure the safety of staff, students and residents of the neighborhood. Officers were systematically going through the school to identify any additional hazards. No injuries have been reported, according to a tweet by police.

Police requested people to avoid the area of West 49th Avenue from Ontario Street to Alberta Street. They said they were assisting Vancouver Fire Rescue with evacuating the school.

Changes restore independent oversight of BC Hydro

1 April 2019

NEWS NDP Michelle Mungall — Michelle Mungall

AS part of keeping electricity rates affordable and making sure BC Hydro works for people, government announced on Monday it is introducing legislative amendments to further implement recommendations from the first phase of the comprehensive BC Hydro review.

This includes further enhancing oversight of BC Hydro by the B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC).

“The old government sidelined the BCUC and made decisions forcing BC Hydro to advance its own political agenda at the expense of ratepayers,” said Michelle Mungall, Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources. “Acting on the first phase of our BC Hydro review, we’re re-empowering the BCUC to do its job as the Province’s independent energy regulator and ensure BC Hydro works for people again.”

Proposed legislative amendments include changes that will reinstate the BCUC’s authority to review and approve BC Hydro’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP).

The IRP is BC Hydro’s 20-year projection of electricity demand and its plans for meeting that demand. Currently, BC Hydro is required to submit its IRP to government for review and approval, bypassing the BCUC and significantly limiting the BCUC’s insight into BC Hydro’s electricity supply and demand forecasts, capital projects and energy purchase contracts.

Amendments to the Clean Energy Act, the Utilities Commission Act and the Hydro and Power Authority Act will ensure that the BCUC, not government, reviews and approves BC Hydro’s next IRP, to be filed by Feb. 28, 2021. After the 2021 IRP, the BCUC will determine when and how often future IRPs are to be submitted.

Among other proposed amendments to enhance BCUC oversight and keep rates affordable, changes to the Clean Energy Act would remove the authority for government to order BC Hydro to establish a feed-in tariff program. Under a feed-in tariff program, BC Hydro would enter into electricity purchase agreements with private power producers, likely at higher-than-market cost without the appropriate oversight of the BCUC.

The BCUC has been consulted and supports the proposed amendments.

The amendments are in addition to regulatory changes already implemented as part of the BC Hydro review to roll back past government directions that have restricted BCUC oversight.

Quick Facts

* In June 2018 the B.C. government launched a comprehensive, two-phased review of BC Hydro to contain rate increases, control costs and position BC Hydro for future success. On Feb. 14, 2019, government announced the results of Phase 1 of the review, including:
* a new five-year (April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2024) rates forecast that reflects cost and revenue strategies to keep rates affordable; and

* a new regulatory framework which, among other things, enhances the BCUC’s authority to make decisions on rate increases, deferral accounts, capital projects and other key aspects of BC Hydro’s business.

* Phase 2 of the BC Hydro Review will start in spring 2019. Phase 2 will be informed by new government strategies, including CleanBC, and will be focused on positioning BC Hydro for long-term success within a rapidly evolving international and continental energy sector.

Province receives reports on money laundering

1 April 2019

TWO reports on money laundering in British Columbia have been delivered to government, following a two-pronged review aimed at shutting down avenues for money laundering in real estate, luxury cars and horse racing.

The reports were commissioned in September 2018 following widespread concern about British Columbia’s reputation as a haven for money laundering.

The first report is to the Minister of Finance from the Expert Panel on Money Laundering, and recommends rule changes that will shut loopholes in the real estate market and increase transparency on who owns property in B.C. The other report is Peter German’s second review into money laundering, focusing on real estate, luxury cars and horse racing.

“Money laundering is a serious problem in our real estate market and this kind of activity has no place in our province,” said Carole James, Minister of Finance. “Our real estate market should be used for housing people, not for laundering the proceeds of crime. That’s why we asked our expert panel to review our rules and regulations, and to offer concrete actions that we can take to clean up our real estate sector.”

“British Columbians feel the effects of money laundering in their daily lives, with apparent links to organized crime, the opioid crisis and the housing market, which is why we have focused our efforts on quickly shutting down this criminal activity,” said David Eby, Attorney General. “Peter German’s first report made it clear that while money laundering was a significant problem in our casinos, there was also troubling evidence that the criminal economy was growing elsewhere in British Columbia.”

Government will review both reports before making them public later this spring.

BC is first province to legislate how government decisions must be documented

1 April 2019

NEW legislative changes improve transparency and accountability for British Columbians, making government’s requirement to record key decisions law.

“People rightly expect to have access to information about how the Province makes important decisions that impact their lives,” said Jinny Sims, Minister of Citizens’ Services, on Monday. “This legislative change formalizes government’s obligation to document decisions and helps ensure records of decisions are available and accessible.”

The Information Management Act outlines how records are handled throughout their life cycle, including storage, archival and disposal. The legislation applies to all ministries and 41 government bodies throughout the province, such as the B.C. Lottery Corporation, the Oil and Gas Commission and Destination BC. This change formalizes an existing obligation contained in core policy and now extends it to the 41 government bodies governed by the act.

“With these improvements, British Columbia becomes the first province to legislate how government decisions must be documented. These updates are designed to further promote our government’s culture of transparency and accountability throughout the public service,” said Sims. “We’re supporting staff with a robust and mandatory training program that will provide information about creating records, protecting peoples’ privacy and promoting openness across government.”

The amendments were brought into force on April 1, 2019, and respond to recommendations made by former information and privacy commissioners David Loukidelis and Elizabeth Denham to legislate the duty of public servants to create records of key decisions. Loukidelis also recommended that British Columbia’s chief records officer (CRO) provide guidance to government bodies and ensure compliance with the act. Additional changes to the legislation will provide the CRO with the power to conduct regular and as-needed reviews of the way the Province manages information.

“The directive and guidelines are consistent with best practices internationally and domestically,” said David Loukidelis, information and privacy expert. “When properly implemented, the directive and guidelines will result in a leading-edge framework for the documentation of government decisions that meets or exceeds requirements in other jurisdictions around the world.”

Every entity covered by the act has assigned a staff champion to lead implementation of the new requirements within its organization. These champions and their teams have received training and resources and will get ongoing support from the Ministry of Citizens’ Services records management experts.

These changes build on the progress government is making to strengthen information access rules, improve response times and increase accountability. The amendments also take action to implement feedback from stakeholders and the public. For example, on-time response rates to freedom of information (FOI) requests improved by 10% in 2017-18 compared to 2016-17, despite a significant increase in applications. Additionally, in response to concerns raised by journalists, FOI applicants now have more exclusive time with their records and the subjects of pending requests are no longer disclosed.

The Province says it continues to explore legislative and policy changes to enhance public sector transparency and accountability.

Quick Facts

* Consultations were conducted with government ministries and bodies prior to the new provisions being brought into force.

* These changes respond to five of Loukideli’s 27 recommendations, as well as two concerns raised by Denham in her report Access Denied: Record Retention and Disposal Practices of the Government of British Columbia.

THIS, THAT AND EVERTHING ELSE

1 April 2019

(This column will contain a variety of short items throughout the week … keep checking it out)

BARING ARMS – NOT BEARING ARMS!

Last week, some female reporters and political staffers decided to expose the absurdity of the dress code at the B.C. legislature by defiantly baring their arms. The dress code police had been harassing women to cover up but they decided enough was enough. Now Speaker Darryl Plecas has ruled that business attire for women can include sleeveless dresses, shirts and blouses even as a full dress code review is being carried out. Last week, I had posted this comment online when the Vancouver Sun ran the story: “Yes, women (or men) should not be allowed to BEAR arms in the House – but BARE arms are just fine!”

GUNS RENTED TO CRIMINALS

Ontario’s Peel Regional Police Chief Chris McCord last week told Brampton City Council that handguns are rented out to criminals who return the weapons after carrying out a crime. The cost for renting them: anywhere up to $2,000. Talking about the largest single seizure of illegal guns in Peel police history, he said the high-capacity magazine police found can fire 60 bullets in 4.5 seconds and could have been used with any of the 16 handguns police had seized. According to Brampton Guardian, McCord told council: “Where there is a need for that in Brampton, I have no idea.”

Average ferry fares will be allowed to increase by maximum of 2.3% annually

1 April 2019

BC Ferries Commissioner Sheldon Stoilen has announced his preliminary decision on price caps for the next performance term, which would allow average ferry fares to increase by a maximum of 2.3% annually beginning April 1, 2020 and ending March 31, 2024.

The proposed price cap increases anticipate that total operating expenses – including those that BC Ferries has no control over – will increase at, or slightly above, the rate of inflation, while the trend of increased traffic will level off.

The commissioner has until September to finalize the decision. In the meantime, the public has an opportunity to comment on the preliminary decision, and the B.C. government and BC Ferries have an opportunity to review the Coastal Ferry Services contract and potentially make changes that could affect the final decision.

Detailed reasons for the preliminary price cap increase are set out in the Report on the Preliminary Price Cap Decision for the Fifth Performance Term. The report, available online, also includes a review of the BC Ferries’ current performance.

Highlights include:

* In fiscal 2018, BC Ferries delivered 79,082 round trips, exceeding the required trips under the Coastal Ferry Services contract by 2,962.

* BC Ferries implemented average fare increases that were lower than the 1.9% it was allowed for performance term four.

* Vehicle and passenger traffic increased in fiscal 2017 by 2.9% and 1.7%, respectively, breaking the previous 2008 record. The trend continued through 2018 and is expected to climb further in 2019 and 2020.

* Fuel costs, the second-highest operating cost for the service and projected to be $108.7 million in fiscal 2019, have been effectively managed and are expected to decline primarily due to higher usage of liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel.

* Long-term capital plans will have a moderate impact on performance term five price caps but could have a larger impact for following terms.

* Increases in non-controllable costs in performance term five include $19.8 million for the provincial carbon tax, $6.1 million for the new provincial health tax and $19.4 for Canada Pension Plan rates.

Along with its preliminary decision on price caps, the BC Ferries commissioner is urging BC Ferries to develop a plan for the conversion to all-electric ferries as soon as infrastructure and technology is available, consider possible reductions in its long-term capital plan to ease pressure on future price caps and develop a tracking process and reporting requirement to meet targets for reducing operating, maintenance costs and administration costs.

The deadline for public comments on the preliminary price cap decision and report by June 30, 2019. Comments can be sent by mail to Office of the BC Ferry Commissioner, P.O. Box 9279, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 9J7 or: info@bcferrycommission.ca (mailto:info@bcferrycommission.ca)

Stoilen said on Monday: “BC Ferries have fully co-operated in providing the commissioner with the information he needs to make a preliminary price cap decision. I am pleased to see the price caps tracking close to the consumer price index for British Columbia. The major challenges to operating a world-class system that is affordable to the riding public and taxpayers can be expected to persist and even deepen. The commissioner will applaud any effort by BC Ferries and the Province to address the Redlin report recommendation for a jointly developed vision to address them.”

Quick Facts

* A price cap is a form of regulation to set on the total amount of revenue that can be earned from ferry fares.

* Under provincial legislation, the Office of the BC Ferries Commissioner serves an oversight and regulatory role over BC Ferries’ operations, including setting price caps on the maximum allowable increase in the average fare levels that BC Ferries is permitted to charge its customers and the approval of major capital expenditures.

* The last price cap decision by the BC Ferries commissioner was September 2015 when it was set at 1.9% annually for the current performance term.

More than one in 10 Canadians want to be in an open relationship

1 April 2019

A sizeable number of Canadian adults are either in or would like to be in an open relationship, suggests new research from the University of British Columbia.
That’s one of the key findings of a new study published today in the Journal of Sex Research. The study is the first outside of the United States to assess the prevalence of open relationships using a representative sample.
Researchers analyzing data from a nationally representative survey of about 2,000 Canadian adults found that four per cent of those in relationships reported being in an open relationship, while 20 per cent reported having been in an open relationship in the past. Meanwhile, more than one in ten (12 per cent) reported that open relationships were their “ideal relationship type.”

“Our findings suggest that more people would like to be in an open relationship than already are, possibly because of the stigma associated with these types of relationships and the difficulty of broaching this subject with partners,” said Nichole Fairbrother, the study’s lead author and assistant professor in the UBC department of psychiatry. “Even with the stigma, however, it still appears that a sizeable number of Canadian adults are either in or would like to be in an open relationship.”
Open relationships are those in which individuals agree to participate in sexual, emotional and romantic interactions with more than one partner. Examples include polyamory (engaging in multiple romantic relationships) and swinging (engaging in multiple sexual relationships outside of a relationship, alone or together, with minimal or no emotional or romantic involvement).
For the study, the researchers had market research firm Ipsos administer an online questionnaire to a representative sample of about 2,000 Canadians between the ages of 18 and 94. Nearly equal numbers of men and women responded to the survey. Fifty-five per cent of respondents were married or living with a romantic partner, while 31 per cent were single, 10 per cent were separated or divorced and nearly four per cent were widowed.
Among the key findings, the researchers found that people engaging in and preferring open relationships tended to be slightly younger. Men were also more likely to have reported being in an open relationship and to identify open as their ideal relationship type. Relationship satisfaction didn’t differ significantly between individuals in monogamous and open relationships. Rather, having a match between one’s actual and preferred relationship type was associated with greater relationship satisfaction, the researchers found.
As for why greater numbers of men tend to prefer open to monogamous relationships, the researchers suggest it could be partially due to the greater prevalence of open relationships among same-sex male couples. They say more research is needed to fully understand the factors behind men preferring open relationships more than women.
Fairbrother said the findings have clinical implications for mental health providers, especially for those who provide couples therapy.
“Given that a significant minority of respondents say they prefer open relationships, it may be useful for mental health providers to consider ways of making it easier for couples to talk about their relationship preferences in therapy,” she said.
The researchers have also collected survey answers from hundreds of UBC and Ryerson University students to analyze the characteristics of people who prefer different relationship configurations. They are analyzing this data now.
The study was co-authored by Trevor Hart, a psychology professor and director of the HIV prevention lab at Ryerson University, and Malcolm Fairbrother, a sociologist at Umeå University in Sweden. It was supported by a Ryerson University faculty of arts new initiatives award, awarded to Hart.

ALBERTA: Rachel Notley closing gap on Jason Kenney

31 March 2019

WITH just over two weeks to go until Albertans head to the polls, incumbent Premier Rachel Notley is becoming more competitive. She has improved on some measures in the past couple of weeks, while Jason Kenny has gone down somewhat, according to EKOS poll.

Most notably, about half of Albertans (46 per cent) now say the province in headed in the right direction, up five points since February. Furthermore, Rachel Notley is narrowly seen as the best Premier for the province.
At 42 points, the NDP are still behind the United Conservative Party, but the results suggest the race is narrowing. The NDP leads in Edmonton, but trails outside the urban centres. Calgary is a tight two-way race.

The margin of error associated with the total sample is +/- 3.1 percentage points.

Vancouver Police search for hit-and-run driver

31 March 2019

VANCOUVER Police are investigating a hit-and-run in South Vancouver that has sent a 71-year-old woman to hospital.

Just before 1 p.m. on Sunday (March 31), the woman was crossing SE Marine Drive at Victoria Drive in a crosswalk when she was struck by silver-coloured mini-van travelling west. Witnesses came to the aid of the women and stayed with her until she was rushed to hospital by ambulance with serious injuries.

The driver of the van did not stop and left the area. Based on the information provided by witnesses at the scene, officers located what is believed to be the suspect vehicle parked and unoccupied in New Westminster.

Detectives from the VPD’s Collision Investigation Unit are asking any witnesses, or anyone driving in the area around the time of the collision with dash-cam footage, to call 604-717-3012.

Victoria Drive is closed in both directions, as well as two of three lanes westbound on SE Marine. Investigators anticipate the roads will be cleared by early evening.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC 0 – Seattle Sounders FC 0

30 March 2019

Drama in Cascadia: ‘Caps, Sounders play to scoreless draw after late PK call is overturned

VANCOUVER, BC: An added-time penalty call overturned by video review capped off a tense and dramatic clash between Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Seattle Sounders FC, resulting in a scoreless draw at BC Place on Saturday evening.

The ‘Caps looked ready to snatch the full three points at the death, when Sounders centre back Kim Kee-hee was whistled for a foul upon taking down fellow South Korean international Inbeom Hwang inside the box on a rebound attempt, but the decision was overturned by referee Robert Sibiga after consulting video review.

Despite the controversial ending, Whitecaps FC came away with their first point of the season behind a brilliant defensive effort, while ruining the Sounders’ previously-perfect record.

New acquisition Ali Adnan made his MLS debut on the evening and showed his quality right from the onset. The Iraqi international left back helped keep Seattle wingers Jordan Morris and Víctor Rodríguez silent, after the Sounders duo had combined for four goals and three assists in their 3W-0L-0D start.

More staunch defending came from the ‘Caps through centre backs Doneil Henry and Érik Godoy, who combined for 15 clearances, and denied Chad Marshall and Raúl Ruidíaz at the goalline shortly after halftime. Henry was especially imposing, shutting the door on the Sounders again in the 78th minute when Ruidíaz came knocking up close.

Goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau made three saves to register his first MLS clean sheet. The Canadian international made a leaping save in the 64th minute, stopping a dangerous long-distance dart from Gustav Svensson, and punched away a curling direct free kick from Rodríguez in the closing minutes.

Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei collected three saves of his own, including getting his fingertips on a Victor “PC” Giro backheel late, plus one on a counterattacking Joaquín Ardaiz that resulted in the Hwang rebound that led to the late-match controversy.

Whitecaps FC look to earn another result when they host LA Galaxy next Friday night. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. PT live on TSN1 and TSN Radio 1040. Visit whitecapsfc.com for ticket information.

ADDITIONAL NOTES: Russell Teibert made his season debut after missing the start of the year due to injury… The matchup between Hwang and Kim marked the first time two South Koreans faced each other in MLS history.

MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Robert Sibiga
Attendance: 24,803
WFC Man of the Match: Ali Adnan

Scoring Summary
None

Statistics
Possession: VAN 42.9% – SEA 57.1%
Shots: VAN 12 – SEA 14
Shots on Goal: VAN 3 – SEA 3
Saves: VAN 3 – SEA 3
Fouls: VAN 12 – SEA 11
Offsides: VAN 0 – SEA 1
Corners: VAN 5 – SEA 7
Duels won: VAN 45 – SEA 54
Tackles won: VAN 10 – SEA 14

Caution
90’+1’ – VAN – Felipe Martins

Vancouver Whitecaps FC
16.Maxime Crépeau; 28.Jake Nerwinski, 22.Érik Godoy, 2.Doneil Henry, 53.Ali Adnan; 8.Felipe Martins, 6.Jon Erice ©, 31.Russell Teibert (4.Inbeom Hwang, 72’); 19.Lass Bangoura (7.Lucas Venuto 61’), 12.Fredy Montero (9.Joaquín Ardaiz 87’), 94.Victor “PC” Giro

Substitutes not used
18.Zac MacMath, 23.Scott Sutter, 29.Yordy Reyna, 46.Brett Levis

Seattle Sounders FC
24.Stefan Frei; 18.Kelvin Leerdam, 20.Kim Kee-hee, 14.Chad Marshall, 11.Brad Smith; 4.Gustav Svensson (70.Handwalla Bwana 83‘), 7.Cristian Roldan; 13.Jordan Morris, 10.Nicolás Lodeiro ©, 8.Víctor Rodríguez; 9.Raúl Ruidíaz (17.Will Bruin 87’)

Substitutes not used
35.Bryan Meredith, 5.Nouhou Tolo, 16.Alex Roldan, 21.Jordy Delem, 29.Román Torres

E-Papers

POPULAR POSTS

POPULAR CATEGORY

INDO-CANADIAN VOICE - ABOUT US

FOLLOW US