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To whit, the proposed-then-withdrawn Land Act giving First Nations a 50% say on all the province’s Crown land, the Haida title agreement, the dispute on the Sunshine Coast, the Cowichan court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.

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

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.

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

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.

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