Memo exhibits that authorities is aware of the carbon tax is crippling

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Re: Electronic mail exhibits B.C. vitality minister desires ‘massive and glossy affordability measure’ linked to local weather plan.

It was positively time that the carbon tax was outed as a “slush fund.”

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By suggesting a “clear B.C. rebate” amid a seek for affordability choices for British Columbians, authorities reveals the information that the tax is crippling and is just attempting to achieve help with a rebate.

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If certainly authorities was actually attempting to hunt affordability choices for its residents, cancelling the tax can be the most effective and simplest choice. We will definitely put in place air pollution controls to alter that which is feasible to cut back human impacts on the local weather.

No tax required, simply management.

Silvia Dyck, Chilliwack

How is that this nonetheless democracy when voters will be overruled?

Re: B.C. authorities poised to ramrod Surrey police price range.

Premier Eby created laws to drive all municipalities to undertake the NDP’s one-size-fits-all format for zoning for housing development going ahead. Then the NDP handed laws to permit Mike Farnworth to easily override the needs of the voters in Surrey to impose a policing answer that almost all of the voters in Surrey didn’t need.

None of this overriding laws existed earlier than David Eby as a result of all prior premiers understood that, within the carrot versus the stick of intergovernmental talks, the stick solely existed to make sure the arrival at a much bigger carrot. As an alternative, Eby changed the keep on with a sledge hammer, and used it immediately.

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The conventional technique of municipal elections was adopted in Surrey. The voters, sad with prior Mayor Doug McCallum’s policing adjustments, voted him out. Brenda Locke was elected mayor to maintain the established order.

Be forewarned: If this will occur in Surrey, the second most-populous municipality in B.C., then it will probably occur in any municipality, for any difficulty on which the provincial authorities chooses to take exception. The precedent, together with enabling laws, has now been set.

How is that this nonetheless democracy when voters will be overruled? Will not be votes sacrosanct?

Bruce Strang, Vancouver

Authorities shirks flood-control accountability

The Vancouver Solar has featured a number of articles in current months in regards to the catastrophic failure of flood prevention in 2021 after the province downloaded accountability to municipalities. We’ve got additionally seen many articles about drought and streams broken by water shortages.

The province’s response to water points has been to counsel native watershed governance boards. These boards must be seen for what they are surely — one more instance of the province abdicating and downloading accountability.

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The Salmon River in Langley and the Nicola space had been check instances within the Nineteen Nineties with comparable roundtables to place collectively watershed administration plans. These teams achieved little. The unpaid environmental volunteers on the desk had been unable to counterbalance the self-interests of consumer teams who managed to skew the method and the outcomes.

And the rationale we don’t have sufficient volunteers?

Many are occupied with preserving the atmosphere however too usually find yourself discouraged and drop out as they watch governments shirk their accountability to guard.

It’s particularly discouraging to see the province proceed to attempt to obtain accountability to native watershed governance regardless of the failures of downloading flood safety and the failures of comparable governance makes an attempt within the Nineteen Nineties.

Doug McFee, Langley.
McFee is chair of the Salmon River Enhancement Society

Few can afford electrical automobiles, even with rebates

I’ve no private doubts about local weather change. I appeared critically into shopping for an electrical car however can’t justify it.

We did purchase a plug-in Prius, which my partner drives to work. I drive an older hybrid Camry. We’re caught on the everlasting ready checklist for a RAV4 Prime.

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Drawback: no electrical retailers at dwelling or at my workplace.

Furthermore, I’m in no rush to interchange a 14-year-old Toyota with below 100,000 kilometres on it.

In the meantime, meals financial institution demand is hovering, and other people wrestle to seek out reasonably priced housing.

Most individuals can’t afford electrical automobiles, even with authorities subsidies, that value $73,000. They both take public transit (which is going through funding shortfalls) or proceed to drive outdated clunkers.

John Shepherd, Richmond

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