ISSofBC's blog

Mariner Energy facility explodes in Gulf of Mexico

September 2, 2010

The Vancouver Sun

An oil and gas facility owned by Mariner Energy Inc. off the coast of Louisiana was on fire Thursday, and the U.S. Coast Guard said it was working to rescue 13 workers.

"Thirteen out of 13 are accounted for and it's still burning," said a spokesman for the Eighth District Coast Guard Command Center in New Orleans.

A Mariner spokesman did not reply to several phone messages.

It was not immediately clear whether it was a rig or a producing platform.

B.C. spent $780,000 on scrapped HST mailer

September 2, 2010

The B.C. Liberal government spent $780,000 to create and print an HST pamphlet it planned to mail to each house in the province, but has since scrapped.

Finance Minister Colin Hansen told The Vancouver Sun on Wednesday the province spent about $260,000 to design the pamphlet, and then another $520,000 to print enough copies to mail to each household.

He added that while the province since scrapped the idea of sending an HST pamphlet by mail, the $780,000 has not all gone to waste.

Domestic measures can't solve worker shortage

September 1, 2010

The Vancouver Sun

Canada could lessen its economic imperative to continue accepting new immigrants, but the realistic alternatives -- although worth pursuing -- won't be enough to take up the slack when baby boomers retire.

That's the nub of the case made by the Conference Board of Canada in a new paper that reinforces several proimmigration arguments I made in a column last week, and analyzes the potential alternatives.

Barack Obama turns the page in Iraq, sets sights on sour U.S. economy

September 1, 2010

The Globe and Mail

As U.S. President Barack Obama unburdened himself of America’s nation-building obligations in Iraq, he pledged in his second Oval Office speech to devote himself to the “most urgent task” of reconstruction at home.

“It must be our central mission as a people, and my central responsibility as President,” Mr. Obama said of restoring the battered U.S. economy, in a prime-time address Tuesday to mark the official end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq.

Vancouver real estate 'bubble' at 30-year peak, report cautions

August 31, 2010

The Vancouver Sun

Steep housing price increases in six of Canada's hottest real estate markets since 2002 have all the hallmarks of an "accident waiting to happen" if mortgage rates rise too sharply, warns a new report.

The report by the Centre for Policy Alternatives says smart mortgage rate setting is needed to prevent the bubbles hanging over the housing markets in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal from bursting.

Project will help B.C. women take leadership roles: minister

August 31, 2010

The Vancouver Sun

The new program Women Leading the Way will help develop leadership skills in B.C. women, says Minister for the Status of Women Rona Ambrose.

Ambrose was speaking Monday at a press conference to promote the Minerva Foundation’s program and to announce $367,529 in federal funding.

The money is being allocated through the Women’s Community Fund of Status of Women in Canada.

Read the full article here.

In a Bangkok apartment, Tamils wait for a ship to Canada

August 30, 2010

The Globe and Mail

The four men, Sri Lankan Tamils, say they are in Thailand on vacation, though they rarely venture outside their one-room apartment on the outskirts of the Thai capital. They sit together on the bed, endlessly watching old movies in English and Thai that they barely understand.

Volunteer activities can tell a prospective employer things about graduates that grades cannot

August 28, 2010

The Vancouver Sun

Laura Beeston is heading into her third year at Concordia University, where she's majoring in journalism, with a minor in women's studies.

But Beeston can't help thinking she does much of her practical learning outside the classroom. In a typical week, she'll spend at least 40 hours at The Link, the university's independent newspaper, where she is managing editor, interim graphics and interim online editor.

"I do everything from production and layout to planning parties."

Post-secondary education will be required for most jobs over next 15 years, minister says

August 28, 2010

The Vancouver Sun

Ben Tyner and Corina David are getting ready for classes next month at two of B.C.'s newest universities. Tyner is studying philosophy at Capilano University's Sunshine Coast campus, while David will take criminology courses at the University of Vancouver Island campus in Nanaimo.

Like most British Columbians, they know a high school diploma just doesn't cut it any more -- and they're benefiting from a government decision in 2008 to create five new regional universities that allow students like them to live at home while going to school.

Beyond the bigotry, a need for immigrants remains

August 27, 2010

The Vancouver Sun

A lot of the xenophobia and bigotry reverberating in the wake of the arrival of a ship bearing 492 Tamils ostensibly focuses on these few refugees.

But you don't have to read much between the lines of Internet and talk-show chatter to notice that much of the vitriol targets a broader swath of immigrants -- in some cases those who don't fit someone's definition of being sufficiently like "us," and in some cases the whole damn lot.

Which got me thinking about where Canada would be without its steady influx of newcomers, whether skilled or not.