Regular readers are aware that British Columbia’s natural gas industry provides surprisingly little return to the province by way of royalties for depleting non-renewable public assets. In the last two fiscal years, […]
Captives of industry
Volatile gas revenues tend to evaporate
BC Liberals are reluctant spenders when it comes to improving public schools. However, they’re not reluctant to put money into the pockets of natural gas producers. The amounts are in the billions […]
Dealmakers have been busy
People reacted to a tweet of information first published at Northern Insight. Many read it but do not want to believe it, because, as much as anything, this demonstrates whom the BC […]
Subsidies for some, higher fees for others
Replay of article first published in November 2013. Despite claims that natural gas will last almost forever and drop massive wealth into BC’s treasury, I’ve demonstrated here, with numbers taken from finance […]
Looking at BC’s revenues from natural resources
A replay, first posted October 2013. It is important to consider that the $868 million shown as FY 2013 income from crown land tenures is mostly recognition of exploration rights sold in […]
Charting BC natural gas revenues
The following charts are created with production data from Statistics Canada (CANSIM 131-0001) and other reports from government ministries. These demonstrate significant changes of income from exploration and production of British Columbia’s […]
I’m all right Jack!
At The Tyee, Bob Mackin contributed Ex-Head of Troubled SNC-Lavalin Named Chair of BC Crown Corp. Like all work from this diligent investigative journalist – one of the few in BC – […]
Propaganda presented as credible news
Were I a new arrival in Canada who relied on major media, I would believe, as Canadian Press reported, Northern Gateway is a project that, “…will put billions of dollars into the […]
Christy Clark arrest may be imminent
Sunday, RCMP announced arrest of Qing Quentin Huang for attempting to communicate knowledge of Canadian ship construction to China. Huang is employed by an Ontario based subcontractor of Irving Shipbuilding. At a […]
Guess which photos come from Enbridge
H/T to Project-Pipeline.org
Taking care of business (friends)
Source: 2013 June Budget Fiscal Plan, Table A9 Revenue by Source (Page 120) From Auditor General reports, we know that natural gas revenues reported by the province did not account for the […]
They assume we’re feckless idiots and they might be right.
Before the May 2013 election, BC Liberals promised the entire provincial debt, budgeted this year at $62.5 billion, could be eliminated within 15 years with government proceeds of natural gas production. In […]
Dirtiest residue from dirtiest oil on earth
Alberta lands may be temporarily disturbed by tar sands activity but a site of extraction undergoes active reclamation and, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, gains new life. At least, that’s […]
Only in Alberta, you say? Pity…
Trust in God, but not in Enbridge
Not long ago, an animated parody by editorial cartoonist Dan Murphy offended oil transporter Enbridge. The company tried to make Murphy’s troublesome work disappear by pumping up pressure in the Postmedia boardroom. […]
Neighbours should help neighbors
MSNBC reported on U.S. gas prices Sunday morning, discussing, “a growing fear among Americans that gas could soon reach $5 per gallon.” My first thought was perhaps we can help our friends […]
Mistruths and half-truths
Stephen Harper’s Northern Gateway pipeline parody, National Affairs Columnist Thomas Walkom, The Star The federal government’s claim that big-money foreign interests are trying to hijack hearings into a proposed west coast oil […]
Oil industry ramps up the pressure
As Ian Reid succinctly observes, the Vancouver Sun “has apparently merged with Encana’s communications department and is now almost desperately spinning the Northern Pipeline on their behalf.” The Sun and its parent […]
Foreign funding of environmentalists?
In a demonstration of ultimate irony, Ethical Oil, which shills for the international petroleum industry, complains about environmental groups receiving a tiny portion of their funding from outside Canada. Where does the […]
Fort Chip people don’t believe in ‘ethical oil’
CKNW’s morning show featured Fraser Institute alum Kathryn Mitrow Marshall, who is now labouring for Ethical Oil, an ironically named lobby group with close ties to the Conservative Party of Canada and, […]
in-sights.ca 
Blair Fix at _Economics from the Top Down_ also wrote two very good papers on the converion of housing into…