David Brooks’s opinion piece in The Atlantic begins with a question that many people have been asking for a considerable time.
David Brooks, a traditional conservative now a staff writer at The Atlantic
Metro Vancouver is costing North Vancouver taxpayers almost $20,000 each
I was recently at a meeting where North Vancouver District Council member Jim Hanson talked about the need for reform of Metro Vancouver governance. He illustrated his comments by comparing wastewater treatment projects in Victoria and North Vancouver. One came in more or less on-time and on-budget; the other is now budgeted at 3.5x the original estimate and may begin operating almost a decade late.
The Ancient One – AKA Kennewick Man
Knute “Mossback” Berger is a Seattle-based writer and commentator whose videos appear on Western Washington’s PBS station, KCTS-TV. His focus is the Pacific Northwest, and although some stories are rooted in particular American locations, viewers in British Columbia can also learn much from his explorations of regional history. I particularly enjoyed The People of the Columbia River.
Alternative energy solutions
Hydropower is dispatchable. It is generally reliable, can increase or decrease generation quickly, and can be shut down and restarted with relative ease. Provided the facilities are properly maintained, the system should perform well.
But what happens when drought leaves too little water to drive the turbines? The answer is simple: electricity production declines.
Privatizing public services
A. Reader is back again with another informative post. This particular contributor sends me much useful information. I always appreciate the person’s work. The latest piece follows the separator.
A toxic cocktail of air pollutants
Having committed itself to promoting and subsidizing British Columbia’s fossil-fuel industry, David Eby’s government will not restrain a company planning to release substantially greater quantities of harmful air pollutants. Nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, fine particulate matter, and benzene will degrade local air quality, and these are associated with serious respiratory and cardiovascular risks.
Ottawa Backed the War. Then Hedged. Then Went Quiet.
Canada’s double standard on Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S. and Israeli military campaign against Iran, isn’t a diplomatic nuance. It’s a choice — and British Columbians are living with the economic fallout.
Change is possible, but unlikely
Climate change is not a problem that can be solved within the current economic system without deep structural change.
Geothermal opportunities
Geothermal Opportunities is the third installment of the Canada West Forum Society’s series of online energy forums. The series began with Powering the Future, an overview of energy in British Columbia, and continued with Harnessing Wind Energy.
Smile
Trump, the hockey guy.
Norway’s national wealth fund now C$3 trillion
In British Columbia, both the governing NDP and the Conservative opposition maintain that natural resources primarily belong to the companies extracting them today. Taxes are kept low, subsidies are plentiful, and the idea that future generations deserve a share of today’s resource wealth is effectively dismissed.
Happy holidays to all
I hope 2026 will be a good and peaceful year for everyone. My contributions at IN-SIGHTS have become a little less frequent because of good and bad personal issues. I trust 2026 will be different. This blog will soon be entering its 18th year. It has allowed me to become more informed and introduced me to many fine people. I hope IN-SIGHTS will last another 18 years, but my cardiologist may be doubtful.
Housing – a wealth extraction tool
With commodification of housing in Canada, homes are treated as investment assets, not just shelter. Investor-led speculation has led to soaring prices, rental increases, and rising homelessness. Housing has been turned into a wealth-extraction tool, impacting low-income families and essential workers most severely…
Global Peace Index
The 19th edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI) ranks 163 independent states and territories according to their level of peacefulness. It covers 99.7 per cent of the world’s population. Produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), the GPI is the world’s leading measure of global peacefulness…
The Efficiency of Electric vs Fossil Fuel Economies
Markham Hislop and Professor Mark Jacobson dive into the rarely discussed fact that the electric economy is significantly more efficient than the fossil fuel economy, and therefore, less energy is required to power it.
A Reader asks…
Regarding Hydro boss Mr Clark’s odd and unsubstantiated assertions that geothermal is just “too expensive”? Says who? Where? In what scientific context? Enhanced geothermal systems: An underground tech surfaces as a serious […]
Lew Edwardson on BC Hydro
Always articulate and thoughtful reader Lew Edwardson left a comment on the IN-SIGHTS article THE HEAT BENEATH OUR FEET. I think it needs to be amplified. Drought in northeast BC continues to be a problem. If the situation of FY 2024 continues, Site C will produce about 3,350 GWh, not the promised 5,100. These numbers suggest the dam’s capital cost for each MWh of electricity produced would fall between $142 and $215. Of course, the utility incurs operating and overhead costs as well. Those would be around $30 per MWh. At the midpoint between those numbers, BC Hydro would be paying over 20 cents per KWh for Site C electricity, far more than the utility is willing to admit.
Geothermal, Eavor present energy
Months ago, I wrote Geothermal — clean, non-destructive renewable energy. It was about Calgary-based Eavor and the company’s use of unique drilling technology to realize geothermal energy. I have followed Eavor’s activities and noted recent developments, particularly in the Bavarian town of Geretsried…
July update
After being focused on personal issues for a while, I will resume publishing a few pieces each week. Thank you to the people who have continued to support IN-SIGHTS. Please check here regularly.
Defending democracy
Ordinary people must choose between authoritarianism and democracy. Our ancestors struggled to gain the vote; we must protect these rights. Are we willing to do that? Do we even understand the fragility of our political system?
Thanks for this article Norm. The BC Greens are breaking new ground this election by promising to introduce a wealth…