Norway offers a striking contrast to British Columbia. In 2026, the two jurisdictions have almost identical populations — about 5.6 million people — yet Norway has built a sovereign wealth fund valued at roughly C$3.1 trillion.
The Financial Market Casino
Global financial markets are estimated to be worth $500 trillion, while global GDP is only estimated to be worth $100 trillion. This means that 80% of financial markets are not involved in producing the goods and services our society relies on to function properly.
Norway treats fossil fuels as a public inheritance. British Columbia treats them as a giveaway.
At today’s exchange rate, Norway’s sovereign wealth fund is worth roughly C$3.09 trillion — an extraordinary figure for a country with a population of about 5.6 million, very close to the population of British Columbia. That works out to approximately C$546,000 per person.
BC’s natural gas revenue disappearing while gas production soars
While the BC NDP talks publicly about a comprehensive plan focused on clean energy, the government has in fact been focused on increasing fossil fuel production. This policy may be good for the mostly foreign-owned producers and processors of natural gas, but it is another step toward a climate disaster.
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.
When men were men and women were women
George Carlin warned us about “God damn stuff.” What he failed to mention is that the stuff fights back by capturing your attention and diverting you from watching TV or reading social media. Buried in my stuff was a 1950 manual dedicated to teaching young women their divine purpose on Earth. It taught the weaker sex about things like…
Found online
It is 18 years since the greatest comedian ever died, but George Carlin’s thoughts and words remain accurate and relevant.
Man was made to mourn
When I was an adolescent, my Irish grandfather would recite poetry taught to him by my Scottish grandmother. The poem was usually by Robbie Burns, the Ploughman poet. I was always disinterested.
Belligerent and erratic
On March 21, Donald Trump threatened to obliterate parts of Iran if the Strait of Hormuz was not fully opened within 48 hours. Hours before that deadline, Trump delayed the bombing threat by three days because ‘productive’ talks were ongoing with Iran. He later extended the deadline to April 6, saying negotiations were going very well. On April 5, Trump made a profane announcement, threatening massive bombing on April 7 if the strait remained closed. The American president promised a ‘whole civilization will die.’ However, cooler heads in the USA and mediative efforts by Pakistan led Trump to postpone the bombing once again, this time for two weeks.
A rupture to the world order
In January, Mark Carnie told the World Economic Forum conference in Davos, Switzerland, about a “rupture to the world order.” I was aware of the Prime Minister’s speech to the WEF, but George Froehlich caused me to refocus on Carney’s words.
America’s greediest industrial workers wear suits and ties
In a June 2024 subcommittee hearing, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley questioned Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun on the company’s safety failures and Calhoun’s lack of accountability. The Missouri politician accused Boeing’s CEO of being focused on cutting corners, eliminating safety procedures, and squeezing its skilled employees closer to poverty.
BC Hydro doesn’t want quickly available, low-cost energy
If David Eby’s government supported or acquired the Hecate Strait project planned by Oceanic Wind Energy Inc., power could be flowing to the area to be served by the $10 billion North Coast Transmission Line (NCTL) by 2030, not 2034 or later, as predicted by BC Hydro…
Powering our future
Lew Edwardson prepared the following item after the webinar prepared by Canada West Forum. Lew is a keen observer of current events and always articulate and accurate when expressing his views.
Hole in the global energy supply…
The idiot crew around Donald Trump may have been so focused on personal enrichment schemes that they didn’t bother to examine the medium- to long-term effects of waging war on Iran. Patrick Boyle makes a key point when he talks about “…the hole in the global energy supply that no amount of diplomatic pressure can fill…”
From whistle punk to witness
When I was in high school, I spent time working for my uncles at Mahood Logging Ltd. That experience took me deep into TFL 39, Block 1, to a camp known as […]
Wind and solar — the cheapest energy sources
Contracted energy costs for wind and solar projects in Canada have fallen to half of what they were 10 years ago, new analysis shows. Now, they’re the lowest-cost form of new electricity generation.
Distributed energy resources (DERs)
Clean Energy Canada published an important report for this province. It is titled BC Distributed Energy Resource Potential Study. It seems the best examinations of this province’s energy needs come from public interest groups, not from our multi-billion dollar public utility.
BC’s clean energy strategy is less than clean
I have listened to Powering the Future a few times. There is much information to be gained, and a little misinformation was politely ignored. Check it out. BC Hydro Chair Glen Clark should be applauded for joining the panel for a 90 minute conversation. Fellow panelists Jae Mather and Markham Hislop showed their broad knowledge of energy matters.
More shocking American behaviour
I receive plenty of emails drawing attention to information and news stories from around the world. I’ve been busy, so few of the recent ones have prompted me to look closely. But one by David A. Graham immediately led me to an article in The Atlantic, my favourite U.S. publication. Titled “A Horrible Throwback to the Early 2000s,” it reveals some shocking American behaviour.
Powering the future
Canada West Forum is presenting an online event available without cost on a Zoom livestream, Monday, March 9, 10:15 a.m. Moderated by filmmaker and environmental journalist Damien Gillis, the panel features three highly regarded individuals. They are Glen Clark, Chair of BC Hydro, renewables expert Jae Mather, and energy jounrlist Markham Hislop of Energi Media. The panel will examine the future of energy supplies in British Columbia and the key decisions that must be made to meet rising demand.
in-sights.ca 
In recent months several announcements about government programs and existing services were issued. Many promises of project expansions or completions…