In a 29-12 vote, Toronto city councillors have thrown a wrench into Mayor Ford’s plan to reduce the city budget by contracting out all cleaning jobs. The council which would normally only look at contracts worth $20million or more, has voted to oversee all contracts. Councillors argued that contracts may still be outsourced, but that they wanted to ensure all workers were paid fair wages. Read more in The Star.
Month: April 2012
The Sharing of Good Ideas
The Sharing of Good Ideas, Saturday May 26th, 2012
Workers Arts and Heritage Centre
51 Stuart Street, Hamilton Ontario
Join other locally elected leaders and policy experts for stimulating discussion on incorporating key social and environmental initiatives at the local level.
Just announced, keynote speaker Jim Stanford!
Jim Stanford: Jim Stanford is an Economist with the Canadian Auto Workers, Canada’s largest private-sector trade union. He received his Ph.D. in Economics in 1995 from the New School for Social Research in New York, and also holds economics degrees from Cambridge University and the University of Calgary. Jim is the author of Economics for Everyone (published in 2008 by Pluto Press and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives). He writes an economics column for the Globe and Mail, and is a member of CBC TV’s regular National News economics panel, “The Bottom Line.” He lives in Toronto with his partner and two daughters.
Panel discussions include:
- The Municipal Role in Home Energy Retrofits
- Implementing a Climate Change Action Charter
Click here for a list of speakers.
For more information, please contact Stephanie Levesque, Ontario Director.
Richmond BC plans to go GMO free
Richmond BC is in the process of drafting legislation that would make the municipality free from genetically modified organisms. Richmond has a large agricultural sector and local farmers, food activists and now councillors are worried about the impact of GMO’s on local farms: the contamination of non GMO crops, excessive use of weed controls and the growing number of allergies associated with GMO foods. Other BC municipalities such as Powell River, Saltspring Island, Kaslo, Rossland and Nelson have already passed anti-GMO legislation. Read more in the Vancouver Sun.
Canadians willing to be taxed more to reduce wealth gap
According to a recent poll commissioned by the Broadbent Institute, the majority of Canadians support higher taxation if money is dedicated to reducing the growing income gap. The survey, conducted by Environics Research, asked 2000 Canadians if they would agree to higher taxes to reduce poverty. Here are some of the survey findings:
- 83 per cent of all poll participants said they were in favour of increasing income taxes on the wealthiest Canadians. (Some respondents were asked if people making more than $250,000 should pay more taxes and some were asked if those making more than $500,000 should pay more.)
- 69 per cent of Canadians would support the introduction of a new 35 per cent inheritance tax on any estate valued above $5-million
- 73 per cent would agree to gradually increasing corporate tax rates back to what they were in 2008 when the federal rate stood at 21 per cent. It has since been reduced to 15 per cent.
The survey found widespread support for tax increases amongst middle and high incomes Canadians.
BC school boards to recapture carbon offset funds
BC school boards have succeeded in recapturing funds previously levied on them and distributed to the private sector.
Carbon offset fees charged to boards by the Pacific Carbon Trust will now be deposited with the Ministry of Education’s Energy Efficient Capital Account for the exclusive use by boards for energy-efficiency projects. This should amount to about $5 million for 2012/13.
In addition, schools and other public sector organizations will no longer be charged fees for access to the SMARTTool software used for carbon emissions inventory and reporting, saving public sector organizations about $850,000.
These reforms parallel a number of policy solutions suggested in the 2011 Centre for Civic Governance report “Catch $25,” which can be downloaded here. While the carbon offset reforms are an improvement, structural underfunding of school districts remains a barrier to maximizing energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions from BC schools.
For a Vancouver Sun story on the announcement, click here .
Whistler passes motion opposing Northern Gateway pipeline
Whistler has joined several other BC municipalities in formally declaring its opposition to the Northern Gateway pipeline. Citing concern over the inherent possibility of environmental disaster, the council has agreed the benefits do not outweigh the risks. Counillor Jack Crompton believes the motion will send a strong message,
“It says to the federal government, the provincial government and the world that environmental disasters on our coasts would significantly damage us and our community.“
Read more in the Question.
Motion proposed by Councillor Jack Crompton:
Whereas Whistler is a community dependant on tourism.
and whereas our reputation as a tourist destination is dependant on British Columbia’s pristine environment.
and whereas there is a significant threat from the building and operation of the Northern Gateway pipeline and the resultant tanker traffic on our BC Coast.
and whereas it is our opinion that the approval of this project will put Whistler’s tourism industry at significant risk.
Be it moved that the RMOW oppose the building of the Endbridge pipeline, oppose the Federal Government relaxing the regulations of rivers and fisheries to allow the building of the pipeline and other industrial projects, and in addition oppose the shipping of oil along the BC Coast that would result from this pipeline construction. The RMOW also expresses its solidarity and supports the position of other communities in their position to stand against the building of this project and its impacts.
Growing support for province-wide pesticide ban
According to a recent poll conducted by the BC Cancer Society, the majority of British Columbians support a province –wide pesticide ban. The poll also surveyed political party association and found that support was fairly even across all party lines. The BC Cancer Society is hoping the Provincial Government will pass legislation banning pesticides in the very new future. Read more in the Vancouver Sun.
New poll finds opposition to BC pipeline growing
Although for now support for the Enbridge pipeline appears to outweigh opposition a new poll finds that opposition to the poll is growing. According to the poll, conducted by Mustel Group 50.1 per cent were in favour and 41.7 per cent opposed. Read more in the Vancouver Sun.
Female members of Rob Ford’s executive are threatening to quit unless he changes his leadership style
Michelle Berardinetti and Jaye Robinson, councillors on Rob Ford’s executive are threatening to quit over Rob Ford’s leadership style which they have characterized as lacking “vision, strategy and plan.” They have also cited his overtly ideological approach, his unwillingness to seek consensus and premature focus on campaigning as contributing factors contributing to their wanting to quit. Read more in the Toronto Star.
BC Municipalities want regulations on rabbit sales in pet stores
The escape or release of rabbits into the wild had led to a bunny explosion in several parts of BC. Though extremely cute, they are wreaking havoc on the landscape. Although several BC municipalities have catch, sterilize and release programs in place, Delta BC wants to see Province-wide legislation that would force pet stores to cease selling unsterilized rabbits. Read more in the Vancouver Sun.
Toronto given go-ahead to tax billboards
In 2009 the city of Toronto passed a law that would see billboards taxed between $1000-$24,000 depending on size and location. Advertising giant Pattison challenged the tax in the Ontario Supreme Court. The court ruled that only Billboards erected after April 2010 could have the tax applied. The city has since appealed the ruling and won. The city is expected to generate 11 million in annual revenue from the billboard tax. Read more in the Globe and Mail.
CETA concerns raised at food sovereignty forum
At a recent forum on food security in Oliver BC addressed a number of issues surrounding food sovereignty, from the decline of BC’s agricultural sector to the impact of GMO foods on local farms. Of immediate concern however was the effect that the proposed CETA agreement would have on buy local policies, and in turn the local farming economy. Read more in the Oliver Chronicle.