MetaFilter posts tagged with Canada and BritishColumbia

Fading towns of coastal British Columbia

Rumple — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:48:29 -0800

Land's End: Photographer and writer Christopher Grabowski documents the fading industrial towns of the British Columbia coast. Interview, and some of his other Photo Essays at Geist Magazine.

Canadian Urbex

dunkadunc — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 05:13:52 -0800

The Vanishing Point: Urban Exploration in Canada Michael Cook's website documents his trips to the dark, musty and exciting places where most people don't go. Ontario Generating Station, Niagra Falls Toronto Power Company Hydroelectric Plant, Niagra Falls Storm Drains of Toronto Storm Drains of Hamilton Monarch Mine, British Columbia

Canada's Russian Revolution

amyms — Tue, 13 May 2008 23:25:51 -0800

It stands as one of the more unusual turning points of the Cold War, thanks mostly to the surprise appearance of several naked middle-aged women. Taking The Cure: How a group of British Columbian anarchists inspired democracy in Russia. More information on the Doukhobors at the Doukhobor Discovery Centre and the Doukhobor Genealogy Website. Alexander Yakovlev died in 2005. Here's his obituary as presented by the BBC. For more information about his place in history, see Alexander Yakovlev and the Roots of Soviet Reforms, a collection of documents housed at the National Security Archive at George Washington University. And for those who can read Russian, The Alexander Yakovlev Foundation.

BC brings in revenue-neutral carbon tax

russilwvong — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 22:36:12 -0800

The revenue-neutral carbon tax: an idea whose time has come? The British Columbia government has just introduced a carbon tax, starting at $10/tonne in July 2008 and rising to $30/tonne in 2012. All revenues from the tax (close to $2 billion over three years) will be returned to taxpayers in the form of income tax cuts, reducing income and corporate taxes to the lowest levels in Canada. Details from the BC budget. Globe and Mail. More on the idea of the revenue-neutral carbon tax: a 1997 column by Paul Krugman. Reason magazine. William Nordhaus. And Dave Sawyer is a Canadian environmental policy analyst with a blog.

More hope in shadows

docgonzo — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 12:28:40 -0800

This morning in Vancouver, volunteers handed out hundreds of disposable cameras, available free to any low-income resident of the city's Downtown Eastside (DTES) neighbourhood. Pictures in the returned cameras will be entered in this year's "Hope in Shadows" competition, with winners getting prizes and one of 12 spots in next year's calendar. (It will be sold by specially-trained low-income folks, who keep half their profits.) Run by Pivot, a local legal activism group, "Hope in Shadows" is a succesful and "innovative empowerment through art" project and a chance for the residents of the DTES to define their community -- one most often defined by its poverty, addictions, violence and disease.
Previous winners: 2004, 2005 [1] [2], 2006

Poverty and the right to council

sindark — Sat, 26 May 2007 05:27:37 -0800

In 2005, the Supreme Court of British Columbia decided that taxing the legal services of the poor "constitutes indirect taxation and is a tax on justice contrary to the Magna Carta and the Rule of Law." Yesterday, the Supreme Court of Canada overturned the decision, rejecting "the respondent’s contention that there is a broad general right to legal counsel as an aspect of, or precondition to, the rule of law." The case was largely the initiative of Dugald Christie, a Vancouver lawyer and political activist who devoted his life to the cause of improving access to the legal system, before dying on a cross-Canada bicycling fundraiser ten months ago. He is well remembered by lawyers and cyclists.

Intolerance in Canada???

SSinVan — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 10:28:09 -0800

Despite our predominantly post-modern society in Canada, there are still pockets of ignorance and intolerance. The City of Surrey a very suburban suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia, is pretty much the capital of Canada when it comes to this. A high school (ages 13-18) was rehearsing to perform "The Laramie Project" - a play about the murder of an American student Matthew Shephard (who was gay) and tolerance when the Surrey School Board pulled the plug on it. The play had recently been performed in a high school in a smaller, but less rednecky suburb, Mission. This is the same school board that tried to ban two excellent books teaching children tolerance for their friends that may have two dads or two mums. The ban was overturned by the Supreme Court of Canada. Perhaps a play of this nature is appropriate for high school students? Whaddya think?

Blogs are advertising: Elections B.C.

futureproof — Sun, 15 May 2005 00:36:36 -0800

Elections BC (Source: CBC) is having a tough time keeping up with all the bloggers "publishing partisan messages during the current election campaign.". Under current law they are asking all bloggers to register as advertisers, while also going on record as being open to changing the law.

Gay-rights pioneer says he stole jewellery, blames inner demons

timeistight — Fri, 16 Apr 2004 10:56:49 -0800

The 'nightmare' fall of Svend Robinson: Canada's first openly gay MP threw his career into doubt yesterday with a shocking revelation that he had stolen a piece of jewellery last weekend.

BC Legalizes Gay Marriage

cyberbry — Tue, 08 Jul 2003 10:35:50 -0800

British Columbia joins Ontario as the second province in Canada to allow gay marriage. Not everyone is happy though.