Commentary

In this year of municipal elections in British Columbia, housing was consistently the top-ranked issue for residents of Metro Vancouver – with the exception of Surrey, where public safety was deemed more important.

The B.C. economy grew by a surprisingly robust 3.8% (after inflation) last year. This is surprising because not only does it follow a strong 3.

For the past couple of years, vaping has become ubiquitous in certain urban areas across Canada. Some of the country’s residents have become enthralled with the idea of inhaling and exhaling vapour produced by e-cigarettes or similar devices.

Well, shame on us for wanting Uber and Lyft. The BC NDP government has shown our demands to be unnecessary.

The new Surrey is in danger of finding itself on a return trip to the old Surrey when it comes to intermunicipal transportation. And that’s bad for business prospects in B.C.’s fastest-growing urban area.

The most serious absence in the recent municipal campaign was a material discussion about how to attract and develop higher-paying jobs. It was as if there were no Vancouver economy to consider as part of the elected duty of service.

Six months ago, Vancouver City Council passed a unanimous motion to ask the provincial government to “make the necessary changes” that would allow permanent residents to cast ballots in municipal elections.

Many important issues were discussed and highlighted during this year’s municipal election in Vancouver, the most urgent being housing, affordability and homelessness.

The Tesla factor is fuelling international focus on electricity’s potential for shifting global transportation away from reliance on fossil fuels.

Canada's neighbour to the south has always provided quirkiness when it comes to politics.