Commentary

It seems fitting that the day the morning news carried an item about the last print edition of the Yellow Pages, Business in Vancouver Media Group has decided that my days of paid commentary are over. So this is my last Business in Vancouver column.

It was a rather small turnout for a rather large speech. The B.C. finance minister, Carole James, had a lot on the line as she graced the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade economic update breakfast last Friday.

Vancouver’s Renewable City Strategy (RCS) needs a companion initiative to aid long-term city business viability: a Retainable Enterprise Imperative.

Across North America, there is growing public and political support for lifting the legislated minimum wage. In Canada, Alberta and Ontario recently adopted plans to reach a $15-an-hour minimum wage by the end of the decade.

In our city, right under our noses for several years now, has been an exceptional example of how to build and sustain a business. We can all learn from its principles.

The Wild West is not exactly going to be the Mild West. John Horgan is seeing to it. And Andrew Weaver is being paid to support it.

For most of us Canucks, conflict avoidance is about as Canadian as a double-double or the CBC. That’s because most of us typically don’t have the skills necessary to engage in conflict in healthy ways.

It all seemed perfectly reasonable: tax the low-hanging fruit of “fat cat” professional corporations to fund programs for the poor. Who could object to that? Turns out plenty of people object.

The $52 billion “mini-budget” presented by Finance Minister Carole James on September 11 signals a shift in the priorities of the provincial government after 16 years of generally tight-fisted rule by the BC Liberals.

Enough already with the delusions, distractions and destructive promises. Amazon.com Inc.’s HQ2 here in Vancouver? Is our mayor serious? Where is he hiding the 1.