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Sep 20, 2024 | 
monitormag.ca | Marc Lee |Randy Robinson
The following text is the speaking notes used by Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives—British Columbia researcher Marc Lee in a Sept. 17 presentation to the House of Commons Finance Committee. In it, Lee argues in favour of the federal government's move to increase the inclusion rate on capital gains is necessary for a fairer tax system. Thank you for the invitation to speak to the committee.
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Jul 31, 2024 | 
policynote.ca | Marc Lee
Made in Canva using Shutterstock photos. A final investment decision in June 2024 by Cedar LNG highlights the challenges and contradictions of BC’s climate and energy policies. For the BC government, this is the model industrial project: it creates jobs and development in the North, has a major Indigenous partner in the Haisla Nation and will meet the low-emissions target established last year for new LNG plants. The main problem is the planet is burning.
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Jun 27, 2024 | 
policynote.ca | Marc Lee
When BC first introduced a carbon tax in 2008 the point was to apply it to all emissions causing climate change, but start at a low rate and increase it over time. Yet, as the carbon tax has increased for households at the gas pump and to heat homes, large industrial players—including the oil and gas industry that is causing climate change—have steadily evaded their carbon tax.
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Mar 28, 2024 | 
policynote.ca | Marc Lee
Imagine being able to get from almost anywhere in BC to anywhere else on public transit, as one might in Europe or Asia. Or visitors landing at Vancouver airport and being able to get seamlessly around the province without the need to rent a car.
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Feb 16, 2024 | 
policynote.ca | Marc Lee
British Columbians deserve to be able to get to where they need to go quickly, conveniently and affordably, no matter where in the province they live. And meeting our climate goals demands modern, sustainable zero-carbon transit—with great service that can offer a compelling alternative to personal cars. But after years of neglect and privatization, today’s transit system is plagued with overcrowding, delays and big gaps in service.
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Nov 28, 2023 | 
monitormag.ca | Bruce Campbell |Marc Lee |Christine Saulnier |Jon Milton
The UN climate summit—hosted this year by the United Arab Emirates, a major oil producer—begins Thursday in Dubai. It will review the progress on countries’ 2015 Paris Agreement commitments toward limiting rising global temperature to 2 C, preferably 1.5 C, above pre-industrial levels. It will also define what new commitments countries can agree on to avoid planetary catastrophe.
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Sep 28, 2023 | 
monitormag.ca | Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood |Marc Lee |Brandon Doucet
When Canada first signed the Paris Agreement way back in 2015, the commitment to reduce domestic greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 seemed far away. So far away, in fact, that in 2021 the federal government doubled down, promising a 40-45 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030. And while the federal government didn’t yet have a plan to achieve that goal in full, it at least had the time to come up with one.
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Aug 10, 2023 | 
policynote.ca | Marc Lee
Singapore Skyparc: Photo Jasmine Hannah Lee Could Singapore, a city-state of 5.5 million across the ocean in Asia, hold the key to BC’s housing future? On a recent trade mission to Asia, Premier Eby was introduced to Singapore and its successes in providing affordable housing for its citizens. With a promised BC Builds program in development, Singapore shows what a more engaged public sector in the development of new affordable housing stock could look like.
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Jul 25, 2023 | 
policynote.ca | Marc Lee
Photo credit: Citizen Monitoring Group Since first starting down the pathway of climate action in 2007, the BC government has both developed policies to reduce carbon emissions domestically while simultaneously promoting a growing oil and gas export industry. These contradictions are evident in the March 2023 announcement of a new Energy Action Framework, which tries to balance the interests of the oil and gas industry with the urgent need to get the world off fossil fuels.
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Jun 7, 2023 | 
policynote.ca | Marc Lee
The Bank of Canada’s June decision to raise its overnight, or policy, interest rate to 4.75% is predicated on cooling an overly strong economy afflicted by stubbornly high inflation. Yet, it’s not at all clear that the Bank’s narrative makes sense and, in one major category, housing, higher interest rates will make inflation worse by raising the cost of borrowing for homeowners with mortgages. This post looks more closely at the inflation we’ve had over the past year plus.
