Transportation
BC Ferries officers declining non-union positions
By March 28, 2011 12:57 pm 7 commentsSenior officers with B.C. Ferry Services Inc. are making public their dispute with the government-owned company over being excluded from their union. Read more…
Oregon law could boost car sharing
By March 24, 2011 11:19 am 1 commentsWith vehicle insurance rates in B.C. expected to rise along with gas prices, perhaps more people will be looking for more flexible options when it comes to driving.
They could look to Oregon for examples, where a proposal is currently before the state Legislature that would make sharing easier for people who want to loan or rent their vehicles without the risk of legal liability. Read more…
Filed inEmergency lighting on ferry meets regulations: Transport Canada
By March 2, 2011 01:52 pm 2 commentsEmergency lighting on the Queen of Burnaby met all regulations the last time Transport Canada inspected the BC Ferries vessel, said a spokesperson for the agency. Read more…
More transit, more traffic problems, says think tank
By March 1, 2011 10:53 am 7 commentsSeattle think tank argues investing more in transit won't solve a city's gridlock issues. Read more…
Filed inFerry's emergency lighting appears substandard: Coons
By February 23, 2011 03:01 pm 4 commentsA BC Ferries vessel appears to be using glow sticks and flashlights for emergency lighting, contrary to federal regulations, NDP ferry critic Gary Coons wrote in a letter to Transportation Minister Shirley Bond. Read more…
Metro chair asks candidates to tackle transit funding
By February 18, 2011 04:25 pm 1 commentsWhile the rural vote has become more significant in this leadership race, Metro Vancouver chair Lois Jackson is urging both parties to reflect on the pressures facing the province's largest urban area, including how to fund transit. Read more…
Filed inUS invests another $53 billion in high-speed rail, Canadian study a year overdue
By February 9, 2011 10:52 am 1 commentsThe US could wind up funding a high-speed rail line to Toronto before Canada even publishes a paper about the idea. Read more…
Filed inCommissioner finds BC Ferries has 'unfair advantage' in drop trailer biz
By February 7, 2011 01:08 pm 8 commentsBritish Columbia Ferry Services Inc. has an unfair competitive advantage offering its drop trailer service and must charge more, B.C. Ferry Commissioner Martin Crilly said in a ruling released today.
BC Ferries has been pricing its service on the major routes between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island "below its direct costs and an appropriate proportion of indirect costs associated with the service," it said. Read more…
Regulator can't say if ferries were exempted from stability related requirement
By February 3, 2011 08:06 am 3 commentsTransport Canada has not yet been able to say whether or not four B.C. Ferry Services Inc. vessels were granted exemptions from required tests related to stability. Read more…
Streetcars to roll back into New Orleans
By February 1, 2011 09:45 am 1 commentsVancouver can’t hold a candle to New Orleans when it comes to food or music. And now Terminal City is also trailing the Big Easy in the Greenest City category, as the Crescent City begins rebuilding its historic streetcar lines. Read more…
Filed inFour BC Ferries vessels overdue for stability tests
By January 29, 2011 08:17 am 10 commentsFour British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. vessels are past their due dates for stability tests, according to a document from the publicly-owned company. Read more…
Seaplane operators optimistic about new terminal proposal
By January 25, 2011 04:20 pm 1 commentsThe Vancouver Commercial Seaplane Operators Association left a Monday afternoon meeting with Port Metro Vancouver happy that progress is being made towards a non-profit terminal for the inner harbour. Read more…
BC Ferries workers accused of smoking pot
By January 25, 2011 09:50 am 1 commentsA Transportation Safety Board memo warning B.C. Ferries that crew members were smoking pot on the job was a real bummer for boss David Hahn. Read more…
Six reasons parking is the dumbest thing you subsidize: Grist
By January 19, 2011 11:11 am 2 commentsHere's a list for drivers who think it's a smart idea to tear up the Hornby Street bike lane to make room for more on-street parking. Read more…
Filed inWar on Bikes, redux: Oregon lawmaker seeks to ban kids from bicycles
By January 18, 2011 08:02 am 3 commentsAs the battle over Vancouver's bike lanes rolls into its second year, an Oregon lawmaker is trying to make it illegal to carry a child on a bicycle. Read more…
Filed inIn Mexico, citizens create DIY bike lanes
By January 13, 2011 01:10 pmTired of waiting for the government to take action on bike infrastructure, residents of Guadalajara, Mexico are taking matters into their own hands. Read more…
Filed inBad maintenance, not crab traps, caused ferry crash: report
By December 9, 2010 06:29 pm 3 commentsAn August ferry crash blamed at the time on crab traps had more to do with incorrect maintenance, an internal B.C. Ferry Services Inc. report says. Read more…
Filed inBC Ferries releases 23-page list of big earners
By December 9, 2010 05:28 pm 10 commentsSome 900 British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. employees earn over $75,000 a year.
This according to a 23-page document the government-owned private company released today under the freedom of information process. Read more…
'Nefarious' counting allows BC coal expansion despite warming risk
By November 8, 2010 11:54 am 7 commentsIf British Columbia were to change its “nefarious” practice and start counting the carbon emissions from coal mined in the province, it would be obvious the province is contributing a grossly unfair share of the planet's greenhouse gases.
That's one conclusion of a soon to be released Dogwood Initiative report on the provincial coal industry, said the group's executive director Will Horter. Read more…
BC Ferries' Hahn offered FOI requester free visit to head office
By November 1, 2010 07:27 am 4 commentsWhen researcher Mark Weiler made freedom of information requests to British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., he expected to receive records. Instead he got a personal email from president and CEO David Hahn.
Weiler said he found the response strange, considering the identify of individual FOI requesters is supposed to be kept confidential from executives in the public body they're targeting. “In my view there's no basis for David Hahn the executive to know who I am or why I'm ordering it,” he said. Read more…
The next page contains:
Metro Vancouver immigration gets animated
Public transit good for weight loss: Doctors
Metro mayors nix property tax for transit
Feds forgive ferry import duty, fare decrease promised
NWT considers carbon tax
BC Ferries 'photo theft' irks photographers
Competitor disagrees with BC Ferries' drop trailer argument
Metro streetcar strategy starts to roll
Drop trailer pricing is fair, BC Ferries tells regulator
Pedal peddle: Could carbon credits fund bike-sharing?
Leaks could 'contaminate' BC Rail sale, court told in Basi-Virk trial
Ferry union plans to appeal Ready ruling
BC Ferries will announce whenever any FOI records are released
Five ways to fix Vancouver's transport woes
Get rid of Vancouver viaduct, copy SF's 'spectacular' choice: planner
BC Rail bidders pulling out created political problem: Brown
Kinsella never lobbied me on BC Rail: Campbell chief of staff Brown
'We are open to future discussions with both bands': marina developers
Victoria marina approvals challenged in court
Premier's top aide threatened job of Minister: Basi-Virk defence
The page after that contains:
Asbestos cover-up consistent with BC Ferries secrecy: Coons
Student transit pass goes province-wide
US town opens new front in oil sands battle
Consultant's report provides ferry asbestos risk details
Asbestos risk closes parts of Queen of Burnaby ferry
Green, dense, rezoned: Marine Gateway, Vancouver’s next big thing
BC Rail trial off to slow start
Cyclists finish first in Metro Vancouver
Bell says he's consulting with current Victoria mayor
Prentice: Canada, US will align regulations on truck emissions
MLA questions Victoria marina team’s Liberal donations
Minister Bell could stop Victoria marina on 'public interest' grounds
Adding 'public interest' to ferry act unnecessary: Minister Bond
Drivers missing message about cellphones
Three-year-old ATV regulations surprise to minister responsible
BC government needs to clarify ferry goals: committee chairs
Taxpayers Federation claims credit for BC Ferries FOI move
Marina developers wanted to tell Bell about 'politically sensitive' plans
Olympic bus driver widow says husband worked 12-hour days
Proposed Victoria marina clears environmental assessment
Democratic Trust
As British Columbia and other jurisdictions consider allowing online voting, can it be made secure enough that people will trust it? Will it encourage more people to vote? But if something goes wrong, will it further erode people's confidence in their democracies? And what role is the media likely to play in shaping the debate?
These are among the issues to be considered at a May 26 discussion that Fair Voting BC and PartyX are hosting at The Hive in Vancouver. I'll be on the panel, along with UBC Law's Fathima Cader and SFU computer scientist Steve Wolfman. The results and recommendations are to inform the two organizations' public positions on online voting.
Meanwhile join me and other contributors on The Hook as we bring you the latest from B.C. and across Canada.
-- Andrew MacLeod
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