Keith Reynolds

Last week British Columbia's provincial Finance Minister announced a $100,000 (9.1 per cent) increase in the threshold for the province's homeowner grant, raising it to $1.2 million.

Plans for new Senate appointments claim to be based on "merit" chosen by "a non-partisan panel of distinguished Canadians." How likely is that to happen?

The Supreme Court of Canada describes freedom of information legislation as a pillar of our democracy in Canada. Over the years, however, this pillar of democracy has seen its base chipped away.

After more than three years of existence, chronic controversy and underperformance from B.C.'s Auditor General for Local Government, the Union of B.C. Municipalities has issued its own verdict.

There is no doubt that pay for the people who direct public services is of interest to the public. But why doesn't the debate extend to executives of private corporations delivering public services?

The B.C. Finance Ministry has produced a report much more critical of Partnerships BC and its activities around public-private partnerships (P3s) than might have been expected.

For the first time, a Canadian auditor general has questioned the fundamental methodology that justifies public-private partnerships.

The issue is about more than tax dollars, it is about the services those tax dollars provide. And lower taxes don't always mean either better government or happier citizens.

From public transit to sewage treatment, many local issues are connected to the growing crisis confronting towns and cities in Canada facing growing costs and limited revenues.

The value of B.C.'s contractual obligations going into the future has dwarfed the value of future debt. And much of the spending is far more questionable than the things our debt will buy us.