BC Business
We assess how different people/things and, of course, businesses fared this week
Jody-Wilson Raybould (right) will announce what her future holds on Monday
Yep, we’re back. Hope you studied, kids; this week’s edition of BCB Report Card is going to pull very few punches.
From blueberries to being stuck in traffic, here’s what we thought passed the mark (and what didn’t).
Grade: A+
Jody Wilson-Raybould is expected to make an announcement on her political future on Monday morning, and we’re excited! Here’s hoping someone gets betting odds going on this. What do you think, she’d be like +300 to join the Greens and maybe -150 to not seek re-election at all? That probably has to be the odds-on favourite, right?
Yes, we realize we have a problem.
Grade: A
Yesterday, Habitat for Humanity Greater Vancouver (HFHGV) presented five families with the keys to their new homes in Richmond.
After several years of planning and rezoning applications (no, seriously), the project finally reached completion. These five families now own homes in the Lower Mainland, with a trip to Buckingham Palace to officially announce them as royalty scheduled for next week.
Jokes aside, it’s worth considering how grateful these families are for this when you scroll down to some of the other subjects we graded this week.
Grade: C+
There must have been some confusion from people who constantly sneeze during this time of year when the Mayors’ Council pledged to cure congestion in the area.
“Yes!” they were probably screaming. “How great of my public figures to take leadership against the evil forces that cause me to be so congested during one of the best times of the year!”
Sadly, the mayors actually have their sights set on traffic congestion. Which, you know, is definitely a worthwhile cause, and good for them. As such, our allergy-befallen brethren have been forced to put the swords down and live to fight another day.
Grade: C
Dang, these things sure got lame. That’ll happen when they consist of 75 rich people rallying against taxes in one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in the country.
Honestly, David Eby (the protest was held outside his office) probably comes out of this whole thing pretty well everywhere except his own riding of Vancouver-Point Grey.
Look, the dude quoted in the above article did get one thing right: there is divisiveness here. And it’s not helped by a cavalcade of people complaining about rules meant to restrict an industry that has seen prices inflate like that kid in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (not the Johnny Depp version).
What happened to the real estate industry wasn’t normal and wasn’t just because those with houses “worked hard.” Though I guess people advocating for the greater good rather than whatever’s the best thing for them personally isn’t normal either.
Grade: C
We don’t judge, all right? (OK, actually that’s literally the only thing we do in this column, but we digress.) Sure, Francesco et al. hired a bunch of Guatemalan workers to come to their Golden Eagle blueberry farm, and there was some disagreement about the amount of work they’d actually be doing. The end result was that the company had to pay 174 employees an average of $768.61. Which, you know, is a drop in the ol’ bucket for the Aquilini Investment Group.
But the news that the company only recently hired a full-time health and safety manager? For a farm that employs hundreds of foreign workers? That seems not good.
B.C. attorney general David Eby faced two problems this week, though one was somewhat laughable
Grade: I
It’s an I for “incomplete,” as the province’s Court of Appeal ruled that the government doesn’t have the right to impose environmental laws that could potentially kill the Trans Mountain pipeline extension. The court ruled that, if introduced, the legislation would come into direct conflict with the federal government’s jurisdiction over interprovincial pipelines.
It was an actual piece of bad news for Eby (who serves as attorney general and is personally fighting for the case) on the week, but this battle is almost definitely going to continue. The NDP will appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada. Where it goes from there is tough to say. But something tells us this is where the government’s fight against the pipeline extension ends for good.