Latest from Justin McElroy
B.C. government orders 60,000 new homes built in 10 municipalities the next five years
Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon announced the exact numbers for net new units in the 10 municipalities on Tuesday, months after the province first said those communities would be targeted as part of the government's push for additional housing supply.
Analysis
Cooler heads, looser purse strings at UBCM help province appease municipal leaders — for now
It's been a busy few weeks of the government taking action (or promising to take action) on issues municipalities have been complaining about for some time. At this year's Union of B.C. Municipalities Convention, both sides had a lot more to gain by playing nice.
Metro Matters
Playgrounds and stop signs: how companies lobby for municipal contracts
In some ways, it's like any other chaotic market at a big fair — but instead of a family buying a blender, it's a municipality considering a new contract for the types of services its residents take for granted.
Metro Matters
Lobbying front and centre at B.C.'s biggest political convention of the year
Lobbying takes all shapes and forms at an event like the UBCM, from formal press conferences to receptions at the end of the evening.
B.C. municipal convention increasingly focused on issues stemming from climate emergencies
The plenary session at the 2023 Union of B.C. Municipalities convention was devoted to a topic that increasingly takes up more time at the annual week-long meeting of local and provincial politicians: the impacts of climate change and mitigation attempts by governments.
B.C. health officer urges patience on drug crisis, government says changes to regulations coming this fall
The B.C. government promised changes later this year to regulations around public drug use while defending their overall approach to decriminalization at a packed opening session of the 2023 Union of B.C. Municipalities convention on Monday.
We asked every school district in B.C. how many portables they have. Here's what we found
The issue of school portables in British Columbia aren't just confined to Surrey, B.C. — and depending on how you look at the numbers, the city is nowhere close to the largest hot spot.
Analysis
Why the rise of the B.C. Conservative Party could change the province's political dynamic
There's a growing debate in B.C. over who stands for the right side on the political spectrum — in a way that hasn't been seen in this province for more than a generation.
'A state of overlapping crises': B.C. municipalities have much on their agenda for annual convention
The annual convention serves as an opportunity for municipal and regional politicians to meet and trade best practices, and a chance to lobby the province through policy sessions, formal resolutions and one-on-one meetings.
I recruited 3 Jeopardy! players from Vancouver to form the city's greatest pub trivia team — and lost
As the three most recent Jeopardy contestants from Metro Vancouver that I knew of, I thought it would be fun to gather them together so they could talk about their experience. I thought it would be fun to learn some of their secrets.