Meera Bains

Reporter/Editor

Meera Bains is CBC's Provincial Affairs reporter. Contact: @meerakati, meera.bains@cbc.ca

Latest from Meera Bains

Surrey teachers raise concerns over heat in classrooms and portables

Some teachers in Surrey are raising health and safety concerns about teaching children and teens in classrooms gripped by hot temperatures as the province experiences a heat wave.

What will the potential name change mean for the B.C. Liberal Party?

Former party stalwarts including a previous leader say they fear the rebrand could mean the party's further political shift to the right.

Profiling Surrey's political parties: United Surrey, led by Sukh Dhaliwal

Political veteran, federal Liberal MP for Surrey-Newton, and Surrey mayoral candidate Sukh Dhaliwal has a platform attempting to appeal to homeowners and developers, as he faces a mayor he once supported.

Profiling Surrey's political parties: Surrey Connect, led by Brenda Locke

Surrey mayoral candidate Brenda Locke has set her election platform apart from her competitors with a promise to stop the transition from the RCMP to a municipal police force.

Profiling Surrey's political parties: Surrey First, led by Gordie Hogg

Surrey mayoral candidate Gordie Hogg who has decades of political experience from having been the mayor of White Rock, a provincial MLA and a federal MP, is jumping into a highly competitive and heated political race for the city's top job under the Surrey First banner.

Profiling Surrey's political parties: Surrey Forward, led by Jinny Sims

Surrey mayoral candidate Jinny Sims is running in a crowded field of seven other candidates for the city's top job, with the same level of determination that's taken her from teacher to union president to elected office.

Health care top issue in Surrey South byelection

Voters will be heading to the polls in the Surrey South byelection in less than two weeks. The vote is shaping up to be a low-key test of how the province's political parties are faring, particular in the area of health care.

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum promises stadium, SkyTrain to Newton at re-election launch

Doug McCallum is running for re-election in Surrey with bold promises including SkyTrain to Newton, a 60,000-seat stadium, and more housing for middle-income earners.

Advocates call for culturally appropriate services for Indigenous women facing violence

A new report entitled The Road to Safety shows that Indigenous women and gender-diverse people in B.C. are facing a significant increase in domestic violence during the pandemic, highlighting the need for culturally appropriate services.

Modest momentum driving B.C. economy as province set to unveil budget, but questions for the long-term remain

As the province prepares to table its budget, experts say B.C.'s economy is expected to remain moderately strong, however questions remain over how it will sustain long-term economic growth.

now