Ottawa Insider

Natasha Bulowski reports from Ottawa with a slant on how federal policy is impacting British Columbians.

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815 Articles

Staring down climate crisis, communities create roadmaps

Dubbed the Green Resilience Project, these discussions, taking place throughout January in more than 30 communities, aim to marry two daunting topics — climate change and poverty — to seek out local solutions.

Natasha Bulowski

January 7th 2022

Canada’s richest CEOs cashed in during COVID

While the pandemic meant layoffs or reduced hours for workers, Canada’s richest CEOs recorded their second-best year ever for compensation, according to a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Natasha Bulowski

January 4th 2022

Trans Mountain fights to sidestep fire bylaws at Burnaby terminal

Burnaby is fighting back against Trans Mountain’s request to be excused from certain fire safety plans.

Trans Mountain

John Woodside

December 29th 2021

New climate research unit wants to give Canadians an attitude adjustment

Ottawa wants to know what it would take to convince Canadians to take climate-friendly action and has designed a research unit to uncover the best ways to motivate people to change.

John Woodside

December 24th 2021

Ottawa retools emissions fund after scathing watchdog report

Natural Resources Canada is tweaking its onshore emissions reduction fund in the wake of scathing reports from the federal climate watchdog that found the program amounted to little more than a fossil fuel subsidy.

John Woodside

December 23rd 2021

Trudeau signals all-hands-on-deck strategy for climate crisis

The cabinet ministers’ mandate letters published last week hint at a whole-of-government approach to tackling the climate crisis, but the devil will be in the details, many environmentalists say.

John Woodside

December 21st 2021

Wet’suwet’en hereditary chief takes fight against Coastal GasLink all the way to the banks

Wet’suwet’en hereditary Chief Woos is taking the fight against Coastal GasLink abroad, calling on international shareholders to divest from the multibillion-dollar gas pipeline.

John Woodside

December 20th 2021

Private member’s bill sounds alarm over protection of Canadian waters

A private member’s bill tabled Tuesday seeks to draw attention to what one MP says are insufficient environmental protections for Canada’s lakes and rivers.

Natasha Bulowski

December 16th 2021

How powerful is Big Oil? Just ask Regina city council

Nearly a year after Big Oil squared off with Regina’s city council over a proposed amendment to ban fossil fuel companies from sponsoring city buildings or events, a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives uncovers the playbook used to kill the motion.

John Woodside

December 15th 2021

Military sexual misconduct apology receives mixed reactions

In a long-awaited apology to survivors of sexual misconduct, Defence Minister Anita Anand acknowledged “successive governments have not done nearly enough to stamp out this scourge” in the Canadian military.

Natasha Bulowski

December 14th 2021

RCMP mistreatment allegations grow after arrests at Coastal GasLink blockade

More land defenders are alleging mistreatment while in RCMP custody after being arrested on unceded Wet’suwet’en territory last month, including lawyer calls denied, blood on cell walls, and rancid food.

John Woodside

December 13th 2021

Ultra-rich families hold a quarter of Canada’s wealth

Canada’s richest families hold nearly 25 per cent of the country’s wealth while the bottom 40 per cent of Canadians own just over one per cent, according to a new report from the Parliamentary Budget Office released Thursday.

Natasha Bulowski

December 10th 2021

Fossil fuel tax breaks costing Canada billions

A report from the Parliamentary Budget Officer finds Ottawa’s tax breaks to the fossil fuel sector are leaving nearly $2 billion on the table each year in lost revenue.

John Woodside

December 9th 2021

Land defenders arrested at Wet’suwet’en blockade allege mistreatment by RCMP

Land defenders say they were subjected to dehumanizing treatment at the hands of RCMP following their arrests on unceded Wet’suwet’en land last month.

John Woodside

December 8th 2021

Atlantic Loop key to New Brunswick coal phaseout

With the phaseout of coal set to take effect in 2030, Ottawa has plans to create an Atlantic Loop, linking power grids in the East to make them more resilient.

Canada's biggest emitters

John Woodside

December 7th 2021