British Columbia Minute: Issue 61

British Columbia Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of British Columbia politics.

📅 This Week In British Columbia: 📅

• A shocking new Leger poll shows that support for Alberta Independence has reached 47% amongst Albertans, with 48% opposed and 5% undecided. The poll also asked voters in the rest of the country how they felt about Alberta potentially leaving Canada. 62% of Canadians nationally were opposed to Alberta separating, with just 26% in favour. However, when asked whether they understood why Alberta might want to become an independent country, 55% responded yes and 37% responded no. With a potential referendum on separation coming next spring, polling showing support at almost 50% confirms that the issue of separation will almost certainly dominate both federal and Alberta politics in the coming year.
  
  
• During the Western Premiers’ Conference, Premier David Eby briefly seemed not to reject the idea of new pipelines outright, suggesting to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith a willingness to "cross that bridge" if another pipeline were ever proposed. But after the conference, Eby quickly reversed his stance, declaring firm opposition to any new oil pipelines through BC. He argued that the existing Trans Mountain Pipeline isn’t running at full capacity and should be the focus instead. We cannot afford to wait until the Trans Mountain pipeline is running at full capacity before even starting the conversation about building another one - especially given that a new pipeline would take several years to complete. With the current line already operating at roughly 88% capacity after just one year, it's clear there’s strong demand. The issue is expected to come to a head soon, with the Premiers meeting Prime Minister Carney in Saskatoon on June 2nd.
  
  
• Also during the conference, Eby criticized the separatism movement, calling it a "colossal waste of time and energy". Eby emphasized that Western provinces should focus on removing trade barriers and strengthening Canada, rather than being distracted by separatist voices, which he described as a "small minority of cranks." He stressed the importance of clear leadership in supporting Canadian sovereignty amid external pressures. Eby said it’s hard to imagine a worse time to tacitly or openly support voices that want to break Canada apart. In contrast, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith described those unhappy with Confederation not as fringe extremists but as friends and neighbours who have grown frustrated with Ottawa.
  
  
• Municipal Affairs Minister Ravi Kahlon has rejected calls from some City Councillors to reintroduce a Municipal Auditor General role, arguing that existing financial oversight measures for local governments are sufficient. The office was abolished five years ago by the NDP government, who believed local autonomy would be better preserved without it. Despite recent high-profile cases of financial abuse in Richmond and Surrey, Kahlon maintains these incidents were detected by current systems and do not justify restoring the auditor general. However, Richmond Councillor Kash Heed and others argue that an independent auditor general could provide stronger, centralized oversight, helping municipalities avoid costly scandals and mismanagement. Surrey Councillor Linda Annis also supports creating a local auditor general after the City lost $2.5 million due to fraud.
  
  
• British Columbia added a new area code this weekend. Starting Saturday, the 257 area code became available for new phone lines across the province. It joins existing codes 236, 250, 604, 672 and 778, with no impact on current numbers. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved the new code after a warning that BC’s existing codes could run out by May 2026. The new area code will be implemented using a “distributed overlay” method, meaning it covers the same geographic region as the others. The change allows millions of new phone numbers to be issued. According to the Canadian Numbering Administrator, service providers have already started requesting desirable combinations such as 777 or 500. The public rollout will not affect how calls are made, but it does mark a milestone in the province’s growing telecommunications demand.
  
  
• The BC government has officially returned 312 hectares of culturally significant land on Vancouver Island to the Lyackson First Nation and Cowichan Tribes. The land, valued at approximately $8.6 million, includes a former village site important to the Lyackson community, which has sought its restoration for four generations. The government purchased the land from Mosaic Forest Management, which was described as a "willing seller," making the transfer possible. Under an incremental treaty agreement signed last year, the two First Nations will jointly hold the land until plans are made to divide it and formally add it to their reserve lands. Premier David Eby attended the ceremonial signing, and Indigenous Relations Minister Christine Boyle praised the transfer as a key example of partnership and perseverance in the reconciliation process.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

Last week, we warned that the closure of Long Beach in Pacific Rim National Park near Tofino to all except one particular race would set a dangerous precedent.

It took less than a week to prove us right.

Botanical Beach near Port Renfrew closed on Saturday for 24 hours to allow the Pacheedaht First Nation exclusive access to harvest marine resources and reconnect with their territory. 

While cultural traditions are important, closing public land to the general public based on heritage sets a dangerous precedent and undermines the principle of equal access. This shift toward identity-based exclusion risks dividing Canadians rather than uniting them. 

If you believe public spaces should remain open to everyone equally, regardless of race, please sign the petition today:

🪙 This Week’s Sponsor: 🪙

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