Once the champagne is drunk, the noisemakers go silent, the balloons pop and the New Year's kisses end, 2013 will bring one nasty hangover for cash-strapped B.C. taxpayers. Taxes, fees and levies from all levels of government are set to go up, leaving even less of your hard-earned money in your pocket.
They say dead men tell no lies. That may never be truer than in the cutthroat blood-sport of B.C. politics. Consider Martyn Brown, the former chief of staff for Gordon Campbell and chief architect of the B.C. Liberals' decade in power. He's no longer in politics and suddenly feels very free to tell the truth about the B.C. government.
It's been a tough year for BC Hydro, but the Crown Corporation is lost in an electrical storm of its own making. Scathing reports, rate hikes, smart meters, layoffs and a CEO resignation have left the company reeling. Now it's time to realign BC Hydro's 'gold standard' with what ratepayers want: good value and low rates.