Opposition MLAs were unable to secure amendments to Bill 15, which passed third reading on May 30 after the BC NDP closed off debate in advance of the legislature’s summer recess. While the opposition felt there were enough issues with the bill to delay passage until this fall, the government had enough members to pass …
NEWS
June boosts costs
BC farmers will see higher costs this month as several new measures take effect. June 1 saw the minimum wage increase to $13.85 an hour as part of provincial efforts to raise the rate to $15.20 an hour by 2021. While the province is holding the line on piece rates, the increase to the minimum …
Ranch takes pasture to plate at face value
by TOM WALKER HEFFLEY CREEK – Taking the bull by the horns is something the Devick family has been doing since 1906. That’s when it first built a ranch and began running cattle in the Heffley-Louis Creek area north of Kamloops. It often takes an independent business person to step up and fill a need …
Bill 15 could be delayed
Bill 15 is facing tough questioning from opposition MLAs during committee hearings this week, raising the chances that third reading could be delayed until this fall. The bill proposes several amendments to the Agricultural Land Commission, including consolidation of decision-making in a single provincial panel rather than the six regional panels that exist today. It …
Changes to slaughter rules taking too long
CHASE – It’s been a year of waiting for the meat processing industry in BC, which has yet to see any movement on some of its key issues. A year ago, optimism abounded when the BC Association of Abattoirs met for its annual general meeting. The provincial government was wrapping up a survey of class …
Asian hornet identified
BC beekeepers could be facing a new threat with the positive identification of a hornet native to Asia in Vancouver. A female black-tailed hornet (Vespa ducalis) was caught in Vancouver on May 10. Researchers at UBC and Japan’s Hokkaido University Museum and Ibaraki University confirmed its identity this week. Wasps are known to devastate colonies, …