British Columbia's Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2005 to 2019.
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Occasional Paper No.78 takes a closer look at the growth of provincial GHG emisssions in the context of other larger provinces, population growth and economic growth.
Blog
Senior Officials Review of BC Hydro Rate Options: Will New or Old Thinking Prevail?
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This paper explores the options available to the senior official committee appointed to develop recommendations for a new rates plan for B.C. Hydro. Will the committee adopt the new approach of restoring integrity to financial management, or continue with the old practice of abusing the deferral accounts?
Subsidizing Seniors: ICBC and BC Ferries. April 9, 2018.
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The recent announcement of an increase in the fare subsidy for seniors on the BC Ferries prompted me to review an earlier estimate on the cost of the 25% seniors' subsidy at ICBC's Basic insurance. If the government funded the sudsidy it would relieve some of the pressure on Basic rates.
New South Wales Adopts Hybrid No-Fault Scheme for Auto Injury Claims. January 30, 2018.
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This paper discusses the auto injury claim models in the states of New South Wales and Victoria, and in New Zealand, with possible lessons for BC.
BC Auditor General Finds BC Hydro's 'Prescribed' Accounting Unacceptable. October 26, 2017.
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The Auditor General has added a new reason to qualify her opinion of the government's 2016/17 financial statements; the fact that the 'prescribed' accounting standards do not conform to the public sector accounting standards. Read more in Occasional Paper No. 44.
What Would Ontario's Auditor General Make Of BC Hydro's 'Prescribed' Accounting Standard? October 22, 2017.
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In a special report the Ontario Auditor General severely criticised that government's new regulatory deferal scheme; what would she make of the accounting practiced at BC Hydro to surpress the true cost of electricity?
Ernst Young Options to Increase Auto Insurance Affordability. August 6, 2017.
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This paper reviews the Ernst Young report's options to increase the affordability of auto insurance. It questions some of the proposed cost savings and recoomends the adoption of Saskatchewan's dual Basic model.
Geenhouse Gas Emission Report Needs Context. July 12, 2017.
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This report provides some context about the absolute change in GHG emissions from 2005 to 2015; suggesting that a more in-depth review is required.
Impact of Massive Hydroelectric Infrastructure Projects on Rates. July 5, 2017.
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Occasional paper No. 34 reviews the likely impact of three major hydroelectric infrastructure projects on electricity rates.
Options for Financing Site C. June 24, 2017
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What impact will the Site C project, whether it proceeds or is cancelled, have on BC Hydro's operating budget, and what are the options to pay for it? Occasional Paper No. 33 provides a high-level look at these questions.
Ontario Electricity Rate Suppression Plan. May 27, 2017.
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This paper reviews the recent report of the Ontario Financial Accountability Office on that government's plan to use a deferral account to surpress electricity rates. A comparison to the revenue deferral practiced by BC Hydro is also provided.
Party Platforms Impact on BC Hydro and ICBC. April 14, 2016.
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This paper attempts to summarize the election platforms of the three main parties, and what they say or imply about BC Hydro and ICBC.
ICBC's Worsening Finances Require Government Action. March 24, 2017.
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The new provincial government must make the restoration of ICBC's financial health a priority, as capital reserves are now below the regulatory minimums,and rake shock looms.
Government Uses BC Hydro and ICBC to Lower Direct Debt. February 19, 2017.
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In the last five years, the government has taken some $1.95 billion in dividends from BC Hydro, or "excess' capital from ICBC, to reduce its direct operating debt requirement. Occasional Paper No. 22 explains how this happened.
Government Creates Unique Accounting System for BC Hydro. January 30, 2017.
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This paper describes how an obscure 2011 cabinet directive allows BC Hydro to apply regulatory accounting without the fundamental componet -- an independent regulator.
How Ontario and BC Subsidize Electricity Rates. 13 September 2016.
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A comparison of how the governments of Ontario and BC subsidize electricity rates.
Is The BC Utilities Commission Independent? (Revised) December 16, 2020.
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A summary of how the BC government has stripped the BC Utilities Commission of its authority to set rates for BC Hydro and compulsory auto insurance. Directives last revised 25 March 2022.
Accounting Rules Over-state Government Revenue on Actual Cash Basis 21 September 2016
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Canadian public sector accounting rules treat the net income of self-supporting Crown corporations provincial revenue, even though the actual cash transferred can be significantly less, or zero. 21 September 2016