scrubbedexpat091

Time of tax free netflix is coming to and end in BC it seems.

https://globalnews.ca/news/6566185/b...KBLhLRq7V54xks

BristolUK

It hadn't occurred to me that tax wasn't added.

scrubbedexpat091

Netflix was getting around it due to lack of physical presence which I guess the law required before? Seems other streaming services like Amazon and Apple who both have a physical presence were collecting the tax.

Probably only a matter of time until the feds tack on GST.

scrubbedexpat091

BC Budget was announced yesterday.

"new need-based” grant for low- to middle-income post-secondary students. An estimated 40,000 students will be eligible for up to $4,000 a year for programs under two years in length and up to $1,000 a year for programs two years and over."

That will be helpful, some under 2 year programs are just around that cost so some students may not need to take out loans anymore, if I qualify (not sure what the requirements are yet) that would cover 50% of the cost of the program I am looking at, assuming they don't exclude continuing education like they do with student loans.

BC Child Opportunity benefit will provide up to $1,600 to parents with 1 kid, and up to $2,600 for 2 kids.

ministry of health budget climbed over 22 billion for the first time, only health and social services saw increased budgets.

$339 million in new funding over 3 years to hire more teachers (teachers are threatening to strike this year.) Teachers union isn't satisfied though.

"the province is delaying the completion of 2,400 affordable homes." which isn't good.

“There are a quarter of a million renter households in B.C. spending more than they can afford on rent, and we can only expect this number to grow.”

More people moving to BC than new housing starts, so seems housing will continue to be in short supply.

https://globalnews.ca/news/6563310/b...bc-government/

No increases for social assistance, disability or housing allowance for the disabled. The housing allowance of $375 single disabled, and $570 for 2 has not increased in well over a decade now, and do not reflect what housing actually costs to rent.

scrubbedexpat091

Via Rail to temporarily lay off 1,000 workers due to the rail blockades.

https://globalnews.ca/news/6569418/v...p9hTDhnsjkyFk0

scrubbedexpat091

Someone tried to steal a Sea Air float plane from Vancouver Harbor early morning, in the process hit and damaged 2 Harbor Air planes, and ripped a wing off the Sea Air plane.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...rash-1.5471317

scrubbedexpat091

Protesters blocking a major intersection and transit route again. There is an injunction in place, but doesn't appear police are at this moment enforcing it.

https://globalnews.ca/news/6590701/w...lfzXRVfmYNRC4w

BristolUK

Is it controversial to wonder that if the effects of these actions were caused by a group of workers on strike that there might have been some 'back to work legislation' enacted by now?

scrubbedexpat091

West Coast Express transit service was also suspended today due to rail lines being blocked again.

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/west-coast-exp...ters-1.4825994

There are injunctions in place for many of these locations being blocked but police appear to not be enforcing them, are politicians putting pressure onto police not to?

scrubbedexpat091

The protest shrunk considerably overnight, only a handful of people currently sitting in the road. Upside is it significantly reduces traffic on the street and man you really realize how much noise there is on a normal day.

Police have chosen not to enforce the injunction in place.

scrubbedexpat091

VPD enforced the injunction around 12:30 this afternoon and made some arrests, the street has since be reopened.

https://globalnews.ca/news/6593710/p...c-legislature/

"Supporters gathered on the street corners shouted “Shame!” and “This is genocide!” as police led protesters who elected to stay in the street to waiting police vans."

scrubbedexpat091

Down side to old wood frame buildings, when there is a fire it spreads quickly. Older wood frame buildings don't generally have sprinklers, or the fire suppression systems and building materials.

caretaker

This is cute, some demented woman in North Van kicked a girl in the ankle for talking on her phone in Loblaws. She should be banned from all stores so she has to beg people to shop for her. I can get judgy, no apologies. At least we have a video so we can see the face of stupidity.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/video?...stId=1.4903179

caretaker

This one's a bit more upbeat; Good Samaritan Grocer in Kitchener
https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/grocery...r&_gsc=a90FOzi

BristolUK

In the local paper today is a report about a youth offender with such a string of offences including guns, violence and breaches of multiple court orders that The Crown wants him sentenced as an adult on a couple of the latest convictions to get a more appropriate sentence than that available for a youth offender.

A Youth Advocate said his office's position has always been taken from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which he said maintains youth should not be tried as adults.
So no hard rules or principles then. Except that one of theirs.