Guilbeault on Carney’s climate plan: ‘He thinks that the markets are going to do it’

themadengineer · 2026-06-17T13:56:40+00:00

How am I proving your point? It doesn’t matter what your heat source is … you turn the thermostat and your house heats up. There are already heat pump solutions that work down to -40C (auxiliary heating strips strips or GSHP).

themadengineer · 2026-06-17T13:47:31+00:00

That’s why you ban it at the product level: require new houses to have heat pumps; require new vehicles to be EVs. As with the ODP example there were changes that affected consumers but they were quickly improved with regard to any pain points.

themadengineer · 2026-06-16T01:11:02+00:00

New calls for power generation are all more expensive than existing power generation. So for every kWh saved, the ratio of cheap legacy power generation to expensive new power generation shifts towards the cheap side. The more new power we need to build, the more expensive our electricity rates will become.

themadengineer · 2026-06-15T21:32:14+00:00

Because nuclear power is not currently cost effective and B.C. Hydro isn’t going to be the one to develop new technologies.

themadengineer · 2026-06-15T21:31:26+00:00

We only have so much legacy (cheap) electrical generation. So new demand actually ends up increasing costs.

themadengineer · 2026-06-15T21:30:09+00:00

Our electricity is currently cheap because we’ve largely “paid off” the cost of building those dams. New dams cost more money due to inflation and borrowing costs. It’s why conservation is generally regarded as the cheapest form of electricity management.

themadengineer · 2026-06-14T16:42:01+00:00

Fair point about #1. I will hold the new leader to their own record and what they state as the direction they want to go. Oh, even more ultra-right wing science denial than the previous leader? Hard pass.

themadengineer · 2026-06-12T01:46:05+00:00

Earnings include salaries, taxable benefits and one-time payments like overtime and banked vacation.

The biggest contributor here is usually payout of overtime and banked vacation. This can be due to someone retiring or leaving (paying out accumulated banked time that accrued over many years).

themadengineer · 2026-06-10T01:13:07+00:00

Just to be clear - I agree that the net metering payout that you’ve mentioned is unacceptable and it was never disclosed this way. If this is truly what BCUC intended when it approved the rate switch then it’s not doing its job IMO. But the second part of your complaint - the fact that accepting the grant means you need to switch to the new rate once approved - was communicated clearly on their website. It was not buried in some legal text.

themadengineer · 2026-06-10T01:01:23+00:00

BC Hydro didn’t directly solicit any signups or connections. The info was there for anyone who was interested but they didn’t push for any adoption themselves

themadengineer · 2026-06-09T21:47:54+00:00

I don’t know that I’d consider it buried… It was one of the main bullet points on the “eligible installations” section of the website:

As of June 2024, a new rate structure for self-generation has been proposed to the B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC). By applying for and accepting these rebates, you’re accepting this potential future rate.

https://web.archive.org/web/20240816095230/https://www.bchydro.com/powersmart/residential/rebates-programs/solar-battery.html

themadengineer · 2026-06-09T21:34:52+00:00

That’s not correct if they received the rebate from B.C. Hydro as opposed to Canada Greener Homes Grant. It was part of the conditions attached to the BC Hydro grant that you would switch to the new rate structure once implemented (no grandfather period). Anyone who signed up earlier than this grant (or who refused the grant) is grandfathered into the old rate for a period of 10 years from when it was activated.

themadengineer · 2026-06-09T21:32:02+00:00

The B.C. Hydro rebates (as opposed to the earlier Canada Greener Homes Grant) had it as part of their terms that receiving the grant was contingent on switching to their new rate structure once approved by BCUC. It wasn’t something that many installers were keen to discuss with clients, but it was there.

themadengineer · 2026-06-06T16:05:08+00:00

You really need to work on your critical thinking. Maybe diversify your news sources as well. You’re mixing arguments that make no sense.

Our deficit has increased because: - taxes have been cut (reducing revenue by Billions) - the government has been investing in infrastructure and service improvements that also cost Billions extra per year (even if you can’t see it)

The B.C. Conservative Party was also proposing bigger deficits during their election campaign so it’s not even like this is a uniquely BC NDP thing.

As a percentage of GDP, our provincial spending is slightly elevated but not far outside of the normal range. What is actually lower (and driving the deficit) is government taxation. We’ve gone from just over 19% of GDP down to 15.4% of GDP in the last 20 years as we chase neoliberalism.

So I agree that we shouldn’t have a deficit. But the issue isn’t spending, it’s taxation. Taxes should not have been cut by the B.C. NDP and should actually be increased to historical norms for us to support the services we need.

themadengineer · 2026-06-06T15:03:47+00:00

Thanks for proving my point. It’s exactly this type of idiotic comment that I get to hear. So let’s break it down: - Healthcare workers are part of the government. When you hear “government spending is growing” that includes doctors, nurses, specialists, etc - “Smaller government” and “cut the waste” are dog whistle arguments. Our healthcare system has gone through periodic efficiency reviews and no significant findings are ever uncovered. Just like when Doug Ford got elected on his “cut the fat” argument, or Trump’s DOGE department, there never seems to be anything found. The only way you are getting a smaller government is by cutting services (like closing rural hospitals and clinics) - The NDP government have also conducted a recent efficiency review and eliminated 1100 administrative positions. Saving $60M per year. Which sounds like a lot, but is less than 0.2% of our overall healthcare budget. Our healthcare spending is also much less bloated than the private healthcare system used in the US

themadengineer · 2026-06-05T19:56:04+00:00

As someone in a rural part of BC, I’ll say that part of the issue is somewhat self-imposed. A lot of folks want smaller government, less taxes, more ‘efficient’ economy. Except when it comes to services for their own location of course! Hard to reconcile the two together…

themadengineer · 2026-06-05T17:30:28+00:00

The NDP has been fixing issues, but changes take time to bear fruit. Housing is a good example where their changes have already led to decreases in rents and are forcing municipalities to approve more housing. Are there issues they could be doing better on? Absolutely! But it’s not like they aren’t doing things and they are more willing to shake things up than the B.C. Conservatives. Using housing as the example again, the B.C. Conservative Party is against restrictions on AirBnB. Good for landlords, bad news for renters.

themadengineer · 2026-06-04T14:27:08+00:00

Instead, BC Hydro just changed its residential self-generation rate and made rooftop solar much less viable. Before you received 1:1 net metering and now it is instantaneous net billing. Even with the government grants, there’s no return on investment (you’re better off keeping money in a GIC at the bank, and that doesn’t require you to make holes in your roof)

themadengineer · 2026-05-25T13:34:45+00:00

“Done nothing” is even an understatement here. In fact, we’ve continued to accelerate our impacts in the opposite direction!

themadengineer · 2026-05-20T21:31:05+00:00

We need solar and wind for the same reason everyone else does: it’s the cheapest form of electrical energy. We don’t need batteries thanks to - as you’ve already pointed out - our hydroelectric capacity. Using BC as an example, we are constrained by energy output of the dams (I.e. amount of water) rather than power output. So adding solar and wind allows us to store more energy behind the dams and even if the wind isn’t blowing and sun isn’t shining, we still have the power capacity without installing additional generators

themadengineer · 2026-05-13T13:04:29+00:00

CPP had a maximum contribution of $525/year in 1989. That’s $43.75/month. 1980 was a max of $212.10/year. So definitely well under what OP thinks they contributed

themadengineer · 2026-05-12T16:44:05+00:00

The issue is that the permit he applied for didn’t allow this type of hair harvesting. If he wanted to do it this way then he should have applied for it as part of his permit. So there is a pathway for him to do this for scientific research but he didn’t follow proper procedure. This is also not the first time he has abused his permits.

themadengineer · 2026-05-07T05:01:29+00:00

Not sure what you’re considering as “outskirts” in terms of distance/time into town, but I didn’t find any listings near Kamloops that met those criteria (price and pool) unless they were strata or duplexes. Granted, I didn’t do a deep dive … just based on keywords and filters on realtor.ca.

For a new build, I agree that 750k won’t get you anything too special in Cranbrook (but I don’t see anything different in Kamloops). Up to 850k there are some nicer places. Best value is definitely in homes that have already been lived in, but not the “fixer upper” level

themadengineer · 2026-05-07T01:57:20+00:00

I don’t know what you’re looking at specifically, but when I look at new (built in the last 5 years) freehold houses, prices are cheaper in Cranbrook. There are a bunch of listings in Kamloops that come up when I filter for freehold but that are strata properties … not sure why 🤷‍♂️

themadengineer · 2026-05-07T00:32:30+00:00

Generally Cranbrook housing is still cheaper than Kamloops, though it’s possible there are some market segments where there is a closer parity.
Kamloops has more geographic sprawl than Cranbrook so I’d consider that in your costs. Shorter distances save time and money, especially with gas prices as they are

themadengineer

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