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Changes to BC Local Elections

BC Municipal election rules  may be about to change – particularly in regards to candidates’ expenses, campaign contributions and election advertising.    The Local Government Elections Task Force has just wrapped up and submitted its report to the BC Government.

“The six-member Task Force was co-chaired by Bill Bennett, Minister of Community and Rural Development, and Harry Nyce, president of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM). It included two other UBCM executive members (with a third acting as alternate) and two provincial MLAs

The Task Force reviewed specific issues related to local government elections. Topics reviewed were:

  • Campaign finance, including contribution/spending disclosure and limits, and tax credits
  • Enforcement processes and outcomes
  • Role of the chief electoral officer (B.C.) in local government elections
  • Election cycle (term of office)
  • Corporate vote
  • Other agreed upon matters, (e.g. matters raised in UBCM resolutions such as eligibility of local government volunteers to be candidates)”

You can read the report here: http://www.localelectionstaskforce.gov.bc.ca/taskforce_report.html

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Online Resource (Free) Print Resource

Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples – hearing transcripts available online

The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples was appointed in 1991 and submitted its final, 5000 page report in 1996.  During its five year inquiry, the Commission “held 178 days of public hearings, visited 96 communities, consulted dozens of experts, commissioned scores of research studies, reviewed numerous past inquiries and reports” (Highlights. “A Word From Commissioners”).  You may be surprised to discover that not all of this work appeared in the final report – in particular, the hearing transcripts were not included.  The transcripts were made available as part of a CD-Rom publication, “For Seven Generations,” but have not been freely accessible online until quite recently.

  • Thanks to Commissioner Allan Blakeney, who donated his personal copies of the hearing transcripts and roundtable discussions, the University of Saskatchewan Archives and U Sask’s Special Collections units have recently finished a project to digitize and OCR these materials.  You can access them online from Saskatchewan’s cooperative public Archives site Our Legacy.
  • Kudos to Frank Winter at the University of Saskatchewan for alerting the Gov-Info list-serv to their fabulous resource!

You can  view the Commission’s Final Report, Highlights from the Final Report and the Address for the Launch of the Report online on Indian and Northern Affairs Canada’s website here .

    • UBC Library also has a wide array of print materials published by and about this Commission, including the Final Report.  You can view the list of available titles by conducting a keyword search using the terms: royal commission aboriginal peoples.
    • UBC Library has several copies of the “For Seven Generations” CD-Rom mentioned above, available at call number E78.C2 F77 1997 CD-ROM
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Online Resource (Free) Print Resource

New report: Hidden Costs of Energy: Unpriced Consequences of Energy Production and Use

From National Academies Press website: “Hidden Costs of Energy defines and evaluates key external costs and benefits that are associated with the production, distribution, and use of energy, but not reflected in market prices. In aggregate, the damage estimates presented here are substantial, and reflect damages from air pollution associated with electricity generation, motor vehicle transportation, and heat generation. The book also considers other effects not quantified in dollar amounts, such as damages from climate change, effects of some air pollutants such as mercury, and risks to national security.

While not a comprehensive guide to policy, this analysis indicates that major initiatives to further reduce other emissions, improve energy efficiency, or shift to a cleaner electricity-generating mix could substantially reduce the damages of external effects. A first step in minimizing the adverse consequences of new energy technologies is to better understand these external effects and damages. Hidden Costs of Energy will therefore be a vital informational tool for government policy makers, scientists, and economists in even the earliest stages of research and development on energy technologies.”

For full report (available on the National Academies website)  scroll down towards the bottom of the page.

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Print Resource Subscription Database

Acts of the Parliament of Canada

Students, faculty and staff at UBC Library now have online access to the session laws of the Acts of the Parliament of Canada – 1926 – 2007 via the subscription database HeinOnline.  Print copies are also available – covering the years 1867 – 2007 at call number KG16 .A25

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Online Resource (Free) Print Resource

Europe in Figures 2009

Eurostat, the EU’s statistical agency, has just released its 2009 issue of Europe in Figures.  This is freely available on-site as a Pdf download and “presents a comprehensive selection of statistical data on Europe.”  It is also produced and disseminated in print.  UBC Library has print copies of this annual publication from 1995 – 2008, with the 2009 on its way,  at call number HA1107.5 .E976.

“With just over 500 statistical tables, graphs and maps, the yearbook treats the following areas: the economy, population, education, health, living conditions and welfare, the labour market, industry and services, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, international trade, transport, the environment, energy, science and technology and Europe’s regions. This edition’s spotlight chapter covers creativity and innovation – the theme of the European year 2009.”  Most of the data from this publication cover years 1997 – 2007.

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Print Resource Subscription Database

New Database Trial

We’ve been lucky enough to get a 30 day trial to the IMF e-library which “contains publications from recent years as well as statistical resources: Balance of Payments, Direction of Trade, Government Finance Statistics, and International Financial Statistics.”  The trial expires July 22nd.  Please check it out and fill out the feedback form to let us know what you think.

Meanwhile, the IMF’s International Statistics are available via cd-rom at call no.: HG1 .I55 CD-ROM.  Note, this cd is mounted on the Data Services website and is limited to current UBC students, faculty & staff members.

You can also check out the print copies of the International Financial Statistics Yearbook at call no.: HG1 .I552

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