The topic of first nation has always been a long debatable issue that has evoked immense controversy. The tension between the government and the first nation is augmented once again in regards to the issue of the Site C. In O’niel Peter’s article” First Nation chiefs to stage Site C showdown”, the author delineates the first nation’s appeal toward the rejection of the maga-project – Site C.

(http://westcoastnativenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Site-C-Dam.jpg)

Site C, which is BC hydro’s billion dollar project that involves the construction of the third dam and the hydroelectric station is believed will be producing “about 5,100 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity each year — enough energy to power the equivalent of about 450,000 homes per year in B.C.” The first nation’s proposal to reject the project demonstrates both the social and environment factors of the PESTEL analysis when evaluating the situation of BC Hydro – the potential environmental destruction that may emerge from the project as well as the protest from the first nations whom are occupies a large section of the northern B.C. However, in my opinion, as the government has never been in favor of conducting litigation with the first nation people, the future of BC hydro’s project may very well face determination.

references:

https://www.bchydro.com/energy-in-bc/projects/site_c.html

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/First+Nation+chiefs+stage+Site+showdown/10215965/story.html?__federated=1

With the high cost of university education, many students graduate while still being fettered by their student loan debt. Aside from the expensive tuition, the price of the textbooks is also one of the major factors that have augmented the financial distress of the university students. In Michael Enright’s podcast “Textbook prices that break the bank”, the consecutive rise in the price for university textbooks is discussed. Enright highlights the 834% increase in price over the past three decades and the swift growth is further emphasized as “[it] is more than double the rate of increase in house prices”.

It is a business that possesses a high probability as the mandatory textbooks hold the consumers captive. However, universities such as UBC have made effort as options such as rental and buybacks are offered to the students.

In my opinion, with the rapid growth in technology, perhaps the concept of hard copy textbook may soon become obsolete. As more and more universities rely on the digital technology, the transition of the textbook format from paper to electronic may very well be a possibility. However, while the E-Textbooks may provide convenience for the students, it will be harder for the distributers to maintain the value of the information as the idea of authorship is often made obscure in the digital world.

References:

http://www.cbc.ca/thesundayedition/essays/2014/09/21/textbook-prices-that-break-the-bank/

http://bookstore.ubc.ca/customer-service/faqs/textbook-costs