Host Peter McCully chats with Wolfgang Depner, legislative reporter for Black Press Media about the recently concluded fall session of the legislature, highlighting the key issues discussed.

Depner reports on the intense debates surrounding housing legislation, with a focus on bills promising to reshape the housing landscape and the challenges faced by opposition parties in scrutinizing them.

The episode also explores the various facets of affordability in BC, extending beyond housing to encompass topics like gas prices, carbon taxation, and healthcare.

“The legislature now takes a break; we'll be back in February,” says Depner. “That session will also turn out to be a fairly busy one, unfolding against the backdrop of the next provincial election in mid to late October. If the fall session was busy, I expect the spring session of next year to be even busier and potentially more controversial and acrimonious.”

Environment Minister George Heyman's perspective on BC's commitment to emission reduction and clean energy investments is highlighted as he is attending the COP28 in Dubai. (The Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change).

External events, such as the Israel-Hamas conflict and fallout between Canada and India, add a global context to the provincial discussions in the fall session that tackled multiple issues, including the opioid crisis, healthcare challenges, and the overarching concern of climate change.

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