Carole Taylor's Journal

On this episode of Journal: a look at super-agers. The official definition is someone in their 80s and 90s, with the cognitive ability of someone 20 or 30 years younger.Most of us could come up with the basics of how to live longer besides your genes, of course: exercise, eat well, sleep at least eight hours a night, and so on.Easier said than done.What exactly do we mean by exercise? Does it have to be strenuous? Does it have to be everyday? If you didn’t exercise when you were young, is it too late to start?And with food: Does this mean no more French fries or jamoca-almond fudge ice cream ever again? Does it mean we have to be rigidly pure vegetables, fruit and fish – and, oh yes – whole grains and beans? Good luck with that!Yet, I found it interesting that when I looked up super-agers, the first half dozen articles were about supplements – supplements that would bring improved clarity, stamina, and cellular energy with just one “patch.”Another promises to combat cellular aging for good. I guess if it were as easy as taking one pill a day, we could all be super-agers.So, instead of the internet, I decided to go to one of my favourite super-agers, Dr. Doug Clement, for advice. Now in his 90s, Doug was an Olympic athlete (as was his vivacious wife Diane) in the 1950s. Along the way, Doug graduated from med school and went on to introduce the practice of sports medicine to all of Canada. In recognition, he was awarded Canada’s highest honour, the Order of Canada, 34 years ago.Doug is lively, interesting, and opinionated – characteristics of a great super-ager.---Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

On this edition of Journal, we take a closer look at the federal political landscape through a pollster’s eyes. The people of Canada elected a minority Liberal government and now – poof – we have a majority government. Are people happy with that?I have always found in my research that polls give us a snapshot of where we are at and what people are thinking at a given moment in time. Obviously, they are not perfect, but if you use them looking for trends or changes, they can be useful.So, some questions: With a “new” majority Liberal government in Ottawa, what has changed in the business of governing Canada, if anything?I assume there will be no patience for more words and speeches. People will now expect some action. Does this bare majority seem rock solid?How do people feel about budget overruns, or do they care? Now that an imminent election seems off the table, does Mr. Poilievre’s position seem diminished?Is his leadership of the Conservative party secure?What are the top-of-mind issues for Canadians?Who are the influencers behind the scenes – those voices leaders choose to listen to?How is the Trump card playing now?And here is a loaded question: what do Canadians think of floor-crossers and their ability to create a majority government when none existed after the election?I always have a lot of questions, so for some guidance on these issues, I have asked Mario Canseco of Research Co. to join me and provide some factual context. Again, this is just a moment in time, but a really interesting moment in time.---Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

On this edition of Journal, we focus on the challenges facing boys and men in today’s society.We know that more women than men make it to post secondary education.But did you know that men have a 75% greater chance of overdosing on opioids than women?Men are also three times more likely to commit suicide.And men don’t tend to take early warning signs of health issues seriously before they become major problems.Why?A recently announced federal initiative called “The National Men and Boys’ Health Strategy” provoked the subtitle: It’s time to stop sucking it up and start talking it out.But long before this recent Canada-wide initiative, which is welcome news, Vancouver’s Dr. Larry Goldenberg was ringing similar alarms. He formed the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation in 2009 with the self-proclaimed mission to stop men from self-destructing and to apply a men’s lens to population health.He says men don’t want to hear the tired old message of “eat your vegetables, exercise more, and stop smoking.” Instead, he promotes the idea that you don’t have to change much just get started and, in that way, potentially add ten healthy years to your life. It is a holistic approach: physical health, mental health, relationships, and purpose.17 years later, that Foundation is now headed by Kenton Boston as CEO, and he joins us to look at the various societal pressures and expectations that we are putting on our boys and men that lead to some of these depressing results – and what we can do to change these outcomes, whether it is in prostate cancer or mental health.---Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

On this edition of Journal, seniors services. For 11 years, British Columbia’s Seniors Advocate has been measuring the challenges facing our seniors.Sad to say, it’s not a pretty picture. In fact, Dan Levitt, our Seniors Advocate, says when you look at the data, we are actually going backwards – not nearly meeting today’s requirements, letalone preparing for the future as a tsunami of aging hits our society.Waitlists are growing: for seniors, hip surgery waits have increased 72% over the last 6 years and knee replacement waits are up 61%.In the recent provincial budget, seniors were hit hard with new sales taxes on basics – hard to swallow when you are on a fixed income.More importantly, 7 long-term bed projects already in process around the province were withdrawn, to be “re-paced” – a euphemism for “good luck if they ever come back.” But the need for these beds is extreme. Last year there were over 7,000 seniors in BC on a waitlist for a long-term bed: an increase of 200% over six years ago.I am cognizant of financial restrictions. But think of this: for every senior taking up a hospital bed they no longer require, it costs the government an average of $1,200 per day. However, they can’t be released because there isn’t a care bed available in the community. If there were, that cost would be much less – around $300. So this is an example of government inaction costing money rather than saving money.As BC’s Seniors Advocate, Dan Levitt has been collecting this data and trying to get the attention of the government while there is still some hope for action.---Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

How did DRIPA, the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act – supposedly a step forward in reconciliation – become such a political and legal mess?On this edition of Journal, we speak with a man who was a member of the British Columbia legislature that gave birth to the now-controversial DRIPA bill, Mike de Jong.No stranger to this file, Mike served as the aboriginal critic when in the BC Liberal opposition and then Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation in the Gordon Campbell government.This was, of course, in addition to serving as Attorney General, Minister of Finance, Minister of Health, and on, and on. In other words – a senior politician to be taken seriously.Not surprisingly, on this complicated and controversial DRIPA bill, Mike had questions. A lot of questions. How would it work? Had the bill been vetted by the province’s lawyers?And there were other voices expressing concern. Jody Wilson Rayboud also warned this would be unworkable.Yet, even after a passionate speech from MLA and former Haisla chief Ellis Ross, warning of the dangers of this bill, DRIPA was voted on and passed – unanimously.Two years later, adding more fuel to the fire, the government introduced an amendment to the Interpretation Act, saying all provincial laws “must” be consistent with UNDRIP. It’s that word “must” that has been taken seriously by the courts.What happened?Well, we know what’s happened: court decisions against the government, lawsuits, accusations, and flip-flops. A fine mess.To bring context to how we find ourselves in this position, Mike de Jong.---Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

On this edition of Journal, we ask the question: Why, in a recent front page story, was one expert quoted as saying he was not too concerned about reported job losses in the construction sector?Meanwhile, another in the same article says the current situation in terms of residential construction is the worst he has seen in decades.So, where does that leave us? To worry or not to worry?We do know layoffs overall in the construction sector are happening in numbers not seen since the 1990s. In British Columbia: 6,900 job losses in February alone.In some ways, it doesn’t make sense. We have a federal government, a provincial government, and a municipal government all tripping over themselves making big housing announcements – big dollars, big numbers.Prime Minister Carney, early in his mandate, promised 500,000 residential units to be built annually. This was “passing strange” since Canada has only managed to build an average of half of that in previous years. As well, major infrastructure projects are touted and fast-tracked – all good for the construction industry, right?But despite this political zeal to “build, build, build,” a number of developers are just walking away from projects that have already been approved and many real estate companies have announced major layoffs.In addition, there are now thousands of already completed condos sitting empty and unsold in Metro Vancouver.What is going on?To help us understand the whole picture, we are joined by Chris Gardner, President and CEO of ICBA (Independent Contractors and Business Associations). His members are on the front lines during this challenging time for the construction industry.---Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

On this edition of Journal, we lift the curtain on the chaos of the NDP in British Columbia.If you are shaking your head in disbelief at some of the stunning flip-flops and bad policy choices of our current provincial government, you are not alone.Decriminalization: a disastrous policy now abandoned.How about the infamous Land Act, which would have given First Nations co-control with the government of all the Crown land in the province? It was so controversial that it disappeared.Premier David Eby loudly and repeatedly said that private property wouldn’t be affected by the aboriginal title agreements being negotiated – until a judge ruled in the Cowichan decision that maybe private property could be affected after all.Another court has now ruled that the provincial system for mineral claims staking violates their own act, saying that all BC laws and regulations MUST be consistent with the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (DRIPA).Interesting that David Eby was the Attorney General at that time, who helped draft those very words – “MUST be consistent.”Realizing that the act would now have to be rewritten, Premier Eby presented changes that he said were urgent and non-negotiable – until they weren’t, and instead there would just be a 3-year pause on the troublesome phrases.Then the Premier declared even this pause motion to be a matter of confidence, meaning the government would fall if it didn’t pass. Then lo and behold, he changed his mind yet again and announced it wouldn’t be a confidence vote.Then the 3-month pause became 1-month and now it's completely off the table for this legislative session.What is going on in Victoria? To help make sense of it all, Alec Lazenby, one of the top reporters covering the provincial government for the Vancouver Sun, joins us.---Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

On this edition of Journal: a closer look at the recently released forestry report that says we have to abandon the old ways of managing our forests because the status quo is not working.That statement won’t be a surprise to anyone touched by this industry, be it municipalities, First Nations, the provincial government, or the workers and their families. More than two dozen mills have closed in the past four years, laying off more than 8,000 workers. Many companies have decided to do their capital investments elsewhere, in the US or Europe, but not in British Columbia.The report called, “From Conflict to Care,” acknowledges that currently in forestry, “we have a complex system of legislation that is hard to comprehend, combined with bureaucratic inefficiencies such as Ministries working in silos and sometimes at cross purposes with opposing mandates. Adding to this challenge is the instability caused by election cycles which drive frequent shifts in priorities and mandates.”That brutal assessment is not from opposition literature – it is taken word-for-word from this new report compiled by the Provincial Forestry Advisory Council done for the BC government. One of the chairs, Garry Merkel, calls it “another freakin’ review of BC forest policy.”So, the table is set:What can be done to save this important resource industry that used to be such a major player in our province?Shannon Janzen, Merkel’s co-chair, a forester, and former vice-president of Western Forest Products, believes there is a way. First of all, we must accept the status quo is broken; then, after broad consultations, come up with a radical new model that works in 2026.---Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.

On this edition of Journal, mayor Brad West of Port Coquitlam walks us through some of the failures we are seeing in our governments at all levels and some of the solutions.Brought up by his mother after his father died, Brad remembers the importance to the family when she finally got a union job, good wages, and good hours. Brad went on to study at the University of Victoria before taking a job in communications with the United Steelworkers.You can see with his personal experience he would be a natural fit with the NDP of British Columbia, a social democratic party. So how surprising was it when, last year, Brad West took a swing at the NDP government by saying they were more interested in pronouns than jobs?In other words, ideology over workers.Recently in another op-ed, the mayor elaborated. This time, about how governments in general are failing and frustrating their citizens.People, he says, want results not announcements. Service, not ribbon cutting.Based on his successful time in municipal government – elected as a councillor in 2008, the youngest mayor elected in Port Coquitlam’s history in 2018, then re-elected by acclamation, meaning no one chose to run against him. Based on that alone, his ideas are worth listening to.For instance:Less high school behaviour in the legislature, more listening to citizens and their needs.Fewer studies and more action.And stop overspending taxpayer’s hard-earned dollars.Mayor Brad West joins us to outline a road to recovery and a way for politicians to regain the public trust.---Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca.