Tipping was common in full-service restaurants but now there are tip prompts at coffee shops, fast-food restaurants and more. Instead of tips to boost workers’ pay, a living-wage could ensure decent wages for all workers and transparent pricing for customers: new research.

Is it time to end tipping? Tip creep and tipflation mean businesses increasingly rely on customers to subsidize low wages, causing income volatility and inequity. Simon Pek, Bruce McAdams and I explore a bold alternative: replacing tipping with a universal living wage floor. bcpolicy.ca/ban-tips/

Tipping can erode working conditions. It can create competition for those who earn more and conflict between front- and back-of-house workers. The spread of tipping may portend a fundamental shift in who's responsible for workers’ welfare from employers to customers. thetyee.ca/Opinion/2026...

Is it time to end tipping in Canada ask Simon Pek, @1alexhemingway.bsky.social and Bruce McAdams. Tipping and tipflation signal a shift in responsibility for workers’ pay from employers to customers, resulting in income volatility and workplace inequity they write. thetyee.ca/Opinion/2026...

The gap in economic security in Statistics Canada new 2025 jobs numbers is concerning says senior economist Iglika Ivanova “We should be noticing that employers are hiring, but they’re also feeling uncertain about the future,” she explains.

Housing and affordability are issues despite a slight rise in employment & compensation isn’t keeping up with affordability says Iglika Ivanova “The economy performed better than was expected or feared but that doesn’t mean that people are seeing improvements.” thetyee.ca/News/2026...

"The magnitude of the housing shortage is huge, the problems chronic, but the housing crisis is solvable." @1alexhemingway.bsky.social writes that reforms target the right levers—non-market housing, more supply and zoning reform—but fall short in scale and implementation. @bcpolicy.bsky.social

🔥 The climate emergency hasn't gone away - it's here & now. But our gvts aren't acting with urgency. Our 12-min video on the 6 Markers of Climate Emergency shows what real action looks like. Watch the full video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJdK... And visit: www.davidsuzukiinstitute.ca/ceu

Le Billon: "For Alberta and Canada ... the lesson is clear: economic diversification is no longer optional; it’s an urgent necessity. Betting on sustained high oil prices has always been risky; betting on them in a world of messy energy transition is increasingly untenable." tinyurl.com/337tvep7

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Your gift before midnight, Dec 31, will be doubled thanks to a group of committed donors. Our economic and social justice research and analysis can shape a stronger, fairer BC. Your support will help make our work more effective and expand its reach. Donate now!

British Columbia’s housing crisis is severe, but its root causes are familiar: exclusionary zoning, under-building, and chronic neglect of nonmarket housing. Economist Alex Hemingway’s proposals show how governments could reverse course, in BC and elsewhere.

This is a really good Housing Crises 101. Hits (IMO) all the points that have led to our current housing crises, and is clear about where the solutions are. jacobin.com/2025/12/cana...

Next year we’ll continue addressing housing and affordability inequities. Join us to expand our work into the post-secondary education funding crisis, dive deeper into primary healthcare reform and the climate crisis. It will be another year of championing bold solutions.

I appreciate @1alexhemingway.bsky.social’s consistent advocacy for non-market housing without downplaying market housing or the broader supply shortage. By covering not just zoning but also suppressed household formation, this is pretty much the gold standard for left-YIMBYism.

Science has named the seemingly unstoppable growth of renewable energy worldwide as the 2025 Breakthrough of the Year. Learn more about this year's #BOTY and other big advances in science: https://scim.ag/493Tpgx

Senior economist @1alexhemingway.bsky.social spoke with @cfax1070.bsky.social about his latest housing research, This is why BC’s housing crisis hasn’t been solved yet. Have a listen!

ICYMI Rent is too damn high and scarcity of homes is a big reason, which is one cause for not yet solving the housing crisis says senior economist @1alexhemingway.bsky.social. There’s much to be done but the crisis is solvable he explains in new research. bcpolicy.ca/housing-...

Why hasn't BC's housing crisis been solved yet? @1alexhemingway.bsky.social breaks down what's actually happening with non-market housing, supply shortages, and zoning...and what needs to change. A comprehensive look at where we are and where we need to go:

Hear senior economist @1alexhemingway.bsky.social at 4:05 pm on @cfax1070.bsky.social discussing his latest housing research, This is why BC’s housing crisis hasn’t been solved yet. Tune in! @cfax1070.bsky.social

Housing policy from different levels of government—affordable housing funding, zoning reforms, development charges, tenant protections and more—is less than meets the eye, new research by @1alexhemingway.bsky.social shows. Better policies could mean real progress he says.

Rent is too damn high and scarcity of homes is a big reason, which is one cause of not yet solving the housing crisis says senior economist @1alexhemingway.bsky.social. There’s much to be done, but the crisis is solvable, he explains in new research.

High rents, low vacancy rates, homelessness, displacement and the quiet exclusion of people from entire neighbourhoods mark the housing crisis: new research by senior economist @1alexhemingway.bsky.social. The housing crisis is solvable but not by half-measures he says.

There's been a flurry of housing policy announcements in recent years, but much of it is less than meets the eye. In a new report for @bcpolicy.bsky.social, I outline why BC’s housing crisis and shortage is solvable—and key structural changes we still urgently need. bcpolicy.ca/housing-cris...

At 9:30 am PT hear senior economist @1alexhemingway.bsky.social on the Mike Smyth Show, CKNW, on his latest housing research, 'This is why BC’s housing crisis hasn’t been solved yet'. Tune in at 9:30!

The magnitude of the housing shortage is huge, the problems chronic, but the housing crisis is solvable: latest research by @1alexhemingway.bsky.social. Reforms from a flurry of government announcements gesture at the right ideas but fall short in scale and implementation.

From @breachmedia.ca: 15 movement victories in 2025 you may not have heard about. From recognition of a Palestinian state, to tenant strikes, to a Youth Climate Corps, here are some of the political achievements of the past year breachmedia.ca/15-movement-...

Noon tomorrow—Living Wage report authors @iglikaivanova.bsky.social and Anastasia French address BC's stark reality: an affordability crisis province-wide and living wages much higher than the minimum wage. @civicgovernance.bsky.social Dec 12, 12-1:30pm PT. Register: us02web.zoom.us/webi...

Tomorrow, the Living Wage report authors on what living wage rates mean for your community. They explain the calculations for 27 BC communities that allow families a decent standard of living. Dec 12, 12-1:30pm PT @civicgovernance.bsky.social Register: us02web.zoom.us/webi...

Tomorrow—Can Municipalities Champion Living Wages? To introduce living wage policy or strengthen commitments Living Wage report authors @iglikaivanova.bsky.social & Anastasia French show you how to take action. Dec 12, 12-1:30pm PT. @civicgovernance.bsky.social Register:us02web.zoom.us/webi...

Living Wage report authors @iglikaivanova.bsky.social and Anastasia French address BC's stark reality: there’s an affordability crisis province-wide and living wages are much higher than the minimum wage. @civicgovernance.bsky.social Dec 12, 12-1:30pm PT. Register: us02web.zoom.us/webi...

How Municipalities Can Champion Living Wages. Learn from Living Wage authors @iglikaivanova.bsky.social and Anastasia French what BC living wage calculations—from $21.55 to $29.60/hour—mean for your community. @civicgovernance.bsky.social Dec 12, 12-1:30pm PT. Register: us02web.zoom.us/webi...

Living Wage report authors @iglikaivanova.bsky.social and Anastasia French address BC's stark reality: there’s an affordability crisis province-wide and living wages are much higher than the minimum wage. @civicgovernance.bsky.social Dec 12, 12-1:30pm PT. Register: us02web.zoom.us/webi...

170,000 BC seniors live in poverty. We can donate to seniors' programs (please do), but policy change is what got seniors poverty down to 2% in the 1990s. We've done it before. We can do it again. Support the work:

Hey local electeds! We're looking forward to next week's webinar with @bcpolicy.bsky.social and Living Wage BC. Have you registered yet? us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

What do living wage rates mean for your community? Report authors @iglikaivanova.bsky.social & Anastasia French explain the calculations for 27 BC communities that allow families a decent standard of living. Dec 12, 12-1:30pm PT @civicgovernance.bsky.social Register: us02web.zoom.us/webi...

Instead of Canada Climate Week Xchange activities being sponsored by traditional climate groups, it was organized by the Toronto Stock Exchange and didn’t promote real climate action writes Leah Montange, a research associate with us and Understanding Precarity in BC.

Very helpful breakdown of last week's Fed-Alberta energy deal here from @climatekeith.bsky.social 👇 www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/st...

Tonight, 6:30PM UBC Robson Square—National Assembly on Workplace Democracy. Our co-Executive Director @iglikaivanova.bsky.social speaks at the Vancouver regional forum. Public welcome.

This evening, National Assembly on Workplace Democracy discusses its final report release, featuring our co-Executive Director @iglikaivanova.bsky.social. 6:30PM UBC Robson Square—open to the public.

The poverty rate among BC seniors now exceeds the poverty rate of every other age group. Nearly 170,000 BC seniors are living in poverty and many more have incomes only marginally above the poverty line, writes senior economist @iglikaivanova.bsky.social.

I look forward to speaking at the National Assembly on Workplace Democracy regional forum in Vancouver on Wednesday evening. Join us to find out more about the Assembly's important work & their recommendations to strengthen workers' voice in Canada. www.workplacedemocracyproject.ca/regional-for...

Tomorrow 6:30PM UBC Robson Square—National Assembly on Workplace Democracy. Our co-Executive Director @iglikaivanova.bsky.social will speak at the Vancouver regional forum.

ICYMI senior economist @1alexhemingway.bsky.social spoke with Gloria Mackarenko on CBC's On The Coast about Vancouver's 0% property-tax-increase budget. www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

On Weds (Dec 3) hear our co-Executive Director @iglikaivanova.bsky.social at the National Assembly on Workplace Democracy forum. Regional forums are being held across Canada. Vancouver—6:30PM UBC Robson Square. Public welcome.

The provincial and federal governments must act on seniors' poverty, says senior economist @iglikaivanova.bsky.social. There must also be increased funding for housing and for seniors’ groups to support social engagement and help seniors access supports and services.

Reducing seniors’ poverty was one of Canada’s greatest social policy success stories of the 20th century, explains senior economist @iglikaivanova.bsky.social. This social policy success has been reversed and seniors’ poverty has risen significantly since the mid-1990s.

The poverty rate among BC seniors now exceeds the poverty rate of every other age group. Nearly 170,000 BC seniors are living in poverty and many more have incomes only marginally above the poverty line, writes senior economist @iglikaivanova.bsky.social.

ICYMI - This evening @ 6 PM, BC Housing and Land Value Tax Panel & Meetup. Hear from senior economist @1alexhemingway.bsky.social and other experts on the benefits of a land value tax. @sfu.ca Burnaby.