Norm Farrell IN-SIGHTS.CA

Norm Farrell IN-SIGHTS.CA

@normfarrell.bsky.social

I began writing IN-SIGHTS.CA in April 2009, covering Canadian public affairs with a focus on British Columbia. I am particularly interested in climate, energy, and matters of integrity in governments and industries.

1K followers1.4K following684 posts

"Effective income tax rates climb steadily for most of the population but fall sharply for billionaires and centi-millionaires. These elites pay proportionally less than most of the households that earn much lower incomes." in-sights.ca/2026/10/07/w...

in-sights.caWorld Inequality Report 2026I have seen statistics about wealth and income concentrations many times, but I was shocked when I came across the World Inequality Report for 2026. Ricardo Gómez-Carrera of the Paris School of Eco…

Government involvement in megaprojects: inevitably, taxpayers get hosed, while the world’s wealthy grow wealthier. Taxpayers spend billions acquiring, building, and improving assets. Then the privatizers sell to private interests. in-sights.ca/2026/09/17/t...

in-sights.caTaxpayers are invariably hosedI don’t know why private industry should object to government involvement in megaprojects. Eventually, and inevitably, taxpayers get hosed, while the world’s wealthiest citizens grow even wea…

Government involvement in megaprojects: inevitably, taxpayers get hosed, while the world’s wealthy grow wealthier. Taxpayers spend billions acquiring, building, and improving assets. Then the privatizers sell to private interests. in-sights.ca/2026/09/17/t...

in-sights.caTaxpayers are invariably hosedI don’t know why private industry should object to government involvement in megaprojects. Eventually, and inevitably, taxpayers get hosed, while the world’s wealthiest citizens grow even wea…

Norm Farrell IN-SIGHTS.CA reposted

Replying to @normfarrell.bsky.social

That’s a big drop Gigawatt-Hours Generated by Each MW of Capacity. Seems weird their response to summer drought and low water is to screw over small solar producers like me who backfill this.

Norm Farrell IN-SIGHTS.CA reposted

Norm Farrell IN-SIGHTS.CA reposted

SHOUT-OUT to Political Cartoonist extraordinaire & Member of the Order of Canada Michael de Adder, who routinely does a far better job of holding this administration accountable than the corporate media. Thank you for your attention to his brilliant satirical wit! 🙏 (also: 🤣)

Several realities stand out at BC Hydro. Electricity demand from residential, commercial, and light industrial customers remains flat while power delivered to heavy industry has increased. These customers are paying well below BC Hydro’s marginal cost of electricity. in-sights.ca/2026/08/22/5...

in-sights.caLooking at BC HydroBC Hydro has released its annual report. Several realities stand out. Electricity demand from residential, commercial, and light industrial customers remains flat while power delivered to heavy ind…

Deregulation, like trickle-down economics, benefits those at the top. Both ideas are popular with the wealthiest 10%—and considerably less appealing to the other 90%, who are expected to live with the consequences. In Campbell River, those consequences are outrageous. in-sights.ca/2026/08/21/o...

in-sights.caOutrageousResidents of a condominium for people aged 55 and older have been locked out of their homes for more than two and a half years following a fire in February 2024. Disputes and delays involving nine …

Denmark and Sweden are the only two industrialized countries likely to attain net-zero. Canada will not. The Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act was passed in 2021, but it has no enforceable requirement that the country actually achieve net zero by 2050. in-sights.ca/2026/08/19/j...

in-sights.caJust another day in the time of the great derangementDenmark and Sweden are the only two industrialized countries likely to attain net-zero. Canada will not. The Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act was passed in 2021, but it has no enforce…

Friends and family can drift apart for all sorts of reasons—pride, misunderstandings, embarrassment, or simply the passage of time. But when a relationship once mattered, it may still be worth recovering. Smile when you do it. You’ll likely smile afterwards. in-sights.ca/2026/08/17/r...

in-sights.caRestoring old relationships before it’s too lateFriends and family can drift apart for all sorts of reasons—pride, misunderstandings, embarrassment, or simply the passage of time. But when a relationship once mattered, it may still be worth reco…

Norm Farrell IN-SIGHTS.CA reposted

If you believe taxpayer funds should not be used to build out pipelines and other fossil fuel infrastructure then I urge you to sign the petition below. #climatecrisis

Norm Farrell IN-SIGHTS.CA@normfarrell.bsky.social

Private companies know there’s no business case for more pipelines when renewables have never been cheaper, cleaner, and faster to deploy. So the government is investing OUR money instead. Most Canadians agree: NO taxpayer-funded pipelines >> act.gp/3RlAuJq

Norm Farrell IN-SIGHTS.CA reposted

Norm Farrell IN-SIGHTS.CA reposted

Extreme climate change destruction has become a spectator event. Beachgoers enjoying a cocktail 🍹 while the planet burns ❤️‍🔥. Can the level of concern drop any lower 🤦🏻‍♂️? #climatecrisis #climatechange

Is it a leftist policy to want universal healthcare, justice, equality, and fair treatment for everyone? In that case, all the people I consider friends are leftists. Some of them are even far left because they believe very strongly in those ideals.

Because Carney’s Liberal government is working to promote fossil-fuel production. Canadians should not expect it to encourage sales of affordable electric vehicles—or the transition away from gasoline. That is unfortunate. in-sights.ca/2026/07/26/e...

in-sights.caElectric Vehicles – Trends and InsightsBecause Carney’s Liberal government is working to promote fossil-fuel production. Canadians should not expect it to encourage sales of affordable electric vehicles—or the transition away from gasol…

Norm Farrell IN-SIGHTS.CA reposted

Replying to @ifindkarma.bsky.social

“When a prison camp opens in your town… When a DREAMer is disappeared from your classroom… When the president* destroys what’s left of the Constitution… They will all say they didn’t know this was coming. And I want the American people to know that they did.” @aoc.bsky.social

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

AOC 🔥🔥🔥

Norm Farrell IN-SIGHTS.CA reposted

The vast majority of our outlets are owned by right-wing billionaires and last night our most prominent political reporters spent an hour chuckling along with a clearly senile Republican president as he insulted them incoherently. Here's why our media has a liberal bias problem.

Technical capability is advancing quickly. The danger is not science itself. It is the willingness to deploy immensely powerful technologies before we understand their consequences—or have established who will remain in control. in-sights.ca/2026/07/25/w...

in-sights.caWill humans stay in control?Technical capability is advancing faster than public understanding, democratic oversight, or agreement about who should bear the risks. The danger is not science itself. It is the willingness to de…

A typical casual worker at American McDonald’s may average 20 hours a week at $14 an hour. The person would have to labour for more than fourteen centuries to equal what the McDonald’s CEO received in a single year. in-sights.ca/2026/07/22/c...

in-sights.caCurtailing CEO payA typical casual worker at American McDonald’s may average 20 hours a week at $14 an hour. The person would have to labour for more than fourteen centuries to equal what the McDonald’s CEO re…

Electricity from each megawatt of capacity at BC Hydro dams has fallen by roughly one-third. Hydropower has been abundant enough to meet British Columbia’s needs, but drought and low reservoir levels have exposed the danger of relying too heavily on a single source. in-sights.ca/2026/07/22/a...

in-sights.caAlternative energy solutionsHydropower is dispatchable. It is generally reliable, can increase or decrease generation quickly, and can be shut down and restarted with relative ease. Provided the facilities are properly mainta…

PM Carney has caused his government to serve oil barons rather than people who elected it. Danielle Smith made that choice long ago. Now David Eby has decided that political and financial rewards matter more than a livable planet and the welfare of future generations. in-sights.ca/2026/07/20/c...

in-sights.caCrude sacrificesPrime Minister Mark Carney has caused his government to serve oil barons rather than the people who elected it. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith made that choice long ago. Now British Columbia Premie…

Norm Farrell IN-SIGHTS.CA reposted

“Just because it looks muddy … doesn’t mean that it isn’t a paradise for endangered and migratory species.”

The Narwhal@thenarwhal.ca

As governments look to expand Roberts Bank, scientists warn one of Canada’s most important ecosystems for salmon, southern resident killer whales and migratory birds could pay the price. @sobittersosweet.bsky.social’s latest: thenarwhal.ca/alberta-pipe... #bcpoli

I recently stumbled across an American website: A Moveable Feed from buttondown.com. It promises to deliver “Blunt, funny takes on today’s biggest stories from a recovering DC insider.” This week, the website published Smoke, Fire, And What We Pretend Not To See. in-sights.ca/2026/07/18/w...

in-sights.caWhat we pretend not to seeI recently stumbled across an American website: A Moveable Feed from buttondown.com. It promises to deliver “Blunt, funny takes on today’s biggest stories from a recovering DC insider.”…

Credit unions have been merging into regional institutions for years. It rarely makes the news; no single merger is much of a story. But something changes, slowly and less visibly: the distance between the institution and the community it serves widens. in-sights.ca/2026/07/15/m...

in-sights.caMegasize credit unions have policies, not memoriesFrom 1956 through 1958, I attended Stillwater Elementary, a small schoolhouse twenty-two kilometres south of Powell River. Its three rooms accommodated six grades, and children were summoned to cla…

Older folks will remember when Freedom Riders and civil rights activists were murdered, clubbed, beaten, attacked by police dogs, blasted with high-pressure fire hoses, jailed, humiliated, and subjected to almost every indignity that segregationists could devise. in-sights.ca/2026/07/15/r...

in-sights.caRemembering the Freedom RidersI do not know Mel Lehan personally, but I have been aware of his altruistic activism for many years. His Facebook posts are usually both entertaining and informative. Recently, he reposted an item …

Norm Farrell IN-SIGHTS.CA reposted

Graham's obituary is a surprise - came before long awaited one for Mitch McConnell and Donlad Trump. It's a great opportunity to attribute properly the viral quote misattributed often to Mark Twain. It's a rephrasing of a line written by Clarence Darrow.