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Manitoba government says it will use crypto levy to reduce hydro rates
Manitoba to use crypto levy to reduce hydro rates
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
The Manitoba government says it plans direct revenue from a levy on crypto operations to reducing hydro rates.
Finance Minister Adrien Sala says the government expects the measure to bring in about $20 million based on current crypto operations, which he said would translate into $50 a year in savings per ratepayer household.
The returns on the levy could, however, go down if crypto companies leave the province or go bankrupt from the 100 per cent markup on the rates they now face.
Companies warned at an April committee meeting that the sharp rise in their rates would be ruinous.
The government put forward the changes as part of a budget implementation bill introduced Thursday that would also see the Workers Compensation Board restored to the government for financial reporting purposes.
Sala says having WCB on the books will create more volatility but also increase transparency.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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SLRD seeks to review Woodfibre LNG project effects on Area D
The incoming SLRD board will consider regional impacts on Britannia Beach and Furry Creek.
How to address the current and potential impact of the Woodfibre LNG export facility on communities south of Squamish, such as Britannia Beach and Furry Creek, was a topic of discussion at a recent Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) committee of the whole meeting.
At the meeting on Sept. 24, committee members unanimously supported a motion to be considered by the SLRD board to refer the item to regional district staff “to explore regional impacts of Woodfibre LNG (WLNG) and how they may be addressed.”
With the general local election to be held on Oct. 17, this will come back to the incoming board.
The discussion was sparked by a director's report submitted by outgoing Area D director Tony Rainbow, who is retiring after this term.
He floated the idea that perhaps the SLRD could get a share of the Woodfibre LNG property tax paid to the District of Squamish.
In the report, Rainbow included a recommendation that “considering the current and future impact of the WLNG operation on the shores of Howe Sound and on the communities of Britannia Beach and Furry Creek, the SLRD Board appoint a committee to meet with the District of Squamish council to consider the sharing of the property taxes to be paid by WLNG.”
“This money would be held in trust by the SLRD to be spent mostly in Britannia Beach, but also in Furry Creek and along the shoreline of the sound on both the east and west shores,” Rainbow wrote.
“B.C. has no provision for taxing a company to mitigate the effects of its activities on communities that are outside of the jurisdiction that collects the property taxes … The only entity that can mitigate this situation is the regional district of which the District of Squamish is a named member.”
Rainbow said at the meeting that his proposal was a response to concerns and complaints he receives often from Britannia Beach and Furry Creek residents.
Rainbow said he understood that once construction is complete, WLNG will use less obtrusive lighting, but there will “obviously” be noise from flaring, and increased shipping which will affect local residents and infrastructure, he said.
Rainbow’s report also states that after construction is complete, the operation of the plant will have less impact on Squamish, but the impacts in Britannia Beach specifically will continue for decades to come.
He said in the meeting that given Howe Sound is a UNESCO Biosphere Region, and will be impacted by the LNG project, the SLRD should be doing what it can to address those impacts.
“We were very proud to express our support for the biosphere region. And what does that mean? I think it probably means that we should consider impacts on the sound from industry within our region.”
In the meeting, Rainbow said the Britannia Beach dock needs a “significant investment” to withstand “the kind of marine traffic that we're going to be getting over the next 40 years.”
Rainbow acknowledged, however, that since submitting his report he understands that there could be legal implications of his proposal, which need to be understood more fully.
“We need to understand what those implications are. … I guess what I'm hoping is that this board will demonstrate that it does understand the impacts on Area D residents, and we are prepared to do something to assist,” Rainbow said.
Thus a motion was put forward by Chair Jen Ford to recommend to the board that staff look at impacts of the project.
“I don't want to get too prescriptive. … I would like our staff to have the ability to go and engage in this process and come back to a future meeting with what they find out,” Ford said.
“We've understood through all of the years that we've all attended Howe Sound Community Forums that regional districts often are forgotten,” she also said.
“We saw, certainly in the past, Britannia Mine’s impact on Howe Sound and the biosphere and the glass sponge reefs. It is our responsibility to steward these lands and waters responsibly so we certainly want to have those conversations.”
Village of Pemberton director Mike Richman seconded Ford’s motion.
“I totally empathize with the communities down there getting impacted,” Richman said. “It's something that we see across the province, and I'd be happy to take part in addressing that. So I support the motion and look forward to the conversation.
District of Squamish director Jenna Stoner called the impacts of WLNG on residents of Howe Sound East “substantive.”
“This is an important conversation to be having. I appreciate seeking some direction on how we might be able to seek compensation for those impacts in ways that will involve the community and the company,” she said.
As noted, the issue will come to a future board meeting for consideration.
As part of the 2026 General Local Elections currently underway, the SLRD director positions for Area A and D directors are to be elected by voting (as opposed to acclaimed).
Find out where to vote on election day, Oct. 17, on the SLRD’s website.
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Ina Pace is The Squamish Chief's Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) reporter.
This reporting was produced through the LJI, which supports original civic journalism across Canada.
By Ina Pace and Jennifer Thuncher, The Squamish Chief | Copyright 2026, The Squamish Chief. All rights reserved.
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B.C. election at a glance: Parties make pledges on bridge, buses and bargaining
Glance at B.C. election: Bridge, buses, bargaining
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Here are some of the developments on British Columbia's election campaign on Thursday, Oct. 15.
CONSERVATIVES VOW TO SCRAP TUNNEL, BUILD BRIDGE
The B.C. Conservatives have announced a plan to scrap the Massey Tunnel replacement project and instead build a new 10-lane bridge linking Richmond and Delta.
The party says the new bridge would cut commutes by up to 30 minutes.
The policy is a revival of plans under the previous BC Liberal government for a bridge that were switched to a new tunnel under the New Democrats, but the Conservatives say that "after nine years of the NDP, nothing has been built."
The Conservatives also pledged to complete the new hospital in Surrey's Cloverdale neighbourhood, a project that has suffered delays and budget overruns, while building another new hospital specifically for women and children.
NDP OFFERS SENIORS FREE BUS PASSES
New Democrat Leader David Eby has turned his campaign to transit with a pledge to roll out free bus passes for 350,000 low-income seniors across the province.
He says a re-elected NDP government would also support an "updated" bus route to the new Cowichan-region hospital set to open next year.
Eby has made two Surrey-specific announcements, saying his government would earmark $250 million to leverage federal funding and expand rapid bus service along King George Boulevard from Surrey to nearby White Rock.

Eby also says Surrey would be given its own municipal charter, granting the city the same kind of authority Vancouver has.
BC GREENS PUSH COLLECTIVE BARGAINING CHANGES
BC Greens Leader Emily Lowan has released a labour plan she says will "strengthen and support B.C.’s workers and unions."
She says the NDP has used its "brand" as a party to cover up an "anti-labour agenda."
The Greens say the party will increase the minimum wage annually, at a rate of one per cent over inflation, until it matches the living wage.
It says it will also change bargaining to allow unions to reach collective agreements that covers all workers in an economic sector, instead of covering individual workplaces.

CENTREBC PLANS MORE POLICE AND PROSECUTORS
CentreBC has announced a plan to deliver 500 new RCMP officers and 60 more Crown prosecutors along with "practical interventions" to reduce repeat offending.
The party, whose Leader Elenore Sturko is a former RCMP officer, says that includes doubling funding for two programs which target repeat and violent offenders to about $26 million annually.
The party says it would also open two voluntary recovery units in provincial corrections facilities, one for men and one for women, by 2028-2029, and ask Ottawa to direct prosecutors to charge those found in possession of drugs in public.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Apparition de Billie dans le teaser de Scream 6.