Allowing First Nations the Same Private Property Rights as Everyone Else
Over a hundred years in the making, the Nisga'a Final Agreement was the first modern native treaty in British Columbia. But what made the treaty special was the innovative way it approached certain persistent challenges on native reserves.
The Final Agreement gave 6,400 Nisga people ownership of 2,000 sq. km in the Naas valley, but it also allowed individual property rights to members of the tribe. Elsewhere in Canada, those living on native reserves do not own the land on which they live, and can't use it as collateral for a loan. The Agreement is an attempt to provide more independence to the band and its members living in the Naas valley.
Critics contend that the economic problems of the Nisga'a won't be solved by this plan. It also goes against the native values of communal living, and opens up the real possibility of people losing their houses to a bank or non-member of the band.
The Tsawwassen First Nations treaty, which came into effect in 2009, has a provision for the buying and selling of property, but only between members of the Nation, which avoids one of the major threats of the Nisga plan.
It's too early to tell what the effects will be for the policy. There are many watching this experiment, hoping for the best.
Image: B.C. Government: "Minister de Jong, Nisga´a President Leeson and Dr. Gosnell enter the Nisga´a hall."
Taxing Carbon Emissions
Taxes are never an easy sell, but neither is conservation, so implementing a combination of the two is ambitious. But the Liberals did it, and B.C. became the first place in North America with a carbon tax.
As an appeasement to disgruntled voters, the government promised to make it revenue neutral by adjusting the income and corporate tax, and gave every resident a $100 cheque to kick-start the environmental spirit.
The measure has largely been supported by environmental groups, and by economists who see strong incentives as the only way to induce people to change their behaviour.
But the provincial NDP has vehemently opposed it, contending that it hurts lower-income families and rural residents. The 2009 electio was strongly influenced by the carbon tax, with some framing it as a referendum on the policy. (Campbell's Liberals won, with 46 percent of the vote, edged Carole James's NDP, which got 42.)
But while a tax on carbon is well grounded in economic principles, it's debatable how much of an effect a few cents on a litre of gas has on the the person wanting to fill up their fuel tank.
Building a New Brand of Environmental Activism
Greenpeace is one of B.C.'s most famous (or infamous) exports. Few groups are its peer in raising awareness of, and confronting indifference towards, environmental issues.
From old growth logging to whale hunting to the oil sands, Greenpeace has advocated for what it sees as ecological justice.
Along the way it has used countless bold and innovative methods: Greenpeacers have scaled smoke stacks, challenged trawlers with zodiacs, staged sit-ins, and unfurled many, many banners.
But the organization has encountered, or rather invited, controversy with its direct action. Many protests have broken the law though, more often than not, for simple mischief or trespassing. In Canada the scaling of parliament was only the most recent example of this.
While the often extreme and absolute nature of the organization has alienated many, it continues to keep important issues in the public eye.
Photo credit: Greenpeace 
Reducing the Harm Drug Addicts Do to Themselves By Giving Them Better Options
Insite is the first supervised injection site in North America. Vancouver Coastal Health opened the facility in 2003 in response to the grave side-effects of rampant drug use in the Downtown Eastside, such as the spread of HIV and other communicable diseases.
Designed to help in the continuing care of chronic drug users, Insite is an innovative response to a challenging situation. Employing the theory of harm reduction, Insite nurses inform users about treatment options while providing clean needles and emergency care in the case of an overdose.
In 2009 there were 5,447 unique visitors to the site and a total of 276,178 visits. There were 484 overdose interventions with no fatalities and 411 referrals to OnSite, the detox centre attached to Insite.
Critics have condemned the site as a facilitator of drug use. There is currently a legal tussle between the provincial and federal government as to who has jurisdiction over the facility, and whether the federal government could legally close the site.
Image: Vancouver Coastal Health Authority
Putting Residential, Retail, and Academic Under One Roof, With Rich and Poor People Both
Woodwards is as much a social experiment as a business enterprise. The development is the first in Vancouver to mix social housing and condos, and has mixed in a lot more.
It's a prime example of what some have termed "Vancouverism" (also the name of an exhibit highlighted Vancouver architecture, which premiered in the Woodwards complex). It combines high density housing and mixed-use space to make the city more "livable."
What makes Woodwards unique is that it has an inclusive philosophy and has the potential to transform the neighbourhood.
Despite efforts to be inclusive, there are still those who call it gentrification, and argue that it will raise rent elsewhere in the area and fall short on providing enough social housing.
But really it's a serious effort at compromise and progress in an area that needs a lot of both. 
Getting the World Running on Hydrogen
It wasn't long ago that fuel cells were touted as the next big thing in the auto industry, and the best chance at reducing its heavy impact on the environment. B.C.'s Ballard Power was at the forefront of research and, in the eyes of many, leading the world towards this technological salvation. It was a beautifully simple technology with an equally appealing tag-line: the only exhaust is water.
The boom, however, hasn't materialized. A 2002 PricewaterhouseCoopers study estimated the fuel cell industry would be worth $46 billion globally by 2011. Meanwhile, the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association today puts the number at $8.5 billion, by 2016. Ballard Power Systems sold off its auto division in 2005 and recorded a $3.3 million loss last year.
The company, however, still believes in fuel cells for the transportation sector. Just in time for the Olympics, Ballard supplied Whistler with 20 fuel cell buses the largest such fleet in the world. The federal, provincial and municipal governments all chipped in to help pay the whopping $89.5 million cost of the program.
With continued progress in electric cars, high-efficiency diesels, hybrids, and the like, it seems ever less likely a hydrogen infrastructure will ever emerge to challenge the other options, and raises the question of whether it's worth the cost. In Ballard's own words from its corporate filings "There is a risk that mass markets for certain of our products may never develop."
Image: B.C. Government
Powering the Province, Using Rushing Water
Run-of-river power in B.C. is an attempt to rise to the challenge of providing clean energy. It takes advantage of the thousands of coursing mountainous streams and rivers in the province to harness hydro power while avoiding the sweeping destruction caused by large-scale hydro projects.
The system involves channeling part of the river's fast-flowing current through a pipe that turns a turbine while also allowing the regular flow of the river to continue. The piped water then returns to the river downstream.
It's an idea that sounds great in theory, but has been rockier in practice. Environmental groups have argued the impact on the rivers is too great and the surrounding infrastructure like roads and power lines too destructive and, they say, the cumulative effects of building these projects in hundreds of B.C. rivers will have an even bigger impact.
Photo credit: Independent Power Producers Association of B.C.
