Politics, Policy, and Government in British Columbia examines the political life of Canada's dynamic Pacific province. Each of the seventeen chapters, written by well-known experts, provides an up-to-date portrait and analysis of one of the many faces of B.C. politics. Taken together they provide a clear and comprehensive overview of the dominant themes and issues that have been the distinguishing features of the province's political life. Key elements of the book include sections on: the political setting, with discussions of BC's political culture and economy, and its relations with the rest of Canada and its own Native communities; B.C.-style politics, which focus on electoral and parliamentary party politics, the changing place of women in BC public life, and the critical role of the media in explaining it all to British Columbians; governing the province, with accounts of the premier and cabinet, the bureaucracy that delivers most government services, and the complex system -- from the police to the courts -- that provides the administration of justice and the rule of law; and contemporary policy issues, with clear explanations of the intricacies of fiscal and social policy, analyses of recent conflicts over forest policy and environmental protection, a discussion of the role of lobbyists, and an examination of what difference is made when NDP governments are elected. Anyone interested in B.C. or its politics will find this book an informative, up-to-date record of the processes and events that have marked B.C.'s past and will continue to shape its future.

This wide-ranging collection of essays focuses on the geography of British Columbia. An overview of the province's geographical regions, demographic characteristics, and cultural variety is followed by a discussion of the physical environment, including natural hazards, climate, vegetation, and water resources.The central portion addresses the geopolitical history of the Pacific Northwest and covers the geopolitics of hydroelectric power development, First Nation's land claims, and associated treaty negotiations. Attention then shifts to Chinese immigration, which has been responsible for creating the province's largest visible minority.The final section reviews British Columbia's spatial economy and includes chapters on recreation and tourism, land-use planning, mineral development, energy, forestry, agriculture, fisheries, and marine conservation.

British Columbia is regularly described in superlatives both positive and negative - most spectacular scenery, strangest politics, greatest environmental sensitivity, richest Aboriginal cultures, most aggressive resource exploitation, closest ties to Asia. Jean Barman's The West beyond the West presents the history of the province in all its diversity and apparent contradictions. This critically acclaimed work is the premiere book on British Columbian history, with a narrative beginning at the point of contact between Native peoples and Europeans and continuing into the twenty-first century. Barman tells the story by focusing not only on the history made by leaders in government but also on the roles of women, immigrants, and Aboriginal peoples in the development of the province. She incorporates new perspectives and expands discussions on important topics such as the province's relationship to Canada as a nation, its involvement in the two world wars, the perspectives of non-mainstream British Columbians, and its participation in recreation and sports including Olympics. First published in 1991 and revised in 1996, this third edition of The West beyond the West has been supplemented by statistical tables incorporating the 2001 census, two more extensive illustration sections portraying British Columbia's history in images, and other new material bringing the book up to date. Barman's deft scholarship is readily apparent and the book demands to be on the shelf of anyone with an interest in British Columbian or Canadian history.

In this beautifully crafted collection of essays, Cole Harris reflects on the strategies of colonialism in British Columbia during the first 150 years after the arrival of European settlers. The pervasive displacement of indigenous people by the newcomers, the mechanisms by which it was accomplished, and the resulting effects on the landscape, social life, and history of Canada's western-most province are examined through the dual lenses of post-colonial theory and empirical data. By providing a compelling look at the colonial construction of the province, the book revises existing perceptions of the history and geography of British Columbia.

Brett McGillivray focuses first on the combination of physical processes that produced a spectacular variety of mountains, rivers, lakes, islands, fjords, forests, and minerals, explaining the forces that created the province and the natural hazards that can reshape it. A concise examination of B.C. historical geography follows, covering First Nations ways of life, colonization, Asian immigration, and the sad history of institutionalized racism. The second half of the book contains a detailed description of the economic geography of the province, with chapters on forestry, the salmon fishery, metal mining, energy supply and demand, agriculture, water, and the tourism industry. It addresses the present-day issues of urbanization, economic development, and resource management, providing a thorough background to these topics and suggesting what the future might hold. This up-to-date and comprehensive exploration of the rich historical geography and development of British Columbia will be welcomed by teachers, students, scholars, and everyone with an interest in the province.

This book recounts the story of the incredible migration of scores of Hawaiians from their island paradise to a harsh pioneering life in western North America.