I, along with many others, think and believe
that the Pacific Carbon Trust (PCT) is nothing more than a shell game that
shuffles money around … and gives the illusion that a lot is being done to
reduce our carbon footprint. In reality
very little is being accomplished by the PCT.
One thing however is certain; LARGE parts of
school and hospital budgets are being diverted into the Pacific Carbon Trust to
reward large corporations rather than school children, the hurt, the injured,
the elderly … and now perhaps even the BC Confederation of Parent Advisory
Councils (BCCPAC) as well.
Last year, the education ministry provided the
BCCPAC with $100,000 in operating funds and $150,000 for special projects.
"Unfortunately, we are unable to meet your request to provide those same
grants this fiscal year and will need to provide support in a non-financial
manner," Abbott
stated in his letter.
Given that the government forced the local
school district in the Kamloops region to cough up $125,000 to pay Pacific
Carbon Trust, that more than enough for the BCCPAC operating funds.
That is only the tip of the iceberg however.
A July story in the Vancouver Sun (Public sector's carbon offsets subsidize B.C.'s big businesses) had the following information on costs to taxpayer supported public institutions in 2010 ... health authorities around B.C. spent $5.4 million on carbon offsets ...B.C. school districts spent $4.4 million ... crown corporations (BC Hydro, BC Housing, ICBC) spent $2.3 million ... and post-secondary institutions spent $3.7 million (this includes $103 thousand take from TRU in Kamloops)
Please don’t get me wrong, I am NOT suggesting
any conspiracy theories --- but it sure seems like there are some interesting
trails that intertwine when it comes to the Pacific Carbon Trust, the BC
Liberal government, Christy Clark, EnCana, and government / Clark supporters
like Gwyn Morgan, and others, for example.
The Pacific Carbon trust has purchased 84,000
carbon credits/units at ($27each?) from EnCana.
- On May 5, the company and the PCT announced that the B.C. Crown Corporation bought 84,000 tonnes of carbon offsets from EnCana … a company whose former CEO Gwyn Morgan was a key advisor to Premier Christy Clark
- the price PCT paid for the offsets is confidential. But with PCT charging $25 per tonne when it sells offsets, the value of the deal would likely be in the range of $2 million.
Gwyn
Morgan is the retired CEO of EnCana and one would think is likely to hold
company stock
- Morgan devoted three decades to building Canada’s largest energy company. EnCana is one of North America’s leading oil and natural gas production companies, with an enterprise value of approximately $50-billion (U.S.). He led the creation of EnCana Corporation through a merger which is widely viewed as the most significant transaction in Canadian energy sector history.
Gwyn
Morgan was adviser to Christy Clark when she took over her office.
- It is encouraging that Gwyn Morgan, the former CEO of Encana Corp., who contributed money to Ms. Clark’s campaign, is now part of her transition team.
- Gwyn Morgan's emergence as a political advisor to BC Liberal leader and premier designate Christy Clark not only reflects the province's growing dependence on shale gas revenue but her party's formidable indebtedness to petro politics.
One
of Morgan's big time buddies is Stockwell Day... https://secure.globeadvisor.com/newscentre/article.html?/servlet/GIS.Servlets.WireFeedRedirect?cf=sglobeadvisor/config_blank&vg=BigAdVariableGenerator&date=20040326&archive=gam&slug=RO4ENCANA
- In oil-patch circles, EnCana remains a company many like to pick on, either because of Morgan's penchant for jargon--"best in class" is a phrase that dominated presentations to investors for the better part of 18 months--or for his enthusiastic cheerleading. Some topics that have set tongues wagging: Morgan's support and fundraising for former Alliance leader Stockwell Day …
Day
was also BC Liberal / Christy Clark supporter…
- former MP Stockwell Day. “I will be supporting Premier Christy Clark. She is the right leader for British Columbia and I ask all free enterprisers to support Premier Clark and the BC Liberals."
News
story after news story --- editorialist after editorialist … organization after
organization have all said that the BC governments carbon tax policies make no
sense … and that the PCT needs to go:
- Party leader John Cummins promises 'common sense and practical solutions,' and to axe the carbon tax
- BC: The Pacific Carbon Trust Must Go
- How we all pay to 'conserve' forests
- School carbon offset system an indulgent folly
- New BC Tory boss also says carbon tax is grossly unfair:
- Hypothetical offsets may not really be there:
- Liberal Canada Day Equals Higher Prices at the Pump
- Environment Minister Terry Lake provides us with “political baffle- gab” at its finest
And
finally the PROPOSED Draft copy of the new BC Conservative Party policies also
states:
Section 4.4.5. The “Pacific Carbon Trust” and its “carbon-offsets” program will be abolished.
Section 4.4.5. The “Pacific Carbon Trust” and its “carbon-offsets” program will be abolished.
Very
few other than Environment Minister Terry Lake, others in the BC Liberals
caucus, and deluded greeners really believe that the Pacific Carbon
Trust is actually helping to reduce our carbon footprint … meantime common
sense continues to fly out the window.
I’m Alan Forseth in Kamloops … with the thoughts of one conservative.
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