With the resignation of former Attorney General Barry Penner, Christy
Clark now has two by-elections to call in the next few months --- by-elections
that John Cummins and the BC Conservatives say they will be in. There’s news on that … plus much more ... so read on! Remember the full stories can be accessed by clicking the link in the story title.)
… global economy goes from being a media phrase to something that
threatens our jobs … it’s suddenly very real and very personal … and when hope
gets lost, fear takes hold. Fear that our future will be bleak. Fear that what
we’ve worked for will be lost … leadership and action can trump fear, and
cynicism … need to stand together, to work together, and make the changes
required … need to face our future not with fear or retreat, but with
confidence and advancement on our strengths…
… Community Living BC expressed regret for the harm caused and
promised that, except in certain circumstances, nobody will be moved against
their will in the future … follow recent reversals by CLBC in which it canceled
plans to close homes and move residents ... spoken to
families and apologized for the agency’s tactics. “We regret the stress that we caused in their
lives and we’re doing what we can to make that a better situation for them,” he
said …
… the crisis in community living has stirred something significant in
us, demanding immediate action and decisive leadership. In many ways it has become the barometer of
how we are doing in B.C., striking a fundamental cord chord of justice and
fairness….
… elections agency wants to use
high school classes to pre-register teens to vote when they turn 18 … presented
by chief electoral officer Keith Archer to a committee of MLAs Thursday …
attempt to increase voter participation among 18- to 25-year-olds, the age
group that's the least likely to vote …
… the BC Liberals ought to have had the inside track. Trasolini was not
only a strong supporter of the governing party, there was a well-documented
political and personal tie to Premier Christy Clark … backed Clark in her first
bid for provincial office… three years later, she returned the favour, with an
enthusiastic endorsement his first bid for the mayor's chair… remained close on
a personal level as well, a point underscored by a telling detail in the
Province newspaper files…
… now lost her second former cabinet minister since she took
over … former labour minister Iain Black left the government to become
president and CEO of the Vancouver Board of Trade … hinted there may be
others in her caucus who choose to leave ... “It's possible. I think it's certainly true
that there will be some people who decide they don't want to run in the next
election,"
… asked if the candidates the party will field will be well known to
voters Cummins replied, "Certainly
in the Fraser Valley the name will be very recognizable I can think people can
say the same for the Coquitlam riding these are people that have been active in
political circles if you will in British Columbia for some time and some
actually have a fair amount of public exposure over time." He says the Fraser Valley, federally, is a
conservative stronghold and he is counting on that being a big advantage…
… Rich Coleman, Harry Bloy and Mary Polak didn't stand, reflecting,
perhaps, some bruised feelings among the Liberals over how unflinching
Turpel-Lafond has been in her criticism of government policies on children in
care….
Hydro
reps to make case to City council on smart meters
Smart meters are the wave of the future… B.C. Hydro representatives maintain … resistance to the wave is gathering strength … to have the public utility’s program halted … The BC Conservatives are also calling on the government to end the installation. “The B.C. government should never have let BC Hydro proceed with its smart meter program,” party leader John Cummins said. “It is a terrible initiative that will ultimately cost the taxpayers of this province dearly.” ….
Smart meters are the wave of the future… B.C. Hydro representatives maintain … resistance to the wave is gathering strength … to have the public utility’s program halted … The BC Conservatives are also calling on the government to end the installation. “The B.C. government should never have let BC Hydro proceed with its smart meter program,” party leader John Cummins said. “It is a terrible initiative that will ultimately cost the taxpayers of this province dearly.” ….
the average annual loss of liquid fuels from these pipelines at two
litres for every million litres moved. The safety performance of these
companies, in other words, can be expressed as 99.999 per cent. Accidents happen, of course, mostly as a
result from corrosion in old pipelines. But old pipeline infrastructure isn’t
an argument against pipelines. It’s an argument for new pipelines …
… the Liberal government is refusing to provide a position on the
project. "It is disappointing that we will not
hear Premier Clark's opinion on this crucial matter until after the next
election. As the leader of the province, she should be championing this project
which will be an enormous boost for northern BC."
… project would generate $1.2 billion in provincial tax revenues over
thirty years in BC … create 35,000 person-years of employment during its
construction with over 500 of these being long-term jobs.
… if voters truly want accountability and transparency restored to BC
politics, it starts with prying the fingers of BC politicians off the wallets
of large corporate and union donors, whether it’s at the local or provincial
level … numbers confirm one truism about politics: money wins elections.
… wants to see a full report on the details of the controversial
deal. "We, as a province, cannot
afford to keep making these sorts of agreements with these Native bands any
more than we can afford to delay any of the mining projects that are on the
boards here in British Columbia."
Les Leyne: Rough
economic seas ahead, Clark warns
Clark put an enormous amount of work into the venture … measuring the
success of these missions is always tricky … accepted practice is to negotiate
a bunch of deals beforehand, then fly over and announce them one by one … Clark
left with about 60 announcements all set to go… some of the deals are so vague
they're probably not an accurate measure of success …
... BC's carbon emission trading plan died last week at the age of four...
came as BC capital hosted politicians from neighbouring U.S. states and western
provinces for their annual economic conference... BC the only jurisdiction in
North America with a carbon tax, and an emission reduction target twice as
ambitious ... all B.C.’s border states and provinces have an economic advantage
for emitting industries...
Health Canada is slow to act on potential issues that it identifies …
time lag, outlined in an audit tabled Tuesday in the House of Commons and
characterized as “serious,” means people sometimes have to wait more than two
years before Health Canada completes a drug safety review of a product already
on the market and provides updated information about their risks… the audit
also found gaps in transparency that are keeping Canadians in the dark about
Health Canada’s drug-safety work …
You’ll also want to check out this refresher on what the BC government
already did to sabotage drug safety in BC … AN OPEN
LETTER FROM DOCTORS, PHARACISTS, AND NURSES … Censoring
B. C.'s health care jewel … Critics
decry change in drug-approval process (this one has links to original stories
in the Victoria Times Colonist, the Globe and Mail, the Vancouver Sun, Candia
Wire, & the Tyee)
" ... why such a waste of time and money? … Liberals want to line up on the side of
people who think the gun registry was a terrible idea — voters who might drift
to Cummins and the Conservatives … more (time) on speedy project decisions
would serve the public better. Bill
Bennett used a private member’s statement to blast both parties for their
handling of the project … “The twists and turns in government process over the
last 20 years on this project are a disgrace … should be embarrassed by the
unjust way this proponent has been forced to tread water for 20 years … Please,
let’s have a decision.”
… experts are divided on what the levy has achieved and how it must
evolve…
HERE IS WHAT I SAY: How can we take this report seriously when it fails to account for the pillaging of taxpayer resources that should be going to schools & health care, and which instead go into the Pacific carbon trust? How can anyone take seriously a report that complete fails to point out Pacific Carbon Trust then takes this money and gives it to gas companies; as well as forestry companies that ARE cutting down just as many trees as before? This IS NOT a carbon tax ... it has ALWAYS BEEN a tax grab!
HERE IS WHAT I SAY: How can we take this report seriously when it fails to account for the pillaging of taxpayer resources that should be going to schools & health care, and which instead go into the Pacific carbon trust? How can anyone take seriously a report that complete fails to point out Pacific Carbon Trust then takes this money and gives it to gas companies; as well as forestry companies that ARE cutting down just as many trees as before? This IS NOT a carbon tax ... it has ALWAYS BEEN a tax grab!
Making
the case for electoral finance reform --
Politicians should be responsible only to voters, not big spenders … if voters truly want accountability and transparency restored to B.C. politics, it starts with prying the fingers of politicians off the wallets of large corporate and union donors, whether at the local or provincial level…
Politicians should be responsible only to voters, not big spenders … if voters truly want accountability and transparency restored to B.C. politics, it starts with prying the fingers of politicians off the wallets of large corporate and union donors, whether at the local or provincial level…
The conclusion of this story
states: "High levels of
economic freedom are a key ingredient in creating prosperity," said Fred
McMahon, Fraser Institute vice-president of international research and a
co-author of Economic Freedom of North America 2011. "Provinces with high
levels of economic freedom provide families with higher standards of
living."
I’m Alan Forseth in Kamloops. That’s
all for this week … unless of course something catches my attention over the weekend
… which it often does. Meantime take care, be safe, and wherever you
are in our great province, enjoy your weekend.
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