B.C. Conservatives lauded by leadership candidate - Dan Brooks relays resource platform in South Cariboo

The following is an article written by Carole Rooney, which appeared in todays (November 6, 2013) edition of the 100 Mile Free Press.  

 

British Columbia Conservative leadership candidate Dan Brooks recently visited 100 Mile House to meet with potential party supporters.  Brooks is based in Vanderhoof, where he runs a hunting and fishing lodge.

 

"I've been in tourism pretty much all of my life. In my background, I did an awful lot of land and resource management planning." 

 

While his party did not put forward a Cariboo-Chilcotin candidate in the last provincial election, Brooks said he is actively seeking new members in order to begin "building the party" and find a candidate in the constituency. 

 

"Even though we didn't elect anybody, the [B.C.] Conservative Party played a very, very crucial role in this last election, and we took the entire political spectrum to the right, toward free enterprise and personal freedoms. The [B.C.] Liberals tacked to counter us. In previous elections, we weren't a force, and so they could ignore us, but in this election, we were a significant force, and so they had to tack that way." 

 

In this manner, his party did a "great service" for the province and its democracy, he said, so despite having no members sitting in the legislature, those election efforts were not made in vain.

 

"This province will be better by our presence alone. Imagine how much better it will be when we are in government," he added, chuckling. 

 

Brooks explained he realizes people feel discouraged about the lack of strength in his party, but without his right-wing party views, they will only have an "NDP and NDP-like" perspective in the legislature. 

 

"We need a party that represents the ideals of [B.C.] Conservatives across the province. That's what we are trying to build." 

 

Most small rural communities in B.C. are either "outright suffering or stagnant," Brooks said, with little economic growth and dwindling population. 

 

"Across rural B.C. in the last 15 years, we have lost 58,000 people. That's an awful lot of people."

 

Last year, 10,000 residents left the province, he noted, while others have gone to larger urban centres. 

 

"As a potential leader of the [B.C.] Conservative party, that is a worrying trend that I propose to change. So, we have got to put the focus on rebuilding the rural resource economy." 

 

Brooks explained agriculture, forestry and tourism issues in the South Cariboo are likely much the same as in Vanderhoof, as they all require dedicated land. 

 

"So, you have to find ways to utilize land to maximize your revenue base off of that land base. And, there are some deterrents that currently exist." 

 

He noted the first example of this that came to his mind. 

 

"Aboriginal land claims ... have become an economic deterrent, and have made economic growth in our rural resource areas extremely difficult.  I agree entirely with the idea of consultation and accommodation, but you can't perpetuate this indefinitely. At some point in time, someone is going to have to stand up and say, 'we are going to force this issue'." 

 

Brooks added the "biggest problem" on First Nations reserves is abject poverty, and the way to eliminate that is to provide jobs. 

 

"How do you get jobs? You build a rural resource economy. So, by building economic growth in your rural communities, that benefits First Nations." 

 

The current MLAs have become "rubber stamp machines" who follow the party lines, he said, while the B.C. Conservatives will empower constituents by empowering their MLA to represent them as they see fit. 

 

Brooks noted he plans to visit the South Cariboo again before the party leadership elections take place April 11-12. 

 

"I'm going to be down here in 100 Mile the first week of December. This time I'll be holding an event ... we'll have a meet-and-greet."

Will there be more for the next generation, of people in these communities, other than low and minimum pay tourism jobs?

For many living in northern BC … in particular the Burns Lake and Prince George areas, a story in today’s Province newspaper has to remind them of the vulnerability of living and working in small and rural BC communities.

I just returned, on the weekend, from an annual motorcycle trip I take each year with my brother.  Part of the trip took us along the northern coast of Washington State.  Sadly … I saw MANY sawmills in small communities that were shuttered and closed.

In some the equipment was totally removed; while some, long-neglected, remarkably still  had the equipment in them.

We've already seen many sawmills closed here in BC as well.

So the question becomes, “How can we keep jobs available for our small rural communities, and yet still ensure that we do not over harvest?”

Perhaps we have sadly become so efficient in our saw-milling processes that 'small town' BC is only going to be needed, to log the resources, to send them to an ever shrinking number of mega-sawmills.

Even then however, those logging jobs are ever shrinking through on-going mechanization that has been underway for decades.

Is there a balance to be found? … can we retain the jobs needed so that small northern, and interior, communities are able to survive and grown? … will there be more for the next generation, of people in these communities, other than low and minimum pay tourism jobs?

I’m not sure what the answer is, but I’m interested in hearing your thoughts. 

Meantime, here’s the story that ran, as I mentioned, in today’s edition of the Province newspaper, “MLAs aren't facing the truth: B.C. forests are tapped out”

I’m Alan Forseth in Kamloops … with the questions of one conservative. 


RESPONSE ... well I did ask for your thoughts and comments, and I did receive one from Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad.  Here is what he had to say:

This article makes a number of assumptions that are plain and simply wrong. First, marginally economic stands: in Williams Lake, companies are operating in stands with volume as low as 85 cubic metres per hectare. In the Lakes TSA that number is 140. If we partition off volume between 100 and 140, the Lakes TSA can sustain an additional cut of 380,000 cubic metres annually.

Companies can do this in other areas so why not in the lakes? In addition, by partitioning this volume, companies would actually have to operate in this type of wood to gain the volume. They can't use it to leverage taking additional wood from better quality stands.

Second, fertilization is something we're already doing in BC. Other jurisdictions have been very successful with their programs and the committee's recommendations is to look at this and beef up a program in BC. Growing more fibre and capturing more value from it is the key to our forestry future.

Finally, many supply areas treat old growth management areas as NON-SPATIAL. In the Lakes TSA, they are defined spatially which is what creates the reduction in the supply. So if a spatial OGMA gets hit by a fire, pest or another issue, does it still have OLD GROWTH values?

These types of stands are now called DOGMAs or Dead OGMAs. Non-spatial OGMAs allow for the targets and goals of these areas to be met over a supply area rather than a specific spot. But keep in mind that the committee isn't recommending doing this. Rather, do a scientific review and then provide that information to the local LRMP group for their review and recommendation.

The committee's report tried to provide a sign-post towards a shift in forest management. This shift works towards higher levels of silviculture investments, growing more fibre and growing more value. It's the right direction to go which is also why it was unanimously supported.

... only the first step … then they need to implement those ideas

I am sure that many of you who are reading this, are not aware of the vast distance and geography of the 3 ridings that make up Kamloops South Thompson, Kamloops North Thompson, and the Fraser Nicola. I certainly wasn't until a short time ago.

Kamloops of course is the largest city in the 3 ridings however there are dozens of smaller communities stretching from Manning Park near Hope in the South … over towards Pemberton in the West … up and over to Clinton and then to Blue River in the North ... and east out to Chase.

The greatest revenue driver to BC’s economy is the heartland where forestry and logging … ranching and agriculture … mining, gas, and other natural resources all rein supreme.  While some of them are in a downturn at the moment, we all know there are cycles that industry goes through and over the long haul our BC economy benefits from all of them. 

These are not the minimum paying jobs that seem to be the majority of what’s being created these days – they are the kinds of jobs that allow men and woman to renovate or build new homes, purchase new vehicles, create new businesses, send children to colleges and university, and more.

BC Politics --- The Stories of 2010

Happy New Year ... I hope that you were able to enjoy a great Christmas with family and friends. As you read this, I am away for several days so that our family can visit and spend time with family.

I have a great deal of confidence for the conservative movement in British Columbia in 2011, and as 2010 ends, let's take a look back at some of the events that happened in the wacky world of BC politics:


Jan. 20: The BC government issues layoff notices to 233 provincial employees in the second round of cost-cutting measures since B.C.'s deficit soared in 2009.

Jan 21^st ... Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health, which carry out directives issued by Health Minister Kevin Falcon, are cancelling 2,450 surgeries this February through March. The government has characterized the reduction in operating room procedures as an "Olympic slowdown". Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health, which carry out directives issued by Health Minister Kevin Falcon, are cancelling 2,450 surgeries this February through March. The government has characterized the reduction in operating room procedures as an "Olympic slowdown".

February 1^st ...Today B.C. Liberal agriculture minister Steve Thompson suggested in a radio interview that the Buy B.C. program could be the key to helping struggling fruit growers in the Okanagan stay in business, yet despite the fact that the program costs little more than what the government is spending on Olympic tickets for B.C. Liberal friends and insiders, he would not commit to reinstating it.

March 2: The B.C. government tables a budget that forecasts a $1.7 billion deficit this fiscal year, and reveals a BC Hydro plan to increase rates by 15 per cent in the next two years. The budget maintains the government’s priority of protecting core services in health and education and commits every dollar raised through the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) and four other revenue streams to be used for health services funding when the HST comes into effect July 1, 2010.”.  While health and education have received modest increases in funding, other provincial ministries are facing significant cuts: Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation, Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, Forests and Range and the Healthy Living and Sport Ministries.