This week’s
news wrap is going up this morning, and one item is still to be announced, but
that we all know will be coming … relief to BC’s construction industry on the
HST.
Court
backlogs continued to make the news, but political news this week in BC also
included the release of yet another report on seniors care … and concerns by
the Auditor General around BC forests.
Now …
here’s just a few of the stories that made the news this week …
Political
scientist Hamish Telford is placing his bet — if he were a gambling man — on
the BC Conservatives to win the upcoming by-election in Chilliwack-Hope …
believes the “odds are stacked” against the BC Liberals holding the riding
because of “broad dissatisfaction” among voters with the party’s performance in
government …
'My kids don't have a mom,' man says after
wife's death ... family of a young mother killed in a hit and run is outraged the case against
the alleged driver is among thousands in BC at risk of being thrown out because
of a huge court backlog. “We were told
it could possibly get thrown away because of time delay” … “It’s disgusting. It’s absolutely
disgusting.” …
… the
Liberals rightly know this by-election will be different … they can’t afford to
see a Liberal stronghold slip from their fingers … victory for the BC Conservatives would give the party
credibility and possibly its first sitting MLA … win for the NDP would give the
New Democrats further motivation as they prepare to ride their current wave of
popularity into next year’s general election …
John
Martin, the BC Conservative candidate in Chilliwack-Hope, said scare tactics
are not going to push the riding’s small-c conservatives into voting for the BC
Liberal candidate. “The BC Liberals are
trying to make people feel guilty and scared, that they owe them their
vote. They’re not defending their
record, but scaring people that they have to vote Liberal or have this prospect
of an NDP government.” …
... point
is based on a sharply worded judgment by Judge Daniel Steinberg three weeks ago
in which he stayed charges against a suspect as a direct payback to the
government for under-funding the justice system … the latest in a series of
increasingly bitter complaints from the judiciary about how clogged the courts
are … while Clark tried last week to buy time with a study of the underlying problems,
judgments like Steinberg's are going to put a lot of pressure on her to do
something more, and fast …
Administrator
Marg Brown said the hospital is still busy, but patient pressures are slowing
down. Still, there were between 250 and
260 patients admitted to the hospital as she spoke at about noon Wednesday,
with some of them on beds in the hallways …
…
finally released a massive 400-page tome on Tuesday, three-and-a-half years
after it started. … makes no less than 143 findings and contains 176 specific
recommendations … astonishingly prescriptive document that recommends how the
government should run every single aspect of the care system for seniors …
…
experts say it's a clear sign John Cummins' is trying to translate recent gains
in the polls into attracting credible candidates. "It has to be their No. 1 priority to
put credible candidates in as many districts as possible." (Norman Ruff,
University of Victoria) … will only benefit the party by producing a stronger
class of candidates …
Editorial:
Single
review process needed to break logjam
Every
major development project in British Columbia is subject to an environmental
assessment before permits are issued allowing it to proceed … this is as it
should be. Delays and uncertainty are
discouraging business investment … depriving Canadians of the jobs and other
benefits these projects could provide … it’s time for “one project, one review”
to graduate from rhetoric to reality ...
BC
government workers are being encouraged to “frequently” give each other
presents on the taxpayers’ tab as a way to boost morale … include backpacks and
travel bags from Mountain Equipment Co-Op, boxes of Purdy’s and Roger’s
chocolates, designer ceramic travel mugs, CamelBak water bottles, government-logo
golf balls and pewter business card holders … part of the government’s
$1.5-million staff-appreciation program for rewarding workers who do a good job
…
John Cummins condemned Premier
Christy Clark for "disrespecting the Legislature" in failing to
announce a date to elect a new MLA in the riding, as well as in Chilliwack-Hope
… Clark, who was in Port Moody earlier this month, was mum about the timing of
the by-election when asked …
… labour
dispute will have Premier Christy Clark’s government waging battle outside the
legislature this spring as well ... not talking about the fight with public
school teachers ... this conflict pits two titans of the justice system: The
provincial court judges are taking the attorney general to court for a wage
hike, with a court date set down for March ...
Auditor-general
says government efforts not enough to halt decline of forests … ministry lacks
clearly defined timber objectives … cannot ensure management practices are
effective; existing management practices are insufficient to offset the trend
of timber supply and declining biodiversity in some areas; monitoring of timber
results is insufficient to measure whether existing objectives are being met …
...
over the past two years, the provincial government has seen a 22 per cent
increase in the number of public sector employees making more than $100,000 a
year. Wages are the single largest cost driver in government. That’s almost
four times the median income in B.C., and puts them in the top four per cent of
provincial income earners ...
Peter
Simpson, president of the Greater Vancouver Home Builders' Association, said
he’s hoping the budget will include tax relief to help his industry survive
what looks like a tough final year of the HST in B.C. “We need clarity right
now on the transition rules.” … an individual thinking about buying a condo now
that won’t be complete until after the HST is phased out does not know if the
HST will be charged. People think if they wait until the HST is gone they’ll
get a better deal on a new home or renovations…
Seniors
in need of an assessment to determine what kind of subsidized care they require
are waiting significantly longer than the two-week guideline established by the
province, according to the B.C. ombudsperson’s report on seniors …
I’m
Alan Forseth in Kamloops … have a great weekend.
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