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BC Liberals
Sun, 2015-01-11 21:52
#1
BC Liberals
Sun, 2015-01-11 21:53
#2
Exclusive! Premier Clark Grants Official Recognition to Republic of Ishmaelia
Tyee man witness to history. Important, if true!
http://www.thetyee.ca/Opinion/2015/01/10/Clark_Recognizes_Republic_Ishma...
Tue, 2015-01-13 20:16
#3
Too bad there is no real opposition to Clark but there just isn't. She is probbly going to be Premier for the next 10 years.
The BC NDP can't even provide membership cards to its members. Seriously!
Bad News for P3 Loving BC Liberals
Government's own report full of concerns about public-private partnerships
Wed, 2015-01-14 00:10
#4
Too bad there is no real opposition to Clark but there just isn't. She is probbly going to be Premier for the next 10 years.The BC NDP can't even provide membership cards to its members. Seriously
I like John and he is a great guy. But he seems to have fallen flat, unfortunately. And the MSM here in BC seems to mock him to boot.
To wit, just last Monday the highly watched Global BC NewsHour had an expose on John. Two problems. It was at the very end of the Newshour, after sports, when most have switched channels. And on that night most folk, including myself, were watching the Canadian Junior Hockey championship between Canada and Russia. After the fact, couldn't believe it.
Just shows how biased BC's MSM is against the NDP. And the interview with John reflected that. Was conducted by Squire Barnes, Global News sportscaster, of all people. And then he went on with the preamble that John's job is "Akin to herding cats". Pathetic. And then they looked at some dolls on the shelf in John's office. Bizarre.
Here's the vid:
http://globalnews.ca/video/1756794/squires-take-what-you-didnt-know-abou...
And yesterday, Vaughn Palmer, in his Vancouver Sun column, stated that the BC Lieberals will be the big winner in the new seat redistribution:
Vaughn Palmer: Mapping the politics of electoral boundaries in B.C. There’ll be winners, losers by the time commission completes its redistribution workBY VAUGHN PALMER, VANCOUVER SUN COLUMNIST JANUARY 12
The riding-by-riding population numbers on website provide clues as to where things are likely to be headed in terms of the political balance.
The dozen or so seats with the smallest populations are split roughly 50/50 between the government and Opposition. Not so with the dozen or so seats with the highest populations. Those split about three to one in favour of the Liberals.
Not surprising that the faster-growing parts of the province would tend to be happier with and more supportive of the government. But at this stage, that counts as one more reason why the next election is the Liberals’ to lose.
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Vaughn+Palmer+Mapping+politics+electora...
Why do I have a feeling that the BC Lieberals are gonna play the same stunt as the fed Cons with new riding boundaries here in BC? Where the fed NDP lose a few seats and the fed Cons win another chunk, with BC fed riding boundary changes?
On the bright side, the BC Greens also apparently have some problems. The newly elected Green-backed mayor of Saanich in Greater Victoria seems to be a complete and utter flake. Lying to media? Extra-marital affair? Conspiracy theories against Saanich PD? Laughing stock of BC MSM? Essentiallly BC's version of Rob Ford. Just wish the media would state that he was backed by the Greens. Will come out eventually in any event.
http://globalnews.ca/news/1769980/saanich-mayor-alleges-hes-being-harass...
Wed, 2015-01-14 00:39
#5
While I respect Horgan a lot, he seems like a caretaker leader.
Wed, 2015-01-14 11:22
#6
Would someone to explain to me where in the world the NDP can possibly increase their seat count.
I just don't see it.
And if even one of these LNG plants go ahead the BC NDP might as well close up shop, as they will be done like dinner.
BC's political future looks like two right-wing parties wsill be fighting it out for future governments: right-wing BC Liberls vs right-wing Greens.
And don't talk about COPE as they are now a joke.
Wed, 2015-01-14 14:13
#7
Would someone to explain to me where in the world the NDP can possibly increase their seat count.
Maybe if they bring in more rules restricting who can be candidates?
Thu, 2015-01-22 13:18
#8
Some research comparing income growth from province to province puts BC dead last for growth between 2006 and 2012.
The Broadbent Institute analyzed data from Statistics Canada and found Saskatchewan’s median income went up 25 per cent during that period and Newfoundland’s went up nearly 40 per cent, thanks to a boom in oil.
BC’s went down 2.4 per cent. That means the median income went from $29,917 to $29,200.
Here in Metro Vancouver, it went down by three per cent.
People working in the Abbotsford-Mission area took even more of a hit, with the median income there going down more than five per cent from $28,131 to $26,710.
By Alison Bailey
http://www.news1130.com/2015/01/22/bc-had-the-worst-income-growth-in-can...
Some people think Vancouver is prosperous because of our insane real estate market. The truth is, it is a double-whammy: falling incomes and rising housing costs. This is a brutal place to live for a large part of the population.
Oh my dear dysfunctional BCNDP, you are my only option, because it will be a cold day in hell before I vote for a Liberal.
Thu, 2015-01-22 14:18
#9
86 year-old respected BC company dies under Liberal rule.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/williams-moving-and-stora...
There was no reason for this to happen other than a badly managed economy with declining incomes.
Fri, 2015-01-23 00:14
#10
86 year-old respected BC company dies under Liberal rule.http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/williams-moving-and-stora...
There was no reason for this to happen other than a badly managed economy with declining incomes.
BD, I was totally shocked by Williams going under as well. Have been renowned as the best moving firm for decades. Bar none. And they have a great Unifor workforce. BTW, Williams is now in both BC and AB.
Frankly, have to disagree with the declining income bit. Esp. when ya look at the highest increases in Canada from your previous post:
Statistics Canada and found Saskatchewan’s median income went up 25 per cent during that period and Newfoundland’s went up nearly 40 per cent, thanks to a boom in oil.
There's your answer. Offshore oil and gas in the Queen Charlotte basin in NW BC would be akin to Nfld offshore oil and gas sector. But many oppose same here in BC. I am with forner BC NDP premier Dan Miller in supporting same. As well as pipelines, LNG, mining, etc. Tens of 1,000's of highly paid unionized positions, which would bring BC median income up to the same increases seen in SK and Nfld. BTW, I am from the Dan Miller side of the party. But many others oppose same.
PS. Still can't believe how the BC MSM can give all of their attention to the lone Green MLA Weaver against the 34-member BC NDP opposition. Just again tonight, on Global BC's News Hour, Weaver was again near the top of the news about alternatives to the MSP premium. Of course, no BC NDP member in sight. Never can understand BC's MSM. Frankly.
http://globalnews.ca/news/1787860/msp-premiums-should-be-based-on-what-a...
Fri, 2015-01-23 01:55
#11
Frankly, have to disagree with the declining income bit. Esp. when ya look at the highest increases in Canada from your previous post:Statistics Canada and found Saskatchewan’s median income went up 25 per cent during that period and Newfoundland’s went up nearly 40 per cent, thanks to a boom in oil.There's your answer. Offshore oil and gas in the Queen Charlotte basin in NW BC would be akin to Nfld offshore oil and gas sector. But many oppose same here in BC. I am with forner BC NDP premier Dan Miller in supporting same. As well as pipelines, LNG, mining, etc. Tens of 1,000's of highly paid unionized positions, which would bring BC median income up to the same increases seen in SK and Nfld. BTW, I am from the Dan Miller side of the party. But many others oppose same.
I'm not sure that the math here adds up. For one, the major population centres are in Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island, so I don't see how offshore drilling in that area would raise median incomes in BC that much. Even so, there are also challenges that come with boom times, especially in small communities when they have difficulty housing all the people coming there to find work. (Read about some of the challenges facing places like Fort Mac or Willistion, North Dakota for example, and Saskatchewan is no longer as affordable a place to live as it once was.)
But hey, jobs are important! And having runaway climate change and a poisoned water supply are just small prices to pay, no?
Fri, 2015-01-23 06:37
#12
This is the way to deal with scammers like this and good on the CBC for exposing it.
But what is Christy Clark doing to protect tenants? Not much it seems.
Fri, 2015-01-23 08:49
#13
Christy Clark not taking credit for B.C. Parks camping fees going up
https://www.straight.com/blogra/812251/christy-clark-not-taking-credit-b...
Fri, 2015-01-23 10:26
#14
Christy Clark tells laid off oil workers to ‘come home’ to B.C.
http://www.ipolitics.ca/2015/01/22/christy-clark-tells-laid-off-oil-work...
Fri, 2015-01-23 12:47
#15
The way things are going, people in BC will soon be so impoverished and desperate that they will let any multinational have a go at our resources. Maybe that's the plan.
I'm still getting my head around the fact that incomes are actually dropping here. This looks like more of a problem than oil and gas money can fix.
One theory I have is some people are just going into more debt to make up for their dropping incomes. If the real estate market implodes, there is going to be blood in the streets.
Fri, 2015-01-23 21:03
#16
John Horgan was a 90's backroom person for the BCNDP. That there is why he should not be leader. The BCNDP just do not get it, they have to get someone fresh that has no ties whatsoever to the 90's NDP....But again BC is a right wing province like Alberta. The only way the NDP have ever won in BC is when there is a split on the right or centre...
Sat, 2015-01-24 02:54
#17
I'm not sure that the math here adds up. For one, the major population centres are in Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island, so I don't see how offshore drilling in that area would raise median incomes in BC that much.
Ari, thought ya would know me by now. Sometimes I need to be "tongue-in cheek" in order to make a point. NW BC offshore oil and gas production will never fly because BC land-based natural gas reserves in NE BC are likely the largest in Canada and much cheaper to produce.
Even with natural oil seeps in the Queen Charlotte Isles (Haida Gwaii), locating same on an offshore platform is akin to finding a proverbial needle in a haystack due to underlying geology. And very expensive break-even point, after the fact, in terms of production. Ceteris paribus. And have not even mentioned more important FN opposition.
But completely hypothetically speaking, let's say that NW BC would now be a major oil and natural gas producer for BC. Would undoubtedly have major economic and financial impact upon BC akin to Nfld. In that vein, look at the oil sands in Fort Mac. Without same, service employment in Edmonton as well as white collar employment in Calgary would be severely reduced. Multiplier employment effects. That was what I was inferring.
Even so, there are also challenges that come with boom times, especially in small communities when they have difficulty housing all the people coming there to find work. (Read about some of the challenges facing places like Fort Mac or Willistion, North Dakota for example, and Saskatchewan is no longer as affordable a place to live as it once was.)But hey, jobs are important! And having runaway climate change and a poisoned water supply are just small prices to pay, no?
I always look at everything from a RealPolitik perspective. Well, most of the time I hope to think. For example, Williston, North Dakota is ground zero for North Dakota's oil boom in the Bakken Basin. ND has gone from virtually nothing, in terms of oil production ~7 years ago, to ~3 million barrals per day today. Now ND is the 2nd largest oil-producing state in the U.S.
And that is sweet, light crude compared to AB's heavy bitumen from the oil sands. Albeit ND's sweet, light-crude is fracked from shale. And requires enormous water resources.
I am sure that you are familiar with Virden, MB in SW MB. An oil-producing region albeit a minor player in the scheme of things. As a matter of fact, Virden is not that far away from Williston, ND geographically speaking. Now imagine if those Bakken basin oil assets were situate, instead, in or near Virden, MB! Just for a moment.
The MB NDP gov't would never have had to increase the PST by 1%. No poli fallout. No MB NDP leadership convention. In fact, MB would be the wealthiest province in Canada. And the MB NDP gov't would have strict environmental controls over their "ND Bakken" oil production. Would send light oil east to ON and PQ instead of AB bitumen through proposed Energy East pipeline.
And the MB NDP gov't would have funds to pay for day care, health care, education, infrastructure, etc. that would make MB the envy of Canada. And the MB PCs would become irrelevant. That's my ultimate point. Not too far from social democratic Norway in terms of oil production. In that scenario, what's not to like?
Sat, 2015-01-24 17:51
#18
I am sure that you are familiar with Virden, MB in SW MB. An oil-producing region albeit a minor player in the scheme of things. As a matter of fact, Virden is not that far away from Williston, ND geographically speaking. Now imagine if those Bakken basin oil assets were situate, instead, in or near Virden, MB! Just for a moment.The MB NDP gov't would never have had to increase the PST by 1%. No poli fallout. No MB NDP leadership convention. In fact, MB would be the wealthiest province in Canada. And the MB NDP gov't would have strict environmental controls over their "ND Bakken" oil production. Would send light oil east to ON and PQ instead of AB bitumen through proposed Energy East pipeline.
And the MB NDP gov't would have funds to pay for day care, health care, education, infrastructure, etc. that would make MB the envy of Canada. And the MB PCs would become irrelevant. That's my ultimate point. Not too far from social democratic Norway in terms of oil production. In that scenario, what's not to like?
There is already talk about a "labour shortage" around the Virden area as it is, and the affordable housing crunch in Brandon was so bad that the city breifly elected an NDP-backed mayor over the issue. I'm not sure that if the oil fields you mentioned were directly under Virden that it would mean more money for Manitoba, unless you know more about the province's resource royalty structure than I do. Incidentally, the NDP was for a long time promoting hydro electricity as "Manitoba's oil," and Hydro had some pretty lucrative American contracts. Still hasn't stopped the anti-NDP contingent in this province, although since Pallister can't keep his mouth shut, I'm not sure we can necessarily assume the PCs will be relevant.
Mon, 2015-01-26 13:48
#19
It doesn't matter what it costs the taxpayers, it is going ahead. But money for schools, healthcare, and seniors, forget that nonsense
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
2013PREM0095-001430Sept. 20, 2013Office of the Premier
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
B.C. moves forward with bridge to replace Massey Tunnel
VANCOUVER – Today, Premier Christy Clark announced that the Government of British Columbia will move ahead on the project to replace the George Massey Tunnel, with construction of a new bridge on the existing Highway 99 corridor to begin in 2017.
“We are keeping our promise to replace the George Massey Tunnel and improve the Highway 99 corridor, starting in 2017,” said Premier Christy Clark. “Congestion at the tunnel is frustrating for families and stalling the economy. A new bridge will improve travel times for transit, commuters and commercial users, and open the corridor up to future rapid transit options.”
https://pricetags.wordpress.com/2015/01/22/motordom-fail-port-mann-in-de...
Tue, 2015-01-27 16:33
#20
Memo to Clark: Public Education Just Won Big in Washington State
BC should take careful note of its neighbour's mistakes.
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2015/01/20/BC-Washington-Public-Education/
Wed, 2015-02-18 00:02
#21
[url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-budget-2015-canada-s-... claims the only budget surplus in Canada:[/url]
British Columbia's higher than expected surplus of close to a billion dollars puts the province in a one-of-a-kind club."We are the fiscally healthiest team in the league," Finance Minister Mike de Jong proclaimed in his speech to the B.C. Legislature in Victoria on Tuesday afternoon.
Stricken by the collapse of global energy and commodity prices, so far no other Canadian province has forecast a budget in the black this year — yet B.C.'s Liberal government will manage to end 2014-15 with a surplus twice as large as predicted as recently as November.
Fri, 2015-02-20 01:10
#22
British Columbia's higher than expected surplus of close to a billion dollars puts the province in a one-of-a-kind club."We are the fiscally healthiest team in the league," Finance Minister Mike de Jong proclaimed in his speech to the B.C. Legislature in Victoria on Tuesday afternoon.
Stricken by the collapse of global energy and commodity prices, so far no other Canadian province has forecast a budget in the black this year — yet B.C.'s Liberal government will manage to end 2014-15 with a surplus twice as large as predicted as recently as November.
Don't really see how that's possible. I think there's something seriously amiss there.
Sat, 2015-02-21 13:25
#23
There is no real surplus with a $66B debt. Its just accounting tricks, the BC liberals sold off a bunch of assets and increased fees. They are making the NDP look like financial wizards but because they are pandering to the wealthy, they get a pass in the media.
Sun, 2015-02-22 14:28
#24
[url=http://gensqueeze.ca/bc-builds-billion-surplus-by-spending-little-on-you... budget leaves young people behind:[/url]
Medical care will get $220 million. This is the biggest piece of the new spending pie… again. The 2015 budget carries on a long tradition of growing total medical care spending with little public dialogue about the pros and cons of this new spending, nor how to maximize the bang for the buck by investing in health promotion, or seniors care outside of hospitals.When the new spending is broken down by age, the BC government will find an extra $361 per person over 65, compared to $29-$58 per person under 45, and $40-73 per person age 45-64.
Before readers assume that retirees are doing fantastically well, it is important to recognize that the proportion of the population over age 65 will increase again this year, and that medical care costs increase at this life stage. As a result, the extra $361 allocated to each retiree simply covers most of these expected cost increases – nothing new.
Still, as a province, we need to start talking about why we think younger British Columbians deserve just 16 per cent of the new per capita spending allocated to retirees. Why do we prioritize young citizens less, especially when the data show that they are age group for whom full-time earnings have fallen most substantially compared to a generation ago, and for whom today’s high housing prices pose the biggest challenges.