British Columbia, Canada's topics - tribe.net

Giving ordinary people a chance to be heard again

2008-05-22T22:01:57Z

Dear Friend,

Politics is about listening.

Gordon Campbell doesn't seem to get this.

That's why his priorities are so out of touch with those of ordinary people in BC.

Take a look at the record:

While the minimum wage hasn't been raised for 7 years -- Campbell voted himself a $65,000 pay raise.

While waitlists for health care grow longer and hospitals dangerously grow overcrowded -- Campbell wasted almost $500 million on out-of-control spending on the Vancouver Convention Centre.

While seniors suffer neglect and abuse in government-funded care homes -- Campbell has gone $175 million overbudget on the Sea-to-Sky highway to Whistler.

While working families pay more for everything from fuel to tuition -- Campbell's Abbotsford experiment in private hospital construction has eaten up $144 million in overruns.

And while Campbell refused to pay $170,000 to counsel sexually-abused children -- he let the Children's Ministry blow $360,000 on glitzy renovations.

I think it's time to make Gordon Campbell listen. To tell him to invest this money in health care and education, not mismanaged projects that benefit Liberal friends and insiders.

That's why I'm excited about Neighbour to Neighbour Day.

On May 24, New Democrats in communities around the province are going to work together to help ordinary people be heard again.

On doorsteps, coffee shops and street corners, we'll be giving everyone a chance to express their hopes and fears about life in BC today and we'll be taking these hopes and fears directly to Gordon Campbell, in the work of our MLAs, in our platform, and in the election campaign.

You know, New Democrats have always worked to bring people together and give ordinary folks a voice.

That's how we changed the world with achievements like public health care, pensions for all, and recognition of the need to protect the environment.

But it's exciting to use new technology to find new supporters, give ordinary people new tools, and build a foundation for the achievements to come.

If you'd like to find out more, visit the Neighbour to Neighbour web site or Facebook group.

There's never been a better time to get involved.

The next election is less than a year away.

The province stands at a crossroads.

Will you have a government that listens to you?

Or a government that refuses to change?

It really is up to you.

Sincerely,

Carole James
Leader,
B.C. New Democrats

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

Tibetan Freedom Torch and Festival

2008-05-06T00:30:01Z

Light the Passion, Share the Dream: Freedom and Justice for Tibet

***********
The Tibetan Freedom Torch symbolizes the hopes and aspirations of the Tibetan people for freedom and justice and the commitment of people around the world to helping achieve this dream. As the Freedom Torch reaches Vancouver Tibetans and Tibetan supporters will share in the spirit of survival, celebrating the hopes and determination of Tibetan people.

***********
Rally at the Chinese Consolate -12:00pm- 1:00pm

Lighting Ceremony, speeches, facepainting and rally. Runners will be cheered on as they make their way to the closing ceremonies at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Placards will be available.

***********
Tibetan Freedom Festival- 2pm - Vancouver Art Gallery (North Side)

Speeches and Performances by...

Hayfa Makes Music
ShennPenn Khymsar
Tibetan Childrens Choir
Pepe Danza
+ More

http://www.tibetanfreedomtorch.org/
http://www.tibet.ca/

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

new tribe: Kootenay Entertainment

2008-04-27T18:39:32Z

Everyone is invited to visit and participate in a new tribe;
http://tribes.tribe.net/kootenayentertainment
see you there.
Leah

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

reminders from Carole James

2008-04-04T21:42:43Z

Dear Friend,

A week ago, the Campbell government dropped a bombshell announcement late on Friday afternoon. My caucus and I have been working hard to get to the bottom of it.

Gordon Campbell still can't explain how it's acceptable for the public to be kept in the dark as John Les, the province's top cop, is under police investigation for almost a year.

But there's something else that concerns me about the cloud hanging over John Les and the whole Campbell government.

British Columbians need and deserve a government that makes their life better - but Campbell and his friends are too busy defending themselves from a growing list of ethical questions.

These last few days provide a very clear example.

On Tuesday, families in BC faced stiff increases in the cost of heating their homes and commuting on our ferry system. And these are just the latest increases:

BC Hydro rates have increased 36% -- an average of $255 per household

Transit fares are now the highest in Canada - costing an extra $400 a year for some commuters

Terasen Gas rates went up last fall, adding another $48 to the average residential bill

Last year, Campbell's cuts to child care funding leave a family of four with two kids paying an extra $1920 annually

In the last few years, increases to Pharmacare leave seniors paying an average of $276 more for the medicine they need, and increased fees for long-term care can cost up to $5476 more

Tuition fees have doubled since 2001, and students are now paying an average of $2287 more each year

This is big news for a lot of people. It's going to put real strain on people already having a hard time raising a family in this province.

But the Campbell government doesn't seem to care. The BC Liberals are too busy looking after their own. Today it's John Les. Yesterday it was Ken Dobell, who's lobbying schemes while serving as Campbell's top advisor came to an end when he was found guilty of breaking BC's lobbying rules.

My team in the Legislature is working hard, every day, to expose this kind of nonsense. We're holding Gordon Campbell accountable to you.

We're proposing reforms to help clean up government - like the specific changes to lobbying rules we offered up a few weeks ago.

But it's not just about forcing Gordon Campbell to adhere to better standards for accountability and ethics.

It's about getting down to the real business of making life better for you and your family.

Sincerely,

Carole James
Leader, BC New Democrats

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

March against the Chinese oppression of Tibet

2008-03-20T06:29:32Z

Saturday March 22nd
12:00pm at the Art Gallery (Robson St)
We'll be marching to the Chinese Consolate.
For more information...

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=9885742857

The revolution has begun. Tibet will be Free!

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

our premier

2008-02-25T17:26:55Z

Premier Gordon Campbell of B.C. was invited to address a major gathering of the Indian Nation last weekend in Kitimat, B.C..........He spoke for almost an hour on his future plans for increasing every First Nation's present standard of living. He referred to his career as Mayor of Vancouver, how he had signed "YES" - for every Indian issue that came to his desk for approval.
At the conclusion of his speech, the Tribe presented the Premier with a plaque inscribed with his new Indian name - Walking Eagle. The proud Campbell then departed in his motorcade, waving to the crowds.
A news reporter later inquired to the group of chiefs of how they come to select the new name given to Campbell. They explained that Walking Eagle is the name given to a bird so full of shit it can no longer fly.

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 2 replies

Friday Feb 15, "A night in the Jungle Room" Art party

2008-02-14T18:10:49Z

“A Night in the Jungle Room”
Leah Wilson and Daniel Silakiewicz present their Night in the Jungle Room fine art exhibit and party at the Redfish Grill in Nelson.

The Party is on Friday, February 15th, 7:30 pm til …late. Besides an unveiling of THE GIANT ELVIS and a chance to meet the painters:

Kris Ledrew unveils grooving Zimbabwean music from his NEW CD
Ashala , dancer extraordinaire, premiers her Tiger Dance (never before seen!!)
Howlin’ Dan and Ted Wallace play funky, rootsy music from Dan’s upcoming CD

A Night In the Jungle Room is a wild natured theme that explores Elvis, art, the jungle, mystical shadows, tribal expression, the music, the room, the night.

For more info:
dragonsonparade@hotmail.com
howlin.dan@gmail.com
Leah Wilson 250 227 6858

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

Need a Happening?

2008-01-21T19:54:00Z

Good day, my name is Leah Wilson, performance artist living on Kootenay lake in B.C.
Please network my contact info along to anyone who may need a happening to stir interest in your location, event, or activity.
As part of Highpoint Performances, and many multidiciplinary creative facilitation events as my personal history, feel invited to say there are local stiltwalkers, fire spinners, mask makers, giant puppet creators & opperators, musicians and childrens entertainment specialists available. Workshop history includes lantern making, costume and mask making, specialty childrens workshops include face painting, minature dragon puppets, and paper masks, and imagination acting.

Thank you so much.
Leah Wilson
Multidiciplinary Artist
dragonsonparade@hotmail.com
highpointperformances.com (still being developed)
250-227-6858

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

Smart Growth BC takes on exurban sprawl.

2008-01-01T03:19:20Z

The Sea-to-Sky corridor is in danger of turning into a giant strip mall, says Smart Growth B.C., a non-profit group dedicated to encouraging sustainable planning.

The answer, the group believes, is a greenbelt that would stretch from West Vancouver to beyond Pemberton.

"There's a huge amount of growth and development pressure in that region," says Ione Smith, special projects co-ordinator for Smart Growth B.C.

This pressure would be occurring with or without the 2010 Olympics, Smith says. But certainly, she says, the Games add to the problem.

With the population of the corridor projected by some estimates to double in the next 20 years, communities along the Sea-to-Sky Highway could throw off massive low-density sprawl.

A Sea-to-Sky greenbelt would help control that sprawl, Smith says.

"Vibrant economies, compact communities"

Smart Growth's proposal for the project envisions a corridor with "compact communities surrounded by green space designed on conservation biology principles."

The greenbelt would serve as "a cornerstone for better land use planning and result in urban development being directed into town centres," the group's proposal says. "The greenbelt will both assist in the preservation of wildlife habitat and increase the potential for alternatives to driving through physical activity such as walking, biking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing."

The group's draft vision statement pictures the corridor as a sustainable utopia:

"Urban and rural settlements from West Vancouver in the south to Pemberton in the north will each exemplify the principles of smart growth: vibrant economies, compact communities with unique village centres, and a mixture of housing options.

"Transportation in the corridor will include an efficient public transportation system linking corridor communities to Vancouver. Each community will be surrounded by a defined growth boundary that will direct development inwards and outside of which will remain pristine recreational lands, productive farming and forestry lands, and protected wilderness areas."

Ultimately, Smart Growth hopes to have the greenbelt enshrined in provincial legislation.

Connecting the dots

Spurred by the Olympics, the provincial government is currently expanding the Sea-to-Sky Highway. That's already brought a construction boom and sprawl to the corridor, Smart Growth says.

"Though it is too late to affect the highway transportation decision, it is just the right time to promote strong settlement boundaries and connected protected green space for the corridor," Smart Growth's proposal says.

The corridor is already subject to a provincial land use plan, First Nations land use plans, regional district growth strategies and municipal official community plans. The greenbelt project would be a way of connecting the dots between the different plans, looking for ways to link existing green spaces, Smith says.

Protecting a greenbelt in the corridor from development could revitalize the downtowns of the Sea-to-Sky communities, Smith says. Development would be encouraged to occur in existing town centres, rather than sprawling outside current town boundaries.

Smith says the plan has been well received so far by all levels of government. Partners in the proposal include the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, the Western Canada Wilderness Committee and The Land Conservancy.

Help wanted

A story in the Whistler Question quoted Squamish Councillor Patricia Heintzman as saying that some residents might oppose the greenbelt plan "because of their animosity toward some of the proponents -- especially the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, a long-time opponent of logging projects on which many Squamish residents depended for their livelihood."

"The point is well taken," says Smith. "So far our list of partners is fairly on the side of conservation and environmental protection.

"We are looking to broaden our partnership base because we really do believe it's going to require support from all sectors, whether it be real estate developers, local businesses, environmental activists, planners and sort of everything in between."

Smart Growth plans to draw up a series of maps in the coming year that will illustrate the proposal and show what might happen if growth continues without restraint.

Once the maps are done, Smart Growth hopes to hold public workshops.

"We're really concerned that things like the highway expansion and the Olympics are going to produce such an overwhelming amount of growth and development pressure that without... green space protection we'll just see sprawl and low density development," Smith says.

"And not only will that harm the environment, but ultimately that will harm our economy as well, because that type of development just isn't financially sustainable over the long term, in terms of infrastructure and that sort of thing."

http://thetyee.ca/News/2007/12/28/Greenbelt/

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

CHF BC News: BC the worst province for housing need

2007-11-22T00:10:14Z

A detailed report on the almost 1.5 million Canadian households without
acceptable housing shows that 15.8% of British Columbia households are in
core housing need —- the highest percentage among the provinces.

Only two territories have higher rates of households in need: Nunavut with
38.8% and Northwest Territories at 17.4%. The Yukon is tied with BC. Among
the provinces, Nova Scotia (15.2%) and Ontario (15.1%) are next. The
Canada-wide rate is 13.7%, with the lowest rate in Alberta at 10.5%.

The report, released today by CHF Canada, also shows renters, new
immigrants, lone parent families, young adults, the elderly, and
Aboriginal households are hardest hit by the lack of affordable housing.

“This report shows that the rate of core need in British Columbia is among
the worst in the country,” said Thom Armstrong, Executive Director of the
Co-operative Housing Federation of BC. “It confirms what those of us who
work in co-op housing already know – the lack of affordable housing is
doing real damage to millions of Canadian families.”

Written by economics researcher Will Dunning, the report, entitled
“Dimensions of Core Housing Need in Canada,” looked at the most recent
housing data (2001) from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. It uses
the CHMC definition of Core Housing Need, which considers a household to
be in need if its housing is over-crowded, sub-standard or unaffordable
(costs more than 30% of before-tax household income.)

Renters account for 68.1 % of core housing need. Lone-parent families
have a rate of 30%; double that of other Canadian households. Immigrants
have higher rate of need than non-immigrants; for those households who
have recently arrived in Canada, the rate is triple that of
non-immigrants. Rates are also high among those aged 15-24 and those over
75. Across Canada, the incidence of core housing need for Aboriginal
households is 78% higher than for non-Aboriginals.

“This report paints a human picture of why we need to maintain the federal
and provincial investment in community housing,” said Armstrong. “It is a
first important step towards resolving the core housing need that affects
so many Canadians.”

The Dunning report indicates that affordability is the most common
difficulty in finding acceptable housing, with more than 89% of the 1.5
million households claiming it as a problem.

The full text of the report is available at www.chfcanada.coop.

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

Tuva Camp 2008

2007-11-17T21:35:52Z

Dear Friends

Thank you for your interest to our music.

Last summer we held a throat singing camp in Tuva.

We had 14 students from around the world - 8 of them were from the US, 2 from Australia
2 from Denmark, 1 from France, 1 from England.
After arriving in Tuva, the students spent 1 week in Kyzyl, the capital city.
They were able to see many tourist attractions, see a Tuvan shaman,
and attend the Naadym - National Harvest Celebration.

The students then went on to spend 1 week in the deep taiga, with members of the Tuvan throat singing group Chirgilchin,
learning various styles of throat singing, traditional Tuvan instruments, as well as the Tuvan language.

This summer, we are trying to get 2 groups to go to Tuva again, in either June or July.

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Please check our photos made by Russell Roesner - our student.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bertdanger/sets/72157602427847575/

Thank you
Alexander

www.purenaturemusic.com
www.chirgilchin.com

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

What they're saying this week

2007-11-06T03:51:55Z

"We'd love to talk to the Premier about [Convention Centre cost overruns], but he hasn't been around for the past week -- because it's only the Legislature and you know, he doesn't actually like to be here during session."
-- Sean Leslie, CKNW World Today, Oct. 29, 2007

"... For Gordon Campbell, a lot of messes are gathering in a little corner, and they're all getting swept in together ... These things are all coming into play at once, and I have a feeling the next couple of years Mr. Campbell is not going to have the nice free ride he thought he was going to."
-- Rafe Mair, CBC Early Edition, Oct. 29, 2007

"[Premier Gordon] Campbell's problem is that he flits from issue to issue like a butterfly, based on whatever book he's last picked up going through an airport."
-- Norman Spector, CFAX NewsLine, Oct. 30, 2007

"It's been a rough opening at the Legislature for the B.C. Liberals - yet another sign that they are not immune to scandal and accusations of mismanagement. All in all, it's been a bruising beginning for the Liberals at the Legislature ... clearly more than a few cracks are starting to appear in the Liberals' armor."
-- Keith Baldrey, Surrey Now, Oct. 30, 2007

"A botched megaproject. Cheap tricks with needy families. A failed lobbyist registration act. Multiple investigations. Many questions, a dearth of answers. That paints a far less flattering portrait of the B.C. Liberals than the self-satisfied image they have been promoting in their speeches and publicly funded advertising. Two weeks into the session, the New Democrats have already raised doubts about the B.C. Liberals' ability to cruise, unmolested, to a third term of government."
-- Vaughn Palmer, Vancouver Sun, Oct. 31, 2007

"All his [Campbell's] colleagues are getting hammered in there by the NDP. It's like a carnival game of whack-a-mole in there."
-- Mike Smyth, CNKW, Nov. 1, 2007

"It's been three weeks of trouble for the government. One embarrassment after another. And we're seeing an Opposition that's on its toes, doing its job."
-- Vaughn Palmer, Cutting Edge of the Ledge, Nov. 2 2007

"We have hundreds of sexually abused children in this province languishing on waiting lists for psychological counseling. There's a backlog of child-death reviews the government has promised, and failed, to complete. There are hundreds of developmentally disabled children all around B.C. who can't get the help they need because of government budget constraints. And what is the ministry's priority? Over half-a-million dollars to turn a government office into a private art gallery. Unbelievable."
-- Mike Smyth, The Province, Nov. 2, 2007

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

This just doesn't look right from NDP

2007-10-20T14:51:46Z

The NDP has raised some serious questions concerning the lobbying activities of former BC Liberal cabinet minister Graham Bruce, and I thought you might like to know about them.

There are clear and simple laws in BC for lobbyists to follow:

It is illegal for a former cabinet minister to lobby the government for two years following their term.

It is also illegal for cabinet members or the Premier to give benefits to a former Minister who is lobbying them, before the 24 month cooling off period is over.

It is illegal to engage in lobbying contracts without registering with the government.

It is improper to use Treaty Support Funding for activities not related to treaties.

Mr. Bruce appears to have broken some if not all of these rules.

The NDP has asked the Campbell Liberals to investigate, but they refuse.

This week in the Legislature, I was told that Bruce denies he was a lobbyist. He claims that it "never crossed his mind" to register, despite the fact that Bruce was a cabinet minister in the government that implemented lobbyist registration.

However, quotes taken directly from the Cowichan Tribes treaty committee state that Bruce met directly with Gordon Campbell to secure the funds.

It sounds like lobbying to me.

Perhaps most worrisome is the Campbell government's indifference to this
controversy.

It's exactly this kind of indifference that has led to $400 million in
wasteful cost overruns at the Convention Centre.

It has resulted in years of neglect of seniors at care homes across the
province.

It has left dozens of small business owners affected by the Cambie Street Canada Line construction struggling or out of business entirely.

It has abandoned thousands of families living in rural communities
devastated by pine beetle infestation.

British Columbians deserve better than arrogance and indifference from
this government.

Stay tuned.

Yours truly,

Carole James
Leader,
B.C. New Democratic Party

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

Good community places to live outside Vancouver?

2007-10-15T06:48:52Z

Hello west coast world. We are living in Toronto, preparing to move to B.C. next year.
Does anyone know of places to live outside Vancouver that have good communities?

Cowboy Mimes

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 2 replies

Landing in Vancouver...

2007-10-09T19:54:25Z

Hello everybody!

My hubby Mike (can) and I (est) will be landing in Vancouver on December 30th, to celebrate the New Year's Eve as the beginning of our new life in Canada. We are leaving our wonderful jobs in Estonia behind because of the impending economic doom / kroon inflation / Russian threat, and hoping that Vancouver will satisfy our need for change and permanence.

We're 25 and 30, both working in the postproduction / multimedia industry. I am a video editor / compositor whereas Mike is an audio engineer / DVD programmer (Sonic Scenarist). Links to our demo reels/resumes are http://www.creativefrequencies.com/kristel/ and http://www.creativefrequencies.com/michael/resume.html [in process]. We'd naturally appreciate any career-related suggestions or references that you may have!

Since I am from the middle of the Baltic Sea and Mike's BC residence is limited to a rather short period of time, we kind of need some help.

We work in a relatively noisy industry, so we're looking for a quiet place to rent. When looking for apartments, should we aim for Commercial Dr. or Kits and what are the pros and cons of each place these days? Can you recommend other places to look other than Craigslist?

Is there a coverage package that we should be aiming for when going to job interviews? Is it common to have dental/maternity benefits in multimedia or artsy/techie jobs?

Coming from Europe, I'll probably be feeling a need for a cell phone. What is the company and plan to use in the Vancouver area if one does not make any "national" phone calls and wants to pay as little as possible to call friends? Or is there no such thing?

Which bank would you recommend for everyday banking purposes, provided that one wants to do as much online/simplified/integrated/automated/environmentally friendly banking as possible?

Where does one register for a family physician and do you have to be working to be able to have one?

Can you recommend a good place for a gym/yoga center, that is down to earth and not overly yuppiefied ( :) ) where i could continue my (preferably Ashtanga) yoga practice?

Any suggestions for New Year's Eve 2007/08?

Oh, and do you still like Vancouver?:)

All replies welcome!

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

Reality Check: James on Campbell's Gateway Plan

2007-09-30T23:42:32Z

In her annual address to the Union of B.C. Municipalities, New Democrat
Leader Carole James called on the Campbell government to stop stalling
on solutions for gridlock and immediately invest in transit.

"Gordon Campbell wants to wait until a new bridge is finished seven or
eight years from now before doing anything about traffic congestion.
Commuters are sick and tired of sitting in traffic jams, and they need
immediate action. That means a serious investment in transit," said
James.

James called on Campbell to immediately fund and begin work on the
Evergreen Line and start planning a new transit line up the Fraser
Valley to serve B.C.'s fastest growing communities, noting that half of
British Columbians live in the Greater Vancouver Regional District on
both sides of the Fraser River.

"If we really want address the traffic congestion that drives commuters
crazy, and if we want to do so while reducing the greenhouse gases that
are ruining our planet, then transit has to be our first priority," said
James.

"We need to be looking to the future for solutions, not the past. The
B.C. Liberals want to spend billions of infrastructure dollars on
yesterday's solution to tomorrow's problem."

James noted that public transportation has suffered under the Campbell
Liberals.

"Gordon Campbell has the wrong priorities. At a time when we should be
investing in public transit, a lack of provincial government investment
is making it increasingly difficult for communities like Surrey to
provide basic transit service. Meanwhile, fares are soaring, making
transit even less affordable for working families," said James.

James called for the purchase of additional buses and SkyTrain cars, and
the establishment of more transit routes.

"The Campbell government can't even get around to building the Evergreen
line on the north side of the Fraser, and they have no plans for Rapid
Transit or light rail for the Valley," said James.

Reality Check: Gordon Campbell on Climate Change

Gordon Campbell says he wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 33
per cent by 2020. But evidence suggests that the Premier has no serious
plan to help us reach that goal.

On transportation...

Cars and trucks are B.C.'s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Despite Campbell's promise to reduce those emissions by 33 per cent by
2020, his Gateway Plan will increase them by a minimum of four per cent
- and many experts say the increase will be much higher. That's a 40 per
cent gap between Campbell's promise and his performance.

If Gordon Campbell can't even promote transit as part of a progressive
transportation project, how can we trust him to come up with a plan to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the board?

On energy...

Despite Gordon Campbell's supposed commitment to climate change, his
government continues to subsidize oil and gas production, to the tune of
$265 million this year alone. And Campbell continues to favour opening
B.C.'s coastline to offshore oil and gas.

And despite the 2007 Energy Plan which says there will be no greenhouse
gas emissions from coal fired electricity generation, Gordon Campbell
still allows dirty coal power in B.C., such as in the new Giscome
Limestone Plant project.

On carbon sinks...

Despite the destruction of B.C.'s forests by the mountain pine beetle
epidemic and uncertainty around the ability of newly planted trees to
store carbon, Gordon Campbell seems to think we should rely on British
Columbia's forests as carbon sinks.

On pine beetle...

The pine beetle epidemic is an unprecedented natural, economic and
social disaster throughout rural B.C. But Gordon Campbell still refuses
to declare the pine beetle epidemic a natural disaster, and has failed
to bring forward a serious plan to help communities in crisis.

If Gordon Campbell can't deal with one of the first real impacts of
climate change on B.C. -- the pine beetle crisis -- how can we trust him
to help British Columbians prepare for other impacts of climate change?

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

Western Canadian Pine Beetle infestation Spreads

2007-09-18T20:19:50Z

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Voracious beetles that have ravaged more than 9 million hectares (35,000 square miles) of British Columbia's forests have wiped out about 40 percent of the infested region's marketable pine trees, according to a report released on Monday.

The pine beetle infestation has spread unabated for eight years and unless weather conditions change to keep the tiny bugs in check, the amount of trees killed by 2015 in Canada's largest lumber exporting province will likely reach about 1 billion cubic meters (35.3 billion cubic feet), according to a provincial analysis.

The report estimated that at least 530 million cubic meters of wood has already been killed, which is about 12 percent of the western province's total supply of salable pine -- a key softwood construction lumber.

But the report by British Columbia's Ministry of Forests said the number of trees killed annually appears to be declining as susceptible trees die off, and the infestation rate may return to pre-outbreak levels by 2015.

The insects have lived on lodgepole and ponderosa pine in Western Canada for thousands of years, but nature has controlled major outbreaks by killing the beetles through extreme winter cold or with forest fires.

The area has not had the required cold snap in recent years, and efforts to fight fires to protect the timber supply and area communities have increased the number of older trees, which are more susceptible to an insect attack.

Trees killed by the beetles can be harvested for several years after they have died, but the provincial researchers said that more needs to be known about how long that wait can be.

The report said that, based on current assumptions on sawlog shelf-life, some areas of the province now hit by the infestation could see a decline in timber supply within four or five years.

The drier dead trees are subject to more cracking, which reduces the amount of timber and plywood that can be produced from each log.

The beetle infestation has continued to move eastward toward Alberta. Provincial officials there plan a major forest burn-off this fall in areas near the border in hopes of stopping the insects from crossing the continental divide.

http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/23141

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

Council of Canadians calls on B.C. government to investigate private clinics

2007-08-19T16:58:06Z

Vancouver - The Council of Canadians is calling on B.C. Health Minister George Abbott to investigate the Cambie Surgery Centre and the Specialist Referral Clinic for possible violations of the BC Medicare Protection Act and the Canada Health Act.

In a recent Globe and Mail article, Dr. Brian Day, part owner of the Vancouver-based Cambie Surgery Centre, admitted that he allows patients to pay cash for surgeries. "They can pay direct," he told The Globe and Mail.

“Dr. Brian Day has admitted to violating the Canada Health Act,” said Steven Shrybman, a lawyer with expertise in Canada Health Act issues. “The provincial government has an obligation to launch an investigation.”

Based in Vancouver, the Specialist Referral Clinic is also headed by incoming CMA President Dr. Brian Day. According to the clinic’s website, the clinic offers “rapid access to world class specialists.” There are more than 30 medical specialists listed at the clinic offering services in orthopaedics, general surgery, cardiology, and other areas. The website says CT scans and MRIs can be booked in one to two days at “leading diagnostic facilities” and if necessary, surgery can be arranged at Dr. Day’s own Cambie Surgery Centre. A consultation costs between $500-$800 which can be paid for with cash, Visa, Mastercard, AMEX or interac.

“These clinics appear to be offering medically necessary services for a price,” said Guy Caron, Health Care Campaigner for the Council of Canadians. “The B.C. government should be doing more to clamp down on private clinics that allow people to jump the queue and pay money for faster access to health care services.”

The Council of Canadians is also calling on the federal government to enforce the Canada Health Act and withhold transfer payments from provinces that let private clinics continue to operate.

“British Columbia now has more than 70 private, for-profit clinics,” said Caron. “It’s time for the B.C. government to act.”

The Council of Canadians is in Vancouver to speak in support and provide evidence of the benefits of public health care. For more information about the Council’s profit is not cure campaign, visit our website at www.profitisnotthecure.ca.

About us:

Founded in 1985, the Council of Canadians is Canada’s largest citizens’ organization, with members and chapters across the country. The organization works to protect Canadian independence by promoting progressive policies on fair trade, clean water, public health care, and other issues of social and economic concern to Canadians.

For more information, contact: Jan Malek, Communications Administrator: cell: 613-851-1483; jmalek@canadians.org or Carleen Pickard, BC Regional Organizer cell: 604-340-2455.

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

Saskatchewan Says BC-Alberta Trade Deal is Flawed: Province Will Not Join TILMA

2007-08-02T16:15:16Z

Vancouver – After months of debate, the Saskatchewan government decided yesterday that it would not join the Trade Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) with BC and Alberta. Citing the agreement’s broad scope and unanswered questions, the government assessed that signing on had too many risks for the province.

TILMA was signed by the premiers of Alberta and BC, without public consultation or legislative debate, in April 2006. The agreement allows corporations and individuals to sue provincial governments for any provincial or municipal government measure they feel "restricts or impairs" their investment. Under TILMA, even measures designed to protect the environment and public health are vulnerable to attack from corporate lawsuits with compensation penalties as high as $5 million.

Saskatchewan’s announcement comes as Colin Hansen, BC’s Minister of Economic Development attempts to justify TILMA’s far-ranging implications to municipalities. The Ministry is scrambling to ‘consult’ with municipalities, dozens of whom have raised serious questions about the agreement’s impacts on local autonomy and will vote on excluding municipalities from the agreement in early fall at the Union of BC Municipalities AGM.

“Once elected officials get the chance to read through TILMA, they realize that it is more like a corporate bill of rights than an agreement to enhance trade and labour mobility,” says Carleen Pickard, BC/Yukon Regional Organizer for the Council of Canadians.

“Unlike in British Columbia and Alberta, the government of Saskatchewan actually consulted academics, experts and citizens and concluded that TILMA is a bad deal. It is time for Minister Hansen to accept that, stop forcing it on BC’s municipalities, and withdraw from the Agreement.”

For more information, contact:
Carleen Pickard, 604.340.2455; cpickard@canadians.org.

For more information about TILMA, visit Canadians.Org.

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

$128,000 for pizza: Frivolous or valid? NDP asks

2007-07-27T16:55:57Z

B.C. finance minister says all charges are scrutinized, legitimate

The B.C. government spent $128,000 for takeout pizza, nearly $19,000 for doughnuts and more than $51,000 for Starbucks coffee last year, the NDP says.

It's all there, New Democrat MLA Guy Gentner said Tuesday, in the list of credit card billings released last week as part of the government's public accounts.

'We have a pattern of releasing all of the purchase card information to the public so that anyone can … ensure taxpayer dollars are not being misspent.'
— Finance Minister Carole Taylor

"So you look at these expenses," Gentner said. "Are they frivolous expenses? Are they part of business? Perhaps."

The 1,221 page list includes charges for fast food and fine dining, flowers, balloons, greeting cards, even some liquor. And page after page of travel bookings.

"When you're … the Ministry of Income Assistance and … the deputy ministers have a penchant for fine Asian food, meanwhile your clients are diving in dumpsters at Main and Hastings — it's a double standard," Gentner said.

And the total of $60 million in credit card charges is up from $52 million the previous year, he noted.

But Finance Minister Carole Taylor said all the charges are carefully scrutinized every month and are legitimate expenses.

"A number of the pizza charges — and I'm sure no one in the public would begrudge this — were for the firemen working on the fires that they were protecting our property and our lives and they have to be fed and taken care of when they're in the field," Taylor said.

The New Democrats will follow up with Freedom of Information requests to see if the government can justify all the expenses, Gentner said.

But Taylor said she welcomes the scrutiny.

"The system works well. We're very pleased that we have a pattern of releasing all of the purchase card information to the public so that anyone can ask the questions you're asking and ensure taxpayer dollars are not being misspent."

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 4 replies

Spiritual Sexual Predator

2007-06-29T05:24:23Z

An open response to Tantric M (people.tribe.net/894389d7-...dfb363dc1)

Let me tell you a story about me and LilShadow, the woman you called a liar on the Burningman Tribe (bm.tribe.net/thread/a6c9...6a77591132b)

It's in our Testimonials to each other.
I asked her to be a friend.. She said no. I accepted that. I didn't ask again and again. I respect women. Hell...I respect people!
We met on the Playa, held hands, and drank blood together.
We have been fast friends ever since. Walking each other through some seriously tough times, laughing and sharing the good. Talking on the phone at least once a month ever since.
She is an Angel!
One thing she has never done is lie. To me, or to anyone I know.

You questioned the integrity of a good woman. That was your first mistake.
Your second was picking on someone that you thought was weak.

Since then, I have been contacted by other women that you have preyed on.
One has only to look at some of the degrading photo's of women, of seriously sick Porn mixed in with 'Prayer Wheels' to see your character.
Personally...I think you are a new phenomenon.
The 'Spiritual Sexual Predator'.
I just evicted one from the Ranch I'm on. (See my Blog)((people.tribe.net/kamikazek...comments)) He, like you, was pathetic. Spouting New Age buzz words as a self described 'Enlightened Master' while eating our food, not working, and hitting on jail bait.
Every woman felt creeped out (like the women on Tribe I've talked to) 'hit on' by a dirty old Hippy.
Sound familiar??
Many women have come to me with tales of you.
Your actions speak much louder than your words.
Your past is verified by several independent sources.
Abuse has been notified.
If any other women than the 8 tonite who have contacted me want to speak to this issue, an issue (in my opinion) of a 'Spiritual Sexual Predator', please band together, speak out, and notify abuse at
www.abuse@tribe.net
KK
ps
I intend to cross post this on every Tribe that Tantric M subscribes to. If it gets me kicked off Tribe...so be it.
My intentions are as if I were a Father watching out for my Daughter.

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

Taking initiative on the environment

2007-06-28T00:15:51Z

When our national leaders fail to lead, it is up to those that they are leading to point them in the right direction. With that in mind, I give kudos to the City of Vancouver for following the provincial government's lead and implementing ambitious greenhouse reduction targets. If enough cities and provinces lead, then eventually the leaders in Ottawa will follow.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2007/06/27/bc-vancouver-green.html

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 2 replies

Proposed National Park

2007-06-13T22:53:57Z

In the South Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys, the federal and BC governments are looking at the possibility of establishing a new National Park Reserve to protect Canada's only "pocket desert", complete with scorpions, rattlesnakes, cacti, and badgers, as well as in the grasslands and Ponderosa pine forests of this spectacular region near the town of Osoyoos.

Learn more and sign the petition here:
http://www.okanaganpetition.org/

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

Campbell's Index

2007-06-01T05:32:32Z

With apologies to Harper's Magazine

Number of times B.C. Liberal Cabinet Ministers used the "it's before the courts" excuse in Question Period this session: 150

Number of ongoing investigations of senior B.C. Liberal government staff: 5, that we know of.

Number of Premier Campbell's staff involved in political dirty tricks: Unknown. The Premier refuses to say.

Number of Premier Campbell's staff mentioned in wiretap revealed at the Basi/Virk pre-trial hearings: 3

Percentage of the total touted housing money in the 2007 "Housing Budget" that went to tax cuts: 75

Ratio of Gordon Campbell's new salary compared to the annual salary of a full-time worker earning minimum wage: 11 to 1

Percentage of questions directed to the Minister of Labour about farm workers' conditions that were answered by other ministers: 50

Estimated cost increase for the Vancouver Convention Centre Expansion Project since the start of the Spring session: At least $185,000,000

Number of times "climate" was mentioned in the 2007 Throne Speech: 12

Amount of new money dedicated in the 2007 budget for climate change initiatives: $0

Number of students that could pay full tuition for the cost of Geoff Plant's "Campus 2020" contract: 27

Number of single parent families with children on social assistance whose combined annual income equals the amount Gordon Campbell paid Ken Dobell to be his special assistant: 21

Amount that average gasoline prices have increased since the New Democrats introduced a Private Member's Bill to protect consumers from gas price gouging: 20 cents/litre

Money owed to B.C. by California for the purchase of electricity during that state's power crisis seven years ago: $308,000,000

Number of mill jobs lost in the B.C. forest industry so far this year: 1,000

Number of studies the Campbell government was able to produce to substantiate their claim that doubling the Port Mann Bridge will reduce greenhouse gas emissions: 0

Number of long-term beds that could be funded for a year for the cost of Campbell's "Conversation on Health": 161

Child Care Resource and Referral Centres that have closed due to funding cuts by the Campbell Liberals: 6

Spending on B.C. government credit cards for dating services and sex toys in the last fiscal year: $947

Amount of government funding needed for Victoria's Mary Manning Centre to avoid having to make child survivors of sexual abuse wait for counselling services: $170,000

Figures cited are the latest available as of May 2007. "Campbell's Index" is not a registered trademark.

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

$800,000 per Lucky MLA

2007-05-24T00:05:24Z

BC Libs' pension grab offered a fat target. The NDP whiffed.
By David Schreck
Published: May 18, 2007

TheTyee.ca
A retroactive pension windfall worth an average of more than $800,000 per member will go to just 41 lucky MLAs, almost all of them BC Liberals!

An MLA must serve six or more years after June 19, 1996, in order to qualify for the new pension; as of May 12, 2009, the date of the next election, only 5 NDP MLAs will have the required service, but 36 of the Liberal MLAs will be fully vested. The NDP's Leonard Krog, who was first elected in 1991 but not re-elected until 2005, will not qualify for the new pension unless he is re-elected. Only Corky Evans, Mike Farnworth, Sue Hammell, Jenny Kwan and Harry Lali have the necessary years of service without winning another election.

When he introduced Bill 37 to implement some of the recommendations made by Campbell's hand-picked commission, government House Leader Mike de Jong said: "With respect to one-time costs related to the pension buyback, I'm advised that, assuming all eligible individuals choose to exercise their full buyback rights, the total one-time cost would be $42 million, of which individuals would contribute $8 million." That provision of retroactive pensions benefits will cost taxpayers $4 for every $1 paid by MLAs. It also means that the 41 MLAs who are eligible to buy back service can claim an average taxpayer paid windfall of $829,268 ($34 million divided by 41). With the biggest salary and continuous service since June 19, 1996, Gordon Campbell will get more than that.

The pension figures make it clear why there could be division within the NDP caucus. If all members of the caucus signed the waiver and rejected the entire package, it might increase the chances that many of them could be re-elected. Current polling numbers suggest that 20 of the 33 NDP MLAs would lose their seats if an election were held today; they don't have to worry about ever receiving a pension because they won't have the necessary 6 years' service. In protecting the windfall for five of their colleagues, the NDP caucus may have assured that several times that number go down to certain defeat.

Laughing to the bank

The issue that cuts so deeply for the NDP has the Liberals laughing all the way to the bank. Campbell's commission provided political cover for the outrageous 29 per cent pay increase, plus the retroactive pension windfall for 75 per cent of the Liberal caucus, that is almost like winning the lottery, only in this case they got to pick their numbers after the draw. It is an example of stunning political stupidity that the NDP caucus rendered itself impotent on this issue instead of taking it to the public.

Since the release of the report from Campbell's Commission on May 1, only one news release came from the NDP caucus on the issue, and that was with respect to donating their raise to charity. Invitations to be interviewed by news media or on talk shows were refused; there was no fight-back campaign. They blew the opportunity to criticize the commission which did not reflect the diversity of British Columbians, which was unilaterally appointed by the premier, which demonstrated contempt for the public and which was racked with internal divisions.

Maybe good manners got in the way of protecting Campbell's political shield. The NDP caucus also blew the opportunity to demonstrate leadership for the public, which is understandably angry with the money grab, and they failed to offer an alternative. Word from Victoria is that the proposal to deal with MLA pay and pensions will be in the party's 2009 election platform. Why would they want to remind people of their blundering?

The best the NDP can hope for is that voters recognize that Campbell is responsible for the money grab, while forgetting the ham-handed way the NDP caucus behaved.

http://thetyee.ca/Views/2007/05/18/PensionGrab/?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=210507

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 1 reply

Liberal MLAs endorse pay raises

2007-05-18T23:18:13Z

The B.C. Liberal caucus has approved recommended pay hikes that would give MLAs a salary increase of 29 per cent and Premier Gordon Campbell a boost of 53 per cent.

If approved in the legislature, MLAs would receive an additional $22,000 a year and the premier would get an extra $65,000 annually.

Premier Gordon Campbell said the raises are necessary 'to attract good people to public life.'

A three-member independent panel appointed by the premier has also recommended the resumption of a pension plan for MLAs that they would be eligible to receive after less then two terms — six years — in office.

The pay and pension recommendations have been met with negative public reaction. But Campbell said the raises are necessary.

"Taxpayers are never happy, I don't think, when salaries are dealt with, but it's something that we have to do if we are to attract good people to public life and not punish people for, you know, becoming a part of public life."

Campbell said no elected official likes dealing with this issue, but added the public may not realize how much work politicians put in.

"Again on both sides of the house and from all political parties, the sacrifices they make and their families make is often not recognized."

Campbell said the pay-raise legislation is being drafted. He also said it will be a free vote when it comes up in the legislature.

NDP Leader Carole James has already said New Democrat MLAs will not support the pay increase, and that if the Liberals pass the legislation, her MLAs will refuse it.

Liberal house leader Mike de Jong said that may be possible, as the legislation could include an opting-out clause for those who don't want the pay increase and pension.

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 9 replies

Some MLAs flunk on midterm report card

2007-05-17T22:56:09Z

May 16 marked the second anniversary of the B.C. Liberals' 2005 win. To commemorate the Campbell government reaching its halfway point, we decided to compile a midterm report card on key cabinet ministers and Opposition MLAs. We've concentrated most of our attention on MLAs representing Vancouver and the inner suburbs.

Gordon Campbell
Premier: C–

There are lots of reasons to give Gordo an F on his midterm performance. Earlier this year, he stood up in the legislature and opposed banning corporate and union donations to provincial political parties, ensuring oligarchical rule will continue as long as he's premier. ("I believe that banning donations actually undermines the principle of including people in the public process," he claimed.)

When B.C.'s former deputy minister of health, Dr. Penny Ballem, resigned last year, she claimed that the Campbell government's planned health-care reforms were "unsound". When Campbell launched his Conversation on Health, he misled the public by claiming that B.C.'s health-care system is unsustainable when this has been contradicted by health economists, including UBC's esteemed Robert Evans.

Campbell's government has given away our river system to so-called green power producers and is now about to turn over the regional transportation system to the road-building lobby. Campbell's government also introduced the odious Bill 30 last year, which ensured that regional districts and local governments cannot make zoning decisions that prevent British Columbia Utilities Commission–approved energy projects from going ahead.

In addition, Campbell keeps chipping away at the Agricultural Land Reserve, notably in the recent treaty negotiated with the Tsawwassen First Nation. As a politician, Campbell sometimes seems incapable of anticipating the future. Witness the cost overruns on the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre. They were entirely predictable. And it's extremely likely that the bigger convention centre won't attract a lot of new business. He also fails to recognize that his big transportation investments will look awfully foolish when fuel prices eventually rise to astronomical levels.

So why a C– and not an F? Campbell boosted welfare rates slightly in the last budget. His government recently bought 11 single-room-occupancy hotels in Vancouver and Victoria, which could slow the rise in homelessness. He has capped the rate of increases in tuition; eliminated taxes for people earning less than $15,000 a year; banned coal-fired plants unless they capture their carbon emissions; revived legislative committees; and tried to forge a more harmonious relationship with First Nations. The economy is humming along quite well in many areas. And the bond-rating agencies have responded by boosting B.C.'s credit rating, which results in lower debt-servicing costs for taxpayers.

Carole James
NDP Leader: D

James has to carry a lot of the responsibility for the NDP's dreadful polling numbers, which are a result partly of a mostly invisible caucus and partly of less-than-stellar opposition research and communications. A recent Mustel Research Group poll had the NDP trailing the B.C. Liberals by 15 percent, and James's approval rating lagged 12 percent behind the premier's.

In her defence, she was diagnosed with cancer last year, which kept her out of the spotlight for a while. However, during her term as Opposition leader, the NDP has had few successes. And it's unclear where the party stands on some key issues.

For example, what is the NDP's position on twinning the Port Mann Bridge? How does the NDP feel about clear-cut logging in community watersheds? We don't know.

Thanks to the work of MLA Adrian Dix and others, the NDP managed to keep the pressure on the B.C. Liberal government for its abysmal record on child protection. Campbell ordered an investigation by retired judge Ted Hughes, who brought forward 62 recommendations, including the appointment of an independent advocate for children and youth.

The NDP also increased pressure on the government with respect to homelessness and the safety of farm workers. But James has failed to galvanize the public in her efforts to raise the minimum wage to $10 per hour, which is too bad for people struggling in this economy on eight bucks per hour or less.

Until recently, the NDP did not have much impact on the government's health-care policies. James responded by changing the lineup of critics.

James is an effective debater, but she has tried to create a more collegial and cooperative atmosphere in the legislature, which hasn't done her party a lot of good in the polls. James still has time to turn things around. However, don't expect her to last very long as NDP leader if she loses the 2009 election.

Carole Taylor
Finance Minister: C+

Taylor has softened the B.C. Liberal government's image by bringing in a budget that threw some crumbs at the poor–for instance, raising the income-assistance and shelter allowance to $610 from $510 for a single employable person and raising the rate by $155 to $1,036 for an employable single parent with two children. She also opened up the treasury to provide public servants and teachers with a decent raise and signing bonuses after they endured some brutal Campbell-style austerity during the first term of the B.C. Liberal government.

On the downside, Taylor remains a firm ideological adherent to public-private partnerships, despite the dreadful impact that this approach has had on the British health-care system. She still hasn't fired Partnerships BC boss Larry Blain, who managed to bill the government for $45,325 in expenses in 2005-06–including some very expensive meals–on top of his $519,448 salary and bonuses.

Bruce Ralston
NDP Finance Critic: C–

Ralston, a former chairman of Vancity, has one of the legislature's most important jobs, yet he is virtually invisible to most British Columbians. Because the NDP refused to oppose the Canada Line and the expansion of the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, the NDP finance critic can't stand up with any legitimacy in the legislature and complain about these boondoggles. So he concentrates instead on such things as the B.C. Liberal government's dirty tricks. As a result, Carole Taylor has enjoyed a free ride in the media.

Colin Hansen
Economic Development Minister: F

Hansen is the minister responsible for the British Columbia–Alberta Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement, which allows dispute-resolution panels to issue rulings on complaints filed by companies against governments. Hansen didn't bring this before the legislature for debate, showing that he and the premier still have a lot to learn about democracy. Hansen is also the minister responsible for the Olympics, where he has also demonstrated a lack of interest in public accountability. VANOC is not subject to the Financial Information Act or the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and Hansen has done nothing to rectify this.

Jenny Wai Ching Kwan
NDP Critic for Economic Development: B

Not long after Kwan held a news conference to highlight broken Olympic promises regarding homelessness, the Campbell government announced the purchase of 11 single-room occupancy hotels in Vancouver and Victoria. Kwan is an excellent debater in the legislature, and very few NDP MLAs can match her ability to highlight the heartlessness of B.C. Liberal policies on housing, income assistance, and childcare.

Kevin Falcon
Transportation Minister: D–

Falcon rammed the grossly overpriced Canada Line through the TransLink board. He did this by making provincial funding conditional on the line being built by a public-private partnership. Then Falcon decided to eliminate local control over regional transportation because the TransLink board couldn't manage its finances, thanks to the Canada Line. For good measure, Falcon oversaw the ruination of Eagleridge Bluffs with an overland expansion of the Sea to Sky Highway. Falcon is also forcing the twinning of the Port Mann Bridge on the region with little consultation. He missed receiving an F because he's giving his Surrey-Cloverdale constituents exactly what many of them want: more roads. Occasionally, Falcon promotes more cycling.

David Chudnovsky
NDP Transportation Critic: C+

He deserves an A for effort for showing up at numerous community events dealing with the Gateway project, and for regularly raising hell about rail safety. He's a terrific debater in the legislature. The unfortunate reality is that the NDP has an incoherent transportation policy, which lowered his grade. NDP MLAs south of the Fraser River, such as Bruce Ralston, has previously expressed support for twinning the Port Mann Bridge. But MLAs in East Vancouver, including Chudnovsky, recognize that their constituents oppose this. So the party has sent out mixed messages.

Wally Oppal
Attorney General: C–

Oppal has been a bit of a dud in the legislature. He seemed out of his depth on the deaths of children in care. He sidestepped questions about the Liberals' dirty tricks with media relations, claiming it would be improper to discuss this because it arose in a criminal trial. He also introduced Bill 30 last year, which wiped out the right of municipalities and regional districts to make zoning decisions on British Columbia Utilities Commission–approved power projects.

Oppal oversaw the shameful offer to Woodlands survivors, then wouldn't discuss it because it was before the courts. In addition, Oppal introduced a bill giving TILMA dispute-resolution panel decisions the same legal authority as a B.C. Supreme Court ruling. As if that's not enough, he also didn't play a very constructive role after an RCMP officer shot Ian Bush in the back of the head in an RCMP detachment in Houston, B.C. But he survived a cancer scare and, in the process, helped raise awareness of the disease. So it wasn't an entirely bad first two years in office.

Mike Farnworth,
NDP House Leader: D

Farnworth, a law-and-order politician, has to carry some of the blame for the NDP's poor results in the polls. As the NDP's second-in-command, Farnworth sometimes seems more interested in playing to the CanWest journalists in the press gallery than in working with social movements vying for change in our society. This has contributed to the growing gulf between the provincial NDP and its traditional supporters.

Richard Neufeld
Energy Minister: F

Neufeld has given away scores of B.C. rivers to independent power producers. He has invited energy companies to drain our natural-gas fields without adequate public benefits flowing back to the government. Now he's laying the groundwork for offshore drilling and for the prohibitively expensive Site C dam on the Peace River. Historians might judge this cabinet minister harshly.

John Horgan
NDP Energy Critic: C–

New Democrats think Horgan is a star because he's quick with a sound bite and he talks the language of business. But if Horgan were really doing his job, he would be rousing the public to oppose Campbell's giveaway of our river system instead of focusing so much attention on gasoline prices.

Everyone knows that high gasoline costs are a downer for drivers and small businesses. But higher prices also curb consumption, reduce emissions, and result in fewer kids with asthma showing up in emergency wards. In the meantime, Campbell is giving away B.C.'s capacity to generate renewable power for its citizens, and the NDP energy critic is not doing nearly enough to stop it.

George Abbott
Health Minister: F

Abbott's former deputy minister Penny Ballem quit, claiming that the government's plans for health care were "unsound". She said only 40 percent of people with diabetes receive good care. Then he fired the chair of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, which was quickly followed by the resignation of the chair of the Fraser Health Authority. Abbott is a dud, which might explain why the premier brought his brother-in-law, Dr. Les Vertessi, on a tour of European health-care facilities. Abbott had to stay home to deal with another controversy: the death of 91-year-old Fanny Albo two days after she was separated from her 97-year-old husband, Alfred, in their Trail long-term-care home. Maybe it's time that the premier separated Abbott from his cabinet position.

Adrian Dix
NDP Health Critic: A–

Dix did a superb job as the critic for children and families, forcing the government to order an inquiry by retired judge Ted Hughes. This led directly to the creation of a new officer of the legislature, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, to act as an independent advocate for children and youth. Dix has also been an effective health critic, highlighting financial shortfalls at various health authorities and pointing out how the government is not enforcing the Medicare Protection Act. However, Dix has pulled his punches somewhat on the premier's Conversation on Health, preferring to let the process unfold rather than use his office to highlight the possibility that this could be part of a secret agenda by the premier to give private insurers more access to the public health-care system. He introduced a motion, which passed, recognizing the Armenian genocide from 1915 to 1923 as a crime against humanity.

Shane Simpson
NDP Environment Critic: B–

Simpson knows the issues, but for someone with a great deal of communications experience, he rarely shows up in the media compared to his Vancouver compatriots Adrian Dix and David Chudnovsky. However, Simpson put sufficient pressure on the government in the legislature to force Campbell to back down from allowing coal-fired electricity plants.

Lorne Mayencourt
Liberal MLA: C+

His first term representing Vancouver-Burrard was marred by the introduction of the Safe Streets Act and mean-spirited disputes with a postal worker and a panhandler. But in his second term, Mayencourt has tried to highlight new approaches to drug treatment, brought in a member's bill to address motorcycle noise, and has promised to resign his seat if his own government moves St. Paul's Hospital out of the West End. Now if only he could convince the premier to stop denying welfare to young people who haven't been independent of their parents for two years.

Gregor Robertson
NDP Critic for Small Business, Revenue and Deregulation: C

Robertson did some good work highlighting the problems faced by foreign students who were screwed on their student loans. He has also raised serious concerns in the legislature about the risks of offshore drilling, and he assisted tenants in his constituency who were being evicted. But he hasn't lived up to his star billing during the 2005 election campaign, which might explain why his leader, Carole James, shuffled him out as the critic for advanced education.

Ralph Sultan
Liberal MLA: C+

As chair of the legislature's health committee, Sultan promoted measures to address childhood obesity, and the government responded with the ActNow initiative. Sultan, a former chief economist with the Royal Bank, also gave MLAs a fairly thorough education on the ineffectiveness of gasoline-price regulation after the NDP's John Horgan raised this in the legislature. On the downside, Sultan did little to stop his government from ruining Eagleridge Bluffs to make room for an overland-highway route in his own constituency, West Vancouver–Capilano.

Dan Jarvis
Liberal MLA: D

Dan who? One of the legislature's foremost fish-farming advocates has been warming his seat for 16 years and still hasn't been promoted to cabinet.

Katherine Whittred
Liberal MLA: C–

Whittred has taken an interest in housing issues, which might be a factor behind the government's newfound interest in this area. But she hasn't had a great deal to say in the legislature, and the City of North Vancouver in her constituency was financially clobbered by the Campbell government's decision to cap municipal taxes paid by waterfront businesses.

John Yap
Liberal MLA: C–

Every once in a while, Yap stands up in the legislature and either praises the B.C. Liberals' economic policies, highlights the importance of immigration, or reminds fellow MLAs about the historical contributions of Chinese Canadians. He likes TILMA, and he hasn't expressed any concern that it wasn't brought before the legislature for debate.

Olga Ilich
Minister of Labour and Citizens' Services: C–

Ilich, a rookie MLA, handled herself well in her first year as the minister responsible for arts and culture. But she hasn't fared nearly as well in the labour portfolio. She came across abysmally in the legislature following a horrible motor-vehicle accident involving farm workers. Ilich couldn't even answer NDP MLA Raj Chouhan's question about why farm workers aren't eligible for minimum wage, overtime, and holiday pay.

Linda Reid
Minister of State for Childcare: D

The B.C. Liberal government has not invested nearly enough money in childcare (see page 13). In addition, Reid and the premier haven't made that big a deal of the federal Conservative government's decision to scrap child care agreements with the provinces.

Raj Chouhan
NDP Critic for Mental Health: C

Chouhan has taken on a number of issues, including safety of farm workers, sham marriages for immigration purposes, and the restoration of the British Columbia Human Rights Commission, which the Campbell government scrapped several years ago. His leader changed his critic's portfolio from human rights to mental health, where he has been somewhat less active.

Richard Lee
Liberal MLA: C

Lee often touts the benefits of the provincewide Foundation Skills Assessment tests in grades 4 and 7, and he has also defended the Gateway program as a necessary component of increasing Canada's trade with Asia. Lee isn't flashy, but he has regularly reached out to the aboriginal community.

John Nuraney
Liberal MLA: C

Nuraney, an Ismaili Muslim, stood up in the legislature and urged the Conservative government and the United Nations to do much more to halt the genocide in Darfur. He is one of the legislature's strongest proponents of multiculturalism. But like other Liberal MLAs, he hasn't resisted the trend toward public-private partnerships in health care, which, according to some peer-reviewed research, inevitably leads to higher health-care costs.

Chuck Puchmayr
NDP Labour Critic: C+

Puchmayr has kept up the pressure in the legislature on workers' safety and on farm-vehicle inspections. He is also knowledgeable about a wide range of issues in his community, which reduces the likelihood that New Westminster will be ignored when the province doles out funds for health and housing projects.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source URL:
http://www.straight.com/article-91249/some-mlas-flunk-on-midterm-report-card

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

Minimum Wage

2007-04-25T22:17:42Z

Click here to sign the petition to win a raise for B.C.’s lowest paid workers!

http://www.bcfed.com/issues/minimum_wage

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

BC Legislator: Nice Gig!

2007-02-19T22:26:11Z

MLAs got full-time pay for nine week session. Gordon Campbell is arranging a raise.

A recent editorial in The Globe and Mail blasted American lawmakers, and especially Republican congressmen and women, for what the newspaper described as a "declining work ethic." ("Work, you lazy Congress," Dec. 8, 2006.)

According to the newspaper's calculations, the U.S. House of Representatives last year sat for a mere 103 days.

That less-than onerous schedule was "22 fewer days" than that of Canada's members of Parliament and, for The Globe, proof that the formerly Republican-controlled Congress was lackadaisical in fulfilling its public responsibilities.

British Columbians should be thankful that the gaze of Canada's national newspaper infrequently reaches over the Rocky Mountains, for to date we've been spared the embarrassment of seeing our legislators' workload compared to that of lawmakers elsewhere.

In 2006, you see, B.C.'s MLAs toiled in the provincial legislature for -- take a deep breath -- all of 46 days.

Really. Forty-six days.

Of 52 weeks in the year, B.C. MLAs worked nine.

Yes, those allegedly indolent U.S. congressmen and women last year put in more than twice as many days of work than did British Columbia's MLAs.

And Canadian MPs look like veritable workaholics with a work schedule almost three-times longer than that of our provincial legislators.

Shameless

Are B.C. lawmakers, who earn between $76,100 and $115,100, embarrassed by their lighter-than-light workload? Heck, no. Why, they've actually launched yet another bid to squeeze even more money, for themselves, out of the public purse.

Last week, in anticipation of the Feb. 13 opening of the third session of British Columbia's 38th Parliament, Premier Gordon Campbell appointed a three-person commission to undertake "a non-partisan, independent review of salary levels and pension arrangements" for B.C. MLAs.

Speed is of the essence. The three-member panel -- chaired by Vancouver lawyer Sue Paish, along with former Court of Appeal justice Josiah Wood and UBC business school professor Sandra Robinson -- must complete their report within 90 days. Legislation then will be quickly drafted so that, according to Campbell's news release, it can "be voted on in the spring legislative session."

Yessiree. Let's get moving, people! Relatively unimportant matters like hospital wait-lists, homelessness, tax competitiveness, the loss of head-office jobs, the pine beetle infestation in our forests and climate change are going to have to wait whilst our MLAs address their number-one priority: getting more dough.

Campbell government broke promise

Since 1973, British Columbians have been paying MLAs to do a full-time job. And, as initially explained -- by them, to us -- that full-time job consisted of a legislative sitting in the spring (to pass a budget and approve the spending estimates), followed by a later fall-sitting.

This pledge was reiterated in 2001, when the Campbell Liberals won election to government after promising to introduce "a fixed legislative calendar" with spring and fall sittings.

Yet, in the spring of 2005, the Campbell government short-circuited the spring sitting -- refusing even to debate the budget estimates -- so as to get an early start campaigning in the scheduled general election. The total number of days worked in the year? Fifty-two.

Last year, after the government initially cancelled the 2006 fall sitting, MLAs grudgingly returned to Victoria for a short, three-day sitting to appoint a children's commissioner. To repeat the point made earlier, the number of sitting days was 46.

In the past two years, B.C. Liberals have twice broken their promise to work full-time through a fixed legislative calendar. And the total number of days worked by MLAs over that two-year period, 98, is less than the one-year total of those so-called "lazy" American lawmakers.

By the numbers

It's not just a B.C. Liberal problem, or one specific to the 38th Parliament. As the chart at the top of this column illustrates, our MLAs' legislative work schedule has been in a gradual decline almost since they began receiving full-time compensation more than 30 years ago.

When W.A.C. Bennett was premier of the province, from 1952 to 1972, the legislature had a single sitting each year. A session would start near the end of January, last through February and March, and then conclude in the early days of April. The average number of sitting days per year was about 50.

The 1972 election to government of Dave Barrett's New Democratic Party resulted in a significant increase in both the workload and compensation for B.C. MLAs. In part, this was because the NDP had an ambitious legislative agenda.

But Barrett also believed that a legislator's job -- which, since Confederation, had been viewed as a part-time commitment -- was a "full-time" occupation.

And so to the traditional spring legislative sitting was added a fall sitting, with MLA salaries and expense allowances doubled to match the increased workload. (Actually, the legislators' annual indemnity first was hiked by 60 per cent, and then it was doubled.)

The number of legislative sitting days per year exploded to 102 in 1973, and 108 in 1974. The following year, when the fall sitting was cancelled in favour of a general election -- which brought the New Democrats' first term in power to an abrupt end -- MLAs still managed to get in 86 days of work.

Bill Bennett, W.A.C.'s son, restored Social Credit to power in 1975. The second Bennett was not enamoured with the NDP spring-fall schedule, instead favouring a single sitting that usually began in March and continued through the summer months until all budgetary and legislative business was completed.

In some years under Bill Bennett, the total number of sitting-days far exceeded the annual totals during Barrett's tenure. The House sat for a whopping 136 days in 1977, and 119 days in 1980.

Since then, however, government whim has determined the legislative assembly's schedule, with sessions frequently starting in one year and ending in the next. At the same time, the average number of sitting days per year has gone into a steep decline.

Incredible shrinking schedule

Three distinct trends are discernable in the chart above. First, the number of legislative sitting days usually is higher at the beginning of each government's term in office than it is at the end.

This is not a surprise; after all, newly elected administrations often have an ambitious agenda of reform intended to clean up the problems (real and perceived) left behind by their defeated predecessors. Then, after a year or two of hard work, government MLAs lose their enthusiasm for change, legislative or otherwise.

Second, the number of annual sitting days is noticeably lower in a year when a general election is held. Again, this is not surprising; prior to an election, most politicians would prefer to be courting their constituents at home rather than thumping their desks in Victoria.

The third trend is surprising, and problematic for those who believe, as do our current crop of under-worked legislators, that MLA compensation should be increased.

As mentioned earlier, the average number of sitting days per year under W.A.C. Bennett's Socreds (1952-1972) was approximately 50. When Barrett's NDP (1972-1975) doubled MLAs' pay, the average number of sitting-days per year also doubled, to about 100.

Under Bill Bennett's Social Credit government (1975-1986), the average number of sitting days per year slipped to 82.

And it has continued to fall ever since, to 77 under Socred premiers Bill Vander Zalm and Rita Johnston (1986-1991), and then to 73 when NDP premiers Mike Harcourt, Glen Clark and Ujjal Dosanjh were in power (1991-2001).

Now, under Gordon Campbell's BC Liberals (2001-present), the average number of sitting days per year has plummeted to just 60.

A bridge to sell you

Campbell's appointment of the Paish commission recalls an embarrassing episode 14 months ago when our legislators dispensed with conventional parliamentary procedure so as to sneak past the public and news media a bill awarding themselves significant pay hikes.

Whereas it almost always takes a few weeks (and occasionally several months) for a bill to go through first reading, second reading, committee stage, and third reading, in November 2005 MLAs took little more than an hour to unanimously pass – B.C. Liberals and New Democrats in rare agreement -- their pay-raise legislation.

It all fell apart, of course, when the media howled and the public seethed. NDP leader Carole James quickly buckled, turning on her former co-conspirators to assert new-found objections to the very measures she and her opposition MLAs had negotiated in secret.

For their part, the Campbell Liberals petulantly introduced legislation to repeal the pay hikes, but appeared less concerned about the impropriety of their actions than by James's traitorous about-face. Mike de Jong, B.C. Liberal house leader, even said that "the government intends to take no further steps to examine either the salary, pension or constituency office support issues...and we will move on to other issues."

Fat chance.

The fix?

Make no mistake, the Paish commission will not find that B.C. MLAs are under-worked and over-paid. A Las Vegas wedding between Donald Trump and Rosie O'Donnell is more likely than a finding by the commissioners that our legislators' compensation ought to be either reduced or kept at current levels.

(Do you think it mere coincidence that Campbell hand-picked for the commission three individuals who work in fields where six-figure salaries are the norm, and somehow failed to appoint anyone who works for the minimum wage, or belongs to a trade union, or is unemployed? Golly, one might have thought this omission would have aroused some response from NDP MLAs, but so far, only puzzling silence.)

Nope. A sizeable boost in legislative pay and benefits will be enacted before summer. To borrow an old phrase often heard in the legislative precincts, "the fix is in."

And so, let us hope that The Globe and Mail continues to be unaware or unconcerned with public affairs in our Pacific province. For, if Canada's national newspaper views U.S. congressmen and women as "lazy," one wonders what possible words their erudite editorialists would use to describe B.C. legislators.

"Idle"? "Lethargic"? "Inert"?

Oh, and don't forget, "sneaky" and "greedy," too.

By Will McMartin
Published: February 9, 2007

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 1 reply

COMPETITION: ANCIENT FOREST PETITION DRIVE!

2007-02-19T17:40:18Z

Do you want to help protect Vancouver Island's endangered ancient
forests and also have a chance to win some great prizes? If so,
please take part in our petition drive competition!

From now until 12:00 noon on March 23, we'll be asking all those
who want Vancouver Island's remaining ancient forests protected
to circulate a petition which you can download at
www.viforest.org

The petition calls on the BC government to end old-growth logging
on Vancouver Island and to ban raw log exports from BC.

The 1st place winner gets a $250 gift certificate on all items in
the Western Canada Wilderness Committee's Rainforest Store in
Victoria, while the next 9 highest signature-collectors will also
get prizes (soon TBA - check our website www.wcwcvictoria.org
soon for details). We'll send you the prizes if you can't make it
to Victoria!

Do petitions work? YES!!! Only when enough people know, care, and
speak up are governments forced to listen and do the right
things. Look at what's happening with climate change right now.
Petitions, letters, rallies, and protests all add-up together to
generate the public awareness and mobilization to force
politicians - who are worried about staying in power - to act
accordingly, or else get tossed from power.

Our goal is to collect 10 000 signatures over the next 5 weeks,
pushing our current total to over 20 000 signatures. Signatures
from anywhere on planet Earth are valid, since BC's old-growth
forest products are sold internationally, too.

Where can you collect signatures? On busy streets is quickest
("Hi, please sign our old-growth forest petition!"), as well as
in class (pass many copies up and down the aisles), door to door,
at line-ups, and among roommates, friends and neighbours.

Please return all petitions to our WCWC Victoria office at 651
Johnson St., Victoria, BC V8W 1M7 (open M-F 10-5 pm, Sat. 11-5
pm) no later than 12 pm noon on Friday, March 23. We'll be
announcing the winners at our Vancouver Island Ancient Forest
Rally on March 24 at the BC Legislature (12 noon) in Victoria.

Already 75% of Vancouver Island's original ancient forests have
been cut down, including 90% of the valley-bottom ancient
forests, and 99% of the old-growth Coastal Douglas Fir forests.

The WCWC is calling on the BC government to protect the remaining
old-growth forests on Vancouver Island and to force the timber
industry to make a full transition into second-growth logging at
a slower, more sustainable pace. Other jurisdictions, such as New
Zealand and southwestern Australia, have already banned
old-growth logging in recent years, and BC can feasibly do the
same on Vancouver Island and in southern BC where most logging
already takes place in second-growth forests. The WCWC is also
calling on the BC government to ban raw log exports (almost 5
million cubic meters exported each year from BC) in order to
protect the jobs of BC millworkers.

For more info on the campaign or to download petitions, visit:
www.viforest.org

You can also pick-up petitions at our office at our Victoria
office (250-388-9292) at 651 Johnson St. or our Vancouver office
at 341 Water St. (604-683-8220).

UVic students can also participate in the campus petition drive
and win extra prizes (ie. you are eligible in both contests) from
the UVic WCWC Club. Contact Elly, Sada, or Cayce at
uvicwilderness@gmail.com to drop off petitions to them, which
they will turn over to the main office afterwards.

Thank you for your participation in this most important effort to
save the most beautiful forests on Earth!

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

BC Liberal government deregulates forest lands on Vancouver

2007-02-08T04:45:53Z

Last week, the BC Liberal government deregulated almost 30 000
hectares of land on Vancouver Island by allowing Western Forest
Products to take their private forest lands out of their Tree
Farm Licenses (TFL's). This opens these forest lands to being
sold-off as real estate for suburban developments between Sooke
and Port Renfrew, for logging without any real laws (ie. no
Forest Practices and Range Act outside of TFL's), for raw log
exports in 3 years time (ie. loss of BC milling jobs), and for
rampant logging without any restrictions on the rate of cut.

These lands also include highly significant stands of Vancouver
Island's vanishing ancient red cedars, western hemlocks, and
Douglas fir trees - already 75% of Vancouver Island's ancient
forests have been cut down. Only a massive push by
environmentalists, millworkers, First Nations, tourism operators,
recreationalists, and other concerned citizens will protect
Vancouver Island's remaining old-growth forests, stop raw log
exports, and stop the deregulation of the forests.

Visit www.wcwcvictoria.org for details in the Feb.1 media
release, and for the Globe and Mail and Times Colonist articles.
Visit www.viforest.org to sign the online petition and to write a
letter for Vancouver Island's old-growth forests.

posted in *British Columbia, Canada* - 0 replies

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