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“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

DAY SEVEN ... the week of January 26th to February 1st


Welcome once again to Day Seven ... where we look back at the weeks ten most read commentaries and op / ed pieces ... this week we also welcome Brian Peckford, and hope that you’ll enjoy his thoughtful comments.

But right now, let’s get into things.  Here is #10 ...


... we’ve always had to cope with outsiders and so-called experts telling us who best represents First Nations, or what we should do within our own territory. Yet none of these people have ever lived on reserve or spent any significant time with the people who actually live there. Think about it. It would be the same as me telling the people of BC to denounce the federal or provincial government because the Queen of England has final say in all matters ...



... we are concerned about a model of natural resource development in BC that has for too long relied upon simply extracting and exporting non-renewable resources, often in a way that benefits the shareholders of major multinational corporations more than it benefits local communities ... we have outstanding natural assets in BC, and we can be smarter and more innovative about how we manage them ...



... Sonia Furstenau, MLA for Cowichan Valley, is now in the running to be the next leader of the BC Green Party. In making the announcement in Victoria this morning Furstenau stated, “BC needs a new style of leadership that listens to evidence and to communities,” Furstenau said.


#7 ... PECKFORD: Canada’s Laggard Performance (02/01)

... on a number of occasions, I have highlighted Canada’s poor performance compared to other countries on ease of doing business. I have used the World Bank study that showed for last year Canada coming in a dismal 23. In two areas in particular we did really bad; 124th for the time it takes to get an electrical permit, and 64th in the time it takes to get a construction permit. Now comes another study ...



... the province has selected Morneau Shepell to develop a free mental health counselling and referral service for post-secondary students throughout BC ... chosen to create and operate a 24 / 7 mental health counselling and referral service for post-secondary students at all public and private post-secondary institutions ... will provide on-demand, immediate counselling and referral support to almost half a million students in public and private post-secondary institutions ...




... how much a municipal politician worth? A common answer among taxpayers is likely to be, less than they’re getting. It’s a serious question, though, and a challenging one. Councils have the unenviable job of deciding how much they should pay themselves. Unenviable, because while setting your own salary might seem like a dream come true, in politics it’s a deadly proposition ...



... social media channels continue to sizzle with people claiming to be “right” on the issue of Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs, the Wet’suwet’en council, and the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline. Our pages, like others, have been flooded with arguments supporting those hereditary chiefs opposed to the pipeline, or backing the elected council that supports the pipeline and its promised benefits ...


#3 ... FORSETH: While there’s a good likelihood participants will find work after completing their program, can someone explain why one will cost $18,000 per participant – and the other double that at $37,000 (01 / 30)

... So, here is my question ... or maybe questions? Tuesday’s announcement was to provide training for new career path opportunities that will allow British Columbians to support themselves and their families.  This program, for 25 individuals (both men and women) works out to, as I mentioned, $18,000 per person. Yesterdays announcement, is for what appears to be the same type of training ...


#2 ... YUILE: The bottom line for LNG investors is profit - there is nothing altruistic about pursuing these projects, no matter how much proponents try to paint them green and clean (01 / 29)

... having been a firm critic of fracking and the pursuit of LNG in BC for many more years than the NDP have been in power, I can still recall the time John Horgan said Christy Clark needed to do the LNG math and warned about focusing on LNG too much. Even though he was very open then about being a supporter of LNG, he wasn’t convinced it was prudent to invest so much into it, at the risk of leaving other sectors behind ...


AND NOW ... here is the commentary that caught the eyes of the most people this week ...


#1 ... FORSETH: A number of years ago The Eagles recorded and released a song entitled, “Get Over It”. To me at least, the lyrics seems appropriate to the situation (01 / 29)

... apparently, soon, to the government, means work will begin a year and a half from now ... and being completed will take in excess of two years from now. Which is why I find this statement from Vancouver – Kensington NDP MLA Mable Elmore little more than propaganda ... and an excuse, at taxpayer expense, to take a shot at the opposition party ...


And with that, we will put an end to this edition of the top ten most read commentaries of the week ... and also take the opportunity to welcome former Newfoundland Labrador Premier Brian Peckford to our team, with occasional commentaries from his blog Peckford 42.

Take care ... and we’ll be back again tomorrow.

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