Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Freeland postpones UN speech today amid NAFTA talks and looming deadline …   was set to speak today but traded General Assembly spot for Monday   Elise von Scheel   ~~ CBC News   ~~   Sep 29, 2018 Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland's speech to the UN General Assembly in New York City today (Sept 29 th ) will now take place Monday due to NAFTA talks, and officials say there is a strong possibility someone else might have to deliver the remarks on Canada's behalf. Freeland, who is in the throes of a last-stage effort to secure a North American free trade deal, traded her time slot on the UN rostrum, according to officials in the minister's office.  Officials told CBC News that the postponement of her speech was due to the trade negotiations, which sources say intensified this week … As of Saturday morning,...

A couple of weeks back I came out of a medical appointment to hear Dr. John Harding, a medical health officer with Vancouver Coastal Health, speaking on the CBC Noon hour radio program out of Vancouver.   His being asked to be a guest came about as the direct result of an individual with measles, having attended the Skookum Festival, and having been in a number of other locations that same weekend. Unfortunately, I was only able to catch the last couple minutes; what I did hear concerned me greatly enough that I contacted Vancouver Coastal Health to find out more. One thing that stood out for me came from a female caller to the noon hour radio program.   She indicated she had received an organ transplant several years before, and was therefore at risk from individuals contracting, and becoming sick from, serious diseases they had not been vaccinated for.   That is something I was not aware of, and I doubt many people are.   So, what are th...

Trudeau accuses Tories of ‘playing politics’ over Tori Stafford murder By Alex Boutilier   ~~   Ottawa Bureau   ~~   Wed., Sept. 26, 2018 OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Conservatives of using the 2009 murder of Tori Stafford to “play politics” Wednesday, as opposition MPs repeatedly attacked a government decision to move one of the girl’s killers to a healing lodge. In a tense debate in the House of Commons, the Conservatives grilled the government over a decision by Correctional Services Canada to move Terri-Lynne McClintic from a prison to the Okimaw Ohci Healing Lodge last December … … in what NDP MP Sheila Malcolmson described as “sickening” exploitation, several Conservative MPs read graphic details of the case into the record. After multiple rounds of questioning, Conservative justice critic Tony Clement described in detail how McClintic took part’s in Tori’s kidnapping, sexual assault and murder. ...

The Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services is currently in the midst of budget consultations with British Columbians, where we are invited to share ideas, and priorities, for the upcoming provincial budget.  Bob D'Eith, MLA for Maple Ridge–Mission, is the Chair of the committee.  At the session in Campbell River September 20 th he stated to those gathered: “ We are a committee of the Legislative Assembly, and our membership includes MLAs from all three parties in the Legislature. Every fall, we visit communities from across the province to meet with British Columbians and hear about their priorities and ideas for the next provincial budget .” Those on the committee, representing all parties currently in the legislature, are: Dan Ashton, MLA representing the area of Penticton to Peachland Stephanie Cadieux. MLA for Surrey South Peter Milobar, MLA for Kamloops – North Thompson Sonia Furstenau, MLA for Cowichan Valley Mitz...

BC Stats Infoline, with information from Statistics Canada, had a number of bad news stories yesterday. First off, retail sales in British Columbia(seasonally adjusted) fell 0.5% in July compared to June.  THIS WAS THE 3rd CONSECUTIVE MONTH OF DECLINES.  With that, I have to wonder what this says about confidence in the BC economy Moving on to what it costs families in BC to live.  As the government of BC continues to allow mega mansions to ‘grow’ on Fraser Valley farmland, the price of imported food continues to increase, as shown by provincial governments latest update. Since August of 2017, the price of groceries, purchased from stores, has climbed 1.9 percent. Within the food category, the highest rise in prices was for fresh vegetables (up 5 percent), fresh fruit (+3.9 percent), and fish and other seafood (+2 percent). All of these just mentioned items are all in season … all being grown and harvested … and yet at the season peak for all of them, prices...

Canada has removed only 6 of 900 asylum seekers facing U.S. deportation.  Border Security Minister Bill Blair apologizes for saying majority of asylum seekers had left Teresa Wright ~~ The Canadian Press / CBC News ~~ Sept 24, 2018 Canadian Border Security Agency Minister Minister Bill Blair Confusion over the number of irregular migrants that have been removed from Canada led to an apology Monday from Border Security Minister Bill Blair — and attracted fresh calls from Opposition MPs for more action to address ongoing border woes. Over the weekend, Blair created a hornet's nest of criticism when he told Global News in an interview that the "overwhelming majority" of asylum seekers who have crossed irregularly into Canada over the last 21 months have left the country. But the government's own numbers tell a different story….  since early 2017, more than 34,000 asylum seekers have crossed into Canada through unofficial points. To date, only 3...

Long-time conservative friend Ben Besler said to me recently, “ I remember being in a BC Conservative board meeting with the Tactical Advisory Group. Former Newfoundland Premier Brian Peckford was there, and he started in on a rant about where we were as an organization .” He (Peckford) said, “ Listen. If you want to win, there are three things that you need to work on, and that’s: Organization! organization! and organization! ”. “ His direct passion in saying those words has always stuck with me ”, said Ben, before continuing, “ But organize where … and how?  And who are we … and what do we stand for ?” Good questions, asked by Brian Peckford a year or two prior to the 2013 Provincial election … and more recently from Ben as well. That led me to think, and wonder, who we are as a province … which accidentally led me to finding the motto of our province.  First adopted in 1895, it is Splendor sine occasu … "Splendour Without Dimin...

Liberals will bow to court ruling, launch review of Trans Mountain oil tanker traffic impact Amanda Connolly ~~ Global News ~~ September 21, 2018 The Liberals will bow to a federal court ruling and proceed with a review of how increased tanker traffic from the proposed Trans Mountain pipeline expansion could impact marine ecosystems on the Pacific coast. Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi made the announcement from Halifax on Friday morning and said the plan is to have the additional review completed within the next five months. However, he did not provide any updated timeline on when construction on the controversial project could begin. “Let me assure you. This government is committed to protecting our oceans and coastlines,” he said, noting updates on the timeline of the project will come within the next few weeks when the government announces how it plans to fulfill the Federal Court’s requirement for it to properly consult with Indigenous pe...

Peace brother ... and out The other day I was described in the following way, by an individual who didn’t agree with a position I had taken, with regards to the free-wheeling illegally operating pot stores in the City of Kamloops: Garrett Gilmour: We get it, Alan, you're 89 years old, your great great great grand-pappy settled these here lands back in eighteen odd six, and you drive in one lane traffic at 35 kilometers during rush hour and think its your god given right to do so. Trust me. We get it.   Well I certainly believe that people should have the right to their opinions, and be able to share and exchange them, I would hope they would have balance and at least be somewhat accurate. So, for your information, this is the ' accurate ' readers digest condensed version of me; who I am, and who I've been. The old mare I first learned to ride after arriving in the Cariboo in 1965 I have been politically active since my teens ... I have been a union ...

Today, an exciting post filled with intrigue, suspense, ethics, chaos and more!!!  No … actually it’s about GARBAGE.  I know, NOT exciting at all, however a topic with is important if the next generation isn’t to be overrun by it.  A week and a half ago (September 8 th ) the Government of BC, issued a media release , " Changes to Organic Matter Recycling Regulation proposed " .  The Organic Matter Recycling Regulation ( OMRR) is currently undergoing a comprehensive review to, as the government states, ensure it remains protective of human health and the environment. The 2018 Intentions Paper is now available for review, and comment, with those interested invited to submit comments by November 8 th , to be considered in preparing the proposed revisions to the regulation. Review the 2018 Intentions Paper (PDF) In reading through the media release and intentions paper, I was interested to note that food scraps, grass clippings, and ani...

Gavin Dew, founder of the Forum for Millennial Leadership (FML) On Thursday, at the UBCM annual meeting which was held in Whistler, Gavin Dew, founder of the Forum for Millennial Leadership (FML) spoke at a session entitled, “Engaging Millennials”.  At the session, he spoke of millennial leadership, polling on millennials in politics, why millennials are a growing electoral force, and why we should help. My nephew Steve Forseth, Cariboo Regional District Area “D” representative, attended the workshop session and when I asked him about the session he stated: “ The session Engaging Millennial's was an interesting one, lots of tips on how a local government can start up a youth council, and an engaging session on how to get more young people involved in local government .”   Young people in public leadership is not a new concept, but it is not an easy journey. Perhaps one of the very reasons the Forum for Millennial Leadership was formed, and why on Tuesday (S...

Lisa Beare, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture ... Image: BC NDP “ Sports competitions provide great benefits for B.C. residents ,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture . “ They promote athlete development, bring people together and help organizations gain expertise in hosting large events, which boost local economies. By investing in sport events, we are investing in the future of our communities .” With those words today, the BC government announced 23 communities will gain valuable experience staging a total of 39 provincial, regional, national and international sport championships over the next year, thanks to $175,650 in grants from the provincial government.   Most people, I believe, would consider the words “ will gain valuable experience ” to relate to the future.   Not necessarily our NDP government however; they have their own definition, which allows for them to include sporting events which have already taken...

Premier John Horgan has released the following statement in honour of the 11th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP): Eleven years ago, UNDRIP was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly to protect and uphold the inherent rights and human rights of Indigenous peoples around the globe. One of our first commitments as government was to work to implement UNDRIP, the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Tsilhqot’in Supreme Court decision. The road is long, but we have made reconciliation a cross-government priority and are taking important steps forward, in partnership with Indigenous peoples. Government after government has made empty promises to First Nations and all Indigenous peoples, and made unilateral decisions about their communities and land. Systemic and institutional racism has left a legacy of trauma and inequality that affects the lives of Indigenous peop...

Quebec paves way for oil, gas exploration with new plan … drawing criticism from environmental, aboriginal and citizen groups Bloomberg News / Montreal Gazette   ~~ December 12, 2016 Greenpeace activists chain themselves to pipes at Port of Montreal, get arrested Christopher Curtis / Montreal Gazette   ~~ December 5, 2016 Not many people realize that in 2016, while Quebec civic and provincial politicians were expressing strong opposition to the Energy East pipeline project, the Quebec government was approving a plan to expand its oil and gas production and pipeline construction – including a new tanker loading facility. Which leads me to comment, “ Lack of a coherent plan for approval and construction of resource development projects in the national interest is inexcusable .” We are a confederation of provinces with equal stature, powers and responsibilities not a conglomeration of competing rivals. The French Pro...

January 29 th , 2018 Suncor announced that the Fort Hills project was continuing its steady ramp up of production following the safe start-up of secondary extraction two days earlier Fort Hills, which is located approximately 90 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, saw an average of 7,900 people at peak construction. Now in operation, Fort Hills employs approximately 1,400 direct employees, with the vast majority have been hired from Alberta.   Foothills cogeneration facility has a total capacity of 180 megawatts, and generates electricity from what would otherwise be waste heat “… you don’t need to choose between the environment and the economy. We can and we must move forward on both ” ~~ Margaret McCuaig-Boyd, Minister of Energy Today in Alberta, Suncor marked another new milestone with the grand opening of the project.  Attending alongside of Suncor officials were Premier Rachel Notley and Energy Minister Margaret McCuaig-Boyd, loc...

'A cage without walls': Once in South Korea, North Koreans have little chance of getting asylum elsewhere Jennifer Yoon ~~ CBC News ~~ Sep 09, 2018 Jo Hye Kyung beat the odds: She made a dangerous escape from North Korea 20 years ago and eventually made her way to Canada and a new life. But because she initially settled in South Korea, her life in Toronto may soon be uprooted. As soon as North Koreans enter South Korea, they are granted citizenship, but that makes them ineligible to apply for asylum in Canada since South Korea is considered a safe country. Which is why they end up applying for refugee status as North Koreans without declaring their South Korean citizenship. Immigration, in Canada, appears to be in total disarray. And why you ask?   All you have to do is ask, “ What is the difference between asylum seekers who come to Canada via South Korea and those who come here from the USA ?” Surly the same ‘international obligations’ cited by our...