Thoughts on BC Politics and More

If you are unaware, and that is a distinct possibility as there has not been a lot in the media about it, we are currently in the midst of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence.   This is a campaign inspired by the United Nations, to help advance gender equity, make life better and make communities safer for women, girls and transgender people in BC and around the world .   It is also something which all 4 western provinces in Canada are working towards.   It is not however, at least at the moment, something with a unified focus and plan across the west. Regardless, Manitoba’s Rochelle Squires, Minister responsible for the Status of Women, is unequivocal in saying: “ We want to take aim at victim blaming and the notion that it’s a woman’s job to keep herself safe and prevent sexual assault .   We must place the onus squarely on perpetrators or potential perpetrators, because the best way to stop sexual assault is to not assa...

What makes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau believe he can use tax dollars to bail out auto workers and not provide equal support to other workers caught in downsizing, restructuring or bankruptcies? When did equal rights become special rights? More to the point, what is he doing to support thousands of Alberta oil patch workers caught in maelstrom of his chaotic energy and environmental policies? Why are they less deserving than Ontario auto workers? Of all people, the unemployed in the oil industry deserve consideration because they are victims of federal policies. Actions have consequences, and his action have created massive unemployment and disruption of families and lives. What is he going to do about it?         MEANTIME… from CBC Canada : … the provincial government can't offer the company anything that would persuade it to keep the Oshawa plant and its 2,500 good-paying jobs, GM Canada president Travi...

Watching Finance Minister Morneau and Prime Minister Trudeau congratulating one another over their $585 million subsidy to the media industry made me ill.  The usual suspects came forth denouncing the subsidy as an attempt to buy off the media.   The media in Canada had an income of over $80 billion in 2016.  $585 million is a drop in the ocean – less than 1% of income (0.73%). It is less than one half of what they pump into the CBC every year. The five giants who dominate Canadian media (which does not include the CBC as its revenues are made up largely of taxpayer subsidies) fear that a government may break up their monopolies. The top five - Bell, Rogers, Telus, Shaw and Quebecor accounted for 71.1% of the $80 billion network media economy in 2016.  The media in Canada is vertically integrated. The same owners control newspapers, magazines, radio stations, TV stations, internet, cable and wireless services. When Sun News tried to break into the ma...

Yesterday I received two emails, and coincidentally they were both on the same topic.... the News Media. The first was from Leah who said to me … PLEASE DO A BLOG ON THIS!!! By the way, that was her HUGE BOLD FONT not mind – I just copied and pasted to show her emphasis.   The request was in reference to a story “ Justin Trudeau Buying the Media in time for 2019 Election” Then there was the second email.   It came from Conservative Party of Canada Ontario MP Peter Kent who stated: I would like to apologize sincerely for suggesting yesterday that – based on government messaging – the Liberals were going to offer legacy media organizations a $50 million bailout package in an election year.   I was wrong – they are actually giving them a $595 million bailout package . It is highly unlikely Peter Kent is going to read this piece, but Leah likely will.   Likely because my response to her yesterday was to say, “So much ...

It is extremely doubtful anyone in Nanaimo is going to complain about todays announcement from NDP Health Minister Adrian Dix -- including Liberal supporters through-out the region.   That said, news of a new intensive care unit (ICU) to be built at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) has raised suspicion, from at least a few people, as to the timing. “Our government is proud to move forward with replacing this out-of-date ICU” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health This morning Health Minister Adrian Dix stated, “ Our government is proud to move forward with replacing this out-of-date ICU ”. “ Patients will be able to receive the high levels of care they require in a more modern facility, which will be three times the current unit’s size, and health-care workers will also be able to take advantage of updated medical technology to help save lives .” The government media release stated that the need for a replacement of the agin...

Take advantage of education savings opportunities designed to save money! Almost 80% of job openings in British Columbia over the next decade will require some form of post-secondary education. Some easy ways for parents to help to plan for their children’s future include the opportunity to r eceive $1,200 toward a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) – available for children between six and nine years old. There are no additional fees, or financial contributions, needed to receive the $1,200 BC Training and Education Savings Grant – and these grants are available through one of 56 banks or financial institutions in Canada. This allows parents and families who cannot currently afford to put money aside, the opportunity to start a RESP. Even the smallest investment can grow over time and make it easier to pursue post-secondary education and training. Do not be one of the 40% of families who leave this grant unclaimed. Deadlines to apply fo...

Vivian Krause leads fight against Americans who have landlocked the oil sands David Staples   ~~   Edmonton Journal   ~~   November 14, 2018 It’s not often that powerful American interests are completely open about their success at thwarting a foreign economy , but that’s what happened a year ago when Michael Marx talked up his achievements.   Protesters and activists have two goals -- keep Canadian oil in the ground, and if not, then keep our oil landlocked “From the very beginning, the campaign strategy was to land-lock the tar sands so their crude could not reach the international market where it could fetch a high price per barrel . This meant national and grassroots organizing to block all proposed pipelines.” …   co-ordinated two major American charitable foundations, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and The Tides Foundation, in their anti-oilsands fight … campaign has supplied tens of millions in U.S. dollars t...

ISN’T THIS WONDERFUL ... The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC), which claims no allegiance to the bc LIBERAL Party, is actively campaigning to have people vote No, as recommended by the Liberals, on the Referendum vote currently underway ... and they're using the same scare tactics as the LIBERALS! Not only that, at the same time they're also using the vote as a fund-raising method, by using the following terms to scare people – just like the bc LIBERALS:   … radically change … poorly-conceived … trying to force … dictate a major shift in a province’s democracy … extremist parties  … a real danger … back rooms cloaked in secrecy … disaster … consequences could be dire …   GIVE ME A BREAK!   Here's just a brief portion of an email which was sent out by the CPC yesterday (Nov 15 th ) " ... I don’t need to tell you about how extremist parties are a real danger of proportional representation – there’s examples of them holding the balance of p...