Skip to main content

“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

FORSETH: It’s time for the BC NDP to stop putting roadblocks in the way of growth. It’s time to stop before it’s too late


It’s always interesting what can be done with numbers ... that’s because they can generally be spun to suit whoever wants to them to sound good – or bad.  There’s no denying however what’s happening with building permits in the province of BC lately.

The latest numbers (Stats Can Mar 7th, 2019) show that the value of building permits decreased 24.3% (seasonally adjusted) in January from the previous month.

There were decreases in permits for commercial (‑54.9%) ... institutional (‑53.1%) ... industrial (‑30.7%) ... as well as residential projects which were down 4.3%.

By comparison, the decrease nationally was just 5.5% -- that's quite a difference when compared with the nearly 25% drop in BC building permits.

While I wait now to see how the BC NDP government will try and spin this into good news, former four term Chilliwack MLA John Les, isn’t expecting to happen anytime soon.  He commented to me just the other day that:

"The NDP solution to expensive home rentals and ownership: reduce supply. Wonderful socialism at its best. Why not double down and apply even more exotic taxes and regulations?"


Meantime, after the Stats Can February Labour Force Survey numbers were released on Monday (March 11th), Jobs Trade and Technology Minister Bruce Ralston was quick to respond:

“British Columbia maintains the strongest economy in the country, and we’re committed to continue working hard and putting people first.”

“Unemployment remained low at a rate of 4.5%. In fact, B.C. has led the country with the lowest unemployment rate for 19 months in a row. An additional 69,200 jobs were added in the past year — the vast majority being full time and in the private sector.

“Good jobs with good wages mean that British Columbians, their families and communities are benefiting from our strong economy”, Ralston stated.

There are key numbers however, that should be cause for concern.  Specially while the unemployment rate in British Columbia was indeed 4.5% in February, there were 6,000 fewer jobs for those in the all-important 25 to 54 age group.  I say this because that is the age group targeted by retailers due to the fact many are married, with children, and owning or renting where they live.

THEY are the ones with money to spend – or at least they should be as long as they can find work.


According to Stats Can, in February the number of men and women employed in the private sector actually fell by 10,000 ... and even the public sector 1,300 jobs were lost.  One would have to strongly believe that to be a strong reason why those self-employed increased by 15,000 individuals.

Could those very job losses then account for the huge decreases in building permit?  One would have to think so.  After all, without a reasonable paying job (or any job for that matter), its hard to shop for anything more than the most basic of necessities ... it’s hard to rent ... hard to purchase a new home ... and a trip to the grocery store will bring the unemployed to tears!

BC needs jobs ... not just those in the emerging and growing technology and environment sectors, along with eco-tourism.  But more than that, BC still very much needs jobs in forestry ... in mining ... and in oil and gas.

Those are the sectors that build up the trades ... those are the jobs that help families build a home ... those are the jobs that help people to raise a family ... and to save to put their children through higher education.

It’s time for the BC NDP to stop putting roadblocks in the way of growth.  It’s time to stop before it’s too late.

And those are my thoughts for today .... I’m Alan Forseth, in Kamloops.  Care to share your own thoughts?  Just jot them down in the Comments Section below – I’m always interested in hearing what you have to say
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

'Very good news' that Supreme Court will hear B.C. mineral claims case, Eby says

The BC government needs clarity from the Supreme Court of Canada on a landmark mineral rights claim, Premier David Eby says. But the lawyer representing the challenger says that they would have preferred the province respect the lower court's decision. Eby said Thursday it is very good news that the court will hear its appeal of a ruling that found the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the provincial mineral claims regime are "inconsistent." The BC Court of Appeal ruled in December that the provincial Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, or DRIPA, should be "properly interpreted" to incorporate the UN declaration into the laws of B.C. with immediate legal effect. That ruling set off the appeal from the province amid concerns that it could cause economic uncertainty ... CLICK HERE for the full story 
Post a Comment
Read more

EBY OFFSIDE WITH NATIONAL INTEREST AS CARNEY AND SMITH BUILD BC'S ECONOMIC FUTURE WITHOUT HIM ~~ BC Conservatives

IMAGE CREDIT :  CBC News   Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced a landmark agreement today committing Ottawa to designate a new pipeline to BC's west coast as a project of national interest by October 1, 2026, with construction approval targeted for September 1, 2027. The deal pairs the pipeline with a new industrial carbon pricing framework and a fall 2027 construction start. British Columbia, the province where the pipeline ends, where the jobs would land, and where the export terminal would be built, was nowhere at the table. "This is a nation-building deal, and the BC NDP have been locked out of the room," said Trevor Halford, Interim Leader of the Official Opposition.  "While the Prime Minister and the Premier of Alberta were doing the hard work of growing the Canadian economy, the NDP is on the sidelines calling this pipeline a 'fiction' and an 'energy vampire.'  He chose petulance over partnership, and now BC ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Kamloops - North Thompson BC Conservative MLA Ward Stamer speaks to Bill 20 — K’ómoks Treaty Act

The following is a condensed version of Kamloops – North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer’s remarks, to the BC Legislature, on the afternoon of Tuesday May 19th : I rise today to continue remarks on Bill 20, the K’ómoks treaty, and to address what I believe are some of the most important constitutional, democratic and governance concerns facing this Legislature today. At the centre of this debate are two major issues. First, unresolved overlapping territorial boundaries tied to this treaty process. And second, the growing legal and political consequences arising from the provincial government’s implementation of the Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, more commonly known as DRIPA. Much of the government’s defence on DRIPA rests upon references to the United Nations declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, commonly known as UNDRIP. And this is where we must begin having a more honest and mature conversation in this province. UNDRIP was never originally designed to function ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more