It seems whenever there
is a community initiative for infrastructure development, there are those who
argue about the potholes. Somehow, we
ought not to engage in this or that project until all the potholes are fixed.
Of course, were every
pothole fixed, we would be faced with a fresh new crop of them every
spring. It is the nature of Canadian
weather that potholes will be our bane into eternity.
A recent example of this
specious argument was raised by the Canadian Taxpayer’s
Federation (CTF) bemoaning potential
investment in a Nova Scotia airport.
Somehow, this is twisted into a personal project of the prime minister
seeking to pander to wealthy golfers … and what about the potholes?
Any reasonable
investigation into this claim would reveal that the region is looking to
establish an airport with a view to expanding the local economy and provided
and air link that could be used for many purposes, including golf tourism. This is no different from Kamloops pointing
out that our airport services Sun Peaks and its growth is good for our regional
economy.
I was Kamloops Airport
Authority Society president when we undertook a $25 million expansion at Fulton
Field.
We recognized that our
runway length, our terminal size and our navigation aids created an artificial
barrier to growth and prosperity in this region. We had to show that the economic impact of
this expansion would benefit the local economy by many multiples of the
investment. We had to demonstrate that
the expansion would generate more tax revenues for the federal and provincial
government than the project would cost.
We also had to show that
our project was viable and that we could complete it within the anticipated
budget.
Only after all the
groundwork was done did the provincial and federal governments provide a share
of funding. There were plenty of
detractors calling this project a white elephant and unnecessary ... and what
about the potholes?
The Kamloops airport
expansion was brought in on time, on budget and has resulted in record setting
passenger volumes that would have been impossible with the old facility.
The airport expansion
provided a significant boost to the local economy and resulted in new routes
and new carriers. Passenger numbers
have exceeded projections and further expansion plans are already in the works. Our economic impact analysis turned out to underestimate
the tax revenues this project would generate.
Yet, before, during and after this expansion we had potholes every year!
No government does all
things perfectly all the time. But with
sensible controls and oversight, public investment in transportation
infrastructure is generally a wise use of tax dollars. Using these investments without any point of
reference to attack a given political party is just cheap theatrics.
The Canadian Taxpayers
Federation needs to decide if they are really looking out for taxpayers or just
serving as a pothole pointing political shill.
ABOUT JOHN O’FEE:
Kamloops native John O’Fee graduated from the University of British Columbia receiving degrees in Commerce and Law. On retuning to his home town John established a law practice focussing on real estate development, corporate transactions, wills and estates.
Kamloops native John O’Fee graduated from the University of British Columbia receiving degrees in Commerce and Law. On retuning to his home town John established a law practice focussing on real estate development, corporate transactions, wills and estates.
John also served three terms as a Kamloops school trustee and 11 years
on Kamloops city council before leaving private legal practice in 2011 to
become CEO of the Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc (Kamloops Indian Band). A
sessional teaching role in TRU’s School of Business and Economics lead to a
full-time faculty in 2014 teaching courses in real estate, commercial law and
employment law.
John is a past chair of the Interior Health Authority, former board
member of the Provincial Health Services Authority, the TRU foundation and the
Municipal Finance Authority. John serves as a board member and panel
chair for the Health Professions Review Board of British Columbia and a
Kamloops Thompson School Trustee.
John has been recognized as a distinguished Alumnus of Thompson Rivers
University in 1995, selected for a BC Community Achievement Award in 2011,
designated as Queen’s Counsel in December 2015 and received the Dean’s Award
for Excellence in Teaching in 2018.
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