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

DAY SEVEN … the week of November 24th to 30th


As of yesterday, 333 days had passed in the year … and with them, a few hundred commentaries have been presented on this blogsite … 17 alone this week.

Let’s take a look at the ten which garnered the most readership from you, starting with …


#10 ADAM OLSEN: Success comes from remaining receptive to advice and maintaining a healthy balance of confidence and humility (November 25th)

…. the challenge is balancing the frequency that venom is used ... and the dose that is delivered in any given situation. Care must be taken. Venom is only one tool and, if it is used too liberally, people grow a resistance to it essentially rendering it ineffectual …


#9 Conservative Opposition leader Andrew Scheer names new shadow cabinet; calls on eight MP’s from BC (November 29th)

… one day after naming former Liberal MP, Leona Alleslev (crossed over to the Conservatives September 2018) to the role of Deputy Leader, Andrew Scheer today named his Shadow Cabinet. From the BC interior, and my home riding of Kamloops – Thompson – Cariboo MP Cathy McLeod has been named as the Conservative Party’s Shadow Minister for Natural Resources (Forestry and Mining) ... 


#8 FELDSTED: The Conservative mandarins believe they can hire specialists to package a leader and run an election campaign. They have been proven wrong twice in a row (November 27th)

… Scheer’s campaign people and advisors should all be dismissed. In the critical period from the beginning of May to the end of August, Scheer was a ghost with no media presence. No one knew what he stood for. No policies were articulated. The CPC was a cipher …


#7 The main theme is confidence, and the BC NDP are in no way instilling confidence for capital investment - we’re seeing that play out on the ground now (November 27th)

… it’s not hard to see that the resource communities they live in are at risk -- businesses are facing bankruptcy, services are being withdrawn, and schools are closing – due in large part to persistent lay-offs, and job losses through-out the province ... and a lack of meaningful government action …



#6 ADAM OLSEN: In the face of scientific evidence, this government not only chooses to approve the biggest point source of pollution in the BC's history, but subsidize it with public funds every step of the way (November 28th)

… it's important to focus on the fact the public needs more than just highlighting the number of people working in the innovation economy. There are many communities across the province that have relied on the resource extraction for multiple generations that are in deep trouble …


#5 Once again, Alberta is ahead of the pack in exploring Carbon Capture Systems to reduce (GHG) emissions – Jason Nixon (November 28th)

… while John Horgan’s BC NDP government, and the federal Liberal government of Justin Trudeau, continue to put a ‘price on pollution’, Alberta’s Conservative government, under the leadership of Jason Kenney, is actively at work to dramatically reduce greenhouse gases …


#4 Sonia Furstenau is correct when she says not having the needed training and education is like ‘hiring more people with basic first-aid skills’ to alleviate the doctor shortage (November 26th)

… Expanding the range of professionals working with children and families is one thing. But replacing highly educated and trained social workers with alternative professions is an entirely different manner", she quoted from the employees union.

She then continued saying the BC Association of Social Workers also had concerns, and that they were ... requesting clear protection of title, mandatory registration of social workers with the college, statutory scope of practice and accredited social work education …



… it’s easy for me to say this because I’m well-off, retired, happily hypocritical about flying on holidays and driving my car, and not going to suffer personally from limits to fossil fuel expansion in Canada. I realize that colours my views, but it doesn’t make me unsympathetic to Alberta’s plight, and it doesn’t mean Alberta can tune out climate change …


#2 Forest Minister Doug Donaldson has spent a great deal of time stating they can’t change our stumpage system. I call BS because the ministry is currently, quietly working on a change (November 25th)

… what is really going on is pure incompetence by this minister, and this government. They have ignored the pain being suffered by workers, families and communities because they have no clue what they are doing …


And now we have arrived at the post which most caught your attention this past week … and one that only went up online yesterday. 

#1 All levels of government in BC should offer competitive compensation, to attract qualified employees, but government sector wages and benefits are clearly out of step (November 30th)

… wages for government employees in British Columbia were 5.8 per cent higher (on average) than wages for comparable workers in the province’s private sector last year, finds a new study by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank …


My thanks, as always, goes out to all of you who join us on the Thoughts on BC Politics and More blogsite, each and every day – and my thanks as well to all of the writers who provide their thoughts and opinions.

If you know of anyone who you think would be interested in checking us out, please be sure to pass on the link to the site – and remember, you can always get notices of new posts by simply clicking on the Subscribe Button on the upper right side of the blog.

Take care … enjoy the rest of your day … and have a great week ahead!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BC cannot regulate, redesign, and reinterpret its way to a stable forestry sector. Communities need clear rules, predictable timelines, and accountability for results.

Photo credit:  Atli Resources LP   BC’s Forestry Crisis Continues with Closure of Beaver Cove Chip Facility   As industry leaders, Indigenous partners, and contractors gather this week at the BC Natural Resources Forum in Prince George, the gap between government rhetoric and reality could not be clearer. Just hours after the Eby government once again touted reconciliation, certainty, and economic opportunity under DRIPA, Atli Chip Ltd, a company wholly owned by the ’Na̱mg̱is First Nation, announced it is managing the orderly closure of its Beaver Cove chip facility. The closure comes despite public tax dollars, repeated government announcements, and assurances that new policy frameworks would stabilize forestry employment and create long-term opportunity in rural and coastal British Columbia. “British Columbians are being told one story, while communities are living another,” said Ward Stamer, Critic for Forests. “This closure makes it clear that announcement...
Post a Comment
Read more

Stamer: Hope for Forestry Completely Shattered After Another Provincial Review Driven by DRIPA

IMAGE CREDIT:  Provincial Forestry Advisory Council Conservative Critic for Forests Ward Stamer says the final report from the Provincial Forestry Advisory Council confirms the worst fears of forestry workers and communities; instead of addressing the real issues driving mill closures and job losses, the NDP has produced a report that ignores industry realities and doubles down on governance restructuring. Despite years of warnings from forestry workers, contractors, and industry organizations about permitting delays, regulatory costs, fibre access, and the failure of BC Timber Sales, the PFAC report offers no urgency, no timelines, and no concrete action to stop the ongoing decline of the sector. “ This report completely shatters any remaining hope that the government is serious about saving forestry ,” said Stamer.  “ We didn’t need another study to tell us what industry has been saying for years. While mills close and workers lose their livelihoods, the NDP is focused on re...
Post a Comment
Read more

FORSETH – My question is, ‘How do we decide who is blue enough to be called a Conservative?’

How do we decide who’s blue enough to be a Conservative? AS OF TODAY (Friday January 30 th ), there are now eight individuals who have put their names forward to lead the Conservative Party of British Columbia. Having been involved with BC’s Conservatives since 2010, and having seen MANY ups and downs, having 8 people say “I want to lead the party” is to me, an incredible turn-around from the past. Sadly, however, it seems that our party cannot seem to shake what I, and others, call a purity test of ‘what is a Conservative’. And that seems to have already come to the forefront of the campaign by a couple of candidates. Let me just say as a Conservative Party of BC member, and as someone active in the party, that frustrates me to no end. Conservatives, more than any other political philosophy or belief, at least to me, seems to have the widest and broadest spectrum of ideals.   For the most part, they are anchored by these central thoughts --- smaller and less intru...
1 comment
Read more

Labels

Show more