Last year Canadian
energy, forestry and the economy topped the most read commentaries – and
especially forestry. We also had a new party leader, by way of Trevor Bolin,
take over the helm of the BC Conservative Party. Andrew Scheer will soon be
replaced as the leader of the federal Conservatives, as will BC Green Party
leader Andrew Weaver.
Other stories presented
during the past year revolved around ICBC, policing and blockades ... Donald
Trump and Justin Trudeau, the Canadian election which was held just two and a
half short months ago ... wild salmon and salmon farming ... the undefinable
middle-class ... the ecology ... the SNC-Lavalin affair ... more embarrassment
from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ... ... trade wars ... climate change ...
simmering hostilities between Quebec and Alberta ... and so much more.
What follows now
however, are the stories and commentaries that caught the attention of the most
readers over the past 12 months:
# 10 ... BC Hydro
illegally adding GST to the Customer Crisis Fund (no matter
how little the amount) – only makes it worse (August 9th)
... regardless of the amount of the tax, the Excise Tax Act obviously
and clearly DOES NOT give permission to charge GST on the Crisis Fund -- there
is NO supply / supplies being provided. Instead the Customer Crisis Fund is a
source of revenue taken from 1.8 million residential customers, in order for
Hydro to have someone else pay for delinquent accounts ...
#9 ... CANADA’S ENERGY CITIZENS: We wanted to
show you a headline from this morning (March 13th)
... new policies have made our
country less competitive while we let foreign oil continue to sail into our
country without the same regulatory challenges ... jobs for all Canadians right
across the country that have disappeared and are instead being sent to other
countries like the United States, Saudi Arabia or Nigeria ...
#8 ... We’re not the ones sitting at some
coffee bar sucking a latte,
while consciously or unconsciously enjoy the rewards provided by the very
resource workers, they hope to shut down (January 7th)
... many of the
people wearing hardhats and work boots and gloves, are actually the very ones
who spend their lives, both work and leisure, out in British Columbians
forests, rivers, lakes, and wildlands. We’re the ones who are actually
connected to the environment ...
#7 ... ADAM OLSEN -- Skeetchestn Indian Band Chief Ron Ignace considers the
spraying of herbicide ‘an act of cultural genocide, because you are
killing our foods and medicines’ (September 9th)
... in every community I visited this summer, forestry issues were
central to the concerns of the people I met with. Many people had worked a full
career in the forests, and they had very little positive to say about the state
of the industry and the state of our ecosystems. There was harsh criticism of
how this critical resource has been mismanaged over the years ...
#6 ... KURT PEATS: Does
Somebody Have to Die Before the Cops do Something? OR, why
Don’t You Catch Some Real Criminals? (January 8th)
... the
Criminal Code of Canada also gives the officer legal authority to use “…as much
force as is necessary” in order to effect the arrest ... police deal primarily
with criminal matters, things like assault, theft, break and enters, impaired
driving and the like. It’s when the police are called upon to intervene in
“civil matters” the rules are not so clear and in fact, are almost always
non-existent ...
#5 ... To Be or Not
to Be, that
is the question (about Daylight Savings Time) (July 3rd)
It’s clear there is
no shortage of views on how we should observe time in British Columbia, said Premier John Horgan. I’m
very pleased so many people have already taken part in this engagement to help
determine the best way forward for B.C., and I encourage everyone to take the
survey and let us know what they think ...
CLICK
HERE for the latest government news on the status of
Daylight-Saving Time
#4 … “The advantage I have is over a decade of experience
in local politics, two decades in business, and a
burning passion to see the other provinces become envious of BC” – Trevor
Bolin, BC Conservative Party leader (April 7th)
… why now, and why
you, I asked the BC Conservatives new leader?
Without hesitation, or a pause, he quickly began by stating, “The right time was 5 minutes ago; the next
best time is right now. We have had a
provincial Liberal government that identified as a coalition for the last
decade and a half. We now are governed by the NDP, and another coalition”.
On a roll, he continued ...
#3 ... On the Tolko closure in Quesnel, “My opinion is that
when the mills went to the free market system to get logs, their area just went
for a shit. The cost
to get logs to Quesnel is pretty high” (May 15th)
… consumption has increased, employees have decreased, and
then you’re dealing with the American tariffs right, so it’s challenging for us
to keep a handle on what’s going on, and keep our members working. And in turn
the companies have the same dilemma, of the same sort of thing, in a different
way ...
#2 ... All I can say is if that’s how
maintaining a strong economy, and putting people first works, I’m not so sure those of us living in
BC will be able to afford much more of it (March 8th)
... Bruce Ralston,
Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology, had much to say following the release
of Statistics Canada's February Labour Force Survey. He did however miss a
few stats that perhaps he was hoping people would notice – I didn’t ...
AND FINALLY, taking the top spot as the most read
commentary of the year, and one which I think is also one of the shortest,
here’s our friend John Feldsted ...
#1 ... Trudeau and
Trump do not have to like one another, but must maintain a level of decorum and respect
(December 5th)
.... Trudeau fails to realize that if there was a “jaw dropping”
announcement or pronouncement during the press interview, Trump’s political
enemies will jump on it. It is important to avoid the perception of appearing
as one of those political enemies when dealing with a neighbour, important
trading partner and defence ally ...
It's
been a pleasure once again, through-out the year, to provide you with the
thoughts and comments of our writers and contributors. I hope you’ve enjoyed
their efforts, and perhaps they’ve made you stop and re-think, or reconsider, a
viewpoint you had to see if it still made sense.
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