Thoughts on BC Politics and More

BC Conservative Party interim leader Scott Anderson VERNON:     Scott Anderson, Interim Leader of the BC Conservatives, is concerned that the NDP has no real vision or plan to deal with the real problems facing British Columbia. “ The Throne Speech is a blend of vague promises, empty of real meaning, around NDP mixture of child care and high-speed rail, and half measures to address the real problems this province faces, like money laundering ,” said Anderson. “ The NDP merely dusted off the broken promises of last year, like child care and 'poverty reduction', and re-promised them this year. How disingenuous is that?” “ On MSP, for example, the NDP are advertising that they eliminated it, but all they have done is change the name and passed it on to businesses and municipalities. The alleged '$1800' they're supposedly saving families is eclipsed by businesses passing on the charges to the consumer. Not to mention the carbon tax which is furth...

Not that many days ago, Kris Sims, the BC Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation stated that, “... people should brace for big tax hikes on a number of fronts in 2019, not the least of which is the province double dipping on the MSP and EHT health taxes ”.   Here in the City of Kamloop’s, the provisional budget indicates the possibility of a 3.38% increase in taxes for homeowners. I do NOT believe however, that the combined EHT, and final payment for MSP, are the factors greatly impacting that proposed tax increase. Key financial cost drivers behind the increase, according to the city, include provincially driven programs , additional RCMP members, increased service levels, and inflation and wage s.  Here’s the breakdown: 1.1% increase due to new provincial rates and taxes for BC Hydro, ICBC, Employer Health Tax, and the (much maligned) Carbon Tax 1.28% increase due to the addition of three Council-approved RCMP officers, as well as increased servi...

This past Tuesday (October 16 th ), the BC government stated it was moving forward with its plan to eliminate Medical Service Plan (MSP) premiums and introduce the employer health tax (EHT).   Together, they claimed these two things would reduce taxes on people and businesses by approximately $800 million each year. Is that true?    Well all I can say is that does NOT seem to be factual given what many have to say … many who should be in the know.   Here’s just a sampling: ‘BC …less affordable for families and less attractive for business’ is not exactly a slogan for success.  ~~ Fraser Institute … Select Committee on Finance told the tax would add $700,000 a year in expenses and the City simply cannot "absorb" those costs, as the Finance Minister suggested municipalities could do ~~ City of Prince George “Ultimately, it’s going to be passed on, I think, to their customers …” ~~ Dent Benefits Consulting “… this u...

A few weeks back I wrote a piece stating that we (small 'c' conservatives) really had no choice, if we didn't want an NDP win in the next election.  Outside of having a very strong Independent to vote for, or not voting at all, there was little choice given our option but to vote for the BC Liberal candidate in our riding. Personally since then, I really haven't changed my mind, however a former political ally (John Crocock) from our BC Conservative days called to remind me that, "The BC Action Party was formed to give British Columbia a positive choice" From that conversation I offered him the chance to make his pitch to you ... so in John's words, here is why he is asking for your support for candidates they'll be running in the May Provincial General Election. Right now, British Columbia only has two choices, terrible, and, worse than terrible … The BC Liberals can unbelievably fleece the British Columbia...

Drop by the Elections BC official website, online at http://www.elections.bc.ca/index.php/2017-provincial-general-election/ ... and you'll find the following information: The next provincial general election in British Columbia is scheduled for May 9, 2017. In February and March, Elections BC will be updating the voters list to get British Columbians ready to vote. Our website will be updated regularly from now until after the election. You can also follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook to receive regular updates. Register to vote You can get ready to vote by registering or updating your voter information now. It’s easy to do online or by phone: ** Register online using our Online Voter Registration system **  Register by phone by calling 1-800-661-8683 In just over 3 months we will be headed to polling station across the Province to elect our next government ... and in our local ridings for our MLA. Where I liv...

Today (January 23rd) is the day.    The BC Liberal Government said, " Cheers! New, modern liquor laws are now in effect. " ... the reality however is that the biggest cheer went up from our BC Liberal government. Why?  Because outside of those now having the opportunity to dispense beer, wines, ciders, etc, the only ones who will be benefiting from the new regulations, will be the Ministry of Finance. More locations and opportunities to dispense alcohol, means more tax revenue to government coffers -- PERIOD!  Under the guise of freedom of when, how, and where to drink, the real reason is for increasing the gradual pull of money from the pockets of British Columbians. If you haven't already, it's time to face reality. The amount of liquor consumed by individuals will not simply be distributed over more places ... it WILL increase the amount of alcohol consumed, and hence revenue to government.  Don't even try to...

Recently, two stories in the news, caught my attention.  One was in the Metro News, entitled Investing longer in teens leaving B.C. care would more than pay for itself , which stated: You have to spend money to make money, and that adage may apply to foster care as much as it does to business, according to a new study. For the nearly one thousand 19-year-olds who “age out” of B.C. foster care system every year, an economic report released Monday has found that spending just $57 million in supporting those youth until age 24 would more than pay for itself — and potentially even save taxpayers nearly five times that amount . The second was in the Tyee, entitled Life Skills Program for Former Foster Kids Seeks Boost , made a couple of comments I found both interesting, and sad: ... when life skills coach Linda Liss’s most motivated client, a young First Nations woman who had aged out of foster care, joined a gang, Liss knew it was the child welfare s...

Was the last BC Provincial election campaign really already three years ago ???  May 2013?  Christy Clark was about to go down to defeat.  The BC Conservatives, only months before, had been closing in on her BC Liberal Party ... and the NDP was ahead in the polls. 'What happened?', many asked days after the results were known on election night.  Bottom line was that Christy Clark pulled a rabbit out of the hat as the NDP began the first in what's now been an ongoing campaign of saying "NO" to quality, environmentally friendly, high paying union jobs ... and regrettably the BC Conservative Party imploded. BC Liberal Premier Christy Clark What else happened?  Well Christy Clark went on the campaign trail saying whatever she had to say to get the votes of British Columbians ... and many believed what she had to say. Here's a direct quote, from BC Premier Christy Clark, from the 2013 election: “ We’re securing our futur...