B.C. Liberals selling out our energy future
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story.html?id=7ae2ec37-20d3-4e0e-a100-25ade2764ce4
Climate and terrain could make us the Saudi Arabia of renewable energy
Ralph Keller, Arthur Caldicott and Jim Abram, Times Colonist
Published: Wednesday, January 28, 2009
There is an energy "gold rush" happening in British Columbia. With our mountainous terrain and wet-coast climate, we are poised to become the world's Saudi Arabia of sustainable energy from a variety of sources including run of river, wind and tidal power.
If fully exploited, these resources could create four times more power than B.C. Hydro currently produces, and give us billions of dollars for provincial coffers. But only if the resource remains a public asset, managed for public benefits.
British Columbians have been blessed with renewable, reliable and inexpensive electricity ever since W.A.C. Bennett had the foresight to develop publicly owned hydroelectric power almost 50 years ago. It might have been renewable, but it was not especially green -- ask anyone living in the Peace River country back then.
In 2002, the provincial government prohibited B.C. Hydro from developing new power projects, throwing British Columbia's renewable energy potential to the private energy sector.
Since then, more than a thousand applications have been made for renewable energy projects; 650 "run of river" applications now cover almost every viable river and stream. More than 400 applications are under review for wind, tide and wave permits.
The government has made it easy and inexpensive for private developers to access our water and wind resources. Over the life of the 30- to 40-year Independent Power Producer energy contracts being negotiated, the people of B.C. receive less than four per cent of gross revenues in return for the long-term-use of public resources and guaranteed purchase contracts.
Compared to the 15 to 25 per cent royalties and tax paid by oil and gas companies, our renewable energy resources are a giveaway.
The IPPs claim to be developing zero-emission "Green Power" which is climate friendly. To an extent, this is true. Some projects are about as "green" as energy production gets, and if approved by local communities, they should go ahead.
But many projects come with unacceptably high environmental price tags. Surprisingly, the Environmental Assessment Office has never yet turned down a proposal, but consider the overall impacts of this new gold rush: Roads and transmission lines that will criss-cross B.C.'s wilderness landscapes; thousands of hectares that will be clearcut; river diversion, tunnels and pipelines; massive drilling and blasting operations, with acid rock drainage and soil erosion.
Could these permanent disturbances to almost every coastal watershed really mean no damage to fish and wildlife?
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Power projects bring benefits to B.C. residents
http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimescol ... s/letters/
story.html?id=70fe0b5d-4e05-4fda-beff-0fa78f6d2a6b
Times Colonist Published: Sunday, February 01, 2009
I was disappointed by the article "B.C. Liberals selling out our energy future" (Jan. 28).
B.C. has imported power for seven of the last 10 years. Our government is committed to making B.C. electricity self-sufficient.
Despite the claims of a "gold rush" in new independent power projects, only 46 such projects are in operation; almost half were started under the previous NDP government. These power projects pay British Columbians millions of dollars over the life of their contracts for the use of water resources.
B.C. Hydro is currently undertaking extensive consultations on the feasibility of building the Site C dam and has billions of dollars in its capital plan to expand and upgrade existing infrastructure.
The authors suggest power lines will criss-cross the province. Last month we released the terms of reference for an inquiry to look at the transmission needs of the province for the next 30 years. That will be a public, open process.
We are creating a B.C. industry for clean, green power, including run-of-river, biomass, waste-gas capture and wind, that will help meet our needs and could help other jurisdictions reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reliance on dirtier forms of electricity generation.
This industry brings jobs, investment and revenue and has the added benefit of creating a service sector that also provides jobs in rural communities.
Blair Lekstrom
Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources
---------------------------------------------
Power projects bring benefits to BC residents.
From: Jeremy Arney
To: Blair.Lekstrom.MLA@leg.bc.ca
Cc: carole.james.mla@leg.bc.ca ; corky.evans.mla@leg.bc.ca ; rob.fleming.mla@leg.bc.ca ; maurine.karagianis.mla@leg.bc.ca ; letters@tc.canwest.com ; Mike.de.jong.MLA@leg.bc.ca ; Penner, Barry ; Hogg, Gordon ; Bell, Pat ; Blackburn Jean-Pierre ; Day, Stockwell ; Oda.B@parl.gc.ca ; Prentice Jim ; Raitt, Lisa ; Shea, Gail
5th February, 2009
To Blair Lekstrom
BC Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources.
I read your letter to the Times Colonist published on Sunday 1st February 2009 with the above title and now I have the need for you to fill in the blanks that you left open. I appreciate that most letter writers are restricted to length but you have opened up questions with this letter of yours.
I quote from your letter: "BC has imported power for 7 of the last 10 years"
Where have we been getting it from and at what cost, and why when we are exporting to our neighbours to the south? ...could that be NAFTA and SPP maybe?
"BC Hydro is currently undertaking extensive consultations on the feasibility of building the site C dam...."
Does this also take into consideration the re-housing of the First Nations Peoples and others who will lose their homes? Or maybe just consultations with those who will profit from the construction of such a dam. How about the extra pressure in the surface of the earth? ...a new Mount St. Helens anyone?
"Last month we released the terms of reference for an inquiry to look at the transmission needs of the province for the next 30 years. That will be a public, open process."
How long have you had a stranglehold on the province and now you decide to waste money at a time when things are tight on something which should have been started by your ministry 8 years ago.
If there is a need for such an inquiry now, surely there was when you came to power and before you, as a government, started to sell off everything the people of BC "owned", including almost every piece of moving water - without asking our permission or any open investigation of same sell off. Public, open process with this BC government? Just who are you trying to convince here?
If you really wanted to do what you say, you would be approaching the pulp mills of BC your government has helped to close, and assist them to convert even a part of their plants to the production of solar panels, which your government, supposedly acting on behalf of its employers - the people of BC - would then help to get installed in every building in BC. from the smallest cottage to the large factories.
This would not only put Canadians here in BC back to work but could provide a very beneficial product to the rest of Canada and maybe even the world....
It would almost certainly reduce the demand on the electrical grid to the point where we do not need another damn dam, and by not building it is how you could pay for this upgrade in the pulp mills, especially if you add all the proceeds from the garage sale of BC.
Is that too hard to figure out?
"This industry brings jobs, investment and revenue and has the added benefit of creating a service sector that also provides jobs in rural communities"
I am sure the new owners of BC Hydro are counting on that to happen so that they can make an even bigger profit on their investment. (Incidentally, I only found out about the sale of BC Hydro by mistake.)
Meanwhile the northern part of our province is being turned into ghastly mining pits and drilling fields, crisscrossed with pipe lines going in all directions, with no regard for: the people who live there, clean water the country needs desperately, an already hurting ecological system, poisoned fish and wild life, and even the land polluted to the point where growing grass is not fit to be eaten by cows which then feed us!
Also I see that Plutonic Power and General Electric (USA corporations) have staked a claim to the waters entering into Bute Inlet so that they can generate hydro for sale to California, and if there is any (left) over, they will try to sell to BC Hydro.
How does that fit in with NAFTA and SPP?
Oh yes, I suppose we will be subjected to hydro lines, with the eco disasters that come with them, all over a pristinely beautiful part of our province down through the lower mainland into Washington State. Are they willing?
Is there no end to Mr Campbell selling off our province, and obviously at bargain basement, knock-down prices as we are now broke and have to go into a deficit position just to keep the foreign owned hospitals open? . . . Oh and our schools too?
So, Mr. Lekstrom, what was it you are so proud of again?
Jeremy Arney
Victoria BC
--------------------------------------------
On Sat, Feb 7, 2009 at 11:36 AM, Lekstrom.MLA, Blair <Blair.Lekstrom.MLA@leg.bc.ca> wrote:
Hello Jeremy
It is unfortunate that you have accepted so much misinformation through your years that has now lead you to believe that our government would entertain selling BC Hydro.
I will share with you the facts and hopefully it will benefit you some.
We have not ever in our mandate talked about or discussed selling BC Hydro. In fact we have enshrined the public ownership of BC Hydro and BC Transmission Corp into legislation. The last government that entertained the sale of BC Hydro was the NDP. Having read your Email to me I would have to believe this information must be very shocking to you. BC Hydro is an incredible Crown Corporation that is of significant benefit to British Columbians and it will remain in their hands.
You make other comments and I quote "Meanwhile the northern part of our province is being turned into ghastly mining pits and drilling fields, crisscrossed with pipe lines going in all directions, with no regard for: the people who live there, clean water the country needs desperately, an already hurting ecological system, poisoned fish and wild life and even the land polluted to the point where growing grass is not fit to be eaten by cows which then feed us".
I have lived in the North all of my life and live in the heart of the oil and gas activity as well as the agricultural heart of this province and find your comments reflect that of a person who obviously has never been to the north or had their eyes closed when they were here.
You close by asking what I am so proud of again.
Let me tell you.
I am proud that our government brought us back to a province that is again a have province versus the have not status that the NDP took us to in the 1990's. I am proud that we are once again leading the country in job creation and again providing hope for the people of this great province. I am proud of the fact that we once again have a triple "A" credit rating after suffering 3 consecutive down grades under the NDP costing British Columbians millions upon millions of dollars which should have been used to deliver services instead of paying interest. I am most proud of telling the truth about what is really happening and that will never change.
My only hope would be is that when others discuss issues that they would actually use factual information.
Thanks for taking the time to write.
Blair Lekstrom
MLA
Peace River South
Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources
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Terrorism and the BC Ferries
From: Jeremy Arney
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2009 8:52 PM
Subject: Terrorism and the BC Ferries
Dear Editor,
Terrorist:
1. a person, usually a member of a group, who uses or advocates terrorism.
2. a person who terrorizes or frightens others.
Terrorism:
the systematic employment of violence and intimidation to coerce a government or community into acceding to specific political demands.
Expert:
having special knowledge or skill in a subject.
It appears from the above dictionary definitions that by promoting the fear that a BC Ferry might be the target of a terrorist attack, Mr John Thompson of the The MacKenzie Institute of Toronto, is using his expert knowledge to be a terrorist himself.
This might work in Ontario, Mr Thompson, but here in BC, we are used to being regularly terrorised by the BC Ferry Corporation in the form of exorbitant fares, long service delays or cancellations, frequent breakdowns, sometimes extremely rude employees, very expensive food services, and now non Canadian built ships.
We also have the two main levels of government (Federal and Provincial) to face here, which many in BC think are eco terrorists anyway; so please, leave us alone Mr. Thompson and maybe instead use your expertise to terrorise our governments, and by extension our country, into being more palatable to the rest of the world, so we need not fear anyone and offer peace to all.
Jeremy Arney
Victoria BC
==================
More on: Power projects bring benefits to BC residents.
From: Jeremy Arney
To: Lekstrom.MLA, Blair
Cc: env.minister@gov.bc.ca ; Fin.Minister@gov.bc.ca ; For.Minister@gov.bc.ca
Sent: Saturday, February 14, 2009 9:59 PM
Subject: Re: Power projects bring benefits to BC residents.
Dear Mr. Lekstrom,
I thank you for your reply to my letter to you, and in your opening remark you are absolutely correct about misinformation.
In all my years, as you say, I have listened to and relied on the veracity of both my federal and provincial governments to do what they had been hired to do, which is look after the interests of the Canadian and the British Columbian people.
In the last few years, since I have semi-retired, I have had the time to examine what you are all doing and realize I have been totally deceived and abandoned in favour of corporate profit by both levels of government.
The more I exam both levels of government the more upset I become.
However, let's forget the federal government and concentrate instead in this case on your government.
You (for 'you' please read 'your government') were never going to sell BC Rail and did so before we knew about it; you started to dissect BC Hydro giving away the accounting and service section to Accenture on the grounds that it would save money. How one would save money by paying others to do the same job is beyond me but perfectly understandable to this government which has outsourced almost everything possible, thereby allowing mostly foreign companies to make money whilst reducing services to the people of BC and income to the provincial bank account.
Yes, you passed the BC Hydro Public Power Legacy and Heritage Contract Act, probably in self defence against the outcry over Accenture and the BC Rail deception, and then you started to emasculate BC Hydro.
Have they or have they not been ordered to not create anymore sources of power in their own right? Have they or have they not been ordered to buy at the price offered to them from the 700 or so "run of the river" projects for which there are applications. How many of those applications originate in BC, or even Canada for that matter? Just what is FortisBC doing controlling the power in the Okanogan rather than B C Hydro?
Let's look for a moment at these "run of the river" projects.
In 2005, the Squamish Lillooet Regional District voted against the building of power generating facilities on the Ashlu, a world-class white-water kayaking river and a key component in Squamish's wilderness tourism plans. The province overrode that decision with Bill 30 section 56 amending the Utilities Commission Act Section 121, legislation that essentially denies local governments the right to interfere with projects deemed important to provincial government interests....from Sierra Club website
Since when does the employee have the right to override the rights and wishes of the employer without even consulting that employer?
Naturally, however, this is backed by the federal government which has, through the courts, come up with this little goodie to defend the mining companies that wish to destroy lakes across Canada.
On June 13th 2008, The Federal Court of Appeal determined that citizens do not have a right to be consulted about proposed large industrial developments.
Then this from people organizations:
Indeed, the whole run-of-river process has the character of a gold rush frenzy. Not only could it bring monumental disturbance to many of the pristine streams and rivers that give BC its "super-natural" character but when Foy and Mair were asked about the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' federal mandate to protect salmon, they both laughed……from the Sierra Club website,
Twenty corporations presently own almost 70% of water licenses and applications for private hydro power developments - BC Citizens for Public Power. (I checked the list published and saw no BC Hydro anywhere in the remaining applicants).
Projects of vast scale (larger than Site C) exist and are concentrated in areas such as Bute,Toba and Knight Inlets. The habitat fragmentation and destruction from this permanent infrastructure impacts large predators (wolves, grizzly bears), and species at risk such as the marbled murrelets and rare plants....B C Creek Protection Society.
There are real people from BC, Mr Lekstrom, who are very concerned with this run of the river gold rush, as it has been described, not least of which is the proposed Plutonic Power/General Electric consortium to destroy the Bute Inlet.
There are also the Toba, Hawkeye Cluster and of course the Klinakini projects as well. These are the really big ones amongst the 700 applications for run of the rivers projects. There has been absolutely no informational meeting put on either by your ministry or Plutonic Power in any major city of BC to allow the people of BC to understand what you are allowing and encouraging, and what they will be paying for.
Last night I had the privilege of being present when a man, who lives at the mouth of the Bute Inlet, as he has for 35 years acting as a guide to people from all over the world who come to see our Bute Inlet, told a meeting at UVIC what was going to happen.
He was almost in tears as he showed us photos of the mountains and glaciers, and talked of what you are planning to have done there, damming every river, burying pipes to divert the river waters, cutting huge swathes of pristine old forest to make way for transmission lines, and roads.
He told us that almost all his international visitors considered Bute Inlet to be amongst the top ten most beautiful spots in the world. Not for much longer if you have anything to do with it.
Then the produced electricity from these remote locations has to get to consumers. To do this, transmission lines have to connect to the power grid. In the case of Knight Inlet, it's a 180 kilometre long swath of forest, 25 to 100 metres wide, to be cleared northward through remote BC landscapes, and another line may come southward across the Johnstone Strait islands to connect to the Vancouver Island grid. At Toba Inlet, it's a 145 km transmission line to the nearest grid. At the Glacier/Howser site in the Kootenays, it's a 91.5 km line.... Sierra Club website.
Please tell us why you are doing this and why we are not being informed of these projects by your ministry.
The next part of your letter was about you living in the north and suggesting that I had never even been there or that I had had my eyes shut when I was.
Well actually I used to drive a semi along the Alaska Highway when it was still a gravel road from a few miles north of Dawson Creek, and I was always impressed with the majestic beauty of that drive through to the Yukon border.
I have also been through to Prince Rupert from Watson Lake, through Dease Lake, and Smithers back to Prince George, and in all that time, I loved the beauty of the country, always happy to go there in spite of the lack of truck stops.
With this in mind and to back up my remarks about the damage being done, I attach a copy of an email I was sent indirectly to give you a source of my information for Tomslake, BC
-------------------------------
(From Leona Green)
Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2008 9:19 AM
Subject: Re: Tomslake in a police state
I will be only too happy to give you a detailed background of what is going on in this area of the province.
As you say, we are quite forgotten by the media and yet this is where a huge amount of revenue is coming from to fill the provincial coffers. (In the BILLIONS of dollars)
The northeast is sitting on huge basins of natural gas, all containing various levels of deadly H2S gas. The landowner owns only the top six inches of the land, all minerals below this level belongs to the government, who in turn may sell mineral leases to the drilling companies. These drilling companies can in turn come on the landowners property and set up drilling rigs, huge gathering stations, pipelines, etc. and the landowner has no say whatsoever.
Now, to explain the situation at Tomslake.
Tomslake is a very large valley of just farms, there is a school and a store and post office. The farms are nice, usually cattle, forage and/or mixed. This area was first settled during the Second World War by Sudaten Germans and many of the farms are still held by second and third generation families. These were people who Hitler forced out of Sudatenland and many were killed in the process. These people came here and made a beautiful farming community out of a wilderness, hardship and hard work, but they did it. They are now facing what their ancestors did, only this time they are being forced off their land by the government and "big oil".
Someone bombed an Encana pipeline three times.
No one hurt and the pipeline minimal damage. The farmers of Tomslake are being blamed for this so National Security was brought in to deal with the problem. However, National Security has not even been able to determine the type of explosive used, very odd considering their very modern labs.
Also, whoever is responsible for the bombing knows exactly where security is at all times, despite the fact they are even using helicopters are well as ground to patrol the pipelines.
Two other factors, Encana and Murphy are fighting like cat and dog over lease boundaries and just perhaps this is an inside job to scare the farmers off their land. Anyway, the farmers are being blamed, hence the finger printing, phone tapping, etc. Anything to scare the farmer off his land or intimidate them to the extent that they dare not say a word against the industry.
I live just a 20 minute drive from Tomslake, and my son and his wife live there (My daughter-in-law is Sudaten German). We have now been informed that there is another big "bowl" of natural gas found in the Farmington area which is just a 20 minute drive to the north of me where my sister and her family farm.
So I am right in the middle!
I was wiped out by gas drilling ten years ago, but that is another story! (Which may be interesting to some folks who are unaware of the devastation caused by the drilling industry.)
As a footnote, when the drilling industry moves in, what was once a farming area becomes a total industrial area. There are drilling rigs screaming 24 hours a day, huge flares and lights so there is no night. Camps, complete with drunks and drugs. Big "pads" with cracking and gathering stations (lots of noise there!). Heavy trucks driving over the roads day and night. This results in no sleep for the landowner and the stress is unreal.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at any time.
One further note, we have no legal help as none of our local lawyers would dare touch this situation.
Politics!! Our local MLA and MP just tell us to live with it.
Thank you so much for your interest.
Leona
---------------------------------
From: G. Leona Green
November 15 08
If it is of any interest to anyone?
As National Security has moved in on the Tomslake area things are becoming very bad for the landowners there.
Citizens of the area are being finger printed, phones are being tapped, and persons are being threatened with being held in jail for 72 hours without being charged.
To add to this, the drilling companies are running rampant over the people as they (the companies) now have the go ahead to do whatever they please. With huge trucks running day and night on all the roads, no speed limits and use of jake brakes, no one there gets any sleep. This is all being done to intimidate the residents. Some people have just given up and moved away, which is exactly what the companies want. This is approx. a 1000 resident area.
I am due to speak at a residents meeting later this month and I imagine I will be subject to anything National Security and the Companies can do to me after that.
If it is of any interest to you people in the other parts of this "best place on earth to live" this area (the northeast) is where all the revenue is coming from for all the nice goodies the government is handing out down south, including the Olympics. There are now BILLIONS of dollars flowing out of here for the benefit of other parts of the province.
We are left with nothing including roads we can no longer drive on. And as far as I can see, no one gives a hoot, just send us more money!
Well, we up here are getting mighty tired of this whole situation.
We want our land back and we want our fair share of this revenue and we are getting nothing!
Leona G
----------------------------------
Mr. Arney continues......
Two things about this e-mail:
The reference to the MLA who just told her to live with it – that would be you would it not Mr. Lekstrom?
Secondly, I have sent Leona several e-mails asking if she was OK and have yet to hear from her, so as her MLA, maybe you can assure me she is alright and that her fears of the National Security and the Companies are unfounded.
Where do you stand on the destruction of Kluela Lake by the Red Chris Mining Company which wishes to turn it into a tailing pond with again unacceptable consequences to the First Nations Peoples and ecosystem there?
From the BC Water Protection (RSBC Act 1996) chapter 484
Definitions and Interpretations:
Purpose
2 The purpose of this Act is to foster sustainable use of British Columbia's water resources in continuation of the objectives of conserving and protecting the environment.
New Brunswick has a Water Quality Act which protects lakes against mining pollution, we only appear to have an act against the removal of water. Your Federal counterparts, Harper & Raitt, do not seem to care about water quality at all, do you?
I am very happy for you that you take such pride in your government and how you have changed us from being a province of being "people orientated" to one of being "corporation orientated".
I will not comment on the job creation as I am well aware that the loss of jobs is huge in BC, and will get bigger, but if you say your are creating more real jobs than you are causing to be lost, well maybe you can share the list of jobs created with us so we can share your pride.
A couple of final questions if I may.
Why are we spending so much money to increase our dependence upon the supply of electricity, oil and gas, when we could be doing so much more with that money to reduce these demands by such means as solar panel manufacture and installation as I mentioned in my previous latter?
Why are we building a 10 lane Bridge to replace one which has very recently been widened instead of replacing the recently burned and closed Patulla Bridge with an up to date structure of adequate size?
Thank you for your attention.
Jeremy Arney
Victoria BC
================
Isreal taking over Canada?
From: Jeremy Arney
To: Day, Stockwell
CC: All MPs
Sent: April 02, 2009 10:16 PM
Mr. Day,
In the last two days, I have heard two things that anger and disgust me:
1: You have entered into an agreement with Israel that will allow them to be a part of, and control part of, and determine policies concerning our Canadian Border Service Agency.
Does this mean that Israel will be able to stop anyone from a country which they believe may not like them or support their war activities against women and children from coming to Canada?
They (Israel) have already done so with George Galloway and so I have no reason to believe they (Israel) will not have the authority to stop anyone else.
Why are you not only allowing but encouraging such a thing to happen?
It certainly is not in the best interests of the Canadian People, which your leader and all his ministers keep parroting (along with transparency) as one of your main objectives.
2. Jewish Defence League of Canada director, Meir Weinstein, said today that any Canadian Organisation or individual that invited George Galloway to speak in Canada later this month would be looked into regarding their ties to terror groups.
"We want to make sure that the hate the Hamas organisation teaches will not reach children in Canada" he said during an interview with Channel 4 News in the UK.
He also said speaking from the CBC Headquarters in Toronto that: "If Galloway attempts to speak in Canada via any other means. the JDL will see to it that the Canadian Government will be monitoring every individual and organisation that has anything to do with George Galloway".
Sounds like a terrorist group to me, threatening the Canadian People and ordering our Government to do their bidding.
From these two items, it is clear that somehow Israel now controls your Ministry instead of Harper. Is Harper aware of that yet?
I mean, I know he is away from Canada spreading some sort of imagined propaganda or other but will he not be pretty upset that Israel has taken over while he is away?
Quite apart from that, I am sure that any Canadian Parent would rather they choose what their children are exposed to and influenced by rather than leaving that to someone (Weinstein) who supports the destruction of women, children and basically unarmed men in a confined area from which they could not escape the slaughter.
Maybe I should expect a knock on my door from this Jewish Defense League, because :
a) I watched George's message beamed into Canada this week and I totally supported his convoy of relief to Gaza.
b) I do not expect my right to freedom of speech and freedom to listen to others speak in this country that I love called Canada, to be determined by a member of another country - be it Israel or the USA.
Nor do I expect a member of the Canadian Government (dysfunctional minority that it may be) to allow such rights to be determined by another country without my consent.
Obviously, they do not agree that I should have these rights and presumably you agree with them.
I do not consent to this destructive and terroristic action you are taking.
Jeremy Arney
Victoria BC
=====================
Flaherty's Budget - How did it work for you. . . ?
To: Jim Flaherty
From: Jeremy Arney
Cc: Ignatieff Michael ; Layton Jack ; Duceppe Gilles ; Savoie, Denise ; Martin, Keith ; (and many newspapers...Ed.)
Sent: Thursday, April 02, 2009 2:59 PM
Subject: So how did it work for you as opposed to the Canadian people?
Mr Flaherty, Minister of Finance,
In your budget of 2006 this happened:
In his first budget as Harper's finance minister, Jim Flaherty invited "new players" -- that is, U.S financial corporations -- into Canada's mortgage insurance market and doubled the amount of government money available to back up private insurers from $100 billion to $200 billion.
Flaherty's 2006 budget states that "These changes will result in greater choice and innovation in the market for mortgage insurance, benefiting consumers and promoting home ownership." - Jim Flaherty 2006
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman has observed that "financial innovation" are two words that should henceforth strike terror into the hearts of investors.
With the entrance of new private mortgage insurers into Canada after the Flaherty budget, Canada saw a dramatic weakening in the standards for mortgage insurance.
An analysis in the Toronto Star pointed out: "A 40-year mortgage [on a $350,000 home] will save you $73 a week on payments but cost an extra $254,000 in interest than if you had opted for 25 years. It's a trade-off that works way better for the bank than your personal finances."
So this didn't work too well for the Canadian People - how did it work for you, Mr Flaherty?
These quotes taken from The Tyee on 8th October 2008 in an excellent article : "How Harper Gov't pushed Financial Deregulation Here, Abroad," by Ellen Gould
http://thetyee.ca/Views/2008/10/08/HarperEcon/
Now, just a few years after that budget, we are in more trouble than you will yet acknowledge and, more than that, you are only helping those corporations that are causing the trouble.
The Canadian people are not benefiting in any meaningful way; yes, a few extra bucks for EI, but NO real help in getting the recently-fired (because of corporate downsizing as a result of the carefully manufactured economic situation) back to work.
Perhaps you are too busy now overseeing more Acts of Parliament to be meddled with (a la US method of "pork", such as giving control of all nonnavigable waterways to Harper to do with what he wants with no responsibilty to either the House of Commons or the people of Canada) in a future addendum to your "budget"
From the same article comes this very disturbing information about Harper's efforts to destroy the economies of other countries:
"The enormity of what's at stake in the WTO financial sector negotiations is revealed in a February 2006 bargaining request sent from Canada's Department of Finance to developing countries. Canada asked that foreign financial institutions be guaranteed rights to "establish new and acquire existing companies" in all financial sectors. This would mean among other things that countries would have to allow 100 per cent foreign ownership of their banks and insurance companies.
Canada has also asked that companies be given WTO enforceable rights to trade in derivatives, which has been described as a high-octane form of financial speculation similar to gambling. Warren Buffett famously called derivatives "financial weapons of mass destruction," destruction that is being witnessed on a daily basis on the world's stock exchanges."
I find it disgusting that you and Harper feel you must act as the messengers of evil for the WTO and IMF, using the name of Canada without our consent.
Did you ask for House of Commons approval in this?
For your information, I do not consent to Canada trying to destroy anyone or their country any more than I consent to the deceitful way I believe you are treating the Canadian People.
Jeremy Arney
Victoria BC
==============================
B C Ferries in competition?
From: Jeremy Arney
To: Various Canadian newspapers
Cc: david.han@bcferries.com
Sent: Monday, April 06, 2009 11:00 AM
An open letter to David Han of the BC Ferry Authority
I did not hear this myself but I was told that, in an interview on radio CKNW, Mr. David Han of the BC Ferry Authority said that: "Seaspan should learn to live with some real old-fashioned competition".
This was apparently said in reference to the BC ferries wanting to get into the shunting of "drop" trailers between the Island and Mainland. That is to say, goods trailers that do not have a transportation company tractor attached will probably displace regular unreserved commercial traffic.
Well, Mr. Han, it seems to me that Seaspan Coastal Intermodal faced a much more serious threat than your company could ever be from Island Barge Co., and they both appear to be still around, still doing business in competition, giving reliable service and making money.
Can the same be said of your monopoly operation that, with funding from both levels of Federal and Provincial governments, soaring fares, and exorbitant food prices, you are making money?
Can it also be said that not only are you giving value for money to the people of BC but that you are operating with a happy workforce, which believes their jobs are secure only until you sell the Ferry Authority or break the union, whichever comes first?
There are probably very few people in BC who do not believe you were bought in by our Dictator to do anything except get the Ferries ready for sale to one of his corporate friends.
Have you given thought to the Swartz Bay terminal where the lower parking lot is built on a giant base of sand and, with this newest Celebration disaster from Germany having such vibrations from its propellers, it is as if an earthquake was taking place when it is parked at Swartz Bay.
This is clearly felt even in the control tower and eventually that sand will shake free and the parking lot (and that of the company you would like to consider competition - Seaspan) will be gone?
Are you going to try to sell before that happens or fix the stupid boat?
I know that if I was in charge at Seaspan, I would take you up on that ridiculous challenge and take those "Fast Cats" out of moth balls and show you how WAC Bennet planned to really run a ferry service between the Vancouver, Victoria and Nanaimo at a price everyone can afford, and give the service that the people of BC and visitors to our province and country deserve and should have been getting from a Crown Corporation now disguised as The B C Ferry Authority.
Probably just as well for you, Mr. Han, that I am not in charge at Seaspan.
Jeremy Arney
Victoria BC
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If you don't like what you see or hear do something about it instead of complaining.