Of course, B.C. is for sale ! Just take a look at these foreign investor ads…produced by the BC Liberals

Posted on by Laila

There has been quite a bit of talk about the sell-off of British Columbia’s natural resource’s,whether it be water and energy( run of the river projects),coal,natural gas, copper or other minerals, or even our trees which are being exported as raw logs to China at a rate that is leaving mills here out in the cold.

These two documents say it better than I ever could,because after all ,seeing is believing, right? But honestly, some of the things that are claimed in this first document, are not at all what the government has actually demonstrated they value…

This one, the english version of an invest in BC ad, that is available in many languages,so no country is left out of investing in our province:

bc_snapshot_english

And this one,practically begs investors to come and take our coal…

pleasetakeourcoal

29 thoughts on “Of course, B.C. is for sale ! Just take a look at these foreign investor ads…produced by the BC Liberals”

  1. Laila, I take a contrarian view on the coal mining sector (or the mining sector at large).

    Firstly, according to your link, BC’s proven reserves of metallurgical coal reserves (forgetting thermal coal) are 13 billion tons. At the current average rate of extraction of 25 million tons/year, that leaves BC with 520 years worth of supply. BC doesn’t have any use for the coal. Steel mills in Asia and elsewhere do.

    Secondly, coal mining dominates the BC mining sector and contributed $5.7 billion to the provincial economy in 2009.

    Thirdly, according to PWC, the BC mining sector paid out $851 million in salary and benefits in 2009 with the average salary at $110,800 and total payments to government of $413 million.

    An average unionized salary of $110,800/yr. Imagine that. Employment, high salaries, economic activity in rural small town BC, and cash flowing into gov’t coffers. What’s not to like?

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  3. Laila,
    You must have ruffled somebodies feathers as neither link seems to be working. I’m a recent visitor to your site and am continually blown away at the amount of information you uncover. Please, keep up the good work.

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  4. Hi Todd,

    You know, I’m not the kind of person that is blind to how the world works. I’ve read a lot of ” laila yuile haters” assertions on various discussion forums who think I expect lots of infrastructure and economic activity, but dont think anyone should have to pay for it.

    Not true. Of course we need infrastructure and of course it needs to be paid for – just not with unregulated and deceptive P3 agreements, and poorly planned projects.

    I feel the same about mining. In some cases, if all the appropriate cautions are taken into consideration, if the community is in support,the most stringent environemental guidelines are followed,and the safest methods of extraction are used, it can be a win- win situation.

    However, in the time the BC Liberals have been in power, they have systematically, and with calculated planning, determined a course of economic future for this province that is not in the best interests of the all the residents of BC, the environment, or our future generations.

    These ads are a prime example of the, pardon my language, bullshit the government is passing around to other countries to entice them to do business here, when they could be making a hell of alot more effort into creating an economy that keeps BC money in BC, and assists BC businesses to grow and prosper.

    I believe there is a better way to achieve a strong economy than selling our jobs, resources and everything else to overseas interests.

    Retrofit the sawmills that are closed to cut the wood to Asian specifications,such as one firstnations mill has, rather than pump the raw log exports. What happened to looking at other,more sustainable forms of wood or fibre for producing paper, etc, like Bamboo,Hemp?

    God,there is just such a better way of doing things. I have had a business background, I’m not stupid as to how this all works. It is a choice, pure and simple. We are not a single industry province, we have choices.

    Billy, what the hell are you talking about? did I miss something ? What dictionary ???

    Stephanie.

    The files on my site are my own, and safe, they take a moment to load,but rest assured, they can’t be removed. The goverment has been systematically going through all my oldblog posts- I have their IP addresses from Victoria- and breaking any past link I have inserted in many of my older posts that paint them in an unflattering light. It is to be expected.

    Thank you for the kind words.I do try hard, and my wonderful assistant NVG is a walking talking gift from above!

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  7. Laila said: “I’ve read a lot of ” laila yuile haters” assertions”
    ——————

    Laila, I’ve never read or heard that before. Frankly, from my perspective, you are a very intelligent and very perceptive individual who is also down to earth and… well…. refreshingly honest! Not too much of that out there.

    That’s why I always enjoy your postings. Nevertheless, we both depart on many occasions in terms of factual weight and analysis of various matters. And that’s healthy.

    BTW, I still believe that you should think about throwing your hat into the ring in Surrey-Panorama Ridge under any banner (if anything, think Vicki in Delta South). It’s always a good learning experience for similar future political endeavours. 😉

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  8. thank you for publishing the information. The province truly is for sale. The mining will do nothing for our environment.
    then again, from the government’s information regarding all this coal mining and the use of rail you really hve to wonder why gordo ever sold B.C. Rail. Just from their ads you could conclude BC Rail was making money.
    At this rate the citizens of B.c. will no longer own B.C.
    the jobs from mining will be at the whim of the international markets and we will be in the same old bust and boom routine. These international companies will not care about Canadian workers or our environment. It will be only a matter of time before international companies begin bringing in cheaper workers.
    It is unfortunate main stream media does not want to publish this type of information. Lets hope more people learn what gordo and crew are doing to B.C.
    Even if we hve 500 years worth of coal, lets keep it for Canadians to use in 500 years not ship it over seas.
    If we have the raw material why do we keep shipping it and the jobs to other countries?

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  9. Everything here is for sale!
    You want that kayak in the lovely picture? 100 bucks.
    What you want the lovely girl in the lovely Kayak? 200 bucks. Want to buy some condos on false creek? Lets negotiate and they are HST free.
    Do you want to rape our province? How much you got.
    It’s a garage sale here and don’t worry yourself with taxes or any of that nonsense, as I understand the fools who own this stuff will take care of all of that.
    Don

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  14. Essentially by spending the billions on infrastructure such as Delta Port, the South Fraser Freeway, Port Mann Bridge and Highway1 expansion in order to further trade with Asia – which means selling our natural resources such as old growth timber and allowing the import of cheap, often dangerous consumer goods the Liberal government is selling our land for trinkets. History repeats itself and we still have not learned the lesson.

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  15. All of which puts me in mind of this gem.
    “In 1978, eastern-based Canadian Pacific and Domtar both took a run at MB, only to be rebuffed by then Premier Bill Bennett, who declared: “This province is not for sale.” And I the wag even then offered this rebuff. “Of course it isn’t, Your father sold it years ago with the Columbia River Treaty.”

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  16. Hi everyone, as you may have read on the main page I have not been ignoring you, my computer monitor went kaput and the new one sucks. So, while I am working on this new post under visual duress, I am likely going to be returning this shortly. Seriously, no matter what I do with the settings, it’s a killer on the eyeballs!!

    Going back to Todd :

    Yes, believe it or not, there are many out there that address me as a socialist, right wing-nut… For a quite a while I was getting some incoming links from a discussion forum where it was clear many of the Pro Liberal members figured I was a mommy completely out in left field – funny to read, for sure.

    I’ve enjoyed your comments and supplemental information too Todd, and although we have to agree to disagree at times, that is what I love about this kind of forum. We engage each other in discussion that furthers the publics field of thought and perhaps broaden each others horizons while doing it! I hope you continue to enjoy what I have to offer, and I know I will enjoy your continued input. You have also been instrumental in my education into all things MOT/Translink related..lol.
    Who would have figured I would turn into an infrastructure geek of sorts?

    I don’t know if I will run in this riding or not. Time will tell. I would have under the NDP at one time, but I can not and will not endorse Moe Sihota’s position within the party at any point.

    As much as some people have tried to get me to join up with a new incarnation of the Liberals – and rest assured that there have been two dedicated attempts to lure me into the lions den – that is never going to happen.

    What I would like to see is a dedicated group of passionate and forceful independents across the province who, in enough numbers, could force a change in the ledge. I would be all over that.

    EAF- thank you for your considerate comment. Yes, I think many aspects of our province are for sale. Sadly, while the opposition posts releases and comments on their site, one rarely see’s the face of the party publically commenting or doing anything other than leaving those releases on their site. Someone would do well to remind them of the definition of the word, opposition http://www.thefreedictionary.com/opposition

    Don F.- brava! you have said it all, nothing more can possibly add to that!

    Anon : All I can say is that if I were making 100 K a year, computer monitor prices, or even whether I can afford one or not, wouldnt be an issue..lol… I wish I had that much coming in!!!

    Bernadette – yes, history does repeat itself. I have that post coming I mentioned to you, hopefully today if I my eyes can survive this monitor.

    Billy. very pointed!!

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  17. Laila, I think you need another Tab on the top.
    100 reasons why the liberals must go.

    Now that they’re all starting to throw the hats in the ring, a list of all the different things THEY ALL PARTICIPATED in fully with Gordon Campbell.

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  18. The hats? Question is which of the backbenchers is Campbell going to be giving the Health portfolio to. At the rate at which the Ministers are stepping down, there won’t be any Ministers left to take on the extra work load. Maybe they’ll do it if the price is right.

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  19. NVG, say hello to your new Minister of Health, Kevin Hansen. That makes him Deputy Premier, Finance Minister, Minister of Small Business and Health Minister. In a couple of days, he might be Attorney General and Solicitor General as well.

    It is a powerful lineup they have in Victoria. Only a few can be given the real secrets.

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  21. Curt… hmmm. Maybe I should just change it to Liberals instead of Campbell, and we can just keep adding to it!!!

    With so many positions, please, someone tell me there aren’t multiple salaries involved!

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  22. North Van’s Grump’s “At the rate at which the Ministers are stepping down, there won’t be any Ministers left to take on the extra work load. Maybe they’ll do it if the price is right.” that point is correct except we’ve been paying salaries for Cabinet Ministers to run those portfolios. Unfortuantely they haven’t bothered to. All they really needed is a rubber stamp, wait for Gordo to put the paper under it and stamp it.

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  23. One would hope that as these people resign from their ministries that the paycheck stops!
    All this in the midst of the new ‘natural resources’ ministry that I understand is causing much chaos. What about the business of the people,who is minding the store?
    Is this the smooth transition Gordon Campbell spoke of!
    Is it just me or does anyone else feel a sunken gut feeling? This Government is still hanging on to a belief they can turn this around with any of these people? Which one?
    Don

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  24. I know about that sinking feeling in the gut Don.

    The wild card in all of this is the voters, the electorate who seem to occasionally forgive and forget as time marches on. Anger fades, people become complacent again- THAT is what pisses me off more than anything. I’ve heard several times already that maybe the Liberals can do better with another leader, because – AND I QUOTE – ” Carole and the NDP sure as hell can’t dig themselves out of a hole with a map and a guide alongside!”

    Yes, the NDP have to pull it together, and sooner than later. All we see on the news, every freaking day, is coverage and Liberal campaigns already.

    One would wonder if there was even another party in the province, since we never see them, or hear them. One NDP MLA, who will remain unnamed, actually told a constituent that they are commenting frequently, but it doesnt get media attention out of the lower mainland!!!??? WTF? This was an MLA from the interior, and that is a total lie.

    It’s frustrating. Sometimes I feel like I, and other bloggers, are doing the jobs that the NDP should be doing.

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  25. Yes Laila I agree with you 100% on the inaction of our opposition party and yes it does seem we are left with doing the job the NDP should be doing.
    In yesterday’s mail I received a letter from the NDP asking that I sign a request to the attorney general for a public hearing on the BC rail trial along with a request for a minimum donation of $50. After careful consideration I wrote to them explaining what was wrong with that picture.
    Again all part of the sinking feeling!
    Can I direct you to BC Mary’s Legislature Raids website today for some interesting reading if you haven’t been there .
    We’ll keep doing what we do because at the moment we are, as I see it, the only ones trying to do anything!
    Keep Well
    Don

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    1. No need for direction Don, my friend Mary is one of the blogs I always stop by on my daily rounds! And yes, Robin’s work today is very provocative, isn’t it ?
      Interesting to note the request for donations with that letter to the AG…. I can only shake my head. Again it is frustrating. I empathize with the membership of the NDP, many of whom are saying the same things as I am to no avail. I can’t wrap my head around what their strategy is right now, but I do know the members that are with them are strong, good people, many of whom are among my readers. Those are the people that are being vocal all over.

      Working this afternoon on my post, loving this new monitor! By the way, there is yet another road you told me about once that will be gracing these pages soon too Don : ) Dont spill the beans, but I think it is the right time for the people to know where their tax dollars aregoing …or have gone, I should say. And to assist what end…

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    1. Holy shite. This editorial is a piece of shite!!

      Ida Chong supports the HST. Ida Chong has not served her constituents by representing their wishes on the HST, therefore those same constituents have the right and opportunity to eject her prior to the next election. No one but those people in her riding can have her recalled, so how the heck is that considered political interference? I call it democracy.

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