The British Columbia government's Speech from the Throne today opened by promoting the opportunity the Olympics bring and closed by saying British Columbians should expect less from the government.
Along the way the speech, delivered by Lieutenant Governor Steven Point on behalf of the government, reiterated numerous past promises and ongoing initiatives while making several new announcements.
Highlights included:
* a moratorium on mining, oil, gas and coalbed methane extraction in the Flathead Valley;
* families with children under the age of 18 who own property will be allowed to defer their municipal property taxes much as seniors are already allowed;
* “Legislation will be introduced enabling our universities to remove themselves from the government reporting entity,” the speech said. “We cannot let accounting policy stand in the way of our students' interests or hold our universities back from pursuing their unique areas of excellence in partnership with others”;
* a committee on municipal property tax reform “will identify specific steps to make property taxes more conducive to investment while assuring municipal services are fairly provided for all taxpayers”;
* the government will “take a fresh look at B.C.'s regulatory regimes,” it said, including the BC Utilities Commission, the BC Ferry Commission, TransLink and others;
* it hinted that the government may soon act on reccomendations made by the comptroller general in the fall: “New accountability and transparency will be brought to BC Ferries as it continues improving services with new ferries, terminals and amenities”;
* the government will pursue more public-private partnerships in “transportation, health delivery, education support services, systems management and more”;
* Emily Carr University of Art and Design will get a new cmapus near the Centre for Digital Media at the Great Northern Way Campus;
* “New partnerships with the private sector and parents will enable the establishment of neighbourhood preschools for four-year-olds and three-year-olds within communities over the next five years.”
The speech also repeated past promises to harmonize provincial and federal environmental assessments for major projects, a call it said was made more urgent by the recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling on the Red Chris mine.
“The government will work with other provinces and the federal government to establish one process for one project,” the speech said. “Multiple governmental reviews replicate work, add cost, increase uncertainty, delay decisions, reduce investment and ultimately cost jobs.”
Changes particularly need to be made to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, it said. “Currently, over $3 billion in provincially-approved projects are stranded in the mire of federal process and delay. This is unacceptable.”
The speech, which bragged of the government's record of cutting taxes, said British Columbians should prepare for more cuts to services.
“Stemming the unaffordable growth in health costs is essential in meeting our obligation to rebalance the budget by 2013,” the speech said. “As long as we are spending more money to pay for our services than we are generating in revenue, we are living beyond our means.”
It added, “We must curtail expectations of government and look for new ways of meeting our needs within the substantial spending increases already provided.”
Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.
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freebear
2 years ago
Lets host the Summer Olympics next!
It will stimulate the economy even more!
Ah , nuts!
Skywalker
2 years ago
Sounds like the same old bankrupt economic theory.
Make BC a Free Enterprise zone. Reduce all regulations that protect the public, interfere in the running of municipalities and that's new? These guys are a bunch of nuts.
freebear
2 years ago
Welcome to BC here are your government
issue blinders (you know, like the ones the horses wear!).
Krispy
2 years ago
Your 2010 BC Throne Speech translation guide
“the government will “take a fresh look at B.C.'s regulatory regimes,”
Translation: more cuts to ministry staff who enforce provincial laws and regulations.
“the government will pursue more public-private partnerships in “transportation, health delivery, education support services, systems management and more”
Translation: continued outsourcing of public jobs to private interests, out of the reach of FOI and public reporting, and funnelling profits into multi-national corporations instead of into publlic services.
“lowering taxes remains a core feature of the government's prosperity agenda..This session will feature additional measures to restore our economy and to create jobs in every sector;"
Translation: Reducing government revenues even further in a time of already depressed tax revenues – either through further tax down-shifting from business to individual taxpayers, increased user-fees in lieu of taxes, or both.
“Stemming the unaffordable growth in health costs is essential in meeting our obligation to rebalance the budget by 2013,” the speech said. “As long as we are spending more money to pay for our services than we are generating in revenue, we are living beyond our means.”
Translation: Continued service and funding cuts, as a means of degrading public services to the point where taxpayers will accept privatized service models in health care and other social services – taking these expenditures out of the operating budget and into the nebulous (non-reportable) nether-region of ‘outsourced services’ that are not captured by financial reporting regulatllons.
Frank
2 years ago
The Olympics have bankrupted BC obviously
"The speech, which bragged of the government's record of cutting taxes, said British Columbians should prepare for more cuts to services."
Of course those on the Right have never been able to admit that these things happen in tandem.
"Stemming the unaffordable growth in health costs is essential in meeting our obligation to rebalance the budget by 2013"
You're cutting healthcare to pay for the Olympics, terrific. Cue your cheering section of sycophants.
By the way, from Wikipedia :
"Health care costs per capita vary across Canada with Quebec ($4,891) and British Columbia ($5,254) have the lowest costs and Alberta ($6,072) and Newfoundland ($5,970) having the highest."
Looks like BC is already spending less than 8 other provinces per capita.
I guess provinces like Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Manitoba must really be out of control if the province that's 9th in spending is declaring healthcare is unaffordable.
The BC liberal government, all of its MLAs, have a callous disregard for both average and poor people, both of whom need affordable healthcare.
Fiat lux
2 years ago
In other words,
In other words, "universities for sale" To "efficient" multinational owners, of course
The letters PPP stand for Plundering the Public's Purse.
Does anybody know of a single example where PPPs have not cut quality, services and didn't raise costs and prices to the public ?
Ed Deak.
midnightsimon
2 years ago
Living beyond our means
Yes, all of you out there frivolously wasting money on maintaining your health and educating yourselves: The time has come for austerity. No more such frivolities.
Thank God we still have enough money to pay for basic services like the two week multi-billion dollar sports party and cop-a-palooza!
Ed Seedhouse
2 years ago
NO, dammit! I will NOT
NO, dammit! I will NOT "curtail expectations of government". I expect, and I demand, MORE. Now get to work on that or make way from someone who will at least try!
Polakite
2 years ago
We already have a Summer Olympics in BC... kinda
It's April-May in the month of Maryham!
April 2013 is next Olympics kick-off.
Hope to see ya there... don't forget to duck the prougue pie, do the Polakite dance, don't forget to vote, do fire up da base... and so on.
jim1966
2 years ago
Simply Disgusted
I agree with all the comments I have read. To me, this totally reeks of a hidden agenda from this gov't. Privatize, eliminate or outsource many social services/healthcare and education. This to me is deplorable, As a matter of point, I currently recieve PWD, I did some research, wanna know what this gov't thinks is ok for a "daily meals allowance?', $9.10 per day for 3 squares?, Less if you are on regular welfare, just over 6 bucks a day for 3 squares. Yet they are either cutting, service or denying applicants altogethere. It's just sick, and just wait until the whole world sees this mess.
jim1966
circle A
2 years ago
Fraser institute agenda....
Carries the day again, you gotta admit they ain`t lost one round since their lttle stooge gordo and his band of thieves took control,and bc will never be the same, not ever.
crankypants
2 years ago
Start saving your pennies
The Libs are going to bring down new legislation on property taxes which means they will make sure that businesses pay less and homeowners make up the difference. This is obviously in response to the tax revolt brought forward by Catalyst Paper. Another BC Liberal endorsed tax shift from business to citizen.
One has to assume this is the reason that they are bringing in the legislation for homeowners with children 18 years or younger and living at home to defer their property taxes. This just expands what is already in place for seniors.
I'm sure that they will try and convince many of those families that qualify that this is a good option, but the reality is that each time one defers their tax will only result in decreasing the value of their equity. And if mortgages are still done as they used to be in the old days, most banks insist that mortgage payments include a portion of the property taxes be included in each month's payment. The banks don't want properties they underwrite to be sold out from under them to satisfy unpaid taxes.
The cost of living goes up again while wages remain stagnant or decrease for the citizens of BC.
At least on the upside, the reastaurant association will no longer have to worry about the HST, as we will not have any money left to spend in their establishments.
Grania
2 years ago
RECALL
RECALL and TAX REVOLT are required in BC.
Skywalker
2 years ago
Defer your property taxes?
That's just letting them borrow money they will have to pay back. It costs nothing except those doing the borrowing. It means nothing.
damack
2 years ago
Gaming Revenue belongs to Non-Profits Not Liberals
A longstanding social contract was broken by this government post the election that gambling revenue would support non-profit, community based organizations in the arts, sports and other sectors with local community benefit and local control. They have stolen the revenue from these non-profits and organizations are closing down. Return the money; return local control and honour the contract.
W Laurier
2 years ago
Not Only Recall..
I am still waiting for the general strike I of February 12 I see talked about here....
The Throne Speech is not too big on policy this time. I would like to see an alternate Throne Speech from the NDP, and costed as well.
But we won't see that. Onto 2013!
Frank
2 years ago
Wilf
"I would like to see an alternate Throne Speech from the NDP, and costed as well."
What? Throne speeches aren't costed so why would responses to throne speeches be costed?
W Laurier
2 years ago
Good Points, Frank
I agree that throne speeches are not costed, Frank, but what is the NDP's alternative throne speech?
Also, any word on Friday's General Strike?
Quarry bae
2 years ago
Wilfred/polakite
Dumb and dumber.
Great throne speech...Gordon(habitual liar) Campbell has admitted he has focked up the economy!!!!!
Wow, Gordon Campbell is proud of the fact people can defer their tax bills into the future,just like the prick has done to our provincial bills and power buying contracts and P3s...Passed it on to the future...
So..under Campbell people in one industry resource towns could defer their taxes(Campbell did that in his televised economic speech he gave last year) ...
Now a year later everyone needs to defer taxes because their broke,jobless,wow,what an idiot,yea that`s the answer,having people defer taxes( and pay interest),just to put food on the table..And put off a honkin big tax bill for a few years!!!! ...
Gordon Campbell is a focking loser,he couldn`t run a lemonade stand...Oh,by the way you brain surgeons.(wilf n Polakite)did you catch the part about Site C dam?
The speech said "We need to build Site C dam to stabilize the INTERMITTENT power produced by wind,run of river and solar" SNIP
What does that mean?
It means the Focking loser Campbell can`t sell any of his private INTERMITTENT power without building Site C to back-up the private power!!!!!
In other words, Private intermittent power is useless...Oh..and a couple of statements from the toilet bowl speech...
"By 2030 we will look back at the sacrifice we are making now and say,it was worth it"......
And this little diddy.."By 2030 we will be a Green power powerhouse" snip
Yep,Gordon Campbell has said we will lose hundreds of millions every year on power sales BUT by 2030 it will change around!
What a Focking loser Gordon Campbell is..So much for 2020...Campbell needs two decades to clean-up the mess he made..And..
Even though Gordon Campbell and Alex Tsakumas want Dianne Watts to takeover leadership in May of this year...She`s done,Kevin Falcon and Rich Coleman are having hissy fits over being shoved out...Their not rolling over...
Matters not..Dianne Watts/Carole Taylor/ Crusty Clark...That`s just putting lipstick on a PIG(or a Mary Polak)
They are all guilty,there is no..."don`t blame me it was Gordon Campbell" excuse.....
Your going down to Hell Campbell
Frank
2 years ago
Wilf
This is Canada, nobody does "alternative throne speeches" here.
There's an argument as to why we should even bother having throne speeches let alone alternative ones from the opposition.
Matt T.
2 years ago
God Bless Carole James
Gordo is now ruling by diktat from El Segundo.
BC needs Carole's leadership now more than ever!