The Hook

Well good luck on trying to get this to work.

Well good luck in trying to get this anti-HST signature drive to work.

As of the current reports, The signature
drive has about 3500 volunteers. That's about 41 per riding. Not enough.

The better money is on this will fail.

Will mean publicity for The Zalm, and the
ex leader of that Miscellaneous Party, but not much more.

Have fun with it kids.

The Canucks are in the playoffs and summer is around the corner. More important than
trying to shore up VanderZalm's credibility.

Frank, this opinion strip is all yours.

Not wasting time on this one.

BY Boy

"Not wasting time on this one."

Too late, you already did.

The Canucks

The petition drive will still be going when the Canucks hit the golf links.

The only people opposing this thing are die-hard Liberal supporters.

Well BC Boy...

You don't think 41 canvassers in a riding is enough?

Let's look at Vancouver-Hastings. They need to collect 5754 signatures, which is 15% instead of 10%.

5754 divided by 41 equals 141 signatures each. 140 divided by 3 (because they have 3 months) equals 47 signatures a month. Not doable?

Cariboo Chilcotin? They need 2998, again 15%

North Van-Seymour? 5501.

And let's not forget that yesterday was the first day and new volunteers sign up every day and can be registered to collect signatures until the end. It will hardly stay at 41 per riding.

I could go on, but why? It's totally doable.

And then what if it succeeds?

More lies followed by more lies?

Not a chance that this will succeed

If the first shots in this battle are any indication, I think the petition proponents are clueless and destined for eventual failure. You'd think that with the clock ticking, the most important piece of information for those supporting the petition is, "Where/how can I sign up?NOW!!" but after spending 20 minutes Googling around for a list of locations or people to contact, I found only one list on Canada.com (http://www.canada.com/Anti+petition+available+signed/2772583/story.html) that only explicitly mentions locations up-Island where people can go to add their names. The Anti-HST people should have instant Facebook links, a powerful website, and downloadable lists and schedules of how, where and when to sign up.
Anyway, after numerous tries, I found this site: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/saynotohstinbc/
on another site (http://www.saynotohstinbc.com). If this is the central site, it's woefully slow to respond and I don't see how one verifies that they are not a troll or spammer.
Grow up folks! It's 2010 and Gordon C. and the mainstream media are laughing at you!

davidex

Its volunteers. If you think they need help and you have some time you should help out and fix the problems you mentioned.

a very good chance to succeed

in 2003 the city of New West was about to lose one of the provinces oldest hospitals St.Mary's, the people of New West did everything they could to save the hospital but the Liberal MLA refused to help them saying the same lame "my hands are tied" and " i have to support my parties decisions" well in no time at all the mayor of New West presents her with enough signatures that all of a sudden made her change her tune to fully supporting her constituents and made the government back off with there plans to close the hospital. unless the current government plans to get rid of the provinces biggest tax grab to date i dont see how this will fail, its the people most affected by the this taxshift who have a choice to support or not, big business is the ones benefitting from the $1.9 billion thats going to taken out the taxpayers/consumers pockets. the fact they chose to implement this tax grab the same day were getting hit with another tax increases defies logic. we have an increase to the already ineffective/controversial carbon tax on the same day.

I Dunno...

The Recall/Initiative/Referendum legislation was implemented by the NDP government during the early 1990's and it was drafted so that it would be almost impossible to work.

Take the high profile Delta South recall campaign from 2003. 175 registered canvassers in that riding (equating to 14,875 registered canvassers over 85 ridings). Only 76% of the signatures were deemed valid by Elections BC and it failed.

Then we had Adriane Carr's Initiative Petition from 2002 with 4,002 registered canvassers yet the initiative failed with 98,165 returned signatures (valid signatures were not counted because it failed the threshold.)

The Zalm right now has about 2,000 registered canvassers according to Elections BC, half of the amount Adriane Carr had. The Zalm needs at least 300,000 valid signatures.

And then there is the problem of a big city such as Vancouver with 10 ridings. You can't just set up a table on the side-walk. A registered voter must sign up on the sheet designated for his riding.

If that person doesn't sign the appropriate riding sheet the signature is void. If that person signs twice at different times, both signatures are void. And on it goes.

And then you have all of these exuberant yet inexperienced registered canvassers not following the rules resulting in more void signatures.

Most of the signatures will be collected in the first few weeks and then it becomes even more difficult unless someone goes door to door and most people don't like to be bothered at the doorstep in any event.

A very tought nut to crack.

Well davidex

We have ads running in newspapers and on radio here and we have three signing stations, one of which is our shopping mall, lots of foot traffic, I started with my petition yesterday and I have 40 signatures so far, so eat it!!

get in the ring

do you remember when the government had plans to sell the coquihalia? the people spoke then and again another rare change of heart from the government. this tax grab/shift affects everyone across the province who have been continuously lied to from the beginning, its a chance for the people of the province to put on the gloves and go up against the current government to let them know what there doing is wrong. Colin Hansen has recently said this deal is the federals governments, i mean cmon when does it stop.they've run out of spins. this isnt an emergency ward closing. if you cant keep your promises at least be accountable to the taxpayer and this is the only way i as well as other can have that chance to make them listen.

HST initiative is going to pass easy!

I have signed up to canvass, I have to wait for my papwork,I will get it this week,I have well over a hundred promised signatures to sign up...

Everyone I have asked have said yes yes yes and yes...

I called elections BC today,they are swamped,the charming girl I talked said they have never seen anything like this...They are being run ragged...She said hundreds are registering everyday and hundreds more waiting their approval...

HST bites everyone..Adrian Carr and bear hunting wasn`t a strong enough motivater..

For more details...Read the Straight goods on how this Rally is snowballing.

http://powellriverpersuader.blogspot.com/2010/04/pitchfork-nation-to-rescue.html

It`s only the paid stooges like Baldrey and Christy Clark that say it can`t be done...Sheesh, 5000 canvassers,3 signatures per day,3 months..500,000 signatures...

LOL HA HA...This sucker is cooking.

Initative/ Recall

Works just fine.

Ask a certain BC Liberal called Paul Reitsma about how well it works.

I think it may well work just fine in this case as well...the average citizen isn't fooled by the HST boondoggle. Most people aren't ready to sacrifice fairness and equity for efficiency and they KNOW exactly what this tax shift from citizens to corporations is all about.

New HST ON homes and heating oil

I guess our own LIBERAL government MLA's don't realize that if the 12% HST is enacted.
their own children just starting out in life fresh from university, buying a $200,000 home or condo will now cost a further $24000.
also filling your furnace oil tank every 5 weeks for $400, = $48.oo HST
I could go and on but you know the rest.

YOU BC Liberal MLA's, do you really "want," your children your nieces, nephews your parents, brother's, sisters, a further 12% on homes. THINK before you vote on HST

what about NO HST on heating fuels so your children can keep warm in BC and every one else to.
YOU Liberal MLA/s do not know the ramifaction if HST bill is passed your immediate family and every family will be effected in the province of BC...
WHY WHY hurt your own family & every one in BC, is beyond reason..

yours truly Joeskrlac