This is my column from 24 hours in Vancouver from last Thursday:
This year saw the Olympic games in BC and the culmination of a big vision for the province. The time has come to adopt a new big vision for the coming decade, this vision should be to connect Alaska and Yukon to BC through a rail line and a transmission line.
Over the last decade the lower mainland has seen the Canada Line, the Sea to Sky Highway, the Gateway project, and the Convention Centre. Great for Vancouver, not so great for the rest of BC.
The economy of BC is dependent on natural resources for its well being. The high standard of living in Vancouver is only possible because of the trees, rocks and oil we extract. Investment in several large infrastructure projects in Northwest will bring an improved economy for everyone.
The argument against this infrastructure is that it is a subsidy of industry and that they should be able to build it themselves. Why does this apply in rural BC but not in urban BC? Why should we spend all that money on a convention centre but not on infrastructure needed to open a dozen more mines?
First and foremost the province should be looking at building a transmission line along Highway #37 all the way to Alaska. There are plans for a smaller line to go part way up the highway, but if it were build several times larger and go all the way to Alaska there would numerous stalled mining projects in the Northwest and Yukon that could move forward.
The Northwest also has a huge potential for green power, enough to power all of San Diego. The transmission line would be cheaper to build than the Site C dam while at the same time have the potential for many times the power of the dam on the Peace.
The next big vision project is a rail line along Highway #37 all the way from Kitwanga on the Skeena to Alaska. The lack of a rail link between Alaska and Yukon and the rest of North America has isolated them, building it will allow for lot more economic activity in the region and another secure link to the south.
One part of the rail line that should be built is a connection to Stewart. This short link would connect the deep water port there to many existing and proposed mines in Northwest BC. With the rail link Stewart can even consider becoming a container port in the future, having a third one competing for business on the west coast of Canada would be good for everyone.
Through these to projects, BC would see an increase in GDP of at least 15% over 10 years, with this comes lot more in taxes and employment. Alaska and Ottawa would contribute the majority of the cost for the projects making the cost to BC lower than the cost to build a dam on the Peace. These projects are big visions and call for someone with guts to move forward on them.
Showing posts with label 24 Hours Column. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 24 Hours Column. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Julian Aussage and Wikileaks - my 24 Hours Column for this Week
This is from 24 Hours. It was inspired by this Wall Street Journal article I read about the implications of the release of all these documents on the war in Afganistan
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Globally there is a whistleblower site called Wikileaks. It provides a secure place for people to leak documents. Recently they posted about 76,000 documents relating to the war in Afghanistan. Wikileaks seems much more interested in global notoriety than reviewing and releasing the information that is appropriate to publicize. Meanwhile editor Julian Assange seems to be basking in a smug glory from the release of the documents and ignoring the impact of his actions.
Within the documents there are the names of many people in Afghanistan that have been secretly working for the government against the Taliban. Estimates are that several hundred people are named within the documents.
The Taliban may be immoral thugs interested in personal gain but they are not morons, they have been combing the documents for the names of these people opposed to them. They have said they will be seeking out these people and their families and execute them.
The Taliban have a long record of attacking anything to do with modern society and tolerance. As an example, Vancouver carpenter Mike Frastacky was killed in 2006 for building a school. In 2010 the Taliban has increased their execution of community leaders, doctors and teachers. They are now killing five times as many as in 2009. The Taliban is trying to systematically destroy any sense of a civil society.
The Afghan people have been living in fear and terror of the Taliban for years. Over and over again it has been shown there is little popular support for the Taliban but what there is, is a great fear of retribution. Even with this there are many people willing to counter this tyranny at the peril of their own and their families lives. What crime did these people commit that their names should be given to the Taliban?
Freedom of the press and freedom of speech are important but they are also not absolute. Wikileaks had a moral duty to ensure no one came to harm from their release of the documents, they did not do so. I get no sense that Julian Assange feels any personal responsibility for putting all these people in harm's way.
Various well respected human rights groups have called Wikileaks on their actions that are endangering people. Amnesty International, Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict, the Open Society Institute, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, and the Kabul office of International Crisis Group have all called on Julian Assange to take responsibility and so far he has refused.
It may all be moot in any case as the Taliban warlords only need to wait until the western troops protecting the people leave like Canada will do in 2011 and the Netherlands have just done. Without a stable and well established civil society in Afghanistan it is likely the people of the country will be forced to endure many more years of hell on earth. The death of the Afghans named in the documents will bring this closer.
_______________________________________________________
Globally there is a whistleblower site called Wikileaks. It provides a secure place for people to leak documents. Recently they posted about 76,000 documents relating to the war in Afghanistan. Wikileaks seems much more interested in global notoriety than reviewing and releasing the information that is appropriate to publicize. Meanwhile editor Julian Assange seems to be basking in a smug glory from the release of the documents and ignoring the impact of his actions.
Within the documents there are the names of many people in Afghanistan that have been secretly working for the government against the Taliban. Estimates are that several hundred people are named within the documents.
The Taliban may be immoral thugs interested in personal gain but they are not morons, they have been combing the documents for the names of these people opposed to them. They have said they will be seeking out these people and their families and execute them.
The Taliban have a long record of attacking anything to do with modern society and tolerance. As an example, Vancouver carpenter Mike Frastacky was killed in 2006 for building a school. In 2010 the Taliban has increased their execution of community leaders, doctors and teachers. They are now killing five times as many as in 2009. The Taliban is trying to systematically destroy any sense of a civil society.
The Afghan people have been living in fear and terror of the Taliban for years. Over and over again it has been shown there is little popular support for the Taliban but what there is, is a great fear of retribution. Even with this there are many people willing to counter this tyranny at the peril of their own and their families lives. What crime did these people commit that their names should be given to the Taliban?
Freedom of the press and freedom of speech are important but they are also not absolute. Wikileaks had a moral duty to ensure no one came to harm from their release of the documents, they did not do so. I get no sense that Julian Assange feels any personal responsibility for putting all these people in harm's way.
Various well respected human rights groups have called Wikileaks on their actions that are endangering people. Amnesty International, Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict, the Open Society Institute, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, and the Kabul office of International Crisis Group have all called on Julian Assange to take responsibility and so far he has refused.
It may all be moot in any case as the Taliban warlords only need to wait until the western troops protecting the people leave like Canada will do in 2011 and the Netherlands have just done. Without a stable and well established civil society in Afghanistan it is likely the people of the country will be forced to endure many more years of hell on earth. The death of the Afghans named in the documents will bring this closer.
Friday, July 16, 2010
The New Canadian Nationalism, The End of the Country as We Know It
My column from this week's 24 hours
_______________________________________________________
A generation ago Canada Day, still then called Dominion Day, was not much more than a long weekend to the start the summer, certainly not a time to make any sort of big deal about Canada. Sure a few people had flags, but they were a small minority.
In 2010 Canada Day has become our version of July 4th in the US. Fireworks and flags are all over nowadays. People are going out to party, painting their faces, and loudly exclaiming the awesomeness of Canada to anyone that is unfortunate enough to be near them.
English Canadians are waving flags not only on Canada Day or when we win gold medals, but all the time now. You can see it everywhere, big flags adorn car dealerships, people hang them on their houses, others wear t-shirts that say mindless things like “Canadian Chicks Rule”. We have entered a new era of English Canadian patriotism.
From the late 60s to the late 90s Canada was rather unnationalistic, we took a perverse pride in being unassuming and second best. In earlier days Canada still felt strong connections to the idea of being part of the Empire and anyone that was not from the British Isles did not really count. Our new nationalism of the last ten years is something entirely Canadian and new for this country. It is also something that is only in English Canada.
This new nationalism is pushing our politics to be much more like the US or many European countries, the nation and the state are one. This leads to political parties trying to wrap themselves in the flag. Politicians need to have Canadian flags around them at press conferences. A premier going to the US for surgery is now considered a major political liability. This new nationalism has two major impacts on Canadian politics..
First, as more people celebrate Canada Day and wave the maple leaf, the more likely it is that Quebec will become independent. Canadian nationalism is incompatible with Quebec as a nation. The yahoo Canadian nationalism of beer soaked, face painted hosers screaming “Canada is Great” does not go over well in Chicoutimi. Th bigger problem is that the yahoo is expecting the guys in Chicoutimi to love Canada as much as he does. The rejection of Canada by a francophone in Quebec will be a slap in the face to Canada Day fanatics.
Second, as people become more nationalistic, wave the flag, support the troops, and resent the rejection of Canada by the Quebecois, the more people will support the Conservatives. Outside of Quebec Canadians strongly supported the Conservatives in the last election. Stephen Harper won a majority outside of Quebec with 43.3% of the vote and 133 of 233 seats. English Canada lives with a minority government because francophones in Quebec elected to send separatists to Ottawa.
As English Canadians embrace this new nationalism our country will become more conservative and will eventually not have Quebec as a province. Each face painted person waving a Canadian flag brings this future closer.
_______________________________________________________
A generation ago Canada Day, still then called Dominion Day, was not much more than a long weekend to the start the summer, certainly not a time to make any sort of big deal about Canada. Sure a few people had flags, but they were a small minority.
In 2010 Canada Day has become our version of July 4th in the US. Fireworks and flags are all over nowadays. People are going out to party, painting their faces, and loudly exclaiming the awesomeness of Canada to anyone that is unfortunate enough to be near them.
English Canadians are waving flags not only on Canada Day or when we win gold medals, but all the time now. You can see it everywhere, big flags adorn car dealerships, people hang them on their houses, others wear t-shirts that say mindless things like “Canadian Chicks Rule”. We have entered a new era of English Canadian patriotism.
From the late 60s to the late 90s Canada was rather unnationalistic, we took a perverse pride in being unassuming and second best. In earlier days Canada still felt strong connections to the idea of being part of the Empire and anyone that was not from the British Isles did not really count. Our new nationalism of the last ten years is something entirely Canadian and new for this country. It is also something that is only in English Canada.
This new nationalism is pushing our politics to be much more like the US or many European countries, the nation and the state are one. This leads to political parties trying to wrap themselves in the flag. Politicians need to have Canadian flags around them at press conferences. A premier going to the US for surgery is now considered a major political liability. This new nationalism has two major impacts on Canadian politics..
First, as more people celebrate Canada Day and wave the maple leaf, the more likely it is that Quebec will become independent. Canadian nationalism is incompatible with Quebec as a nation. The yahoo Canadian nationalism of beer soaked, face painted hosers screaming “Canada is Great” does not go over well in Chicoutimi. Th bigger problem is that the yahoo is expecting the guys in Chicoutimi to love Canada as much as he does. The rejection of Canada by a francophone in Quebec will be a slap in the face to Canada Day fanatics.
Second, as people become more nationalistic, wave the flag, support the troops, and resent the rejection of Canada by the Quebecois, the more people will support the Conservatives. Outside of Quebec Canadians strongly supported the Conservatives in the last election. Stephen Harper won a majority outside of Quebec with 43.3% of the vote and 133 of 233 seats. English Canada lives with a minority government because francophones in Quebec elected to send separatists to Ottawa.
As English Canadians embrace this new nationalism our country will become more conservative and will eventually not have Quebec as a province. Each face painted person waving a Canadian flag brings this future closer.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Facebook Message Sent to me because of my 24 hours column
This was sent to me on Facebook, this person disagrees with me, but seems to be rather angry that I dare have to different viewpoint than he does.
He sent me messages in the past because of 24 Hours column., I responded politely and he only got angrier. We agreed not to talk to each other any longer, but then he messaged me again today about my latest column. Here is what he had to say:
He asked that we no longer communicate, I agreed. Now he wants to communicate again, whatever. I would debate him if there was anything to debate.
His point of contention seems to be that I stated the date of the referendum would be September 24th 2011 - all I was doing was using the date from the Elections BC website. I think it obvious to everyone that the petition has been successful and will most likely lead to a referendum, yes, it might not, but that would politically suicidal. If he knew anything about me he would know I am not signing the petition but at the same I am not telling anyone else not to sign it.
I am trying to figure out what he is trying to say with the shylock comment. Does he think I am moneylender, a jew, or an actor in a Shakespearean play?
He sent me messages in the past because of 24 Hours column., I responded politely and he only got angrier. We agreed not to talk to each other any longer, but then he messaged me again today about my latest column. Here is what he had to say:
Pete Hawkes June 18 at 4:20pm Report
You published in your guest spot in the 24hrs. paper that there is a scheduled referendum on the HST in September 2011.....BULLSHIT,not even nice try!
If you are going to keep publishing lies in your effort to deceive the people to stop signing the petition, then I will never go away, I can do this standing on my head. I will also publish my discovery of your pathetic propaganda on all the anti-HST sites. I know I said I wouldn't contact you again but you just keep provoking me. I can create as many email accounts as necessary so just keep blocking me, I'll just create another and another, you ridiculous shylock!I disagree with a lot of people on a lot of things, but I can also accept that my view is not the only one out there. What bothers me is that there are so many people out there that can not respect opinions they disagree with, that they have to bully people and use ad-hominem attacks. It is not beneficial to our civil society to have this going on.
He asked that we no longer communicate, I agreed. Now he wants to communicate again, whatever. I would debate him if there was anything to debate.
His point of contention seems to be that I stated the date of the referendum would be September 24th 2011 - all I was doing was using the date from the Elections BC website. I think it obvious to everyone that the petition has been successful and will most likely lead to a referendum, yes, it might not, but that would politically suicidal. If he knew anything about me he would know I am not signing the petition but at the same I am not telling anyone else not to sign it.
I am trying to figure out what he is trying to say with the shylock comment. Does he think I am moneylender, a jew, or an actor in a Shakespearean play?
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Blair Lekstrom – Does He Matter?
This is my column for 24 hours this week
Blair Lekstrom leaving cabinet and the government caucus on Friday was a big blow to the government, but not a lethal one. The way he handled the announcement certainly was not planned to maximize impact to the government. A Friday afternoon is the time to make a bad news announcement so that the weekend mutes reactions. .
Blair Lekstrom's decision was taken without consulting with the people who worked to get him elected in the last three elections. It shows a lack of class not to tell the people on your riding association what your doing or that you are even contemplating it. It also shows a lack of political smarts, he has burned the people that worked hardest to get him elected.
Is he the first of a flood of Liberal MLAs leaving the party? I do not think so, there seems to be little to indicate anyone else is going to cross the floor. The MLAs are well informed about the HST and people well informed tend to support it. Blair Lekstrom certainly waffled in all I have seen about opposing the HST. Leaving the party when you defended the HST and are the minister for the part of the economy that will benefit a lot makes no sense.
Leaving a year ago would have been brave political statement, leaving now only looks like you are afraid the ship is sinking. Being seen as an opportunist does nothing to improve your chances of getting elected again.
Sitting as an independent takes a lot of hard work to make any difference. In the 13 months since Vicki Huntingdon has been elected, she has once again shown that unless you are a really exceptional person, being an independent makes you irrelevant in the legislature. Having two independents is hardly going to make more of an impact.
Will he join the BC Conservatives? I think the more important question is do they want him? The reactions for the party have been lukewarm to him joining them. He would have the biggest impact on BC politics if he were a BC Conservative and more so if he was the leader. It seems neither he nor the party can think strategically when it comes to politics.
The state of the Campbell government is no worse because of Lekstrom' resignation and in in fact a lbit safer. Lekstrom is now unlikely to be a recall target but as a Liberal he was close to the top of the list. The government has some time before serious recall campaigns start as they are only likely to have any success if the government does not put the HST question to a referendum. There is little danger of the government losing enough MLAs from floor crossing or recalls to lose their majority before the HST referendum..
The question now comes down to how well Campbell can govern and how long HST anger can be sustained? The date for a referendum on the HST will be September 24th 2011 and 15 months is a lifetime in politics.
Blair Lekstrom leaving cabinet and the government caucus on Friday was a big blow to the government, but not a lethal one. The way he handled the announcement certainly was not planned to maximize impact to the government. A Friday afternoon is the time to make a bad news announcement so that the weekend mutes reactions. .
Blair Lekstrom's decision was taken without consulting with the people who worked to get him elected in the last three elections. It shows a lack of class not to tell the people on your riding association what your doing or that you are even contemplating it. It also shows a lack of political smarts, he has burned the people that worked hardest to get him elected.
Is he the first of a flood of Liberal MLAs leaving the party? I do not think so, there seems to be little to indicate anyone else is going to cross the floor. The MLAs are well informed about the HST and people well informed tend to support it. Blair Lekstrom certainly waffled in all I have seen about opposing the HST. Leaving the party when you defended the HST and are the minister for the part of the economy that will benefit a lot makes no sense.
Leaving a year ago would have been brave political statement, leaving now only looks like you are afraid the ship is sinking. Being seen as an opportunist does nothing to improve your chances of getting elected again.
Sitting as an independent takes a lot of hard work to make any difference. In the 13 months since Vicki Huntingdon has been elected, she has once again shown that unless you are a really exceptional person, being an independent makes you irrelevant in the legislature. Having two independents is hardly going to make more of an impact.
Will he join the BC Conservatives? I think the more important question is do they want him? The reactions for the party have been lukewarm to him joining them. He would have the biggest impact on BC politics if he were a BC Conservative and more so if he was the leader. It seems neither he nor the party can think strategically when it comes to politics.
The state of the Campbell government is no worse because of Lekstrom' resignation and in in fact a lbit safer. Lekstrom is now unlikely to be a recall target but as a Liberal he was close to the top of the list. The government has some time before serious recall campaigns start as they are only likely to have any success if the government does not put the HST question to a referendum. There is little danger of the government losing enough MLAs from floor crossing or recalls to lose their majority before the HST referendum..
The question now comes down to how well Campbell can govern and how long HST anger can be sustained? The date for a referendum on the HST will be September 24th 2011 and 15 months is a lifetime in politics.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Help save the tax collectors, accountants and rich, stop the HST
From 24 Hours on Thursday
This week sees the start of a petition campaign against the HST in BC and I have to wonder who benefits from keeping the PST? Who will be happier if we do not change to HST? We have heard about the restaurants and self employed but there are also the tax collectors, accountants, the rich, export countries, and Ontario that come out ahead.
It costs BC about $30,000,000 a year collect the PST, keeping the it means keeping tax collectors employed. Anything that reduces the number of tax collectors is something I can get behind. Sign the petition to keep those tax collectors working.
It costs BC businesses about $150,000,000 to manage the PST, much of this money goes to accountants. Losing this cost means will businesses will have the resources to employ 1500 to 2000 more people doing something that makes money.
If we keep the PST, it is the rich will be financially better off. The top 20% of society spend the most money on meals out and self employed contractors. You know how tough life is for people earning more than $100,000 a year, they need you to sign the petition to save them money.
Our PST works like a tariff on our products. Changing to the HST will make our products more competitive globally, especially things like value added wood products. Changing will mean the average cost of our exports will be 3.5% lower than now. This may not sound like a lot, but it is enough to allow mines and sawmills to operate more of the time. This should be worth about $3,000,000,000 in extra exports next year and an extra 10,000 or more jobs next year.
HST is better for business investment, so if we retain the PST Ontario will get more investment especially in film and high tech. If you want businesses in Toronto to do better, please sign the petition.
Overall construction costs in BC will be about 5% lower with the HST. This will make it cheaper to build schools, roads, houses, offices and manufacturing facilities. Odds there will be 3000 to 5000 more people working in construction in the next year because of the HST.
The increased employment in the first year of the HST will be worth at least $1 billion in wages and as much as $2 billion. This increase in jobs means more retail sales, more provincial incomes taxes and fewer people requiring EI or social assistance. In the first year of the HST the economy of BC will grow fast enough that people will see the benefits, most of these benefits will be seen by skilled blue collar labour.
If you are worried about unemployed tax collectors and accountants, the rich paying too much in tax, and other countries not being able to compete with our products, you should sign the anti-HST petition.
If you want lower prices, more jobs, more investment and a faster growing economy in BC you need to support the HST.
It costs BC about $30,000,000 a year collect the PST, keeping the it means keeping tax collectors employed. Anything that reduces the number of tax collectors is something I can get behind. Sign the petition to keep those tax collectors working.
It costs BC businesses about $150,000,000 to manage the PST, much of this money goes to accountants. Losing this cost means will businesses will have the resources to employ 1500 to 2000 more people doing something that makes money.
If we keep the PST, it is the rich will be financially better off. The top 20% of society spend the most money on meals out and self employed contractors. You know how tough life is for people earning more than $100,000 a year, they need you to sign the petition to save them money.
Our PST works like a tariff on our products. Changing to the HST will make our products more competitive globally, especially things like value added wood products. Changing will mean the average cost of our exports will be 3.5% lower than now. This may not sound like a lot, but it is enough to allow mines and sawmills to operate more of the time. This should be worth about $3,000,000,000 in extra exports next year and an extra 10,000 or more jobs next year.
HST is better for business investment, so if we retain the PST Ontario will get more investment especially in film and high tech. If you want businesses in Toronto to do better, please sign the petition.
Overall construction costs in BC will be about 5% lower with the HST. This will make it cheaper to build schools, roads, houses, offices and manufacturing facilities. Odds there will be 3000 to 5000 more people working in construction in the next year because of the HST.
The increased employment in the first year of the HST will be worth at least $1 billion in wages and as much as $2 billion. This increase in jobs means more retail sales, more provincial incomes taxes and fewer people requiring EI or social assistance. In the first year of the HST the economy of BC will grow fast enough that people will see the benefits, most of these benefits will be seen by skilled blue collar labour.
If you are worried about unemployed tax collectors and accountants, the rich paying too much in tax, and other countries not being able to compete with our products, you should sign the anti-HST petition.
If you want lower prices, more jobs, more investment and a faster growing economy in BC you need to support the HST.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Opposition to Run of River Offbase
My column in this week's 24 hours:
This week Vancouver is hosting Globe 2010, one of the biggest green business conferences in the world with over 10,000 people attending. Green business is becoming a big industry globally and here in BC it is our economy of the future, though there is an element of the left that opposes this.
One green business area BC excels at is in energy. We have the potential to produce enough new green electricity to make a significant difference to climate change. Our steep mountains with fast flowing streams and rivers are perfect for micro hydro projects. Since half of North America's electricity is still coal fired, there is a need for BC to build green power capacity quickly if there is going to be any reduction in CO2 emissions.
There is a track record now to show run of the river really delivers what it promises, electricity with no measurable impact to the environment. The time is now to speed up the process for bringing more of projects online. To date most of the projects have been one off sites, now we need to see bigger networked proposals like the Plutonic Power Bute Inlet project.
The Bute Inlet project is 17 small facilities networked together to provide enough power for 300,000 houses. Bute Inlet is an area that is actively being logged, has mineral claims and has tourism developments like an airstrip in the most important wildlife habitat. The run of the river sites will have no impact on the area when compared to what is already happening there and will reduce some of the existing environmental damage. Sounds great, but as with it seems with everything on this planet, there are people opposed.
The opposition to green power in BC is not from lobbyists for the coal industry or Sarah Palin wannabes, but from left wing groups claiming to care about the environment. The opposition paints themselves with green rhetoric, but does not provide any evidence of adverse effects of run of the river power production. Their real agenda they have is against for profit businesses and capitalism.
There remains an element in our society that still believes businesses can be of no benefit to the public and certainly can not do things better than the government can. Their ideology means they are opposing an efficient, profitable and effective strategy to combat climate change.
Run of the river power in BC provides us with the greenest power possible, more jobs, more taxes, and profitable companies. It is also providing First Nations with much needed economic development and non-government revenues. Opposing this is nonsensical but ideology takes over and creates an Orwellian mindset where profit means environmental destruction.
Gordon Campbell will go down in history as one of the heroes of environment because his government made it possible for green power to be developed in BC. This decision means private companies are willing to spend tens of billions of dollars in BC on green developments. No ideological double think from the left will change the legacy of this fundamentally positive decision.
This week Vancouver is hosting Globe 2010, one of the biggest green business conferences in the world with over 10,000 people attending. Green business is becoming a big industry globally and here in BC it is our economy of the future, though there is an element of the left that opposes this.
One green business area BC excels at is in energy. We have the potential to produce enough new green electricity to make a significant difference to climate change. Our steep mountains with fast flowing streams and rivers are perfect for micro hydro projects. Since half of North America's electricity is still coal fired, there is a need for BC to build green power capacity quickly if there is going to be any reduction in CO2 emissions.
There is a track record now to show run of the river really delivers what it promises, electricity with no measurable impact to the environment. The time is now to speed up the process for bringing more of projects online. To date most of the projects have been one off sites, now we need to see bigger networked proposals like the Plutonic Power Bute Inlet project.
The Bute Inlet project is 17 small facilities networked together to provide enough power for 300,000 houses. Bute Inlet is an area that is actively being logged, has mineral claims and has tourism developments like an airstrip in the most important wildlife habitat. The run of the river sites will have no impact on the area when compared to what is already happening there and will reduce some of the existing environmental damage. Sounds great, but as with it seems with everything on this planet, there are people opposed.
The opposition to green power in BC is not from lobbyists for the coal industry or Sarah Palin wannabes, but from left wing groups claiming to care about the environment. The opposition paints themselves with green rhetoric, but does not provide any evidence of adverse effects of run of the river power production. Their real agenda they have is against for profit businesses and capitalism.
There remains an element in our society that still believes businesses can be of no benefit to the public and certainly can not do things better than the government can. Their ideology means they are opposing an efficient, profitable and effective strategy to combat climate change.
Run of the river power in BC provides us with the greenest power possible, more jobs, more taxes, and profitable companies. It is also providing First Nations with much needed economic development and non-government revenues. Opposing this is nonsensical but ideology takes over and creates an Orwellian mindset where profit means environmental destruction.
Gordon Campbell will go down in history as one of the heroes of environment because his government made it possible for green power to be developed in BC. This decision means private companies are willing to spend tens of billions of dollars in BC on green developments. No ideological double think from the left will change the legacy of this fundamentally positive decision.
Friday, March 12, 2010
It is time for an Education Revolution
My column from this week's 24 hours
When education makes the media it is always about the shortage of money in the public system even though education funding per student has been rising faster than inflation and BC students are among the best educated in the industrialized world. The media has not noticed that there is a parent lead transformation of education going on as record numbers are taking their children out of the public mainstream.
The fundamental way we teach our children is still the 19th century one size fits all model. Parents want something more for their kids, they want choice and a personal program for them. Traditional public schools are not changing in response to this.
Ten years ago one seventh of students were outside of the traditional school program. Today it is one fifth and in a couple of years it will be a quarter. While enrollment in public schools fall, enrollment in independent schools is rising. 10.6% of all students are now in independent schools and in last year's kindergarten intake it was up to14%.
Who are these parents taking their kids out of the regular system? They tend to be the wealthier and better educated, it is the elite of society that are leaving the public schools. Their youth are about three times as likely to get a provincial scholarship while coming from families that could afford an average school fee of $8,000 a year.
There has also been a dramatic increase in students in French immersion. My observation is that parents enrolling their kids in French immersion tend to be university educated and wealthier, I call it the poor man's independent school. Last year 14% of all kids enrolled in the Greater Victoria School District were in French immersion, a few years ago it was less than 10%. Province wide French immersion enrollment is likely to double within ten years.
The third choice parents are making is distance learning – home schooling done under the supervision of a school. The number of youth in this program has dramatically risen in the last ten years from 7725 students to 17,677 last year. Doubling to more than 35,000 is likely within five years. Parents that have the time to use distance learning get a truly individual program for their child.
If these trends continue, in less than a decade the majority of university students will not have been in the traditional school program.
The public is making it clear that the existing public school mainstream is no longer suitable even if kids get one of the best educations in the world. People want the best for the kids and that means a personalized education path for every child in BC. To do that public schools have to radically change and question everything. There needs to be an education revolution, one in which I have trouble seeing a role for school boards or the BCTF.
I am one of these parents. My oldest son is in a high school gifted program, my second son is in French immersion and my third son is in distance learning.
When education makes the media it is always about the shortage of money in the public system even though education funding per student has been rising faster than inflation and BC students are among the best educated in the industrialized world. The media has not noticed that there is a parent lead transformation of education going on as record numbers are taking their children out of the public mainstream.
The fundamental way we teach our children is still the 19th century one size fits all model. Parents want something more for their kids, they want choice and a personal program for them. Traditional public schools are not changing in response to this.
Ten years ago one seventh of students were outside of the traditional school program. Today it is one fifth and in a couple of years it will be a quarter. While enrollment in public schools fall, enrollment in independent schools is rising. 10.6% of all students are now in independent schools and in last year's kindergarten intake it was up to14%.
Who are these parents taking their kids out of the regular system? They tend to be the wealthier and better educated, it is the elite of society that are leaving the public schools. Their youth are about three times as likely to get a provincial scholarship while coming from families that could afford an average school fee of $8,000 a year.
There has also been a dramatic increase in students in French immersion. My observation is that parents enrolling their kids in French immersion tend to be university educated and wealthier, I call it the poor man's independent school. Last year 14% of all kids enrolled in the Greater Victoria School District were in French immersion, a few years ago it was less than 10%. Province wide French immersion enrollment is likely to double within ten years.
The third choice parents are making is distance learning – home schooling done under the supervision of a school. The number of youth in this program has dramatically risen in the last ten years from 7725 students to 17,677 last year. Doubling to more than 35,000 is likely within five years. Parents that have the time to use distance learning get a truly individual program for their child.
If these trends continue, in less than a decade the majority of university students will not have been in the traditional school program.
The public is making it clear that the existing public school mainstream is no longer suitable even if kids get one of the best educations in the world. People want the best for the kids and that means a personalized education path for every child in BC. To do that public schools have to radically change and question everything. There needs to be an education revolution, one in which I have trouble seeing a role for school boards or the BCTF.
I am one of these parents. My oldest son is in a high school gifted program, my second son is in French immersion and my third son is in distance learning.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Games and gold medals fan Canada's flames of patriotism
From my column in 24 Hours this week.
Since the Olympic games are all anyone seems to be talking about in Vancouver what else could I write about? Winter sports have become the patriotism of Canada.
We with each medalist we have new heroes to talk about every day, heroes to unite us as Canadians. A Harris Decima poll on Monday had 77% of Canadians saying the games are doing a lot to unite the country, event the majority of separatists agree with this. In this same poll 58% said the games are one of the greatest achievements of Canada.
The only relevant topic of conversation in Canada today will the gold medal women's hockey game, will we smoke the Americans or not? Over the next four days we are likely to win 12 more medals, five of them gold.
How successful have the games been? How much have we embraced them? The 2010 games are the first Olympic games to sell out all of the events. If you want to go the gold medal men's hockey game, tickets start at $1800. Getting a ticket for the Women's gold medal game today will cost you over $1000 if you can find any for sale.
Vancouver has seen crowds beyond what anyone has expected. No Olympic games have ever had such large crowds celebrating in the streets. People are spontaneously singing our national anthem as the party in Vancouver. International media that have been to numerous Olympic games have never seen any games embraced like Canadians have embraced these winter games.
It is not only in Vancouver, it is across all of Canada. The Opening Ceremonies set the record for TV with 13 million viewers watching all of it and 21 million watching part of it. In 1988 only 4 million Canadians watched the Opening Ceremonies in Calgary. Each day events are garnering record TV audiences We have a fractured media world, but are coming together as one nation to cheer on the Canadian athletes, we have a single shared experience in the form of these games, en Francais aussi.
With such enthusiasm for the games from Canadians one would have thought the government would get a feel good boost in the polls, much like Social Credit did with Expo '86 or the Liberals with Expo '67. There is no evidence the public is swayed in who they support because of sports success. This does not surprise me as I believe that Canadians in 2010 are the most politically sophisticated electorate in the world.
Have the games been perfect? No, but then no Olympics ever are, but we have a right to be amazed and proud of well the Vancouver Games have run. We have every right to be proud of how well the athletes have done. As Canadians we may finally have a patriotism and a source of unity that works for us, cheering on Olympic athletes. Lets use the next four days to wildly celebrate their success as we could very likely win more gold medals than in any other Olympic Games.
Since the Olympic games are all anyone seems to be talking about in Vancouver what else could I write about? Winter sports have become the patriotism of Canada.
We with each medalist we have new heroes to talk about every day, heroes to unite us as Canadians. A Harris Decima poll on Monday had 77% of Canadians saying the games are doing a lot to unite the country, event the majority of separatists agree with this. In this same poll 58% said the games are one of the greatest achievements of Canada.
The only relevant topic of conversation in Canada today will the gold medal women's hockey game, will we smoke the Americans or not? Over the next four days we are likely to win 12 more medals, five of them gold.
How successful have the games been? How much have we embraced them? The 2010 games are the first Olympic games to sell out all of the events. If you want to go the gold medal men's hockey game, tickets start at $1800. Getting a ticket for the Women's gold medal game today will cost you over $1000 if you can find any for sale.
Vancouver has seen crowds beyond what anyone has expected. No Olympic games have ever had such large crowds celebrating in the streets. People are spontaneously singing our national anthem as the party in Vancouver. International media that have been to numerous Olympic games have never seen any games embraced like Canadians have embraced these winter games.
It is not only in Vancouver, it is across all of Canada. The Opening Ceremonies set the record for TV with 13 million viewers watching all of it and 21 million watching part of it. In 1988 only 4 million Canadians watched the Opening Ceremonies in Calgary. Each day events are garnering record TV audiences We have a fractured media world, but are coming together as one nation to cheer on the Canadian athletes, we have a single shared experience in the form of these games, en Francais aussi.
With such enthusiasm for the games from Canadians one would have thought the government would get a feel good boost in the polls, much like Social Credit did with Expo '86 or the Liberals with Expo '67. There is no evidence the public is swayed in who they support because of sports success. This does not surprise me as I believe that Canadians in 2010 are the most politically sophisticated electorate in the world.
Have the games been perfect? No, but then no Olympics ever are, but we have a right to be amazed and proud of well the Vancouver Games have run. We have every right to be proud of how well the athletes have done. As Canadians we may finally have a patriotism and a source of unity that works for us, cheering on Olympic athletes. Lets use the next four days to wildly celebrate their success as we could very likely win more gold medals than in any other Olympic Games.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
No One Will Remember the Costs Once the Torch is Lit
My column from today's 24 Hours in Vancouver:
Today is the last day anyone is going to care about any Olympic problems, costs or protests. Tomorrow the torch will be lit in BC Place and all the negativity will be forgotten.
I know there are many people out there hoping to grab global media attention with the games, but it is a waste of time. I love the winter games and I also follow politics off all stripes around the world, but I can not remember what the protests were about in Salt Lake City in 2002 or Turin in 2006. Frankly I can not remember the protesters at all.
The protest movement in Italy is much more organized and militant that anything in BC. Even with their better organization they made no impact on the media last time.
It is a shame that people have started to use the celebration of the Olympics to push their political point of view. There is a self righteousness and martyr complex to most of the protesters, they act as if they know better than all of the rest of us.
One aspect I find most patronizing is the cultural appropriation of the First Nations by the protesters. The four First Nations, in which traditional territories the games are being held, are partners in the games. It seems for the protesters that support of aboriginal people is only OK if the First Nations have the “right” political view.
The decision was made years ago to hold the Olympics in BC, it is supported by the federal Liberals and Conservatives and the provincial Liberals and NDP. The people protesting the games are not willing to accept that the games are supported by most people.
The costs have been an issue and the protesters have pointed out how they would have spent the money. This ignores that the games are comparatively inexpensive. The government costs of the 2010 games will be cheaper than the 2006, 2002 or 1998 winter games. In fact, were it not for the dramatic increase in the security costs, the Vancouver games could have been the cheapest Olympic games since Calgary. No one will remember the costs once the torch is lit.
That said, the NDP has done a good job of questioning the details of the costs.
All the protesters are doing is adding an unneeded negativity in the run up to the games which will be forgotten tomorrow. If there is going to be any negative image of the Olympic games, it will be because Vancouver will likely be socked in with rain as it is most Februaries.
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