From newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca Tue Aug 1 00:38:05 2006 From: newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca (BC NDP Newswire) Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 23:38:05 -0800 Subject: [LabComm] Connection - July 31, 2006 Message-ID: Connection - July 31, 2006

In This Issue

Faced with poverty statistics, Income Assistance Minister changes the subject

One in four B.C. children lives in poverty. That's a shameful statistic, but Employment and Income Assistance Minister Claude Richmond would prefer to ignore it instead of facing it and fixing the problem. Richmond told a Kamloops radio station that his information shows that it's really only one in 30 children living in poverty, despite the StatsCan data showing otherwise. Statistics Canada released a report last week showing B.C.'s child poverty rates at 23.9 per cent, significantly higher than the national average of 17.6 per cent. "Minister Richmond is using Income Assistance numbers to define poverty, which is disingenuous at best," said New Democrat Children and Family Development Critic Maurine Karagianis. There are tens of thousands of working poor in this province struggling to make ends meet, said Karagianis, the MLA for Esquimalt - Metchosin. They don't fall into the narrow definition that Richmond has for poverty. "Minister Richmond puts his ideological blinders on to avoid seeing the stark reality of child poverty in this province," Karagianis said. "It's obvious he cares more about ideology than about the one in four children living below the poverty line in B.C. "The Minister also repeated his empty platitudes about gainful employment being better than being on assistance," Karagianis said. "Well, of course people want to work, but five years of cuts to services which help people have had the most damaging effects on those who are struggling to keep up. "But instead of doing something to help, this government quotes meaningless numbers and pretends there isn't a problem."

Ralston challenges Liberals to come clean on agriculture policy

The B.C. Liberals need to come clean on their position on the Agricultural Land Reserve, Bruce Ralston says. As the issue of Barnston Island was getting resolved by the Agricultural Land Commission, a Liberal member of the legislative Agriculture Committee was talking about his desire to see the ALR scrapped altogether. Kelowna - Lake Country MLA Al Horning told an open line radio show in the Okanagan that he has "always been against the ALR," referring to it as the "Agricultural Land Freeze." Ralston, the former New Democrat critic for Agriculture and Lands, and the Surrey-Whalley MLA who was leading the charge to ensure that Barnston Island remained in the ALR, said Horning's comments showed the Liberals don't have a firm commitment to agriculture. "The ALR ensures that our valuable farm land isn't lost to aggressive development," said Ralston. "The family farm has been a way of life in this province for generations. "When agricultural land is bought up for industrial or commercial developments, it's lost forever. That's why the ALR has been supported by governments of all stripes for decades, because it's good for farming and it's good for British Columbia." Ralston said Agriculture Minister Pat Bell's silence since Horning made his comments doesn't add to public confidence about the long-term viability of the ALR. "The B.C. Liberals have shown no commitment to agriculture and have offered no support for the ALR," Ralston said. "The minister's silence implies that he's okay with a member of the Agriculture Committee wanting to do away with the ALR."

Liberal position on softwood changes ... again

Understanding the B.C. Liberal position on the softwood lumber agreement is a bit like trying to catch smoke with a sieve, Bob Simpson says. You might think you have it, but then it just slips away. The Liberals were in favour of the agreement between Canada before they opposed it. Now it seems they're in favour of it again. Prince George - Omineca MLA John Rustad told the Prince George Citizen that the agreement, which Minister Rich Coleman championed in May before disavowing in July, is a good deal for British Columbia. Simpson, the New Democrat Critic for Forests and Range, shakes his head at the latest change of position by the Liberals. "They've got the deal surrounded, that's for sure," said Simpson, the MLA for Cariboo - North. "They support it on one side and oppose it on another. It's a good way of making sure they're on the winning side, I guess." Rustad's reasons for supporting the deal may have something to do with the Liberal connections to Canfor, who have expressed support for the deal and who gave the Liberals nearly $150,000 in 2005. Rustad accepted $2,500 from Canfor for his own campaign in 2005. "Canfor is the biggest operator in the interior and there's no question its opinions should be respected," said Simpson. "But you can't look after the needs of your friends while ignoring the legitimate concerns of the rest of the industry."

This Week...

Liberal tax break is inequitable and punishes B.C.'s families New Democrat Municipal Affairs Critic Charlie Wyse says exempting private sector power producers but not local governments from paying the Provincial Sales Tax on equipment for power production is inequitable and punishes families who pay local taxes. Read more Health Canada must act against ruthless pricing for cancer treatment Thalidomide The federal government must intervene to protect Canadian cancer patients who suffer from multiple myeloma and are in need of Thalidomide, Adrian Dix, New Democrat Opposition Health Critic said today. Read more To unsubscribe or change your settings go to: http://www.e-2ve6y.signup2.bcndp.ca/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From carpenters.otl at telus.net Tue Aug 1 15:12:04 2006 From: carpenters.otl at telus.net (Ray Tickson) Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2006 15:12:04 -0700 Subject: [LabComm] email Message-ID: <401114FC-5709-4B17-99BF-B3B1CB4BA722@telus.net> Please change my email address to rtickson at yahoo.com (was carpenters.otl at telus.net) thanks Ray Tickson Research and Communications BC Carpenters Union 305 - 2806 Kingsway Vancouver, British Columbia, CA V5R 5T5 604 437-0471 fax 604 437-1110 rtickson at yahoo.com http://www.bccarpentersunion.ca/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca Fri Aug 11 22:24:05 2006 From: newswire at news.bc.ndp.ca (BC NDP Newswire) Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2006 21:24:05 -0800 Subject: [LabComm] Connection - August 11, 2006 Message-ID: Connection - August 11, 2006

In This Issue

  • Liberal policies to blame for huge gap between rich and poor
  • Hotels-in-parks plan show Liberals out of touch
  • This week...

Liberal policies to blame for huge gap between rich and poor

There's a reason half of all British Columbians say they aren't benefiting from the high commodity prices and low interest rates fuelling B.C.'s economy. For a large and growing segment of the population, they're not benefiting. Numbers from B.C. Stats this week showed British Columbia has the biggest gap between rich and poor in Canada, with the average poor family taking in just over 16 per cent of the average rich family. "These figures clearly show that the policies of the B.C. Liberals are leaving people behind," said Jagrup Brar, New Democrat Employment and Income Assistance Critic. "Gordon Campbell and his government won't do anything to address the problem because they don't care," said Brar. "As long as their friends are getting ahead, the Liberals think everything's fine." The problem is compounded, Brar said, by the government's cuts to programs which help people and by the increase in user fees for some government services. A document distributed by B.C. Stats -- a department of the Ministry of Labour and Citizens' Services was surprisingly blunt in its assessment. "Despite Alberta's rich having the highest average income in Canada ... there is considerably less inequity in Alberta as the benefits of Alberta's strong economy have been spread more broadly," said the Aug. 4 Infoline Report. "The government is acutely aware of the problem," said Brar. "Why are they continuing to allow so many British Columbians to be left behind?"

Hotels-in-parks plan show Liberals out of touch

The phrase "Super, Natural British Columbia" hasn't been in use for a few years, and Shane Simpson is starting to see why. Environment Minister Barry Penner announced plans to allow for large, full-service hotels and resorts to set up shop in the otherwise natural settings of some of B.C.'s most pristine parks. The hotels could be as large as 100 rooms and include amenities such as tennis courts and swimming pools. Simpson, the New Democrat Critic for the Environment, said it's a move that will alter the look and feel of the province's natural beauty. "People come to British Columbia from all over the world to appreciate the natural wonders of our province," said Simpson, the MLA for Vancouver-Hastings. "It's bizarre that the Environment Minister would be so eager to spoil that beauty by encouraging hotels to pop up in this natural habitat." Simpson said people who live in rural areas are opposed to moves to commercialize our parks, which is likely why Penner reneged on a prior commitment to consult with people on the ground before moving ahead. "Our provincial parks don't belong to Gordon Campbell and Barry Penner," said Simpson. "They belong to all British Columbians and the B.C. Liberals have no moral authority to make this decision without a full consultation with all British Columbians." Simpson said the move could be counter-productive. "If people want to stay in five-star hotels, they exist anywhere," said Simpson. "But the natural beauty of British Columbia is unique. That unique beauty is what we should be offering up to the world, not swimming pools and tennis courts."

This Week...

New task force on addiction rehab homes an indictment of Premier's record The B.C. Liberals' task force on unlicensed drug and alcohol recovery homes announced earlier today shows how badly the Premier's agenda has hurt vulnerable citizens, NDP Health Critic Adrian Dix says. Read More Kevin Falcon once again puts CN before community safety and the environment Following another major derailment in BC, Minister of Transportation Kevin Falcon continues to put CN's interests ahead of community safety and the environment, NDP MLA Shane Simpson says. Read More NDP Asks Merit Commissioner to Investigate Contract Awarded to B.C. Liberal Insider NDP Finance critic Bruce Ralston is asking B.C.'s Merit Commissioner to investigate a government contract awarded to a B.C. Liberal friend and insider. Read More To unsubscribe or change your settings go to: http://www.e-2ve6y.signup2.bcndp.ca/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: