A message from Pat Bell - April 2, 2010
| Politics |
Hi all,
Fresh (not) back from China and another successful trip this past week. Even though I left on Friday and returned on Tuesday we were able to achieve our 2 primary objectives of furthering the 6 story apartment building project and pitching investment into BC’s forest sector. I was very pleased that senior Government Officials from Hebei Province (Shijiazhuang city) returned from a conference early to meet with me on a Sunday. This area has really embraced wood construction and has so many projects on the go that we can no longer track them all.
With Easter on us it’s time to turn our minds to Spring and what will hopefully be a much better year for Prince George and Mackenzie. The signs of an improving economy are all around us and as I have said before I think things will look quite a bit better by the end of 2010.
Brenda and I are going to try and get a few days skiing over the Easter week and then most importantly be part of her Parents 80th Birthday Party.
Have a great week!
Pat
1. Just coming off the good news of the Conifex purchase of the Abitibi assets in Mackenzie this week we are hearing of progress on Sinar Mas purchasing the Mackenzie pulp mill. Still work to be done but with any luck Mackenzie will be back to its former self later this summer!
2. The composite index for lumber this past week closed at $328. (compared to $196 a year ago). This is great news for our industry and points to what will likely be a 5% reduction in the border tax as of May 1. We have one more week to go but it looks promising!
3. Further evidence that say’s we are doing something right here in BC’s forest industry. Lumber production at British Columbia’s sawmills rose 14.1% in December 2009 when compared to December 2008. Production at both Coastal (+19.4%) and Interior (+13.6%) mills increased, with much of that coming from mills in the province’s Northern Interior (+25.6%). Nationally, lumber production dipped 0.9%.
4. Have you ever wanted to have a say in the way your local government is elected? If so, this is your chance. There are still a few weeks left for citizens, organizations and community groups to submit written feedback to the joint Local Government Elections Task Force. Topics covered in this consultation have ranged from campaign finance to the length of term of office. We know how important it is to seek opinions from a diverse range of stakeholders as well, and we have invited input from local governments, citizens, community groups, the Leader of the Opposition and organizations such as the BC Chamber of Commerce, the BC Federation of Labour, BC School Trustees Association and BC Teachers Federation. Comments can be provided in a number of ways. Please visit the website online at www.localelectionstaskforce.gov.bc.ca, for more details and you have your say.
5. We have some strategic highway work going on to the north of us where we are investing $40.4 million in the Bennett Creek to Link Creek realignment in the Pine Pass, 200 kilometres north of Prince George. This realignment will reduce travel time on Hwy 97N by eliminating five reduced speed advisory curves and greatly increasing the shoulder clearance by an additional three meters for snow storage and driving. The contract was awarded to a local contractor and there has already been work to clear the site and begin excavation work. Part of the project will incorporate new structures to support our environmental goals by increasing vegetative fish habitat by more than 4600 square meters of new, in-stream habitat. This is a great investment in a key corridor between Prince George and the Peace River District.
6. The Province’s Homelessness Intervention Project has exceeded targets to house homeless people and provide them with support services. Since it was launched a year ago, the project has housed over 2,400 formerly homeless people in five B.C. communities, including 204 in Prince George and 159 in Kelowna. The Homelessness Intervention Project was established in March 2009 to help reduce chronic homelessness in Victoria, Vancouver, Surrey, Prince George and Kelowna. The project provides homeless people who have severe mental illness and/or addictions with priority access to housing, health services, addictions treatment and income assistance.
7. The Province continues to move forward with clean, renewable energy opportunities, including expanding geothermal. The March 29 tenure sale offered one parcel in B.C.’s central coast, Knight Inlet, which covers approximately 8,075 hectares. The total bid for this parcel is almost $25,000. This permit has a geothermal exploration work requirement of approximately $40,000 in the first year. Additional sales are planned for later in 2010. Permits provide the exclusive right to explore the area for geothermal energy. This does not include surface rights to build roads or drill wells. A company has eight years in which to convert a permit to a lease. There are also annual work requirements and rent associated with a geothermal permit. Geothermal energy is one of the most reliable, clean and renewable energy sources with almost no greenhouse gas emissions. Once developed, a geothermal plant can deliver a stable source of power. Geothermal energy draws sustainable power from the natural thermal energy contained in the rock and fluid in the Earth’s crust.
8. Amendments to forestry legislation introduced encourage better use of low-quality timber for bioenergy purposes and improve wildfire protection. Changes to the scaling provisions of the Forest Act encourage utilization of low-grade timber and wood waste for bioenergy purposes. Previously only timber could be scaled, but under the changes, bioenergy products such as wood chips also can be scaled by either volume or weight. The amendment also allows for scaling to take place at harvesting or production sites in addition to scaling stations. Providing flexibility in scaling requirements allows harvested fibre to travel more directly from the harvest site to the market place. Other amendments to the Forest Act: Extend the timelines for innovative forestry practices agreements, allowing government and licensees to further explore these agreements’ potential for increasing timber supply. Clarify rules for redetermining stumpage rates, ensuring these rules operate as intended. Clarify the mechanism to be used for partitioning allowable annual cuts. Amendments to the Wildfire Act improve wildfire protection by: Extending the period for prosecution for human-caused fires from two to three years to allow for complex investigations to be thorough and complete. Clarifying that both people who start or risk starting wildfires can be prosecuted.
9. British Columbia continues to lead the way when it comes to provinces meeting wait time benchmarks across Canada. According to the report „Wait Times Tables – A Comparison by Province, 2010‟ released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), B.C. leads Canada in exceeding the benchmarks for all priority areas: cancer treatment, cardiac care, sight restoration, and joint replacement. The CIHI release reinforces the 2009 Wait Time Alliance report, in which only B.C. and Ontario received an A in every category – radiology hip, knees, cardiac and sight, when it came to meeting wait time benchmarks. These reports clearly show the significant progress B.C. has made in improving access and reducing wait times.
10. British Columbia is already reaping the rewards from the Province’s 2010 Olympic and Paralympic business hosting program, with a dozen partnerships that will create jobs and build a stronger economy. Government is also monitoring at least 27 other pending agreements. The business hosting program involved about 11,000 participants at more than 100 events such as roundtables, tours, receptions and meetings. Business leaders from across North America, Europe and Asia attended, representing industries including airline, automotive, energy, film and entertainment, forestry, information and communications technology, life sciences, manufacturing, mining, pharmaceuticals, tourism and venture capital.
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