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Hi all, 

What an exciting day today with the opening of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Brenda and I are looking forward to watching the ceremonies at home with a big group of friends and family and let’s hope we see our first Gold Medal in the first couple of days. Also don’t forget it’s Valentine’s Day on Sunday! 

This past week was the “Speech from the Throne” which sets the direction of Government in the coming year. While it is always filled with exciting news I like to focus on the components that will help drive Rural BC. The economy was the key theme of the Throne Speech with new energy opportunities being the cornerstone of economic development. Following are 10 direct quotes from the speech. 

I’m around PG for the weekend (mainly planted in front of the TV) but Doug’s house renovations are still a “work in progress” so will have to spend some time on that as well. Next week I’m in the touring different logging and milling operations ranging from Revelstoke to Cranbrook to Grand Forks with many stops in between and then back to PG for next weekend. 

Have a great week. 

Pat

http://www.patbellmla.bc.ca/

1.   Multiple governmental reviews replicate work, add cost, increase uncertainty, delay decisions, reduce investment and ultimately cost jobs. We will redouble our efforts to conclude equivalency agreements with Ottawa to ensure environmental reviews are cost effective, timely and thorough. Currently, over $3 billion in provincially‑approved projects are stranded in the mire of federal process and delay. This is unacceptable. Time is money. Duplication is waste. Tax dollars are limited.

2.   A new Investment Process Review will be launched to identify opportunities for simplifying and expediting approval processes across government. Local governments will be asked to partner in this endeavour that requires us to look at all impediments to reasonable investment, including zoning, licensing and permitting requirements. A joint 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. In addition, government will take a fresh look at B.C.'s regulatory regimes, including the BC Utilities Commission, the BC Ferry Commission, the TransLink Commission and others. We must identify new ways to achieve our goals at lower cost, with faster decisions and integrated approval mechanisms if our economy is to thrive and job creation is to revive.

3.   Airports should be open to trade, commerce and tourism through Open Skies agreements. That step alone would add $800 million and thousands of jobs to our provincial economy. Open Skies enable international air carriers to bring new business and visitors to communities like Abbotsford, Comox, Cranbrook, Kamloops, Kelowna, Prince George and Vancouver.

4.   A new Wood Innovation and Design Centre will be created in the heart of Prince George. It will amplify our expertise and our global reputation as leaders in wood construction, engineered wood products and design.

5.   We have enormous potential in bioenergy, run‑of‑river, wind, geothermal, tidal, wave and solar energy. We will put it to work for our economy. A new Clean Energy Act will encourage new investments in independent power production while also strengthening BC Hydro. It will provide for fair, predictable, clean power calls. It will feature simplified procurement protocols and new measures to encourage investment and the jobs that flow with it.

6.   We will support new jobs and private sector investment in wood pellet plants, cellulosic ethanol production, biomass gasification technologies and fuel cell technologies. Bioenergy creates new uses for waste wood and beetle killed forests and new jobs for forest workers. A new receiving license will give bioenergy producers new certainty of fiber supply, while a new stand‑as‑a‑whole pricing system will encourage utilization of logging residues and low‑grade material that was previously burned or left on the forest floor.

7.   Government will optimize existing generation facilities and report on the Site C review this spring.

8.   New transmission infrastructure will link Northeastern B.C. to our integrated grid, provide clean power to the energy industry and open up new capacity for clean power exports to Alberta, Saskatchewan and south of the border. We will seek major transmission upgrades with utilities in California and elsewhere. If we act with clear vision and concerted effort now, in 2030, people will look back to this decade as we look to the 1960s today.

9.   A new Family with Children Property Tax Deferral Option will be provided to all B.C. families with children under the age of 18.

10.                Several significant reforms will be advanced to modernize our education system for the 21st Century. New emphasis will be placed on parental involvement and on tailoring our education system to each child's individual needs, interests and passions. New forms of schooling will be developed to provide greater choice and diversity, centered on students' special interests and talents. Smarter approaches will allow more resources to be focused on students' learning needs while less is spent on administrative costs. In concert with local governments, Neighbourhood Learning Centres will integrate neighborhood needs with available capital resources and under‑utilized spaces. Seven‑day‑a‑week facilities management is fundamental to providing critical community services that meet the needs of B.C.'s families affordably. A new Master Teacher program will be developed.