In session
BC’s agriculture critic is calling the Liberal Party’s recent throne speech “an advertorial with very little product to sell.”
The BC Liberals kicked off the spring legislative session Tuesday, February 11.
“It was an opportunity to see a vision for the province but we didn’t get one,” said Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons. “We got the same message about LNG and liquor. No mention of ferries or agriculture or the need to address our problem with homelessness or child welfare.”
The only new initiative announced in the speech was a promise to create a 10-year transportation plan.
The government said it will be controlling spending by balancing the province’s budget, attracting investors by opening up Canada’s Pacific Gateway and creating jobs by following previous commitments under the BC Jobs Plan. It will be following through with its announcement on revamping BC’s outdated liquor laws. The government has vowed to formally apologize to the Chinese and South Asian communities this year, the 100-year anniversary of the Komagata Maru incident, when Conservative premier of BC Richard McBride and the Canadian government under Robert Borden turned away more than 200 South Asian immigrants after they arrived in Vancouver.
Simons said he thought the speech was disappointing having not sat in the BC legislature for the past 200 days.
“You’d have thought they would have had time to develop something a little more hopeful and optimistic for the province,” he added.
He said that right now the New Democratic Party is focused on examining the provincial budget that was released Tuesday.
He added that there are more questions to be asked in the legislature about the BC Ferries decision but the issue has been overshadowed by questions on how the government is handling BC Supreme Court’s ruling on teachers’ collective bargaining rights.
Premier Christy Clark defended her government’s plan saying that it is consistent with her intention to follow through on promises that were made.
Drive safe
A month-long campaign to curb distracted driving continues to the end of February.
Powell River RCMP and other detachments across the province have been conducting an enforcement and awareness campaign focused on changing drivers’ attitudes and behaviours.
On average 91 people are killed each year in BC due to distracted drivers, and over 40,000 tickets been issued across the province to drivers who violate the law. Drivers are four times more likely to crash when talking on a hand-held phone and 23 times more likely to get into a crash if they text while behind the wheel.
Police are also watching for drivers who text while waiting at a stop sign or a red light. If the driver is behind the wheel with the vehicle engine running and the car is in a travelling lane, the driver can be fined for distracted driving.
Using an electronic device without a hands-free device can incur a $167 fine and drivers who text or email while driving are subject to an additional three penalty points. People who are part of the graduated licensing program are not permitted to use any electronic device, even hands-free devices.
For more tips and information on this year’s campaign, readers can visit ICBC online.
Ferry change
Starting yesterday, Thursday, February 20, the Tachek took over from the North Island Princess to provide ferry service to residents of Texada Island.
The North Island Princess has been removed for scheduled refit and will not return until Friday, May 16.
The Tachek will continue to service the route from Blubber Bay to Saltery Bay until the Westview terminal is upgraded and then will change to the original route of Blubber Bay to Westview from March 10 onwards.
BC Ferries reminds its customers that the Tachek has a smaller vehicle capacity and apologizes for the inconvenience of the relief vessel’s limitations.
