You are presumed to be honest and responsible without evidence to the contrary beyond a reasonable doubt… on the balance of probablilties you are justified by 51 % likelyhood.
The Trans Mountain court ordered final reconsideration report is out tomorrow. This comes in the light of contracts to move 150,000 barrels a day that the Alberta Government entered into with CN and CP Rail. The scope is the twinning of the existing 60 year old pipeline and its increase of tanker traffic out of Burnaby.
Burnaby South By election Monday.
A By-election is also being held on Monday for the federal riding most effected by the expansion. The CBC is reporting a massive advance pole interest this week. The by-election may elect the current NDP leader but a loss would not stop him from running in the election next fall.
Gas price, the availability of fuel
File Photo KDG
Pipeline in effect nationalised
Alberta is putting taxpayer money into rail and pipeline as well as billions spent by the federal government acquiring the existing trans mountain line. This is all peripheral to the efforts of the governments to re-examine the regulatory approval process ( NEB). With all the government activity it seems that they are far from a process that gives permitting any kind of guarantee of production.
Pipe for oil field
File:Photo KDG
Model train set in local library had a car stuck in a tunnel! Trains are a big part of our heritage! File photo KDG
Keep emotions cool…
The amount of effect this issue has on all of us is enormous. Stay cool keep on keeping on with peace and understanding…
The Trans Mountain pipeline company ( now the Canadian government )have noted the policy. Gas prices in Merritt have been at $140.9 a liter for weeks here gone are the swings of the price of the last few years. Ecology preservation is always worth the price in a free market as demand is usually blind and tensions over competing ones bring balance.
Monitoring of Vessel noise:
The policy is new and is to help the situation of the Southern resident killer whales. The species that was the center of the court challenge to the companies expansion.
According to the Vancouver Sun , the “Echo” program will monitor sounds and will lead to possible threat protection.
Earlier this week, the federal government announced new measures to monitor underwater ship and mammal noise in British Columbia’s Salish Sea to help develop measures to support the recovery of endangered southern resident killer whales
Anyway, consumers can enjoy stable but higher gas prices for a while perhaps it will end back in wage and price controls like PET’s time.
The provinces 162 municipalities had a healthy change of elected public servants for the 2018 election. There are 73 new mayors and 395 newly elected councilors a 47 and 48.8 percent change factor overall. Vancouver bucked the trend electing 16 of 21 new mayors to its municipalities.
The high level of turnover on Councils and Boards with each election was one of the motivating factors for the creation of the Local Government Leadership Academy in 2007. The academy’s mission is to provide local government and First Nations elected officials and senior administrators with comprehensive, timely and dedicated leadership development opportunities throughout their terms of office or employment in the interest of improving governance. The LGLA’s 2019 elected official seminars have been announced and once again will be made available in regions throughout BC.
For the full details on the 2018 local government general election, please visit CivicInfo.
Source UBCM
Regional directors:
There was a similar turnover for regional directors. Fifty-Seven Electorial area directors were new a 37.7% change.
Merritt BC changed 5 of 6 councilors and elected an incumbent councilor mayor.
On this Day: October 24th, 2003
The last commercial flight of the Concorde supersonic airliner.
There are resources available to help any civic minded person wishing to run for office for the elections coming November. resources
The Election BC and UBCM says : What every candidate needs to know, is available through website, or videos,available through them. Good luck to those that try they will always be able to say I ran for office….
November will be here soon….
On this Day in History: July 19th 1871
The eve of British Columbia joining the confederation of Canada.
The federal government in 2017 said that the low carbon programs would be being implemented. They are looking for partnerships with local governments
In December 2017, the Government of Canada announced it is providing Low Carbon Economy Funding to the Province of BC in support of projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The BC Government has identified matching funds to support a number of initiatives including organic waste processing infrastructure to increase municipal organics diversion and management of agricultural waste. Local governments are the eligible recipient for this funding program and will need to provide one-third matching funding. Local governments may choose to partner with First Nations or private companies.
The government will be presenting a webinar on June 26th and 27th and then looking for expressions of interest or input.
On this Day: June 13th 1994
An Anchorage Alaska jury finds negligence in the Exon Valdez oil tanker disaster.
The 2018 budget was tabled yesterday and shows a deficit of 18.1 billion dollars. The document addresses a number of popular issues. The liberal government will present one more budget in their mandate.
Small Business Tax Rate
Reduction of the small business tax rate to 10 per cent, effective January 1, 2018, and to 9 per cent, effective January 1, 2019.
Cannabis Taxation
In December 2017, the federal government reached an agreement with most provincial and territorial governments to establish duties on cannabis as the higher of $1 per gram or 10 per cent of a product price, through a federally administrated coordinated framework.
This tax room will be shared on a 75/25 basis, with 75 per cent of duties going to provincial and territorial governments and the remaining 25 per cent to the federal government. The federal portion of cannabis excise duty revenue will be capped at $100 million annually for the first two years after legalization.
Any federal revenue in excess of $100 million will be provided to provinces and territories.
As part of this arrangement, it is the federal government’s expectation that a substantial portion of the revenues from this tax room provided to provinces and territories will be transferred to municipalities and local communities who are on the front lines of legalization.
Housing:
Rental Construction Financing Initiative
To encourage a stable supply of affordable rental housing across the country, the Government proposes increasing the amount of loans provided by the Rental Construction Financing Initiative from $2.5 billion to $3.75 billion over the next three years. This new funding is intended to support projects that address the needs of modest- and middle-income households struggling in expensive housing markets. In total, this measure alone is expected to spur the construction of more than 14,000 new rental units across Canada.
Beneficial Ownership
To improve the availability of beneficial ownership information, the Government proposes to introduce enhanced income tax reporting requirements for certain trusts to provide additional information on an annual basis, applicable for the 2021 and later taxation years.
Community Safety:
Opioid Crisis
Provide $231.4 million over five years, starting in 2018–19, for additional measures to help address the opioid crisis.
Cybercrime
Provide $116.0 million over five years, and $23.2 million per year ongoing, to the RCMP to support the creation of the National Cybercrime Coordination Unit. The National Cybercrime Coordination Unit will create a coordination hub for cybercrime investigations in Canada and will work with international partners on cybercrime.
Provide an additional $236.5 million over five years, and $41.2 million per year ongoing, to further support Canada’s new National Cyber Security Strategy.
Guns and Gangs
Provide $327.6 million over five years, starting in 2018–19, and $100 million per year ongoing, to Public Safety Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canada Border Services Agency. This initiative will support community-level crime prevention and enforcement efforts, build and leverage unique federal expertise and resources to advance intelligence related to the illegal trafficking of firearms, and invest in border security to interdict illicit goods including guns and drugs.
Environment
Land, Water and Species Protection
Contribute $500 million from the federal government to create a new $1 billion Nature Fund in partnership with corporate, not-for-profit, provincial, territorial and other partners. The Nature Fund will make it possible to secure private land, support provincial and territorial species protection efforts, and help build Indigenous capacity to conserve lands and species.
Indigenous Relations
Clean Drinking Water on Reserve
Provide an additional $172.6 million over three years, beginning in 2018–19, to improve access to clean and safe drinking water on reserve. Program objective is to have all boil water advisories lifted by March 2021.
Infrastructure
Small Craft Harbours
Provide $250 million on a cash basis over two years, starting in 2018–19, to Fisheries and Oceans Canada to renew its network of small craft harbours and work with local governments where investments and divestitures can enhance local communities.
Critical Infrastructure Security
Provide Public Safety Canada with $1.4 million in 2018–19 to continue operations of the Regional Resilience Assessment Program and the Virtual Risk Analysis Cell. These programs support assessments of critical infrastructure facilities, such as energy grids, information and communication technology networks, and hospitals.
Other:
Gender Equity
The Government will bring in a legislated proactive pay equity regime in federally regulated sectors, which would apply to approximately 1.2 million employed individuals.
EI Parental Sharing Benefit where two parent families who agree to share parental leave could receive an additional five weeks of leave.
The Canada Workers Benefit will allow low-income workers – many of whom are single parent women – to take home more money while they work.
The targeted Child Tax benefit was the remedy for Child Care after a universal plan died on the order paper in the senate when an election was called years ago. Licenced spaces are always a concern .The most progressive thing in the budget in our view is the water on Indian reserves. Perhaps it would inspire some of the people served to take up the challenge of clean potable water to the third world.
The 10 percent small business tax is progressive as well hopefully it will inspire some more payroll withholding taxes from more employees.
There is also of note something over 1 and half billon for preservation of waterways and nature.
The price of gas is having a roller coaster ride in this morning with some at a dollar thirty two and some at $1.38.9. Prices had been at $1.38.9 last week then were put down to $1.25.9.
There is a petition against more taxes on gasoline on the gas buddy site. The context is the new provincial government of John Horgan has a razor thin coalition majority in the parliament and relies on the Green party to govern. The executive took tolls of some bridges in the lower mainland and is due for a budget. However the petition is for the Capital Region in Victoria for transit funding.
At this writing the difference between the downtown Petrocan and the on Dewolf road leaving town on highway 5 is 5 cents a liter. The Chevron on Dewolf is 2 cent s more then Petrocan at $1.32.9.
The provincial hydro utility is giving a challenge to conserve power. To take part join the power smart team, save 10percent on hydro over a year and you are eligible for a 50 dollar prize.
Looking to save money on your electricity bills? Become a member of Team Power Smart and challenge yourself to reduce your home’s electricity use by 10% in the next year. If you’re successful, you can earn a $50 reward.
Along the way, we’ll provide helpful advice, tips and success stories from other team members to keep you motivated.
You’ll also have the opportunity to enter exclusive contests for a great chance to win prizes like an LED lighting package, programmable thermostat, and gift cards.
The not for profit utility is always having conservation initiatives. And is required not to retain earning but deliver the efficiencies back to the rate payers by lower rates.
Long time legion member in the spirit File Photo KDG
The dividend of civilization is civility, something that if guarded can dominate in away different from the total domination of armies and cultures. A culture of peace is a desirable thing to those that know its value. It still has to come from the individual integrity of citizens and virtue truly is its own reward. In the week coming up to Canada’s 150th look inside and see if you have inner peace. A peace based on” to your own self be true”, and mitigated by “treat your neighbour as you would your self.” Let fashion have its temporary place not dependant on your happiness and show your true strength first to your self then to others. It will be a good day to let thing’s go that are troubling and not worth the energy of regret.
You will be standing on guard for all of us thee…
Editors Note: There is no utopia, sometimes the first loss is the best loss, you be the judge.
On this Day: June 28th 1838
The crowning of British sovereign, Queen Victoria.
If you have the luxury of a back yard here’s a carbon sink you may want to try.
Professor Downing found that constructed ponds and lakes on farmland in the United States bury carbon at a much higher rate than expected; as much as 20-50 times the rate at which trees trap carbon. In addition, ponds were found to take up carbon at a higher rate than larger lakes.
“Aquatic ecosystems play a disproportionately large role in the global carbon budget,” Downing said. “Despite being overlooked in the past, it’s small bodies of water that are important because they take up carbon at a high rate and there are more of them than previously thought. The combined effect is that farm ponds could be burying as much carbon as the world’s oceans, each year.” source Science Daily…Iowa State University
Editors note: consult with your insurance agent before hand.
On this Day: April 29th 1997
The chemical weapons ban of 1993 comes into force.
Dan Albas MP Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola Photo: KDG
Budget from an opposition side of the house…
An action plan is the same as a budget it just expresses the activity in dollars and cents.
The first action plan of a strongly mandated new government comes down today, expressed in dollars and cents the closing of some offices and the change of direction discussed in the recent election including…..
The Merritt Herald is the only local paper in this small interior BC town. We were served by the Merritt News until a few years ago. when city policy changed and advertising was directed to one paper instead of two. We also had the Kamloops Daily News with delivery here the paper was in a city of 80,000 and had correspondence from Merritt.
A shift to industrial rather then celebrity has in part contributed to the change. Highland Valley Copper and BC hydro expansions have had an effect on the personality of Merritt.
There is an all candidates forum coming up, Thursday Oct 8th ,7PM at the Merritt Civic Center, hosted by the local chamber and reporting will be limited most probably to the Herald and a small local radio station Q 101 FM. Merritt was privileged to have the three papers here their community involvement had zenith with the Merritt Mountain Music festival and boundary expansion.
Social media is a good thing but journalism that is well-edited is a tremendous value especially at election time.
The Merritt Herald is older than the City of Merritt and has won national awards its editorial bend is conservative.
Both the Vancouver Province and Sun papers are available here as well as nationals but correspondence with them is unknown at this writing.
On this Day: October 7th 1912
The Helsinki Stock exchange opens
Kevin Griffiths
percypaschal
The Proprietor Review 