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.
Coordinated with the Audubon’s annual count the Nicola Naturalists will be out this coming Sunday.
You don’t have to be an expert birder to participate in Christmas Bird Counts. Participants spend all or part of the day in a group covering a specific section of the 22-km diameter count circle. It is a great way to get to know the local winter birds and contribute to the world’s longest-running citizen science project. For more details on the Merritt CBC keep checking this website or contact nicolanaturalists@gmail.com
The committee on climate action met on November 13th. This was their third meeting. The group included BC Hydro with an interest in advancing their step code.
FortisBC also presented its Clean Energy Vision, and highlighted the different low carbon pathways that could be taken to achieve provincial emission reduction targets.
The Committee reviewed and discussed Committee member submissions on key local government pathways for reducing emissions and for achieving a maximum 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius global temperature rise. The submissions focused on buildings, transportation, energy systems, waste management, land use planning, natural assets, and carbon sequestration. Committee deliberations addressed both the barriers to successfully implementing these pathways, as well as the factors that would ensure their successful adoption. The Committee will continue to explore mitigation pathways and extend this to issues related to adaptation at its next meeting in December.
Another view from Merritt…
Not a good alternative unless for waste.
Peter Clark professor emeritus U of Calgary Chemistry in Merritt ” The Earth will be a dead planet in 80 million years.” November 13-20-27th
Peter gave the last of three talks on the energy needs of humankind and its ability to switch to alternatives in energy from fossil fuels. The pessimistic facts based talks dismissed many alternatives as political and we would use all fossil fuels with in the next few hundred years. He said carbon, phosphorous , ammonia etc is an crucial element to life on earth as fertilizer as well as energy. They are needed to support populations. ” In 80 million years the earth will be a dead planet with all its carbon locked up in limestone.” No reasonable escape to Space”
Population impact lessened by old age.
Peter estimated that if world followed Japans example of a population of 30 percent old people then crisis would be managed better. Material prosperity is also having a positive impact on smaller families in many countries.
The Mayors Gala for the Arts attracted most living former mayors of Merritt to the jazz themed event on Saturday: The only living former Mayor of Merritt not in attendance was Neil Menard , Neil had a conflict for the event is well according to accounts.
The Gala presented a 18 piece big band, Michael Perkins and the Play More Junction Big Band. The Gala had lead up events including a Garlic festival, Fall fair photographic contest..
An immediate Tax receipt was available for sponsorships and admission. The sponsor was the Nicola Valley Community Arts Council…
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.
Kevin Griffiths
percypaschal
The Proprietor Review 