This is a great thing for Northern B.C. but the big question is,...will the government will provide enough of a budget to see that it is properly staffed at all times?
And where will the staff come from?
We need this but with all the cuts to healthcare and a new provincial budget in the works,it is a concern.

Andyfreeze, if the global slump continues anything might happen! However, at some point in the near future things may pick up again, hopefully by the time this project is completed and ready to go!

In the meantime construction is under way on this, jobs are being created and construction costs are probably more reasonable.

The same thing can be said about all the other projects like bridges, highways, new schools and hospitals, etc.

A lot of people have been employed on public projects which were badly needed and put on hold during the nineties.

The province didn't shut down altogether, which was and is a blessing.

I wish they would not have applied to hold the winter olympics so soon after the province just re-awakened after a period of economic slowdowns.

But, its no use to keep griping when griping isn't going to change anything and our reputation is on the line.

These are troubling times, as we all know. Japan Airlines just declared bankruptcy, banks are still continuing to fail in the US of A, US budget deficits are astronomical in magnitude, the US housing industry is still in the doldrums, etc, etc.

Let's face it, there are economic meltdowns and cutbacks going on all over the world, industries that have been around for decades are shutting down.

To put all the blame on our provincial government isn't fair or reasonable.

Local initiatives were undertaken to perhaps get some new businesses going and bridge this period of difficulties until things pick up again, especially in the mineral exploration and mining sector.

Since we can't compete in manufacturing industries which are labour intensive (like electronics and tool manufacturing, furniture and appliances, even building materials) the jobs have to come from other initiatives.

No government intentionally makes cuts where they are not needed - it would be political suicide.

Therefore, I assume that they are being made because they are really unavoidable if we don't wish to drown in new debt and pass the debts on to future generations.

Perhaps we can try to get together and confront these new realities united rather than divided along the old blame game party lines.

Wishful thinking, of course, but what is the alternative?

Morning diplomat..."No government makes cuts where they are not needed...it would be political suicide".
There was a time when I would have believed that, but considering the economic downturn and the Olympic tab,I am not so sure about that anymore!
I think the Liberals will be grabbing every dime they can get their hands on before the next budget, to try and save face by keeping the deficit numbers as low as possible.
I also think they are not above having a little fun with numbers when it comes to the size of the deficit they do end up forecasting.
Would they lie?
Yup...just as sure as god made little green apples!
It's going to be an interesting year!
Cheers!

There were no actual cuts to the budget for healthcare, the budget is the same this year as it was last year; the cuts were what the overages were for the last year.
As for funding for the cancer center, with the directional change from PGRH to a university hospital, funding changes, and thus the 'University hospital" will be entitled to different funding, both federally and provincially. Maybe some of this different funding will help out in this new center.

"Since we can't compete in manufacturing industries which are labour intensive"

Not true .... Germany and other European countries with higher wage levels and energy prices than us are managing to do so, so is Quebec with its international sales of transportation equipment (Bombardier) as well as shoe and clothing manufacturing.

China still needs some of those specialty high tech manufacturing companies to feed it citizens and its infrustructure development. They are not yet totally self sufficient. Besides, if they want to sell to the rest of the world, they also have to buy.

So, we can feed them the pulp to make paper, while both Canada and China are still uing a significant quantity of European machinery to manufacture the pulp as well as the paper. The paper China makes then has considerably higher value added than the paper products made here.

Can we compete with the Europeans? Yup, Bombardier is! Can we improve on that? Why not?

Good point gus. To add to your post, those same European countires also have much higher income tax rates than we have in Canada and they don't seem to be stifling their ability to run sucessful companies . . .

For that matter, Bombardier is also operting in the highest taxed jurisdiction in Canada.

I agree that Bombardier is a shining example of how we should compete! Good point!

The stores in Germany are full of bargain priced Chinese merchandise, just like here.

Many traditional industries in Germany have long since disappeared, especially in consumer electrical and electronics manufacturing, except for a few specialty products.

Germany also has a lot of unemployment...
but we can learn a lot from Germany and other European countries how one can compete with innovation and high value niche engineering and manufacturing.

Remember all those highway improvement signs the Libs put up just before the election, just watch how many don't happen.

Actually the fact that Germany has a lot of unemployment is of special interest to me. They have had high unemployment, in the 10% range, for several decades, even before the wall came down.

I find it interesting because the "social net" they have developed, similar to several other European countries, has reduced the impact on families such a consistent high rate would have in Canada. In other words, those who are employed are gainfully enough employed that their taxes allow people to have a reasonable living standard.

So, we can have a high unemployment rate in Canada, as long as the remainder of the working age population has a high production rate and relatively high income and it is shared by some means, normally taxes, but philantropy would also work.