Nice list. Nice thoughts. Good luck with that! This is how I see things. No one cares about the north at the provincial and federal levels. Government would like to see everyone living in larger communities and are moving towards eliminating small towns. Most of the money federally is kept back east. That will become even worse once the federal government is in charge of the money in the ruse of the HST. If you read the constitution you would see that only the provincial governments can tax the people directly. Mark my words, very little will come back to the British Columbia. Provincially they keep most of the money for the lower mainland. You just have to look at the situation with schools and I imagine another privatization. I see the start of only schools in the larger cities. How will the poor pay for an education? At least now they get educated up to grade 12. Take Hixon for a prime example of what I say with the plan to close its school. That is the start of people choosing not to live in these smaller communities and ultimately they eventually are no more. Easier to control the masses you could say. You also see this when you look at what has become to the hospitals in smaller communities like Fort St James. First they are not open at nights and then they become nothing more than clinics. Most people want to live where there are hospitals, schools, jobs, entertainment and shopping. Most of the small communities in BC have very little job opportunities left, heck Prince George can be in this group as well. This small city with one of the highest tax rates has lost over 5000 people in 5 years. 500 more and we are in the 60 thousands again. We have nothing much to offer tourist, we do not even have a camping site in town. We have great fishing but most of our lakes have brown water and no beaches. The airport plans are a wash up and the container port did very little too. We are in trouble is the only other thing I can say and we better pay attention.

How about increased funding for our schools?

Transportation Infrastructure for Northern British Columbia – The Cariboo Connector, Pine Pass, and Corridor Upgrades.

It took under two years to have the Alaskan highway built (2,337 km). And that with equipment from the 40's. And we can only hope to have 463 km in the next 5-10 years.

Ugh..

Quote:

Transportation Infrastructure for Northern British Columbia – The Cariboo Connector, Pine Pass, and Corridor Upgrades

12.That the federal and provincial governments continue efforts to accelerate the Cariboo Connector four-laning program and that both governments establish a deadline for completion of the entire 463 km length by 2015 or 2020.

13. That the federal government and provincial counterparts fund the estimated $135 million cost of improvements required to the Pine Pass to improve this critical corridor from Central BC to the Peace River gas fields for service and supply industries seeking diversification of their business.

End of quote. Now the questions:

Isn't this another way to describe competing against ourselves?

BC Rail used to be this vital connection. Does it make economic sense to give away BCRail and then be thinking of borrowing money to increase truck traffic on the highway?

Bad move in Carbon terms, too.

Gee, IMO, your really not happy living here are you. I think you need to move to a place where, roses spring up daily, with out watering.

"BC Rail used to be this vital connection. Does it make economic sense to give away BCRail and then be thinking of borrowing money to increase truck traffic on the highway?"

We need both, rail and highways! And we can afford to have both! Other countries have both and the lower mainland does too!

You wouldn't want CN to have a monopoly on how to move freight and then extort the highest profits possible?

BTW, I never put my car or motorhome on a rail car when I wanted to go to Kamloops, Kelowna or Vancouver.

It would take several days to get there! What would I be doing in the meantime?

Imagine if there were no safe and modern highways connecting us to the outside world!

The highway needs to be safe (four-lane, it's 2010, not 1910) for both trucks and passenger vehicles.

Spend the money - save billions by bringing the troops home if there isn't enough money for projects here!

Over and out.

Please do not direct insults at me for my opinion. Nothing I said above says that I do not like it here. I am a realist and those are my views. My point was that we should not expect much coming from the federal or provincial governments. And I merely gave examples to why I feel that way. Obviously you had nothing to contribute to the topic but needed to type something none the less.

IMO, if I had a dollar for every time somebody told me to move or leave the country if I *don't like it here* - I could donate quite a few big ones to my favourite local charity!

Some people react that way when someone points out to them that there are better ways to do something instead of the same old same old!

For some mysterious reasons they just can't stand a different opinion!

And I am still here!

"It includes short-term budget priorities tied to the long-term objective of building Prince George and the New North as a knowledge based resource economy connected to the world."

New North? What happened to the old one? Or is this as opposed to true north? You know, like in our anthem...love these little obscurities our politicians come up with. "New North"; "Golden Decade"; and "Northern Decade"! My word whatever does that mean anyways?! Probably, as usual it means nothing and everything all in one sentence! HA HA

My take, in plain english:

1. Hurry up already Campbell!
2. Cut the BS and red tape
3. Regulate it
4. The airports are having a tantrum
5. Bioenergy has been determined as the solution to the BC Forest Industry IF Feds help
6. We need money
7. Same as 6. but with more urgency
8. Save our forest industry and PS. see 7
9. Hey we're bleeding here! Send help!
10 & 11. Hello, remember us? Act on your promises
12. Stop downloading and hogging the kitty! Give us our fair share!
13 - 16. See 12.


I think that about summarizes it. I wonder if they want cheese with that?

We have heard all this before. Municipal Government crying to the Provincial, and Federal Governments for more money for goofy projects.

Why in hell would you spend $135 Million so that a few ***small*** industries in Prince George could manufacture some pieces of equipment for the Oil fields??? Who the hell do we think we are. Firstly the people from Northern BC, and Alberta, have just as much right to this money, and the right to the business. Maybe these business's should relocate in Dawson Creek, or Fort St John and save us $135 Million.

Its the same thing with :Prince Rupert What makes anyone think that Prince Rupert has anything to do with Prince George??? Its 500 miles away. Vancouver is 500 miles away. We ship a 1000 times more product to the Ports of Vancouver but we are alway yapping about Prince Rupert where we ship next to nothing. Prince Rupert has had no bearing on Prince George for 100 years and never will.

The bloody Aiport Authority is a basket case. Millions of dollars in the hole, and having a major problem making a dollar. People in this town must be smoking some awful strange stuff if they think that anyone is going to come to this remote part of the World and start to set up manufacturing and re-shipment facilities. The Airport does not even have one person on their payroll or their board of directors that knows anything at all about Cargo Airlines, Cargo Freight, Distribution, Competition, etc;

What kind of crap are we talking about when we talk about a corridor from Prince Rupert to Edmonton??? The bloody corridor has been their since the railway came to town in 1918. We have been shipping lumber, ore, pulp and paper, etc; out of this area for over 100 years. What do people think we have been doing for the past 100 years????

Bio Engery is just a fancy name for burning wood.

We can four lane the Highway between Prince George and Cache Creek, however it will not make one iota of difference to Prince George. Go for a drive on this Highway once in a while. The only trucks using it are Grocery Trucks, Diesel Trucks, Logging and Lumber Trucks. Guess what??? They have been using it for years, however there is **NO NEW BUSINESS ON HIGHWAY 97 SOUTH** Some of this money would be better spent on 16 West. Thats where the action is. Highway 16 East is just a long desolate road, with a couple of ski hills, the Robson Valley, a psuedo Ancient Forest, and thats about it. It has had no growth in the last 25 years and none is projected.

Areas of growth in North Western BC will be
a. Highway 37, with the transmission line and mining. Could end up with some new sawmills, and maybe a pulp mill to export pulp ex Cassiar.

b. Kitimat BC If Rio Tinto Alcan goes ahead with building a new aluminum plant. However one should remember if they build the plant 400 people will lose thier jobs. However if they dont build the plant and shut down the present one, and only produce electrictiy then 2500 or more people will lose their jobs.

c. The Port of Prince Rupert could get some growth from exporting ore from some of the mines, and wheat, pellets, coal, some lumber, and pulp, etc;. However they have been doing this on and off for 50 years. The container traffic in Prince Rupert will probably not grow beyond what it is now. Why?

1. The expansion of the Panama Canal will be completed in 2014 after which the huge post panamex container ships will be able to transit the Panama and deliver 6000 containers a ship directly to the East Coast of the USA for distribution to that area and the Midwest. This is the traffic presently coming through the Port of Prince Rupert. 6000 40ft containers is the equivilent of 20 150 rail car trains containing 300 Containers each.

2. The US Ports are working closely with the BN, and UP Railways to improve rail service to the Midwest and Eastern US to be more competitive with the Ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert.

3. There are new container ports being built in Mexico which will be cheaper to operate, and which will service the same areas as mentioned above.

4. Some Commercial think tanks in the USA state that Chinese exports of products to the USA and Canada have likely peaked, and there will be no, or very little growth for a number of years into the future. This puts more pressure on all ports to be more competitive.

5. The Northern Interior has always been the supplier of bulk products to feed the manufacturing of other Countries, and that is where our strengh lies, however doing so is not as labour intensive as it used to be so we are not creating a lot of jobs.

We will have a few more mines open or upgrade in this area, however that is about it. This Country is not going to grow in the next 10 years, and if fact it will shrink.

So tighten up your belt, and get ready for a rough ride.

Avoid loud and aggressive people as they are a vexation to the spirit.

http://www.opinion250.com/blog/view/15282/1/port+of+prince+rupert+sees+decade+high+numbers+for+cargo?id=143&st=20

This link will give some information about what is shipped from the Port of Prince Rupert.

"This Country is not going to grow in the next 10 years, and in fact it will shrink."

Well, I disagree, respectfully. Canada's population and GDP have been growing steadily and so has the population of the world.

Net increase in the world's population is about 70 million per annum.

That means 700 million more souls over the next decade.

They all will need food, water and basic commodities and they will/must get most of their basic resources from where?

Canada. Second largest country in the world, full of rich deposits of just about every mineral and metal one can think of, not to mention oil, gas and renewable resources.

The future looks very promising.

Commoner you forgot "Heartlands" :)

Ah yes, so I did! LOL Thanks acrider54 ;)

Diplomat.

Did you not notice that the 250 article (which is a Port of Prince Rupert press release) clearly states that 2009 was the best year in decade for the Port of Prince Rupert. This should give you a hint that prior to 1997 things were better than they are to-day. There was more coal, wheat, lumber, pulp, going through Rupert then, than there is now.

So even with the huge increase in Container traffic they were not able to beat the 1997 and some prior years import/export numbers.

If you care to look up population projections for BC for the next 10/15 years, you would see that the growth in projected for the North East, Vancouver Island, Greater Vancouver, Kamloops, Okanogan. There is a no growth projection for North Central BC.

Canada has been the second largest Country in the World for 300 years, however our population is still not much more than the State of California.

As previously stated we export all of our natural resources to other Counries who use them in the manufacturing ;process (low wages, etc) and consequently their populations grow much more than ours.

Such is life.