Wood Innovation Centre Promised in Throne Speech...Again
By 250 News
Tuesday, February 09, 2010 02:52 PM
Prince George, B.C.- Lieutenant Governor Stephen Point has delivered the Speech from the Throne, and while it paid plenty of attention to the importance of the Olympics, there was little in the way of detail on what will lie ahead for the Province beyond the 2010 Games.
“We gather together today at an exciting time in our history. In just three days we will host the 21st winter Olympiad, then in March we host the paralympic games.”
The speech started by praising the opportunities to showcase B.C. to the estimated 3 billion people who will watch the games, and thanks to all who have contributed to make the games happen. Stephen Point said all across the country, in very community, the nation is united by three words “‘Go Canada Go.’”
Saying the new budget will set the foundation for the future, the Speech from the Throne offered promises to build the much promised wood innovation centre in Prince George, press for an open skies agreement that will assist airports like the Prince George Airport, and work with the federal government to develop a single stream lined environmental approval process. “We cannot afford to hold investment in jobs hostage by Byzantine bureaucracies.”
Here are some of the other highlights:
New Partnerships In Progress:
* British Columbia will join with Washington State in officially naming the area covered by the Georgia Basin-Puget Sound ecosystem the Salish Sea. The Salish Sea will not change existing names but will serve to designate the body of inland salt waters stretching from Campbell Riverand Desolation Sound to the southern reaches of Puget Sound.
* The Aboriginal name of the Queen Charlotte Islands - Haida Gwaii -will be restored and once again used in all government documentation.
* A new partnership with Montana will sustain the environmental values in the Flathead River Basin in a manner consistent with current forestry, recreation, guide outfitting and trapping uses. It will identify permissible land uses and establish new collaborative
approaches to trans-boundary issues. Mining, oil and gas development and coalbed gas extraction will not be permitted in British Columbia's Flathead Valley.
* Working with the federal government and other provinces and territories, British Columbia will pursue amendments to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act to create a unified federal-provincial review process that does away with redundancy and unnecessary costs,while encouraging investment and building jobs. This includes efforts to conclude equivalency agreements with Ottawa to ensure environmental reviews are cost effective, timely and thorough, as well as developing a "One Project, One Process" approach which will create a single framework that is timely, diligent and science-based.
* A new Investment Process Review will be launched to simplify and expedite approval processes across government. Local governments will be included in this endeavour as government looks at all impediments toreasonable investment, including zoning, licensing and permittingrequirements.
* A joint committee on municipal property tax reform will identify specific steps to make property taxes more conducive to investment and fair as B.C. works to move to secure existing jobs and encourage new ones while assuring municipal services are fairly provided for all.
* Government will take a fresh look at B.C.'s regulatory regimes, including the BC Utilities Commission, the BC Ferry Commission, the TransLink Commission and others.
* The Province will build on its Olympic advantage, including through dozens of events over the next two weeks to engage more than 9,000 top-level business leaders, potential investors and dignitaries from around the world.
Opening Up Canada's Pacific Gateway:
* A new Wood Innovation and Design Centre in Prince George will amplify B.C.'s expertise and global reputation as a leader in wood construction, engineered wood products and design.
* New budget measures will make the International Financial Centre more attractive to international investment and head offices.
* Government will establish a National Centre on Contemporary Asia in partnership with the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and the Government of Canada.
* BC Rail will be brought into government and wound down as a Crown corporation.
* New accountability and transparency will be brought to BC Ferries as it continues improving services with new ferries, terminals and amenities.
* The government will encourage the new high-speed rail link between Vancouver and Seattle.
* The new film tax credit program will make B.C. more attractive as a world presence in digital media and film.
Improving the Economy and the Environment with Clean Energy:
* As clean energy is a cornerstone of our Climate Action Plan, government will build on the contributions of the Green Energy Advisory Task Force and launch a comprehensive strategy to put B.C. at theforefront of clean energy development.
* Government will optimize existing generation facilities and report on the Site C review this spring.
* A new Clean Energy Act will encourage new investments in independent power production while strengthening BC Hydro. It will provide for fair, predictable, clean power calls and feature simplified procurement protocols and new measures to encourage investment and the jobs that flow with it.
* Government will seek major transmission upgrades with utilities inCalifornia and elsewhere.
* New transmission infrastructure will link Northeastern B.C. to the integrated grid, provide clean power to communities in the Peace River and Northern Rockies regions and to the energy industry. This will open new capacity for clean power exports to Alberta, Saskatchewan and south of the border.
* A new receiving license will give bioenergy producers new certainty of fiber supply, while a new stand-as-a-whole pricing system will encourage utilization of logging residues and low-grade material that was previously burned or left on the forest floor.
* New investment partnerships in infrastructure that encourage and enable clean modes of transportation, such as electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles and vehicles powered by compressed natural gas and liquid natural gas, will be pursued.
* New conservation measures, smart meters and in-home displays will help maximize energy savings for people. New smart-grid investments and net metering will provide more choices and opportunities to reduce everyone's energy costs, reduce energy waste and encourage more productive electricity use.
* New transmission investments will open up the Highway 37 corridor to new mines and clean power.
Adding Supports For B.C. Families With Children:
* A new Family with Children Property Tax Deferral Option will be provided to all B.C. families with children under the age of 18. Those families will be given the right to defer their property taxes
under a new property tax deferral program similar to the one already available to seniors and those facing financial hardship.
* Government will work with municipalities to dramatically reduce housing costs for young families and to provide increased opportunity for homes they can afford in existing neighbourhoods.
* A new $180-million integrated case management information technology system will deliver better front-line services and supports to women,children, income assistance recipients and those most vulnerable.
* A new Extended Family Program will modernize and improve upon the Child in the Home of a Relative program, to provide increased assistance, broader supports and new safeguards for children.
* Legislation will be introduced enabling universities to remove themselves from the government reporting entity.
* A new Master Teacher program will be developed.
* New partnerships with the private sector and parents will enable the establishment of neighbourhood preschools for four-year-olds and three-year-olds within communities over the next five years.
They will provide families new voluntary options for public and private preschool across B.C. close to where they live.
* New emphasis will be placed on parental involvement and in tailoring the education system to each child's individual needs and passions.
* New forms of schooling will be developed to provide greater choice and diversity, centered on students' special interests and talents.
* Voluntary, full-time kindergarten for five-year-olds will be implemented this September. It will be fully funded and in every school by September 2011.
* Smarter approaches will allow more resources to be focused on students' learning needs while less is spent on administrative costs.
* In concert with local governments, Neighbourhood Learning Centres will integrate neighbourhood needs with available capital resources and under-utilized spaces. Seven-day-a-week facilities management is
fundamental to providing critical community services that meet theneeds of B.C.'s families affordably.
* Innovation in health-support services, new hospitals and public-private partnerships will be introduced to give patients new choices, to reward performance in health delivery and to protect public health
care for future generations.
* The government will increase access to residencies for Canadians who have received their medical undergraduate training outside Canada.
* Significant changes will be introduced to improve timely access to justice, combat crime, reduce impaired and dangerous driving and improve public safety.
The Provincial Budget will be delivered on March 2nd.
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Posted by: bowzone_mikey on February 9 2010 5:39 PM
No mention of their regressive HST.
No mention it seems as to the cost of the infamous **Olympics**
No mention of the huge deficit we are facing.
No mention of downsizing the Government, and reducing costs.
Just the usual **Gobblygook** that is hard to understand, and harder to track.
Last but not least no mention of accountable and fiscally responsible Government.
Once the dust settle from the Olympics, then we can begin to see where the hell we are, and where we are headed.