It sure would be nice if B.C. had recall legislation for its municipal politicians.

This links more directly to the video in question:
http://www.youtube.com/cityofpg#p/u/2/TIx82N7hpbA

A lot of things would be nice.

It sure would be nice if Charles could think of something more enlightening to write.

BTW, Charles, if that is your wish, then start doing something about it. Get active in what you believe in. Become a champion of your passion to recall everyone.

Just wondering, can you recall members of the opposition? Can't see why not.

We could end up with constant elections!

A very well done video! Cudos to those who put it together! Some more wildlife and river/lakes scenery would have been o.k. too, but it is definitely going to have a very positive impact just the way it is!

It was a good video.

Can you recall a comment once you have hit the Post Comment button?

Nice work, makes PG look better than the reality.

The video was alright... kind of whats expected of any promotional video.

What I question is the need to be a suppliant to get a twinning city designation. I honestly don't see the need for it, nor any benefit from it. To invent a connection for the purpose of political grandstanding.

We will never see a benefit from it. Same as Kinsleys' visits to Japan and China. It's better known as political globe trotting on the taxpayers purse. They said oh no! The federal government is paying. Well, guess what? That is the taxpayers purse too, so we are paying for it. All levels of government are paid for by you and me. Feel free to complain when you see this foolish spending.

Does this marketing approach really work for community investment?

Places tend to get a reputation on their own without having to go out and beat a drum to promote it. Usually the drum beating happens after the reputation has already been earned, to maintain the image.

If PG really had something to offer to China, don't you think China already would have invested? All they want from us are raw materials and ideas for things they can make and sell to us with said raw materials. There is nothing we can make which China can't for a fraction of the cost. They work harder than we do, for less money, and are almost completely unregulated.

If you look in the Northwest, Chinese companies are doing business with local native bands to process raw logs for export. Now that the door is open, the writing is on the wall.

If PG wants to attract investment, here's an idea, change the way you tax people!

Somebody might be willing to start a factory in city limits if it's not going to cost a million bucks a year in taxes.

It must be nice to be on one of these committees to take your family on paid junkets to "market" your home town in exotic far away lands where the food and drink is cheap and plentiful, the women are gorgeous and willing, and results aren't expected.

The problem with this trip is that there are multiple objectives some of which may appear to a host to clash.

Some of those going are using the provincial/federal funds for the twinning purpose. That has some different objectives than the others.
• to strengthen bonds of friendship between cities in different countries;
• to encourage the study of culture, art, literature and language of twinned cities for better understanding between citizens;
• to invite people of the twinned cities to undertake visits, and specifically encourage families or associations in the cities to accept the families from other cities as guests in order to observe the life style of citizens closely and to identify common problems and solutions;
• to promote exchange visits of persons in the field of health, education and social services between the cities, exchange material and information regarding different aspects of civic administration and also in the field of culture, and literature;
• to encourage establishment of links between non-governmental organizations, youth bodies and trade associations in the twinned cities;
• to promote international understanding, goodwill and enrichment of culture;
• to make available expertise in the matter of provision of services and shelter, land use, transportation and other urban development matters;
• to promote exchanges in the area of trade and investment, also in the areas of technological growth and excellence

Notice that none of them deal with direct commercial business purposes such as IPG, the airport authority, UNBC, etc.

However, with the key objectives of a city twinning in place, the other comes much more easily.

I am hoping that the two purposes are kept totally separate. I am not sure of the Chinese culture, but I would be ticked if I were thinking I was meeting for the objectives of city twinning and have a deal with a bunch of used car salesmen hanging around.

BTWincit, I feel the video does not make a distinction. In fact, look at those objectives, if you agree with them, then look at how many are clearly addressed in the video. Very few, in my mind.

Yes, nice video compilation of scenes which were shot for previous videos but does not really address the type of objectives generally used to encourage city twinning.

No Gus, its about multinationals getting access to our public services and the trip is paid for as nothing more than bribe money to local municipalities to get them on board with the Harper NWO vision of 'enlightened sovereignty' in his give away of our democracy and sovereignty over things like municipal public services. A deregulation of essential public services to large European conglomerates.

Harper and Campbell are all about privatizing everything they possibly can to their multinational friends for guaranteed profits. Campbell's agenda is to privatize BC Hydro (via the run of the river type economic drain on Hydro), so as to privatize it for access to the rights to BC water... Campbell also has our forest tenures on the auction block as well... Harper however he is aiming closer to home and wants your municipal services like water and sewer privatized for profits... so they wine and dine our local officials and make them feel important and part of the club.

Facts are that Harper is leading the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) negotiations... and his carrot to get Canadian corporations more access to European markets is the privatization of our municipal services. The Europeans see a potential for $200 billion a year in potential profits from municipal services in Canada alone.

It is no coincidence at all that local city officials want to have meters on our water services by years end... they simply want to partake in the biggest privatization push in Canadian history when the CETA comes into effect in December, and European corporations will have access to privatize Canadian municipal services including everything from water delivery, to sewer, to our sourcing of virtually every service a city is responsible for... making it almost illegal to deny the foreign corporations access to our local markets even if a none profit public entity can provide the service for less.

The city bureaucracy on their part are doing everything they can to enmesh the city in as much frivolous debt as they can possibly arrange prior to debt costs rising... so as to bankrupt the municipalities into these privatization projects and then jump ship for higher pay to the extortion they will submit us to at the hands of greedy foreigners holding the control of our once public essential infrastructure.

CETA is NAFTA on steroids and the European Union a soviet like Frankenstein of unelected officials working for large multinationals is demanding even more rights than the American have under NAFTA, and in particular rights to our water resources and our provincial and municipal services to say nothing of our health and food safety regulations (to their benefit).

Harper was clear after the G20 meetings that Canadians will have to learn to accept the new 'enlightened sovereignty', which translates into a loss of democratic decision making in Canada... and paid junkets like this one to China are all about buying compliance with key public officials at the local level.

Greed always trumps good public policy for those that seek power for the 'trip' of it.

Harpers multinational 'enlightened sovereignty' and what it means for you and the city you live in. There is nothing conservative about it... only monopoly capitalism gaining a grip on your democracy and your economic future.

http://www.canadians.org/trade/issues/EU/index.html

http://cupe.ca/privatization-watch-october-09/september-2009-canada-eu-comprehensive

EU trade deal threatens public water in Canada

http://www.windsorstar.com/business/trade+deal+threatens+public+water+Canada/3443582/story.html

This one here talks about how the CETA deal will see our Hydro privatized as well as our water as part of the trade deal. From the provincial perspective. Clearly it is aimed squarely at selling out BC and our privatization premier is giddy about the prospects.
http://www.canadians.org/media/council/2010/20-Aug-10.html

And a place where Canadians can sign up to try and tell the Harper "Enlightened Sovereignists' that we are still a democracy and we wish it to stay that way for our children and all future generations... a declaration of the limits Canadians want on any trade deals like CETA as proposed by Harper.
http://www.canadians.org/trade/issues/EU/declaration.html

"No Gus, its about multinationals getting access ..... "

Excuse me eagleone, I provided my opinion and that about the sister and twinning programs about what it SHOULD be about, not what is has morphed itself into, especially by the locals.

As far as getting access. You don't want to to play in the international marketplace? Fine, shut yourself up in the basement and hide under a blanket. We can close out borders anytime, but the facts of life are that there are likely even more serious consequences.

As far as I am concerned we have to learn how to play together in the same sandbox so that we all get something from the playtime.

Has the word "diplomacy" gone out the window in the same manner as the word "ethics"?

Are we that cutthroat and culturally and socially devoid of interest that the notion of exchanges with communities outside of ours is of no interest to us?

Sad to see as far as I am concerned.

How about just fed up, like with afghanistan for one. I am definitey void of interest on that one and diplomacy is worn out. Let those people run their own country and get out of there. They have been at war (same as Israel) ever since the beginning of time and we will make no difference to that fact. It's none of our business. Do you want the muslims over here to set us up with Sharia Law?? No. You don't want foreigners coming here and telling you what to do? No. Thus we should evacuate the premises.

No Gus, I think if we are to play in the international arena then it should be with fair trade that respects our democratic sovereignty. If multinationals want to run rough over our democracy by replacing it with trade agreements that allow them to sue when they don't get their way, and evade accountability for tactics and crimes that undermine our democratic standards and domestic laws, then yes we do not need that kind of trade to 'enhance' our country.

Look at the drilling in the Arctic for example... soon we will be sued if we try to stop the drilling (or water exports), and if we allow it to go ahead and they cause a disaster, you can be assured that the multinationals will simply walk away from the disaster and leave us to hold the bag.

Its about standing up for your rights and not about a take it or leave it approach to international trade.

I see nothing wrong with cultural exchanges and that is not what I was arguing against. Its about corpocracy and their ascendancy over our right to democratic sovereignty and the standards that we expect of our own domestic players being undercut through these corpocracy trade agreements.