Falcon Says HST Good, As Was Sale of BC Rail
By 250 News
Monday, December 06, 2010 10:38 AM
Prince George, B.C. - Liberal Leadership hopeful Kevin Falcon says the HST is good for northern B.C..
Speaking on the Meisner program on CFISFM this morning, Falcon says in terms of forestry, the HST pulls $140 million dollars out of forestry costs. He says he is in favour of lowering the HST by 1%, and a further 1% when it is financially viable to do so. However, he does support the idea of pushing up the referendum “My goal is right now, to make sure we don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Living in the lower mainland, going back to the PST is not going to make much of a difference, but it will have an impact in the north.”
Falcon also says it is time to get on with the building of the Wood Innovation and Design Centre. “It is something we need to get on with. I believe there is an opportunity to twin an engineering education program that could tie into the wood innovation centre, perhaps to use some of the space to help make the project viable and have sufficient revenues generated. “
As for where that centre should be built, he is not shying away from where it should be located. “If my memory serves me correct, Minister Bond’s ministry is the one that is going to be overseeing the decision as to which location that centre should go.”
Falcon is aware his long time friend Dan McLaren is part of a group that has amassed property that could be used for this centre “Certainly I’ve known Dan for almost 30 years, and he’s been a friend and supporter of mine for 30 years. I don’t walk away from that at all. I’m not the kind of person that does, just because someone has been a friend of mine for 30 years . I can tell you, the decision as to where the wood innovation and design centre goes, will be made through a process of looking at alternative locations and making recommendations on where the best deal makes sense for the wood innovation centre and hopefully for the City of Prince George.”
Falcon adds, “Just because someone has been a friend and supporter of mine, does not disqualify him for being able to go after whatever opportunities may be out there. If that is going to be the price of friendship I can tell you, we won’t have too many friends in public life for too long. All that Dan McLaren needs, and anyone else needs, is to know that there’s going to be a fair open process in which they have an opportunity, if they’re in that business, to have access to a project location.”
Falcon says while he would like to see the centre built in the downtown core the time has come to “get on with it. Wherever it’s built is fine with me.”
Falcon says he attended at least one meeting in Victoria with Dan McLaren “I know Dan McLaren came to Victoria, I know he was meeting with a number of ministers promoting the project ( a new Downtown) I know I sat in on one meeting briefly, I don’t recall, I don’t believe the subject of tax breaks came up, to be honest with you, I don’t totally remember.”
When it comes to BC Rail, Falcon said it was not easy for his government to change it’s position on that railway and agree to sell it ( long term lease) but he believes selling/leasing BCRail was the right thing to do. He says CN has the reach in the terms of relationships and contacts that will make the Asia Pacific gateway a viable economic driver.
“Government is not particularly adept at running businesses, we tend to get our clocks cleaned by the private sector who spend every waking moment on how to run things more efficiently.”
Does that mean the government should be out of the business of running B.C. Hydro? Falcon says no, “B.C. Hydro is an important asset there’s no question about it, and I think we’ve made a decision that we think it is the public interest that we maintain B.C. Hydro as a publicly owned utility. Yes, there will be some trade offs, there’s probably not going to be the height of efficiency, but we try to bring in some good people put a very solid board of directors in place and I think they have done a pretty credible job of operating B.C. Hydro in the public’s interest to the public benefit, and I think that’s a good thing.”
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Posted by: redneck on December 6 2010 11:02 AM