BC's Domestic Exports Flying Out Of Province

Thursday, April 14, 2011 04:04 AM

Prince George, B.C. - Domestic exports from British Columbia were up almost 16-percent in February over the same month last year...

According to Statistics Canada's monthly report on Canadian International Merchandise Trade, exports from our province totalled nearly $2.4-billion dollars in February, up $328-million dollars from February 2010. So far in 2011, domestic exports have been worth $4.8-billion dollars - 18-percent higher than the same two-month period last year.

B.C.'s Ministry of Jobs, Tourism, and Innovation says a 25-percent growth in the export of energy products helped lead the way for the province. The ministry says gains were also recorded in exports of industrial goods, machinery and equipment, forestry products and consumer goods.

"We're building on the momentum from last year," says Minister Pat Bell. "Exports to most of our major trading partners are up, but it's the growth to Asia that is most impressive, fuelled by strong demand for our energy and forestry products."

The minister points to that strong demand as supporting new jobs. In February, four First Nations communities near Williams Lake re-opened the River West Forest Products mill in Hanceville, creating an estimated 30 jobs. All production from this mill is destined for China.

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Posted on Thursday, April 14, 2011 04:04 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: Andyfreeze on April 14 2011 9:15 AM

Hmmmm...another feel-good,(your B.C. Liberals love you)announcement?
It may very well be true...or not...it may even be exaggerated...why do I suspect the motivation behind the announcement?

Posted by: verballabel on April 14 2011 9:26 AM

Probably because the gov is signing deals with the Chinese to mine our land up North and send it all back home.

Posted by: Andyfreeze on April 14 2011 9:50 AM

Good point verballabel...didn't the Liberals sell Vancouver to China?

Posted by: Harbinger on April 14 2011 9:50 AM

Our BoC says our high dollar hurts our economy. When the US dollar is or was high, I never heard a peep from any US bank saying that the higher level of the US dollar was bad for business. As an aside on all this, a couple of years ago when the stock market was in a (duh) slump, Obama said now is the time to buy. Ditto claimed the Donald. As soon as Harper exclaimed the same thing he got crapped on. Must be a mental mindset for overtaxed Canadians that keeps us from competing. Let's go back to a .62 cent dollar and every thing will be swell for our exports.

Posted by: verballabel on April 14 2011 10:10 AM

China has all of North America by the you know whats. They are major debt owners in the US, and will probably call their loans sooner than later and ask for it all in gold (killing the American dollar).

And they have taken much of BC now with forestry and mining. We need to stop sending raw exports and force them to buy the finished product. Meh thats just me though. I know we don't want to make pollution over here, we just get the effects from other continents emissions.

Posted by: gus on April 14 2011 10:15 AM

An interesting headline, given that we have a runway long enough to fly exports out of province via large cargo planes. I do not think too many exports are flying out of province from this part of the world.

BTW can someone indicate to me the difference between a domestic export and an export.

If I make a widget in PG and sell it to someone in Greenland, is that an export or is that a domestic export? :-)

Posted by: gus on April 14 2011 10:18 AM

"creating an estimated 30 jobs."

Since the mill was RE opened, would it not be appropriate to also say the same about the jobs?

The mill was RE-opened.

The jobs were RE-created.

:-)

Posted by: gus on April 14 2011 10:22 AM

Will someone let us know when we are back to where we were when the economy went for a nosedive?

Will we ever get there in the short term, or is this a true re-adjustment we are undergoing as happened in 1981 when things came to a screeching halt in BC and PG?

Posted by: interceptor on April 14 2011 10:27 AM

do·mes·tic (d-mstk)
adj.
1. Of or relating to the family or household: domestic chores.
2. Fond of home life and household affairs.
3. Tame or domesticated. Used of animals.
4. Of or relating to a country's internal affairs: domestic issues such as tax rates and highway construction.
5. Produced in or indigenous to a particular country: domestic oil; domestic wine.

I guess your widget would fall under number 5
lol

Posted by: gus on April 14 2011 10:29 AM

The GDP for BC dropped off after 1981. The 1981 level was not regained for 5 years in 1986.

How has the GDP been doing after the current economic slowdown?

Posted by: gus on April 14 2011 10:33 AM

Yes, undertood. But how does a domestic export differ from an export?

In fact, under the difinition of domestic export, if I import plastic bags from China, print a Mickey Mouse logo on it and export it to California, that is considered to be a domestic export.

Posted by: He spoke on April 14 2011 11:45 AM

I won't be diss-ing China. Its not China's fault that we can live with in our means. Its not China fault that we want to throw ourselves into hawk, to live in a false economy.

If you don't want to sell to China, than someone else will. If you don't want to sell to China, we won't buy from China. Than see how much a patio set is going to be worth.(unemployed). We did this to ourselves by always asking for more than we deserve from the politicians.

Speaking of politics. If the Liberals win the Federal Election.... is the west going to be abandoned again like when Trudeau and Cretien ruled the roost. I think Harper has been taking pretty good care of the west.

Posted by: gus on April 14 2011 1:36 PM

"I think Harper has been taking pretty good care of the west."

So tell me, where did the $100 million/year for 10 years go to fight the results of the MPB?

Can we get an accounting of that, please!!

Some reminders.

http://www.nationtalk.ca/modules/news/article.php?storyid=6321

From the above link:

"The Conservative platform commitment of $1 billion dollars to address the mountain pine beetle infestation in British Columbia was shrunk to $200 million. It’s an embarrassment."

He spoke ... unless you show me a better understanding of how much money was provided, where it went, and how effective it was, I think you are out to lunch of how good Harper was to the "west".

Remember, the "west", in my opinion, is not a unified group of provinces at all. Each province is its own solitude. Harper has no interest in BC. Harper's only interest is in himself.

I think there is a lot to be said for having a BLOC BC here with a fellow as articulate as Duceppe running it. BC would not have lost implementation of the promises of the federal government.

Posted by: gus on April 14 2011 1:42 PM

BTW, I have no interest in Alberta. I know that it is not very neighbourly, however, they have plenty of resources to keep them in good stead for many decades to come. Alberta can take care of themselves, partly on the backs of people in the rest of Canada.

Want to send more oil through BC? Show us the money! Let's learn from the Aboriginals who have learned from us. Somewhere along the way some of us seem to have forgotten that we have to take care of ourselves. No one else gives a chit.