BC Communities receive Grants in place of Property Taxes

Today, the Government of BC reports the list of communities that will receive "grants-in-lieu".

See the full press release here

Here, in the Cariboo-Chilcotin, the following communities received grants:

Wells - $1,434.08
Quesnel - $52,991.48
Williams Lake - $49,721.32
100 Mile House - $23,065.09

Total Received - $127,211.97 out of $16,927,132.32

Top 3 Communities for Grants received:

1) Victoria - $3,056,317.78
2) Vancouver - $2,883,676.05
3) Prince George - $2,123,940.49

BCLTV - Sept 16th edition

BC Liberal TV "Rewind - Sept 16th edition

Topics:

1) New Research Centre opens at Vancouver General Hospital

2) Community Living invests additional $8.9 million

3) George Abbott tours new Burnaby secondary school

4) Mary Polak hosts "Twitter Town Hall"

UBCM Resolution to eliminate MSP Fees causes kerfuffle

On August 23rd - Williams Lake City Council received a letter from Audrey MacLise, Chair of the WL and Area Seniors Advisory Council regarding a UBCM Resolution on the elimination of MSP premiums for all seniors - see the report from WL Mayor Kerry Cook, from the Sept 13th WL Council meeting, on this item here.  As well, read the letter from Audrey MacLise to the Cariboo Regional District Board here, a letter from Peter Coates of the provincial Old Age Pensioners' Organization or OAPO here and a letter from the Municipal Pension Retirees Association here - all on the topic of eliminating MSP Premiums for seniors'

Unfortunately (see video above to judge for yourself) - WL Council was unable to agree on a common position regarding the UBCM Resolution on eliminating MSP Premiums for seniors', at their Tuesday night meeting.  Mayor Cook and Councillors Laurie Walters and Surinderpal Rathor agreed to back the UBCM Resolution and the recommendation of Mayor Cook.  Councillors Tom Barr, Geoff Bourdon and Sue Zacharias were not prepared to support either the UBCM Resolution and the recommendation of Mayor Cook.  See the story from The Rush here

Yesterday - WL Mayoralty Candidate Walt Cobb accused current WL Mayor Kerry Cook of "playing politics" on the issue of not charging MSP Premiums to seniors, of which Mr. Cobb personally supports the UBCM Resolution.  In addition, Audrey MacLise weighed in on the issue, expressing disappointment that the City of Williams Lake can not move forward as a "aged-friendly community".  See the Rush story here.  I wonder if Mayor Kerry Cook will respond to the accusation of Mr. Cobb.  Also - will current WL Mayoralty candidate Scott Nelson weigh in on this issue...?

According to the 2011 UBCM Resolution Book - the following communities are bringing forward Resolutions on this subject:

a) City of North Vancouver
b) District of 100 Mile House
c) City of Vancouver
d) City of Kimberly

From City of North Vancouver:


WHEREAS the Premier of British Columbia has announced a policy of putting families first and
seniors are crucial members of our families;
AND WHEREAS seniors in BC are the only ones in Canada who pay provincial medical insurance
premiums:
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM call upon the Province of British Columbia to eliminate
medical insurance premiums for seniors in BC and to bear any associated costs.


From the City of Vancouver:


WHEREAS


• British Columbia is the only province in Canada where seniors must pay Medical Services
Plan (MSP) premiums;
• Many seniors in British Columbia are struggling to pay their bills for daily needs; and
• Many retirees of the Municipal Pension Plan are former employees of local and regional
governments:


THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM call on the Province of British Columbia to eliminate
the MSP premiums for medical insurance in the province of British Columbia to conform with the
situation for seniors in all other provinces;


AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UBCM call on the Province of British Columbia that, upon
the elimination of MSP premiums, they contribute the present percentage of employers’ contributions
previously used for MSP premiums to assist in the payment of group health benefits


From the City of Kimberly:


WHEREAS all seniors living in British Columbia must pay Medical Service Plan (MSP) premiums
and with the elimination of MSP premiums, BC seniors would have more money for healthy living;


AND WHEREAS many retirees of the Municipal Pension Plan are former employees of local and
regional governments:


THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM support the elimination of MSP premiums for medical
insurance in the Province of BC for all seniors;


AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UBCM support the retirees of the Municipal Pension Plan by agreeing to the elimination of MSP premiums for all British Columbia seniors (65 years and older).


From the District of 100 Mile House:


WHEREAS all BC seniors must pay Medical Services Plan (MSP) premiums, and if MSP premiums
were eliminated BC seniors would have more money for healthy living:


THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request the Province of BC to eliminate Medical Services Plan (MSP) premiums for all BC seniors.


For the Record:


I support the elimination of MSP Premiums for seniors', provided it is a income-based test (for example - those who makes $60,000 or less, in a year, should not have to pay MSP Premiums).  I don't think high income seniors' should receive equal benefits as low income seniors', when it comes to the elimination of MSP Premiums

Vancouver City Council: Quit using replacement workers, Rocky Mountaineer!

Kamloops Daily News reports that 9 out of the 11 Vancouver City Council members signed a letter calling on Rocky Mountaineer Vacations not to use "replacement workers" to man the trains used by Rocky Mountaineer

See here

The letter was signed by Vancouver City Councillors Geoff Meggs, David Cadman, George Chow, Andrea Reimer, Heather Deal, Tim Stevenson, Kerry Jang, Ellen Woodsworth and Raymond Louie. 

However the letter was not signed by Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and NPA Mayoralty Candidate/Vancouver City Councillor Sue Anton

See the letter here with the BC Federation of Labour announcement here

SBF

Provincial News Wrap - July 26th edition

In Williams Lake:

* Miss Canada International Anna Dell meets with the public, after her win - see here
* Local Provincial NDP Riding Assoc holds nomination meeting on Wednesday, July 27th at the Longhouse - meeting open to the public at 6:30pm - see here.  The meeting is to confirm Charlie Wyse as the NDP Candidate for Cariboo-Chilcotin in the next provincial election, whenever it comes
* Man assaulted in Boitanio Park on July 18th and RCMP asks for police help - see here
* Local 7-11 robbed on this past Saturday - see here
* Federal Environmental Assessment Office faces budget/staff cuts - see here
* Think-tank in Smithers, BC looks like Provncial/Federal Environmental Review Processes, as they relate to the failed Prosperity Mine bid - see here
* Total expenses for local MLA's in 2010-2011 Fiscal Year released - see here
* Columnist Diana French looks like crime issues - both at a local and international level - see here
* MLA Donna Barnett reviews her time at the "Alexis Creek Daze" - see here
* Lots of letters to the editor: one from myself on fluoride education (see here), one from Micheal Jones on crime and WL Mayor Kerry Cook (see here), and one from a previous Donna Barnett supporter on the HST and dishonesty (see here)

In Kamloops:

* Newly adopted Metro Vancouver Solid Waste Management Plan will be a body-blow to the Village of Cache Creek - see here
* Fight HST Lead Organizer for the current HST Referendum Chris Delainey expresses his confidence that the voters' of BC will vote to kill the HST by August 5th (last date to vote in the HST Referendum) - see here

In Vancouver:

* Global TV Victoria bureau chief Keith Baldrey looks at the 2 cent gas tax hike and the impact on both municipal and provincial politics - see here
* Province political columnist Mike Smyth looks at yesterday's announcement by Federal NDP Leader Jack Layton to take time off to fight a new cancer - see here

Also - the Winnipeg Free Press is citing a APTN (Aboriginal Peoples Television Network) Report that Ottawa is set to table a "take it or leave it" offer with Canada's First Nations, with regard to land claims.  See here.  If this report turns out to be true - then it may signal the beginning of a fight between Canada's First Nations and Ottawa and we, as a country, province and region, need to signal compromise, rather than "drawing the line in the sand" if we have any hope of prospering as, again, a country, province and region

Update - Globe and Mail reports on this story here