Oops. Before cancelling Nexen’s water license in the Fort Nelson area last week, the Environmental Appeal Board studied the situation for 20 months, not three weeks as I mis-reported.
***
This last weekend was busy busy for both participants and volunteers in the Williams Lake area as there were so many events happening. Rave reviews on them all. The only complaint I heard was that there was no way anyone could attend all the events.
***
There were some news stories this week that made me wonder. Like the headline on the migrant crisis: “Arms That Welcome, Arms That Kill. Many migrants are running toward the very countries that sold the weapons that are fueling warfare they are fleeing.” (Amy Goodman and Denis Moynihan, Democracy Now!) Question: is our government’s idea to keep bombing north Syria and Iraq really the best way to help the immigrants? Or promote peace?
Point to ponder.
1.) On the local scene, why oh why do funding applications for the Mountview water and sewer project keep getting rejected? Why isn’t this a top priority?
2.) BC Hydro says halting Site C would cost taxpayers $500 million. Critics say not building it at all will save us over $8 billion dollars. Which is it?
3.) Our dollar has fallen. The oil industry is tanking. Why doesn’t the price of gasoline go down accordingly?
4.) Is Stephen Harper’s the new political advisor, Australian Lynton Crosby, a Temporary Foreign Worker?
***
The big news Monday was that the Harper government has a $1.9 billion surplus. A surplus in the private sector means more money in shareholder’s pockets, and that is a good thing for them, but who benefits from a government surplus? A government surplus is achieved either by cutting back on services and programs for citizens (that list of those recent cuts is a long one) or by one-off selling government assets (e.g. Ford Motor shares). And what will the government do with that surplus, restore the cut services? Lower taxes? Reduce the national debt?
Diana French is a freelance columnist for the Tribune. She is a former Tribune editor, retired teacher, historian, and book author.
