I was reading the online listing of the B.C. government ministries and I have a couple of questions:
• What are the signal differences between ambits of these two ministries: Environment and Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations?
After reading some of the introductory info from these two, I feel responsibilities have been so parsed as to prevent any coordination between them. In fact, I’m thinking a zero-sum relationship must prevail, ie. what is ‘good’ for one must be ‘bad’ for the other.
If I’m even sort of correct in this, what does this mean for the forest? If we imagine the fate of just one tree, the ‘savers’ must win every time the tree is challenged and the ‘cutters’ must win only once.
• What is the reason the Ministry of Natural Gas Development is also responsible for Housing!?
The first question is a reasonable one. Of the possible answers to the second question, I can imagine a few that are outlandishly grim. But these are almost surely not correct.
Anyone out there know the real reason? I speculate that natural gas is pretty well developed whenever it is found. Do the terms really mean developing the natural gas industry? A government writer should consult Plain Words by Earnest Gowers. Or better, perhaps the writer should consult his conscience.
Larry WilliamsParksville
