Monday, October 31, 2011

Open File 1990-32 URANIUM AND THORIUM OCCURRENCES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

Hey Nelson I:   https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.em.gov.bc.ca%2FMining%2FGeoscience%2FPublicationsCatalogue%2FOpenFiles%2F1990%2FDocuments%2FOF1990-32.pdf
********************
Hey Nelson II:  http://www.em.gov.bc.ca/Mining/Geoscience/PublicationsCatalogue/OpenFiles/1990/Documents/OF1990-32.pdf

British Columbia Government Publications ... - Legislative Library


Dispersion and Behaviour of Gold in Stream Sediments  By W.K. Fletcher


Here's a document that all the Miners are aware of, or should be, but the public isn't, so far.  If you have some spare time, and if you're wondering if some open pit mine sites are after something other than what they have told their shareholders..... and the public, all you have to do is go to the end of this document where every Longitude Latitude for the Occurrences of Uranium and Thorium is listed in Beautiful British Columbia, or was once upon a time called   The Best Place on Earth until Christy Clark took charge, ...... and compare that data to where existing open pit mines are operating.... Not that there is any illegal going on, far from it.   Just another piece of trivia.



Google Search Criteria    uranium daughter products rock material stored at lassie lake Blizzard

Then click on       Show more results from gov.bc.ca

Then click on    

URANIUM AND THORIUM OCCURRENCES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA



And you will get this, if you're interested.   I was.......

Ministry of Energy, Mines and
Petroleum Resources
Hon. Jack Davis, Minister

URANIUM AND THORIUM
OCCURRENCES IN BRITISH
COLUMBIA
By Larry D. Jones
A contribution to the Canada British Columbia Mineral
Development Agreement, 1985-1990



Page 3 of the PDF called OF1990-32 
SUMMARY
The geological diversity of British Columbia provides a wide variety of settings for the occurrence of uranium and thorium. The Victoria deposit, a gold-silver-cobaltmolybdenum occurrence south of Hazelton, contains uraninite erratically distributed in narrow veins in granodiorite. The Little Gem deposit, located near Gold Bridge, contains uranium, gold and cobalt in veins within granodiorite. The Verity prospect, near Lampriere, contains uranium-bearing pyrodore in carbonatite. Uranium and thorium occur in amphibolite at the Husselbee showing, located on the west side of Atlin Lake. To the east, north of Surprise Lake, metazeunerite occurs in shears within quartz monzonite at the Purple Rose showing. The Rexspar uranium deposit is in volcanic rocks north of Kamloops. The Vowell and Malloy creek placers of the Bugaboo area contain uranium and thorium minerals in stream gravels produced from erosion of quartz monzonite rocks.
The Blizzard, Cup Lake, Hydraulic Lake, Haynes Lake, Fuki and other stratabound, basal uranium occurrences lie in fossil stream-channel sandstones and conglomerates in the Okanagan Highland and are between 1 and 4 million years of age. Even younger deposits, which are still forming today, include the many surficial uranium-enriched post-glacial organic-rich basins located along the west side of Okanagan Lake. They include the Prairie Flats, Covert Basin, Sinking Pond and North Wow Flat occurrences. 
                                                                                                                                                  Of the 182 known uranium and thorium occurrences in British Columbia, only a few have the grade and tonnage to have economic potential. These include the Rexspar deposit, some of the stratabound, basal deposits and possibly the placer and surficial deposits. Total in situ uranium in British Columbia is estimated at over 7400 tomes of uranium. However, due to the availability of high-grade large-tonnage deposits elsewhere in the World and Canada, such as those in northern Saskatchewan, uranium production from deposits in British Columbia may not be economically feasible in the foreseeable future.


New Info From CTV says that there are 196 occurrences as of 2011.   Which leaves one asking, I suppose, if there's been a Moratorium on Uranium and Thorium in our Province since 1980 why are miners looking for the damn stuff, still.


Page 4.... the Map of .....Uranium and Thorium

HISTORY (pages 13 and 15 of the PDF file)

The earliest interest in radioactivity in British Columbia was in 1914, when the federal government offered cash bonusesfor discoveries of commercial quantities of radioactive minerals to locate radium. The rewards were unclaimed and the offer was withdrawn in 1938. In 1932, an electroscopic survey, which measures
radioactivity, was carried out on the Radium property (MINFILE 092K052) on Quadra Island. Carnotite was identified in seams in volcanic rocks and assayed up to 245 per cent uranium. Little exploration for radioactive minerals was carried out until the late 1940s. The Rexspar deposit (082M021) at Birch Island, first explored for fluorite in 1920, was investigated for uranium mineralization in 1949. By 1977,1.114 million tonnes of reserves were indicated at a grade of 0.068 per cent uranium, with an appreciable content of rare-earth elements.
During the late 1940s to mid 1950s, many properties, previously considered as precious and base metal prospects, were explored for radioactive minerals. The Victoria (093M072), a gold-silver-cobalt-molybdenum property south of Hazelton, contains uraninite erratically distributed in narrow veins in granodiorite of the Rocher D6boulC stock. The Little Gem property (0921NE068) contains uranium, gold and cobalt in veins within granodiorite. The Verity property (083D005) near Lampriere contains uranium-bearing pyrochlore in carbonatite. Radioactive minerals occur in amphibolite on the Husselbee property (104N001), located on the west side of Atlin Lake. To the east, north of Surprise Lake, metazeunerite occurs in shears in granite rocks on the Purple Rose property (104N005). In 1955, radioactive secondary hydrous aluminum phosphate minerals were found in rhyolite dikes cutting quartz monzonite on the Nithi Mountain property (093F012), south of Fraser Lake. The Vowell and Malloy Creek properties (082KNE007,8), near Spillamacheen, contain Recent placer uraninite and pyrochlore, which were tested in 1954. In 1956,11312 kilograms of concentrates were produced, having an average grade of 25 per cent niobium, 0.76 per cent uranium and 13 per cent thorium oxide.
In the late 1960s, uranium minerals were found in pegmatite within gneiss on the Mota property (082FSW212), located near China Creek. In 1%8, Japanese geologists, while conducting a car-borne scintillometer survey, discovered autunite (Fuki deposit-082ENE015) in a Miocene paleochannel beneath a basalt cap in the upper Kettle River watershed. This led to discovery of the Blizzard deposit (082ENE046) and several others, which are referred to as Tertiary basal-type deposits.
From 1975 to 1978, a jointly funded Federal-Provincial Uranium Reconnaissance Program (URP), conducted by the Geologic. Survey of Canada and the British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, investigated the uranium potential of the Cordillera. This program consisted of regional stream water and sediment geochemical surveys, with detailed follow-up studies, including geochemical surveys, geological mapping and uranium resource evaluation and appraisal. Various surveys were completed on map sheets 826 L and M and 104N, 0 and P.
In 1979, post-glacial uranium deposits were discovered in soil in the semi-arid Okanagan Valley. These 'young' uranium accumulations are associated with stagnant or saline waters trapped in hydraulically closed basins. Prairie Flats (082ENW073), located within the Summerland town limits, is one such fluviatile deposit.  It contains about 178 tomes of uranium, and since the glacial retreat, uranium has accumulated at an estimated rate of 23 kilograms per year.
Also in 1979, an inquiry by Dr. D.V. Bates and others was made into the adequacy of existing measures to provide protection to workers and the general public in all aspects of uranium mining in British Columbia. This resulted in a three-volume report entitled "Royal Commission of Inquiry on Health and Environmental Protection into Uranium Mining", with a summary of recommendations.
In February, 1980, the provincial government imposed a seven-year moratorium on uranium exploration and development in British Columbia. The moratorium expired on February 28,1987 and new regulations were established by the provincial government; safeguards on exploration, recommended in 1980 by the Bates inquiry, were put in place. The regulations require that proposals to explore for uranium or thorium or for exploration in certain designated areas must be filed with the Chief Inspector of Mines. Significant uranium or thorium levels must be reported whenever found. This level is defined as 0.05 per cent or more of uranium and 0.15 per cent or more thorium, over a sample length of one metre or more. Consult the regulations (Health, Safety and Reclamation Code for Mines in British Columbia, June 1990) for complete details.

Page 19   The Blizzard Deposit

Page 73, 74, 75   The Occurrences, in other words the Longitude Latitudes

Page 77, 78, 79 References

Uranium Mining Moratorium 1980 Order-in-council 44280 aka 442/80 and yellow cake

Google Search Criteria:    bc ORDER IN COUNCIL 442



Order-in-council 442
Mentioned: (D’Arcy) 3943

MR. D'ARCY: To the Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources. Back on February 27 of this year, order-in-council 44280 was passed which orders that the commissioners appointed by order 170179 "shall report their findings and recommendations to date to the Lieutenant Governor-in-Council on or before the 31st day of May 1980." It goes on to indicate the methods by which they shall report and rescinds certain other orders-in-council.
My question to the minister is: since, under this order, there is absolutely no mention of a moratorium on uranium mining and exploration, what is the legal basis for the moratorium on uranium mining and exploration announced on February 27 by the Premier of the province of B.C.?

HON. MR. McCLELLAND: Well, Mr. Speaker, I'm a bit at a loss to understand the urgency of this question from last May. But the legal procedures in which we established the moratorium have been partially put in place by further orders-in-council which were passed following that order-in-council which the member mentions. There is also at the present time an amendment on the order paper which we'll have the opportunity to debate, which sets the parameters along with the regulations for the uranium moratorium.
I don't understand, first of all, whether or not the question is in order, especially since there are some proceedings which will be debated in this House, presumably within the next few days.  
=======================================
BC Order in Councils on the Internet ONLY go back as far as 1992

As to finding an original Source for 44280 Order in council.... still looking.  Will have to come down to an FOI?

Google Search Criteria:   uranium bc orders in council

Fourth hit down, click on the PLUS sign + "for more information"
Ministry Responsible: ENERGY, MINES AND PETROLEUM RESOURCES
Statutory Authority: Environment and Land Use, s. 7
The chief inspector under the Mines Act must not
a)  issue a permit under section 10 of the Mines Act in relation to exploration for uranium or thorium
b)  exempt any person under section 10 (2) of the Mines Act from the requirement to obtain a permit under section 10 of that Act in relation to exploration for uranium or thorium.

Did the BC Liberal Government, of British Columbia, ADD the word  "not" to stop mining companies from explorations in our our pristine province?   Where oh Where is copy before this?
===============================
 

ORDER OF THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR IN COUNCIL DEPOSITED FEB ...

www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/remediation/leg_regs/.../csr_stg_2_oic.pdf
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View
the Executive Council, orders that the Contaminated Sites Regulation, B.C ...

Its 2002, Christy Clark is the Presiding Member of the Executive Council and she, and one onther is busily making a change on Contaminated Sites, INCLUDING Uranium
Without a background of a Physician, with only having ATTENDED various universities around the world, what, WHY are politicians permitted to make such far reaching decisions as these......

 ===============================
  Google Search Criteria     bc royal commissioner uranium Bennett appointed by order 170179



PRODUCTION OF THE PUBLIC VOICE: PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

In the Hearing Process as Contemporary Democracy

by Melody Beatrice Hessing

The University of British Columbia 1984...

https://circle.ubc.ca/bitstream/handle/.../UBC_1984_A1%20H48.pdf?...
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat
Royal Commission of Inquiry into. Uranium Mining. 92. Community Hearings. 92. Technical Hearings ...... of Inquiry which took place in British Columbia from 1979-1980, ...... hearing in order to describe, compare and analyze participation .... by an impartial Commission, which has been appointed by Govern- ...


Search Criteria  within the above document on page 92 and 93 for this:

     Uranium daughter products       



















Sunday, October 30, 2011

Have British Columbians become complacent about Uranium mining of yore (1980's)?

 $30 million for a Blizzard in one haystack......,   there's more

Radioactive material dumped in Alice Arm, aka Nisgha people's Kisault

Uranium dumped near Atlin

As to Boss "15-20 explorers who were affected by the ban, but that Boss was by far the most advanced."

Source:http://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard/hansindx/32nd3rd/32_03_index_U.htm

Uranium
Moratorium on exploration and mining (McClelland) 6605 (Passarell) 6604
Placer Development Ltd., Atlin mine, uranium production (Passarell) 6042
Sale of by Premier on visit to Commission of the European Communities (Barrett) 6555
Transportation of through province, government action on (Rogers) 6000 (Skelly) 5999
Transportation, storage, provincial policy on (Skelly) 6000
Uranium Exploration and Mining, An Act to Prevent. See name of act

Uranium Exploration and Mining, An Act to Prevent
(Bill M201) (Passarell) 1R, 4307; 2R, 6604-5
Speakers: McClelland 6605; Passarell 6604-5
Amax of Canada Ltd. disposal of uranium in ocean (Passarell) 6605
Moratorium on uranium exploration and mining (McClelland) 6605 (Passarell) 6604
Placer Development Ltd., uranium production and storage (Passarell) 6605

Hansard    Afternoon Sitting of TUESDAY, JULY 7, 1981 on the topic of uranium production and storage....
 MR. PASSARELL: What we will see with this moratorium is that a company like Placer Development could start a moly operation in the community of Atlin and, through their tailings, withdraw 500 pounds of uranium per day. Under this order-in-council it would be legal for Placer Development to put the 500 pounds of uranium in plastic-lined tailing ponds for the duration of the mine operation, 20-some years. This bill, if it was accepted and voted upon by the Legislature, would outlaw an operation like Placer Development going ahead and withdrawing uranium and radioactive materials to be placed in plastic-lined tailing ponds. The bill, if accepted, would outlaw an operation like Amax from dumping radioactive materials into the ocean. It's dangerous and unneeded; that should be accepted by both sides of the House. We don't need nuclear power in this province, Mr. Speaker, and we don't need the problems that radioactive materials cause to the health and well-being of the society of British Columbia. These radioactive materials brought out of the ground in British Columbia might end up in some foreign country as mass-destruction weapons. I urge all members of this House to accept this bill as a humanitarian act for the protection of future generations in the province of British Columbia.

 Amax, dumping radioactive material into the ocean?  

MR. PASSARELL: To bring the Chairman into line here, it appears the minister and his two support staff behind him forgot to look at the mining regulations. To give you gentlemen an idea of what to look for so you can help this minister out of the bind, chapter 265, subsection 5 of the mining regulations, section C, states: "...exercise power...the minister necessary for ensuring the health and safety of persons employed in and about the mine...." That's exactly what we're talking about here. When I'm talking about the World Health Organization and this government ignoring the fact that there's radioactive waste going into Alice Arm, this minister has the audacity to stand up and say: "Oh, we have nothing to do with this."
 The Nishga people, at Alice Arm, have been exposed to waste containing radon 226, cadmium, lead, mercury, arsenic, nickel, zinc, copper, iron, molybdenum and uranium?
MR. PASSARELL: Thank you for the guidance, Mr. Chairman. Concerning this particular subsection that I addressed earlier concerning the minister's responsibility for safety, the feasibility studies done by the company show that the waste contains radon 226, cadmium, lead, mercury, arsenic, nickel, zinc, copper, iron, molybdenum and uranium. Now under the subsection in the mining regulations I referred to, this minister has a responsibility to protect the people in this particular area — Alice Arm — against uranium. It wasn't that long ago, Mr. Chairman, that this minister had a PR gimmick concerning mining and exploration of uranium in this province — something I supported that minister on — and I would certainly hope he would foster it further through legislation by accepting my private member's bill outlawing any type of mining and exploration of uranium in this province.
But further regarding Amax, Mr. Chairman, we have seen a total disregard for the concepts, beliefs and the livelihoods of the people of the area, the Nishga people.
55°28'2.11"N 129°28'55.30"W


















And before we leave this topic, there's one thought that was spoken aloud  in the BC Legislature... that a mining outfit  "could start a moly operation in the community of Atlin and, through their tailings, withdraw 500 pounds of uranium per day".......

What's stopping an Open Pit Mine operation, or an underground Tar Sand operation, TODAY, from skimming out from the mega TONS of material being shifted, to separate gold, silver, copper, "moly", or uranium from the mix?

There is a restriction on uranium production in British Columbia, not an outright ban though.... there is a loophole that allows some uranium to be produced.....

Now where did I leave that Source?

Do you know where it is, the loophole?













As to Atlin:  59°34'40.93"N 133°41'22.31"W


 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



For Immediate Release
2008EMPR0029-000624
April 24, 2008
Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources

GOVERNMENT CONFIRMS POSITION ON URANIUM DEVELOPMENT



VICTORIA – The Province will not support the exploration and development of uranium in British Columbia and is establishing a “no registration reserve” under the Mineral Tenure Act for uranium and thorium, Minister of State for Mining Kevin Krueger announced today.

“By confirming our position on these radioactive minerals, we are providing certainty and clarity to the mining industry,” said Krueger. “B.C. is an attractive place for mining exploration and investment, and we are committed to fostering a healthy, productive industry.”

The “no registration reserve” will ensure any future claims do not include the rights to uranium. Government will also ensure that all uranium deposits will remain undeveloped. These changes support the BC Energy Plan commitment of no nuclear power.

Uranium is present in many areas of the province and can be encountered while exploring for other mineral resources. Therefore, the Province will also amend the Health, Safety and Reclamation Code concerning exploration for minerals where uranium or thorium are incidentally encountered. The amendments are designed to enhance the protection of workers and the public during exploration-related activities. The amendments also ensure that B.C.’s standards for exploration are consistent with national standards and guidelines.

Today, there is no uranium mining in the province. Development and mining of uranium in Canada is regulated by the federal government through the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The only uranium mines operating in Canada are in Saskatchewan.


But having now read that there is no uranium mining in the province there is an OIC that spells out miners protection when it comes to Health risks.....don't know why this would come into play in 2008.... if there's not mining of uranium why would there be a law stated that there's a limit to how much exposure one cannot go over.....http://www.em.gov.bc.ca/Mining/HealthandSafety/Documents/313.pdf

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Tracking noise polluting airplanes to and from YVR and possibly planes that don't quite make it, try using a flight tracking tool

There's this noise pollution tracking program that is available to Metro Vancouver residents if a plane has flown too close to their tender ears.   Its not in real time, but like Google Earth, you can pick a date, and time, and.... get to see which plane came nearest to you on their flight path.

Its at:

http://webtrak.bksv.com/yvr

They provide a simulated photo of what it could look like, like this one for October 27, 2011, around about 7:48pm
:










Source: Vancouver Airport
15/05/2009
Vancouver International Airport (YVR) today became the first airport in Canada to offer a new online tool that allows members of the public to see real-time and historical flight and noise data collected by the Airport Authority’s aircraft noise monitoring and tracking system.
WebTrak for YVR allows residents to see for themselves flight activity over much of Metro Vancouver. Using radar data received from NAV CANADA and noise data collected at 20 noise monitoring terminals stationed throughout Metro Vancouver, WebTrak displays a map of the region and current flight and noise activity. A simple visual key identifies aircraft type, elevation and noise level, and whether the aircraft is arriving or departing. With easy-to-use features and menu options, anyone with access to the Internet can replay historical flight activity within the past 30 days, locate their residence on the map to determine the distance from aircraft in flight, and, if they wish, register a comment or concern about a particular flight. SNIP

 *****************************

http://webtrak.bksv.com/yvr




There was a Red plane (not shown in photo above, off the bottom left corner) going East to West, but it did a 180 on its course and then went West.   The plane in Red going west appears to have been in perfect alignment with the YVR runway.   Google is everywhere when it comes to mapping applications.

============================================

VANCOUVER -- A Kelowna-bound twin-engined airplane operated by Prince George-based Northern Thunderbird Air crashed late Thursday afternoon just shy of the east end of the south runway at Vancouver International Airport.

SNIP

Monday, October 17, 2011

"BC is not For Sale" - Bill Bennett OBC recipient. Gordon Campbell OBC, sold BC and then got out of Dodge

 The B.N.A. Act, Section 109, states in part: "all lands, mines, minerals, and royalties belonging to the several provinces of Canada . . and all the sums then due or payable for such lands, mines, minerals or royalties, shall belong to the several provinces . . . in which the same are situate or arise, subject to any trusts existing in respect thereof, and to any interest other than that of the province of the same.-
This has been interpreted for more than a century as stating that those people who choose to live in a province of our country shall have perpetual ownership and control of all of the province's natural resources. This division of powers has worked well and has benefited all our provinces, as well as our nation, for more than a century.  Premier Bill Bennett   Thursday, December 4, 1980  BC Legislature
 Source for the above.    Link Updated March 4, 2017

and search for this in the document:
"those people who choose to live in a province of our country shall have perpetual ownership and control of all of the province's natural resources."




-----------------------------------------------------------

BCBusiness
China, Foreign Ownership & B.C. Resources
Don Whitely  July 1, 2011
Former B.C. Premier Bill Bennett said in 1979 that B.C. was not for sale. He made that famous declaration in reaction to news that Canadian Pacific Investments Ltd., the Montreal-based subsidiary of the railway company, was seeking to increase its already large ownership position to a controlling interest in MacMillan Bloedel Ltd., the province’s number one forest products company.

That was too much for Bennett. At the time, CP was already a major player in the province and gaining control of MacMillan Bloedel would make it by far the biggest, with headquarters in Central Canada. Bennett vetoed the deal using the provisions of the B.C. Forest Act, which required government approval for any transfer of forest leases from one corporation to another.

“We’re clarifying government policy in declaring there is a point at which a company can be too large in a certain area,” Bennett told the legislature on June 25, 1979. “That’s the policy of this party and this government . . . that is public policy from the premier of the province of British Columbia.”

Fast forward a couple of decades and many would argue that the province is not only for sale, but large pieces have been sold – and this time with government acquiescence, if not approval. Consider the following  snip:
  Source for more of this article


----------------------------------------------------------

A Province for Sale?

......... Twenty-five years after B.C.'s then premier announced the province was not for sale, the current government not only encourages sales of Crown corporation assets, it seeks advice from foreign corporations and is willing to award major contracts to non-Canadian businesses. Snip    By Claudia Cornwall, 14 Jan 2005, TheTyee.ca



Sunday, October 16, 2011

Three years ago Gordon Campbell forgave 50% of all school taxes to light and heavy industry, and now the Schools are underfunded in British Columbia.

Three years ago, Gordon Campbell painted a picture of a capital "V" of a recession, whereas Christy Clark is seeing his handiwork three years later turning into a capital "W", almost a "VY" with the Y's leg burying his once upon a time promised $.450 billion deficit.

Christy Clark's speech on October 17, 2011 could be written like this:
“Today the world’s financial system is in the grips of its worst crisis in over 3 75 years. World stock markets are reeling, commodity prices are plunging and the world’s financial system is under attack,” said Premier Campbell. Christy Clark.  “The ripple effects are being felt in every corner of the globe and every region of our province. There are no easy solutions to these problems. However, we are going to act immediately to alleviate the impacts and to emerge stronger than ever.”

First up, cut the funding that supports our schools for the next three years just like Campbell did in the previous three years!
**********************





For Immediate Release
2008OTP0260-001612
Oct. 22, 2008
Office of the Premier



Link Updated 2019-10-28 to WayBackMachine




VICTORIA – The B.C. Government will take immediate steps to improve the province’s economic competitiveness and reduce costs for families and business in the wake of the global economic slowdown, Premier Gordon Campbell announced to British Columbians this evening.

“Today the world’s financial system is in the grips of its worst crisis in over 75 years. World stock markets are reeling, commodity prices are plunging and the world’s financial system is under attack,” said Premier Campbell. “The ripple effects are being felt in every corner of the globe and every region of our province. There are no easy solutions to these problems. However, we are going to act immediately to alleviate the impacts and to emerge stronger than ever.”

Premier Campbell outlined 10 key measures during his address:

1.      Unlimited deposit insurance for deposits to credit unions: The Province intends to provide unlimited deposit insurance protection on deposits to British Columbia’s credit unions effective immediately. Deposits at credit unions were formerly insured up to a level of $100,000. All credit unions in the province have deposit insurance through the Credit Union Deposit Insurance Corporation. The new protection will apply to deposits currently covered by this insurance. This brings B.C. in line with Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, PEI, and New Brunswick, which all also provide unlimited provincial deposit insurance protection. Quebec, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland cover $250,000. Ontario provides $100,000 per registered account.

2.      A new pension opportunity: The Province will create a new private sector pension opportunity for British Columbians who currently have no access to a pension plan. About 75 per cent of private sector workers in B.C. currently have no access to a group pension plan. Flowing from work done with the Joint Expert Panel on Pension Standards with Alberta, in the months ahead the government will spearhead the creation of a privately financed, defined contribution plan that will be available to employers, employees and self-employed people on a voluntary basis.

3.      An accelerated, retroactive personal income tax cut: There will be a five per cent personal income tax reduction retroactive to January 1, 2008.  This includes the two per cent tax cut that took effect July 1 of this year as well as the planned three per cent reduction that was to take effect January 1, 2009.  Taxpayers will see the retroactive benefit on their 2008 tax return. It will put an additional $144 million in the pockets of British Columbians.



4.      School property tax rebate for industry: 50 per cent of all school property taxes will be rebated to light and heavy industry to help some of B.C.’s oldest and largest employers, particularly in rural British Columbia. It will save industry about $115 million over the next three years and is on top of the approximately $24 million in annual benefits to heavy industry announced in the 2008 budget. This builds on the plan to have the lowest corporate income tax rate in Canada by 2011.

5.      Accelerated tax relief for small business: Effective December 1, 2008 the small business income tax rate will be reduced to 2.5 per cent from the current 3.5 per cent. Small business income tax rates were already reduced from 4.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent on July 1, 2008 with a plan to reduce them to 2.5 per cent by 2011. This will accelerate that tax cut by two years, resulting in a 44 per cent tax cut for small business this year alone. The savings to small business will be $146 million over three years.

6.      Double commission paid to business for PST and HRT collection: The Province will double the commission it pays business for collecting the provincial sales tax and hotel room tax. That will provide more than 100,000 businesses with approximately $60 million over three years and add up to $1,200 to a business’s bottom line.

7.      Accelerated public infrastructure: The Province will accelerate public investments in capital infrastructure projects. Funding will focus on projects without a long lead time that will keep people employed in our construction sector.

8.      33 per cent reduction in ferry fares for December and January: The Province will fund a 33 per cent reduction of ferry fares on all routes for December and January. This is on top of the upcoming 50 per cent reduction in the fuel surcharge on ferry fees that will come into effect November 4. In addition, ferry service levels for all routes, including the Sunshine Coast will be restored. This will require a one-time, $20-million investment.

9.      Rein in avoidable government spending: The Province will re-evaluate spending priorities and focus on scaling back unbudgeted increases.

10.  Recall the Legislature: As a number of these measures require legislative approval, the Legislature will be recalled on November 20.

These measures account for anadditional accumulation of $485 million in tax relief and support for businesses, families and individuals over the next three years.

“These measures are as aggressive as our current fiscal outlook allows, without compromising our ability to balance the budget or cut previously planned funding lifts for critical government services such as health care and education,” said Premier Campbell “These measures will provide relief for families, workers and businesses by putting more money back into taxpayers’ pockets.”

Earlier in the day, Premier Campbell announced a series of initiatives to ensure the province is getting the best possible input and expert advice on ways to improve in competitiveness and productivity. They include:

·        A “New North” Economic Summit will be organized for January in Prince George and will focus on the unique opportunities and challenges in that region.

·        A two-day Economic Summit will be held in Vancouver in late January to look at ways to capitalize on economic opportunities.

·        New measures will be taken to implement the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement with Alberta. The agreement will be fully implemented by April 1, 2009 and create the second-largest economy in Canada.

·        B.C. will work with other provinces and the federal government to eliminate regulatory duplication and reduce costs of federal-provincial overlap.

-30-




  
Media
contact:
Bridgitte Anderson
Press Secretary
Office of the Premier
604 307-7177