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Dishonest budget, bad logging practises enough to oust Clark

It’s a sad fact that the B.C.’s government surplus budget was dishonestly obtained. First, the government took part of this surplus from the future generation of the province by over-cutting in the past few years and then focused on logging only the cheapest logs. This allowed for the forest industry to under-price their American competition and thus flood the U.S. softwood market.
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It’s a sad fact that the B.C.’s government surplus budget was dishonestly obtained. First, the government took part of this surplus from the future generation of the province by over-cutting in the past few years and then focused on logging only the cheapest logs. This allowed for the forest industry to under-price their American competition and thus flood the U.S. softwood market.

By 2007, B.C. was honouring its commitment to the principle of sustainability as the core of its policy of forest harvesting, then came the recession of 2008 to which the B.C. forest industry responded by going into a survival mode which basically altered, or in some cases cancelled, the above core program. But this was viewed as an acceptable response by all concerned. But after the recession ended, the forest industry didn’t revert back to its 2007 harvesting program.

This policy change lead to the over-cutting of the forest becoming common practise wherein the cycle period of the coastal forest went from the low 70s to today’s 60 years. Also, their going after only the cheapest logging led, for example, to the virtual drying up of heli-logging on the coast from its prominent position of 2007.

Because of the above logging practises, B.C. could easily under-sell their U.S. softwood competition. In fact, the government of Christy Clark could call up a surplus budget by simply flooding the U.S. market.

And she did.

This made a mess out of B.C.’s economy but it was well hidden by the use of the now famous “alternate truth” technique of communicating with the citizens of B.C. but also with the Americans.

Not much wonder why Donald Trump, let alone Americans in general, has no respect for all our trade treaties.

It’s clear that B.C.’s economy is in a mess and put there by Christy Clark and her reform party. Therefore, it also is clear that if we are hoping for any kind of a fair change for a decent future, Christy Clark has to be replaced by the NDP on election day.

R.D. Heyd

Chemainus