Fall Colors Canadian Style 2009 Saying good-bye to the Fast Cat Ferries · Wednesday August 26, 2009 by colin newell
Two things bad happened to the province of British Columbia in the last 17 years; the NDP and the Liberal parties. Two completely polarized parties – one neo-conservative and the other… root vegetable digging, gumboot wearing social workers and elementary school teachers all rolled into one big red suit.
The PacifiCat fast ferries, the products of one of British Columbia’s most controversial NDP mega-projects, have been sold to Washngton Marine Group who plans to export them to Dubai.
The Washington Marine Group, which bought the aluminum catamaran-style ferries at auction in March 2003, said yesterday that it has sold the three vessels to a firm called Mar. Note the lower of the 2 photos.
The ships, built between 1999 and 2000, were mothballed by the provincial government in 2001 after fairly successful tests on British Columbia’s coastal waters.
Abu Dhabi MAR’s website says the company is a builder of huge yachts, based in the United Arab Emirates. Its most recent achievements appear to be the conversion of two Dutch-built warships into two of the largest super-yachts ever built, 139.5 and 133.5 metres in length. Yachts. For rich folks. That we built. Nice.
Click on the little image above and above for the big image and weep.
Link to my photo in the Times Colonist here… 3 from the left.
Fall Colors Canadian Style 2009 Surprises from the B.C. throne speech · Tuesday August 25, 2009 by colin newell
An empty-pocketed B.C. government said in its speech from the throne Tuesday that it will get its health authorities, boards of education and Crown corporations under the microscope… in an concerted effort to find cost savings.
Gotta pay for the 2010 Olympics somehow…
“Shrinking revenues will by necessitate curbing our discretionary spending,” the government said. “Our fiscal cupboard is bare and currently hangs on a wall of deficit spending.”
F*cking ha, f*cking ha, f*cking ha ha.
Let’s look at how the Liberals have tightened their belts the last few years…
- Gordon Campbell gave himself a hefty 54 percent raise in 2007, and under his watch, CEO’s of crown corporations have seen their compensation skyrocket by as much as 166 per cent. Nice. Appropriate. Responsible.
- Gordon Campbell gave his deputy ministers a hefty pay raise in 2001 and another in 2006, promising not to do it again for four more years.
- Broke his promise two years later, giving his deputy ministers another raise and opening the door for an increase of up to 43 per cent in 2008.
- In February 2008, the public winced when Campbell’s TransLink board voted themselves a 500 percent pay raise. Have to attract good people.
- A few weeks later, the premier’s BC Ferries commandants received an increase of up to 60 percent — on April 1, 2008 – the same day ferry fares were increased for British Columbia residents.
- In 2008, more than 50,000 British Columbia residents worked for minimum wage or less. We need to attract good help after all.
- Since 2001, Campbell has raised the salaries of deputy ministers three times.
Lying f*cking bastards.
Gotta pay for the 2010 Olympics somehow.
The upside was the announcement that cell phone use while driving might be banned in British Columbia. The downside: The ill conceived and poorly received harmonized sales tax concept is probably a done deal.
Lot’s of luck with the recall folks.
Comment [5]
Fall Colors Canadian Style 2009 Back to school cry-babies! · Monday August 24, 2009 by colin newell
The B.C. government says school closures are not part of its plan to deal with outbreaks of the swine flu when classes return in September.
The province, in its wisdom is instead preparing for a possible resurgence of the H1N1 flu virus with a pandemic plan that includes new information and materials for parents, students and schools, according to provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall.
Note sarcastic use of italics above.
Before Gordo and his band of car-dealing liberals (sorry car dealers!) do anything, they first consult their 2010 Ouija board.
Examples: Gordo Ouija Board-o says…
• 10 to 15 percent of scheduled surgeries from September 2009 to March 2010, on top of the 2,000 that are being cut during the five-week Olympic slowdown. In total, between 6,300 and 9,600 surgeries and a layoff of more than 110 surgical staff as a result.
• Freezing of MRIs at last year’s budgeted levels, meaning each hospital will do fewer MRIs than last year.
• Eleven contracts ended for mental health services, including programs to assist victims of abuse.
• Ending 12 seniors’ programs in Abbotsford, Burnaby, Chilliwack, Langley, Maple Ridge, Mission, New Westminster, White Rock, and the Tri-Cities.
Gordo’s band of death eaters have decided that Elementary school children (if they are to live to pay off the 2010 Olympics [by 2099 anyway…]) will need to…
- suck it up and get your asses back in the classes!
- only the worthy future taxpayers will survive – also know as Gordovian Selection
Dr. Perry Kendall also pontificates…
“Closures early last spring were initiated out of an abundance of caution because we had very little information on the novel flu virus at that time. It has since become apparent that the disease caused by this virus is generally mild and does not warrant such severe measures.”
Right. If this coming pandemic was thought to be a threat to Gord and his band of merry parasites in industry and at VANOC, I assure you… they would spend whatever it took to turn off the Sun, switch off gravity and turn Vancouver into Oz.
Wait. They are already doing that.
Peace in 2010, out.
Comment [1]
Fall Colors Canadian Style 2009 Papers please and oh yes · Sunday August 23, 2009 by colin newell
Coffee?
Check
Fudge?
Check
Ice Cream?
Check
Passport?
Check
Spotted in the window of a Duncan, British Columbia, Canada Chocolate shop window.
Good to have one stop shopping for all these common items.
Sugar free passports.
Sweet.
