The Legislature Raids

No, I don't understand it but by coping his first sentence into Google it has ONE hit:

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/mediaroom/releases-2010-h084e-6031.htm


The Government of Canada supports Ashcroft Terminal's expansion

ASHCROFT, B.C. — The Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, on behalf of the Honourable Stockwell Day, President of the Treasury Board and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, today announced a $5-million federal funding commitment to Ashcroft Terminal for the expansion of its industrial-zoned land into a multi-user rail facility.
 

Yes BC Mary I understand it perfectly.
First they didn't use enough of the money marked for the Pine Beetle, allowing it to run rampant in the area. And by the way the beetle itself is still around and has morphed into an ability to attack trees under 20 years old.
Then they took that five million of our public money and GAVE it to a private company. Now I don't know where they got BC Rail out of this because that line is west of Ashcroft over a couple of mountains.
And all of this was done to shift sight from the Hated Sales Tax. It's outright misuse of public funds and pandering.
 

I think when they refer to BC Rail they mean railroads in BC generally, not the ex-Provincially owned railroad we are talking about. By their reckoning 'our' railroad doesn't exist anymore.
 

I'm curious as to the location of the "industrial-zoned land". Ashcroft Manor, the old estate of Lieutenant-Governor Cornwall, is the new garbage pit ("waste recycling facility" or whatever they've dubbed it). The railyards in the town of Ashcroft are too limited in geography to expand much, and are not right on Highway 1 either....I'm thinking this is the Semlin Valley, site of the old Semlin Ranch (as in Premier Semlin), to the east of Cache Creek.

BTW there are two viable routes to interconnect the BC Rail line and the main CN one. Ashcroft-Lillooet is a no-go and would have to merge with the BC Rail line at Pavilion, right in the middle of the Rattlesnake Grade; Lytton-Lillooet has often been talked about but there's heaps of both ALR and IR along there, as well as a lot of sand, and the infamous Big Slide 12 miles south of Lillooet, which to this day Highway 12 still has not fully tamed.

The easiest route is simply Clinton-Ashcroft, via the valley of the Bonaparte River and pretty much the remaining grade of the Cariboo Road (which parallels Highway 97 and sometimes coincides with it).

The other BCR-CNR connection would meet CN at Little Fort on the North Thompson, and would need a steep grade from there up onto the plateau; I think the junction point would be about 100 Mile House; joining it at Chasm is viable but the relative distance and geotechnical difficulties from there to Little Fort vs. there to Ashcroft weigh heavily in favour of Ashcroft.

What are they going to be staging at Ashcroft anyway, requiring such a huge facility? We know it's not cars or manufactured goods....I'm thinking tanker cars full of oil sands, coal, wood chips, all that good stuff we're too stupid to actually process ourselves and need the clever Chinese to do it for us so they can sell us manufactured goods which undermine our own economy.

It's certainly not a facility aimed at American markets, let's put it that way.
 

Here's a better explanation from the Government of Canada (as per NVG above):

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/mediaroom/releases-2010-h084e-6031.htm

My interpretation of this is that our federal government has just stepped in with 5 million taxpayer-dollars to do what BC Rail would've done for itself if the BC government had kept it in provincially-owned public hands.

Short version: a $5 million gift to CN.
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What the deal is.....

"Wag the Dog"

The Federal Government committed $1 billion dollars for mitigation efforts against the pine beetle...That money has never been tapped...or has it?

The NDP, the locals have been making noise on tapping this money, the Campbell Government is quiet on this matter......

A phony $5 million dollars directed towards, and for the benefit of CN...All in an effort to appease a few locals....

But the big question is...Where is the $1billion dollars Harpo promised B.C. for the pine beetle?

My opinion is......

B.C. has by mis-direction already been paid that $1 billion dollars from Ottawa....But the money went for Olympic security, infrastructure, bribes.....

The same thing happened with the Federal "One industry town" retraining and EI extension program...

The Feds kicked in $136 million for BCers....But the money, very little made to the ground, Pricewaterhouse copper...Was paid 20$ commission to dole out the money!!!!!!!!

Oh indeed friends, if only, if only we, the people actually saw the money from all the announcements of spending....

Photo-ops, reannouncing spending over and over again.....Monies over 10 years....A trust fund...a rainy day fund....

Harper and Campbell are playing fast and loose with taxpayers money..

Where is the evergreen line money, the pine beetle money.

There was/is a little joint federal/provincial project being done on the Sunshine coast, a little water diversion project...The announced/posted cost of this project...$1.2 million dollars....

For 2 years we had nothing but giant signs advertising the project, one giant sign on each side, heavy posts, gravel, rocks, a big truck and 4 men to install these signs over 4 days, they have been knocked down and replaced many times...

My guess is...10s of $thousands were wasted on sineage, giant one of a kind 10 by 10 signs, painted,glossed, years ahead of the project....

Oh to be a sign maker with the Federal/Provincial Government!
 

Skookum1,

That's an astounding piece of scholarship you've given us -- thanks a million -- I could almost smell the sagebrush being crushed under our Doc Martens as we tip-toed through the rattle-snakes. (Just kidding.)

Thanks for that wonderful refresher on how the terrain works in the province we love.

Did you see the re-posted comment today by The Great Satan? Wondered what you think of the things he says.


Grant,

What was the name of the $15Million supposedly set aside for the uppity Prince George area which rebelled at the sale of BC Rail ... ? And didn't a good big chunk of it disappear already, due to some "poor investments" or some such thing?
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I believe it was called the ..:Northern Trust:

A fund set aside to be gambled in the market...Yes it has lost tens of millions....

The treacherous politicians...

Take the Evergreen line...Seriously folks...If there was $400 million from the feds/$400 million from the Province...

How Translink`s share has risen to $700 million dollars, so much for the three way split!!!!

But....If indeed there is $800 million collecting dust and maybe interest...BUILD the DAMN LINE!!!

You can`t spend $800 million overnight....Every year the dollar is weaker, labour is rising, fuel is rising, now the HST...

The Campbell crime family found $2.7 billion dollars overnight for the (not needed) Port Mann bridge...

But the Evergreen line?? ....Where is that money....

Show me where that money is residing right now!!!
 

Re Prince George allocated money!

This is the first I have heard on that - hmmmmm!!!!!!! Could anyone elaborate on this - preferably with some written references.
This looks like it could be a real good item to throw at Shirley Bond - who is incidently, my MLA. Could prove to be very interesting - especially as she will squirm and comment that it was nothing to do with her.

Where is the money, why isn't it being used to fund Prince George in leu of the BC Rail sale etc.

Thx

JW
 

Federal funds to battle pine beetle have disappeared

Hundreds of millions earmarked to clear deadwood used elsewhere

By Richard J. Dalton Jr., Vancouver Sun August 14, 2009


Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Federal+funds+battle+pine+beetle+have+disappeared/1891993/story.html#ixzz0uFqD7Jy1
 

Northern Development Initiative. You simply apply for funding and get it. They have website and everything. And yes due to some poor decisions and bad economic times has lost some $Millions. Search it for a report on all of the money doled out across the north.