PREMIER Christy Clark, reacting to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s preliminary countervailing duty determination to assess duty rates of approximately 20 per cent on Canadian softwood lumber exports, said on Monday: “My message to B.C. forest workers, their families, and producers is this: We are here for you. We will fight for you. And we will not give up. We will continue to press our case and implement our Action Plan on softwood.”
Clark said the government will:
1. Fight the unfounded claims of the U.S. lumber production lobby and the unwarranted and unfair duties placed on Canadian lumber products;
2. Use this preliminary period for B.C. and Canada to reinforce its efforts to reach a fair deal with the United States;
3. Work with U.S. home builders and lumber retailers to demonstrate that Canadian softwood lumber is a critical component of continued U.S. economic growth;
4. Continue to work with the federal government to ensure B.C. forest workers are supported in the event of job impacts; and
5. Accelerate its proven actions to diversify B.C.’s markets and products to further reduce its reliance on the United States.
Clark said” “The forest industry built this province, and it has a strong future ahead – having added 9,825 jobs in the sector since 2011. We will only accept a new agreement that works for B.C. We will fight, and we will win – as we have before.
“The BC Liberal government has made strong progress on diversifying B.C.’s lumber product exports. In 2015, 59 per cent of British Columbia’s softwood lumber exports went to the U.S. – down from 82 per cent in 2001 thanks to increased exports to overseas markets including China and India.”
Clark will be meeting with members of Cabinet to discuss these developments and determine further actions to stand up for B.C. workers and the forest industry.
NDP Leader John Horgan on Monday took Christy Clark to task for accepting massive political donations from forest companies that have been laying off BC workers in record numbers.
“Christy Clark’s government has overseen the loss of 30,000 forestry jobs while filling her pockets with cash donated by the same companies who have been throwing BC workers out in the street,” said Horgan.
“The BC Liberals accepted nearly a quarter of a million dollars in political donations from Weyerhaeuser’s BC operation, including $5,000 on the eve of this election,” said Horgan, noting the company has shuttered all but two of its BC mills since the BC Liberals came into office 16 years ago.
“Christy Clark even held a private $10,000 a plate fundraiser at the former CEO’s house,” pointed out Horgan.
“Weyerhaeuser’s US-based parent company is one of the signatories to the formal petition to the US government looking to impose punishing duties on Canadian softwood lumber, yet that’s who Christy Clark chooses to work for.”
On Tuesday, more than 18 months after the expiry of the softwood lumber agreement, the US Commerce Department will announce whether it will impose the first of two duties on Canadian softwood.
Horgan said: “It’s easy to see why Christy Clark let 30,000 BC forestry workers down. She’s been paying attention to the people that matter to her: her rich donors.
“We need a government that works for people. I’ll stand up for forest workers and fight every day to get people working.”
PREMIER Christy Clark on Monday affirmed her continued strong support of British Columbia’s innovative forestry sector at Delta’s StructureCraft.
“B.C.’s forestry industry has the potential to change the world,” said Premier Clark, “Cities around the world are not only building new iconic public spaces and structures using B.C. wood, they’re using B.C. expertise to make it happen.”
StructureCraft, which designed the iconic Richmond Olympic Oval, Surrey’s Central City, and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, is currently working on signature projects in Minneapolis, Portland, and Calgary.
To support companies like StructureCraft and help create more jobs, the provincial government recently invested $7.7 million to promote the use of B.C. wood, advance wood building systems and products, and expand global markets.
The Liberals said that Clark and they are the only party and leader that will stand up for BC forest workers and secure a fair softwood lumber agreement.
They said that for 14 years, B.C. has worked to reduce our reliance on the U.S. market – a strategy that has paid dividends. Exports to China have increased 2,000 per cent, and the provincial government is pursuing a similar strategy in India, as well as making great progress in Korea and Japan.
And since the BC Jobs Plan was launched in 2011, B.C. has gained 9,825 new jobs in the forest sector – an increase of 17% and the best record in Canada, the Liberals claimed.
The Liberals launched an attack on the BC Greens and BC NDP, saying that they “have no plan for forestry, and would instead hike taxes, kill thousands of jobs, and push families to the brink – but wait, it gets worse.
“Horgan has already written off B.C.’s forestry sector, saying “good luck with that” to negotiating a fair deal – but wait, it gets even worse.
“Horgan then defended United Steelworkers president Leo Gerard’s decision to stand with Donald Trump as the President attacked Canadian workers – and even accepted the pen as a souvenir. When push came to shove, John Horgan chose his big U.S. donors over British Columbians. No wonder, since his two most senior campaign officials are directly on the U.S.-based union’s payroll.
“It’s the same Pittsburgh-based United Steelworkers that supported a U.S. trade action against U.S.-based Catalyst Paper in 2015 – the same year John Horgan made Leo Gerard an honorary lifetime member of the BC NDP.
“And the Steelworkers even petitioned the U.S. government to slap a 50% tariff on Canadian aluminum – a scheme that, if successful, would have killed 1,000 jobs at RioTintoAlcan in Kitimat.”
The Liberals said they are the only party with a plan to support the 60,000 British Columbians and 140 communities that depend on forestry:
• Work with their federal partners to negotiate a new Softwood Lumber Agreement with the United States, and support workers, communities, and forest companies as they fight the impacts of unfair countervailing and anti-dumping duties.
• Continue their proven strategy to expand markets in Asia, including annual trade missions, and invest another $5 million per year to grow additional markets in China and India
• Promote more new tall wood building construction, and push other jurisdictions to allow them in building codes
• Invest $9 million to support the implementation of the Forest Carbon Initiative.
• Diversify our product range by supporting non-traditional uses of wood and wood-fibre through the Wood First program.
• Increase wood fibre utilization in B.C.’s interior by one million cubic metres by the end of 2018, supporting 500 jobs.
• Enhance the health and resilience of forests by planting more seedlings under the Forests for Tomorrow Program.
HAMAN Lamar Benamaisia, 31, of Coquitlam man is facing charges after a driver in a pickup truck sped away from police, carjacked another vehicle, and caused multiple collisions on February 16, Coquitlam RCMP announced on Monday.
Benamaisia, who is well-known to police, currently faces one count of robbery and one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle related to the carjacking.
At 10 a.m. on February 16, a police car tried to stop a pickup truck in a parking lot in the 3000-block of Lougheed Highway. The driver sped away, crashed the pickup truck, carjacked a sedan, and then crashed the sedan before running away near the Coquitlam River.
“This has been a high-priority file from the moment it started,” said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin. “The Coquitlam RCMP Investigative Support Team has been using all the expert resources at its disposal to ensure a solid, complete investigation. More evidence is being processed and more charges are possible. We have no other suspects.”
Benamaisia was arrested without incident on Friday, April 21 – the same day that a warrant was issued. He is currently in custody in Coquitlam and his next court appearance is Thursday, April 27.
Here’s a glance at past Culture Days @ Toronto Public Library by the numbers: Over 9,000 people attended a Culture Days activity at Toronto Public Library in the last …
LAST week, Sonia Sidhu, MP for Brampton South, gathered community leaders to delve into issues relating to poverty in the community, across the country, and to develop suggestions for the Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy.
The roundtable meeting was hosted her 24 Queen Street East office in downtown Brampton, and was designed to determine a strategy that could work for Canadians in Brampton and across the country. Attendees spoke about the varied impacts of poverty, from food insecurity to housing insecurity, and numerous other impacts, and discussed ways to measure progress in poverty reduction. They further discussed where specific efforts should be focused in the strategy.
“Poverty affects all Canadians in some way, so it is important to have many voices involved while our Government develops this strategy,” Sidhu said. “Bramptonians are known for their creativity, which I am happy to leverage it in this discussion. We need new ideas, new strategies, and new solutions to this problem.”
“This roundtable raised important ideas, such as promoting skills development, which our Government committed to in Budget 2017,” she said, adding that she was pleased to hear the direction of the government’s plan reinforced by stakeholders. “It is a very positive sign to hear directly from the community that we are on the right track.”
Many local organizations were represented at the meeting, including the Region of Peel, Renewed Computer Technology, Regeneration Brampton Outreach, along with municipal councillors Martin Medeiros and Jeff Bowman.
Sidhu said she was pleased with the conversation, and is looking forward to continued feedback on the Government’s Poverty Reduction Strategy.
“We need to make sure this strategy takes into account what is necessary to both combat poverty, and to sustain the progress that is made, “she said, “We have begun the work of reducing poverty in Canada, especially through programs like the Canada Child Benefit which raised 300,000 children out of poverty across the country. But there is still much work to be done, and I look forward to continuing my efforts in this.”
Canadians wishing to share their opinions on the Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy, can do so at http://esdc-consultations.canada.ca/poverty-reduction-strategy.
THE deadline to file your income tax and benefit return is fast approaching. Most Canadian income tax and benefit returns are due on April 30. Since that date is a Sunday in 2017, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will consider your return filed on time and your payment made if the CRA receives your submission, or it is postmarked, no later than May 1.
Self-employed individuals and their spouses or common-law partners have to file their return no later than June 15, but if they have a balance owing to the CRA, that’s still due no later than April 30. However, for 2017, the CRA will consider a payment to have been made on time if the CRA receives it, or it is postmarked, no later than midnight on May 1.
Haven’t filed your return yet? Don’t panic! Here are some tips to make last-minute filing easier:
File your return online for free – The CRA has a list of certified software packages and web applications to fit all budgets, including ones that are free.
Register for My Account – Save time using the CRA’s secure online service for individuals, My Account, where you can view your detailed notice of assessment or reassessment, track the status of your return, view your personalized benefit and credit information, register for account alerts and online mail, and much more. Register for My Account today.
Use Auto-fill my return – You can use the Auto-fill my return feature if you’re registered for My Account and file using NETFILE-certified tax preparation software. This feature makes online filing even simpler, by letting you have parts of your return automatically filled in with information from the CRA, including your information from T3,T4, and T5 slips.
File on time – Make sure there are no interruptions to your Canada child benefit, goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax credit, or child disability benefit payments. You have to file a return on time even if you did not have income in the year. If you have a spouse or common-law partner, they also have to file a return every year. If you cannot pay all of your balance owing right away or if some income slips or receipts are missing, you should still file your return on time to avoid a late-filing penalty.
Get help at a Community Volunteer Income Tax Program clinic – If you need help, and have a modest income and a simple tax situation, a volunteer from the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program may be able to file your return for you. To find a clinic near you and to see if you’re eligible, go to www.cra.gc.ca/volunteer.
Explore payment arrangements – If you cannot pay all of the amount you owe before the payment due date, consider making a payment arrangement. If you are eligible, a payment arrangement will let you make smaller payments over time until you pay the whole amount. To set up a pre-authorized debit agreement, use My Account or call the CRA at 1-888-863-8657.
Pay electronically – Did you know you can pay your taxes online? There are several payment methods to choose from, including online banking, Interac Online, Visa Debit, and pre-authorized debit from your account at a financial institution. For more information, watch our video.
WITH just 16 days left in the election campaign, BC NDP leader John Horgan on Sunday held the largest rally by any party in this election campaign, where he sounded the alarm about Premier Christy Clark’s scheme to create for-profit hospitals in BC.
“We can’t afford another four years of Christy Clark. The rich have had their premier. It’s time you had a premier that’s working for you,” said Horgan.
Horgan warned the audience of more than 1,000 supporters who packed the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver that Christy Clark is undermining the public healthcare system with a plan to expand private care for herself and her rich friends.
Earlier this week, Clark refused to answer a direct question about the expansion of private health care if she is re-elected. The government is advancing a proposal to create private for-profit hospitals in BC.
“While people wait for months – or even years – to get the care they need, Christy Clark has a plan to let her and her rich friends skip the line because they can afford it,” said Horgan.
“Christy Clark is quietly moving forward with a proposal that would create private hospitals that only her and her rich donors can afford to use. That will drain resources from our public health system and result in even longer waits for ordinary people like you.
“People need a premier who will work every day to make life more affordable for them, make sure they get the services they need, and create good, sustainable jobs in communities across BC. They’re not getting that from Christy Clark.
“I’m running in this election to make life better for people. I will fight for the people of BC every day of this campaign, and every day as your premier.”
ORGANIZERS of the Surrey’s Khalsa Day Parade (Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan) on Saturday said they are thrilled to announce that in excess of 400,000 guests of all cultures and religions came together to celebrate a peaceful, family-oriented day full of performances, live music, and decorative floats.
This was the 19th year of this spectacular event, the largest Vaisakhi parade in the world. This year’s event attendance was record-breaking, report the Surrey RCMP.
The procession featured 19 floats representing local Sikh schools, community groups, humanitarian organizations, as well as the most important float in the procession that carries the Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh Holy Scripture).
As always, the festivities were volunteer-driven and exemplify the pride and enthusiasm of the Sikh community in sharing their rich culture and history. And as always, the festivities were free and open to all, the organizers noted.
The organizers thanked all attendees for their participation. Planning will now begin for the 2018 celebration.
Photos by Natasha Combow
At Saturday’s Khalsa Day Parade organized by the Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar in Surrey.
