Premier Christy Clark害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所渏obs plan害羞草研究所� propaganda is gearing up for another election, complete with heavy-rotation TV ads assuring B.C. hockey and football fans that 害羞草研究所渙ur opportunity is here.害羞草研究所�
The stated purpose of these feel-good ads is to highlight overdue investments in trades and technical education, and extol the virtues of the government害羞草研究所檚 housing policies.
The jobs plan has been Clark害羞草研究所檚 marketing vehicle since she assumed the leadership of the BC Liberal Party in 2011. It was inspired by former prime minister Stephen Harper害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所渆conomic action plan,害羞草研究所� faded billboards for which can still be seen around B.C.
This marketing must work regardless of government ideology, because Alberta NDP Premier Rachel Notley now has an 害羞草研究所淎lberta jobs plan害羞草研究所� that also involves her standing in front of smiling people wearing hardhats.
Unfortunately, in most areas of B.C. as well as Alberta, what害羞草研究所檚 lacking are actual jobs. Clark constantly repeats the figure of 191,000 net new jobs in B.C. in the past five years, and glosses over the fact that all of that job growth has occurred in southwest urban areas around Vancouver and Victoria.
The rest of the province has seen a net loss of jobs. Mills and mines have shut down or reduced production, and the gas fields of the northeast hit a low ebb with a series of delays to liquefied natural gas export proposals.
There is recovery in energy and commodity markets. I害羞草研究所檓 assured by Dawson Creek Mayor Dale Bumstead among others that drill rigs are returning to the Montney shale, a rich source of petroleum liquids that can be mixed with the Alberta heavy oil that will eventually start moving south and west in greater quantities.
The forest industry is in uncertain times, with declining timber supply and U.S. trade threats, and it害羞草研究所檚 looking for a break from the B.C. government in the pre-election budget that will be revealed in February. A legacy of B.C.害羞草研究所檚 resurrected provincial sales tax is that we害羞草研究所檙e the only place left in Canada where PST is charged on electricity bills.
And for all of Clark害羞草研究所檚 rhetoric about the lowest personal income taxes, the business tax environment is not attractive.
According to the government害羞草研究所檚 own Commission on Tax Competitiveness, sales tax still lands on most machinery and equipment, for which B.C. has the third lowest investment rate in the country.
Combining corporate income tax, sales tax and non-residential property tax, B.C. comes in well above the national average, with a 害羞草研究所渕arginal effective tax rate害羞草研究所� of 27.9 per cent compared to 18.9 per cent for the rest of Canada.
In the urban southwest, there is a building boom, an increase in service and technology jobs and steeply increasing cost of living driven by real estate prices. So we have areas with jobs but no place to live, and areas with cheap housing and no jobs.
The latest official version of Clark害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所渏obs plan害羞草研究所� was rolled out last week. The deadline for three LNG plants moves to construction underway by 2020, and mine opening and expansion goals are also kicked down the road.
The new headliner is 害羞草研究所渋nnovation,害羞草研究所� with UBC president Santa Ono heading an effort to stimulate growth of new technology businesses through university research.
There will also be a 害羞草研究所渃limate action害羞草研究所� jobs plan, which seems even more vague. My guess is, look for lots of tree planting as well as paving this spring.
I wish I could tell you the NDP opposition has a clearer strategy for 2017, but so far that害羞草研究所檚 not the case. More on that in a subsequent column.
Tom Fletcher is B.C. legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press. Email: tfletcher@blackpress.ca Twitter: @tomfletcherbc
