BC LIBERAL PARTY NEWSLETTER
BC LIBERAL PARTY NEWSLETTER
Keeping you informed is continuing our commitment to openness and to engaging our grassroots members. We want to highlight how the new Canada Starts Here: BC Jobs Plan is working.
Canada Starts Here: The BC Job Plan is working:
• BC Lands Major Shipbuilding Contract: A strong relationship with the Federal Government has paid off. Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards was awarded an $8-billion federal contract - which promises to transform B.C.’s economy through the construction of a new shipbuilding infrastructure. This is a deal that would ensure the stability of the shipbuilding industry in BC for years and years to come. It is estimated to create from (2013-2022) 3,683 jobs and from (2023-2032) 8,465 long-term direct and indirect jobs in the marine industry - averaging $80,000 a year, including benefits.
• Building Schools & Creating Jobs: Premier Christy Clark rolled out a $353-million school capital plan. Projects approved for funding include: six new elementary schools, one new middle school, two new secondary schools, four school additions, and six school site purchases – four of which are for future schools. Once projects get underway, an estimated 1,850 jobs will be created for families across the province.
• Building Tourism & a 5-Year Strategy: The province announced a strategy to build tourism and create jobs. Gaining The Edge: A Five-Year Strategy for Tourism in B.C. The strategy will increase the number of visitors and promote job creation by building on the global awareness generated by the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. These areas include: touring vacations, city experiences, skiing-snowboarding, Aboriginal tourism, outdoor adventure/ecotourism, and meetings and conventions. The strategy will target a five per cent annual growth in revenue in the tourism sector, expected to reach $18 billion annually by 2016.
• Record Lumber Exports to China: B.C. sets yearly China lumber export record. Lumber exports to China for the first eight months of this year totaled $746 million. For all of 2010, B.C's lumber exports to the country were worth $687 million. As pledged in Canada Starts Here: The BC Jobs Plan, the Province will double B.C.'s international presence in key and expanding markets and will implement a promotional campaign to highlight British Columbia as a safe harbour to attract new international investment.
• Capitalizing on Liquefied Natural Gas: One of the greatest natural resources in Norther BC is natural gas and our government is committed to helping market this resource. The National Energy Board (NEB) approved a 20-year export license for the facility in Kitimat and it will be operational by 2015. It will have the capacity to export B.C.'s natural gas to overseas markets for the very first time and it will instantly increase economic prosperity and create jobs. With the capacity to supply B.C.'s natural gas to new markets, demand will increase for the province's energy resources and investment will be secured for ongoing development. Long-term jobs and business opportunities will be available for northeast communities. The facility itself will create approximately 1,500 person-years of work during its construction phase and 120-140 permanent positions once the terminal is in operation.
• New Skills for Workers for Today’s Economy: The province formed a partnership with the United Steelworkers Union (USW) to pilot new skills training for its members in the North, with a focus in the areas of forestry and mining. A total of $2.9 million is being provided for this Northern Skills Training Pilot over the next 18 months. This initiative is part of the commitment made in the ‘Canada Starts Here: the BC Jobs Plan’ to enhance training opportunities to meet regional labour market needs. With major projects underway and planned in B.C.’s north, this partnership helps fill the need for increasingly skilled workers.
• Focusing on the Role of Small Business: The governments of Canada and British Columbia launched the Small Business Profile 2011, a report that highlights the major role that small businesses play in B.C.'s economic success, through job creation, wage increases, exports and contributions to the province's gross domestic product."
The BC Liberal Party will continue to keep you up to date with the latest news of how we are working for you. We encourage you to go to our website www.bcliberals.com and we would like to hear from you. Thank you for your continued support.
I need your help to get the job done — that's why it would be great if you could make a secure online donation of $25, $50 or $75 by clicking here.
Sincerely,
Christy Clark
