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The Editor of this blog invites other contributors of lead articles, art and poetry etc. Photos welcome. Subject to approval of content etc. While editorially this is a left wing blog with a radical perspective, other opinion is of course welcome to the comments section. Everything being subject to moderator approval of approptiateness to this site.

Saturday, March 17, 2007








The Liberal Government

and
BC’s loss of competitive power










Jenny Kwan, NDP Economic Development Critic: Published on Global Chinese Press
9.3.2007, Dawa Business Press 10.3.2007 and Ming Pao Daily 12.3.2007


In British Columbia, we have the second lowest electricity prices in North America. Our people, businesses, and industries are able to enjoy this benefit because of the advantageous geographical position of the province, the energy policies of the former government, investment in hydroelectric power and the public hydro service.

However, as a result of the energy policy of the Liberal government, B.C. will lose this important competitive edge of cheap electricity.

Canada is rich in oil resources. However, we pay the highest prices in North America at the gas station. The crucial factor that creates this price gap between electricity and gas is the fact that the price of electricity is determined by the cost of publicly owned electricity generation, while gas prices are determined by the commercial market, which involves very complicated market factors and business interests.

The energy policy of the Liberal government in 2002 prohibited BC Hydro from building new, publicly owned electricity plants the way it did before the Liberals took power. The best locations to develop hydro electricity in the province, found by research-funded by taxpayers’ dollars, were given to private electricity companies. The provincial government then entered into agreements lasting 15-40 years with private electricity companies to buy electricity from them at a price double the expected market price.

In 2006 the average price of electricity in the contracts signed by the provincial government through BC Hydro was $87.50/MWh. Since the price in the contract was indexed, it will increase as the price index rises. So by the year 2051, the price could increase to $124/MWh. In view of the present price we pay, at $63/MWh, and $37/MWh for big volume industrial users, future increases in electricity fees are inevitable. When electricity fees increase, the cost of business and our cost of living will rise.

Because of the investments made in hydro-electrical generation in the 60s and 70s, the cost of electricity production is $5.81/MWh today. If BC Hydro built its new plants by itself, the cost would be $42/MWh. Under the old policy, BC Hydro was able to bring hundreds of millions of dollars per year to the public treasury.

What made the Liberal government so eager to sign electricity contracts with private companies lasting 40 years at such high prices? Why are the best locations for power generation given to private companies?

In order to justify its policy, large sums of money were spent last year by BC Hydro to put up ads to create the false impression of a future “energy crisis.” However, it is difficult for the B.C. Liberal Party to hide the real possibility that it is transferring rewards to its supporters.

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7 comments:

The Sentinel said...

You want play censor now, eh.

Freedom of speech is a shallow fraud here.

If these idiots disagree with you they delete your posts.

DO NOT WASTE YOU TIME.

kootcoot said...

Sentinel (or is it David?) you are too boring.

Coyote said...

Sentinel/David, whichever it is you are currently going by, being a wacko is bad enough-, but boring, predictable and calling women here "slags" is not going to be tolerated.

Other than that, one wacko racist and Son of God claimant, more or less, we can handle and are used to dealing with. :-)

We are prepared to tolerate and even engage with a New Age Fascist such as yourself, so long as you don't start to think and act like you can dictate to or control us. And you play games with peoples' identities here and other chain jerking aspects of this site, nothing, not even freedom of speech is absolute, we'll shut you down.

If we can agree to that, we'll open the gate for you again. Otherwise, you're fucking outta here.

Anonymous said...

Getting rid of sentinel is long overdue. Kick `em block`em forget about him.

Coyote said...

folks,

Until we get this Sentinel character successfully isolated, I have to ask you to tolerate the inconvenience of this being a "moderated" site for awhile. It's the only way, at his moment, of our keeping him out of here.

"Moderation" means, I have to personally review each message before it gets posted. And if Mrs Coyote has me by the ear and is leading me from store to store, there may be some delay posting your comments. (A damned annoyance.)

In any case, if this guy is whom we have come to believe he is, from some important clues he has given us, we may yet have an interesting story to tell you about this particular New Age Fascist. Once it is all confirmed out.

Anonymous said...

You`re doin` the work man
I trust your judgement..this is turning out to be a fine little magazine..(except for the pinky rose magenta color)..is there a nice gray..or a muted brown?

Bruno

Coyote said...

8-d lol: The ladies of the site, and I, like the "pinky rose magenta color".

"...a nice gray...or a muted brown"!!!

My god man, you need to spend more time on the Home Decorating channel, with those "designing men".

The pink is a little candyass, I 'fess,but red,or black, or red and black just wouldn't work. But grey or brown...! No, joie de vivre. :-)