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By Gordon Campbell Premier of Dec. 18, 2008 (772 words) |
2008 will go down as a memorable
year for
It is hard to believe how much the
world has changed since this time last year. A year ago the price of gas was
between $1.05-1.10. Today it’s 80 to 85 cents.
A year ago there were tolls on the
A year ago there was an old three
lane bridge connecting Highway 97 across
A year ago, Abbotsford,
In the last year we have also seen
the results of years of work when we opened B.C.’s first new regional hospital
in 30 years – the
Although it’s apparent that together
we have built a stronger province, right now, in the midst of the global
economic turbulence, it is easy to lose sight of our collective strength. Most
people are worried about the effects the global economic turmoil will have on
their job and their family.
Through sound fiscal planning and
cautious budgeting, B.C. is better-prepared than almost any other jurisdiction
on the continent to manage these challenging times, but there is still no
question that we have felt the effects here.
That’s why we are focusing on a
comprehensive plan to support families and job-creating industries and ensure
our province emerges from this period of uncertainty stronger and more
competitive than ever.
We’ve accelerated tax cuts, giving
British Columbians a five per cent provincial income tax cut retroactive to
January 1, 2008. Those savings will show up in the 2008 tax returns of British
Columbians, putting more of the money you earn back in your pockets. And we’re
accelerating tax cuts for small businesses and increasing the commission paid
to businesses for collecting the PST and hotel room tax – measures that will
add directly to the bottom line of the small businesses that employ over one
million British Columbians.
We’re protecting RRSPs from
creditors. We’re developing a new private sector pension plan for the over 75
per cent of workers in B.C. who don’t currently have access to one. And we’ve
cut ferry fares by one-third for December and January to help British Columbians
traveling over the holidays.
The Community Development Trust is
funding new programs to support forestry employees by providing assistance for
tuition costs, and financial support to help workers bridge to retirement.
Another key part of our government’s
plan includes speeding up publicly-funded projects to keep as many of our
construction workers working as possible. Our goal is to be sure that we have
those steel-toed boots and hard hats out there building in your community. We
have announced a 20-fold increase in the budget for improvements and upkeep for
rural and resource roads. That will keep people at work in the short term while
other major projects are designed and approved for construction. Other highway
projects in every region of the province will also be pushed ahead. The Cariboo
Connector and Highways 1, 3, and 16 will be improved to get ready for the
expansions we expect in forestry, minerals and energy activity in the years
ahead.
Next year we open a
new
If we have confidence in one another, and
recognize that we have been through tough times before, we can set an example
as a province that thinks of our children and our grandchildren’s future even
as we face difficult times. We have done it before and I know we will do it
again because if the past few years have taught me anything it’s this: you
can’t go wrong having confidence in British Columbians.
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