British Columbia LNG Industry Falls Under The Weight of a B.C. Thriving High-Tech Sector

Patti Bacchus ‏@pattibacchus 3h3 hours ago

Is the push to get #bced students into LNG-related trades now going to shift to tech sector? That was quick. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/bc-government-adds-computer-coding-to-school-curriculum/article28234097/?

 

____________

I wrote years ago(may 7th 2013) in this post...

http://powellriverpersuader.blogspot.ca/2013/05/christy-clarks-lng-fantasy-reality-check.html

I wrote...

Written by Grant G

            What is going on with LNG for export development in British Columbia, it really is an important question?

For several years at least we have been hearing about our financial saviour in waiting, the LNG industry, in the last year this fledging industry`s rosy forecast have been front in center in expensive ad campaigns, the promise of a need for millions of workers, the promises of $trillions of dollars in revenue, numbers so large, numbers so lucrative that soon our roads will not only get the potholes fixed but be repaved with gold, wealth beyond our dreams, who needs "chump-change" tar sand coinage when British Columbia can start our own mint fueled by natural gas..

Why the delay, why the holdup, for years LNG producers have been talking a good game and they really have spread LNG promotional sauce liberally over the last 18 months, so why is nothing happening, why indeed..

Companies pitting countries against each other, the race to the bottom, who will giveth the most, who will look the other way while corporate corruption skews the books, plays the field and creates another corporate welfare industry......

Let`s look at Australia, $100s of billions of dollars have been and are being invested in LNG export terminals and related facilities, every LNG project from every company doing business in Australia, every single project is and has gone over-budget by 30%..40%..50% even by 100% in some cases...A Chevron LNG plant build, Chevron`s Gorgon LNG plant has ballooned from a $30 billion dollar build cost to now an estimated $60 billion dollars plus..And Chevron isn`t alone, every company building similar facilities have seen similar cost over-runs..Coincidence, bad luck, how about deliberate guile and deception, how about corruption, ingrained systemic corporate corruption..

What if I told you the Australian Government pays 30% of all LNG capital costs, meaning company X building an LNG export terminal in Australia, they budget $30 billion dollars for the build, $10 billion dollars of that money comes back to the company as tax breaks and or subsidies, and just imagine if the corporate petroleum industry and their many partners colluded to bring build costs up, and up, and up, projects all running 40%..50%..60%..100% over budget, with winks and nods and corporate guile company X doesn`t receive $10 billion dollars back from the $30 billion dollar build but receives back from Government(public tax dollars) a sum of $34 billion dollars on an inflated $100 billion dollar build..In a sense, systemic corporate corruption has found a legal loophole to have the general public in Australia pay for the entirety of the LNG plant builds...!

With a wink, with a nod, supplier A doubles his prices, producer Q triples his cost, all bills flow to the general corporate contractor where this excess gravy is skimmed right back to the general corporate builder.... It`s a ponzi scheme, exactly what is going on in the Alberta tar sands, the more oil production being done the financially poorer the province gets, British Columbia LNG exporters want in on the action,....

http://powellriverpersuader.blogspot.ca/2013/05/christy-clarks-lng-fantasy-reality-check.html

_______

The reason I posted a snippet from that 2013 article is thus....My crystal ball was correct..

 British Columbia LNG Industry Falls Under The Weight of a B.C. Thriving High-Tech Sector

The article below was  assembled by Grant G

I ran across this article.....Western Australia's LNG aspirations aren`t quite panning out they way Australia's politicians and industry spindoctors envisioned...Imagine that...

____________

IEA says profits are a pipe dream for $200b worth of Australian LNG projects.

Six liquefied natural gas projects under construction at a cost of $200 billion will struggle to break even because of the oil price slump, the International Energy Agency said, and there is little prospect of three in the planning stage going ahead.

The agency said even if oil prices recovered and averaged $US60 a barrel for the next few years, Australia's LNG industry – one of the world's biggest – will struggle to be profitable.

"In a $US60 oil environment the Australian projects will continue, but you are probably not breaking even," the IEA's senior gas expert, Costanza Jacazio, said in an interview from Paris. "Will anything else in Australia proceed beyond this next portion of projects? I think in this environment it is very unlikely."

Read more: http://www.afr.com/business/energy/oil/lng-projects-face-breakeven-battle-20150905-gjg0r7#ixzz3xaDoUYHy

___________

But there is so much more going on in Western Australia...All those operating LNG plants, with even more LNG liquefaction terminals under construction....Surely Western Australia must have their coffers stuffed to the brim...ah, perhaps not.

Western Australia's debt in 2009/2010 was....$9.90 billion...]

• 2010/2011 Western Australia's debt rose to ...$12.03 billion..
• 2011/2012 Western Australia's debt rose to....$14.52 billion
• 2012/2013 Western Australia's debt rose to....$18.19 billion
• 2013/2014 Western Australia's debt rose to....$27.75 billion
• 2015/2016 Western Australia's debt rose to....$31.00 billion

And guess what....

_______

Western Australia's Debt to peak in 2017-18 at $36.2 billion

Debt remains a major challenge for the Government and will peak in 2017-18 at $36.2 billion, before easing slightly the following year to $35.7 billion.

Rating agency Standard and Poor's said the budget had not changed its WA credit rating of AA+ with a negative watch.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-14/wa-state-budget-2015-forecasts-$2.7b-deficit/6463716

___________

Look fellow British Columbian's...Christy Clark, Rich Coleman and the entire BC Liberal team of scofflaws sold BCers a bill of goods...A 2013 election gambit where Christy Clark told BCers we would receive this from LNG...

Let Norm MacDonald tell us what Christy Clark promised British Columbia voters in 2013(election year).....Norm MacDonald wrote the below factual statement on January 14th/2016...A couple of days ago..

______________

MLA Report, by Norm Macdonald

The New Year is always a time to reflect and re-evaluate, and as your representative to the Legislature, I’ve been thinking a lot about public policy and public spending.

The BC Liberals promised a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) industry that would create 100,000 jobs, an end to sales tax in B.C., a trillion dollars in economic activity, the elimination of the provincial debt and a $100 billion Prosperity Fund, with up to 17 LNG plants, the first to be up and running in 2015.

Turns out that none of those promises were real; the BC Liberals have failed to deliver on every count.

Instead of debt elimination, or even reduction, our debt under the BC Liberals has grown from $30 billion up to $165 billion, with more debt to be accrued.

And now with LNG stalled, Premier Christy Clark is placing all our economic hopes on the Site C dam project, which likely will cost more than $10 billion to build.

http://www.revelstokemountaineer.com/mla-trans-canada-highway-better-for-b-c-job-creation-than-site-c-9867

___________

Western Australia, the home of all those LNG liquefaction terminals are racking up big public debt..

Perhaps Western Autralia's politicians are lavishing gifts upon the local populous....

Perhaps not!

Let's talk about all the Western Australia asset sales..you got it, just like the BC Liberals western Australia is selling public assets to help keep the ballooning debt under control...Ain`t working too well is it..

_______

The West Australian Government will unveil a new round of public asset sales in the state budget on Thursday.

Premier Colin Barnett has indicated there would be some "unexpected" asset sales as the state seeks to fund ongoing capital works and claw back its rising debt levels.

Ports in Kwinana and Port Hedland, along with 20 parcels of government land had already been marked for sale.
It has also talked up its intention to sell WA's TAB, the government-owned betting agency.

But with returns from those sales likely to be lower than expected, and a continuing program of capital works, the Government has cast the net wider.

"I think perhaps a little unexpected but clearly we do need to sell some assets for two reasons; one, to have the funds to invest in further government assets, we are a growing state, and also to reduce some of the debt levels," Mr Barnett said.

He said the Government would add new assets to the sales list, but he did not expect any significant impact on the public.

"I don't think the public would be greatly concerned," he said.
"If they have a concern, it's to ensure that any money raised from asset sales is well spent on further assets that only the Government can build and also used to retire debt."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-12/premier-flags-further-asset-sales-ahead-of-budget/6463178

______

Let me see if I have this correct...The Western Australia Government claims it is selling Government/public assets so it can fund the building and creation of MORE Government assets..

Amazing, I wonder if Christy Clark and Mike De Jong have relatives working in the Western Australia Government...We`ve seen this play before right here in B.C....Public assets sold for pennies on the $dollar..

Ok...So who needs to own those cumbersome assets...they are really a hassle to take care of..

At least the Western Australia Government isn`t raising every fee like the BC Liberals..You know..

ICBC rates being raised again..Ferry rates being raised again..BC Hydro rates being raised again..MSP premiums being raised again..Liquor taxes..Sin taxes..Wheelchair fees..Tuition increases.. ...Christy Clark...What a sweetheart..remember her 2013 election slogan, I do, and I quote..

"Families First"

For the life of me I don`t see British Columbia families getting anything first except the shaft...All the while the family of BC Liberal operatives, cronies and party donators are scoring big, big assets for the price of pennies...

But what about the land of Oz..Dat downunder place, is the Western Australia Government hammering Western Australia families with fee increases too...Indeed they are..

This next bit below was reported some time ago in this Straight Goods posting..

http://powellriverpersuader.blogspot.ca/2013/12/british-columbias-lng-nightmare-devil.html


___________


WA Budget: Premier Colin Barnett says state government has 'no choice' but to raise taxes

 http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/wa-budget-premier-colin-barnett-hints-of-wafer-thin-surplus/story-fnhocwho-1226692793527

__________

WA Government denies broken promises in budget

The WA Government concedes the state has a 'problem with debt', in handing down its first budget since the state election in March.

The Barnett Government expects to post a surplus of $386 million over the 2013/14 financial year, with debt predicted to rise to $22 billion. By the 2016/17 financial year, debt is expected to blow-out to $28.4 billion.

The Government has confirmed it will break two of its big-ticket election promises by not delivering its MAX light rail and airport rail link in time by its self-imposed 2018 deadline.
Instead, it has now given both projects an 'anticipated completion' in 2019.


As part of the Government's so-called Fiscal Action Plan, there will be a 12.5 per cent across-the board increase in land tax rates from 2013/14. This is expected to raise a total of $338 million over the four years to 2016/17.

The plan also includes the introduction of an ongoing program evaluation in the public sector, with targeted savings of $350 million over the next four years.


 Private motor vehicle registration fees will also jump a further $36 a year from January next year, after Mr Buswell revealed the Government will halve the $72 concession it currently provides. This is expected to raise an estimated $155 million over the forward years.


In a bid to save money, the Government will also target the popular solar feed-in tariff scheme, with Mr Buswell describing the current 40 cent per kilowatt customer payment rate as "overly generous".
From 1 October, the rate will drop to 30 cents and by 1 July next year it will reduce to 20 cents.

Mr Buswell also confirmed there will be changes to the State's first homebuyers' grant scheme.
Currently the Government provides $7,000 for purchases of both new and established properties. Under the changes, the grant for established homes will drop to $3000...
_____________

Western Australia credit rating downgraded..
___________

WA loses its AAA credit rating as revenue declines and debt blows out

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-18/wa-loses-aaa-credit-rating/4965982

_________

Ok, credit rating downgrades after 10`s of $billions in LNG investment, Western Australia has been exporting natural gas for decades, Western Australia is the petro-state of Australia..

We need to see and learn the lesson of this Dutch Diseased petro state, ...

Back in 2008 a "Royalties for Regions" program was created...25% of the state`s mining and petroleum royalties would be set aside for the rural areas, ...

One might consider Christy Clark and the BC Liberals proposed "prosperity Fund"  with promises of hundreds of $billions of dollars for future generations, all that money to come from LNG revenue..

Well eat my shorts...Western Australian Government is reneging on its commitment to the fund and is actually raiding the fund to try and get a handle on its ballooning debt..
____________

WA’s Royalties for Regions in the firing line

The fund was for regional spending above and beyond traditional government expenditure. Royalties for Regions is now enshrined in legislation.

But Mr Grylls, who is Regional Development Minister, said on Wednesday:

 “You will see changes to the [Royalties for Regions] program in our budget that recognises that the debt levels are pushing to a level we are concerned about.”

Mr Barnett told ABC Radio that Thursday’s state budget would be a “responsible budget fitting the times” and hinted there could be further increases in charges, after utility charges, motor vehicle fees and public transport fares had already risen.

Since its inception Royalties for Regions has paid for everything from a $250,000 talking-musical public toilet to a $1 billion promise to convert Karratha and Port Hedland into advanced regional cities. Last financial year $1.2 billion was allocated to Royalties for Regions, with a further $4.7 billion expected in the coming four years.

But the program is yet to spend its 25 per cent royalty allocation entirely because it has succumbed to an “efficiency dividend” since 2009, hiving off a portion of expenditure.

The government may look to use Royalty for Regions funds, or funding previously quarantined under the “efficiency dividend”, to finance agricultural election promises.

The Nationals promised $300 million over five years to improve infrastructure, and for research and development and marketing. The Liberal government committed more modest expenditure, including $20 million for a biosecurity fund and a similar R&D fund.

____________

So not only is the Western Australia Government despite massive LNG investment and record natural gas exports drowning in debt, they are assaulting and scooping back royalties that were promised to rural areas as an appeasement for fracking and major industry, Western Australia has had their credit rating downgraded...Taxes have been raised on home-owners, car insurance, grants taken away, taxes taxes and more taxes and now the Government is dipping into the once shielded royalty monies promised to rural areas..

The Western Australian recently elected Government has also reneged on almost every election promise made...Check out this shocking list of WA Government`s broken election promises..


 http://www.brokenpromises.org.au/

___________

Again, all that was reported and documented in this Straight Good's posting..

http://powellriverpersuader.blogspot.ca/2013/12/british-columbias-lng-nightmare-devil.html

______

Western Australia' "royalties for regions" program is their version of a "prosperity fund"..

The WA Government reneged on those promises and with the LNG industry in the dumper don`t expect any contributions in the near future...Guess what else is coming due in Western Australia..?

That`s right...All those expensive LNG liquefaction terminals get to write-off their build costs against taxes owed...But but but...Since those operations will be losing money not only will they be paying zero tax they will also be claiming tax credits and....And they`ll be deferring future tax liabilities against their present financial losses...

In other words, all Western Australia gained with those LNG terminals being constructed was short term employment....

Those down-under folk will now be paying through the nose with new taxes and fees, and they`ll be seeing public assets sold....Sold for the stated purpose of raising money for new assets...

Christy Clark...Are you sure you aren`t advising the Western Australia`s Government on how to sell the public bafflegab?....  

I'm not too sure how much longer the BC Liberals can keep the LNG spin and bafflegab going...However..

It looks a new BC Liberal 2017 gambit is being created...Bring on the high-tech industry $100 billion dollar prosperity fund..

____________

The B.C. government will unveil plans Monday to introduce computer coding in its school curriculum, addressing a chronic skills shortage in one of the few areas of the Canadian economy that is doing well – technology.

Premier Christy Clark will announce the change as part of a broader strategy to deliver more support to the province’s tech sector. It’s a shift for a government whose economic agenda has largely focused on natural resources, though B.C.’s flourishing tech sector employs 86,000 people – more than forestry, mining and oil and gas combined. The government unveiled the first piece of the strategy last month, creating a $100-million venture fund to finance startups.

 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/bc-government-adds-computer-coding-to-school-curriculum/article28234097/

____________

Read this again...

"though B.C.’s flourishing tech sector employs 86,000 people – more than forestry, mining and oil and gas combined"

So, BC`s high-tech industry employs more people than mining, forestry and oil n gas industry combined..

I have a sneaking suspicion that LNG is about to fall off the BC Liberal's talking points cheat sheet..

The real story on the future of BC`s LNG industry is here..

http://powellriverpersuader.blogspot.ca/2015/08/british-columbia-and-lngs-last-gaspa.html

The Straight Goods

Cheers Eyes Wide Open 

NDP In British Columbia, Time For New Faces, Time For Guts

__________

January 17-2016


I wrote this post shortly after Adrian Dix's monumental election failure in 2013....The reason why I`m reposting is twofold...Firstly, the last Robin Mathews article is very important....

http://powellriverpersuader.blogspot.ca/2016/01/canada-colonial-curse-part-ii-british.html

The legislature does not have to be open for the BC NDP opposition to make noise, a whole lot of noise..Scream, holler and get articles aired, even if you have to pay to get them posted.....Secondly...There is no doubt the majority of BC`s legislative reporters and writers are wholly owned by the BC Liberals..Isn't that correct Sean Leslie...No argument from you Keith Baldrey and Tommy Fletcher..What a joke..A strident fossil fuel pimp, an industry whore, Tom Fletcher walks around with bleeding knuckles..Ala Dragger...

So Mr. Horgan...Why on earth would you grant those bought BC Liberal press agents year-end interviews..Tell them to go to hell..Refuse to even talk to them..When media personalities show such blatant disregard to the truth, to facts, when corporate spin and echo chamber journalism replaces honesty, integrity in writing...When that happens it's time to distance oneself from those spineless whores..

The BC NDP during the 2013 election writ period told the media that the gravy train of $millions of taxpayer $dollars for partisan advertising is over under a NDP Government....Great move Adrian Dix....That ensured bad press for sure...When are you going to get smart...Get elected first then tell the corrupt media the gravy train is over!.... ...

This post is a gentle reminder to the newest NDP Leader....John Horgan

Below is that June 3rd 2013 posting

_____________

NDP In British Columbia, Time For New Faces, Time For Guts

Written by Grant G

Adrian Dix the defeated, the beaten and laughing stock of politics, the face of humiliation, and still today BC`s NDP is making excuses for the devastating loss..

Here`s a newsflash to the NDP brass,  Adrian Dix told all media entities during the 2013 election writ that the gravy train of feeding $millions of taxpayer dollars for needless Government advertising was over under a elected NDP Government, what Adrian Dix is actually doing is destroying the 2017 NDP, destroying what`s left of the party before the smoke even clears.....Hello idiots in charge, you told the media that the gravy train was over, what did you expect the media to do, to applaud, to thank you, the media is financially distraught now, they, the media haven`t forgotten and won`t, you will get no favorable press from here to eternity, so don`t play nice, call them out, fight damn it fight!

Michael Smyth and Vaughn Palmer have been busy ridiculing the party, there is no being contrite or civil, the media smells blood and is proceeding in defining the party as a bunch of sad sacks 4 years before the next election, and without a plan, without executing a plan the NDP in British Columbia are officially dead..

Moe Sihota`s time at the trough needs to come to an abrupt end, Moe didn`t deliver any of the Asian vote, his relevance is gone, the one-time street fighter politico`s fire has become but a weak flint on a dead Bic lighter, Brian Topp has suffered back to back defeats, he needs to distance himself from the party.

Bill Tieleman still refuses to take any responsibility in placing a flawed candidate into a leadership position, even worse, Bill Tieleman during the writ refused to admonish his employer, that being 24 hours and Sun News Media, Bill Tieleman showed that he doesn`t possess a backbone, Sun News faked a front page advertisement as news, Sun News called Adrian Dix`s wife a beatnik and loser, Bill Tieleman if he was a true journalist, and true to the party would have at least blasted Ezra Levant and 24 hours in a column, he did neither, Adrian Dix didn`t admonish Sun News either, if someone attacked Alex Tsakumis`s wife like that, knowing Alex the way I do Alex would be swinging for the fences, if you won`t fight for what is right what good are you, I may disagree with Alex Tsakumis and many other online writers but I appreciate those who possess a backbone, those who fight, those who will burn a bridge for the right reasons regardless of the financial loss..

What good was Tieleman, a statement of integrity would be to tell 24 hours  to go to hell, to tell Sun News to go to hell, Tieleman and Dix stood back and accepted the status quo, today on CKNW Gord MacDonald at 3:06 pm during the weather report with Mark Madryga both had a chuckle over Adrian Dix, for goodness sake Adrian Dix is now being ridiculed by the weather guy, when the weather guy starts laughing at you the time has come, the time to go..

I don`t care if CKNW decides to ban any appearance by any NDPers in the future, one must phone them up and tell them to go to hell, CKNW chased Tieleman away during the HST referendum, and...And Tieleman took it on the chin, he responded by saying nothing, he was gracious as the other side cheated, perhaps he was hoping for a future gig, he never called them out for their actions.

Cavorting with the enemy seems to be the new commonplace activity with the NDP, the good old boys club who continue to grease each other`s palms, Jim Sinclair fought the good fight, Susan Lambert fought the good fight, agree or disagree with either of them at least they fought tooth and nail and didn`t care who they insulted, they said what needed to be said, those two individuals stood up and stuck their faces out, straightened their backbones and dared those who disagreed to knock them down, The Straight Goods fought for Gabriel Yiu, Ross K fought for Jane Shin, yet the biggest backroom names in the party, and the biggest frontroom names in the party bowed down and played dead..Adrian Dix, Moe Sihota, Bill Tieleman, Jan O`brien, Brian Topp and others wilted and shriveled on the vine...No one fought..

And today the media has vowed to so demoralize the party, to define the 2017 party years in advance of that election, it`s time for average party members to come together and remove these faces and voices from representative roles, if Adria Dix can`t get mad at media for calling his wife a beatnik freak he will never fight for anyone, including the public, today the Coquitlam school board announced 80 odd positions removed, assistants and special ed teachers, this to balance a budget, where was the NDP leader today screaming at the press, screaming at the BC Liberals.

I am calling for John Horgan to make his intentions known, are you wanting leadership yes or no? we can`t wait, we can`t let the media define the party for the next 2 years while the party drifts aimlessly,..

No one wants to fall on their sword, Tieleman and David Schreck refused to call out CKNW for their actions, why?..For fear of being removed, what better statement to the media and the public, that being the voting public than to tell CKNW and Sun News to go to hell, tell them that you won`t appear on a partisan agenda filled station and play chicken little..

We need a NDP leader that tells the media that they are bias, corrupt, call them liars when they do in fact lie..Call them out for not reporting the truth, like what the hell happened to David Black`s refinery proposal, where are the LNG jobs, where are the ship-building jobs, where..

No, the sound of silence, the fight left to bloggers like Rafe Mair, Ross K, Kootcoot, The Sixth Estate, Disaffected Lib and many others..

If I was paid to write for anyone and they did a hatchet job on my wife, daughter, brother or sister I would tell them off, on air, make a statement, I would show some integrity and walk away, not go to bended knee for a few dollars, where is the courage, the integrity, who today has guts, a statement of meaning and courage would be Tieleman, and or any NDP representative to tell Sun News to go to hell, no, I won`t appear and here is the reason why..

We live in a word lacking in integrity, lacking in courage, those who go to bended knee for the sake of a few dollars, how far, how low, how desperate, when will you take a stand, how far must you be pushed before you rise up and say enough is enough, you are corrupt, you are liars, incompetent, agenda filled...

Maybe the days of honour are gone, days of courage no more, the NDP of British Columbia need to decide today whether they are prepared to fight, prepared to place people in charge who want to win, place faces in charge who will stop at nothing short of illegalities to achieve its goal..

 "John Horgan.MLA" <John.Horgan.MLA@leg.bc.ca>,

I urge everyone interested in fighting for a new invigorated NDP without Moe Sihota, without Brian Topp advising, without Jan O`brien speaking for, without Schreck and Tieleman milktoasting pundits speaking for the NDP to email John Horgan and urge him to run..

Until new direction is shown, new leadership and new faces and a purging of failed politicos who refuse to fall on their sword this Persuader refuses to support the party, and more, I will actively campaign against the party unless new direction and purpose is shown....

"Adrian Dix Beats Christy Clark"  that headline was misplaced and fictional....... the mainstream media Headline in April of 2011 when Adrian Dix became leader should not have been this  "Adrian Dix Beats Christy Clark"   .....The headline in 2011 should have been this...

"Adrian Dix, flawed candidate steals NDP leadership and destines the party to perpetual defeat"

The Straight Goods

Cheers Eyes Wide Open

Canada: The Colonial Curse-Part II ----British Columbia: The Province Without A Parliamentary Opposition Party

British Columbia: The Province Without A Parliamentary Opposition Party

Written by Robin Mathews

             
Looking with suddenly unclouded vision at the politics of British Columbia, a person sees – probably for the first time (and with alarm) – that the province hasn’t had a Parliamentary Opposition Party present and at work for many years. The process in Mature Colonial States is that the Party in Power serves imperial (outside, and internally corrupt) interests.  And Opposition Forces serve the Party in Power (all guaranteed comfort, kinds of payoff, and approval) while pretending opposition.
Placed in a global context, that insight may not be completely surprising (more about that farther on), but....

with one’s face pressed against the window in British Columbia, the realization comes with a terrible shock ... because media and political make-believe have been so consistently
misleading.


The presence of an Opposition Party in B.C. would have meant dogged challenges and wholesale [almost “in the street”] battles and – perhaps – major and publicly rivetting court cases that would have deeply informed British Columbians and all other Canadians about the corrupt realities of the province ... even, occasionally, forcing the Conventional Press and Media to report truthfully.


      Where Has ‘Opposition’ Gone?

A central issue – which is not peculiar to British Columbia - is the history of the convergence and integration of so-called Right and Left parties across the Western World … brilliantly played out in B.C.


Without exhausting the list we can point to some important instances.  Ujjal Dosanjh, B.C. attorney general, was a principal actor in the alleged savaging of law and justice in the shameful (and extended) ‘Rightest’ (armed forces assisted) assault on First Nations people at Gustafsen Lake (1995). (Those people are now calling for a - long, long overdue - Public Inquiry.)

A little later as NDP premier of the province Dosanjh appeared to be serving the Liberal Party  – in the process of changing his allegiance and preparing to become a federal Liberal cabinet minister. 
The raw, and (I believe) wholly fraudulent trial of former premier Glen Clark required a raging Opposition to unveil the truth, to shred the “facts” of the trial and to force a Public Inquiry into RCMP investigations, press collusion, lawyer conduct (or misconduct), and the role of the courts.

The on-going desecration of Pacific offshore waters and the endless campaign about (foreign-owned fish-farms and) the ravaging of fish stocks – fronted by Alexandra Morton and supporters – should be a major plank in an Opposition Party’s platform - sponsoring flotillas of protest, street engagements, major public meetings, and – where possible – court actions against governments and corporations.
The slow, determined destruction of BC Hydro, its consistent, unacceptable accounting practices, its collusion with the run-of-the-river, (highly dubious) “sweetheart” deals … the move to the lunatic Site C dam policy – (excluding standard oversight and review) and more - require an unstinting and expertly driven Opposition program to educate and properly activate the voters of B.C. No such program exists … because no parliamentary Opposition Party exists in B.C.


It Gets Worse


The BC Rail Scandal involved a top-level, planned and carefully executed, criminal dismembering of BC Rail to prepare it for dumping. The pre-trial and trial of the three “selected” lower-level Sikh civil servants was a fraud and a sham from start to finish … a completely illicit, wildly expensive, stage-managed deception guided by an illegitimate Special Prosecutor. If a parliamentary Opposition Party had existed in B.C. – it would have so challenged every aspect of the monstrous sham that it would have toppled the Gordon Campbell “Liberal?” government.


The trial closed with what might be called, on the part of the Gordon Campbell government, a “bribe” of six million dollars to the accused and a slashing of charges against them in order to close the trial before the emerging truth of high government involvement was revealed. The source of the release of the six million dollars has never been revealed.  Premier Christy Clark and Shirley Bond (integrated into the criminal fraud) fought tooth and nail to keep the information from the Auditor General of B.C. … and they succeeded.  If a parliamentary Opposition Party had existed in B.C., that whole “payoff transaction” would have been exposed, illuminated, researched, tirelessly explained and connected until the Christy Clark government would have collapsed under the weight of public disapproval (and, perhaps, criminal charges).


There is much more: 


Destructive B.C. fossil energy policy, the endless BC Ferries corruption saga, ill treatment of teachers, nurses, children in government care, and the murder of Downtown Eastside women at the Picton Coquitlam pig farm.  That last was smoothly “inquired into” and covered in an endless fountain of words (by a former, highly dubious Liberal attorney general) to protect, it is alleged, high-level actors and police participants.  The existence of an active, critical parliamentary Opposition Party would have torn that whole charade into pieces – and forced the truth to the surface with staggering results.


 A Single Party in British Columbia



There has been no parliamentary Opposition Party in B.C. for many years.  British Columbians have to face that fact. There has been, for instance, the Carole James wing of the B.C. Liberal Party, the Adrian Dix wing of the B.C. Liberal Party, and now the John Horgan wing of the B.C. Liberal Party.  They insure … and have insured … the uninterrupted and almost amazingly corrupt tenure of what many believe are criminals at the helm of B.C. government.......

Without the existence of a B.C. parliamentary Opposition Party  – Corrupt International Corporate neo-Liberaldom – will be free to go on using the province as an endless, crony-enriching, colonial fiefdom.

Across The Western World


The integration of “the Left” into “the Right” has been a devastating, on-going process in the West.  Labour leader Tony Blair reshaped “Labour” in Britain – so well that he is considered by many there to be a War Criminal over his Iraq invasion policies and lies.  After more than ten years, voters recently elected what might be called a post-Clement Atlee Labour Leader, Jeremy Corbin, (aspersed by Tony Blair) who has to struggle against the Right in his own party in order to stay afloat and renew “Labour” values.

In Greece and Spain the Left political parties veered so dramatically from Left policy that new parties of the Left have been formed and are vying for meaningful power.  Their importance is crucial, for the tendency of the non-Left is to accommodate, to cooperate with, and to hand over government to the powerful Private (global) Corporate consortium that increasingly creates wars, destroys populations and guts environments – all in the pursuit of personal wealth (and, less visibly, Empire).  Gordon Campbell integrated B.C. into that process and Christy Clark continues his policies… (with a little bit of help from friends across the House).

Written by Robin Mathews


______________

The Straight Goods

Cheers Eyes Wide Open

Christy Clark and Pamela Martin, A Trip Through the Way Back Time Machine(Before and Now)

What would you do with a $trillion Dollars"

_______


I think it`s time to go back in the time machine and have a look at the not too distant past
The date...November 3rd/2014...The place, the British Columbia Legislature,..I present you one of the most affective NDP MLAs....Norm Macdonald....(for the life of me, I don`t understand how BC`s mainstream media could ignore this fact filled ball-busting recital of what hyperbole bullshit Christy Clark and her team of scofflaws have fed the electorate....and this was 2 years ago when Norm Macdonald said this ON THE PUBLIC RECORD....Actually, I know exactly why Norm Macdonald has been ignored by legislative gang(reporters and columnists?........They only report or print government spin, quotes and inane blather....Hello Balderdash!

From Hansard......
_______________


N. Macdonald: I rise to speak on Bill 6, the Liquefied Natural Gas Income Tax Act.

That was interesting. I'm not sure the minister actually read the bill if you're talking about the revenues that you still are trying to lay out in front of British Columbians. This bill is a year and a half late coming, and here it is. The reality is here before us to contrast with the frankly ridiculous rhetoric around LNG from this minister and from the Premier in particular, but really from all members — ridiculous rhetoric.

I would invite you to look at the bill and actually look at the numbers that we are talking about with this tax measure. The one thing that the B.C. Liberals needed to do in the so-called race for LNG was this bill. It's a year and a half late and a dollar short.

[1625]

In fact, it's more than a dollar short. The bill — this is it. This is the 2013 B.C. Liberal campaign in the flesh, and it sure looks different than what B.C. Liberal members promised to British Columbians. It looks a lot different.

HSE - 20141103 PM 036/klm/1625

The bill…. This is it. This is the 2013 B.C. Liberal campaign in the flesh, and it sure looks different than what B.C. Liberal members promised to British Columbians. It looks a lot different.

The B.C. Liberals ran on a promise. Before we get any further with this bill, let's just remember some of the things that were talked about: 100,000 jobs created by LNG, $1 trillion in economic activity. It ends the sales tax. It gets rid of $68 billion in debt. It creates a $100 billion prosperity fund, the first LNG plant by next year and 12 to 17 LNG plants.

That is completely, completely missing in this bill. This is the one bill that accomplishes that. The irony here is if I was to keep my campaign promise, I'd vote for this bill, and I do. This is exactly what I said we were likely to get. The sort of fiscal framework that is here is exactly what I said in my campaign and my colleagues said in their campaigns was likely going to happen.

It is the B.C. Liberal MLAs…. You were the ones who promised the $100 billion dollar prosperity fund. I looked for the Minister of Finance's promises on this. I could not find them. He is the one that is the most careful with what he said. Even in his speech here he didn't enter into the bluster of the minister of LNG, because he knows the reality. I would invite you to actually look at the numbers and see how ridiculous your campaign promises were, and understand that if you vote for this bill, you are breaking every one of those promises.

So read it. Read the bill and actually understand what you're voting for here. It is not my promises that are broken; it is your promises, and the Premier's promises, and the bluster of the minister of whatever — LNG, or whoever that was that was up in front of us — that was supposed to be giving us a somewhat sophisticated accounting of what this is.

I saw no sophistication. I saw no understanding of the complexity of this issue from that minister, which is disturbing. That's our best man on the job? Wow. That is a disturbing, disturbing concept for British Columbians.

You know, the B.C. Liberal candidates…. If you parroted the Premier's wild claims, then I am sure you can claim to be ill-informed. Fair enough. But if you weren't ill-informed, then you are not honest about the possibilities here. That's the reality. This bill confirms that clearly.

The thing is, I can actually vote for this and keep my promises. You can go, and you can look. They're on line — the debates we had, where the B.C. Liberal candidate was on and on about $100 billion this and no sales tax. I was going: "No. These are the actual possibilities that are available to us." That's what I see actually in this bill.

Look at some of these claims — 100,000 jobs claim. Members should read the Grant Thornton report. You should read it if you're serious about this job. The B.C. Liberals, the government, told Grant Thornton that they had to use certain assumptions. They said that you have to use the number of five LNG plants. Well, okay. Is there any basis for five rather than six or seven or three? No. It's an arbitrary number.

Then the B.C. Liberals said to Grant Thornton: "You have to use the number 2,400 as the number of jobs that would be provided by those five LNG plants and the pipelines needed to supply them." Did that number come from anywhere real? No. It was a made-up number.

Then the B.C. Liberals told Grant Thornton that they were required to use a multiplier of 30 for the indirect and induced jobs for each direct job. So that's the Grant Thornton…. Have a look at it and read it — a multiplier of 30. Just so you understand, a committee of the House of Representatives in the United States made similar reports. Their multiplier was 3.5. This is a credible group that instead of using a multiplier of 30, used a more realistic number of 3.5.

So the 100,000-person claim is completely not factual. It is not factual. You wouldn't have to look very hard to actually understand that. So if you are doing your job, have a look at that report and the Ernst and Young report as well. Look at the front, where they say, "Hey, all we're doing is taking numbers the B.C. Liberals gave us and doing the math. Don't blame us for everything else."

[1630]

But what I can say to members

HSE - 20141103 PM 037/alw/1630

have a look at that report and the Ernst and Young report as well. Look at the front, where they say: "Hey, all we're doing is taking numbers the B.C. Liberals gave us and doing the math. Don't blame us for anything else."

What I can say to members: "If you took your job seriously, you would actually have a look at that." B.C. Liberals say it's 30. U.S. House of Representatives say one-eighth of that amount is a multiplier. There's something completely dishonest about throwing around fake multipliers, fake numbers of LNG plants.

Let's just use common sense here. An operating LNG plant employs 120 people on average. It's like a pulp mill. In fact, Skookumchuck, which is an average-sized pulp mill, employs 290 employees in my riding. That is one LNG plant — 120. So when the minister stands up and asks us to believe that five of those change everything in British Columbia, in Canada, at what point do you say that's ridiculous and irresponsible for a minister to say that? 

I think you would have said it a long time ago, right?

Let's go to the finance side and actually look at this bill. This tax bill imposes on an LNG plant, according to the Minister of Finance, as follows — and you can look on page 12 of the minister's briefing: "Six to eight years after the LNG plant is built and operating." This government promised 2015. We are nowhere near 2015 for an opening. So if one does open, then six to eight years after it is built and operating you get between $100 million and $125 million. That is the type of money that we're talking about with this bill, okay?

It sounds big to most people — I get it — until you understand that the annual operating budget of this province is — what? — $44 billion. As well, you have capital spending that varies year to year. We are talking about huge sums when you compare it to the tax that comes with this bill from an LNG plant — huge sums and a massive disparity. How does $125 million per year starting next decade get rid of the province's debt, which is $69 billion now, and it's growing at a record rate. In fact, for this Premier it has gone up, in her short term, $15 billion or $16 billion. The Premier.... On top of that there's another $100 billion in financial obligations.

These B.C. Liberals ran on the notion that this bill here would eliminate the debt; $125 million per LNG plant starting six to eight years after a plant is built and operating gets rid of $69 billion. Now, if there's any thinking person on that side that's listening to this, explain how that is going to work. You must know it's impossible. So if you vote for this bill, you are putting into place the reality that is at complete odds with what you ran for in the last election — complete odds. Not me. This is what I said approximately.... This is what was going to happen, right?

The provincial sales tax. Wow, the provincial sales tax. We're going to get rid of the provincial sales tax with this — $100 million to $125 million six to eight years from now, with an LNG plant giving you between $100 million and $125 million. Do the math on that; $6 billion per year comes in — provincial sales tax. Not only that, we're also going to get rid of the debt and contractual obligations. Okay.

These B.C. Liberals said this. They said $125 million per LNG plant collected six to eight years after they are up and operating will also lead to a $100 billion prosperity fund. The Premier said it, like two weeks ago, about the prosperity fund. Again, just do the math on it. We are going to take this $100 million to $125 million per LNG plant in six to eight years, and somehow you get rid of the debt. You get rid of the provincial sales tax. You get rid of any need to worry about money ever in the future because you have a $100 billion prosperity fund.

[1635]

If B.C. Liberals were

HSE - 20141103 PM 038/mjh/1635

get rid of the provincial sales tax. You get rid of any need to worry about money ever in the future because you have a $100 billion prosperity fund. So if B.C. Liberals were honest, they would vote against this bill, because it doesn't come close to getting you there.

This was always dishonest, to me, for the B.C. Liberals to promise untold billions, and we ended up with a bill that gives us a relative pittance. The irony is that that works for me. This is what I said was the reality. This is the reality.

On page 4 of the minister's LNG income tax briefing documents, the B.C. Liberals try to explain how they got it all wrong. I would invite members to go and look at the briefing documents. They're there, page 4.

Now, what was not known years ago? What is the big surprise that we see on page 4, and how big a surprise was it to anybody who knew anything about the natural gas markets? None of these factors are not there as issues in world journals from five, six, seven years ago. It was simple, and I thank the library for doing it. I just asked them: "Could you go back five, six, seven years and send me articles from around the world on the LNG issue?" They did. They were fantastic about it.

What do you see? All the factors that apparently surprised the Minister of Finance are there in articles. They're not new. This was always a very fluid market. Pricing was all over the place. The factors that were laid out are not surprises, really. The $400 billion pipeline deal between China and Russia — it is regularly predicted. They're talking about how long it's taking to get to that deal. Now, the actual day it was announced — that was a bit of a surprise. But that they were working on that deal — no surprise at all.

Other central Asia natural gas plays. The pipelines to China. Turkmenistan is already China's biggest supplier of natural gas and plans to double exports to China by 2020. China's reserves are well known. That's not new. Australia, Qatar, East Africa, U.S. LNG activities — they were all well known. People here know that natural gas prices fell dramatically in North America over the past decade as new techniques increased North American natural gas supply. Our critic actually spoke about the topic, unlike the minister responsible for liquefied natural gas, who put no content towards the bill. There was a tremendous amount of content in what our critic said.

Henry Hub is the North American pricing tool. Asia uses the Japanese Crude Cocktail, too. It's a tool that was oil-based, and therefore, there were pricing differences between North America and Asia, which you could take advantage of if we could get our natural gas to Asia. As members here should know, to transport across the ocean on ships, it has to be condensed, so natural gas is liquefied by cooling it to minus 161. To build the liquefication plants, there is a need to invest billions, and it takes a fairly long time to get them up and going. There are pipelines as well.

The price differential between North America and Asia is the key. If prices in Asia get to around $10 per million Btu, then the economics do not work for the B.C. LNG industry. That's something the government can't control. It's just the reality that we likely face. Most agree that that's about the price point that's important.

For a while we were at $18 per million Btu in Asia, but that was always ephemeral. That was always something that we knew was moving. A spike in Chinese demand compounded by the temporary shutdowns of the Japanese nuclear program following the tsunami and the Fukushima problems — all of these were things that caused a spike in prices in Asia. But that pricing difference window, I think most would agree, has for the most part passed, and we are at the $10 per million Btu mark in Asia now or close to it.

None of that should be a surprise to anyone who was informed about these markets. Even a casual observer should know that. As far back as 2011, contracts into Asia based on Henry Hub pricing were taking place rather than JCC. It goes back as far as 2011.

[1640]

The Premier on February 2013 told a conference that we would get $250 billion in tax

HSE - 20141103 PM 039/jag/1640

on Henry Hub pricing was taking place rather than JCC. So it goes back as far as 2011.

The Premier, in February 2013, told the conference that we would get $250 billion in tax revenue from LNG in the decade ahead. At that conference.... It was not only that it would get rid of the sales tax; it would create a $100 billion prosperity fund. It was even cutting personal income tax and getting rid of the provincial debt. That was what the B.C. Liberals ran on.

This bill brings in $100 million to $125 million per year per LNG plant, six to eight years after it is built. That is the reality, and you cannot move past those numbers. You cannot get anywhere close to what the Premier continues to claim and, presumably, the LNG minister continues to claims and reality. These things never will fit together.

If you as the B.C. Liberal.... If you vote for this, then you are not getting half of what you promised. You're not getting a quarter. You are not getting one-thousandth of what you went to the doorstep and promised people if they would vote for you. That is the reality with this bill. 

So there you are. You are literally taking one-thousandth of what you promised in the last election. It's like thud, thud. This is it. Well, okay.

You know, with Bre-X — if you're from my generation, you remember Bre-X — it all fell apart when the reality became clear. So an election's like a sales pitch, right? It's all words, all hope. It's really exciting, especially when the sales pitch includes salting the claims, which is an awful lot what took place there. But in the end with Bre-X, there was no gold, and here there is no end to sales tax, there is no $100 billion prosperity fund, and there is no end to — what is it? — $168 billion if you combine the debt with the contractual obligations. You know, there's no gold. That's the reality.

It is just a bill that gets, if it's successful, and we.... You hope it's successful. It's a marginal amount of money.

Here's the problem that I have with the initiative. There's something wrong, first, that as a governing body so much of our discussion, so much of our conversation here is built around complete fantasy. We should be talking about things that are real. The only way that we move forward in a meaningful way is if the debate is intelligent and honest. This debate, especially when the Premier launches into flights of fantasy, is anything but. We need to have honest, honest debate.

You need to not just focus on something that really is not going to produce the results that are claimed. It should be one of many things that this government pursues. If you look at the list of missed opportunities, it's disturbing what you see.

With forestry, where I was the critic, there were so many things that we could be doing in forestry that would be good for the economy. I talked about an LNG plant being equal to a pulp plant. It's in some cases equal to a normal mill. In Nanaimo shutting down that mill — that's 100 jobs that we had. All we had to do was try to find a way to make that work.

What about Harmac? I see the member from Nanaimo.... Understand with Harmac that there is a need to keep that integrated industry moving, and it wouldn't take much. There was a government that created that integrated industry, and there should be a government that protects it. Those are real jobs that can be protected.

There are jobs in reforestation that we don't take advantage of. There are jobs getting accurate inventory. There are jobs available with new products, all exciting, that should not just be forgotten about because we're chasing something that, while it offers some opportunity, is nowhere near what this government claims it is.

[1645]

There are opportunities in forestry, and I've had the pleasure to become the critic for mining. It was an unfortunate time to step in, in many ways, with Mount Polley, but as a critic for mining, it's a wonderful opportunity to go and see what's going on in the province. There are some exciting things. I've been fortunate. I mean, Imperial, Teck, Nyrstar, Hillsborough —  they've been tremendous about showing me what they have.

HSE - 20141103 PM 040/clf/1645

a critic for mining, it's a wonderful opportunity to go and see what's going on in the province. There's some exciting things. I've been fortunate. Imperial, Teck, Nyrstar, Hillsborough: they've been tremendous about showing me what they have.

What are the things that they're looking for? Well, they want permitting to come faster. They want, actually, compliance, inspections — these things — to be done properly. But the government doesn't do them properly. The government hasn't done them properly. Instead, there is this focus on a fantasy of five, six, 12…. I don't even know what the LNG minister said was the possibility, but it's detached from reality. I do know that. I think anybody who follows this knows that it's detached from reality.

What about other opportunities with LNG? What about other opportunities? Because there are some. That natural gas is there; the price is low. There is the opportunity in Revelstoke, for instance, to replace propane with LNG. There are other communities. For instance, while we're sending natural gas to China, my communities — Invermere, Canal Flats, Golden — don't have natural gas. Now, the economics just possibly aren't there, but there are possibilities. Maybe that is a good way to build the economy here locally.

But for that to take place, there would have to be a venue for intelligent debate on some of these issues. I would say that this is one of the biggest failures for this government, that its walk of fantasy of talking about numbers that are completely unreal means that this House cannot have an honest debate — let's be frank — about skills training, an honest debate about forest policy, about mining. All of those are impossible because the government has to stick to this fantasy of $100 billion prosperity funds and no sales tax.

The minister has said we'd be the envy of all jurisdictions if we didn't have a sales tax. Well, Alberta doesn't have a sales tax — right? There are other jurisdictions that don't have MSP. In fact, I think all of them don't have MSP. There are lots of other jurisdictions that are doing just fine. I bet a debate on potash in Saskatchewan or a debate on oil policy in Alberta would not be this devoid of fact from the leading minister and the leader of the government. I cannot imagine that there's any other jurisdiction that has such ridiculous statements made by people who should know better.

Let's just come to the essence of this. The essence of it is, as a bill…. It's on the public record. You can actually…. I'm sure you've got 200 or 300 people that watch to see if we say anything stupid so you can retweet it. Actually, I would invite those public servants that B.C. Liberals have in such great numbers to actually go…. You can go on websites where they still have the debates that we had from the 2013 election. What you will see is me and other members of this House basically saying that LNG is something that has potential. It has potential but the challenges are real. The challenges are real, and one simply has to work towards this, dare I say, one practical step at a time. You just need to do that work — and fair enough.

I guess, as an election promise, that's a tough sell, but that is the reality. That's the reality that this bill represents.

So, Members, if you're serious about your job, look at the numbers. Look at the pages that are there in front of you in the Minister of Finance's own presentation. Look on page 4, on page 12. Six to eight years after one LNG plant is built, you get $100 million to $125 million. How does that get you to getting rid of the debt of $69 billion? How does that get rid of the sales tax of $6.7 billion per year? How does that give you a $100 billion prosperity fund? All of that really is, frankly, ridiculous.

So here we are. This bill will proceed. I think the essence of it is really in the detail.

[1650]

I will say a couple things about the Minister of Finance. First off, as I said, I did look for him making those outlandish quotes, and they may be there. I couldn't find them, so it seems that he is a bit more wedded to reality than

HSE - 20141103 PM 041/jah/1650

finance.

First off, as I said, I did look for him making those outlandish quotes, and they may be there. I couldn't find them. It seems that he is a bit more wedded to reality than the Premier, but okay. That's one thing. I didn't hear it in his speech. As well, I think that, given that, he's a bit more straightforward in terms of the reality than others.

We have an opportunity. It is an opportunity that we need to take advantage of but not to the exclusion of all others. As I said, for this bill, it pretty well matches what I thought would happen. For B.C. Liberals, with this, it is the end of any chance that you are going to come close to your election promises. 

I just don't think that matters to you at all, frankly, but let's say that it did. You might want to read this. You might want to ask a few tough questions to the people that were telling you to talk about $100 billion prosperity funds, no sales tax, getting rid of the debt. I mean, all of that was something that's simply never going to happen. With that, here we are. I look forward to the work that will be done in committee stage by our critic.

The other thing I'd like to say is I do know and I'd like to recognize that the Minister of Finance did set up a number of opportunities for members to be informed on this bill. I think that that needs to be acknowledged. It should happen as a matter of course. It doesn't always. In this case I think that that's important to acknowledge as well.

With that I take my place, and I look forward to the debate as we go on here

_________

And in other LNG news, guess what LNG Canada is saying about Shell`s proposed LNG plant...on how much taxation they will pay British Columbia...Shell Canada will pay B.C. "$94 million dollars per year" during construction and a whopping $15 million dollars per year once in operation....At that rate Brtish Columbia could have a 1000 LNG plants and still never come close to the BC Liberal`s outlandish election promises...Grant G)"Though those taxes will fall to $15 million annually once in operation, according to LNG Canada"

read the details here


 http://www.vancouversun.com/business/natural-gas/Canada+boasts+green+characteristics+Kitimat+project/10350532/story.html

($15 million per year, let`s see, 10 years at $15 million is $150 million....30 years $450 million...MSP premiums, a tax no other province has brings in $2 billion per year.....Yea..BC Liberals couldn`t run a peanut stand..! 

As written here for the last 3 years, the BC Liberals bullshitted the electorate...There will be no debt retirement, no prosperity fund, no sales tax elimination, no 100,000 jobs, all bullshit, all con, aided and abetted by the VANCOUVER SUN, GLOBAL tv, CTV AND CKNW, we will be lucky if this LNG industry doesn`t bankrupt public accounts and poison our air....Grant G..)
Thanks for that Norm MacDonald.

_____________________

Here we folks....We have returned from the time machine.....phew...That was a wild ride

And where are we today, January 9th/2016....No export terminals operating..No FIDs..No shovels in the ground.....Norm Macdonald mentioned Japan will soon restart their nuclear plants..they have been restarted, Japan as an LNG market is kaput...

Norm Macdonald also mentioned in his November 3/2014 debate what the price for LNG was in Japan..It was $10 per MMBTUs...

Norm Macdonald stated the fact that Petronas couldn`t make a profit at $10 dollars...Hmmm...,,,Just what is the lastest price for LNG in Asia, as in January 2016?

Well...If Petronas can`t make a return on investment with a $10 price...I wonder how they will fare with these prices....Courtesy of Reuters ...

____________

GLOBAL LNG-Prices slip on weak winter demand, global glut of supplies

• Limited LNG demand seen from China, Argentina
• Standard Life to vote against Shell's takeover of BG Group

Jan 8 Asian liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices fell further this week amid a global supply glut, extending 2015's trend, despite pockets of fresh demand from China and Argentina.

The price of Asian spot cargoes for February delivery was pegged at $6.50 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), down from $6.90 at the end of last year. Traders said prices for March were even lower, with one trader saying prices for summer months have fallen below $5.00.


"LNG has been falling off a cliff the last few weeks," one trader said.
A wave of LNG set to hit the market from new projects in the U.S. and Australia, along with falling oil prices, kept sentiment bearish despite some fresh demand from China, which purchased some cargoes to meet demand driven by colder weather, and Argentina's tender to buy nine cargoes for January to March delivery.
Oil prices plunged to 12-year lows on Thursday after China allowed its yuan currency to slip, sending stock markets tumbling globally.



Amid a global supply glut of LNG, U.S.-based Cheniere Energy is set to load its first cargo next week, the first U.S. export of LNG, as domestic drilling booms.


Also on the supply side, the Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG) project delayed its first commercial cargo, racking up costs for China's Sinopec Corp, which has had a tanker waiting to load for more than two weeks.

Traders said the cause of the delay was not clear.
Royal Dutch Shell's $49 billion acquisition of BG Group, creating the world's largest LNG shipper, is facing resistance from Shell shareholders with Standard Life saying it will vote against the acquisition. (Reporting by Sarah McFarlane;


http://www.reuters.com/article/global-lng-idUSL8N14S39M20160108



_________

Christy Clark and her gang of grifters might want to rethink Site C Dam...I have a sinking feeling British Columbia is about to get shut out of the LNG industry(which is a good thing)....But we`ll be stuck with a $15 billion dollar plus bill for Site C....

"Food for thought"

The Straight Goods

Cheers Eyes Wide Open