newsonaut
Turning inner space into outer space
Monday, May 16, 2011
Where do our taxes go? The bubbles tell all
The City of Kamloops has published its draft financial plan for 2011-2015. You can check out the PDFs, but I figured it would be cool to create a bubble visualization using the tools at Many Eyes. Below you can see how the various spending categories compare. Be sure to click for an interactive version, which allows you to click on the disks and get more information.
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Wednesday, May 4, 2011
City council fails to represent citizens of Kamloops
Before councillors decided to go ahead with a parkade in the park, they heard presentations from Bob Gamble of the Kamloops Voters Society and public transit advocate Ann Grube.
Their reaction said it all: condescending, defensive, even combative.
They practically dismissed Gamble out of hand, making remarks that implied his group didn’t have any solid plans and so was not really worthy of consideration. They talked a lot about how important public input is, but placed the onus on the voters society to figure how to improve a process they think is just fine.
Grube, on the hand, had plenty of substance in her presentation, offering a multitude of alternatives to a parkade. After joking about a few pie-in-sky ideas such as a funicular or a gondola, they asked her to send them a list of reading material that covered her ideas. Given what followed, this turned out to be blatant hypocrisy.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Mayor Peter Milobar came up a proposal for a two-storey (down from three storeys) parkade in the park. I say “seemingly” because he no doubt discussed the plan ahead of time with city staff and fellow councillors. He likely even had a good idea of what the vote would be.
Those presentations turned out to be nothing but a nuisance councillors had to put up with before the real decision was made. In the end, politically-motivated manoeuvring won the day. The good citizens of Kamloops, who put faith in the system by letting their opposition to the parkade in the park be known loud and clear, were tossed a bone with the hope that two storeys instead of three would blunt opposition enough to win re-election for councillors.
It was a cynical move that shows contempt for the voters.
A lot people wonder what’s really driving council’s decision, since it’s certainly not the ordinary residents of Kamloops. My hunch is that councillors are under pressure from downtown business people to build a parkade for them at taxpayers’ expense.
We haven’t heard much from business people on this subject, and I suspect it’s because they fear that speaking out will cost them in lost business — to the tune of about 70 per cent. That’s how many people came out against the parkade in a survey by City Hall. It was left to council to do the dirty work.
The other thing you have to wonder about is why the big hurry? Councillors Denis Walsh and Marg Spina, to their credit, tried to have the two-storey proposal tabled so they — and the public — would have time to think about it.
The skeptical among us surmise that parkade proponents want shovels in the ground as soon as possible so that it will be a done deal before municipal elections. Even if this council is swept out by voters, it would be tough for a new council to stop construction.
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Friday, March 25, 2011
Let's try putting TNRD directors on the market
TNRD directors just gave themselves a big raise because they figure they deserve it. But don’t we all? Who wouldn’t give themselves a raise if they could?
I was wondering, though, how things would have worked out for TNRD politicians if good old free enterprise determined their pay. In its purest form, capitalism pays you with the economics of supply and demand. Applied to the TNRD, it might work this way:
First, supply. It’s hard to say, but I suspect there is a large enough supply of would-be politicians that we would never have to worry about a shortage. It’s true that in some small towns, it might be hard to find someone who has the time and talent, but it’s rare that no one at all would step forward.
Second, demand. If all the TNRD directors were disappear right now, would anyone miss them? Eventually, yes, when the many people not paying attention realize that having a local representative can indeed be helpful. But honestly, I don’t think there would be much of an outcry.
So there you have it: adequate supply and not much demand. TNRD directors are lucky that they’re the ones deciding on raises, because they wouldn’t get much if they had to compete in a free market.
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Friday, March 18, 2011
Minimum wage hike here to stay — at least until the election
While we here in Canada debate the merits of raising the minimum wage through anecdotal evidence and personal experience, Britain has created a Low Wage Commission that has reported annually to the government on the various effects of minimum wage legislation that was enacted in 2000.
Here is what the commission had to say in 2005:
“There is little evidence that the minimum wage has had any impact on profits at the macroeconomic level. We did, however, find some evidence of small negative impacts on profits at the individual firm level, but not on a scale that led firms to close down or to lay off workers. We found no significant effects of the minimum wage on either prices or overall productivity, although we found some evidence of small positive effects on labour productivity in the service sector.”
In others, while some individual businesses were hurt, there was overall not much effect.
But what’s true for the British is not necessarily true for British Columbians. For one thing, it’s unlikely we would toleration the creation of a collection of bureaucrats to keep an eye on the effects of minimum wage. My guess is that it was established as a way of tempering opposition — some of which was apparently quite rabid at the time — to the original legislation.
Still, there are other differences. We’ve got the HST, which has raised prices for many items. And new drunk-driving legislation has cut consumption of alcohol — along with profits.
The HST may soon be gone if it is defeated in an upcoming referendum. But I have the feeling drunk-driving laws will not be changed. It would be very hard for the government to explain why it is returning to the old limit when the evidence so far shows that lives are being saved.
But what about the minimum wage? Will business lobby groups be successful in scaling back the increases? Not before the next provincial election. The wage hike is proving to quite popular if The Daily News poll is anything to go by. Christy Clark will hold onto those votes for as long as she can.
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Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Is Terry Lake contemplating Step 7?
Terry Lake’s march onward and upward through the political ranks seems unstoppable. I don’t know if he has a plan, but if he did, it couldn’t be much plainer.
Step 1: Join a City Hall committee
Step 2: Get elected as councillor
Step 3: Get elected as mayor
Step 4: Get elected as MLA
Step 5: Become a parliamentary secretary
Step 6: Become a cabinet minister
Step 7: Get elected premier of B.C.?
Maybe Christy Clark should be watching her back.
Just kidding. My only real dealing with Lake was four years ago when he was mayor and my son, who was in Grade 4, made a presentation to council about the need to restore the heritage fountain in Riverside Park. I found Lake to be professional and courteous. He was not all condescending to what some might have dismissed as the concerns of a mere child.
After the presentation, he made it clear there would be some sort of action. It took awhile, but the fountain has been converted to a nice garden that all can enjoy. It’s a little thing, but it made a lasting impression.
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Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Parking meters a poor choice for funding parkade
With parking meters you strike a fine balance. The cost has to be high enough that motorists will be encouraged to move on and not hog a space longer than necessary. But it also has to be low enough that drivers will find it an acceptable price pay for shopping downtown.
City councillors find themselves in this bind as they consider whether to raise parking meter rates to pay for a proposed parkade on the edge of Riverside Park. While most people would have no issue with the City using meters to facilitate parking turnover, there might be some fallout with them being used a source of revenue. The streets, after all, do belong to the public.
The other thing councillors have to keep in mind is that if the price of parking downtown becomes too high — or just too much of a nuisance — people will avoid the area and business will suffer. And with fewer businesses, the city’s tax revenue tumbles.
(When I say a nuisance, just think of how you have to remember to keep your car stocked with quarters, and how frustrating it can be to realize as you’re pulling in that your stash is depleted.)
In the end, city council may get away with raising parking meter rates a minimal amount, but it certainly won’t be enough to pay for a parkade. It seems more a sign of desperation than anything else that council is even considering this move.
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Monday, February 28, 2011
Can a woman win?
Shelly Fralic, a columnist at the Vancouver Sun, has dared to ask the question that many of us are wondering about the new leader of the B.C. Liberals, but are afraid to say out loud. Can a woman be elected as premier of B.C.?
I have no problem with it, and I’m sure most people — if asked — would say the same thing. A person’s gender should have no bearing on how we judge their ability to lead. But let’s face it: even though several women have led parties in power in Canadian provinces, only two have ever led their party to victory in an election. They are Liberal Catherine Callbeck in Prince Edward Island and Liberal Pat Duncan in the Yukon. It’s not exactly a stellar record.
Already, I’ve seen a headline referring to Christy Clark as Premier Mom. I’m sure it was meant in good humour because she attended her son’s hockey game on Sunday. Still, I find it unimaginable that any of the men would have been called Premier Dad in similar circumstances.
My theory is that pop culture plays a big part in our reluctance to trust women at the helm of the country or a province. In the movies, for example, the leader of a nation is almost always portrayed as a middle-aged or older white man. Plus, he’s usually tall and has at least rugged good looks. This is the image of leader that we’ve been brought up to trust for generations.
As an experiment, I went to a website that specializes in stock photos and did a search on “leader.” I got plenty of images of men standing tall in business suits. Oh, there some women, or I should say girls — they were cheerleaders.
Yes, we’ve got a long way to go.
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Thursday, February 24, 2011
It's true — Tories really don't want an election
Kamloops MP Cathy McLeod insists the Conservatives don’t want an election, and would in fact like to hang in there to pass the budget that will likely be presented to Parliament March 22.
If the budget fails, an election would likely take place in early May.
I tend to believe the Tories would like to avoid an election, if only because the polls continue to show them unable to muster enough votes to gain a majority. While surveys typically show the Conservatives ahead of the Liberals, their lead is never wide enough to be decisive. Canadians seem to be content, for whatever reason, with a government that’s constantly having to watch its back.
Even so, the appearance of election preparations is unmistakable — just have a look at the blitz going on right now with the Economic Action Plan. Tory ministers, senators and MPs have fanned out across the country to preside over some 80 events publicizing the stimulus program.
With the deadline for completing projects coming at the end of March, it’s no secret that the Conservatives want to showcase their accomplishments. But let’s not be hasty in concluding that this a pre-election campaign being paid for by taxpayers. The real agenda may be more subtle.
The Tories have consistently portrayed themselves as being the party best suited to guide Canada through troubled economic times. Banging the drum for the stimulus program serves that end. The more likely we are to believe this message, the more likely we are to want to stay the course.
And that means no election at all.
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Thursday, February 17, 2011
What fare is fair?
One of the big arguments against increasing bus fares is that it discourages people from using public transit. In other words, potential riders will take a bus less often in order to save money.
But does this reasoning hold water? At least one study suggests that it does.
In 1991, the American Public Transit Association found that, on average, a 10 per cent increase in bus fares results in a four per cent decrease in ridership. They also found that riders in small cities are more sensitive to fare increases than those in large cities.
What that means for Kamloops, and apparently City councillors are aware of this, is that ridership here will likely drop when fares go up by 10 per cent on April 1. If the study is correct, the falloff will be more than four per cent.
The hope in City Hall is that after an initial reduction, ridership will climb back up to previous levels. So council is actually playing it safe.
But what about something more radical? Why not make transit totally free? The idea is not as far-fetched as it may seem, and was put forward recently in Vancouver.
An article in the Vancouver Courier makes a good case for free bus service downtown, pointing to similar free-fare systems in downtown Portland, Ore., Whidbey Island, Wash., and several jurisdictions in Europe and Asia.
The main attraction of free transit is that it would relieve congestion and cut down on pollution. While these are legitimate concerns in major cities, they would be a tough sell in a smaller city like Kamloops.
Still, free downtown shuttle buses might be a way to alleviate parking concerns. Shoppers could go from store to store without having to hunt for a parking space.
In the end, it would be heartening to see our City council at least try something innovative instead of continuing to plod along the same tried-and-true path that makes no one happy. Free fares might not be the best way to go, but why not use the concept as a starting point to generate some sorely needed new ideas.
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Wednesday, February 16, 2011
In too deep with the HST
If it hasn’t sunk in yet, the B.C. Liberals are giving some very broad hints that we’d better vote in favour of the HST in the upcoming referendum.
The budget handed down was indeed unremarkable when you look at it in terms of spending. It’s the revenue side where things get interesting. Money from natural resources and crown corporations — normally B.C’s bread and butter — was below targets set out by the government. So how is it that Finance Minister Colin Hansen was able to build in a billion-dollar cushion? It turns out that revenue collected so far from the HST was higher than expected.
The message, then, is that without the Hated Sales Tax, this province would be on the ropes, financially speaking. In addition to revenue from the tax itself, B.C. has received $1.6 from Ottawa just for making the switch. Plus, switching back would cost another $300,000. Add it all up, we’re looking at having to make up a shortfall of more than $2 billion if the HST goes down in the referendum.
I generally support the HST because third-party economists, with no axe to grind, have said it will be a good thing. In the end, though, it may not be the reasoned arguments of those in the know who will persuade British Columbians to vote yes in the referendum. It may be that many will hold their noses and vote in favour simply because there doesn’t seem to be any good way of extricating ourselves from the tax without it costing us an arm and a leg.
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