Premier doles out cash

Premier doles out cash
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby Now assistant editor
Published May 24, 2003

Premier Gordon Campbell was in Burnaby Thursday morning on a whirlwind visit intended to dole out some money and point to some of the good things happening in B.C.
Campbell, who looked thinner than he was a year ago, received two standing ovations from the audience of almost 300 business people who came out to Thursday's Burnaby Board of Trade luncheon held at the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown Hotel.
"While it is fair to say 'here are the problems' - and God knows we've got a lot of problems - it is important to remember that we have a lot of opportunity also," Campbell said. "But we cannot make the changes we need if we don't face the facts that the world has changed."
Pointing to the 9-11 terrorist attacks, SARS, the Iraq War and now the mad cow disease panic in Alberta, Campbell said one of his key goals as premier is making sure government develops a 'flexible framework' that encourages innovation, risk-taking and entrepreneurship.
And he said that attitude is already paying off. Pointing to Burnaby-based video game creator Electronic Arts Canada, headed by Burnaby native Don Mattrick, Campbell quipped: "Ask him (Mattrick) how much help he got when he started."
Campbell's wide-ranging, half-hour speech was long on praise and selected statistics that pointed to the good things happening in British Columbia.
Campbell lauded his government's decision to reduce taxes - "so if you work hard you can get ahead" - and rattled off a list of positive economic indicators. He said B.C. now has the fast rate of growth in retail sales in the entire country, and has seen double digit percentage increases in the amount of trade, level of mineral exploration, and pulp production.
And while critics are focusing on the less-than-healthy aspects of B.C.'s economy, Campbell pointed out that the province now has the second highest rate of 'investment intention' in the country. "Our government is committed to making B.C. the No. 1 place for investment in the country," he said to a hearty round of applause.
Campbell lauded the health care industry, and noted the B.C. Centre for Disease Control is at the leading edge of the worldwide response to the SARS outbreak. And he said that B.C. companies are currently trying to develop computer software that may one day find vaccines to battle new and emerging diseases. "That could happen right here in this province if we just grab that opportunity and run with it," Campbell said.
Health care was clearly one of the major topics on the premier's mind. The premier said his government must learn to juggle the competing interests of an aging population that demands more health care against the needs of younger people who need an education to be able to provide those services.
He said one of the biggest problems facing government is the fact that the health care budget is growing by six or seven per cent each year, and the cost of pharmaceuticals is rising 14 to 15 per cent annually. And where the health care system used to receive 33 per cent of the provincial budget, it now receives 41 per cent of the budget. "You don't need an economics degree to know that's not sustainable," he said.
While B.C. has reduced 41 per cent of the administrative costs of health care, it has also increased the overall spending in the health care budget by $1.7 billion over the past 24 months, Campbell said.
The premier also reiterated his government's commitment to education. "Over the past two years we have added $900 million more to education," Campbell said. "We know the best economic development program you can have is a good education system."
And Campbell applauded his government's efforts to make encourage the growth of small business. "I think every government has had a small business strategy. I jut think the last NDP government's strategy was to take big business and make them smaller."
To encourage business, the B.C. Liberals have upped the small business tax threshold from $200,000 to $300,000 - meaning more businesses now qualify for the lower tax rate - while eliminating 6,207 different government regulations "without losing critical health care or safety concerns," he said.
And while he opened his remarks by applauding Burnaby for winning the right to host the 2009 World Police and Fire Games, he closed his half-hour speech with an exhortation in support of his government's 2010 Winter Olympic bid.
"It's an opportunity for Canada to put its best foot forward," Campbell said.
On hand for the speech were all four of the city's Liberal MLAs - Harry Bloy, Richard T. Lee, John Nuraney and Patty Sahota. And while Campbell peppered his speech with partisan shots at the former NDP government, the premier also acknowledged the good work of Derek Corrigan and Doug Drummond, the current and former city mayors, and NDP members.
Campbell gave his speech just one hour after he joined federal cabinet minister Herb Dhaliwal in announcing a total of $126.4 million in new 'green' infrastructure projects around the province, including $9.5 million to upgrade the sewer system in north Burnaby (see separate story).