A modern-day ferry tale

CVNews received from the office of MLA for Kootenay East, Bill Bennett, some rather spectacular photos of the first of the three Fast-Cat Ferries of the 1990’s scandal being loaded onto an enormous carrier in preparation for its journey to its new home in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Looking at them brings back lots of memories and we thought that a little trip down Memory Lane would be an appropriate, although belated, send-off.

Photos: — More fast ferry photos (courtesy of Bill Bennet MLA) — Pacific Voyager, one of the three catamaran ferries recently purchased by Abu Dhabi Mar, a United Arab Emirates company that builds yachts and remodels vessels, was loaded onto the Dockwise vessel Swift at an anchorage near Deep Cove on Saturday, August 22, 2009. In order to load the vessel, the Swift took on water ballast, allowing it to sink deep enough for the 1,500-tonne catamaran to be floated aboard onto customized cradles. The water was then pumped out and the vessel secured for its 45-day voyage to Abu Dhabi. The Swift and its cargo left port for its destination on Wednesday, August 26th. [Read more]

Call for private power moratorium

Press release –

On Thursday March 26, join thousands of British Columbians in standing up for BC’s rivers. On that day, thousands of people from around the province will be contacting their MLA and the Premier calling for a moratorium on river privatization.

In 2002, the BC government banned BC Hydro from developing new sources of green power, decreeing that all new hydropower must come from private companies. This has lead to a gold rush mentality, with private operators staking almost 600 creeks and rivers throughout BC. Each one of these projects involves building river diversions, dams, powerhouses and many kilometers of roads and transmission lines.

The BC government’s rush to develop private power has resulted in a chaotic situation where cumulative environmental impacts are ignored, regional planning is non-existent, our energy security is jeopardized and local governments have been silenced. [Read more]

Macdonald takes stand in House over Jumbo

Press release –

Macdonald to Premier: Jumbo Resort can only go forward with the support of the people of the Columbia Valley 

In question period this week, Columbia River – Revelstoke MLA Norm Macdonald asked the Premier for the assurance that the Jumbo Glacier Resort development will not go forward without the approval of Columbia Valley residents, but instead of a real answer all that was forthcoming was empty rhetoric.

“It is disappointing that instead of actually answering a straight-forward question, they put up Bill Bennett to talk in circles,” said Macdonald.  “It’s a reasonable question: Will the Premier give the assurance today that this project only proceeds with the support of the people in the Columbia Valley?”

This question was raised because one of the few options for local input into the Jumbo approval was pushed through without proper consultation.  The proponents of the Jumbo Glacier Resort requested a 5-year extension on their environmental assessment certificate.  The environmental assessment certification process is supposed to provide opportunity for public comment. But instead of allowing local citizens that input, the extension was simply approved. [Read more]

Government practices force neglect of elders

A few years ago the Liberal government cut back the number of long-term care beds. That now means that if an elderly person falls and breaks a hip they end up in the hospital. If the break means that they can no longer live on their own, then they go on a waiting list to get into Columbia House. In the meantime, they are staying in hospital — taking up a bed that someone else might need. Some of these patients are ending up ‘living’ in hospital for months, maybe even a year or so. Our hospital used to have 13 beds. Now it has 8. That was also part of the Liberal cutbacks. [Read more]