FORSETH – Building stats bring strength of B.C.’s economy into question
IT’S PRETTY WELL KNOWN that if a government – any government – is going to have bad news, or is hopeful something will be missed, it will be delivered late on a Friday afternoon …
To that we can now add — the middle of the night.
At the stroke of 12 a.m. Wednesday, I received an email from BCStats Infoline. In that email, they stated that:
Building Permits – The value of building permits issued by B.C. municipalities climbed (+7.1%, seasonally adjusted) in December, adding to a slight (+0.8%) increase recorded in November. Residential permits jumped (+22.4%), more than reversing the previous month’s (-6.5%) loss.
Here’s the thing, though … clicking on the Read More link was where the real information of note was located. It was where to find one more sign of how WRONG Carole James is when she talks about the alleged strength of our economy in B.C.
Yes, indeed, figures released from BC Stats did indeed show the value of building permits issued in the province increased by 7.1% in December … however … the value of non-residential building permits, issued by B.C. municipalities, DECREASED by 24.6% .
Planned spending on commercial projects was reduced by 15 percent (15%) … and for industrial projects, planned spending was reduced by over 25 percent (25.4%).
Meantime, institutional and governmental went in the negative zone by a whopping 56.3%.
In her budget speech, Finance Minister Carole James stated that:
“Working together will help us build a stronger B.C. for everyone, and that’s what Budget 2020 is all about. It’s about the fundamental changes our government has been making for the people of British Columbia.”
She went on to say, “It’s about delivering the results that keep us moving forward together.”
As you read about how ‘planned’ building project by B.C. business community are obviously being reconsidered, in light of the above noted reductions in building permits being taken out, I’ll ask this question …
… is this NDP government really … building a stronger British Columbia for everyone – and delivering results that keep us moving forward?
Alan Forseth is a Kamloops resident and former member of the Reform Party of Canada and the B.C. Reform Party, and a past and current member of the BC Conservative Party. His blog is My Thoughts on Politics and More.
Do you, Mr. Alan “the boisterous” Forseth, have a list of all the “planned” but now mothballed commercial buildings in the province and the reason for said mothballing? Because one thing is late night speculation another is hard facts. After you gather facts we can then move onto a more focused discussion. Thanks.
I suggest you follow the link I provided. I am not speculating, I presented FACTS as noted by BC Statistics, which were determined from Statistics Canada. In reading the information I referenced, you will see the decreases mentioned, were based on planned projects, which had been cancelled.
‘Facts’ gathered by Statistics Canada … ‘facts’ presented by BC Stats … and then those ‘facts’ ‘shared’ by me
I did go to the BC Government website where the Stats Canada statistics are shown. But there is no other information. Certainly not enough information to jump to conclusions the way you did.
Your response to my answer didn’t give the answer to replay. Here is the permanent information which I will again suggest you read + my caps on their original text:
… the value of non-residential permits dipped (-24.6%), as PLANED SPENDING on commercial (-15.0%), industrial (-25.4%) and institutional and governmental (-56.3%) projects SLOWED …