 David Wilks, local MP for Kootenay East, considers that it is acceptable for government money to be given out and cost taxpayers jobs and livelyhoods. |
Before the Darkwoods purchase, do you believe that the Government of Canada representatives or NCC representatives, said that there might be some job loss, or do you believe that the Government of Canada representatives and the NCC representative would have been more likely to have said there would be no job loss, but there may be a little less work for 5 years?
Robert Mclean, Executive Director, Wildlife Program Policy, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environmental Stewardship Branch, Environment Canada said, when contacted by me after the fact, that the government had no concerns or interest in affects on jobs as a result of their grants. (this was not echoed by Jim Abbott, MP).
Robert Mclean says: "Your understanding of the agreement is correct in that specific land transactions are entirely between the purchaser and the vendor and therefore, neither I nor anyone else in the government is involved. We do not receive any information related to industrial operations or other activities on any of the properties acquired under the Natural Areas Conservation Program. Consequently, I am not in a position to address the nature of any changes in local employment that may have occurred as a result of the purchase of the Darkwoods property by the Nature Conservancy of Canada nor to the nature of on going work and employment that the current management of the Darkwoods property might support."
Is it any wonder people get violent and do stupid things? Especially when they can't even get help or acknowledged after they have been destroyed by their wonderful government?
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) obtained huge sums of Federal Government money ($125,000,000.00) to subsidize the purchase of Darkwoods Forestry ($50,000,000.00) in the Kootenays of B.C. (British Columbia, Canada). Among the promises made was "No job loss". This promise was repeated at all the meetings I went to by both NCC (Nature Conservancy of Canada) representatives and Government representative Jim Abbott (Federal Conservative MP for Kootenay - Columbia). Darkwoods Forestry was to remain as the forest manager. So it would not be likely that there would be drastic changes. The Nature Conservancy sent us a letter stating that they wished to maintain the same good relations with the Darkwoods contractors that had been long established. (At the time, this was seemingly the opinion of Darkwoods management who were more exposed to confidential information.)
These promises convinced all direct and indirect (Contractors) employees of Darkwoods Forestry that everything would remain much the same or very similar. This removed the necessity for concerned Contractors to publicly oppose the purchase and they believed they would have at least have a five year period of adjustment. The stage was set to look much like the NCC TV ads, how all would be wonderful under NCC management.
So, who got paid off, who made the money? Why did the federal government not buy the land and make it a Federal Park that the tax payer not only paid for, but owned. Instead the money was given to an in dependent organization...
Now more gifts to the Nature Conservancy of Canada instead of our own Federal Parks! WRONG!!!
Today, Dec. 23, 2016, I received notice that the NCC does not wish to allow me to make available a T-shirt which was sold through www.cafepress.com. (I did not mark it up). They have complained to Cafepress that I have infringed on their "Intellectual Property Rights". To this end they have complained to Cafepress about these two images:
Their unjustified claim to the image on the right shows they will work to stop political opposition as anyone who support them! It is a political election image showing my opposition to the re-election of a candidate who sympathized with them more that did the MP who proceeded him, that MP I supported (both were the same party).
I suspect that their opposition to the left image is not because of "Intellectual Property Rights", rather because they do not want to allow voice to any opposition of the expansion of their empire.
I am suddenly considering developing a more fitting image...
Your Tax Dollars Abused!
So the Federal Government had $125,000,000.00 of your tax dollars to give away. They wanted to spend it on under the heading of "Environment".
Why would they give it to a private organization to spend on land acquisitions when they could purchase the land directly and hold it as a Federal Park. This would have allowed us, as taxpayers to own and have some input in the future of the Darkwoods land.
If that makes you wonder, think about why the Nature Conservancy of Canada is maintaining only enough logging activity to have the land classified as a "Tree Farm". Mmmmm.... could it be that as a tree farm, they won't have to pay for fighting forest fires, instead the taxpayer will pick up the bill? BINGO!!! The NCC has you on the barbed hook again!
So who benefited from this grant of our tax dollars?
Unfortunately the letter I would like to present here was one from the NCC immediately after the purchase was revealed which told us all how they wanted to emulate Darkwoods and be a good employer to all us valued contractors. Unfortunately we did not save it. I have asked several of the other contractors and they also filed it in the same basket as we did. It would be GREAT if an NCC rep cruising this site would supply me with a copy.
So, if you are a small independent resource worker or contractor in the Kootenays, who should you VOTE FOR?
The Kootenays depend highly on its resources for jobs. It supports a huge mining industry in the Elkford area. Forestry is active throughout. Everyone in the Kootenays is directly supported by the health of its resources. David Wilks has shown his lack of interest in small contractors with his lack of interest in my situation with the NCC. He is not following in the footsteps of Jim Abbott who at least tried, though was unable to influence the Nature Conservancy's focus of operations after it had been granted $125,000,000.00 or my/our tax dollars. If a person can not get the attention of his local MLA it is impossible that he can get the attention of the Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, without going to some extreme measures and probably winding up in jail.
We have a federal election in 2015 in Canada, think carefully who you vote for. Myself, I have become disillusioned with federal politics, and you can get a sense of who I will not likely support in 2015! read more >>>