New BC Political Discussion - POST BC Election 2017

[CanSpice]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Poll taken before the news of the financial malfeasance at the legislature under the BC Liberals was widely digested.

One of the polls was also commissioned and conducted by a bunch of people in the very anti-NDP community, like Hamish Marshall, one of the founders of Rebel Media and campaign chair for the Conservative Party of Canada, and Jordan Bateman, a prominent right-wing mouthpiece.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by logicbomb

Based on the latest polls...The Liberals are expected to take Nanaimo with ease. Confirms what we know: intervention in the housing market and the speculation tax is widely unpopular.

The NDP's biggest failure has been trying to appease the lower class. The group that doesn't vote or care about politics.

Quoted for future reference.

[misher]

intervention in the housing market and the speculation tax is widely unpopular.

What I found annoying is they didn't do much besides raise taxes.

If that money had gone towards rental subsidy cheques. Or they had used it to build a ton more housing. Or they had intervened to increase supply by requiring cities to upzone. I would have been more supportive.

You can't just put in a bunch of taxes then pat yourselves on the back for a job well done.

The increase in FBT from 15-20% seemed like a waste of time to me too, if people are buying at 15% they are definitely still buying at 20% and at the time foreign sales were hovering below 3%.

No one seemed to benefit from their policies while many suffered. They made no bold moves to help.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by misher

What I found annoying is they didn't do much besides raise taxes.

If that money had gone towards rental subsidy cheques. Or they had used it to build a ton more housing. Or they had intervened to increase supply by requiring cities to upzone. I would have been more supportive.

You can't just put in a bunch of taxes then pat yourselves on the back for a job well done.

The increase in FBT from 15-20% seemed like a waste of time to me too, if people are buying at 15% they are definitely still buying at 20% and at the time foreign sales were hovering below 3%.

No one seemed to benefit from their policies while many suffered. They made no bold moves to help.

How fast do you think the government can build housing? After all, it's taken Joo Kim Tiah and Holborn twelve years and Little Mountain still isn't built!

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Quoted for future reference.

can't let those filthy beggars get ahead to support the economy more I suppose.

We must continue to prop up those who make bad financial mistakes because they are considered a 'higher class' and able to purchase investment properties that are never allowed to go down in value no matter how bad the fundamentals were behind the purchase. Bourgeois all the way.

[misher]

Originally Posted by whatnext

How fast do you think the government can build housing? After all, it's taken Joo Kim Tiah and Holborn twelve years and Little Mountain still isn't built!

They certainly implemented all the taxes fast enough. Are they just hoarding them all in a chest? Rents are skyrocketing, rental supply is non existent, home prices are marginally lower than before yet mortgages are harder to getX

Even assuming they need time to build housing, improving the first time home buyer program, creating rental subsidies, etc. could be implemented even faster than the taxes there putting in. Yet they twiddle their thumbs and kept taking in the taxes. The only significant move I’ve seen besides LNG and putting in taxes is them deciding to invest in infrastructure projects...with those projects restricted to the select unions that donated to them.

It honestly feels like they aren’t ready to run a government, all they know how to do is talk and put in taxes.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by misher

The increase in FBT from 15-20% seemed like a waste of time to me too, if people are buying at 15% they are definitely still buying at 20% and at the time foreign sales were hovering below 3%.

No one seemed to benefit from their policies while many suffered. They made no bold moves to help.

Free money from foreigners? Why not?

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by misher

They certainly implemented all the taxes fast enough. Are they just hoarding them all in a chest? Rents are skyrocketing, rental supply is non existent, home prices are marginally lower than before yet mortgages are harder to getX

Even assuming they need time to build housing, improving the first time home buyer program, creating rental subsidies, etc. could be implemented even faster than the taxes there putting in. Yet they twiddle their thumbs and kept taking in the taxes. The only significant move I’ve seen besides LNG and putting in taxes is them deciding to invest in infrastructure projects...with those projects restricted to the select unions that donated to them.

It honestly feels like they aren’t ready to run a government, all they know how to do is talk and put in taxes.

You're so partisan it hurts. NDP have done:

1. Elimination of MSP
2. Spec tax
3. Rent controls
4. CleanBC Plan
5. Investigating money laundering
6. Exposing the reality of ICBC and dealing with it

All while

1. Continuing to run strong economy
2. Getting LNG
3. Budget surpluses

You can disagree with their policy decisions, but they've basically been living up to their campaign promises while not destroying the economy. BC Liberals are busy trying to get us to forget the last 16 years.

[misher]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

You're so partisan it hurts. NDP have done:

1. Elimination of MSP
2. Spec tax
3. Rent controls
4. CleanBC Plan
5. Investigating money laundering
6. Exposing the reality of ICBC and dealing with it

All while

1. Continuing to run strong economy
2. Getting LNG
3. Budget surpluses

You can disagree with their policy decisions, but they've basically been living up to their campaign promises while not destroying the economy. BC Liberals are busy trying to get us to forget the last 16 years.

I feel like the Liberals would have done all of this. Long term things like the economy, budget surpluses, and LNG are both clearly due to the Liberals as the NDP hasn’t been in power long enough. As for money laundering besides screaming “there’s money laundering!” I don’t see any change? Moving MSP’s burden isn’t eliminating it. Rent controls just hurt future renters, etc.

But yeah I know we disagree...Nanaimos going to be close and if the NDP loses I think there going to get hammered province wide if the effect of the speculation tax on Nanaimo is a hint of things to come.

So I guess let’s see if what the NDP has done has poisoned the well or not.

[GenWhy?]

What rent control?

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

What rent control?

Rent increases are now limited to inflation, instead of inflation +2%.

[misher]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Rent increases are now limited to inflation, instead of inflation +2%.

Plus four months notice for rennoviction/demolition and a few other things https://www.timescolonist.com/news/l...ons-1.23265595

[misher]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

You're so partisan it hurts. NDP have done:

1. Elimination of MSP
2. Spec tax
3. Rent controls
4. CleanBC Plan
5. Investigating money laundering
6. Exposing the reality of ICBC and dealing with it

All while

1. Continuing to run strong economy
2. Getting LNG
3. Budget surpluses

You can disagree with their policy decisions, but they've basically been living up to their campaign promises while not destroying the economy. BC Liberals are busy trying to get us to forget the last 16 years.

Funnily enough I strongly support the Federal NDP housing plan and wish the BC NDP or Liberals would use it. I really wish Singh was the one leading the BC NDP because he's actually going for results in his plan. If he was in charge provincially I think we would have seen immediately increases in affordability for locals. The difference between the Fed NDP and BC NDP housing plans are night and day. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...isis-1.4987230
https://www.thestar.com/vancouver/20...-minister.html

Removing taxes on affordable housing construction, investments in affordable housing construction, subsidies for renters (which the BC NDP did promise...but never delivered on), additional support for First Time home buyers, etc. Singhs plan is based on helping people rather than punishing.

Honestly Singh seems like a brilliant guy at times. I'd choose him as Prime Minister over Trudeau as he appears to have a brain instead of just being a pretty face.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by misher

Plus four months notice for rennoviction/demolition and a few other things https://www.timescolonist.com/news/l...ons-1.23265595

And also if landlords intend to renovict, the tenant now has the right of first refusal to get to move back into their suite after renovations

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Rent increases are now limited to inflation, instead of inflation +2%.

Oh of course. I thought they were referring to some fabricated assumption or exaggeration on real rent control.

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by misher

Plus four months notice for rennoviction/demolition and a few other things https://www.timescolonist.com/news/l...ons-1.23265595

Same as the City of Vancouver's rental protection policy.

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by whatnext

And also if landlords intend to renovict, the tenant now has the right of first refusal to get to move back into their suite after renovations

Already City of Vancouver policy as well.

[rofina]

Originally Posted by misher

I feel like the Liberals would have done all of this. Long term things like the economy, budget surpluses, and LNG are both clearly due to the Liberals as the NDP hasn’t been in power long enough. As for money laundering besides screaming “there’s money laundering!” I don’t see any change? Moving MSP’s burden isn’t eliminating it. Rent controls just hurt future renters, etc.

But yeah I know we disagree...Nanaimos going to be close and if the NDP loses I think there going to get hammered province wide if the effect of the speculation tax on Nanaimo is a hint of things to come.

So I guess let’s see if what the NDP has done has poisoned the well or not.

How can you say that with a straight face?

This past election was the first time I voted NDP, I'm largely centre right leaning. However, its blatantly obvious the criminal negligence of the previous Liberal governments.

And yes - I mean criminal, if Christy Clarks Liberals were investigated the same way private companies are after scandals people would be locked up, or at the least indicted.

They had 16 years to solve some of these issues, but the real truth is, these were not issues to the Liberal base, but rather positives.

[misher]

Originally Posted by rofina

How can you say that with a straight face?

This past election was the first time I voted NDP, I'm largely centre right leaning. However, its blatantly obvious the criminal negligence of the previous Liberal governments.

And yes - I mean criminal, if Christy Clarks Liberals were investigated the same way private companies are after scandals people would be locked up, or at the least indicted.

They had 16 years to solve some of these issues, but the real truth is, these were not issues to the Liberal base, but rather positives.

What criminal negligence, besides tightening some of the rules on casinos the NDP has done little besides make long speeches. Note that Plecas was a Liberal before being speaker so you can't give the NDP any credit for the legislature scandal. The NDP had a chance while in power to tighten the legislature rules and never did and neither did the Liberals. How are the NDP any different than the Liberals? All we've done is trade the organizations we're giving kickbacks to. At least the Liberals allowing for an open bidding process had a semblance of fairness.
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-...ment-on-monday

the new rules are quite similar to how the NDP handled public construction projects in the 1990s. At that time, the party was criticized for providing lucrative incentives to unions that donated to the NDP and organized to its election campaigns...“We’re very concerned,” said Chris Gardner, president of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association, which represents non-union construction companies. “It’s a real slap in the face to the 85 per cent of the workforce in this province that is non-union or open shop.”

He said a new Crown corporation overseeing a construction workforce will be bureaucratic and inefficient.

“It boggles the mind why their thinking is we need to create a new Crown corporation and creating a Crown corporation will make this process more efficient and cost less. Nothing could be further from the truth. We’ve all experienced that the less government is involved the better things are.”.....The report estimates that the province has $25.6 billion in bridge, road, hospital, school and hydro projects planned for the next three years — such as the Site C dam, Highway 1 upgrades and the George Massey Tunnel replacement — and cites research that restricted bidding blocks eight out of 10 contractors from bidding on projects. As a result, contract prices could go up between two and 25 per cent, or in B.C.’s case, $512 million to $6.4 billion.

Not only infrastructure projects, utilities too
https://vancouversun.com/opinion/col...r-trade-unions

Horgan offered similar assurances to the building trades on the more than $10 billion in additional projects being built over the next three years by self-supporting (“ratepayer-supported”) crown corporations, mainly B.C. Hydro.

The New Democrats have already directed the giant electrical utility to ensure that all major contracts proceed on the model developed by the Allied Hydro Council, an umbrella group for unionized dam construction workers that dates back to the big Hydro projects of the 1960s.

Still, Horgan reminded the trade unionists how the New Democrats, when last in power in the 1990s, had guaranteed the unions a significant piece of the action on public construction projects.

What there doing would be seen as corruption if it was done by the Liberals. We're giving huge contracts to 10-15% of the workforce that directly donated to the NDP. We're forcing workers to join these pro NDP organizations if they want to be allowed to work. Its corruption pure and simple. Everyone knows it, everyone sees it, but few are outraged and it just boggles the mind.


PS: I'm not saying the Liberals are perfect, far from it. They are pretty awful. But at least they tend to not try to slow down private business and have open bidding processes. Private investment/industry just makes sense in most cases. I hate how half of what the NDP seems to do is think up new taxes to introduce. I don't feel like they've actually done much to introduce policies to fix things. If they shaped up I'd be happy to push to keep them, otherwise they need to ship out as there doing a worse job at the helm than the Liberals. If Singh was in charge of the BC NDP I'd be so much happier with them and I think their approval rating would skyrocket as his policies are just plain awesome although he does get crazy at times.

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by whatnext

And also if landlords intend to renovict, the tenant now has the right of first refusal to get to move back into their suite after renovations

Very few people would find a temporary place to live while their old apartment and building are being renovated to only move back for an exponentially higher rent for some paint, new flooring, cabinets and appliances. Likely you were living there because you didn't want to or couldn't pay for all those new finishes. There's nothing that states you get the same rent or only a marginal increase if you move back. That was my position when I was renovicted. It also took almost 2 years for my old building to be renovated. (still not done)

Unless you have an utterly amazing apartment, the vast majority would move on and even if it was so amazing, the landlord would know that and raise the rent to as much as they can get for your amazing, now 'newly renovated' apartment.