Almost half a million dollars in credit card bills were wracked up by the Premiers Office from April of 2011 to March of this year. Former Premier Gordon Campbell's office spent just 202-thousand the year previous. Among the costs going to taxpayers, 20-thousand at various electronics shops, and six-thousand to buy coffee. Cellphone bills ran … [Read more...]
Mayor still waiting for final long term cost on RCMP raises
July 6, 2012 by
Mayors are still waiting for a final long term figure on the cost of sudden wage hikes handed to the Mounties by Ottawa. Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore says four months after the surprise wage hikes and the wait continues. "Well we only have what they gave to us for I think it is this year and next year and we just build a certain … [Read more...]
Replacing bridge could cost a billion dollars
May 24, 2012 by
It'll be four years before any construction starts, but business leaders being consulted about the future of the Pattullo Bridge have now been told the bridge must be replaced and that could cost a billion dollars. Translink's Sany Zein says the best option for the 75-year old bridge linking Surrey with New Westminster is a six-lane … [Read more...]
Returing to the PST will come at a cost to small business owners
May 14, 2012 by
Small business owners will take a hit reverting back to the PST according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business CFIB Provincial Affairs Director Shachi Kurl says while she welcomes the streamlining in the new improved PST there is a hit small business owners will take. She said "It is going to be very expensive for small … [Read more...]
The Mayor of Surrey is furious with unexpected RCMP wage hikes and the cost to her city.
April 5, 2012 by
The Mayor of Surrey, which has BC's largest RCMP detachment, is furious at being blindsided by the cost of raises for the Mounties. Dianne Watts says it is a slap in the face after negotiations where mayors emphasized both transparency and cost containment to Ottawa. Watts said "We relayed all of those issues to the federal government … [Read more...]
B.C’s justice review will cost $195, 000
February 8, 2012 by
It looks like the cost of the provincial government’s justice review will come in at about 195 thousand dollars. The review by lawyer Geoffery Cowper is budgeted to cost about $ 125,000. Another $ 70,000 is set aside for the review of B.C’s charge approval process by lawyer Gary McCuaig. Meanwhile, no staff cuts are expected as … [Read more...]
B.C Superbowl ads cost causing controversy
February 6, 2012 by
NDP leader Adrian Dix is blasting a decision to run a couple of B.C Jobs Plan ads during Sunday’s Superbowl broadcast. He says the government spent one million dollars on ads that basically serve as branding for the Premier. Jobs Minister Pat Bell, who supports the ads, says it only cost $ 17,000 for both of them, “far less … [Read more...]
BCTF and the government at odds over the cost of the latest proposal from the union
January 25, 2012 by
The provincial government says the latest contract demands from the BC Teachers Federation would cost taxpayers an extra two billion dollars over three years. That figure is in stark contrast to the BCTF's estimate of only 300 million dollars in its so-called scaled-down demands. The Public School Employers Association says the first year … [Read more...]
Cost of BC trade mission revealed
January 23, 2012 by
BC Premier Christy Clark's Asian trade mission in November cost taxpayers over 600-thousand dollars. That figure includes travel costs for the premier, ministers Pat Bell and Mike de Jong, and support staff. Six thousand dollars in gifts were also handed out, and the province spent over 14 thousand in translation services. A report into the … [Read more...]
Killing HST comes with a cost
September 9, 2011 by
The provincial government released its first quarterly report today, and it says the decision to kill the HST will cost the provincial treasury 2.3 billion dollars by 2013-14, and more after that. Instead of being under one billion dollars, the provincial deficit this year is increasing to 2.8 billion dollars. The Clark government says it … [Read more...]
