Capital Report~October 31, 2008.
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Premier Gordon Campbell is joined by James Moore, federal Minister of State for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, and Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Kevin Falcon at the Pitt River Bridge construction site to congratulate workers on reaching the milestone of two-thirds completion.

Pitt River Bridge Project Marks Milestone

The Pitt River Bridge and Mary Hill Interchange Project marked a milestone as it reached the two-thirds completion mark.

  • The Pitt River Bridge and Mary Hill Interchange Project includes a new seven-lane bridge that will replace the existing swing bridges.
  • On Feb. 9, 2007, the provincial and federal governments announced a cost-sharing agreement for the $198-million project.

Click for more information.

Province Announces Pilot to Monitor High-Crime Areas

The Province will provide $1 million in initial funding to Vancouver, Surrey and Kelowna to examine increased use of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras in high crime urban areas.

  • CCTV has been used extensively in the private sector such as banks and retail outlets, and other jurisdictions have successfully used it to help solve many high-profile crimes.

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Regional Districts Eligible for Infrastructure Funding

Districts are encouraged to apply for infrastructure funding under the expanded $71-million Towns for Tomorrow program.

  • Unlike traditional infrastructure programs, Towns for Tomorrow provides between 75 and 80 per cent of project costs, with a maximum provincial contribution of $400,000 for communities with fewer than 5,000 people and $375,000 for communities of 5,000 to 15,000.
  • In an effort to make it easier for communities to access funding, the application form is now two pages long.

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There are currently no interviews scheduled.

Quotes This Week

“Well, we were very pleased to see the cut in personal income tax. Of course, any tax cut is a good tax cut. This will only put a small amount of money back into the pockets of individuals and families, but it is definitely a move in the right direction. The tax cuts will take about $144 million out of the hands of government and put it back into the hands of the people it really belongs to so that they can spend in the way that they see fit.”
Maureen Bader, Canadian Taxpayers Federations. CBC, October 24, 2008.

“Over 98% of all business in British Columbia is small businesses and, and giving them $146 million injection, um, into the economy, will go a long way ahm, to get them back to the confidence that they need to go out and buy equipment, to continue to hire new employees and to continue with the expansion plans that they probably put on hold ah, you know, a few short weeks ago.”
Brian Bonney, Canadian Federation of Independent Business. CKNW, October 23, 2008. (Commenting on the Small Business Tax Cut)


Did You Know?

  • The latest trade statistics indicate that British Columbia softwood exports to China will set a new record in 2008. Sales data from January to August 2008 show that British Columbia has already exported 689,576 cubic metres of softwood products to China, just shy of the record 727,750 cubic metres exported in all of 2007.
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  • Residential tenancy information and outreach services will be enhanced for tenants and landlords in Vancouver through two new office locations. Tenants and landlords in Vancouver can also get information about their rights and responsibilities, and access dispute resolution services in person at the Burnaby office, online at www.rto.gov.bc.ca or through the information line at 604-660-1020.
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  • The British Columbia Film Commission (BCFC) marked 30 years of service to B.C.’s motion picture production community. Currently, B.C. is home to the third-largest production centre in North America, after Los Angeles and New York.
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