Capital Report~October 2, 2009
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Premier Campbell joined Mary McNeil, Minister of State for the Olympics to congratulate Mayor Carol Kulesha of the Village of Queen Charlotte, Port Alberni Mayor Ken McRae and Lake Cowichan Mayor Ross Forrest for being invited to participate in the official retrieval of the Olympic Flame from Greece.

Community Leaders Invited to Retrieve Olympic Flame

Port Alberni Mayor Ken McRae, Mayor Carol Kulesha of the Village of Queen Charlotte, and Lake Cowichan Mayor Ross Forrest have been invited to participate in the official retrieval of the Olympic Flame from Greece. The three community leaders were invited after their names were drawn from a pool of all B.C. Mayors and Regional District Chairs by Premier Gordon Campbell at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities Convention.

  • The flame will be retrieved from Athens Greece on Oct. 29, following the ceremonial lighting in Olympia on Oct. 22 and a short relay around Greece. A team from Canada will be heading over to Greece to pick up the flame and bring it back to Victoria for a celebration to start the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay on Oct. 30.
  • The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay will begin its 45,000-kilometre, 106-day journey on Oct. 30, 2009 in Victoria.

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Premier & Minister Day Welcome BC’s First Hydrogen Bus

Premier Gordon Campbell and Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway Stockwell Day celebrated the arrival of the first bus of what will become the world’s largest single hydrogen fuel cell bus fleet today in Vancouver.

  • The 20 hydrogen fuel cell buses will be in operation as part of the BC Transit fleet in Whistler during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and beyond.
  • Total funding for the hydrogen fuel cell bus project, covering capital and operating costs to March 2014, is $89.5 million. $45 million is from the Government of Canada and $44.5 million is from the Province and BC Transit.

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B.C. Commits to Work Globally to Fight Climate Change

Premier Gordon Campbell signed the 2009 Governors’ Climate Summit Declaration on behalf of British Columbia, committing the Province to work co-operatively with all levels of government around the world to combat climate change.

  • The 2009 Governors’ Climate Summit is being held September 30 – October 2 in Los Angeles and is co-hosted by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the governors of Connecticut, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin.
  • The Summit brings together a range of experts from more than 75 states, provinces or countries on six continents.

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Saturday October 3, 2009

Premier Gordon Campbell will be a guest on Constituency Report on Lower Mainland Shaw Cable 4 at 8:30am and 5:30pm.

Quotes This Week

“Simply put, the availability of input tax credits associated with the HST will reduce the effective tax on new investments in B.C. by 40 per cent. This, in turn, will encourage trucking companies to invest -- in trucks, trailers, safety and energy efficient technologies.”
Paul Landry, president, BC Trucking Association. Vancouver Sun, September 28, 2009.

“In the last 5 years, we’ve seen theft, auto claim thefts decrease by $40 million. And that has a very real and visible impact to people’s wallets. It’s why ICBC has been able to lower our optional insurance premiums in 4 of the last 5 years for a total of 17%.”
Nicolas Jimenez, Director of Road Safety, ICBC. Global BC News Hour, September 30, 2009.


Did You Know?

  • B.C.’s new trans fat regulation will come into effect Sept. 30, 2009, restricting industrially produced trans fat at food service establishments throughout the province.
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  • October is Women’s History Month, when we honour the contributions of women, past and present, to British Columbia’s history. This year’s theme, “Women in the Lead: Winter Sports” is inspired by the women who have excelled in winter sports; a theme that has special significance as we are just 4 1/2 months away from celebrating the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
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