BC Stats, an agency of the provincial government, reports regularly on raw log exports. The most recent detail shows the quantity of logs shipped out of British Columbia has grown steadily but the unit value reported for them has declined steadily.
By eliminating civil servants in the forest ministry, BC Liberals reduced government’s ability to monitor quantities and values of logs exported but the drop in average revenue per cubic metre declared for timber leaving BC suggests the public might have been shortchanged.
The charts provide the illustration. They compare the five years before BC Liberals came to power with the five most recent years:
Categories: Log Exports
in-sights.ca 
Is it possible that raw logs are being shipped from BC to Asia, where they are made into furniture and other wood products, which are then shipped back to BC?
If that’s the case, lots of GHG emissions could be avoided by manufacturing those wood products in here in BC.
There would be an added benefit of additional manufacturing jobs in BC.
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I think your math or graphs for NDP years is wrong… $800,000,000 divided by ~5,700,000 m^3 of logs (your data) is around $140 not the $200 you are presenting… Liberal values ok. Am I missing something?
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Yes, that amount has been adjusted to 2017 dollars, as indicated on the chart.
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Norm, I’d like to know what Ben Stewart’s sojourn with the Chrispy Clark’s wine promotion cost us taxpayers and what actual tax revenue it generated for the province. Any chance there are any figures?
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According to Public Accounts listings of Detailed Expenditures, salary and travel expenses paid to Ben Stewart in the four fiscal years ended March 31, 2017, Ben Stewart were a total of $887,418.
That would not include costs for office overhead and support services and expenses not included in the travel category, which are reported in public accounts.
Jenny Uechi of the National Observer reported, “In addition to a total of $1,028,700 for Special Representative Stewart’s salary, living expenses and other expenses from 2014-2016, he was supported by eight full-time staff from Ho Hing Consultancy. Headed by Kevin Tsui, Ho Hing Consultancy’s work costs B.C. taxpayers well over $2 million a year.”
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2017/04/27/news/bc-poured-millions-office-china-why
She also reported that his office rent in Beijing was $31,000 a month.
No doubt, it was an expensive project to clear a safe seat for Christy Clark and provide a place for Stewart to promote exports by Quails Gate, his family’s winery.
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Timing and discussion regarding giving up a seat and accepting overseas employment would have to be done very, very, carefully. I trust that it was.
Selling or purchasing office
124 Every one who
(a) purports to sell or agrees to sell an appointment to or a resignation from an office, or a consent to any such appointment or resignation, or receives or agrees to receive a reward or profit from the purported sale thereof, or
(b) purports to purchase or gives a reward or profit for the purported purchase of any such appointment, resignation or consent, or agrees or promises to do so,
is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.
R.S., c. C-34, s. 113.
Marginal note:Influencing or negotiating appointments or dealing in offices
125 Every one who
(a) receives, agrees to receive, gives or procures to be given, directly or indirectly, a reward, advantage or benefit of any kind as consideration for cooperation, assistance or exercise of influence to secure the appointment of any person to an office,
(b) solicits, recommends or negotiates in any manner with respect to an appointment to or resignation from an office, in expectation of a direct or indirect reward, advantage or benefit, or
(c) keeps without lawful authority, the proof of which lies on him, a place for transacting or negotiating any business relating to
(i) the filling of vacancies in offices,
(ii) the sale or purchase of offices, or
(iii) appointments to or resignations from offices,
is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.
R.S., c. C-34, s. 114.
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This is excellent information, Lou.
Will it go anywhere? I’ll bet no…
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$31 k a month for office space? Ouch!
Good intel, Norm.
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Hugh. . . . the answers are, yes, yes and yes
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^
Are they ignorant? Can they not read? Do they not care? Are they stupid? I’m baffled.
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Many people in Kelowna West appear satisfied with the BC Liberal governing record.
Apparently they’re ok with: ICBC dumpster fire. BC Hydro a fiscal mess with rising rates. Vancouver has become a center for criminal money-laundering with unaffordable housing. Etc.
I find this disturbing.
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