Political

by Eva van Loon

The Harmonised Sales Tax which is supposed to come alive next summer with a 12%  tax on most goods and services is, if nothing else, impossible to figure out.That’s a problem for everybody, but especially for those in business.

HST will cover many more goods and services than PST now does. And that’s a problem, potentially, for a class of business the government apparently hasn’t considered but which we all depend on to fill a wide variety of needs.

I’m talking about microbusiness, the zillions of small operations that don’t even come near the $30,000 annually that would attract GST; so don’t have to worry about GST inputs and outputs or hiring a bookkeeper to do payroll and financial statements—or taxes.

I say zillions because I’ve really no idea how many workers fall into that category in Canada; I just know I meet people in microbusiness all the time.

My own business, fixing learning disabilties, falls nicely into that category. It provides a high-quality product with a hefty price tag, since the therapist has to be highly trained for this work. I don’t do much of this work—maybe half a dozen students a year, but they will all tell you how essential this service was for them. One of the nicer aspects of billing them is that I needn’t charge them any tax, and one of the nicer aspects of my tiny business is that I don’t have to employ someone to do sales tax, or spend long hours doing it myself.

That’s about to change. Try as hard as I might, I can’t get a final answer from the HST website on whether my kind of educational services will be HST-exempt. The nearest to an answer is a requirement for me to find some kind of stamp of approval—who knows what?—from some kind of official educational body—also far from clear.

by Edward Sanderson

Re: “Leaving the Sinking Ship” (February ‘08 issue)
Apparently you got bad info about the Lakots tribe.Check it out here: http://newsbusters.org/

(Quoting www.newsbusters.org): “Problem is ‘the Lakota Sioux Indians’ that have made this announcement are just an unaffiliated group of Indian activists the leader of whom does not represent the official Lakota tribe leadership! Yet here is the news media reporting this story as if all “the Lakota Sioux Indians” have banded together and quit the union.”

Thanks for the research! Although Immanence is not a news service, we’re always interested in monitoring community and cultural response to events. We did not get a local response to this story yet. Meanwhile, it’s interesting that a first American response seems to be a pooh-pooh-who-cares? statement and a personal attack on Russell Means, who is actually a well respected Amerindian attorney. Let’s hope response does not escalate.
–Editor

Green candidate Jeff Chilton asks of us, “Please look into your heart and vote your conscience.”
That’s exactly what the Liberals pray we’ll do.
I guess we merely imagined Greens and NDP had learned the hard lessons of Divide and Conquer.
This is the Last Real Election. No more chances if the Liberals win. Remember, there can be no real economy without an ecology. It’s now...or never.
There’s only one real issue—one terrifying issue. Seven hundred lost rivers mean no more salmon. No more salmon mean no more orcas, wolves, or bears, who all depend on salmon. Human sustainability will become a joke on this coast.
Hang in there, Greens, till next time. If there is one.
—E. van Loon

A government should be willing to listen to the public. But in a Global News video clip the Liberals could not be more clear—they locked the door, left the people concerned about wild salmon on the street and suggested we take our concern to the NDP.
Liberal Nanaimo-Parksville MLA candidate Ron Cantelon said wild and farm salmon can co-exist. Look at the salmon river next to you. There is no evidence this can or ever will happen (Ford and Myers 2007). Humanity itself is threatened by direct exposure to diseases in feedlots. The fish feedlots absolutely have to be isolated from the ocean environment.
Wild salmon are the backbone of the BC economy, but the BC Liberals are selling hundreds of rivers, in the same watersheds where wild salmon are hatching right now. Farmed salmon need no rivers.
Chief Bob Chamberlin has filed a class action law suit against the British Columbia Government alleging that wild salmon are being decimated by open net-cage salmon farming in their Territories, asking “Why doesn’t government realize what’s at stake?”
Connect the dots. This is the last time we get to decide if we want wild salmon. I have always voted Green and hope to again one day, but on May 12, I am voting for the best hope my community has to survive …. NDP
Please view the Global News clip for yourself.
www.globaltv.com/globaltv/bc/video/index.html?releaseID=1116227153
—Alexandra Morton

by Guy Hawkins

Prime Minister Harper has betrayed the trust of the Canadian people.

Prime Minster Harper refused to initiate an open and transparent investigation of the credible evidence presented by hundreds of professional architects, engineers and military officers which directly contradicts the US administration’s version of the events of 9/11. A petition signed by 500 Canadians was read by Libby Davies, MP for Vancouver East, during the 39th parliament; Stephen Harper was the Prime Minister at that time. Not only has Prime Minister Harper ignored such credible evidence, he has deepened Canada’s military commitment to the administration of the US and its ‘War on Terrorism’, which is based on lies and deception regarding the events of 9/11. The Prime Minister has chosen to ignore such claims. Having no expertise in the professions of architects, engineers, scientists or military officers, he cannot himself make a professional response, yet he has not ordered an unbiased and transparent professional review of the allegations by professionals that the events of 9/11 are not as stated by the US administration. Such a review could be a serious threat to the administration of the US.

Imagine what would happen if the Parliament of Canada conducted a transparent investigation of the claims made by professionals. Such an investigation would reach the citizens of the US, sparking demands for a similar investigation. This would be catastrophic for the administration of the US because it can be proven beyond reasonable doubt that the US administration is, at best, guilty of covering up and actively misrepresenting the events of 9/11; at worst, the US administration is guilty of participating in the attacks of 9/11. Our Prime Minister has ignored the credible evidence that demands a transparent investigation.

by Agricultural Land Reserve Response Team

URGENT! Stop the removal of 880 acres from the ALR and support agricultural and sustainable initiatives in Powell River.

Powell River’s farming future is in crisis. The City of Powell River and its land development corporation have applied to the Agricultural Land Commission to remove 880 acres within the City from the Agricultural Land Reserve, one of the largest exclusion applications ever. ALERT, the Agricultural Land Emergency Response Team, is working to keep the land in the ALR and to devote it to varied agricultural, educational, value added and residential uses, called the Alternative Agricultural Plan.

Join us in bringing this vision to reality. Call: 604 483 4923 or email: powellriveralert@gmail.com
For more information, refer to www.immanence.ca.