A community petition introduced today seems to be building on the work of departing Council members Mayor Lee Brain and Councillor Blair Mirau, the two most vociferous advocates for relief from the provincial taxation regimen in Prince Rupert when it comes to Port Taxation.
The topic one which recently made some headlines through Mayor Lee Brain's State of the City presentation of June and a follow up letter to the editor from Councillor Mirau in July.
The latter something that the Councillor made note of through social media today, as did Mayor Brain in a similar message through his Civic Facebook page.
The full overview of the project, timed with the municipal election in mind, can be reviewed here.
Those inclined to sign the petition can access it from the online portal.
The topic has been a lively one over the summer, there was a slight push back from the Port towards the Mayor's narrative of June, which we outlined in Mid July, offering an overview that reviewed the Port's take on the situation.
That contribution to the discussion earned the Port officials a fairly strong rebuke from Councillor Mirau, who composed the letter to editor contribution that he notes in the petition launch of today, a view which at the time came strongly endorsed by the Mayor.
Considering the ongoing interest to the theme of the departing Council members, the initiative seems to be a continuation of their talking points from the summer and an indication that while they may no longer be part of the elected council come October, both the Mayor and councillor plan to be vocal advocates for their positions well after the election cycle comes to an end.
Whether the petition push becomes the dominant narrative of the municipal election campaign and a means test towards gaining support by candidates from the departing municipal politicians remains to be seen.
If Rupertites didn't get angry about boiling their water for 300+ days, do you really think they are going to get behind a hashtag?
ReplyDeleteThis initiative by two departing council members is really an admission that they and the other city leaders failed to lobby the Province effectively by persuading and proposing solutions to complex issues. Did they ever make a case, for instance, that the Provincial grant should be increased, or that the tax rate set in section 4 of the PPTA should be adjusted?
ReplyDeleteThe city leaders also do not seem to have succeeded in getting the support of the other seven port communities that are subject to the PPTA, even though all of them get smaller grants than Prince Rupert. At one time the mayor talked about taking the lead. What happened to that claim?
As for linking the Port tax cap to a $600 million infrastructure deficit, that's rather disingenuous. The deficit was building up long before 2004 when the PPTA became law. The city has made its choices over the decades, including tying up $46.5 million in Citywest and whatever the 'Watson Island Intermodal and Logistics Park' is worth. On the latter, I don't think that anyone could be blamed for wondering if at least part of what is behind the issue is a desire to make Watson Island more competitive with Port lands that currently benefit from the caps.
Finally, it's disappointing that two council members who after two terms would seem to be seasoned municipal politicians are reverting to the politics of populist protest and (to borrow an apt phrase) a hashtag, particularly when they are on their way out the door. If they are really serious about the issue maybe they should stick around.
A stated purpose of the petition is to avoid a "trade war" with the United States. Washington politicians are opposed to the Port tax caps. The web page pretty much trashes companies DP World, PRG, Pinnacle, and Trigon for being big, mostly foreign owned and out to make money. But maybe this petition serves the interests of companies in American ports that are big, foreign owned and out to make money. I'll support our behemoths before their's thanks.
ReplyDeleteThe issue should be left to the next mayor and council to deal with, fresh set of eyes.
ReplyDeleteThere's upwards of 50 million dollars a year in income tax from the employees at the above mentioned work sites. Maybe lobby the federal government for some of that money for the area.
ReplyDeleteIf the plan is to present the petition to the Legislative Assembly it will have to submitted by an MLA. I wonder who will do that?
ReplyDeletehttps://ppbc.leg.bc.ca/ch-15.html
"Members of the Legislative Assembly are not obligated to present a petition"
DeleteGood luck with that website and hashtag.