The Real Story - Carole James is Wrong about Regional Economies

“Very few people are benefiting from the areas of the economy that are growing. Anyone who travels outside the Lower Mainland to other parts of British Columbia can see that the economic strength is not happening in other parts of British Columbia.” – Carole James, 11 April 2005, Global TV

·          Unemployment is lower today than it was in Dec. 2001 in every region of BC.

·          As of Jan. 2005, every region of BC was in single digit unemployment – the best job picture in decades.

·          During the NDP’s second term, more than 4 out of every 5 jobs created in BC was in the Lower Mainland. In comparison, since December 2001, 40% of all new jobs in BC have been created OUTSIDE the Lower Mainland. (Source: Statistics Canada – Labour Force Survey)

Here's a sampling of the economic strength of communities and regions:

Kootenays region:

·          The Kootenay region led the province in job creation in 2004 with 10,000 new jobs, an increase of 15%.

·          The Kootenays right now enjoys its lowest employment rate since 1973.

·          In 1996, under the NDP, 10.8% of Cranbrook’s working age population was on income assistance.  In 2004, under the BC Liberals, that number has dropped to 1.9%.

Prince George

·          For the first time in more than 15 years, the unemployment rate in Prince George is in the single digits, with 2004 averaging at 9.5% unemployment rate.

·          Unemployment in December 2004, dipped to 5.8%.

·          Housing starts in Prince George rose 89% in 2004 compared to previous year.

·          Prince George business incorporations increased by 15% in 2004 compared to 2003. This represents the first annual increase since 1997 and the largest increase since 1993.

·          As of 2004, the average residential housing price in BC Northern region has increased by 13% over their 2001 level.

“There is a new optimistic attitude in Prince George. It’s a dramatic change from a few years ago.” – Bill Lynch, ReMax Prince George (Western Investor - March 2004)

“In the 30 years that I've been here I have never seen so much activity as we have in the last couple of years, major commercial businesses coming into the community. Not only from British Columbia, but they're coming in from Saskatchewan and Alberta.” – Harry Backlin, Prince George real estate agent, BCTV Global, 2-Mar-05

Thompson-Okanagan region:

• The unemployment rate for the Thompson-Okanagan region in December 2004 dropped to just 5%, the lowest since Statistics Canada began keeping records for the region in 1995.  The annual unemployment rate in the Thompson-Okanagan Region has dropped from 9.2% in 2001 to 6.6% in 2004.
• 2004 was the best year for business incorporations in the Thompson- Okanagan Regional District since 1995.
• Business incorporations in the Thompson-Okanagan Regional District have increased every year under the BC Liberals and in 2004 were more than 30% above their 2001 level.

"There's certainly a lot of investment coming into the community… The Island and the Okanagan are experiencing a boom and likely will for some time." – Scott Boswell, Summerland's economic development officer, Summerland Review, 16-Dec-04

Kamloops:

• 8,900 jobs have been created in Kamloops since 2001. 8,900 jobs have been creatd in Kamloops since 2001.  From 1996-2001, Kamloops lost 1,500 jobs.
• The unemployment rate for Kamloops in 2004 was 6.5% – which compares to a 2001 level of 13.8%.

·          Venture Kamloops, the business development agency for the City of Kamloops, reports that 2004 economic growth activity has been strong and all indicators points to this trend continuing in 2005. For example:

o        43% increase in residential building permits

o        18% increase in building permits 

o        4.7% November employment rate is the lowest since the early 1990s

• Kamloops has been ranked as one of Canada’s top 20 cities for business.

Merritt:

• In 1996, under the NDP, 12.9% of Merritt’s working age population was on Income Assistance.  In the year 2000, 9.6% of that population group was on Income Assistance.  In 2004, under the BC Liberals, that number was down to 2.9%.

Cariboo region:

• Unemployment in the Cariboo region was 6.9% in January '05. Unemployment in December '01 was 9.7%.

Kelowna:

• 7,200 new jobs were created in Kelowna between 2001 and 2004 – a 9.5% increase. The unemployment rate over the same period of time dropped from 6.6% to 4.9%.
• Kelowna has been ranked as one of Canada’s top 20 cities for business, taking the top place among BC cities.

Peace Region:

·          As of 2004, business incorporations in the Peace River Regional District increased by nearly 30% from their 2003 level and by 57% since 2002.

·          2004 was the best year for business incorporations in the Peace River Regional District for more than 15 years.

“We're seeing a lot of growth, and we've got unemployment that Stats Canada tells us is too low to measure.” – Steve Thorlakson, Mayor of Fort St. John, CKNW, 4-Apr-05

Vancouver Island:

• From 2001-2004, under th BC Liberal Government, there have been 24,300 jobs created in the Vancouver Island / Coast Region.  In comparison, under the NDP from 1996-2001 there were only 100 jobs created in the Vancouver Island / Coast Region.
• Nanaimo’s unemployment rate was 8.8% in 2004 compared to a 2001 level of 12.1%.