i'm not weighing in on this one, but i'll throw in a few points here, just as food for thought:
BCFC. it's not an independent company. it's a crown corporation, which means it's a company that is owned by the provincial government, but operated at arms length. while they've got their own corporate hierarchal structure, the board of directors is hand-picked by the premier. it is subsidized by the taxpayers, but under the Liberals, BCFC has been instructed to become a sustainable enterprise on its own. hence fare increases, and paying more for the really bad food in the cafeteria.
bidding process. when undertaking a large-scale capital project such as building ferries, bridges, etc., the government sends out an RFP (request for proposals), and different companies/organizations/crown corps send in *huge* bids outlining every minute aspect of the job, ie. how much it'll cost, how long it'll take, etc., etc. the government has increasingly done this to ensure work comes in under budget. while i certainly am not going to opine on the issue, i find it interesting that james noted BC shipbuilders had developed a bid and were not \"invited\" to submit. as taxpayers, we should have our government officials considering every single bid from contractors, be they public or private, to ensure cost efficiency, viability, quality, and what the best interests of the B.C. populace are in general. as we all pay a helluva lot of taxes, this point should concern you most of all, as it smacks of bias and corruption.
taxes. i guarantee you 100 per cent taxes won't be going up in the next two years. why? it's an election year folks; think about it.
like i said, just some stuff to consider.
