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The Harmonized Sales Tax is
looming larger than ever, and, after
a vote in Parliament in December
that saw a landslide vote in favour of
imposing it, looks ready to rumble.
Prepare for the worst, because that is
what’s coming.

Transit — Good

As North America
attempts to make the transition
from wasteful smogtown
to sustainable eco-dome,
environmentally conscious
methods of transportation
grow increasingly more vital
for the success of our land’s
infrastructural development.
And while hybrids and electric
cars are big steps in the
right direction, rapid public
transportation is the true answer
to eliminating the inefficient
congestion we deal with now.

With the new 2009 Canada
Line servicing Vancouver
and Richmond, in addition to
the existing Expo and Millennium
Lines that service Burnaby and New
Westminster, the area tightly wrapped
around downtown Vancouver is
blessed with efficient rapid transit.
That is not the case, however, with
those in the rest of Metro Vancouver.
Anywhere north, south, or east of
these places see naught but mediocre
bus lines. Too far east, and you’re

begging for mediocrity. A little farther,

and residents aren’t quite sure what
exactly a bus is. And a SkyTrain? The

mere concept would blow an Agassiz
resident’s cap off.

In 2010, construction of the fabled
Evergreen Line will commence. This
rapid transit line is planned to thread
through Burquitlam, Port Moody, and
Coquitlam, touching on all the major
stop zones, including Lougheed Town

 

Centre and Douglas College’s David
Lam Campus.

Unfortunately, this project will
not be in motion until 2014— but the
mere fact that this is taking place is
a monumental stage. We are finally
seeing Vancouver’s fingers reach
beyond its next door neighbours and
lend a helping hand to those who are
really in need.

These tremendous transit changes
could easily transform how we
transport ourselves, but there is a snag:

TransLink is seeking to, yet again,
inflate ticket prices. Their aim is to
jack prices up 10 per cent in 2010,
and up to 40 per cent over the next
decade. This increase far exceeds even
the wildest predictions for inflation
and constitute a complete lack of logic
across the company’s executive board.
TransLink has no turnstiles installed
and estimations for fare evasion range
from 50 up to 85 per cent. As well,
roughly just 20 percent of people

pay for the fare evasion tickets they
receive.

So with as little as one in nine
people actually paying for tickets, and
then just one in five redeeming their
sins, TransLink decides to ignore:the
real problem and instead gouge the
few good service payers they have.
Instead of investing time and money
into long-term fare retention rates
and ticket discipline, they push away
the remaining few good citizens still
willing to pay for a service that is
basically free.

TransLink can shape B.C. in 2010
and well beyond for better or worse,
but they’re walking on rotten ice and
one wrong step will have everyone
sinking.

Post-recession economy — Good

It was what most of the world
heralded as the worst recession since
the Great Depression way back in
the 1930s. It was a stock market
murderer, a job security slaughterer,
and an employment rate obliterator.
“The downturn in activity this year has

been extensive, impacting virtually all
parts of the B.C. economy,” said Craig
Wright, a chief economist with RBC.

But now it’s over.

The B.C. economy is poised
for improvement and expected to
enter a state of solid recovery this
year. According to many reputable
economists, 2010 promises a
widespread turnaround in economic
performance, a sharp contrast to the
global meltdown we all saw in 2008
and 2009. The prospect of a buzzing
economy is generating a considerably
more sanguine context for B.C.’s
financial sector and boosting consumer
confidence, which will effectively
supplement the last wave of stimulus
spending by government.

Overall, the B.C. economy has
been forecasted to grow by more than
three per cent in 2010, the second
fastest rate among all Canadian
provinces, and will continue that
number through 2011.

Turning the page of 2009 ends not
only a year but an entire decade. We
shall fondly remember the ‘00s with
Facebook groups in the future such
as, “You know you’re from the 00’s
when ‘Avatar’ was actually considered
good 3D filmmaking,” and “Anyone
remember MP3 players? LOL.” But
perhaps we shall more fondly relish the
present, as hosts of a legendary gaming
event, leaders in a new economy and
residents of the most beautiful place on
earth.

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