While the recent infrastructure announcements will create a few short term contract jobs, the Cariboo really needs a strategy that restructures our economy to generate long term jobs and consistent revenues for local businesses and governments.

We need guarantees that the few short term infrastructure projects awarded will, in fact, create jobs and benefits for Cariboo residents and businesses.

Government funded infrastructure work is subject to an “open bid” policy which ignores the benefits of local contractors working and creating jobs.

A quick glance at the signs posted at work sites and on equipment shows that the bulk of government funded infrastructure projects in the Cariboo go to external contractors and their out of town workers.

While local hotels and restaurants get some benefit from these crews, most of the real economic benefits go elsewhere.

This situation will get worse under the Liberal government’s recent Trade, Investment and Mobility Agreement (TILMA).

TILMA will allow Alberta contractors to bid on B.C. infrastructure projects; consequently, it will facilitate more of your tax dollars going to families and communities in Alberta.

TILMA will also prevent, by law, the ability to ensure that local contractors

and businesses are favoured. In fact, TILMA will prevent municipalities from establishing any procurement or purchasing policy that gives preference to local businesses.

In order to maximize the benefits of our tax dollars invested in the Cariboo, we need government policy that recognizes the deeper social and economic benefits of supporting local businesses and creating local jobs.

That’s why we’ve called on the government to cancel TILMA and to change the open bid process to recognize, encourage, and maximize local benefits from taxpayer funded projects. The provincial government must also recognize that short term infrastructure jobs are not the solution to our deep economic woes.

Our forest sector is undergoing a fundamental restructuring, not just a market downturn; most of the job losses we’ve experienced are permanent.

Until we have a government willing to embrace this reality and take a more strategic approach to helping us restructure our economy, we will not get the leadership needed to help us regain long term jobs and maximize the economic benefits to our communities from our public forests.

Boosterism and false promises of “sustainability” through short term taxpayer funded projects is not leadership. At best it’s wishful thinking; at worst, it’s misinformed incompetence.

Either way, it doesn’t help us in our time of need.


Bob Simpson is MLA for Cariboo North.