From wy497@victoria.tc.ca Mon Mar 30 18:13:27 1998
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 1998 18:10:46 -0800 (PST)
From: Leslie Schentag <wy497@victoria.tc.ca>
To: Times-Colonist <timesc@interlink.bc.ca>
Cc: "B.C. Green Party Mailing List" <bcgreens-l@ark.com>,
    shigaru@hokkai.jp.or
Subject: Today's B.C. Budget

	Dear Editor;
            With the release of today's budget, I am quite frankly
disgusted with the NDP Government. 
  There is the promised tax cuts to the "business communities and
corporations" and then there's the cuts to spending.
 What are the first to go?? Forestry..Municipal Affairs..Environment...And
let us ALL NOT FORGET, Human Resources..
  Shall we take a look at the first one. Forestry..
 We all know that the forestry industry is about to crash..there are mills
closing all over the province..the number of forestry workers out of work
is rising.. What is wrong with this province. The one solution that is
very equitable to the forestry workers is put down your chainsaws and pick
up a shovel, go out and help replant the areas of this province that have
been devastate by clearcuts. We all know how much of the province that
is. It would help rejuvenate our forest and be a first step to restoring
the environment. All the forest workers that are unemployed, would return
to work. For the areas that are already suffering from serious soil
degeneration there could be a substitute used that would help to restore
the richness of the soil and through the extensive root patterns help bind
the fertile soil together. The Crop that I am referring to is Industrial
Cannabis Hemp. There have licences already issued to one Sidney based crop
farm. If the Government of B.C. was really interested in the preservation
of the province as it has stated on numerous occasions, it would take a
look at the possibilities for such a project.
Here is a possible scenario;

 The government of B.C. announces a an environmental and employment
initiative that will create unlimited jobs that will bring B.C. into the
21st century.
  1.) That the province has applied for and gained the ability to issue
permits for the farming of Commercial and Industrial Hemp to help in the
regeneration of our destroyed land through the practices of clearcutting.
All the land that is licenced under the forest companies to remain that
way so that the employees of the forest companies will be able to retain
their jobs and not become a burden to the social safety net.
  2.) That the province will provide all those people on social assistance
a chance to become self-sufficient, in the form of an incentive. All those
people that are interested in becoming part of an initiative to restore
the province's economic and environmental base. By becoming farmers and
growing hemp or the related industries with the growth of hemp. They will
be given an equitable wage for their labors and and a good dividend at the
end of the first season. For the farmers and related industries the
participants will be allowed to purchase either the land they are using or
in the case of the related industries, the ability to purchase shares in
their companies in the form of co-ops, first payment due at the end of the
first growing season.
  3.) That all the current pulp and paper mills go through a modification
process to accommodate the new products..the conversion costs would be
minimal as some of the equipment would be removed. No need for the
bleaching process.

  This author could go on and on about the benefits of this new growth
industry. B.C. could become on the cutting edge and a serious economic
base, where we could be self-sufficient in the matter of 5 years.
The demand for B.C. Products would be the Number 1 seller and B.C. would
once again be BEAUTIFUL BRITISH COLUMBIA!!!

 If the B.C. Government was smart.......


Yours Truly
 Leslie Schentag
 A Disgruntled Citizen

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