Podunk Below the Masthead, Tuesday, September 22, 2009

A good turnout for the Canpotex meeting, the stirrings of the HST backlash, tragedy on a hunting trip and Northern Health is coming to town to listen to local concerns, some of the items of the Tuesday news cycle...

FRONT PAGE, Headline Story
POLITICIANS ARE JOINING FORCES TO RALLY AGAINST HST-- Tuesday's Daily News features a review of the weekend protest over the impending arrival of the HST, a Vancouver event which attracted around 4,000 participants and offered up a string of political speeches from various corners of the political spectrum (Daily News Archive)

A preview of sorts of the upcoming Northern Health public forum on October 1, when local residents can share their concerns and worries about health care in the region. The session is planned for the Crest Hotel and is one of thirteen stops that Northern Health is making in the region this fall. (No Daily News Archive story posted)

Tragedy and survival highlight the details of a story of two Prince Rupert men on their annual hunting trip. A much anticipated ritual for Marc Desautels and Cam Culver, that this time left Mr. Desautels tragically dead of a heart attack and Mr. Culver suffering serious injuries requiring that he be flown to Vancouver for further treatment. (Daily news Archive )

Haida Gwaii gets a one time opportunity to dispose of all their old electronic items not allowed in the usual recycling program on the Islands, that as Encorp arrives on September 26 for a free of charge recycling collection (Daily News Archive)

Conrad School took time to recognize the International Day of Peace, students at the east side school took joined billions of other world residents to observe the day (Daily News Archive).

The CBC featured further details on the incident, including some background on the problems faced by the family of the suriving hunter, as they tried to have him placed in a Vancouver hospital.
.
The Sports section featured a review of the Weekend Cannery road Race as well as details on the Centennial tournament at the golf course.

NORTHERN VIEW, Web Extra
Hundreds pack Prince Rupert's Lester Centre for Canpotex meeting-- The much anticipated public meeting outlining details of a potential potash terminal for Ridley Island took place on Tuesday night and the Northern View had the first details of the well attended meeting (see article here)

CBC Northern British Columbia, Daybreak
Funding Cuts-- A look at the cutbacks affecting the funding of programming for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. (listen to audio report here)

Front page headline story
Politicians are joining forces to Rally Against HST
By George T. Baker
The Prince Rupert Daily News
Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Citizens across the province came out to voice their displeasure with
the HST.

The North Coast's top representative in Victoria, Gary Coons, was in Vancouver Saturday to lend a show of support to his leader, NDP boss Carole James.

"We need to stop the HST, which is simply a regressive tax," said Coons. Adding that the Liberals were elected under the false pretence that they would not introduce the very unpopular tax.

Coons was certainly not alone in Vancouver in his opinion. Real estate agents have adorned "Stop-HST" appendixes to the For Sale signs. Restaurants have no-HST signs in their front windows. Vancouverites are vocal about their displeasure.

About 4,000 people showed up to an anti-HST rally on the pavilion of the brand new Vancouver Convention Centre. They were there to voice their displeasure with the way the HST was not only accepted by the provincial government, but also the way the BC Liberals handled the issue with the public during last May's election.

The feeling across the province right now is very dour when it comes to the tax that would combine the GST and PST while eliminating some of the previous PST-exempt services under the old tax regime.

And now it appears that the provincial political left and right are coming together over the one unifying force that has historically created great public unity - taxes.

There were 19 rallies held across the province on Saturday, none bigger than Vancouver's. The vocal, but peaceful, two hours were coloured with venomous tones directed at Premier Gordon Campbell.

"Gordon Campbell wouldn't know the truth if it sat beside him on a ferry ride to Victoria," joked BC Conservative party deputy leader, Chris Delaney.

"HST is a cruel tax… that taxes the people who can least afford to pay the tax," said rally leader and former Social Credit Premier, Bill Vander Zalm.

Vander Zalm was joined by James, making up one of the oddest set of teammates. Most of the day's speakers acknowledged the differences in political beliefs in an effort to hammer home the point that they were united in only one cause.

"The public is angry at being betrayed by this government and I have to tell you it shows how angry people are when you can get political opponents together," James said, adding she and Vander Zalm have been on opposite sides on many issues over the years.

Critics say the merged tax will hurt families because they'll be paying tax on things that are currently not taxed, including haircuts, real estate and restaurant meals.