February 23, 2005

No special deals for Olympic construction, B.C.’s economic development minister says

By Cheryl Mah

DCN Correspondent

Vancouver

No special deals for Olympic construction, says B.C.’s Minister of Small Business and Economic Development John Les.

Les reconfirmed his position against entering into a pre-Olympic labour agreement at last week’s CEO breakfast here by noting Olympic-related construction represents just one per cent of the $62 billion worth of work expected in B.C. over the next several years.

“So to me that is hardly justification for cutting a special deal with any special interest group to deal with Olympic construction,” said Les.

“People who advocate that have a role in life — to advocate for their membership. Their motivation is not to keep government costs under control.”

The minister responsible for the Olympics drew three rounds of applause and a standing ovation from more than 100 construction industry representatives during his keynote speech.

Hosted by the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association, the breakfast launched the the two-day B.C. Construction Show at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The minister focused on the positives of a strong and vibrant economy in B.C., saying his government has followed through on many of the promises made in the New Era Document.

“We actually said what we’re going to do. We diligently pursued this agenda for the last three-and-a-half years. We had a plan and results are evident today across landscape of B.C.,” he said.

Les spoke with enthusiasm about the future and the confidence building in the province. Job creation in B.C. is first in Canada and the rate of housing start growth is four times the national average, he told the audience.

While recapping the accomplishments of his government’s actions, Les also acknowledged B.C. has faced many challenges in the last three years, including 9/11, SARS, forest fires and the softwood lumber disagreement with the U.S.

With the provincial election set for May 17, he stressed the importance of ensuring his government carries on with its policies that have turned the economy around based on “sound fiscal management.”

The main feature of the 2005 budget, said Les, was the “single largest ever pay down of debt in the history of B.C. — a $1.7 billion reduction.”

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