The following is a guest blog post by Jack Masterman of Port Hardy, B.C.:

The sheeple, who just agree with whatever they are being told by government, probably deserve the increases in rates being charged.

We who totally disagree with what is being presented, have to have a collective voice.

I hope the Taxpayers Federation will be this voice. 

As a business owner and CFO of a company that employs 180 people in a plant environment, I understand the forecasting and budgeting for equipment and infrastructure replacement.

We build this into our business model and have money set aside.  If they don’t understand this principle, then they should just look at their depreciation figures, that is a rough indication of what they need to budget for.

We can’t ask our customers to pay us another 25% because we did not plan correctly.

These high priced CEO’s have totally destroyed these companies.

BC Hydro should have planned for the upgrades and replacements and had money set aside for these projects. 

Capital projects should be analyzed and the costs should be known and the debt repayment should be covered by their profits .  Most large capital projects use borrowed money in private business.  We do not take it from cash flow.

The same for BC Ferries.

I printed the audited financial statement for BC Ferries for the fiscal year ending 2012 and it showed a profit.  I took it to their “propaganda” meeting in Port Hardy and presented it to the “financial” person.

He admitted there was a profit but they forecast a loss on the 2.2 billion dollars of capital equipment they plan to purchase during the next 10 years.

I suggested they take the BC Ferry corporation and put it back under the Ministry of Transport.  Capital equipment should be treated like bridges and roads and not be paid from ferry fares.

BC Ferries should ONLY be a transportation service that provides access to island communities at the best rates possible.

If a bridge can be built less expensively than running a ferry, then build the bridge.

We are being “snowballed” by those in power to cover up their bad management and paying far too much for these managers that are running these businesses into the ground.

There has to be a collective uprising.  Have a team of economists look at the books of BC Hydro, BC Ferries and the Department of Aboriginal Affairs.  These three departments are pulling money out of our pockets at an alarming rate.

I trust the Canadian Taxpayers Federation will get the media time to get the people of BC thinking and not take this “laying down."