---------- Original message ----------
From: "Gallant, Premier Brian (PO/CPM)"
Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2017 13:50:17 +0000
Subject: RE: On the high price of tobacco, the Yankee Prez Trump and the not clever COC activists such as Andre Faust trying to play dumb etc etc etc
To: David Amos
Thank you for writing to the Premier of New Brunswick. Please be assured that your email will be reviewed and if a response is requested, it will be forthcoming.
Nous vous remercions d’avoir communiqué avec le premier ministre du Nouveau-Brunswick. Soyez assuré(e) que votre courriel sera examiné et qu’une réponse vous parviendra à sa demande.
---------- Original message ----------
From: David Amos
Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2017 09:49:56 -0400
Subject: On the high price of tobacco, the Yankee Prez Trump and the not clever COC activists such as Andre Faust trying to play dumb etc etc etc
To: andre
Cc: David Amos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIBGFopUbzs&lc=z12cylwazliigh1bm04cijhhkp2twhcpsyg0k.1487088142645115
On the high price of tobacco
The left Eye
39 views
Published on Feb 4, 2017
Continuation of the discussion on how the government like the crack
dealer exploits the smoking addiction.
Comments • 5
David Amos 1 week ago
It seems that we finally agree on something N'esy Pas Mr Faust?
David Amos 1 week ago
BTW I don't smoke dope and seldom drink like the drunken welfare bum
Chucky " Cry Baby" Leblanc often brags that he does. Many family
members and friends would testify that I never had a beer in my life.
Its only top shelf booze or cheap wine for mean old me. They would
also warn you that when I do drink on special occasions watch out to
for the evil "Mr Hyde" who often appears if you piss me off and I have
partaken too much of the demon liquor. No bullshit.
Hence I could care less if your local LIEbrano heroes raise the taxes
on booze through the roof and are successful in court in stopping New
Brunswick folks from buying booze in Quebec. Obviously I also don't
care if your Federal LIEBrano heroes make marijuana legal either.
Everybody and his dog knows Trudeau "The Younger" promised to do it in
order to secure votes that LIEbranos never got before in order to
collect more tax revenue for them to spend frivolously on fancy
vacations taken under the guise of ethical politicking. N'esy Pas?
David Amos 1 week ago
However I do smoke way too much. Methinks I smoke enough for mean old
me and the VERY narcissistic self righteous ex smoker that Chucky "Cry
Baby" Leblanc has turned into.
I truly would like to quit but not today. It is caffeine and nicotine
the two much over taxed and very legal drugs sourced from what Mother
Nature had to offer us when our ancestors first settled in our Native
Land over 500 years ago that help a mean old man make it though the
day whilst writing blogs, emails, motions and lawsuits etc the you
Fake Left "Activists", your blogging butt buddy Chucky Baby and the
CROWN try hard to ignore. N'esy Pas?
The left Eye 21 hours ago Highlighted reply
Yes, You do send a lot of information, I read some of your emails. but
outside of reading your emails, you don`t ask for any action on these
emails, so I just take it at face value, "for my information".
What amazes me, you cover a large spectrum of issues, where do you
find the time. I know from my one experience, to work on one story can
take me weeks to research. For example, last June rebel media did a
negative story on Fredericton High School and the New Comers. Through
the right to information, rebel media received a vast amount of
information relating to the "refugees" and FHS. That document they
made available for download. I downloaded it, over 2,500 pages. It
took me the entire summer to go through that and to talk to the
principal of FHS only to arrive at the conclusion that Rebel Media
sensationalised their story and took the information that they
received through the right to information out of context.
David Amos 43 seconds ago
Mr Faust
Why continue to play dumb after all this time? Trust that you can't
fool me because I am too stupid. To mean old me you are just a
political/activist/wannabe/lawyer trying to act like you are not
involved in my concerns. Hell I explained who I was and told you of my
concerns on the phone years ago Remember?
How many times since then have I informed you of many things
especially of Federal Court file No T-1557-15 which I filed across the
Street from Chucky Leblanc's welfare abode after you and your
"activist" pals marched past me in the summer of 2015 before the writ
was dropped? Perhaps you should finally read paragraphs 28 and 67 in
particular EH? You don't have to go to the court to read the complaint
Check my blog It will take about 1 minute or so to read of my concerns
about Chucky Baby and his activist pals such as yourself.
http://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.ca/2015/09/v-behaviorurldefaultvmlo.html
Tell your crybaby blogging butt buddy Chucky Leblanc who obviously
can't read to review a few videos the first video below is his N'esy
Pas?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0g7klj5ukE&t=328s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wxlvsEI3GI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oFetb2L6zk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icdihncTPLQ&t=50s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4be_A38GM8
The left Eye 21 hours ago
Yup, I am in the same boat with the smoking thing. It seems that those
who are genetically sound there doesn`t seem any health issues. For
those who`s genetics are flawed then there are health issues. I like
the one where this smoker lived well into his nineties, then passed
away. The anti-smokers argued he died because of smoking. Anyone who
smokes and lives past the statistical life span average would be
erroneous to conclude that they died from smoking.
Cancer, they argue is the leading cause of death in smokers, but it's
the leading cause for most biological organisms. The primary cause for
cancer is age. The older you get the greater the chances of developing
cancer. compare the figures how many 1-year-olds die of cancer versus
how many die at 85. `The best science that we have for measuring the
effects of smoking is the pulmonary functions test which measures lung
capacity, smokers over a period of time loses their lung capacity at a
greater rate than non-smokers.
Any Mr. Amos, our tobacco taxes finances many programs that the
non-smokers enjoy .. :)
In closing need I repeat myself and say to HELL with Chucky Crybaby
Leblanc's Yankee hero the mindless Mr Trump and all his crooked
lawyers???
---------- Original message ----------
From: "Finance Public / Finance Publique (FIN)"
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2017 14:52:33 +0000
Subject: RE: RE FATCA, NAFTA & TPP etc ATTN President Donald J. Trump
I just got off the phone with your lawyer Mr Cohen (646-853-0114) Why
does he lie to me after all this time???
To: David Amos
The Department of Finance acknowledges receipt of your electronic
correspondence. Please be assured that we appreciate receiving your
comments.
Le ministère des Finances accuse réception de votre correspondance
électronique. Soyez assuré(e) que nous apprécions recevoir vos
commentaires.
---------- Original message ----------
From: Michael Cohen
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2017 14:15:14 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: RE FATCA ATTN Pierre-Luc.Dusseault I just
called and left a message for you
To: David Amos
Effective January 20, 2017, I have accepted the role as personal
counsel to President Donald J. Trump. All future emails should be
directed to mdcohen212@gmail.com and all future calls should be
directed to 646-853-0114.
________________________________
This communication is from The Trump Organization or an affiliate
thereof and is not sent on behalf of any other individual or entity.
This email may contain information that is confidential and/or
proprietary. Such information may not be read, disclosed, used,
copied, distributed or disseminated except (1) for use by the intended
recipient or (2) as expressly authorized by the sender. If you have
received this communication in error, please immediately delete it and
promptly notify the sender.
E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be received, secure or
error-free as emails could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed,
arrive late, incomplete, contain viruses or otherwise. The Trump
Organization and its affiliates do not guarantee that all emails will
be read and do not accept liability for any errors or omissions in
emails. Any views or opinions presented in any email are solely those
of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Trump
Organization or any of its affiliates.Nothing in this communication is
intended to operate as an electronic signature under applicable law.
http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/new-brunswick-budget-makes-contraband-tobacco-worse-567402201.html
New Brunswick Budget Makes Contraband Tobacco Worse
OTTAWA, Feb. 2, 2016 /CNW/
- The National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco (NCACT) said that the New
Brunswick government's decision to increase tobacco taxes by 6.52 cents per
cigarette will only serve to fuel the province's growing contraband tobacco
problem. The increase in taxes – more than $14 per carton when the increased
HST is considered – is actually more than the cost of many illegal cigarettes.
"Illegal cigarettes are a
growing and significant problem in New Brunswick, and an increase in the cost
of legal product will only serve to make this problem worse," said Gary
Grant, a 39-year veteran of the Toronto Police Service and national
spokesperson for the NCACT. "The RCMP indicates that a steady stream of
contraband tobacco is making its way into and through the province from
factories in Quebec and Ontario. If anything, the smugglers are adapting their
smuggling networks to make it even harder for police to disrupt their
shipments."
The RCMP has indicated that
smugglers have shifted to smaller shipments to avoid large busts, like that in
late November where more than 1.5 million cigarettes were seized near Val-Doucet,
along with guns and illicit alcohol. This makes it harder for law enforcement
to keep up.
The budget did follow through on an
earlier commitment to create a dedicated provincial anti-contraband tobacco
enforcement unit. While this is welcome news, the NCACT believes that this
should have been allowed to have real impact before making dramatic changes to
the regulated industry.
"A dedicated law enforcement
unit against contraband tobacco is certainly a step forward, but unfortunately
the increase in tobacco taxes takes two steps back," said Grant. "New
Brunswick would have been wiser to allow this new taskforce to disrupt the
illegal networks before making dramatic changes to the regulated market. Large
tax increases such as this shock consumers into seeking less expensive
alternatives which is counter-productive to the province's contraband
enforcement commitment. In fact, the government had estimated that
anti-contraband efforts would have netted as much as $5 million more in taxes.
That's unlikely to happen now."
Contraband tobacco is big business
for organized crime. The RCMP have identified 175 criminal gangs are involved
in the illegal cigarette trade. They use contraband tobacco as a cash cow to
finance their other illegal activities, including guns, drugs and human
smuggling. Tobacco smuggled into New Brunswick is largely produced at one of
the 50 illegal factories that operate in Canada, each of which is able to
produce as many as 10,000 cigarettes a minute. In Ontario and Quebec, an
absence of early action against contraband tobacco allowed the problem to get
out of hand. In Ontario, contraband cigarettes represent 1 in 3 of all
cigarettes purchased.
"Ontario and Quebec have shown
that contraband tobacco is not going to solve itself," concluded Grant.
"Contraband tobacco undermines government tobacco control efforts.
Ignoring the problem-or taking actions that only make smugglers jobs easier,
will not work."
About NCACT
The National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco is a Canadian advocacy group formed with the participation of businesses, organizations and individuals concerned about the growing danger of contraband cigarettes. NCACT members share the goals of working together to educate people and urge government to take quick action to stop this growing threat.
The members of the NCACT are:
Association des détaillants en alimentation du Québec (ADA), Association des
marchands dépanneurs et épiciers du Québec (AMDEQ), Canadian Chamber of
Commerce, Canadian Convenience Stores Association (CCSA), Canadian
Manufacturers and Exporters, Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Canadian Tobacco
Manufacturers Council, Conseil du patronat du Québec (CPQ), Customs and
Immigration Union, Échec au crime Québec, Fédération des chambres de commerce
du Québec (FCCQ), Frontier Duty Free Association (FDFA), National Convenience
Stores Distributors Association (NACDA), Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Retail
Council of Canada, Toronto Crime Stoppers, United Korean Commerce and Industry
Association (UKCIA), and National Capital Area Crime Stoppers.
SOURCE National Coalition Against
Contraband Tobacco (NCACT)
For
further information: Michael Powell, (p) 1-866-950-5551, (m) 613-797-7313, (e)
info@stopcontrabandtobacco.cahttp://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/cigarettes-smoking-contraband-smuggling-convenience-stores-1.3494528
Province driving smokers to contraband cigarettes, says group
Gallant government is sending a 'mixed message' by hiking tobacco tax and cracking down on contraband smokes
By Jacques Poitras, CBC News Posted: Mar 17, 2016 6:00 AM ATLast Updated: Mar 17, 2016 6:10 AM AT
The New Brunswick government has created a $950,000 a year, nine-officer enforcement unit to crack down on black market cigarettes,
at the same time as raising taxes on tobacco. (RCMP)
Convenience store owners say the Gallant government is sending
mixed messages by cracking down on contraband tobacco, while also
driving up the cost of legal cigarettes with tax increases.
A lobbying campaign by the National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco, a group funded in part by the tobacco industry and convenience store groups, persuaded the Liberals to spend $950,000 a year setting up a nine-officer enforcement unit.
But last month's budget also raised taxes on tobacco, a move the group opposes because it says it will make cheaper, illegal cigarettes more attractive.
"It is a mixed message if you have an enforcement team that's going to crack down on contraband tobacco, and yet when you raise taxes, it will likely send more people to the black market," says Gary Grant, a spokesperson for the coalition.
Jeff Green, a Fredericton convenience store owner, said he agrees.
More enforcement "helps protect my market," he said.
But "things like continuously raising the taxes and continuing to restrict the product has the converse effect. It pushes people to want to support the underground economy — the contraband product," he said.
Mike Hammoud, the president of the Atlantic Convenience Stores Association, says the group analyzes the chemical make-up of discarded butts to measure how many cigarettes come from illegal sources.
In New Brunswick, the figure is about 22 per cent, Hammoud said.
Grant said he doesn't know how much of his coalition's budget comes from cigarette manufacturers and convenience store groups, both of which stand to profit if more people buy legal cigarettes.
"I'm not one to criticize people that are working in a legitimate business, a legal business, for trying to stop an illegal market in their own business," he said.
He pointed out other organizations that fund the coalition include Toronto Crimestoppers and the union representing Canadian border guards.
The new enforcement unit, headed by a former Fredericton city police inspector, is "a good start," Grant said.
"It indicates to me that the government sees it as a serious problem they're going to put some resources into."
Public Safety Minister Stephen Horsman told reporters in February that the province estimates even a small dent in contraband tobacco, and a resulting increase in legal sales, will cover the $950,000 being spent on the new enforcement team.
"We're hoping if we can just touch on the one per cent, we'll get a million dollars back, so it should pay for itself," he said.
But Horsman cautioned that payback is just an estimate, not a guarantee.
"These numbers can't be an exact number," he said.
"We can't count on it because we don't know what's going to take place in the future."
As for Green, the store owner said while he welcomes the creation of
an enforcement team, the tax increase in addition to other provincial
decisions have driven smokers to the illegal market.
He says he saw his profits drop after the government banned flavoured cigarettes last year.
"I don't think that everybody who smoked menthol cigarettes is all of a sudden going to stop smoking the tobacco of their choice for years because of a ban," he said.
"They're going to find alternative sources."
Green has operated his gas station and convenience store on Bishop's Drive in Fredericton for eight years.
He said cigarette sales are a key part of his profits.
"It's a cornerstone product," he said.
"In the convenience store industry, tobacco is a very important component of the overall retail opportunity."
A lobbying campaign by the National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco, a group funded in part by the tobacco industry and convenience store groups, persuaded the Liberals to spend $950,000 a year setting up a nine-officer enforcement unit.
But last month's budget also raised taxes on tobacco, a move the group opposes because it says it will make cheaper, illegal cigarettes more attractive.
"It is a mixed message if you have an enforcement team that's going to crack down on contraband tobacco, and yet when you raise taxes, it will likely send more people to the black market," says Gary Grant, a spokesperson for the coalition.
Convenience store owner Jeff Green says raising taxes pushes people to support the underground economy. (CBC)
Jeff Green, a Fredericton convenience store owner, said he agrees.
More enforcement "helps protect my market," he said.
But "things like continuously raising the taxes and continuing to restrict the product has the converse effect. It pushes people to want to support the underground economy — the contraband product," he said.
Mike Hammoud, the president of the Atlantic Convenience Stores Association, says the group analyzes the chemical make-up of discarded butts to measure how many cigarettes come from illegal sources.
In New Brunswick, the figure is about 22 per cent, Hammoud said.
Grant said he doesn't know how much of his coalition's budget comes from cigarette manufacturers and convenience store groups, both of which stand to profit if more people buy legal cigarettes.
"I'm not one to criticize people that are working in a legitimate business, a legal business, for trying to stop an illegal market in their own business," he said.
He pointed out other organizations that fund the coalition include Toronto Crimestoppers and the union representing Canadian border guards.
Enforcement unit 'a good start'
The new enforcement unit, headed by a former Fredericton city police inspector, is "a good start," Grant said.
"It indicates to me that the government sees it as a serious problem they're going to put some resources into."
Public Safety Minister Stephen Horsman told reporters in February that the province estimates even a small dent in contraband tobacco, and a resulting increase in legal sales, will cover the $950,000 being spent on the new enforcement team.
"We're hoping if we can just touch on the one per cent, we'll get a million dollars back, so it should pay for itself," he said.
But Horsman cautioned that payback is just an estimate, not a guarantee.
"These numbers can't be an exact number," he said.
"We can't count on it because we don't know what's going to take place in the future."
The Atlantic Convenience Stores Association
says a study of discarded butts shows the use of illegal cigarettes in
New Brunswick is around 22 per cent. (CBC)
He says he saw his profits drop after the government banned flavoured cigarettes last year.
"I don't think that everybody who smoked menthol cigarettes is all of a sudden going to stop smoking the tobacco of their choice for years because of a ban," he said.
"They're going to find alternative sources."
Green has operated his gas station and convenience store on Bishop's Drive in Fredericton for eight years.
He said cigarette sales are a key part of his profits.
"It's a cornerstone product," he said.
"In the convenience store industry, tobacco is a very important component of the overall retail opportunity."
http://theacsa.ca/2016/atlantic-c-store-news-april-2016/
Atlantic C-Store News April 2016
Budget updates…
All of the Atlantic provincial budgets have been tabled. It’s tough times fiscally for all of the provinces and there’s a mix of good news and not so good news for the c-store industry coming from the budgets.
First off was New Brunswick. The good news is that the government announced that it was going ahead with the creation of a dedicated Contraband Enforcement Unit to crack down on the illegal tobacco trade in the province. Bad news is that the tobacco tax was raised immediately by 3.26 cents per cigarette, with another 3.26 cent increase coming in February.
“New Brunswick’s budget is a mixed blessing,” says Mike Hammoud, president of the ACSA. “We fully support the new anti-contraband unit, but the tobacco tax increase was a little over the top, even if some of those extra dollars will be used to fund the new unit. It’s a wait-and-see situation now to see what impact the unit will have.”
Next up was Newfoundland and Labrador and everyone in the province is going to take a big hit in the pocketbook. While the government made a modest 1 cent per cigarette increase in the tobacco tax, the provincial tax on gasoline was raised a whopping 16.5 cents. That’s double what the rate was.
“We’ve had several discussions with the provincial government about illegal tobacco and we think they accept the fact that big increases in tobacco taxes fuel increases in illegal tobacco sales,” says Hammoud.
“The gasoline tax increase was a surprise. It’s supposed to be temporary and the price of gasoline will likely stay lower for at least the next 18 months, so maybe they think the overall impact won’t be so bad. There’s been a lot of push back from both consumers and different industries, so maybe the hike was short sighted.”
Nova Scotia tabled their budget next, increasing tobacco taxes across the board. The tax on cigarettes was increased $4.00 per carton while the tax on cigars went from 56% to 60% of the suggested retail price.
“Nova Scotia has increased the tobacco tax on cigarettes by 17% in two years,” says Hammoud. “It’s simply a tax grab because what is the government doing to help smokers quit? We really disagree with the government’s estimate of illegal tobacco activity in the province, and this increase is only going to add fuel to the fire in terms of illegal tobacco activity.”
Prince Edward Island was last to table their budget. The HST was increased to 15% from 14%, but there were no tobacco or gasoline tax changes.
ACSA meets with NB’s Contraband Enforcement Unit head
The New Brunswick government wasted no time in getting the new Contraband Enforcement Unit up and running. The unit is focused on cracking down on the illegal tobacco market in the province.
In late March, the ACSA met with Inspector Gary Forward who heads up the unit. Forward was formerly an inspector with the Fredericton police force with responsibility for the major crimes unit.
At the time of the meeting, the unit was building its intelligence base while the new unit members completed the training required that will give them police officer status.
“We had a good meeting with Gary,” says ACSA president Mike Hammoud. “We really liked his mind set that his job is to dismantle the illegal tobacco market as opposed to disrupting it.”
The ASCA and Inspector Forward have agreed to look at ways that the c-store industry can support the work of the Contraband Enforcement Unit. These activities could include research, Crime Stoppers and youth education programs.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/gas-retailers-first-nations-1.3851991
Gas retailers object to provincial tax deals with First Nations
First Nations collect gas, cigarette, sales taxes at reserve operations but keep most of the money
By Jacques Poitras, CBC News Posted: Nov 15, 2016 4:18 PM AT
New Brunswick gas retailers say they're put at a
disadvantage by provincial agreements that allow 15 First Nations to
keep much of the tax revenue they collect. (Canadian Press)
Gas station owners in the province are demanding the province end what they say is an unfair tax deal with the 15 First Nations in New Brunswick.
They say letting the bands keep 95 per cent of the provincial tax they collect gives them a competitive advantage in gas and cigarette sales at First Nation gas stations and convenience stores.
The Liberal government "seems afraid to act on a policy it knows isn't working and that has spiralled out of control," said Calvin Grant, the owner of Murray's Truck Stop and Convenience Store in Woodstock.
"We live every day with the effects of on-reserve retailers' aggressive pricing and government's lack of action on enforcing the rules."
'The province of New Brunswick had the foresight, over 20 years ago, to say, "let's enter into agreements with First Nations to make it fair, to make sure they do tax."' - Chief Patricia Bernard. Madawaska Maliseet First Nation
The government started signing the tax agreements with First Nations bands in 1995. The bands collect provincial taxes, including gas, cigarette and sales taxes, at their on-reserve retail operations, but they get to keep 95 per cent of the money.
The agreements are supposed to prevent them from "distorting the broader marketplace," Grant said.
Extra money used to lure drivers
Grant and other retailers say some of the First Nations retailers are using the extra profit margin to charge lower gas prices or offer full service at their pumps, both of which lure customers away from their own operations.
But one indigenous chief says the deals actually give non-First Nations retailers more certainty that band-owned gas stations won't undercut their prices even more.
Madawaska Maliseet First Nation Chief Patricia Bernard says the agreements were started in 1995 to deal with a legal grey area. It wasn't clear if retail operations on reserves were required to collect provincial taxes from non-indigenous people, Bernard said.
Deals ensured tax was collected
"The province of New Brunswick had the foresight, over 20 years ago, to say, `let's enter into agreements with First Nations to make it fair, to make sure they do tax,'" she said.
The deal meant aboriginal retailers would collect the tax, even if they kept most of it. That ensured the aboriginal retailers couldn't undercut competitors by offering tax-free gas.
"The key component here is: without those agreements, do the First Nations have the legal authority to not charge the tax, and will that be even worse for gas stations?" she said. "There's an uncertainty there that the province wants to make certain.'
Bernard said that in the Edmundston area, there's no market distortion because the band's Grey Rock Power Centre gas station keeps its prices in line. "We match each other, so we create an equal market. And that's a good thing."
Revenue helps community
She added, "all of that money that is generated from the revenue is used in the community for further development," including in areas such as housing and education.
The Supreme Court of Canada is now weighing whether to hear a Quebec case that could determine if bands are required to collect provincial tax. The Quebec Court of Appeal ruled in May that they are.
New Brunswick Finance Minister Cathy Rogers said the Liberals are trying to renegotiate the deals. The negotiations "are going very well," she said, but she wouldn't say whether the 95 per cent share would be adjusted.
"We have to find a way to balance out meeting different peoples' expectations and also the needs of the province," she said.
Grant said the Liberals are "sympathetic to our cause but obviously they don't seem to be working very fast on this."
'A sensitive issue'
Fredericton retailer Jerry Scholten said government officials have told the retailers that the agreements are a "complex and sensitive issue."
He said the lack of a minimum gas price in pricing regulations, the recent harmonized sales tax increase and the possibility of a carbon tax all make the situation worse.
Independent gas retailers think tax deal is unfair2:02
Fredericton gas station owner Jeff Green says the skewed tax situation is why 87 non-reserve gas stations have closed in the province in the last five years.
'It's obvious the revenue-sharing agreements are broken and need to be fixed.' -Calvin Grant, Murray's Truck Stop and Convenience Store, WoodstockGrant says the deals were supposed to mean only $2 million for First Nations bands per year, but this year the amount grew to $47 million and could be even higher in years to come.
"It's obvious the revenue-sharing agreements are broken and need to be fixed," he said.
"We don't blame First Nations bands or retailers for taking advantage of these revenue-sharing agreements.
… All we want is the ability to sell our products in a market that treats everybody the same."
Convenience store owner Dennis Kim, who immigrated to New Brunswick from Korea, said new retailers like him were told "this was a land of opportunity" but "the revenue-sharing agreements have totally changed the retail marketplace."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/gas-tax-agreement-first-nations-1.3976764
Gas and tobacco tax deal reached with 6 Maliseet First Nations
New agreement sees less revenue for First Nations once they reach $8 million in tax revenue
By Jacques Poitras, CBC News Posted: Feb 10, 2017 4:57 PM AT
New Brunswick gas retailers say they're put at a
disadvantage by provincial agreements that allow First Nations to keep
much of the taxes they collect. (The Associated Press)
The New Brunswick government has struck a new deal on gas and
tobacco taxes with six Maliseet First Nations, a move designed to quell
angry complaints from non-indigenous retailers who say they've been
treated unfairly.
The six bands have agreed to accept less money from provincial taxes if their tax revenues exceed $8 million and to not drop gas and tobacco prices below the lowest price in their immediate market.
A band will continue to get 95 per cent of the tax collected until it passes the $8-million mark, when its share will drop to 70 per cent. The balance goes to the province.
"We really do value these agreements," Finance Minister Cathy Rogers
said. "We do not think it's the right thing to do to have the agreements
cancelled."
Rogers said the deals are an important source of economic development for First Nations communities.
The Maliseet chiefs said in a statement they were pleased with the tax agreements, which they said are "critical to funding services and programs in the Maliseet communities."
Gas retailer Calvin Grant, who runs Murray's Irving in Woodstock
and speaks for the Independent Gas Retailers of New Brunswick, said his
group "is scared that [native retailers]
The six bands have agreed to accept less money from provincial taxes if their tax revenues exceed $8 million and to not drop gas and tobacco prices below the lowest price in their immediate market.
A band will continue to get 95 per cent of the tax collected until it passes the $8-million mark, when its share will drop to 70 per cent. The balance goes to the province.
Finance Minster Cathy Rogers says the
province saw no need to cancel gas and tobacco tax agreements with
Maliseet First Nations. (CBC)
Rogers said the deals are an important source of economic development for First Nations communities.
The Maliseet chiefs said in a statement they were pleased with the tax agreements, which they said are "critical to funding services and programs in the Maliseet communities."
Independent retailers fearful
Gas retailer Calvin Grant fears First Nations will further undercut the prices charged by non-Aboriginal retailers. (CBC)
are going to undercut prices further to get their sales up to make up for the loss in the 70-30 range."
"It's somewhat of an improvement but it still gives them an incentive to do some things that we can't do."
Grant and other retailers have complained that letting First Nations retailers keep 95 per cent of provincial tax revenue gives them the money to provide extra customer service, such as full service at the pumps, that lures customers away.
Still, Grant said he was "cautiously optimistic" that "the enforcement will actually happen" under the new agreement.
The previous deal also said native retailers couldn't undercut their competitors, but Grant said it wasn't enforced. Officials said Friday that with the new agreement, government staff will monitor pump prices at First Nations gas stations to make sure they're not too low.
The province started signing the deals with individual First Nations in 1995. They were seen as a way of cutting down on tobacco smuggling and of avoiding legal battles over whether indigenous retailers could refuse to charge tax at all.
This week's budget estimates the province will turn over $40 million in tax revenue to bands this year, up from $33 million last year.
Grant said his group was not included in the negotiations for the new deal.
"It's a little disheartening."
PC Leader Blaine Higgs said the shift to a 70-30 split won't make much difference because only one or two First Nations retailers are big enough to cross the $8-million threshold.
The extension of the deal will perpetuate a distorted marketplace and lead to tensions between native and non-native retailers.
"Businesses next door to each other are going to be more and more at odds with each other," he said.
The announcement came just two hours after Premier Brian Gallant announced a deal to have the same six Maliseet First Nations endorse the Sisson mine project in return for a share of provincial revenues.
Rogers wouldn't say that one deal was used to secure another, but she said that during consultations with the six Maliseet nations about the Sisson mine, they raised concerns about the tax deals.
"I didn't say it was a coincidence," she said of the two almost-simultaneous announcements. "It worked out this way."
But the Maliseet chiefs said in their statement that the province had made the tax deal "conditional" on the Sisson agreement.
The province is now negotiating with nine Mi'kmaq chiefs to overhaul their gas and tobacco tax agreements.
One Mi'kmaq chief said Friday that the non-native retailers who complain about the tax deals aren't basing their arguments on facts.
Chief Bill Ward of Metepenagiag First Nation rejected claims by Grant's group that dozens of gas station closures in the province were the result of First Nations tax deals.
Ward said poor economic conditions and the rerouting of highways probably explain some closures.
"There's a lot of contributing factors," he said. "There's a lot of things that add up there and it's not just us to blame."
And independent retailers operating on reserves see their money go to the band government, not back into their own pockets for reinvestment in the gas station, he said.
"So they don't have that extra revenue to undercut or lower prices, as they say."
Ward said the province has also proposed a sliding percentage on the tax split to the Mi'kmaq bands.
"That amount wasn't discussed and that percentage wasn't discussed," he said. "It was more or less like the concept of it."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/first-nations-sisson-mine-agreement-1.3980330
Lawyer Dominique Nouvet, who acted for the six First Nations in the
Sisson mine negotiations, says tax agreements were a major factor for
most of the chiefs. (CBC)"It's somewhat of an improvement but it still gives them an incentive to do some things that we can't do."
Grant and other retailers have complained that letting First Nations retailers keep 95 per cent of provincial tax revenue gives them the money to provide extra customer service, such as full service at the pumps, that lures customers away.
'It's somewhat of an improvement but it still gives them an incentive to do some things that we can't do.' - Calvin Grant, Independent Gas Retailers of New Brunswick spokesman
Still, Grant said he was "cautiously optimistic" that "the enforcement will actually happen" under the new agreement.
The previous deal also said native retailers couldn't undercut their competitors, but Grant said it wasn't enforced. Officials said Friday that with the new agreement, government staff will monitor pump prices at First Nations gas stations to make sure they're not too low.
- Gas retailers object to provincial tax deals with First Nations
- First Nations gas tax ruling strengthens N.B. position to renegotiate deals
The province started signing the deals with individual First Nations in 1995. They were seen as a way of cutting down on tobacco smuggling and of avoiding legal battles over whether indigenous retailers could refuse to charge tax at all.
$40M to First Nations this year
This week's budget estimates the province will turn over $40 million in tax revenue to bands this year, up from $33 million last year.
Grant said his group was not included in the negotiations for the new deal.
"It's a little disheartening."
'Businesses next door to each other are going to be more and more at odds with each other.' - Blaine Higgs, PC leader
PC Leader Blaine Higgs said the shift to a 70-30 split won't make much difference because only one or two First Nations retailers are big enough to cross the $8-million threshold.
The extension of the deal will perpetuate a distorted marketplace and lead to tensions between native and non-native retailers.
"Businesses next door to each other are going to be more and more at odds with each other," he said.
PC Leader Blaine Higgs says the deal doesn't
do much to end a distorted gasoline marketplace that has led to tension
between First Nations retailers and non-Indigenous retailers. (CBC)
2 deals in 1 day
The announcement came just two hours after Premier Brian Gallant announced a deal to have the same six Maliseet First Nations endorse the Sisson mine project in return for a share of provincial revenues.
Rogers wouldn't say that one deal was used to secure another, but she said that during consultations with the six Maliseet nations about the Sisson mine, they raised concerns about the tax deals.
"I didn't say it was a coincidence," she said of the two almost-simultaneous announcements. "It worked out this way."
But the Maliseet chiefs said in their statement that the province had made the tax deal "conditional" on the Sisson agreement.
Mi'kmaq negotiations taking place
The province is now negotiating with nine Mi'kmaq chiefs to overhaul their gas and tobacco tax agreements.
One Mi'kmaq chief said Friday that the non-native retailers who complain about the tax deals aren't basing their arguments on facts.
Chief Bill Ward of Metepenagiag First Nation rejected claims by Grant's group that dozens of gas station closures in the province were the result of First Nations tax deals.
'There's a lot of things that add up there and it's not just us to blame.' - Bill Ward, Metepenagiag First Nation
Ward said poor economic conditions and the rerouting of highways probably explain some closures.
"There's a lot of contributing factors," he said. "There's a lot of things that add up there and it's not just us to blame."
And independent retailers operating on reserves see their money go to the band government, not back into their own pockets for reinvestment in the gas station, he said.
"So they don't have that extra revenue to undercut or lower prices, as they say."
Ward said the province has also proposed a sliding percentage on the tax split to the Mi'kmaq bands.
"That amount wasn't discussed and that percentage wasn't discussed," he said. "It was more or less like the concept of it."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/first-nations-sisson-mine-agreement-1.3980330
How province pressured 6 First Nations to accept Sisson deal
Madawaska chief says Maliseet felt threatened with loss of tax deals if they didn't surrender on mine
By Jacques Poitras, CBC News Posted: Feb 13, 2017 2:58 PM AT A Maliseet First Nations chief says the New Brunswick government threatened to cancel lucrative tax deals with her band and other Indigenous communities if they didn't sign an agreement on the Sisson mine.
Chief Patricia Bernard of the Madawaska Maliseet First Nation says she doesn't support the proposed mine, but her band couldn't risk losing the money it gets from provincial gas, tobacco and sales taxes collected at its Grey Rock commercial development.
"The province wanted the chiefs to sign off on Sisson and made it pretty clear that if the Sisson agreements are not signed, they would not sign tax agreements with the First Nations," she told CBC News on Monday.
"They basically said they wouldn't sign new tax agreements at this time. They left it a little bit vague. But as you know, these tax agreements are vital to the programs and services that we provide to our community members. So we had little choice."
Goal became saving tax deals
Dominique Nouvet, the lawyer who negotiated the Sisson deal for the chiefs, agreed. She called saving the tax deals "a major factor" for most chiefs who signed the Sisson agreement.
Chief Patricia Bernard of the Madawaska
Maliseet First Nation says the province made it clear the chiefs had to
sign off on Sisson if they wanted to keep valuable tax agreements.
On Friday, Premier Brian Gallant announced that the six Maliseet chiefs in the province had signed an "accommodation agreement" on the proposed $579 million open-pit tungsten mine northwest of Fredericton.
'Those tax agreements are the bread and butter to the success of this community, so we did feel pressured.' - Patricia Bernard, Madawaska First Nation chief
That's despite public opposition to the project by five of those chiefs as recently as last April, when they said the project would "destroy one of our last remaining areas to harvest and practise our culture."
The deal will give the six bands a projected 9.8 per cent of the revenue generated by the provincial metallic mineral tax.
It also commits the province to a joint negotiating table with First Nations representatives to assess the impact of resource development on Maliseet rights.
Rogers says chiefs raised issue
Finance Minister Cathy Rogers says it was the
Maliseet chiefs who raised the issue of gas tax deals with the province
during negotiations over the proposed Sisson mine, but Indigenous
negotiators say it was more complicated than that. (CBC)
Rogers suggested on Friday that the chiefs brought up the tax deals "as we were doing our duty to consult" on the Sisson project.
Bernard said the dynamic was more complicated than that and hinged on the growing Maliseet reliance on the tax deals.
Those agreements are expected to be worth $40 million provincewide next year, up from $33 million this year, including the six Maliseet deals and identical agreements with nine Mi'kmaq bands that the province is now renegotiating.
The Madawaska Maliseet First Nation doesn't
want the Sisson mine but says it can't afford to lose the money it gets
from gas, tobacco and sales tax collected at the Grey Rock commercial
development at Edmundston. (Madawaska Maliseet First Nation/Facebook)
"Those tax agreements are the bread and butter to the success of this community, so we did feel pressured," she said. Her band received $13.6 million from the deals in 2015-16, according to government figures.
'We do not approve and at no point do we approve of that mine.' - Patricia Bernard, Madawaska First Nation chief
Just weeks before the last election, the previous Progressive Conservative government gave bands the required 90 days' notice that it would cancel the tax deals.
But the Liberals won the election and put the termination on hold in favour of negotiations.
That left the bands "in a constant state of uncertainty" about whether the money would abruptly stop, Bernard said.
"It was hanging over the First Nations, and particularly the Maliseet communities that rely heavily on those tax agreements," she said.
"The Sisson negotiations were ongoing, and then at some point the province brought up the tax agreements.
That caused an issue [among chiefs] of, 'is that a good idea,' and then the First Nations brought it back up. So it was brought up by both parties at different times."
Agreement doesn't mean support
She said the accommodation agreement does not mean the Maliseet chiefs approve of the Sisson mine.
"We do not approve and at no point do we approve of that mine," Bernard said. "But if they're going to go ahead with the mine, we needed to take some sort of accommodation for that loss."
The New Brunswick government says the
province could earn $280 million in royalties over the life of the
Sisson mine. It's described as an open pit tungsten and molybdenum mine
and ore-processing facility.
"The chiefs did not approve of this mine," she said. "This accommodation agreement is compensation for something the province is going to do."
Energy and Resources Development Minister Rick Doucet said Monday that the Liberal government is "committed to upholding our obligation under the duty to consult," a constitutional requirement established by the Supreme Court.
But Nouvet said the province violated that duty when it gave environmental approval to the mine in December 2015, while the consultations were still going on.
Even so, Nouvet said the chances of a successful constitutional lawsuit were not good.
Must prove title
"The Maliseet did not in Canadian law have a veto over this project," Nouvet said. While most chiefs would have voted no to Sisson, "the courts have said this over and over again: until your aboriginal title is proven in court, you do not have a veto."
The Sisson mine project includes a tailings
pond and ore processing plant, covering 12.5 square kilometres of Crown
land. (Northcliff Resources Ltd.)
The accommodation agreement, including the joint process on land use, is the first of its kind in the province, she said.
"It's a historic event in New Brunswick in that sense," she said, even if seeing the mine go ahead is "not the outcome that most of the elected leadership of the Maliseet would have chosen had it been up to them."
Nouvet said the Sisson agreement doesn't extinguish Maliseet title to their traditional territories and would not affect indigenous rights to consultation on other projects such as the Energy East pipeline.
http://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.ca/2017/02/tut-tut-tut-cbc-and-their-malicious.html
Wednesday, 15 February 2017
Tut Tut Tut CBC and their malicious moderators are at it again N'esy Pas Hubby Baby Lacriox and Minister Joly?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/sisson-mine-maliseet-share-price-1.3983051
Sisson mine owners see share price climb 56% in weeks before Maliseet deal
New Brunswick government says deal was announced as soon as possible after being confirmed by First Nations
By Robert Jones, CBC News Posted: Feb 15, 2017 6:30 AM AT
The lifespan of the Sisson mine project would be 27 years.
This graphic from a video by Northcliff Resources shows what the
project would look like at year 20. (Northcliff Resources Ltd.)
The price escalation began roughly at the same time the province and Maliseet First Nation communities came to a deal about the mine.
"It was in December, mid–December — around early to mid–December," said Chief Patricia Bernard of the Madawaska Maliseet First Nation about when she and five other chiefs agreed not to oppose the mine in exchange for a deal with the province on tax sharing on gasoline and tobacco sales.
Bernard said documents formalizing the December agreements were then signed on Jan. 31.
Share price bid up
News of the Sisson deal was not disclosed to the public until Feb. 10.
But by then, unknown investors had spent almost eight weeks buying Northcliff stock and bidding its price up from nine cents per share on Dec. 15 to a new 52–week high of 14 cents per share on Feb. 9.
After Friday's announcement the stock jumped further to 15 cents, the highest its been in 18 months.
Over two million shares in Northcliff Resources changed hands during the 37 trading days between mid–December and Friday's announcement, six times more than during the identical 37 trading days one year earlier.
- 6 Maliseet First Nations agree to Sisson mine deal
- How province pressured 6 First Nations to accept Sisson deal
It is not known who was behind the heavy trading or whether the unannounced deal between the province and chiefs played any role in the robust market activity, but it would be a potentially serious matter if it did.
It is not legal in Canada for anyone who has confidential information about a company that is not known to the public or other shareholders to act on that knowledge.
'Timing is interesting'
Progressive Conservative finance critic Bruce
Fitch is a stock broker and says it is impossible to know what caused
the stock price of Northcliff Resources to increase. (CBC)
"The timing is interesting and the volume is interesting but I don't want to make an accusation that would be improper,"said Fitch who cautioned it is up to securities regulators to look at trading anomalies.
'Anything that affects a publicly traded stock has to get out as soon as possible.' - Bruce Fitch, PC finance critic
However, Fitch does say the province needs to release any information it has that can affect the stock price of any publicly traded company as quickly as it can to be fair to all investors.
"Anything that affects a publicly traded stock has to get out as soon as possible," said Fitch.
Deal not signed til late January
Tanya Greer, a spokeswoman with the provincial Department of Energy and Resource Development, said in an email the province could not announce the agreement earlier than Feb. 10 for logistical reasons.
"The agreements could not be signed until the six First Nations had taken the agreements to their councils and received their approval, which did not occur until late January," wrote Greer in an email to CBC News.
"The signing happened days later, and the announcement was scheduled as soon as the premier, MLA and MP could be available."
The province did not respond to a question asking whether it was aware Northcliff`s share prices were escalating during the period before the announcement was finally made.
Before its recent rally, Northcliff Resources stock had been struggling for a number of years, at one point losing 87 per cent of its value since peaking at 65 cents per share in 2012.
Sagging international tungsten and molybdenum prices over the last two years have been hovering well below levels the company envisioned in its 2013 feasibility study for the development, although the Gallant government's faith in the project has never publicly wavered.
By submitting a comment, you accept that CBC has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner CBC chooses. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time.
46 Comments
Bob Peterson
The dabblers in publicly
traded stocks have always been easy meat for the players in the stock
exchange . The share price has nothing to do with the demand for
tungsten and molybdenum and the price they could bring .
Content disabled.
David Raymond Amos
@Bob Peterson Oh So True The
people who think they are clever are the easiest to con. However they
can't fool mean old me because I am too stupid
This comment is awaiting moderation by the site administrators.
David Raymond Amos
@David Raymond Amos Why on earth would CBC block that comment??? I am putting myself down Correct?
This comment is awaiting moderation by the site administrators.
David Raymond Amos
@Bob Peterson Oh My things
were going so well initially Now CBC is blocking mean old me again for
political reasons of that I have no doubt.
Seems that I must resort to my MO and create another blog in order to post all my comments warts and all. Then as usual I will Tweet about it and email my indignation to you boss Hubby Baby Lacroix, his lawyers and of course Minister Joly.
If the malicious moderators wish to check my work and compare it theirs all they have to do is Google my name N'esy Pas Alex Johnston?
James Freney
Definitely should be
investigated. Did anyone connected to the company,the government,or
first nations benefit from insider information?
.David Raymond Amos
@James Freney
Nothing is ever properly investigated I know I have lived it.
"The timing is interesting and the volume is interesting but I don't want to make an accusation that would be improper,"said Fitch who cautioned it is up to securities regulators to look at trading anomalies."
Yea Right
Why is former stock broker Bruce Fitch or anyone in the know even remotely dubious? Surely Fitch is old enough to remember Mr Goodale not taxing Income Trusts and the gossip about Mr Brison just before the writ was dropped for the election of the 39th Parliament in late 2005 The Conservatives did not care about that nonsense either N'esy Pas?
Andrew Hurrie
@Lou Bell
Ever notice that no one ever does go after them?...unless it is absolutely unavoidable?
Same with off-shore bank accounts to avoid taxes...no one goes looking for them except in isolated cases.
Why not?
Too many powerful and important people involved...and politicians.
Ever notice that no one ever does go after them?...unless it is absolutely unavoidable?
Same with off-shore bank accounts to avoid taxes...no one goes looking for them except in isolated cases.
Why not?
Too many powerful and important people involved...and politicians.
David Raymond Amos
@Andrew Hurrie Yup
Hank Hanrattay
The securities commission should be looking at how much stock was purchased by Liberal MLA's
David Raymond Amos
@Hank Hanrattay Say Hey to Mr Hancox of the NB Securities Commission for me and tell to review my file from 2006 will ya?
William Roberts
The things that make you go Hmmm. Criminal Charges should be pending.
David Raymond Amos
@William Roberts Dream on
Jonas Smith
It should be investigated and
if any politician is found to have unethically and unlawfully had
insider knowledge or gave insider knowledge like Ralph Goodale was
accused of doing should be brought to court and charged. None of this
bull political speak of - oh sorry, didn't know.
....
....
David Raymond Amos
@Jonas Smith Goodale's and Brison's actions were not investigated
Hank Hanrattay
NB needs a completely new
party with new people. The Liberals and Conservatives in this province
are all thoroughly corrupt, and we all suffer of it! It is clear to me
however that the Liberals are the absolute worse, they don't even bother
to try and hide it anymore, we are nothing but sheep to be sheared to
them!
David Raymond Amos
@Hank Hanrattay Funny you say
that I know a man who is starting a new political party and he lives
very close to the the Sisson mine
Roy Kirk
The prices for minerals to be
mined are hovering near 15-year lows, but ". . . the Gallant
government's faith in the project has never publicly wavered."
We need less faith-based public policy and more fact-based policy. At current prices, NB will earn diddly-squat by developing the resource, so there is no reason to aggressively pursue this file from the province's perspective. The only people making money are those profiting from the run-up in the stock price.
And Mr. Fitch is wrong. There is a way of knowing who is profiting from the stock market action. Records of who buys and sells stocks are kept, of course. The only question is: "Does the public benefit of knowing who is profiting from the transactions outweigh the harm done to the individuals involved by making such information public?"
Not an easy question to answer, but only the willfully ignorant would refuse to try
We need less faith-based public policy and more fact-based policy. At current prices, NB will earn diddly-squat by developing the resource, so there is no reason to aggressively pursue this file from the province's perspective. The only people making money are those profiting from the run-up in the stock price.
And Mr. Fitch is wrong. There is a way of knowing who is profiting from the stock market action. Records of who buys and sells stocks are kept, of course. The only question is: "Does the public benefit of knowing who is profiting from the transactions outweigh the harm done to the individuals involved by making such information public?"
Not an easy question to answer, but only the willfully ignorant would refuse to try
David Raymond Amos
@Roy Kirk I am one individual
who makes such information public all the time. Why do you think I sued
3US Treasury Agents in 2002?
David Raymond Amos
@Shawn McShane My only
concern is a fair deal on royalties. If it does not profit all the
stakeholders in the province (All the citizens) then why bother taking a
chance with our environment? The politicians and mining companies are
wasting their breath trying to give me that guff the Maritimers should
be happy to get the work.
In my humble opinion the minerals can stay put till the price goes through the roof. Then someday perhaps our grandchildren can negotiate a lucrative deal on royalties and be employed working the dirt in the lovely place they were born a raised while the rest of us are pushing up daisies for them to enjoy and remember us fondly.
In my humble opinion the minerals can stay put till the price goes through the roof. Then someday perhaps our grandchildren can negotiate a lucrative deal on royalties and be employed working the dirt in the lovely place they were born a raised while the rest of us are pushing up daisies for them to enjoy and remember us fondly.
Randall Leavitt
meanwhile back in the real
world, we are being heavily taxed, in order to subsidize deals like
this... and how much did they say OUR royalties would be??
David Raymond Amos
@Randall Leavitt Here Here Sir
Al Millar
Somebody had insider
knowledge and made a lot of money . Will this information ever come out ,
I doubt it . Laws only apply to the little people .
David Raymond Amos
@Al Millar True
Jeff Christian
"Not possible to know who bought shares"? Nonsense.
David Raymond Amos
@Jeff Christian Maybe we ail
have an interest in this malicious nonsense. Have you checked where our
CPP funds are lately? Rest assured that I will
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