Dear Editor,
Re: “Asian welcome may disappear,” Letters, Aug. 24.
The above letter by Bill Vander Zalm is clear proof the man needs help. His addled brain is confusing the words “money” with “investment.” He can no longer (from what I hear of his history, maybe he never did) discern between money that is a direct investment in the community and the spurious, often vastly overstated anticipated side-effects of a money dump that creates ripples in that economy.
A direct investment is one where a person invests in the local economy by purchasing a business and employing people for financial gain. In the process, they generate a broad diversity of direct and indirect jobs and produce taxes that the community can benefit from.
A money dump, however, is where that same person purchases inert property. They create no direct jobs, they generate no new taxes (until recently) and they add nothing of lasting benefit to the community.
To suggest that this premier or any future premier will be less welcome in Asia as a result of steering inbound money into active investments that benefit our province is fear-mongering, bordering on the ridiculous. If our politicians cannot hold that conversation with the other party then there is no point in travelling to Asia and even less point in having them in the role in the first place.
They represent us. If all the money-holder wants to do is buy land, we are better off in the longterm (Mr. VDZ might like to research that term with his accountants) without it.
Mr. Vander Zalm obviously knows more about this than I do, as he has been a politician and I have not. Maybe therein lies the real problem.
Rupert Whiting
Richmond
