[Kanuck]

Sadly, it seems the idea has died/whethered away. I used to follow 'aplaceinthesun.ca' quite closely but it would seem the site/project has been abandoned...so I did a goog search and found a related article/site.

Damn, we Canadians dropped the ball on this one!!

http://temagami.carleton.ca/jmc/cnews/1 ... ture.shtml


from the history:

1986: Members of the Turks and Caicos Development Organization address the Progressive Conservative Caucus Sub-Committee on External Affairs. Their visit receives national news coverage. A survey finds that more than 90% of islanders are in favour of an association with Canada. The Daubney report concludes that because of the upcoming election in Turks and Caicos, it isn’t the right time for a union, but urges the Canadian government to enter into talks with the newly elected Turks and Caicos government and to increase investments in the region.

[Regina]

I hope it's done for good.

[Kanuck]

Regina Regina:

I hope it's done for good.

meaning you don't like the idea?

[Regina]

That's right. Do you want to start paying for a country now living in grass huts and bring them up to our standards of living? Then we could also have the skilled grass hut builders coming to Canada North seeking jobs, only to find we don't need grass huts built here.

[Kanuck]

Regina Regina:

That's right. Do you want to start paying for a country now living in grass huts and bring them up to our standards of living? Then we could also have the skilled grass hut builders coming to Canada North seeking jobs, only to find we don't need grass huts built here.

Actually the economy there is booming with travel and tourism, plus the population of the island is (or at least was) no bigger than an average sized city. Canada is massive and has plenty of room, I'm sure T&C has its share of skillled workers too. Also, it would be a fair trade to get some grasshut builders if we could swap for our grey haired geezers that can't drive or work. I doubt too, too many T&C residents would be rushing to move to the smog filled filled summers and -40 winters we have here.

Long and short, I think we'd benefit more than they would....but they don't need us anymore as they are self sustaining. It would help our economy because 'snowbirds' would be keeping their dollars within our own tourism industry.

[Regina]

Didn't stop anyone from Jamaica and the other Commonwealth countries from going to Britain. I'd prefer to keep the novel idea just that......novel.

[BartSimpson]

Kanuck Kanuck:

Regina Regina:

That's right. Do you want to start paying for a country now living in grass huts and bring them up to our standards of living? Then we could also have the skilled grass hut builders coming to Canada North seeking jobs, only to find we don't need grass huts built here.

Actually the economy there is booming with travel and tourism, plus the population of the island is (or at least was) no bigger than an average sized city. Canada is massive and has plenty of room, I'm sure T&C has its share of skillled workers too. Also, it would be a fair trade to get some grasshut builders if we could swap for our grey haired geezers that can't drive or work. I doubt too, too many T&C residents would be rushing to move to the smog filled filled summers and -40 winters we have here.

Long and short, I think we'd benefit more than they would....but they don't need us anymore as they are self sustaining. It would help our economy because 'snowbirds' would be keeping their dollars within our own tourism industry.

Very well reasoned. Excellent.

[Kanuck]

Regina Regina:

Didn't stop anyone from Jamaica and the other Commonwealth countries from going to Britain. I'd prefer to keep the novel idea just that......novel.

ok, but if the island had an ivey league school and a densely educated population, it would be ok, right?

if employment is your concern, and if they were nothing more than grasshut builders, would they be taking the kind of jobs you want if they did move here?

[Toro]

20,000 people live in the Turks & Caicos. That's the size of Swift Current. Why don't we trade the Swift Current for the Turks? That's a good trade.

[Regina]

They would in no way compete with me for jobs at all. One of my concerns is that when they don't find the grass hut building trade booming here, we get to subsidize them till global warming has made Canada North the grass hut capital. Then we get pay for their healthcare infrastructure build up as well. Until then I'd prefer to have a different passport while visiting them.
I do like the idea of sending some of our drivers there though.

[Kanuck]

well, I suppose the point is moot anyway since it isn't going to happen, but to me the reason of not wanting grasshut builders here/the cost of this particular merger doesn't hold water.

The term grasshut builders comes off as somewhat derogatory I'm sure their skills go way beyond that. We're not igloo builders. To indicate we are would display ignorance.

IF they were, hut builders... it's 20,000 or so people. The chances of all 20,000 moving here hoping to collect unemployment would be close to 0%. Healthcare costs would be a negligable drop in the bucket, It would be abosorbed so quickly it would go unnoticed.

[Toro]

Kanuck Kanuck:

well, I suppose the point is moot anyway since it isn't going to happen, but to me the reason of not wanting grasshut builders here/the cost of this particular merger doesn't hold water.

The term grasshut builders comes off as somewhat derogatory I'm sure their skills go way beyond that. We're not igloo builders. To indicate we are would display ignorance.

IF they were, hut builders... it's 20,000 or so people. The chances of all 20,000 moving here hoping to collect unemployment would be close to 0%. Healthcare costs would be a negligable drop in the bucket, It would be abosorbed so quickly it would go unnoticed.

Its kind of like Americans thinking that Canada is a nice-nation of fur-trappers. (In a survey a few years ago, when asked what they thought Canadians did, "fur-trapping" was fourth. Making hockey equipment and beer were higher.)

[Joe_Stalin]

Tourists spend $30 million in the Caribbean?
Add them to our social services, health care, EI would cost what?
Uncle Joe never said "Follow the money" but he would have had he heard of this asinine proposal.
The backers of this idea own large chunks of property on the Islands?
If you want sunshine come to BC. Surrey for instance has more sunshine per capita than Turks and Caicosians!
A trade for a Province maybe. Uncle Joe may have gone for that.

[Tory_canuck]

If it does join Canada , resorts will start popping up like tents and it will have no real damage to the economy cuz it will become a new world tourist hotspot.The people down there will benefit economically and so will the rest of Canada.It will be nice to go to a tropical region without worrying about passports and/or visas.A person would be able to fly there on WestJet or Air Canada just like they would with any other province.I wish this would happen.It would be a great way to get away from the cold winters up here with no visa/passport hassles.

[RUEZ]

Regina Regina:

That's right. Do you want to start paying for a country now living in grass huts and bring them up to our standards of living? Then we could also have the skilled grass hut builders coming to Canada North seeking jobs, only to find we don't need grass huts built here.

Great attitude. It must be dark with your head in the sand.