The building thing has been in the work for at least a few years. When I was still in the Management Trainee Program I went to a PWGSC orientation session and it was discussed openly as a possibility then, and than that was about 2 years ago.

Are assets really assets if you never sell them? What doesn't get mentioned in most of the talk about the plan to sell off federal buildings is that private owners would have to pay the massive property taxes that the govt doesn't pay now. I think the govt would come out ahead as long as they don't get gouged on leasing fees.

The feds and province often pay an amount in lieu of those taxes called "PILs" (payment in lieu) in relation to these properties. I don't know what the deal on those is in Ottawa but we have lots of federal property here for which we gratefull receive PILs. See section 306 of your bedside copy of <i>Municipal Act, 2001</i>.

I like the stated part of the plan that would "give the government more flexibility to move jobs to different regions". This wouldn't mean other "Liberal" regions, would it? (nah, the Liberals wouldn't be that craven, would they?)

So is there a secret decentralization plan behind this? The only Ministry out of Ottawa is Veterans Affairs in PEI without which Charlottetown would look like Tignish. So is the Martin plan to get Fisheries and Oceans to Halifax or St. John's? Intergovernmental Affairs to Montreal? Interesting idea.

I'm pretty sure there was brief talk of moving DFO to the west coast to balance having DVA in Charlottetown. Now from what I've heard they're planning on staying put because the top brass don't want to move to a region.

Poor dears. No one gives enough consideration to the needs of the top brass of non-military government departments, that's what I say. Maybe we could run a fundraiser for a pick me up gift for them.