BC Ferries goes full steam ahead with Beijing

The disconnect between political slogans and billion-dollar spending just hit choppy waters The B.C. government's elbows-up, Canada-first, buy-B.C. policy is about to undergo its first serious stress test, with news Tuesday that BC Ferries signed a multibillion-dollar deal with the Chinese government to build four major new vessels. Ferries CEO Nicholas Jimenez said he's been assured China Merchants Group (which on its website describes itself as a "key state-owned enterprise directly administered by the central government") can build the ferries in a quick and cost-efficient way. No Canadian companies bid on the vessels, he added. "Our focus is principally on…