Topic: Regional News

BC Ferries, BC Hydro, BC Rail are very visible victims of Gordon Campbell's ideological commitment. But they are just the most visible signs of the almost total deconstruction of the province of British Columbia. The overwhelming majority of British Columbians have suffered, some far worse than others. On July 20, 1871 British Columbia became a province of the dominion of Canada. That is 139 years. It will take that long to get back to where we were before Gordon Campbell began implementing his corporate master's battle plan—if we ever will. In those countries his masters have sent us to war with, people like Gordon Campbell are done away with - all but the most powerful bullies, thieves and liars are not tolerated in most places.

Economist calculates BC Hydro on path to ruin
Rafe Mair TheTyee.ca British Columbia Canada August 23, 2010

Visit this page for its embedded links.

Erik Andersen is a former Transport Canada economist with a long and interesting pedigree of examining the affairs of business and government. He has done a report for The Common Sense Canadian -- I am a co-founder and regular contributor -- on the state of BC Hydro. The picture he paints is of a once rock solid Crown corporation placed on the road to fiscal ruin by the Campbell government. Andersen was asked to examine BC Hydro's fiscal situation, especially in light of the contracts they have been forced by the Campbell government to enter with Independent Power Producers (IPPs). Andersen's report, entitled "Sinister Financial Vectors at BC Hydro," examines a number of "vectors" which "give information and direction and the magnitude of a changing position." Five such vectors, concludes Andersen, indicate the financial position of BC Hydro is headed dangerously downward. Those vectors are: ...

Andersen's conclusion? "As the evidence of need for more electricity is not apparent, the aggressive borrowing/investing/contracting with IPPs is clearly wrong." In the same report Andersen describes, "BC Hydro borrowing/spending (on IPPs)" as "irresponsible of Hydro's Board and management as it has increased the risk of financial insolvency." ... There it is -- ruined rivers and their ecosystems for power we don't need and can't use. Power profits going to IPP-investor entities beyond B.C., including Warren Buffett and General Electric. And an iconic crown corporation, BC Hydro, hurtling towards bankruptcy, all thanks to Gordon Campbell and his hard right fiscal philosophy. ...

Dare we hope blowback is developing?

He's come undun - brought forward from June, seems more apt now
Norman Farrell Northern Insights British Columbia Canada August 22, 2010

Includes video soundtrack of the Guess Who song, "She's come undun".



We didn't know what he was headed for
And when we found what he was headed for
It was not too late
He's come undun
He found a mountain that was far too high
And then he found out he couldn't fly
It was too late
He's gone too far
He's lost the sun
He's come undun
We wanted truth but all we got was lies
Came the time we realized
It was not too late
He's gone too far
He's lost the sun
He's come undun.

...

Lying then or lying now?
Norman Farrell Northern Insights British Columbia Canada August 23, 2010

... The government has been trying to sell stories with its credibility reserves exhausted. They wouldn't admit the tax change was a gift to business, mostly mega-corporations they had rewarded frequently already. Large distortions in the pre-election budget had been revealed and the Liberal claim that HST consideration began only in the days after voting was implausible.

More than anything, BC Liberals are suffering ling chi, death by a thousand cuts. The BC Rail story that they refused to address for years is escapable no more. The excessive influence of lobbyists is beyond denial and the focus of power within the Premier's circle has left the remainder of the Liberal cabinet and caucus looking inconsequential.The original aim of modest renewable energy projects has been overwhelmed by big money players, most from outside the province. The pretense of green policies is lost amid river and fishery destruction and an unprecedented push to build massive bridge, road and pipeline projects. Can a spanking new 10 lane super-bridge soaring over the mighty Fraser be the symbol of a green government?

The idea of tinkering with HST and playing for time to postpone Campbell's end is the strategy of a defeated group that remains unwilling to concede its failure. ...

New poll shows tough odds for Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline
ForestEthics/Marketwire Canada May 26, 2010

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - May 26, 2010) - The proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline faces tough political odds according to a new Mustel poll. The poll showed 80 percent of British Columbians support banning crude oil tankers in B.C.'s coastal waters, up from 72 percent in a similar 2008 poll. Enbridge claims to be on the brink of filing its application for the pipeline, which would carry tar sands crude oil to a supertanker port in Kitimat, B.C.

"This poll clearly confirms British Columbians are not willing to bear the inevitable risks of oil spills that supertankers would bring," said Nikki Skuce, Senior Energy Campaigner with ForestEthics. "It is time to see this opposition translated into a full, legislated crude oil tanker ban for B.C.'s coastal waters." The poll's key findings:

• 80 percent of British Columbians support a crude oil tanker ban for B.C.'s coastal waters, while 15 percent think tanker traffic should be allowed.
  
• Significantly more British Columbians oppose the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline (51 percent), than support it (34 percent).
  
• British Columbians who strongly oppose Enbridge's pipeline (31.7 percent) outnumber strong supporters (8.1 percent) nearly four to one.
  

"As the devastating impacts of the Gulf oil spill come to light, more and more British Columbians will be saying they don't want to risk that kind of disaster on our fragile B.C. coast," said Skuce. "If Enbridge pushes ahead despite this clear message from the people of B.C., they will see an escalating campaign against their project and their brand." If built, Enbridge's pipeline would see an estimated 225 oil tankers per year travelling the same waters where in 2006 the B.C. ferry Queen of the North ran aground and sank. In March, nine coastal First Nations declared a ban under their traditional laws on the transport of tar sands oil through their territories. "First Nations have taken the lead in protecting our coast and this poll shows the majority of British Columbians similarly support such protection. It is time for our federal and provincial parties to step up and follow their lead," said Skuce. ...

Ignatieff supports oil tanker ban off B.C. coast
David Ebner Globe and Mail Canada June 21, 2010

The federal Liberals want to ban oil supertankers from British Columbia’s northwestern coast, a promise that would halt the building of a proposed $5.5-billion oil sands pipeline from Alberta through northern B.C. Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff’s announcement that a future Liberal government would legislate a ban on the tankers pits his party against one of Canada’s largest companies, Enbridge Inc. Last month, the Calgary oil pipeline firm formally applied to the National Energy Board to build the pipeline. The Northern Gateway would move 525,000 barrels a day from the oil sands to Kitimat for export to Asia, but the plan to ban tanker traffic around Haida Gwaii would quash the plan. “We know that those are dangerous waters. We all know what oil does when oil spills,” Vancouver Quadra Liberal MP Joyce Murray said in an interview. “We believe there’s no guarantee there won’t be a spill.” ... Ms. Murray indicated the Liberals are against large supertankers and not the many other ships that sail B.C. waters. The Liberals don’t oppose the smaller tankers carrying a light oil called condensate that already ply the choppy waters of Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound around Haida Gwaii. The Liberals also did not take a stand on the oil tankers that sail past downtown Vancouver and Stanley Park taking crude from a facility in Burnaby, a terminus of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline from Alberta.

Two New Democrat MPs in the Lower Mainland – Fin Donnelly of New Westminster-Coquitlam and Don Davies of Vancouver-Kingsway – already have private members bills before Parliament to legislate a tanker ban in the same area around Haida Gwaii. Growing support in Parliament buoyed Dogwood Initiative, which has worked for years against Gateway. A spokesman for the group said that if the Liberals and the Bloc Québécois support the NDP bills, a ban could be legislated quickly. “We’re on the road to victory,” said Eric Swanson of Dogwood. “We could have a legislated tanker ban before the next election.” The Liberals said they would formalize a tanker moratorium enacted in 1972. Enbridge disputes this moratorium, citing a 2005 letter by then Liberal transport minister Jean Lapierre to Liberal David Anderson. The letter noted a ban on tanker traffic from Alaska to the southern United States, but added that tankers originating in ports such as Kitimat weren’t banned.

Separate from the tanker question, a moratorium on drilling for oil and natural gas on B.C.’s offshore remains. The provincial B.C. Liberal government tried early last decade to get Ottawa to lift the drilling ban, but gave up in 2005 and recently reaffirmed there are no plans to open up the coast to drilling.

Watch for Ignatieff to do a quick about face if, on a slim chance, he forms the next government. He shares the same ideology and works for the same corporations Campbell and Harper do. Kinder Morgan Canada has filed a letter with the National Energy Board asking that the regulator not consider Enbridge’s Northern Gateway project until Enbridge can prove it is commercially needed. Of course, Texas-based Kinder Morgan has its reasons. As Nathan VanderKlippe reported in June:

Kinder Morgan has a keen interest in the outcome of Gateway, because it has long worked to prepare a competing proposal to deliver crude to Asia. It currently runs the only Canadian pipeline system delivering crude to the West Coast, through its Trans Mountain system, which runs from Alberta to Burnaby, B.C. Expanding that system -- and its existing right-of-way -- is a more politically and environmentally palatable option than building a new crude pipeline, Kinder Morgan has argued.


Oil-tanker traffic has increased in Burrard Inlet. Photo: The Globe and Mail. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson has taken up the cause of oil-tanker traffic in Burrard Inlet in the wake of the BP explosion, but is his motivation environmental or political?

Why the Vancouver Mayor makes waves over oil tankers
Frances Bula Globe and Mail Canada July 2, 2010

For most people, the oil tankers that sit placidly at anchor off the beaches of Vancouver and West Vancouver are almost invisible – just part of the postcard scene of water and mountains and boats. But from his house on a North Vancouver slope above Burrard Inlet, Peter Baker noticed an increase in tankers in the previous year. As he discovered later, the number of ships carrying crude petroleum out of Vancouver has jumped dramatically. The port’s biggest oil-tanker client, Kinder Morgan, had increased the number of tankers it loaded, from 42 in 2008 to 65 in 2009. ... He used his knowledge of the shipping channel in Burrard Inlet to paint a nightmarish picture, in a June 17 opinion piece in a local newspaper, of the consequences of even a small error in the narrow channel: a grounded tanker, a rapidly receding high tide, an inevitable breaking apart of the ship, and a spill of its thousands of barrels of cargo. “Even if they could be rapidly deployed, oil booms would be ineffective, given the area’s large currents. Crude oil would rapidly spread throughout the harbour and beyond,” he wrote, urging Vancouverites to wake up and see the increasing amounts of oil being shipped through the city. Mr. Baker’s article prompted an invitation to a city council meeting organized by Mayor Gregor Robertson solely to discuss the dangers of oil tankers in Burrard Inlet. ...

For B.C. environmental groups, Mr. Robertson’s decision to put a focus on oil-tanker traffic was a welcome boost to their lengthy battle against tanker traffic on the entire B.C. coast. Until now, that fight has been mostly focused on Enbridge plans to build a northern pipeline with a 520,000-barrel-a-day capacity from the Alberta oil sands to Kitimat – a project that has not drawn much attention from southern urbanites. The Vancouver forum adds weight to a round of helpful publicity and sudden political uptake – after years of minimal attention – for their cause in the wake of the BP disaster, which started with a drilling-platform explosion on April 20. Within the past two weeks, federal Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has said his party would ban crude-oil tanker traffic on B.C.’s north coast; NDP MLA Rob Fleming and MP Denise Savoie have held a public forum in Victoria on the dangers of tanker traffic; and now Vancouver will hold its special council meeting. ... Mr. Robertson’s annoyed regional colleagues are saying publicly, he could have worked through an existing port committee at Metro Vancouver, headed by North Vancouver City Mayor Darrell Mussatto. “If we want to have a voice, it would be a more significant voice if we stuck together,” said Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan, whose municipality is home to Kinder Morgan storage tanks and an underground pipeline. “I think if George Chow [the Vancouver councillor who is the rep for the port committee] had come in and said, ‘This is an important issue,’ we would have done something. But then it would have been Darrell Mussatto at the head of it. And that wouldn’t have served Gregor Robertson’s purpose. I guess it’s all about an effort to get recognition.” ...

A 2006 British Columbia government ideologically-driven initiative to create a run-of-river electricity gold rush for its supporters has turned out to be an ill-fated venture for the majority of entrepreneurs who participated in it. Photo: Handout, Vancouver Sun files

Common sense: B.C. Utilities Commission pulls the plug on private power
Melissa Davis Georgia Straight British Columbia Canada August 4, 2009

You can bet your bottom dollar that the July 27 ruling by the B.C. Utilities Commission on B.C. Hydro’s 2008 Long Term Acquisition Plan sent a jolt through the premier’s office, the provincial energy and environment ministries, and their friends in the private power industry. After examining the evidence from almost a full year of hearings, the government’s own independent regulatory body determined that the LTAP was “not in the public interest”. Without a doubt, the BCUC ruling represents a fundamental challenge to the government’s Energy Plan, which called for the province to achieve energy “self-sufficiency” and “insurance” of supply through the purchase of large quantities of electricity. To realize these objectives, the plan prohibited B.C. Hydro from generating any new sources of energy (excluding Site C, presently part of a five-year review process) and, instead, directed the Crown utility to negotiate long-term energy-purchase agreements with private power producers.

To date, B.C. Hydro has negotiated more than $30 billion in contracts—the specific terms and conditions guarded in secrecy—to purchase electricity for the province at rates that dramatically exceed market prices ($80 to $125 per megawatt hour). The result has been a manufactured competitive energy market and soaring electricity costs for residential consumers. Over and above the three percent increase implemented last April, followed by a two-tiered rate structure applied in October, the provincial budget proposes an additional 21 percent increase over the next three years. Not surprisingly, following the May provincial election, the Liberal government interpreted their third consecutive leadership win as a licence to proceed in their plans to privatize B.C.’s electricity sector—in spite of widespread opposition by community and environmental groups, First Nations, and tens of thousands of citizens. Yet now there is a very real possibility that the BCUC ruling could seriously hinder the provincial government’s privatization agenda. ...

Misguided self-interest: Fairness of Hydro's 'Clean Power' call entrusted to Lib donor
Andrew MacLeod TheTyee.ca British Columbia Canada May 20, 2010

The independent observer in charge of ensuring the fairness of B.C. Hydro's clean power call was a B.C. Liberal Party donor whose firm had previously done millions of dollars worth of work for the Crown energy utility. ... The minister responsible, Blair Lekstrom, expressed complete confidence in both Singleton's independence and the integrity of the process that saw B.C. Hydro awarding contracts to firms to purchase energy -- contracts that could potentially earn those firms hundreds of millions of dollars. Singleton did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ...

"There's an expectation, when you put someone aside as independent and beyond reproach," [official opposition critic for energy mines and petroleum resources, John Horgan] said. "You would hope that they're not contributors to the governing party. You would hope that they didn't have a pre-existing financial relationship with the Crown corporation that's retained them." Lekstrom insisted he remains confident in BC Hydro's process during the clean power call. "The answer to the question is a firm yes. It is independent." ...

Blair Lekstrom has since resigned from cabinet.

BC Hydro's 2006 drive to promote private power producers failing, documents show
Scott Simpson Vancouver Sun British Columbia Canada July 15, 2010

VANCOUVER - A 2006 British Columbia government initiative to boost the province’s supply of electricity [sic] has turned out to be an ill-fated venture for the majority of entrepreneurs who participated in it. Documents recently filed with the B.C. Utilities Commission show that BC Hydro expects the attrition rate among independent power producers who four years ago were awarded electricity supply contracts to reach 63 per cent. Hydro says some projects that are technically still active will be abandoned as rising construction costs over the past four years make them too expensive to pursue, while others have already been cancelled. At least one of the projects on the original list of 38, Dokie Wind, required a secret government-ordered bailout to proceed. ... Most of the failed and stalled projects are run-of-river hydro.

7. The BC Liberal HST will be used to pay large debt servicing costs for the Olympic debt and infrastructure costs, and will not improve services for health, education or other critical government services, or reduce the overall debt. ... The BC CONSERVATIVE TAXATION PLAN would include:
6. Rejecting the BC Liberal HST to ensure that decisions relating to PST rates and exemptions would be made by British Columbians and not the federal government. - "BC Conservatives Say No to the BC Liberal HST Proposal"

"The Great Day"

Hurrah for revolution and more cannon-shot!
A beggar on horseback lashes a beggar on foot.
Hurrah for revolution and cannon come again!
The beggars have changed places, but the lash goes on.

- William Butler Yeats. Jim comment: Chris Delenay is a self-proclaimed populist. Maybe Blair Lekstrom sees a bright future for himself if he adopts populist rhetoric. BC's beloved-in-memory "Wacky" Bennett was a populist. Adolf Hitler was a populist.

Now the B.C. Conservative party — the upstart right-wing fringe outfit that could do a world of hurt to the Liberals if they ever got on a roll — are knocking on Lekstrom's door. Lekstrom confirmed Wednesday he's been contacted by the leaderless Conservatives with an invitation for a sit-down. - Michael Smyth

MLA Blair Lekstrom says he will not rule out running as an MP in the next federal election. The South Peace MLA told Moose FM’s “Issues and Answers”, Wednesday, that he is not going to limit any of his future options.- Kimberley Molina reporting

Ignorance is bliss for Liberals, as news gets worse
Michael Smyth The Province British Columbia Canada June 17, 2010

If you want to know how badly distracted and discombobulated the government is by all its current troubles, look no further than Martyn Brown's extraordinary statement at the B.C. Rail corruption trial Wednesday. Brown, Premier Gordon Campbell's chief of staff, shocked the courtroom when he said he didn't know Blair Lekstrom had quit cabinet over the HST last week. "That very much surprises me," Brown told defence lawyer Michael Bolton, who mentioned the Lekstrom bombshell in passing. "I have not been following the news."

Keep in mind Lekstrom's resignation rocked the government, forced an emergency news conference by the premier and triggered a cabinet shuffle of three other ministers. Keep in mind Lekstrom was a key minister himself, in charge of the government's controversial new energy policy. Keep in mind he quit six days ago. Brown explained he has placed himself in a voluntary news blackout so as not to taint his testimony in court. Still, when the most powerful unelected official in the entire government doesn't know about developments that have shaken that government to its foundations, it shows you just how screwed up things really are. ...

Mistake to not verify signature
? Williams Lake Tribune British Columbia Canada June 17, 2010

We can't find an attribution for this opinion piece.

The HST debate is still hot and heavy in the news world, and of course the resignation of an MLA has fueled the fire. I talked to Blair Lekstrom and his decision was made not to oppose the HST. He says it was the right thing to do. I agree with him that the way it is being handled is pathetic. He also indicated that if something else is to be done he wants government to go around the province and ask where the reductions in services should come from to make up for the shortfall if it does not take place. Like anyone out there continuing to demand more for less is going to agree to any reduction in services.

What I really want to talk about is the petition, the scope, the reality and the misrepresentation those promoting it are perpetuating. The main players of this petition know the system and are counting on the fact there are those who are emotional, those who do not understand but will sign, and the rest who are just PO’d. Elections BC says it will not go through and verify every signature. What a mistake. I have been a participant as well as a recipient of petitions through my political career and, upon checking — because I have signed the same petitions more than once, and going through them name by name — know that many people sign many times and in some cases at the local level did not even live in the community that was to be affected by the petition. Now this one is a little different but they still must be a resident of the riding and have voted in the last election. How will we know for sure how legitimate it is if Elections BC does not do its job? Once again the promoters know the game. The local numbers seem overwhelming but I believe we will have many duplicate names. Some may not even know their names are on it. If anyone tells you this does not happen, you will know that from that day forward when their mouth is moving they are probably lying.

Biker Lekstrom runs for the hills
Tom Fletcher Black Press/Williams Lake Tribune British Columbia Canada Updated June 15, 2010


Premier Gordon Campbell, former minister of energy and mines, now Conservative Party of Canada Senator Richard Neufeld and future energy minister Blair Lekstrom at opening for EnCana's Steeprock gas plant, 2006. Lekstrom hung tough during bomb attacks on EnCana facilities, but he cut and ran over the HST. Photo: B. C. Government

VICTORIA – One of the more memorable scenes of the B.C. Liberal era was the glamorous former finance minister Carole Taylor riding around the legislature grounds on an old Harley driven by its proud owner, Peace River South MLA Blair Lekstrom. Since rising from the mayor’s office in Dawson Creek to provincial politics in 2001, Lekstrom has enjoyed his image as a tough, independent biker. His latest turn, before last week’s sudden exit from the B.C. Liberal caucus, was to grumble about new safety legislation that outlaws those stupid little beanie helmets favoured by scientifically challenged Harley riders. Now Lekstrom and Taylor have each taken their turn as media stars for their supposedly tough stance on the harmonized sales tax.

Taylor spoke three sentences on a CTV panel show a few weeks ago that have been spun ever since into a damnation of her former boss Gordon Campbell. She even called the HST – gasp! – “ideological” in its tax shift from business to consumers. As we used to say in Dawson Creek, well, duh. It’s hardly surprising that Taylor recognizes this nefarious ideology, since she espoused it for four years in the Campbell government. One of her last moves as finance minister was to phase out the corporate capital tax. Critics on the left portrayed her as a Gucci-shod aristocrat who handed a $100 million gift from taxpayers to the banks, then retired to a lucrative directorship at the TD Bank. And of course she looked splendid in green, implementing North America’s first carbon tax, with key exemptions for big industrial emitters.

And now we have Lekstrom, who perhaps should have protected his skull better during his wild years. He seems a bit dazed and confused about the HST, still vaguely praising it in his letter of resignation to Campbell. “I firmly believe that British Columbians must be realistic and recognize that without a strong economy and competitive tax regimes, government cannot afford to meet their continued demands for increased investment in health care, education, social services and all other programs British Columbians enjoy,” Lekstrom wrote. Right you are, Blair. Carole Taylor couldn’t have said it better. This must be why you supported the HST in the cabinet, the B.C. Liberal caucus and then in a series of votes in the house. ...

When reporters crowded into Campbell’s office Friday morning, he was clearly shaken by the latest twist in the HST saga. Asked about another new party rising in B.C., he noted that anti-HST organizer Chris Delaney been involved in three tries at that. The most recent was the B.C. Conservatives, the only party in 2009 to consider the HST. Lekstrom’s latest brainwave, presented at last week’s cabinet meeting as his price for staying on, was a six-month time-out for the HST. Again, duh. The federal deal is done. The PST is gone. The money’s spent. Where would we find the billion dollars, Blair? One Vancouver paper played up Lekstrom’s maverick image, with the obligatory Harley photo and a headline proclaiming him “Rebel With a Cause.” I think Tom Petty was closer. A rebel without a clue.

Lekstrom may run for federal seat
Kimberley Molina Fort St. John News/Energeticcity.ca British Columbia Canada June 16, 2010

MLA Blair Lekstrom says he will not rule out running as an MP in the next federal election. The South Peace MLA told Moose FM’s “Issues and Answers”, Wednesday, that he is not going to limit any of his future options. Lekstrom resigned as energy minister and as a member of the Liberal caucus, last week, saying that his decision was because of the controversy over the HST and that although he does not disagree with the tax, he disagrees with how it is being implemented. The current MP for Prince George/Peace River, Jay Hill, has said he may not seek re-election and Lekstrom may look to take the job. Lekstrom says although he is not currently thinking about anything long-term, he may consider running.

Noted: The Campbell coalition Energy Minister resigned suddenly last Friday. Now the biggest private power project in BC is stalled and others cancelled. We don't know whether it is coincedence or not. But we do find it interesting.

Big power projects hit hurdles
Tom Fletcher Black Press/Williams Lake Tribune British Columbia Canada June 17, 2010


Plutonic Power Corp. construction camp at Toba Inlet north of Powell River, where a second phase of run-of-river development is underway. The company's plan to move construction up the coast to a larger project on Bute Inlet has been put on hold. Photo: Tom Fletcher/Black Press

B.C.'s biggest run-of-river proposal is the latest alternative electricity investment to be slowed or stopped in a shifting political environment for private power development. The Bute Inlet project is designed to include 17 stream diversions and powerhouses in a steep fjord north of Powell River. After missing out on a BC Hydro power purchase contract and seeing the B.C. government's new Clean Energy Act that passed this spring, developer Plutonic Power Corp. wrote to the federal environmental review panel to say it is putting its plan on hold for further study. Rupert Legge, president of Plutonic subsidiary Bute Hydro Inc., said in an interview the company has done further field work this year, but hasn't yet decided whether the project will be scaled back. "While the Clean Energy Act makes some improvements in the governance framework for electricity development in B.C., there is no immediate certainty for procurement of new projects, with a new planning process just beginning," Legge said.

Another project that failed to secure a BC Hydro power purchase offer this spring is NaiKun Wind, proposing to build offshore wind towers in Hecate Strait near Haida Gwaii that would power the equivalent of 130,000 homes. NaiKun said it would continue working with the federal government and the Haida Nation, which would be a co-owner. Paul Taylor, a former Insurance Corp. of B.C. president, left the top executive post at NaiKun this week. He said in March that large electricity developments need a "fair, predictable" power purchase system and a power export framework in provincial legislation. As the B.C. Liberal government was passing its Clean Energy Act this spring, Environment Minister Barry Penner shut the door on another big run-of-river proposal. Penner told the legislature that new conservancy boundaries on B.C.'s central coast would not be changed to accommodate power lines for a project on the Klinaklini River. ..

Lekstrom said the issue has galvanized the public like no other matter he’s seen since moving to the region 25 years ago. “I’ve never seen people like this. Ever.” ... “It’s not an easy decision, but it’s probably the most powerful statement a sitting member can make,” said [Vicki] Huntington [the first independent MLA to be elected to the legislature in decades], adding she has offered her help to her new colleague if he wants to talk. “I haven’t regretted running as an independent one second. I can deliver to my constituents what any backbencher can deliver, and I can deliver it honestly.” - Rod Mickleburgh reporting

For now, everyone is wondering whether this motorcycle-riding rebel is a lone wolf or the leader of the pack. I suspect a few trembling Liberal backbenchers are mulling over their futures, and just might hop on the back of Lekstrom's Harley for a ride out of Liberal loserville. - Michael Smyth

So Lekstrom may in fact find himself falling on the sword for what he believes in. His portfolio was important and he sat at the cabinet table. He knows what’s going on for the most part in the inner circles, at least up until last week. Governments and their leaders don’t look kindly on a defection; history is riddled with good politicians, those who would stand up for what they believe in, landing on the rubbish heap. - Ben Meisner

Public corruption in British Columbia is huge – is everywhere. - Robin Mathews

Outside Peace River South and outside of organized political circles, there is an attitude of cynical skepticism. As one person (one among many) commented: "If [Lekstrom] were really that honest and honourable he would have quit the Liberal caucus years ago when Gordon Campbell broke his promise not to sell BC Rail, also an important issue in the Peace country. When he ran with Campbell is the next election he endorsed a dishonest leader. He's just quitting now because he's afraid of losing his seat." A self-described 'island cynic' offered this comment: "All of Blair Lekstrom's comments to the media so far support the fact that he is not representing his constituents. He still likes the HST. He claims that Campbell did not lie to the voter and only brought it forward after the election. He still wants it to be implemented, only discussed first. He still belongs to the Liberal party. He thinks we should all pay more taxes. Spin it anyway you want, this is all staged and intended to dupe us all into complacency. To let Campbell off the hook. To let the Liberal MLA's off the hook. Why do I feel this has become a class war and BC is now for serfs and Kings only? More for them, less for us. Recall in the fall." So, are we about to see a BC version of Wat Tyler's Rebellion, the Great Rising of 1381 precipitated by heavy-handed attempts to enforce the third poll tax? The youth of King Richard II (aged only 14) was another reason for the uprising: A group of unpopular men dominated his government. Many saw those men as corrupt officials and viewed all the kingdom's institutions as suspicious. Sounds familiar! World history is full of peasant revolts with varying degrees of success or failure.

Lekstrom loss hurts Liberals
Walter Cordery Nanaimo Daily News British Columbia Canada June 14, 2010

... It was expected Campbell would get some sort of popularity bounce from the Winter Olympics. But British Columbians don't like being misled. Frankly, I think it was the deceitful way the government introduced the harmonized sales tax after saying during the provincial election it would not, that has us riled and not the tax itself. The day before Lekstrom's resignation, the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs Council announced it supported Bill Vander Zalm's anti-HST campaign. ... With the Kash Heed affair still fresh in people's minds and the ongoing publicity of the trial surrounding the sale of B.C. Rail, school districts in near revolt, community groups, arts groups and sports organizations upset about gaming funding cuts, William Shatner joining environmentalists in the fight against fish farms, and with his Liberals trailing the New Democrats by 20% in the latest Angus Reid opinion poll, the last thing Campbell needs is grumbling within his Liberal caucus. ...

And in Liberal ridings across B.C., 45% of those surveyed said they would sign a recall petition against their MLA given a chance. Another 17% they would probably sign. Lekstrom's resignation leads me to suspect his won't be the only resignation among Liberal MLAs who are nervously watching the growing number of people signing the anti-HST petition. That number is getting perilously close to the number of people who voted for the Liberals in the last election. ... How many other Liberal MLAs are prepared to see their political careers scuttled because of the stubborn determination of the premier to soldier on with the HST? Lekstrom's resignation leaves his former colleagues to explain why they are willing to ignore the will of the people they represent. One resignation may not change Campbell's resolve to bring in the HST. But a few more MLAs trying to protect their political skins before impending recall campaigns begin just might convince him that he can no longer force his will on his caucus.

As HST discontent grows, Liberals must trudge on under Campbell
Vaughn Palmer Vancouver Sun British Columbia Canada June 14, 2010

One could probably raise a lot of money among disenchanted B.C. Liberals by auctioning off posters, mugs and T-shirts emblazoned with a photograph taken at motorcycle awareness day at the legislature three years ago. There's Blair Lekstrom, MLA for Peace River South, decked out in shades, leathers and skid lid, decisively gripping a set of handlebars on a cruising bike. There behind him in the biker gal position, clutching him tightly and beaming for the camera, is Carole Taylor, the province's then minister of finance.

The original anti-harmonized sales tax Liberal, Carole "not on my watch" Taylor, paired with harmonization's newest critic, Blair "put the brakes on it" Lekstrom. An unlikely pairing. But maybe the combination to reunite the fractured governing coalition in its current troubles. Lekstrom, independent-minded enough to publicly oppose his own government on matters of principle and hailing from one of the hinterland ex-Social Credit ridings where the anti-HST backlash is strongest. Taylor, the urban Liberal, who balked at harmonizing the provincial sales tax because it would 1) hurt consumers and 2) mean the sacrifice of provincial control over tax exemptions. ...

Jim comment: The paramount fundamental issue concerning the HST is whether or not the people of British Columbia should have control of their own affairs and the power to reshape their future. The HST will be administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and the Campbell coalition is working with the CRA. Just what the CRA really is (its not your parents' Revenue Canada) is a whole other related story that needs to be told.

Lekstrom a hometown hero after resignation
Rod Mickleburgh Globe and Mail Canada Last updated June 14, 2010

Former cabinet minister Blair Lekstrom may have seriously ruffled feathers within his own party, but his decision last Friday to leave Liberal ranks over implementation of the HST has made him a hero among the hometown folks of Dawson Creek. “The response has been overwhelmingly in favour of Blair and his decision to step down,” local councillor Terry McFadyen said Sunday. “I don’t know of anybody who doesn’t agree with what he did.” Ninety-seven per cent of respondents in a small online poll by the Dawson Creek Daily News were in favour of Mr. Lekstrom’s resignation from his Energy Minister post and the Liberal caucus. ...

Mr. Lekstrom attended a local air cadets show on the weekend. In an interview afterward, he said he’s been heartened by local reaction to his resignation. “I haven’t had a negative reaction from anybody. It’s been very positive,” he said, while rejecting any suggestion that he is some kind of hero. “I have no regrets, but I never forget the impact this has on my Liberal colleagues. I think of that every day.” He said he intends to seek re-election as an MLA in 2013, although with no clear indication at this point under what party banner, if any, he might run. Alvin Stedel, who has spearheaded the anti-HST sign-up campaign in the region, said Mr. Lekstrom is almost certain to be re-elected, now that he has withdrawn from the Liberal caucus. “He’s already a champion of this area.” ... Mr. Stedel said residents of this predominantly rural area are particularly outraged over the Liberals’ embrace of the HST so soon after the last election, when they had previously opposed the tax. “Up here, your word is your bond. … You don’t say one thing and then go and do something else,” he said. “That makes people mad, and when they get mad up here, they don’t just sit and home. They get out and do something.” He predicted a grim electoral future for Mr. Lekstrom’s neighbouring Liberal MLA, Pat Pimm, representing Peace River North. “If he doesn’t do what Blair did, he’s toast,” declared Mr. Stedel. ...

Liberal MLA's abdication a blow to Campbell
Michael Smyth The Province British Colubia Canada June 13, 2010

There is no doubt the resignation of Blair Lekstrom is a severe blow to Gordon Campbell, as the stubborn premier continues to sink in the political quicksand of his broken-promise HST. But the question now is whether Lekstrom's bailout sparks a sense of panic in the Liberal ranks, and other MLAs start scrambling for the emergency exits behind him. The grumbling from the backbench is starting to get louder. Many Liberals, especially the wide-eyed newcomers elected for the first time last May, felt blindsided by the Harmonized Sales Tax, announced to the caucus just 48 hours before it was sprung on an unsuspecting public. Then there was Campbell's disappearing act when the tax was being debated in the legislature. He didn't deliver a single speech defending the HST, didn't even show up to vote for it. While Liberals like Lekstrom were getting bashed like pinatas in their home ridings, Campbell was taking junkets to Europe.

It all became too much for Lekstrom, who represents a riding where anti-HST anger has exploded. The Peace River country borders Alberta, which has no sales tax at all, and Lekstrom could barely walk down the street without getting waylaid by furious constituents. He knew his political career was over if he stuck by the government and its HST doublecross. More people in Peace River South have signed Bill Vander Zalm's anti-HST petition than voted for Lekstrom in the last election. Lekstrom would have been a prime target for a fall recall campaign if he had remained loyal to Campbell. Unlike the myopic premier -- who can't read the writing on the wall -- Lekstrom's eyesight was sharp enough to read the words writ large: YOU'RE TOAST. So he jumped out of the toaster oven before getting burned to a crisp. Lekstrom is a very clever and likable politician, and his stunning defection opens up several intriguing possibilities. ...

Fight HST welcomes Blair Lekstrom's resignation from BC Liberal caucus and cabinet over imposing Harmonized Sales Tax
Canada Business Online Canada June 11, 2010

... Fight HST Lead Organizer Chris Delaney said it's clear from Lekstrom's dramatic move that BC Liberal MLAs are starting to realize the overwhelming opposition of the public to the HST will have real consequences for those who ignore it. "Blair Lekstrom has done the right thing - it's never too late to realize your mistake - but other BC Liberal MLAs have to realize that the public is furious and they will hold those responsible for the HST to account - probably sooner than the government expected," Delaney said. ...

Chris Delaney is a former President of the B.C. Reform Party. He was involved in the creation of the B.C. Unity party which ran in the 2001 provincial election. He is deputy leader of the fledgling B.C. Conservative Party. Delaney is a populist. (With former Reform and CPC MP and house leader, Randy White, joining the ranks of the B.C. Conservative Party recently and the success of the Fight HST campaign it looks, as John Martin suggested April 30, 2010, its game on for populism in the province.) Chris Delaney is on record as saying Lekstrom would not be welcome in the B.C. Conservative Party because of Lekstrom's union background.

Lekstrom's a 'rat': BC Conservative
Andrew MacLeod TheTyee.ca British Columbia Canada June 11, 2010

... Independence may be where [Lekstrom] stays for awhile -- an official with the party most likely to be a fit for Lekstrom says he's a "rat" and they wouldn't want him. ... B.C. Conservative Party spokesperson and former candidate Dean Skoreyko said there's been talk in his party of approaching Lekstrom to join them, but Skoreyko said he doesn't think it would be a good fit. "This isn't a principled move, this is an ass saving move," said Skoreyko. Lekstrom has supported the HST and voted for it, he said. "He's had lots of opportunities to stand up and say 'no' to the HST... He's not admitting he was wrong. He's basically saying, 'I want to get re-elected.'" And failing to oppose the HST is going to be the downfall of several Liberal MLAs and a gift to both Conservative and NDP candidates in several ridings, he said. "The polling numbers we're seeing from up north in that area are devastating for the Liberals," he said. "The writing's on the wall for a lot of those guys. If they want to save their careers, they better get off that Liberal ship right away." It's too late for Lekstrom to reverse his HST position, Skoreyko said. "You can't stand up in the house when 85 per cent of B.C. is against it according to the polls and support it, then stand up a few weeks later and say you're against it," he said. "A rat is a rat is a rat." It's tough to predict what Lekstrom will do, he said. "I don't know how politically astute Blair is." Perhaps he's angling for the Liberal leadership when Campbell goes and wants to distance himself from an unpopular policy, Skoreyko speculated. Maybe he's planning to support a leadership bid by former finance minister Carole Taylor. ... Adopting an independent would, however, be a boost to the Conservatives, he said. Vicki Huntington has been sitting as an independent since unseating former attorney general Wally Oppal in Delta South in last year's election. "We're hoping she'll come over," said Skoreyko. "If we're going to talk about someone coming into the party, I'd rather talk to Vicki than talk to Blair." ...

Are the BC Liberals worried?
Ben Meisner Opinion 250 - News for Northern and Central Interior of British Columbia Prince George, Canada June 14, 2010

Blair Lekstrom may find himself facing the same dilemma as former Liberal Paul Nettleton. You may remember Nettleton, he was the MLA from PG west and Vanderhoof who dared to argue that BC Hydro was about to be carved up and private power companies would be taking over the production of power in the province at the expense of the general user. Nettleton was at least right in his argument that private power, through run of the river and wind power were establishing a foot hold in BC and Oh yes on the matter of the price going up, stand back and watch. So Lekstrom may in fact find himself falling on the sword for what he believes in. His portfolio was important and he sat at the cabinet table. He knows what’s going on for the most part in the inner circles, at least up until last week. Governments and their leaders don’t look kindly on a defection; history is riddled with good politicians, those who would stand up for what they believe in landing on the rubbish heap. Did he do the right thing in cutting and running? Of course he did. He must be driven by his convictions and when he lost the enthusiasm for that position it was time to go. ...

Related: BC Rail: A corruption trial in a corrupt B.C. Supreme Court?
Robin Mathews The Legislature Raids British Columbia Canada June 13, 2010

Canada and the world saw a hint of B.C.’s public corruption in the Robert Dziekanski killing by RCMP in Vancouver International Airport. First the world was given lies – all the way up the RCMP. Then the RCMP turned to “damage control”. Damage control will be the report by Mr. Justice Thomas Braidwood who is conducting the Robert Dziekanski “Inquiry”. “Damage control”. Depend on it.

Public corruption in British Columbia is huge – is everywhere. The“privatization” of B.C. Ferries was corrupt. Gordon Campbell’s U.S. CEO friend is now making $1,000,000.00 annually (on the books) at B.C. Ferries. Off the books, debt of the Ferry Corporation is enough to sink a battleship. The corrupt “privatization” and sell-off of BC Gas – was completed by Gordon Campbell, folding the finish of BC Gas into a volume of omnibus legislation. The corrupt “privatization” of BC Hydro – is lied about, manipulated, the corporation shredded, legislated into impotence. One third of BC Hydro – to sweeten the story – was handed (still secretly) to Accenture of the Arthur Anderson/ENRON gigantic U.S. energy corruption and collapse scandal. Accenture? Why Accenture? A story beyond belief. Corruption is the B.C. (public) way of doing business: the sea-to-sky highway, bridges, river licenses … whatever. Name it. Name … almost anything. Corruption was (and is) in the transfer of BC Rail to CNR – by lies, manipulation, “failure strategy” buddy pay-offs, organization of whole teams to build to the fraudulent transfer.

All of those major acts of corruption are supported by the mainstream press and media of British Columbia and Canada by avoidance, half-reporting, failure to investigate, complete abnegation of responsibility right up the ladder. The corruption/BC Rail Scandal is huge. It is now in B.C. Supreme Court. It is, alas, probably in a corrupt court – as we shall see. First witness in the BC Rail Scandal/ Basi, Virk, and Basi trial is Gordon Campbell’s top political advisor and Chief of Staff, Martyn Brown. ...

Canada is a nation led by political managers, not leaders
Murray Dobbin rabble.ca Canada June 14, 2010

Where are the leaders? It's a question I hear from people more and more. People are looking for inspiration, hope, some sense that someone at least has some ideas of where the country should go -- not go this afternoon or tomorrow or next week but in the next 20 or 50 years. Someone who is at least partly a visionary and not just a strategist and tactician. Canadians, I think, are desperately looking for someone who can demonstrate that they have done some serious and thoughtful thinking about what kind of country we want to build. But political leadership of that kind seems to be a thing of the past. ...

The source of the problem goes back to the 1990s, the first decade of enhanced corporate rights (so-called free trade), where the mantra was "We have to run government like a business." People should be careful what they ask for because the decline of democratic governance and the dilution of the ideals of leadership flow directly from that corporate imperative. Until we recognize it and reverse it we are unlikely to find our way out of the dilemma. Stephen Harper does run the country like a business -- with a ruthless disregard for any interests other than the fiduciary interests of those who want to see humanist, activist government dismantled. No other prime minister in Canadian history has shown such casual contempt for democracy, its ideals and its institutions. ...

BC Mary links to a Norman Farrell post. Mary introduces the link: Norman Farrell deserves a Webster Award for the best use of actual history to explain events of today. The Campbell Government history is almost beyond belief ... and the original promises of 2001 are re-posted here by kind permission because, as the old saying goes 'He who forgets history is doomed (or condemned) to repeat it'.

We can, but we won't

By Norman Farrell
Northern Insights - June 13, 2010

I recall voting Liberal in the 2001 provincial election and for years now, I've been wondering what led me to that regretful choice. Perhaps, I suffered early onset of age-related intellectual impairment but I prefer to believe there were other causes. In search of those, I read through the BC Liberal 2001 Platform. I suspected it would provide clues and it did.

It turns out my error was one of naivety. My mistake was believing what the Liberals said. I provide here a number of their promises and little editorial comment is required. I've held back items related to health and child welfare because those subjects deserve separate attention. What do you think readers, did he work wonders? ...

Norman Farrell on his own site comments about the list:

There will be a part two later because health and child services deserve special treatment. The important thing to remember is these are Liberals words in the promises. I shortened but did not add.

Shocking is it not? I would love to see a party member honestly defend the changes.

And he offers up a comment from Scottish comedian, Miles Jupp, we just have to repeat.

"I don't know why Obama is cross with the British. It used to be the case, if the Americans wanted oil, they had to invade somewhere and we're actually now delivering it right to their doorstep.

You can't make people happy sometimes."

Oy, vey!

More from 2001 Liberal platform: What Canada Health Act? UPDATED
Norman Farrell Northern Insights British Columbia Canada June 15, 2010

Gordon Campbell: “It’s time to put patient care first. To do that, we must renew public health care, through better management, adequate funding, proper staffing, and sound strategic planning.” ...

Jim comment: "I am a lineman for the county. And I drive the mainroad. Lookin' in the sun for another overload." If memory serves, before he took up the political life, Blair Lekstrom worked as a lineman. Ah! Memory does not serve. This is an anonymous comment on BC Mary's site related to this post.

A little bit of info about Blair before he was a mayor and then an MLA: he wasn't a lineman, he was an installer repairman for the phone company. A lineman job is quite different. Also, he was a counsellor (unpaid, elected) for the union that represented telephone workers at that company. I know these things because I used to work with him.

I know Lekstrom was a city councillor before he became Mayor. And I assumed Lekstrom's first introduction to politicking was in a union. Thanks, Anon, 2031 hours. Comments are broken on this site. (Sigh!!!!) If you have more info, email me or post to BC Mary's site and I will make sure it is added to this post.

MLA Blair Lekstrom resigns from Liberal Caucus
Kimberley Molina Fort St. John News/Energycity.ca British Columbia Canada June 11, 2010

MLA Blair Lekstrom has given his resignation to Premier Gordon Campbell and has left the BC Liberal Caucus. However, he says he will continue to represent the Peace River South riding as an independent. He says his decision was made because of his constituents’ opposition to the Harmonized Sales Tax. He says that although he had first supported the introduction of the HST, he now says he will attempt to stop the HST from coming into effect. “This is a major tax policy shift and it is time to engage British Columbians with a series of discussions about our province’s future.”

In the 2009 election, 4,801 people voted in Lekstrom as the MLA for Peace River South, but figures released this week show 4,985 people in the riding signed the “Fight HST Campaign”.
Lekstrom will be holding a press conference this afternoon. ... The full statement of his resignation can be viewed below. ...

Related: Energy Minister Blair Lekstrom acknowledges peak oil and downplays offshore drilling
Charlie Smith Georgia Straight British Columbia Canada May 21, 2010

Energy Minister Blair Lekstrom says there are no staff in his ministry working on offshore drilling at this time. Lekstrom made the revelation late Wednesday (May 19) afternoon during the estimates debate for his ministry. "I think it is fair to say that what we're seeing with the environmental disaster taking place in the Gulf [of Mexico] today brings into question whether that can be done," Lekstrom said, according to Hansard. "So we will not pursue the extraction of any resource in this province unless it can be done in a manner as I stated, and we stand by that."

During the same debate, NDP energy critic John Horgan asked Lekstrom if the Oil and Gas Commission had done any work in connection with peak oil. Peak oil is the point when global oil production will start going down because of diminishing supplies. Lekstrom replied that staff are following the peak oil debate. "There are people that think we have plateaued or peaked, and there are others that don't," he said, according to Hansard. "So it's an ongoing debate, and our staff do follow that."

It's the first time the B.C. government has publicly acknowledged the possibility of global oil production peaking. Horgan then asked Lekstrom if he's prepared to table any documents or briefing materials produced by his ministry on peak oil for the public to review. "I will point out that we do have a PowerPoint that we will ensure that we get to the member," Lekstrom said. "As well, I would offer, if the member would want, a briefing to the member on the issue of peak oil, through our ministry."

Jim comment: Mmmmmmm!!!! Nervous about offshore drilling. Acknowledges peak oil. Constituents concerned about Site C and the resulting transmission lines for resource extraction (read open pit mining) in Northerm BC. Also, Lekstrom's riding is one that was adamantly opposed to the sale of BC Rail. (And Lekstrom's name is likely to come up during the BC Rail political corruption trial with regard to the lobbying firm, Pilothouse. See Gary Mason, September 23, 2009.) Wonder if the coalition will try to do to Lekstrom what they did to Paul Nettleton?

Staying on as MLA, eh? What IS going on behind the scenes? Lekstrom is now in a position that I always felt most represented him and his riding best. He should have run as an independent. He would have won. Guess he naively thought he could work for change from the inside. So now we have, Vicki Huntington (independent) and Blair Lekstrom (independent) sitting in the house. Both of them are natural Progressive Conservatives, Huntington on the left of the party and Lekstrom on the right (Red Tory; Blue Tory). Interesting times ahead I think. And it feels to me now like this is the beginning of the end for Campbell's coalition. Shades of the Social Credit party's rapid, out-of-control implosion.

The provincial electoral area Peace River South is entirely within the Peace River Regional District. According to Wikipedia:

The Peace River Regional District is a regional district in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The regional district comprises seven municipalities and four electoral areas. Its member municipalities are the cities of Fort St. John and Dawson Creek, the district municipalities of Tumbler Ridge, Chetwynd, Taylor, and Hudson's Hope, and the village of Pouce Coupe. Peace River also has four regional district electoral areas: B, C, D and E, six Indian reserves, and one Indian settlement. The district's administrative centre is in Dawson Creek.

The regional district is characterized by rolling hills with grain and cattle farms. About 40% of the province's Agricultural Land Reserve is situated within the regional district. The Peace River flows west-to-east through the middle of the district. Its total land area is 119,200.1 km² (46,023.42 sq mi), the largest regional district in British Columbia in area. (The Stikine Region is larger, but is not technically a regional district.) The total population reported in the 2006 census was 58,264 with 24,019 private dwellings, up from 55,080 people in 2001. ...

Blair Lekstrom, the former mayor of Dawson Creek, and now the newly independent MLA for Peace River South said today, "I ran on who I was. The people I represent say we think you should be talking to us. ... My priority is to listen to the public and that's my view on why I was elected and I'm going to follow through on that." No wonder he had to resign from Cabinet and from the Campbell coalition. The District's people may feel they have given up too much to progress already. They have accepted two hydroelectric dams and their concomitant transportation and utility infrastructure, they have accepted oil and gas exploration/extraction and they have accepted coal mining in their region. Under Campbell's regime they have been/are being asked to give up much more. On issues such as the sale of BC Rail, the introduction of the HST, the preservation of farmland, the proposed Site C Dam on the Peace River, proposed high voltage transmission lines across their grazing lands, proposed pipelines to and from the Alberta Tar Sands transgressing their boundries, more sour gas wells on their properties, threats of open pit mineral mining to come in the region—a majority of the people who elected Lekstrom are concerned about or in outright opposition to the Campbell coalition's second-and-third-term policies.


Blair Lekstrom, right, in an April 2009 file photo with Premier Gordon Campbell. Photo: Ian Smith/Vancouver Sun. Campbell said, "I respect his position. I understand it but....we clearly disagree." Campbell said his government will continue to press ahead with the HST. And everything else on their agenda, no doubt. Who'll be the next to leave. Pat Bell, perhaps? Bell is the current Minister of Forests and MLA from the riding of Prince George North. At the time of the government sale of BC Rail, there was fierce opposition to the plan centered in and around the Prince George area. Residents and businesses did not want the government to give up control of a rail line upon which they depended each day. Gary Mason reported in the above September 23, 2009 link:

... Mr. Bell, I'm told, once had a bullet mailed to him by one irate resident with a note that read: “The next one has your name on it.” Even though he was not a member of cabinet at the time, Mr. Bell was under pressure from political supporters to oppose the sale. As deputy whip, however, he did have access to more insider information about the sale than most backbenchers. And he was lobbied hard by officials from Pilothouse to support OmniTrax's bid over CN's. According to a source, the court apparently has memos and billing records showing that Mr. Bell was in regular contact during the bid process with principals at Pilothouse, namely Brian Kieran. We do not know what information, if any, about the sale of BC Rail was exchanged. ...

Right: Pat Bell is a man with roots in his own city. Prior to becoming an MLA, Bell owned a trucking company and co-owned a logging company. He owns two Wendy's Restaurants in Prince George. Pat Bell's riding was one of several northern ridings in which small cities and towns were either duped or encouraged coerced by the Campbell coalition into funneling municipal tax dollars into party coffers. Small town people are basically decent, honest and forgiving. But they hold to their beliefs and their principles and they have long memories. Push them hard enough—cross a moral line once too far or too many times no matter how far—and they can get nasty with you. In the light of what is coming to be revealed in the BC Rail political corruption trial, they may remember and they may start getting nasty with the Campbell coalition. God forbid anyone should shoot a bullet at their MLA. Pat (may I call you Pat?), I know—being myself a small-town farm boy with some Amish background—fess up, come clean, repent and you won't be shunned. Do the right thing. Resign from Cabinet and the party caucus, Pat. Sit as a an independent MLA and do what you must to represent the majority that either voted for you as a person or voted for a party other than the Campbell coalition. If you do, most people in Prince George North won't bite you in the ass for doing so. Just my small-town advice motivated only by my small-town sense of decency and willingness to forgive a repentant sinner.

Town was duped into donating to BC Liberals, says official
Dee Hon TheTyee.ca British Columbia Canada April 25, 2005

The BC Liberal Party has been funneling municipal tax dollars from B.C. towns into party coffers, according to financial reports filed with Elections BC. An official from one of the towns claims his municipal government was duped into donating to the party. Other times, the situation was clear: several town officials have since told The Tyee they were using taxpayers’ money to buy access to the premier and provincial ministers. Either way, the Liberal Party has been using its position in power to garner public money and fund its current election campaign. ...

Left: Pat Pimm was elected MLA for Peace River North in the 2009 provincial election. A long-time resident of the Peace River region, Mr. Pimm served twelve years as councillor for the City of Fort St. John from 1993-2005. For six years, he was chair of the city hall’s Finance Committee, responsible for overseeing the municipality’s budget process. With 25 years experience in the oil and gas industry, he was co-chair of the BC Oil and Gas Conference in 2002 and 2005. Mr. Pimm possesses an extensive background in the construction industry. He is president of Alpha Controls Ltd, a company that provides construction, maintenance, and electrician services for numerous projects. He is also a director and vice-president of the North Peace Construction Association.

Pimm has no plans to follow Lekstrom
Kimberley Molina Fort St. John News/Energycity.ca British Columbia Canada approximatedly 1400 hours PDT, June 11, 2010

The resignation of MLA Blair Lekstrom as a Liberal cabinet minister and caucus member has surprised more than just his South Peace constituents.

The MLA for Peace River North, Pat Pimm, says he was also surprised by Lekstrom’s decision. “Obviously it’s a decision that the minister has made and I think the minister…. has been a good energy minister and it’s his decision and I certainly respect his decision.” Pimm says he believes that many MLAs are feeling pressure due to the Harmonized Sales Tax controversy and he also acknowledges the high opposition to the HST in his riding. However, he says he will wait to see the petition and then deal with any problems that may arise. “I firmly believe that there’s a process in place and I think we’re following a process at this point in time.”

The HST has been a controversial subject and, despite Lekstrom’s resignation, Pimm says he is not considering following Lekstrom in his decision to step down. “The thought has never crossed my mind.”

News and opinion are still going up this afternoon. Around 1600 hours PDT, Agriculture Minister Steve Thomson said its not the decision he would have made, but he respects Lekstrom's choice nonetheless. Thomson says he knows Lekstrom was conflicted, but thinks his constituents would have been better served by an MLA in government. Sorry, Minister. Didn't Mr. Lekstrom already try that and find your premise false? And, about the same time, Charlie Smith posted the following opinion.

Blair Lekstrom leaves the B.C. Liberal caucus and cabinet to save his political hide
Charlie Smith Georgia Straight British Columbia Canada June 11, 2010

Independent MLA Vicki Huntington and anti-HST campaigner Chris Delaney have both praised Blair Lekstrom's "integrity" for quitting the B.C. Liberal cabinet and caucus today (June 11). Lekstrom claimed that he did this because his constituents aren't happy with the harmonized sales tax. What a joke.

Lekstrom, the MLA for Peace River South, decided to jump the leaking B.C. Liberal ship only after the anti-HST initiative collected more names than the number of people who voted for him in the 2009 provincial election. Lekstrom looked at the evidence and must have reached the inescapable conclusion that his political career was toast if he remained loyal to Premier Gordon Campbell. So he quit, taking a $50,000 pay cut, rather than facing the prospect of being recalled and losing his entire $150,000 government salary. Lekstrom can actually recover part of his income if he and Huntington persuade two B.C. Liberal MLAs to quit the caucus and join them in forming a third party in the legislature. That's because any four members can band together and obtain official party status. Huntington used to be employed in the federal Conservative cabinet office during the Mulroney years. She later worked for MP John Cummins, who has represented Reform, the Canadian Alliance, and the Conservatives during his 17-year career in Parliament. In other words, Huntington is well-acquainted with party politics, notwithstanding her reputation as a lone gunslinger. With two more Liberal MLAs on-side, she and Lekstrom could create a reasonably well-financed populist bloc in the legislature.

Under the rules, the new party would get a research budget. The leader (Huntington?) would receive a pay increase of 25 percent above the annual MLA pay of $100,000. The house leader (Lekstrom?) would receive a 10-percent hike above his MLA income. The two other MLAs would also receive 10-percent salary boosts if they were named as the new party's whip and caucus chair. If they called themselves B.C. Conservatives, this would help Delaney achieve his dream of being elected to the B.C. legislature, because that's his current party of choice. And the party would get a great deal more media coverage leading up to the 2013 election, greatly furthering his chances as a candidate. So the next time you hear Huntington and Delaney praise Lekstrom's integrity, keep in mind that all three of them could be the beneficiaries of Lekstrom's opportunistic decision to say goodbye to Campbell.

Charlie, (and I'm confident I can call you Charlie), I've always respected your work. I'm a big fan. I agree with almost all of what you say above. But I do think (guess?, gotta hunch about) you might be wrong in seeing Lekstrom's decision as purely "opportunistic". I think the former lineman may have identified "another overloard" and has decided to act to remedy it. He didn't work as a lineman for nothing, without financial remuneration. And I know from personal experience that Vicki Huntington holds dear the founding principles of the late, lamented Progressive-Conservative Party of Canada.

Norman Farrell has a good cartoon and an ironic comment up on his site today.

An amusing side note is that Blair Lekstrom's replacement as Energy Minister is Bill Bennett who was elected to the Legislature from Kootenay East with 8,427 votes. Already, more than 8,800 voters of his riding have signed the HST Initiative. In fact, the margin of opposition is higher than that in Peace River South where Lekstrom is MLA.

Thanks, Mr. Farrell. Your site is always worth a visit.

Lekstrom turns up the heat on Liberal MLAs
Paul Willcocks Paying Attention British Columbia Canada June 11, 2010

... Earlier in the week, Lekstrom had suggested putting the HST on hold for six months or a year to his cabinet colleagues and involving the public in a full discussion of tax options. But Premier Gordon Campbell nixed the idea. ... Cynics might grumble that Lekstrom left it awfully late. But it remains a principled move, one that will cost him about $50,000 a year. The biggest impact will be on other Liberal MLAs. They too know their constituents are overwhelmingly opposed to the tax, the secretive introduction, or both. Lekstrom's example leaves other Liberals to explain why they are willing to ignore the will of the people they represent. And while one resignation won't shift the premier, two or three might. At the least, they would kick start the race to replace him.

The resignation came in the same week as an Angus Reid Public Opinion poll that should give Liberal MLAs serious concern. The party's support has dropped to 26 per cent, with the NDP at 46 per cent. That's still above the amazing lows of the former NDP government in its last days, but not a whole lot. It gets worse for the Liberals. The poll found three-quarters of respondents opposed the HST. And it found that in Liberal ridings across the province, 45 per cent of those surveyed said they would definitely sign a recall petition against their MLA given a chance; another 17 per cent they would probably sign. And they might get a chance. ... Liberal MLAs in ridings where the HST opposition is fiercest and margins of victory were small should be looking over their shoulders. Some will likely be wondering how much they should suffer for decisions they had no real part in making. It's unlikely the public will be much cheerier in November. Campbell has been dismal in defending the tax and the way it was sprung on British Columbians without analysis or discussion. And a planned advertising blitz - at taxpayer expense - is likely to make people angrier. With the legislature shut down, likely until next spring, MLAs are going to be spending a lot of time in their ridings.They better be able to defend both the tax - and the damaging way their leader has handled it.

Footnote: Lekstrom has acted independently in the past. He voted against the legislation gutting the contracts of public sector unions and opposed the Tsawwassen First Nations treaty. No other obvious potential defectors among the Liberal MLAs come to mind.

The Globe and Mail identifies eight MLAs at risk over HST recalls. "The following eight Liberal MLAs are the most vulnerable to a recall, according to the strength of the anti-HST campaigns in their ridings. With one notable exception, they’ve all defended the HST in the legislature." The eight are:

• John Slater, MLA, Boundary-Similkameen
  
• Donna Barnett, MLA, Cariboo-Chilcotin
  
• Barry Penner, Minister of Environment
  
• Terry Lake, MLA, Kamloops-North Thompson
  
• Bill Bennett, Minister of Community and Rural Development
  
• Pat Pimm, MLA, Peace River North
  
• Blair Lekstrom, Former Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources
  
• George Abbott, Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation
  

Total recall
'The Jurist' Accidental Deliberations Saskatchewan Canada June 11, 2010

There's been no lack of talk about Blair Lekstrom's resignation from the B.C. Libs over the HST. But it's worth noting exactly how Lekstrom has framed his departure, and what it means for his former caucus-mates: ...

So what's noticeably missing from Lekstrom's message? Strikingly, he isn't actually criticizing the HST in substance, or substantially contradicting the B.C. Libs' party line as to how it came to be - which looks to distinguish Lekstrom from politicians whose resignations from cabinet or party have been based on actual disagreements in principle. Rather, Lekstrom is merely refusing to vote for the HST in the next little while pending future "discussions". And that suggests to me that his goal isn't to serve as the face of the B.C. Conservatives or otherwise take a front-and-centre role fighting against harmonization. Instead, his resignation looks to be aimed primarily at allowing himself to vote against the HST for the short term - presumably avoiding becoming one of the first victims of this fall's expected recall petitions in the process - while leaving the door open for a return to the Libs' fold after the HST storm passes.

Of course, only so many MLAs can get away with that type of move without costing the Campbell government its legislative majority. And now that Lekstrom has set the precedent, it'll be interesting to see who's next in line to try to avoid an immediate recall at the expense of their standing in caucus.

John Bermingham interviewed a few folks for his piece in today's The Province.

B.C.’s new energy minister — who replaces MLA Blair Lekstrom in cabinet — admits that his Liberal government has done a lousy job of selling the Harmonized Sales Tax. It’s also grossly underestimated the groundswell of public anger against the tax that kicks in July 1 — and the anti-HST petition that’s collected more than 600,000 signatures, he says. “We could not have done a worse job,” Bill Bennett told The Province Friday. “We didn’t take the petition seriously.” ...

Former Premier Bill Vander Zalm, the public face of the anti-HST petition drive, called Lekstrom’s resignation “a great day for democracy. I’ve actually seen a minister, an MLA, stand up for constituents,” he said. “I am hopeful that other MLAs that are in similar circumstances will do the right thing.” Vander Zalm said petition volunteers all over the B.C. Interior are keen to start recalls, in the Kootenays, Cariboo, Peace and Okanagan. “Already, all the people we are working with are talking about recalls, ‘When can we start?’ It’s going to happen. It’s a matter of when,” said Vander Zalm. “Our biggest problem will be to trying to stop them.”

NDP Leader Carole James has challeged other Liberal MLAs to step out of the ranks and speak out against the HST. “I congratulate Blair for doing the right thing,” she said. “Now the question will be what the rest of the B.C. Liberals are going to do. Are they going to stand up for the B.C. Liberal party, or are they going to stand up for their constituents and the public?”

B.C. politics expert Norman Ruff called Lekstrom’s move a “major bombshell” for the Campbell government. “It’s an enormous loss,” said Ruff. “He’s always been a man of conscience.” Premier Gordon Campbell has been buying time, he said, and preparing to promote the HST around the province this summer, but Ruff says time has run out for Campbell. “Time is no longer quite on his side,” he said. “They’re either going to find hostile audiences — or no audiences. They have to do more than listen. They have been pretty deaf not to have got the message.”

The proverbial, purportedly Chinese, curse heaped upon an enemy is three-part. From least to the worst in severity the curse offers: "May you live in interesting times. May you come to the attention of those in authority. May you find what you are looking for." Since that curse was first used in the 1930's, every successive decade has adopted it to lament its own present time. Politics in British Columbia is always "interesting". As one former high-profile member of the Campbell coalition caucus wrote in private correspondence Friday:

"Interesting times just got a whole lot more interesting."

These Stop the Sale of BC Rail signs were common along the route, with a great many people expressing their opposition to the sale - including crews! Photo taken at Williams Lake, BC, August 27, 2003. Source: Nathan Holmes, A Week on BC Rail Dates: 22-Aug to 1-Sep-2003.

Patience tested in B.C. Rail trial
National Post Canada May 17, 2010

... That’s the way it goes, at the so-called B.C. Rail corruption trial. Officially, proceedings began years ago. But pretrial motions and applications have forced myriad delays and postponements, for reasons that can no longer be reported. A sweeping publication ban prevents media from reporting anything not heard before the jury; that is standard procedure, but the ban also precludes journalists from describing previous, related proceedings. Before jury selection last month, defence lawyers occasionally met with reporters outside the downtown Vancouver courthouse and let fly with various theories and allegations of their own. Bound by discretion, Crown prosecutors assigned to the case could not respond in kind. The result was confusion and obfuscation, which may be what the defence intended. British Columbians deserved far better, and much more. Controversy over the B.C. Rail sale has hung over the province ever since Premier Gordon Campbell announced it, shortly after taking office in 2001. He had promised in the preceeding election campaign not to sell the Crown asset. Worries mounted considerably when RCMP officers raided the provincial legislature in December 2003 and removed armfuls of documents from the offices of high ranking civil servants and politicians. At the time, the public wasn’t told what prompted the unprecedented raid; the worst was assumed. ...

Premier Campbell’s Liberal government has endured many scandals, including the premier’s own conviction in Hawaii for driving while drunk. More recently, it has been accused of budget fudging, and it broke a campaign promise to not introduce a harmonized sales tax to the province. The HST is to make its debut in July. A vigorous, province-wide protest aims to scuttle that. If the protest fails, organizers say, efforts will be made to remove Premier Campbell from office, using recall legislation. That might be the least of his worries, for the moment. When the B.C. Rail trial begins in earnest -- a visibly restless Madame Justice MacKenzie appears determined that today it will -- court will hear testimonies from a host of political insiders with knowledge of the maligned B.C. Rail sale process, and with knowledge of Liberal party dealings. The jury has been told it can expect to hear from 44 Crown witnesses, including Mr. Collins, Ms. Reid, and Premier Campbell’s chief of staff, Martyn Brown. Also on the list is federal Liberal party fixer Mark Marissen, a key strategist for former prime ministers Paul Martin and Stephane Dion, and several of his colleagues. The reasons for their inclusion, for now, are matters of speculation. But barring more unforeseen circumstances and delays, all will soon become clear, at last.

The trial is expected to last 10 months. Keep up to date by visiting BC Mary's The Legislature Raids blog. BTW, as of 1000 hours this morning, AP reports shares of CN rose $2.19 or 3.8 percent, to $59.23. And Gordon Campbell holds his annual fundraising dinner tonight with tickets priced at $350. Hee! Timed to miss the July 1 implementation of the HST? Corporate media coverage of the BC Rail scandal has been almost non-existent and never investigative. Will the new owners of CanWest change that? May we look forward to a change in editorial policy? Or is that a foolish wish?

With a salesman's touch, Paul Godfrey claims CanWest
Susan Krashinsky and Grant Robertson Globe and Mail Canada May 10, 2010

Paul Godfrey, a veteran media executive with a salesman’s touch, has been given the biggest turnaround assignment of his business career, taking charge of Canada’s largest newspaper chain after a group of investors won the bidding for it. The 46 publications, including the National Post, once formed a major piece of the now-crumbling CanWest Global Communications Corp. media empire and were sold Monday to unsecured lenders for $1.1-billion. The deal wraps up an auction process that began when the newspaper unit filed for creditor protection in January. The creditor group, which is owed hundreds of millions of dollars by the newspaper chain, was declared the winner after offering up $950-million in cash to a collection of Canadian banks selling off the remnants of an insolvent CanWest. The bid trumped a rival offer by Torstar Corp. Recruited several weeks ago to run the business, Mr. Godfrey, 71, will now be the man leading the newspapers out of bankruptcy court and, he hopes, into a new era of profitability. The group buying the newspapers includes dozens of financial players... The deal keeps the newspaper company intact. When the publications emerge from creditor protection in July, none of them will be sold or closed, despite past financial troubles, Mr. Godfrey said. The chain of papers includes 11 large dailies, including the Post, the Montreal Gazette, the Ottawa Citizen and the Vancouver Sun, and 35 small community papers in Western Canada. ...

Meet CanWest's new owners
Andrew Willis Globe and Mail blogs Canada May 11, 2010

The houses of Morgan are willing to buy what Canada’s banks are selling, as CanWest’s newspaper division gets a new lease of life courtesy of two iconic Wall Street banks. J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley stepped up Monday with a new $700-million loan that will help unsecured creditors in CanWest buy the newspaper chain for $1.1-billion, according to court filings on Tuesday. J.P. Morgan is driving this deal, shouldering 70 per cent of the loans. There is also $250-million of new equity and what’s known as mezzanine debt - loans that can be converted into equity - committed to this takeover. As the U.S. banks take the stage, Canadian lenders are heading for the exits. Senior lenders, led by Bank of Nova Scotia, have controlled CanWest since the company filed for creditor protection in January. These secured lenders, owed $925-million, are thrilled to be paid 100 cents on the dollar, and are not participating in the recapitalization of the chain. Somewhere, tycoon J.P. Morgan is smiling.

CanWest’s unsecured creditors, who are now calling the shots and will soon convert their debt into equity, are led by U.S. hedge fund GoldenTree Asset Management, a veteran player in restructurings. The new owners hope to make money on the back of rising advertising revenues, cost cutting and a renewed emphasis on digital media. CanWest is expected to list on the Toronto Stock Exchange as early as July, and with a price tag of $1.1-billion this company will emerge from creditor protection at a valuation that is on par with rival North American media companies. Canadian content in the new ownership group includes TD Asset Management and Invesco Trimark. Media companies such as CanWest must have domestic control. Halbis Distressed Opportunities Master Fund, Alden Global Distressed Opportunities Fund, Firest Eagle Investment management, 1798 Relative Master Fund, Seneca Capital Investments and OZ CW Investments fill out the new ownership of venerable CanWest, which owns 11 big city daily papers, and a stable of weekly community publications.

CanWest is contemplating a dual share structure, with multiple votes for Canadian investors and single votes for foreign investors, as a way to finesse federal ownership rules, according to sources working on the restructuring. The decision to seek a stock listing this summer is also meant to ensure CanWest is viewed as a Canadian company by regulators, as that status ensures favourable tax treatment for all-important advertisers. Sources working with the new owners said while hedge funds that own CanWest will likely sell down their positions over time, the money managers will not head for the exits the moment the company lists on the TSX.


This southbound Prince George - Squamish through train is about to head under the road near Gibbs, just northeast of Lillooet. Photo source: Nathan Holmes, A Week on BC Rail Dates: 22-Aug to 1-Sep-2003.

Premier's chief of staff tells court he did not recall BC Rail making profits before sale
Neal Hall Vancouver Sun British Columbia Canada June 10, 2010

VANCOUVER - The B.C. premier's chief of staff testified Thursday at a political corruption trial that he didn't recall that BC Rail had made an operating profit in each of the 21 years before the government decided to privatize the publicly-owned railway. "That's not my understanding," Martyn Brown testified at the trial of Dave Basi, Bob Virk and Aneal Basi. "It was losing money and wasn't profitable...It was saddled with debt." ... During a vigorous cross-examination, Virk's lawyer Kevin McCullough suggested BC Rail actually had an operating profit in each year between 1978 and 2000 and had written off more than $800 million. The lawyer suggested the Liberal "spin" at the time was that the $800-million write-off was bad debt, but then it was later changed the characterization when an accountant pointed out it was incorrect. "I'm not sure exactly," Brown replied. The witness, during his fifth day of testimony, explained that it was his understanding that the railway had about $1 billion in bad debt before it was sold. ...

"What I'm suggesting is the fix was in and Gordon Campbell wanted to sell BC Rail," Virk's lawyer put to the witness. "I would emphatically, to my knowledge, deny that," Brown replied. "I'm going to suggest to you that you had these conversations with Mr. Virk," McCullough continued, "that CN was getting the rail line and that it was the decision of Gordon Campbell."

"Wrong. Incorrect," Brown replied. Virk's lawyer previously alleged the "fix was in" to award CN rail the contract to take over BC Rail operations because CN's chair, David McLean, had been Premier Gordon Campbell's chief fundraiser. McCullough suggested Thursday that before the BC Rail deal was completed, the premier had a private meeting on Savary Island with McLean, Ken Dobell, the premier's former deputy minister and Patrick Kinsella, the premier's friend and former campaign manager, among others Patrick Kinsella. "It's news to me," Brown said. But he added: "Just because a company is in the midst of a competitive bidding process doesn't mean he can have no contact with the company." "Do you recall Mr. Virk saying to you: 'What are they doing?' " McCullough asked about the alleged Savary Island meeting. No, Brown said, he didn't recall Virk saying that. ...

Premier's chief of staff Martyn Brown denies "fix was in" to sell BC Rail to CN, attempts to kill media stories, knowledge of BC Rail profitability
Bill Tieleman Bill Tieleman British Columbia Canada June 10, 2010

...

McCullough then made a strong allegation: "I'm suggesting the fix was in, B.C. Rail was to be sold,"

Brown replied vigorously: "I would emphatically to my knowledge deny that."

McCullough: "You told Mr. Virk that CN was getting B.C. Rail."

Brown: "No - wrong - incorrect."

McCullough: "You told Mr. Virk that the appointments [to the board] to B.C. Rail were Liberal appointments, that they were going to make it happen."

Brown: "Baloney! That's not what happened."

McCullough: "Was there a decision communicated by Gordon Campbell to sell off the assets of B.C. Rail within five years of being elected?"

Brown: "That's preposterous!....That is not at all what I believe to be the case."

McCullough: "Five years - that was the plan - to sell all the assets of B.C. Rail."

Associate Chief Justice Anne MacKenzie intervened: "You asked the question - the witness denied it."

Brown: "Denied my knowledge of it, your honour."

MacKenzie: "Thanks for the correction."

In response to questions about the role of then-B.C. Rail board chair John McLernon, Brown's memory was tested.

"I'm not sure when Mr. McLernon was appointed," he replied.

Then McCullough made another startling allegation.

"On or about September 19, 2003 did you task Mr. Virk to go forward to the media to try and prevent them from running a story that CN [Rail] would be a presenter at a CIBC World Markets conference?"

CIBC World Markets was handling the sale of B.C. Rail for the provincial government at that time - CN Rail was the successful bidder. The defence argues that CN was always going to win the bid and that their clients role was to make it appear an honest competitive bidding contest took place.

Brown responded to McCullough's allegation: "I may have but I don't remember that."

McCullough: "What reason would you have to do that?"

Brown: I can't speculate on the reason because I can't recall."

McCullough continued: "Do you know where the [B.C. Rail sale] Fairness Advisor - Charles River Associates - are located?

Brown: "No - I'd presumed they were B.C.-based."

McCullough: "Would it surprise you to know they were based in Boston?"

Brown: "No.....they were highly recommended by Chris Trumpy [former B.C. deputy finance minister] and others.

...

Government staff used private computers for some files, corruption trial told
Mark Hume Globe and Mail Canada June 10, 2010

Ministerial assistants and other senior staff in the Liberal government of Premier Gordon Campbell were instructed to use privately owned computers for some of their files, effectively shielding the contents from freedom-of-information requests, the Supreme Court of British Columbia was told Thursday. Testifying in the BC Rail political corruption trial, Martyn Brown, chief of staff to Mr. Campbell, said private computers were used to separate government work from political work, not to avoid the Freedom of Information Act. But under cross-examination by defence lawyer Kevin McCullough, Mr. Brown acknowledged the use of private computers would effectively block FOI requests. ... Mr. Brown said ministerial assistants, or MAs, were all instructed to use home computers, but he denied there was an organized government effort to thwart the FOI act, which applies to more than 2,000 public bodies in B.C. ... “Do you recall telling a group of MAs to avoid FOI?” asked Mr. McCullough, who is defending Bob Virk, a former ministerial assistant charged with fraud and breach of trust along with Dave Basi and Aneal Basi. Mr. Brown rejected that characterization and said the MAs were simply being told “the information we put down is what we are required to put down and nothing more … that’s not avoiding the FOI act, it’s just not putting down information you are not required to.” ...

Mr. McCullough asked whether the sale of BC Rail, a highly controversial privatization move that took place in 2003, was supposed to have been discussed in open cabinet. “I don’t know… ,” he replied, before being cut off when Madam Justice Anne MacKenzie broke in to admonish Mr. Virk, who was sitting in the docket between Dave and Aneal Basi. “Mr. Virk, please stop nodding your head,” she said sharply to the accused, who had been making a gesture to indicate disbelief in Mr. Brown’s testimony. ...

Photo: Vancouver Island farmland threatened by a rogue municipal council in Saanich. The Central Saanich council is operating like a run away train with councilors openly refusing to declare conflicts of interest and even shouting and bullying each other at meetings. What is going on in Central Saanich (just across Captain's Passage and a few short miles by road from Salt Spring Island and in the same administrative Capital Regional District as we) is, like so much in British Columbia these days, both breaking our hearts and thoroughly outraging us. And it is getting no real debate in the corporate media—print or broadcast. The hook of most 'news' items hangs on 'pity the poor little struggling farmer in our free society' or 'beautiful new parkland will become available to all as part of the proposal' (see Vantreight home plan moves ahead) or interviews with municipal politicans saying they are fighting to overturn ridiculous legacy laws so as to increase the population and municipal tax base and keep our extravegantly consuming society progressing. The media goes along unquestioning at best; calculating at worst. Their attitude is just as Norman Farrell writes below: "Giving friendly real estate developers free hands to build on farmlands is economically efficient and that land is too valuable for crops or pasture. So, move on and get over it." We are much more inclined to the Dogwood Initiative's position on this one issue and on all the other similar land issues throughout our province (many of which you may find in our archives). Food security, food sovereignty and the declining healthiness of the general population caused by the degraded nature of industrial food are critical issues growing more critical every day. Here in British Columbia's southern islands we once grew 85% to 90% of our food and we can do so again. All that is required is the political will to turn our political economy around before it is too late. But perhaps that is asking too much. And it will become too late. Human history indicates that nothing will be done until it is beyond too late.

Central Saanich's rogue council
Gordon O'Connor Dogwood Initiative Victoria British Columbia Canada June 3, 2010

In our continent of big box stores and commuter suburbs Central Saanich is anomalous as a rural community that protects its farms by funneling development into existing urban areas. In doing so it has become a model for sustainable planning and has managed to avoid water scarcity, high taxes and many of the social problems that plague most cities. It is the CRD’s best source for local produce and the bucolic landscape contributes to the natural character of our collective identity. These are treasures that we can give to our children and grandchildren, but they also make the area a gold mine for real estate speculators and as we have seen over and over again, when there is money to be made developers stop at nothing, bending rules, exploiting legal loopholes and bullying their neighbors to make millions at the expense of future generations. That’s exactly what’s happening right now in Central Saanich where a rogue municipal council is plowing past the advice of the community, the CRD board and their own planners to open the region up to urban sprawl.

In 2008 developer and farmer Ian Vantreight submitted an application to rezone rural and agricultural land to build a commuter subdivision on his property. Although Central Saanich clearly restricted urban development to three density pockets their Official Community Plan identifies an urban area as one that has municipal water and sewer services. So, by providing well water and septic tanks Vantreight suggested that his proposed 236 house settlement on 13 ha of land was “rural” in nature. The proposal was voted down by the former council. The 2008 a new municipal council was inaugurated after a dubious election that prompted the RCMP to recommend laying 19 charges. Several of the new members had local real estate interests and were heavily funded by local developers. Vantreight approached this council with scaled down proposals, that received negative recommendations from the CRD board, the Central Saanich planning staff and the Advisory Planning Commission. The application was criticized for the lack of amenities offered to the community, for roads that were too narrow for fire trucks, for the increase local traffic congestion it will cause and for decreasing the area's biodiversity. Concern about the local aquifer’s ability to support the proposed population increase also weighed heavily. Despite these glaring concerns the municipality is proceeding with preliminary approval. In a separate application Vantreight wants to have the city install an 8” municipal water main in the same area to service his vegetable stand and ostensibly for a seasonal migrant worker housing facility. While it might seem reasonable for the municipality to help one of its farmers, an 8” pipe will deliver enough water for a small city and Vantreight has yet to explain why he requires thousands of gallons per day. If approved, the municipal water main could make it easier for Vantreight's farm to qualify as an urban area, opening the door to further development. It would also be convenient to have the infrastructure for urban development in place five years from now if (hypothetically) the hill top development dried out the aquifer.

Concurrently Council decided to proceed with extending municipal water services to the entire North West Quadrant of the municipality, potentially setting up infrastructure that would support more development on the precious farm land of Central Saanich. Councilors claim that the costly expansion of municipal services is to support local residents. What makes theses decisions suspicious is that they are being are all being advocated for by the same crowd of real estate speculators and developers who made massive campaign contributions to the councilors that are approving their plans. The Central Saanich council is operating like a run away train with councilors who could be said to be in conflict of interest shouting and bullying each other at meetings. Several seem to have already made up their minds on the Vantreight housing development and plan ignore the recommendations from their staff, the CRD board and from the Advisory Planning Commission, but one of the leaders does seem to be still weighing the situation before she makes up her mind. Susan Mason has expressed on a number of occasions that she needs to hear from the public about how they feel on this matter. ...

Related: Double standard on drunk driving?
Paul Willcocks Paying Attention British Columbia Canada June 9, 2010

A National Post editorial today takes a tough stand on drunk driving and particularly charges against a Liberal MP. "Pablo Rodriguez must step down," says the headline.

"One thousand, two hundred and thirty-nine people dead. Seventy-three thousand, one hundred and twenty people injured. Between $2.2-billion and $12.6-billion in damages. "These aren't the statistics from the latest natural disaster, terror attack or industrial accident. They are the toll drunk driving takes in a single year in Canada. "It is obvious that drunk driving remains a deadly problem in this country, despite efforts by law enforcement, the justice system and public interest groups... "Instead, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff has turned a blind eye when one of his own caucus stands accused of failing to comply with a police officer's request for a breathalyzer test, following a car accident in which alcohol may have been a factor.... While Mr. Rodriguez maintains that he has done nothing wrong and intends to fight the charges, he should have done the honourable thing and resigned from caucus in the interim. More importantly, his leader should have asked for his resignation. Mr. Ignatieff's staggering indifference sends the message that drunk driving is not a serious issue -- or is only important when it involves politicians of other parties. This is not an acceptable stance for the leader of her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, or any politician, to take. Will Mr. Ignatieff now do the right thing and ask that Mr. Rodriguez step down? Out of respect for the thousands of victims of this social scourge, he really has little choice."

Pretty clear position. So what did the National Post editorialists say when Gordon Campbell was caught driving drunk? "Don't resign," the headline read.

"As everyone in Canada knows, B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell made a serious mistake when he got behind the wheel of his rental car in Maui while legally drunk. But he has owned up to his mistake, he has apologized and he has sworn off alcohol. It is now time for the Premier, and the province of British Columbia, to move on. If Mr. Campbell refuses to take on his critics forcefully, but instead indulges their political bloodlust with further displays of contrition, he will be making a second serious mistake, one that could end his political career.... Let's be clear: Drunk driving is a serious problem that costs many lives, and Mr. Campbell is right to be ashamed of his behaviour. But the Premier did not hurt anybody. The offence with which he has been charged is a misdemeanour (in Hawaiian law), not a felony..."

Norman Ferrall picked up the above post. "[Willcocks] provides a delicious example of a newspaper employing one standard for political friends and another for opponents." Farrell goes on to add a few more items indicating the double standard employed by the corporate media.

Get over it
Norman Farrell Northern Insights British Columbia Canada June 9, 2010

... "It's time to move on . . .", a well-worn phrase that serves editorial writers often. We will hear it again in BC.

• The sale of BCR might have been corrupt, but it's time to move on.
  
• Tax policy shifting billions from business to consumers perhaps should have been discussed before implementation, but, it's time to move on.
  
• Advance purchase contracts for private power producers may disadvantage the public, which assumes almost all financial risks of the deals, but, it's time to move on.
  
• We might be not be following the Canada Health Act, but our private friends want to deliver all the most profitable health care services without us enforcing the law as written, so it's time to move on.
  
• We've stopped using competitive bidding for awarding large government contracts because that requires businesses to compete with each other and that is not efficient. Critics should recognize this is our way, it's time to move on.
  
• People should stop complaining about how only rich people can afford the civil courts, that's what our friends prefer so, get over it. It's time to move on.
  
• Fish farms may damage the wild fisheries but so does logging in coastal valleys, building hundreds of dams on coastal rivers, mining gravel from riverbeds and dumping chemicals into the wateways, but that's progress, so move on.
  
• Giving friendly real estate developers free hands to build on farmlands is economically efficient and that land is too valuable for crops or pasture. So, move on and get over it.
  

There is no surprise here. The reason for Herr Oberst Campbell's destruction of British Columbia has been evident from the start. Remember his first visit outside the province (within weeks of being elected—shame be upon us all) was to review his orders with the corporatists' global energy Generalfeldmarschall, Dick Cheney. The war in British Columbia has gone well. Campbell has earned his reward of a sunny Spain weekend with HQ general staff, those responsible for the continuous study of all aspects of war, and for drawing up and reviewing plans for mobilization or campaign. That British Columbians paid all his expenses is analogous to the family of a firing squad victim being forced to pay for the bullets.

Premier Gordon Campbell attends Bilderberg 2010 meeting
Charlie Smith Georgia Straight British Columbia Canada June 6, 2010

Numerous Web sites have published a list of delegates attending the Bilderberg 2010 conference in Spain between June 3 and June 6. It's an annual invitation-only meeting of some of the world's most influential leaders in government, banking, business, and the media. The Bilderberg conference has attracted the interest of conspiracy theorists, in part because of its secrecy. The list includes the usual heavyweights, such as Bill Gates, Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Richard Holbrooke (President Barack Obama's special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan), Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Federal Reserve chief Paul Volcker, Obama's top economic adviser Lawrence Summers, former U.S. treasury secretary Robert Rubin, and Richard Perle, a U.S. neocon best known as a chief cheerleader of the 2003 attack on Iraq. The are also a couple of surprising Canadian names on the list: B.C. premier Gordon Campbell and CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge.

"Bilderberg's only activity is its annual Conference," states a news release on the Bilderberg site. "At the meetings, no resolutions are proposed, no votes taken, and no policy statements issued. Since 1954, fifty-seven conferences have been held. The names of the participants are made available to the press. Participants are chosen for their experience, their knowledge, and their standing; all participants attend Bilderberg in a private and not an official capacity." Development economist Dambisa Moyo, who is a fierce critic of international aid for Africa, is also among the attendees, along with numerous corporate chiefs. Here's the full list (with their countries designated on the left): ...

Campbell hangs out with global elite
Les Leyne Times Colonist British Columbia Canada June 8, 2010

Premier Gordon Campbell jetted quietly off to Spain as the legislature was adjourning last week to attend the Bilderberg Conference. Let the conspiracy theories begin. It's a gathering of about 120 VIPs from Europe and North America who get together once a year to ponder the world's problems. The conference is as unofficial as possible and the meetings are kept as quiet as possible. All sessions are closed and no record is published. So naturally, it's a focus for conspiracy theorists who see SECRET CABALS directing events from BEHIND THE SCENES. They see POWERFUL FORCES AT WORK, forces so powerful that some bloggers have to use all capital letters to express how profound the influence is. ...

Campbell said it was an interesting weekend and a great opportunity to hear what's going on in a global context. "I thought it was sort of a tribute to B.C. that I was asked," he said. "I didn't ask them why I was selected." ... "Sometimes British Columbians don't notice this, but we are leading the pack in Canada and everyone expects us to be a major leading economy and province as we move into the 21st century," he said. "So those are the reasons that I would think they would ask the premier of B.C." ... No resolutions are proposed, no votes are taken and no policy statements are issued, according to the [Bilderberg] group's website. It said guests are invited privately, not in their public capacities. But Campbell said he went as premier and the trip to the Spanish resort that hosted this year's session was considered official business and paid for as such. ...

Related: By now, informed citizens the world over understand what is the true purpose of carbon offsets. Herr Oberst Campbell is utilizing that weapon in British Columbia.

Pacific Carbon Trust (PCT) has adopted a fuel-switching protocol developed specifically for B.C. that will create new offset opportunities across multiple industrial sectors, announced PCT CEO Scott MacDonald.

"Now, three of B.C.'s major industrial sectors - forestry, mining, agriculture - have an approved protocol they can use to develop and submit fuel-switching offset projects," said MacDonald. "By accepting qualified offset projects that switch from high-emission fuel sources to those with a lower environmental impact, we have the potential to make a significant dent in B.C.'s industrial emissions profile."

"This is a significant step because we're now seeing a growing number of sectors taking action to reduce their GHG emissions," said John Yap, Minister of State for Climate Action. "This protocol gives industry another avenue to show leadership and to be part of the growing offset market."

And, of course, divesting British Columbians of their public railroad and subsuming it under the corporatists' model railroad, CN, was essential to the establishment of the North American Unionists' private transportation corridors. As is the careful campaign being crafted to open up British Columbia to pipelines from Alberta's tar sands; to increase tanker traffic along our inner coast; to enable offshore drilling to slip the noose of public opinon so as to rape and pillage a new site for the oil companies' dirty environmental mugging game (C'est la guerre); to deregulate everything; to ease restrictions on labor mobility—the orders list goes on. And independent power in BC? Effectively no more. Campbell's shoulder must be stinging still from all the diamond-fingered handshakes and backslapping he received in Spain. Colonel Gordon was right there and now he's back here, in theater, to continue his work of carrying out, efficiently, the generals' orders in the drive to conquer and consolidate North America's three nations under one high command.

Intro: The Greeks get it
Chris Hedges Truthdig USA May 24, 2010

Numerous riots have gripped Athens during the last year or so of unrest. Photo: Petros Giannakouris/AP

Here’s to the Greeks. They know what to do when corporations pillage and loot their country. They know what to do when Goldman Sachs and international bankers collude with their power elite to falsify economic data and then make billions betting that the Greek economy will collapse. They know what to do when they are told their pensions, benefits and jobs have to be cut to pay corporate banks, which screwed them in the first place. Call a general strike. Riot. Shut down the city centers. Toss the bastards out. Do not be afraid of the language of class warfare—the rich versus the poor, the oligarchs versus the citizens, the capitalists versus the proletariat. The Greeks, unlike most of us, get it.

The former right-wing government of Greece lied about the size of the country’s budget deficit. It was not 3.7 percent of gross domestic product but 13.6 percent. And it now looks like the economies of Spain, Ireland, Italy and Portugal are as bad as Greece’s, which is why the euro has lost 20 percent of its value in the last few months. The few hundred billion in bailouts for other faltering European states, like our own bailouts, have only forestalled disaster. This is why the U.S. stock exchange is in free fall and gold is rocketing upward. American banks do not have heavy exposure in Greece, but Greece, as most economists concede, is only the start. Wall Street is deeply invested in other European states, and when the unraveling begins the foundations of our own economy will rumble and crack as loudly as the collapse in Athens. The corporate overlords will demand that we too impose draconian controls and cuts or see credit evaporate. They have the money and the power to hurt us. There will be more unemployment, more personal and commercial bankruptcies, more foreclosures and more human misery. And the corporate state, despite this suffering, will continue to plunge us deeper into debt to make war. It will use fear to keep us passive. We are being consumed from the inside out. Our economy is as rotten as the economy in Greece. We too borrow billions a day to stay afloat. We too have staggering deficits, which can never be repaid. Heed the dire rhetoric of European leaders. ...

Norman Farrell wrote last Friday:

... This is a fascinating time in provincial politics. It should bring out the passion of any reporter not suffering from near fatal ennui. Instead, we get recycled talking points and press releases. Keith and his press gallery colleagues should have a look at Adrian Raeside's editorial cartoons at the Times Colonist. Raeside voices the opinions of most people outside the partisan loop of Liberals and their corporate sponsors. Here is an example, you'll have to imagine the drawing.

• Question: How do you start a small, marginal political party in BC?
  
• Answer: Start a large mainstream party, appoint Gordon Campbell as your leader and wait.
  

Items: Visit The Legislature Raids and Northern Insights. Scroll through the last week's posts. A compromised judicial system, tax credit 'default swaps' in the BC Rail scam sale, the truth and the purpose of the HST, gaming private power deals, the endless government lying, the list goes on. We can no longer afford the simple luxury of despair. So much in British Columbia is facilitated by influence peddling and its government facilitators are either witless or dishonest. We agree with Norman Farrell: "One thing I believe about Gordon Campbell is that he is not witless." The Greeks get it. When will we?

Exposure to luxury can alter decision making: Study
Ros Krasny Reuters/Times Colonist UK/British Columbia Canada

BOSTON (Reuters Life!) - For the good of us all, step away from the Rolex. The mere exposure to luxury goods can have a corrosive effect on decision-making that pushes individuals to put their interests over the interests of others, according to a Harvard Business School study. ... "Results ... suggest that when primed with luxury, people endorsed self-interested decisions that could potentially harm others," the researchers said in the study. "Luxury-primed individuals tend to make decisions that are self-interested and arguably unethical." ...

The researchers said that, in practical terms, the same business meeting could reach different decisions when held at a fancy resort as opposed to in a modest conference room. "Working in a business setting surrounded by money and luxuries might well have an effect on cognition and decision making," said Chua and Zou. "Perhaps limiting corporate excesses and luxuries might indeed be a step toward getting executives to behave more responsibly."

The old switcheroo
Sean Holman Public Eye Online British Columbia Canada May 31, 2010

One former provincial Liberal cabinet minister is leaving the board of directors of Catalyst Paper Corp. while another is joining it. Today, the paper manufacturer - which has been leading an business revolt against industrial tax rates in British Columbia - announced ex-finance minister Gary Collins had resigned from its board. But Catalyst also announced it had appointed Geoff Plant as one of the company's new directors. The ex-attorney general is presently a partner with Heenan Blaikie LLP. According to the provincial government's lobbyists registry, his clients presently include Ballard Power Systems Inc., Kleana Power Corp., Riverbank Power Corp. and the Vancouver Foundation. Mr. Plant was also recently appointed the chair of Providence Health Care.

Speaking of health care, Holman also reports (Watch and earn) that Accenture Inc. (the Enron spin-off to whom the Campbell coalition—with the help of their party campaign co-chair Patrick Kinsella"s company—gave a part of BC Hydro), will be paid "up to $600,000 to monitor the consolidation of 'corporate, clinical support and back office functions' at Lower Mainland health authorities." And speaking of that early Hydro privatization, the indefatigable Holman reported yesterday: "BC Hydro Corp. is reviewing its controversial $1.45 billion outsourcing deal with Accenture Inc. That ten-year deal, which saw the privatization of the Crown corporation's back office services, was signed on February 28, 2003. Now, seven years later, BC Hydro has quietly announced its looking for an advisor to review its outsourced services and prepare recommendations in advance of the contract's expiration date. ... The following is a complete copy of the ... announcement, which was posted on BC Bid earlier today.

Cleaning house
Sean Holman Public Eye Online British Columbia Canada May 31, 2010

The man behind British Columbia's Clean Energy Act will soon be running the ministry of energy, mines and petroleum resources. Last week, we exclusively told you the ministry's top bureaucrat Greg Reimer will be leaving government to become the new executive vice-president of transmission and distribution at BC Hydro Corp. His replacement: Robin Junger, who has been working in the premier's office for the past two months as the deputy minister of energy and clean technology.

Dazzled BC media missing real BC news
Harvey Oberfeld Keeping It Real British Columbia Canada February 15, 2010

You may not like or agree with the B.C. government, but you have to give them credit for knowing and understanding how to deal with the current state of B.C. media. With the help of VANOC, the 2010 Olympic Games … Premier Gordon Campbell, his ministers and government officials, in the past few days, have had the B.C. media right where they no doubt want them: mesmerized by Games fever. And now we can see what happens when the media compromise themselves: accepting bribes in the form of special invitations to carry the torch (no lottery or need to apply for these Games participants); then gushing publicly about the thrill of it all afterwards; and, from what I hear, there were VIP passes and events tickets handed out to to B.C. media as well. It worked. Because while most of the media’s attention was diverted by the upcoming Games and especially the Opening Ceremony, the government apparently took another step in its war against B.C.’s paramedics. ... The implications of privatization for the public could be enormous: reduced service; loss of experienced senior paramedics; inadequately trained replacement staff, etc. ...

Poverty meeting leaves premier looking bad
Paul Willcocks Paying Attention British Columbia Canada May 28, 2010

Liberal MLA Joan McIntyre didn't likely intend to take a shot at Premier Gordon Campbell. But she did. McIntyre chairs the legislative committee on children and youth, which held a session on child poverty this week. It was the premier's idea, sort of. Last June, Representative for Children and Youth Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond asked for a meeting with Campbell and NDP leader Carole James to talk about child poverty. B.C. has had the highest proportion of children living in poverty in Canada for the last six years, Statistics Canada reports. The recession likely increased the problems. The meeting, Turpel-Lafond said, would allow a non-partisan discussion of what is being done, and could be done, to help children. "The premier and the opposition leader need to sit down together and think about how we're going to work on the child-poverty issue," Turpel-Lafond said. "Are we addressing it? Are we doing enough? Can we do more and work more collaboratively on it?" The goal was action. "The issues are quite daunting, but I think good people working together can make change," she said. James said yes. Campbell refused. He didn't want the issue to be politicized, he said. And the children's representative reports to the legislative committee. She should take up the issue there.

The result was this week's meeting. But McIntyre's introduction set out clearly - even painfully - how little resemblance the session bore to the meeting sought by the representative almost a year ago. McIntyre said she wanted to take time to make sure people didn't have "unrealistic expectations" about the outcome. The committee's focus is "strictly" on children at risk or receiving services from the government. "I also wanted to clarify that developing a strategy or even providing a written analysis does go beyond our terms of reference and crosses over into the realm of government policy making," she said. So the experts could talk. The MLAs could ask questions. The transcript would go up on a website. But there would be no action, no recommendation, no report, not even a summary. ...

Morton's telling memo: Years of government and industry secrecy on salmon farm problems
Rafe Mair Commonsense Canadian Canada May 28, 2010

The memorandum from Alexandra Morton which I circulated last Wednesday demands a deeper look into what the Campbell government knew when, in September 2002, they lifted the moratorium on fish farms. (For convenience I have pasted the Morton article below). These documents arose in 1995 when the NDP were in power when they placed a moratorium on new fish farms. This moratorium was lifted by the Campbell government and here is what then minister John Van Dongen had to say:

"... B.C. now has the most comprehensive regulatory framework in the world, including science-based standards to protect the environment." (Emphasis added)

"... We've worked very hard on these regulations to ensure that they do a proper job of protecting the environment in British Columbia... we are confident the regulations will do that and we are confident we have a regulation in place that is leading edge in the world."(Emphasis added.)

We must take Mr. Van Dongen at his word that "careful consideration" was given this decision and examine what even casual consideration would have disclosed.

Leaving aside questions of waste, drugged fish, coloured fish, the escape of farmed fish into the wild, and disease, what was the evidence the minister possessed on the question of sea lice? There were, of course, the documents raised by Alexandra Morton in her memo. One would have thought that they alone would have convinced a careful minister that rather than permitting more fish farms, he should get rid of the ones that existed and at the very least force them to go to closed containment. But, not only did Van Dongen have these remarkable memos to alert him of the sea lice issue, the facts available at that time show that the issue of sea lice from farmed fish cages destroying migrating smolts was a huge one in Norway, Scotland, Ireland and even New Brunswick. ... It can be said without fear of contradiction that even the most superficial look at the industry in Norway, Scotland and Ireland would have disclosed that the impact of sea lice from farmed fish on migrating salmonid smolts was a huge problem. Norway had long recognized and attempted to minimize the sea lice threat enacting the Norwegian Action Plan Against Salmon Lice in 1997. Ireland and Scotland adopted similar sea lice reporting and control measures. Ah, you say, but this is Norway, Scotland and Ireland, not BC! Fair enough – let’s look at BC, though I don't think that this would be Premier Campbell's first choice! ... Clearly, not only did the Campbell government know the truth about the impact of sea lice from fish farms on migrating salmon smolts from the outset and chose to ignore it, they have compounded their deception by ignoring scientific study after scientific study ever since. I suppose it would be ridiculous to think that Premier Campbell would at least now have the decency and honour to admit the truth and do everything he can to redeem his government’s disgraceful behaviour and make every possible effort to restore the fisheries it’s done so much to destroy. ...

HST hits and myths - BC Liberal promises and other prevarications explained
Bill Tieleman Bill Tieleman British Columbia Canada June 1, 2010

Visit this page for its embedded links.

... As the B.C. Liberal government panics in the face of overwhelming opposition to the 12 per cent Harmonized Sales Tax due to be imposed July 1, it's time to separate the HST hits from the myths. Start with Terry Lake, the Kamloops-North Thompson B.C. Liberal MLA who chairs a legislative committee that will deal with the Fight HST citizens initiative petition that has achieved the signatures of 10 per cent of all voters in each of the province's 85 ridings. Lake should be removed as chair after first saying that: "The committee could look at that initiative and say that it's invalid. I'm not a lawyer, but I don't know about the constitutionality of the wording of the petition, for example." Premier Gordon Campbell had to quickly correct Lake's bone-headed misreading of Elections B.C. rules and admit the committee can't dismiss the petition. But Lake has already demonstrated his unfitness for the job. Lake claimed that the initiative process "Gives people a voice and an opportunity to speak to government directly" before throwing under the train the Fight HST initiative led by former B.C. premier Bill Vander Zalm. In case anyone thought Lake liked the fact that more than 600,000 British Columbia voters have signed a petition disagreeing with the HST, he clarified, "I'm not a big fan of direct democracy. What we have is a representative democracy, and I think we should work within that tradition." Unfortunately, Lake is far from alone in myth-representing the facts about the HST.... B.C. Liberal Finance Minister Colin Hansen leads the pack. ...

Most big B.C. businesses don't produce the goods and services that B.C. consumers purchase, so they can't pass on "savings" to the people who are paying the extra HST costs. I'm no economics professor but I do know that businesses like Rio Tinto Alcan, Canfor, Timber West, Teck Resources, and others don't sell products that most of us purchase in any significant quantity. That means that even if the price of aluminum, copper or wood products drops by seven per cent, it won't matter to individual consumers compared to paying an extra seven per cent on restaurant food, haircuts, basic cablevision, domestic airline tickets, sports and concert tickets, gym memberships, massage therapy and a huge number of other goods and services that currently are not subject to the seven per cent PST but will be taxed under the HST. In other words, you and I will each be paying hundreds to thousands of dollars in extra HST costs -- for a total of $1.9 billion every year -- simply to subsidize Alcan selling aluminum to China! And the only possible price reduction for most of us will be, maybe, seven per cent less on a roll of aluminum foil worth under $5! ...

Visit BC Mary's blog The Legislature Raids for regular updates on the trial—reportage and opinion.

Premier Gordon Campbell announces rail deal in 2003. Will McMartin reminds us below: "For the last two decades of the 20th century, BC Rail was a financially viable and profitable Crown corporation. And because of that profitability, the company during the 1980s and 1990s was able to deliver $137.7 million in dividends to the provincial treasury in Victoria." And those dividends, we say, were just the tip of an iceberg of huge social and economic benefits for the people of British Columbia.

CNR's $960 million acquisition of BC Rail was rigged, lawyer says at trial
Joe Schneider Bloomberg News USA May 20, 2010

Canadian National Railway Co., the winner of a C$1 billion ($960 million) auction for BC Rail Ltd. in 2003, contributed C$269,000 over nine years to the governing Liberal Party that sold the railway in a rigged auction, a lawyer said at a corruption trial. David McLean, chairman of Canadian National, had persuaded Gordon Campbell to run for the leadership of the British Columbia Liberal Party and was his chief fundraiser during a 1996 campaign, the lawyer, Kevin McCullough, told a jury in Vancouver yesterday. “The fix was in for CNR to get the assets from the beginning,” said McCullough, a lawyer for Bob Virk, who is accused of accepting bribes in exchange for information about the sale while working as assistant to the province’s transportation minister. ...

How Libs made BC Rail's true value a fake train wreck
Will McMartin TheTyee.ca British Columbia Canada May 24, 2010

Visit this page for its embedded links.

"Absurd."

That was the response last week from Martyn Brown, B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell's long-serving chief of staff, to a question from defense attorney Kevin McCullough at the high-profile Basi-Virk, BC Rail corruption trial now underway in Vancouver. Campbell's party was defeated at the polls in 1996 with a pledge to sell BC Rail, then was victorious in 2001 with the opposite promise, to "not sell or privatize" the publicly-owned railway. Last week various news-media reported (see here and here), that McCullough had alleged that the BC Liberal government, after winning power, deliberately set out to portray B.C.'s oldest Crown corporation as a financially distressed, money losing enterprise so as to make its subsequent sale palatable to the public. Gordon Campbell's BC Liberal government, McCullough charged, "was trying to drive the company into the ground so that it could support a broken election promise."

Absurd? ...

Jim comment: Did it benefit the Campbell coalition to set fire to BC hospital workers' contracts so that transnational corporations could come in and burn down the protective barriers to public health in our hospitals? Who knows yet what backroom deals ignited the charges that broke-up BC Hydro? The Campbell coalition is performing the same controlled demolition of BC Ferries as it did on BC Rail and, no doubt, for the same reasons. What is the story of the coalition's cozy relationship with the Norwegian fish farm companies who are disrupting BC's wild salmon almost as devastatingly as would a host of dynamite wielding poachers? There are many more questions on the informed public's collective mind. In a post appended to Will McMartin's essay above, 'Danneau' writes:

When the Permier, upon his election in 2001, stated boldly that the province's finances were a mess, that the previous administration had left him with a 2.3 billion dollar deficit, he set the tone for most everything that has followed. It turns out that there was an audited surplus of over a billion dollars, but the press seemed reluctant to point that out to the public, and Campbell promptly cut back on the auditor's budget. This whole farce has been played out numerous times in the ensuing years, including the lease (!) of BC Rail which has led to the current proceedings. If we lose this opportunity to curtail the current level of corruption and deceit, all future deals may be sealed in advance, a situation that can only exacerbate the problems that we face in terms of our ecology and economy. It's sad that the fundamental answer probably lies in long-term attitude adjustment (i.e. putting greed and prevarication in their rightful place, to be shunned and shunted off in a corner) when there are already massive pressures on our climate, biodiversity and resources that look as though they ought to be fixed yesterday. ...

The Basi-Virk-Basi case stems from a police investigation over the alleged leak of confidential information from ministerial aides about the BC Rail bidding process, which led to the unprecedented police search of the legislature in December 2003. Photo: by: Bruce Stotesbury/Canwest News Service file. The trial begins at 10:00 AM PDT today. Right now as we post. Been a long time comin'! If there is no justice, British Columbians will move much closer to the Greeks. The Greeks themselves are moving closer to the Thais.

Liberal government lies return to haunt Gordon Campbell
Michael Smyth The Province British Columbia Canada May 16, 2010

One year into his third term in power, Premier Gordon Campbell has already called this the annus horribilis of his premiership. Now, as the B.C. Rail corruption trial gets under way, Campbell and the Liberals must be praying 2010 doesn’t get even horribiliser. The cruellest year for the Libs has already spawned the HST petition nightmare, the Kash Heed debacle and last week’s brutal court ruling against the government for withholding documents from the independent kids’ commissioner. The Liberals are doing a face-plant in the polls as a result. And now, just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, it’s time to finally pry the lid off the B.C. Rail hamper. Who knows how much dirty laundry will get strung up on the line? The witness list in the trial that starts Monday reads like a who’s-who of Liberal party and government insiders and power players. Former cabinet ministers, deputy minister, chiefs of staff, political string-pullers and corporate big shots are all expected to testify for the Crown — and get grilled like T-bones during cross-examination by the defence. The question at the centre of the looming courtroom drama: What was the real story behind the biggest privatization deal in B.C. history, the $1-billion sale of government-owned B.C. Rail to private-sector rival CN Rail in 2003?

For Campbell, the case brings up uncomfortable questions from the past. Because at the core of the case lies a key broken election promise. In 1996, Campbell said his government would sell B.C. Rail and use the money to pay down the province’s debt. The promise backfired with voters in rail-dependent rural ridings, and Campbell lost that year’s election, blowing a huge lead in the polls in the process. That led to his famous “lesson-learned” speech at the 1997 Liberal convention, where he admitted to a long list of blunders and asked for another chance to defeat the NDP. “Our B.C. Rail policy was wrong for northerners,” Campbell said. “Lesson learned.” In the historic 2001 election, the Liberal election platform included a new promise: “A B.C. Liberal government will not sell or privatize B.C. Rail.” But, within months of their landslide election victory, the Liberals began laying the groundwork to do exactly the opposite. ... Now, more than six years after police raided the legislature in the B.C. Rail bust, what British Columbians deserve is real justice in a court of law. So bring on the trial. Bring on the truth. It’s been a long time coming.

B.C. folks await insight into raid on legislature 6½ years ago
Keith Fraser The Province British Columbia Canada May 17, 2010


One of the longest running criminal cases in B.C. history -- involving an unprecedented police raid on the B.C. legislature in 2003 -- is expected to finally get under way today. Last month, the three former government employees implicated in the so-called Basi-Virk case pleaded not guilty to charges that they were involved in government corruption in connection with the $1-billion sale of B.C. Rail. In December 2003, police raided the B.C. legislature in Victoria and carted away boxes of documents. David Basi, a ministerial assistant for then-finance minister Gary Collins, was fired a day after the raid. Bobby Virk, a ministerial assistant for then-transportation minister Judith Reid, was suspended with pay. Nearly a year later, criminal charges were laid against the two men, along with Basi's cousin, Aneal Basi. A 12-count indictment, filed by special prosecutor Bill Berardino in January 2005, mainly outlines allegations of breach of trust and fraud against David Basi and Virk.

David Basi is accused of having demanded, accepted or agreed to accept for himself money, meals, travel and employment opportunities as consideration for helping Denver-based OmniTRAX in its bid for B.C. Rail. Virk is alleged to have sought meals, travel and employment opportunities. Both are alleged to have disclosed to interested third parties confidential government documents and information that included cabinet confidences pertaining to the sale. They're also accused of having defrauded winning bidder Canadian National Railway Co., Canadian Pacific Railway, CIBC World Markets Inc., and the Government of B.C. of an amount exceeding $5,000 by disclosing the confidential information. The offences are alleged to have occurred between April 1, 2002, and Dec. 28, 2003, the day of the police raid on the legislature. Aneal Basi faces two counts of laundering money accepted by his cousin, David Basi. ...

BC Mary reminds (and invites) everyone:

... The Law Courts building is at 800 Smithe Street, Vancouver. The BC Rail corruption trial is open to the public. Under the terms of the publication ban, the public is entitled to free expression of anything they hear in the courtroom while the jury is present. That's the important part: the jury must hear any evidence, any rulings, any courtroom activities, before it's revealed elsewhere. OK? So, this blog welcomes your comments. Please tell us what you see, what you hear, how you feel. BC Rail was our loss. This is our story. ...

Afternoon update, 3:02 PM PDT: Basi-Virk political corruption trial delayed until Tuesday
Neal Hall Vancouver Sun British Columbia Canada May 17, 2010

... Some last-minute court matters Monday morning delayed the trial, which was to start at 10 a.m. with the Crown's opening. B.C. Supreme Court Associate Chief Justice Anne MacKenzie brought in the jury Monday morning and told them to return at 2 p.m. When the jury returned at 2 p.m. the judge apologized for inconveniencing the jury further but asked jurors to return at 10 a.m. Tuesday. "Thank you for your patience," the judge added. ...

The items in this post are just a small, very small, sample of the Campbell coalition's egregious behavior. The early twentieth century Italians, who invented the word fascism, also had a more descriptive term for the concept -- estato corporativo: The corporatist state. Fascism’s principles are wafting in the air today, surreptitiously masquerading as something else, challenging everything we stand for. Dr. Laurence W. Britt analyzed seven regimes and revealed fourteen common threads that linked them in recognizable patterns of behavior and abuse of power. These basic characteristics are more prevalent and intense in some regimes than in others, but they all share at least some level of similarity. The second of the fourteen is:

2. Disdain for the importance of human rights. The regimes themselves viewed human rights as of little value and a hindrance to realizing the objectives of the ruling elite. Through clever use of propaganda, the population was brought to accept these human rights abuses by marginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted. When abuse was egregious, the tactic was to use secrecy, denial, and disinformation.

A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization. Caporegime is an Italian word, which was originally used to signify the head of a family in Sicily, but has now come to mean a ranking member, similar to captain or sergeant. In general, the term indicates the head of a branch of an organized crime syndicate who commands a crew of soldiers and reports directly to a boss or an underboss.

Items: Ex-unit commander questions government's commitment to "meaningful" illegal gaming investigations
Sean Holman Public Eye Online British Columbia Canada October 21, 2009

The former commander of British Columbia's now-defunct integrated illegal gaming enforcement team is questioning the provincial government's commitment to "meaningful" illegal gaming investigations. Speaking exclusively with Public Eye, Fred Pinnock also described the RCMP's senior management in British Columbia as demonstrating "willful blindness" when it comes to the connection between illegal gaming and organized crime. And he said his provincially-funded RCMP team should have been expanded - not shutdown. ... "For the police not to have well-resourced law enforcement units dedicated to casino environments is very short-sighted in my opinion," he explained. ...

Mr. Pinnock acknowledged those at BC Lotteries and the enforcement branch are "very competent people." But he questioned whether their "resources and mandate are sufficient to effectively target the criminal activity going on within these environments," noting they don't appear to have had much impact. The reason: Mr. Pinnock said there hasn't been any big busts at casinos even though "it's obvious that highly-pedigreed gangsters frequent these venues on a continuing basis. There's a ton of criminal activity being conducted in these places every day, including money laundering, loansharking and other enterprise crimes." The RCMP is "playing ostrich" about the problems inside legal gaming facilities, he concluded, with senior management only giving "token attention" to the illegal gaming problems outside those establishments. ...

Heed denies ex-constituency assistant's allegations
Sean Holman Public Eye Online British Columbia Canada May 10, 2010

Last month, we broke the news that Kash Heed's former constituency assistant Keith Frew was suing the Vancouver-Fraserview MLA for allegedly dismissing him without cause and without reasonable notice. At the time, Mr. Heed declined comment on that legal action through a spokesperson. But, in a statement of defence filed on Thursday, the former solicitor general denied those allegations. Mr. Heed also denied acting in bad faith, being "abrupt and rude" to Mr. Frew at the time of termination and not providing him with any post-employment information or the potential of a reference letter. Those allegations - which were included in Mr. Frew's statement of claim - have not been tested in court. The following is a complete copy of the MLA's statement of defence. ...

Kash P. Heed is a Canadian politician, who was elected as a BC Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2009 provincial election, representing the riding of Vancouver-Fraserview. He was formerly chief constable of the West Vancouver Police Department and a former superintendent with the Vancouver Police Department and was the first Indo-Canadian police chief in Canada. He is a published author who also teaches criminology and criminal justice at two B.C. colleges. Heed resigned from the West Vancouver Police Department prior to the end of his five year contract. He resigned before he could be brought to task on the allegation of improperly revealing information to a police board member. Heed was twice appointed solicitor general by Gordon Campbell. Twice he has had to resign that post. He remains, pending a more detailed probe, the MLA for Vancouver-Fraserview.

Seven big questions for Heed campaign case
Bill Tieleman TheTyee.ca British Columbia Canada May 11, 2010

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... While much national laughter has been rightly directed at the sight of a hapless Premier Gordon Campbell popping ex-Solicitor General Kash Heed out and in and out of cabinet like a clock cuckoo, serious questions remain unanswered about allegations of political fraud. The strange tale of Chief Kash and Mr. Heed is far from a cold case, with even the legitimacy of the MLA for Vancouver-Fraserview's election in doubt. ... Once again British Columbia is rocked with allegations of political corruption and once again there are significant mysteries and serious consequences for those involved.

Children lose as government fights to keep secrets
Paul Willcocks Paying Attention British Columbia Canada May 11, 2010

Something has gone badly wrong when the person charged with looking after the interests of vulnerable children in B.C. ends up suing the government to get information. And it's even worse when the government introduces legislation to allow it to keep secrets from the Representative for Children and Youth - and makes it retroactive to 2007. ...

In a rare breath of fresh air for beseiged British Columbians, Supreme Court of British Columbia justice Susan Griffin affirmed the right of the province's representative for children and youth, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, to receive cabinet documents. See: Government ordered to give child and youth rep cabinet documents, May 14, 2010

New law may create largest DNA database in Canada
BC Civil Liberties Association British Columbia Canada May 12, 2010

Recent revelations that B.C.’s health authorities are secretly storing and testing children’s DNA without parental consent, combined with provisions of Bill 11 that allow B.C.’s Minister of Health to gather information like these DNA records without notice or consent, have resulted in a call from the BCCLA for the government to retract the bill and the health authority to destroy the records. The new law and the records combined may create the largest DNA database in Canada. More than 800,000 blood spot cards, containing DNA samples from almost every infant born in British Columbia and the Yukon in the last 11 years, are currently stored by the government at storage facility operated by Iron Mountain, a private contractor to the government. Government has allowed these cards to be accessed by researchers and potentially could allow access to them by law enforcement and other agencies, all without parental consent. Bill 11 allows the Health Minister to seize these records and share them across provincial government departments, as well as law enforcement agencies. ... Bill 11 is a grab bag of miscellaneous legislative provisions, including sections 165-167 that give the Minister of Health power to collect, gather, use and share personal information without any notice to or consent from affected individuals. ...

BCCLA opposes bill for more school video surveillance
BC Civil Liberties Association British Columbia Canada May 14, 2010

The BCCLA has made a submission to the British Columbia Legislative Assembly urging that a new bill on video surveillance in schools be dropped. A new provision buried in a miscellaneous statutes amendments bill (Bill 20) would allow school boards, in consultation with school planning councils, to install and operate video surveillance in schools for purposes of safety or protection of property. Currently schools can install video surveillance if they meet the test for the collection of personal information set out in BC’s public sector privacy legislation. The new bill ‘green lights’ increased video surveillance in schools by doing away with a need to justify it.

Micheal Vonn, Policy Director: “We believe this bill is going to usher in a needless, costly and harmful expansion of video surveillance in our schools. Study after study shows that video surveillance has very limited utility. It might be justified in a computer lab where there have been a series of reported thefts, but it should never be used to generally monitor student behaviour. That is an unacceptable intrusion on students’ private lives that offers no quantifiable increase in safety.”

Studies of video surveillance in schools note a “function creep” which shows that cameras are initially placed on the perimeters of schools but soon “creep” into more controversial spaces like classrooms and washrooms. Vonn: “The current law has the appropriate test. We have to remember that public schools have an important role in teaching the values of our free and democratic society. Schools must reflect the values of an open society and not the surveillance culture of the reformatory.” ...

Six years later, B.C. political corruption trial begins
Tamsyn Burgmann The Canadian Press/Toronto Sun Canada May 16, 2010

It has been more than six years since uniformed RCMP officers armed with search warrants entered British Columbia’s ornate legislature building and carted away heavy boxes laden with confidential documents. ... “It’s a long time ago, but it remains significant in the minds of the B.C. public, in large part because of the very powerful imagery of the raid,” said Norman Ruff, a political science professor emeritus with the University of Victoria. “I can’t think of any other legislature that’s had that kind of experience.” ...

Since charges were laid, the case has trundled along the justice system as lawyers sought almost a million pages in disclosure documents. A routine ban prevents the publication of any details that emerged during preliminary hearings. Former Liberal cabinet ministers Collins and Reid are among a list of nearly four dozen political and corporate insiders subpoenaed to testify at the trial. Among them is Campbell’s chief of staff Martyn Brown, former deputy ministers Brenda Eaton and Ken Dobell, and executives from BC Rail, CN Rail, CP Rail and OmniTrax, as well as two former lobbyists. Ruff said the outcome of the trial could have implications for the Campbell administration. The privatization of Crown-owned BC Rail, which ran from North Vancouver to Prince Rupert, was already controversial before the charges cast a new cloud over the deal. That cloud has cast a shadow over the provincial government since the case came to light, but it remains to be seen how the trial revelations will impact the B.C. Liberals. “We’re not looking at drunk driving here [after coming to power, Premier Campbell was convicted of drunk driving in another jurisdiction], we’re looking at corruption of public policy, and that goes to the heart of government and democratic policy making,” Ruff said. ...

How did BC Rail, the nation's 3rd largest railway, slip from public ownership into private pockets? Was Organized Crime involved? Is that why police raided the BC Legislature on Dec. 28, 2003? Tomorrow, we hear evidence given under oath, in BC Supreme Court, 800 Smithe St., Vancouver BC.
The Legislature Raids British Columbia Canada May 16, 2010

BC Mary comments:

Today, and tomorrow morning, I am hoping to see commentary, reports, editorials, opinions concerning the momentous trial scheduled for tomorrow morning, May 17, 2010. I will add their URLs here so that, with a click, readers may read the full stories ...

As we wait for tomorrow's trial opening, it seems a good idea to review some of the players and their interrelationships. Back in 2008, Bill Tieleman did yeoman work in trying to set the scene.

Railgate, A to Z
Bill Tieleman Bill Tieleman British Columbia Canada December 29, 2008

Five years after the legislature raid, a who's who guide to BC's biggest political scandal. ...

In a sidebar, Tieleman addresses the question "What is the B.C. legislature raid case?"

Also known as "Basi-Virk," it stems from an unprecedented search of the B.C. legislature on Dec. 28, 2003, that police at the time ominously linked to drug dealing, organized crime and corruption said to extend to the highest levels of government. Subsequently it became clear the search was in fact connected to the $1 billion privatization of B.C. Rail by BC Liberal Premier Gordon Campbell. Two former ministerial aides -- David Basi and Bob Virk -- now face charges of breach of trust and fraud for allegedly passing confidential government documents on to lobbyists representing OmniTRAX, one of the corporations that bid for B.C. Rail. Aneal Basi, a former government communications aide and cousin to David Basi, faces money laundering charges. The case has exposed the extensive political connections between the B.C. and federal Liberal parties, provincial lobbyists, the leadership campaign of former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin and even the RCMP. ...

British Columbia's regional health authorities: Shooting craps with the peoples' health and well being
Salt Spring News June 22, 2009

Six links. The series was introduced thus:

Jim comment: If memory serves me it was 2002 that the Campbell coalition created the ideologically driven regional health authorities and, at the same time, proposed privatizing support services in BC hospitals. At the time when the enabling legislation was still on the order paper but not yet law, alarms were raised about safety if skilled professional cleaners were declared redundant and replaced by unskilled, ill-trained, low-income workers. Everybody in a hospital, from housekeepers to nurses and doctors, bears heavy responsibilities. Cleaning staff are a vital link in preventing the spread of superbugs. People with experience travelled from Scotland and Australia and elsewhere to speak out against the legislation. Sadly their warnings based on harsh experience were ignored by the Campbell coalition. In the intervening years, the predictions have come true. Here is just one example. Full disclosure: We covered all sides of this issue at the time. I feel even more involved today. I had minor day patient surgery in the Saanich Peninsula Hospital last week. When I heard about the SPH Clostridium difficile outbreak over the weekend (no mention was made at the hospital, despite public statements to the contrary by Vancouver Island Health Authority [VIHA] administrators) I took a personal interest. So I revisited the issues and read the current news.

The 'just one example" was: The British corporation contracted by the Vancouver Island Health Authority to clean a number of its major hospitals and extended care facilities was issued 16 separate orders over six months in 2008 by the Workers’ Compensation Board of BC for contravening health and safety laws. Acting on complaints made, WCB investigators found that Compass Group had contravened health and safety regulations at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital and Cowichan District Hospital in Duncan. As history has shown VIHA may have contracted out the cleaning of its biggest hospitals, but it should not have contracted out its responsibility to operate safe, clean hospitals for patients, visitors and workers. That negligence still persists. Here's the latest news.

Virus outbreak keeps visitors away at Nanaimo hospital
Victoria Times Colonist British Columbia Canada May 15, 2010

Visitors were asked to stay away from Nanaimo Regional General Hospital yesterday after a hospital-wide outbreak of norovirus was declared. Outbreaks of the infection had previously been declared on various units. ... Visitors have also been asked to postpone their visits until after the outbreak is over, except those seeing palliative patients.

Norovirus is highly contagious -- up to half of those exposed go on to develop symptoms, which include sudden onset of nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea sometimes accompanied by abdominal pain and tenderness. The incubation period is 24-48 hours, and the illness lasts one to three days. Patients are advised to remain home for at least 48 hours after their symptoms have ended. Last month, three patients infected with C. difficile died at the hospital, after the third outbreak of the infection in two years. Health officials said overcrowding at the facility contributed to spread of the disease.

B.C. beekeepers stung by end of ban
CBC News British Columbia Canada May 14, 2010

Beekeepers are concerned that Vancouver Island bees like these could be threatened by the lifting of a quarantine. Photo: CBC. Is this another example of ideology overriding common sense and sound science?

The beekeeping community on Vancouver Island is abuzz with the B.C. government's lifting of a longstanding quarantine intended to protect the local bee population. The quarantine was imposed in 1988 to block the spread of infection from other bees on the Canadian mainland. The B.C. Ministry of Agriculture lifted the ban on Canadian bees April 30, but many of the island's 1,200 beekeepers want it reinstated. "We've had the carpet pulled out from under us and we've got our stingers flexed over this," said Brian Scullion of the Capital Region Beekeepers Association. ...

The government says lifting the ban and allowing bees from domestic sources will help the delicate island bees develop more genetic diversity and stronger immune systems. Some beekeepers say the risks outweigh the benefits. "If one beekeeper gets [a disease], those bees fly over and mingle with those bees, the next guy gets it," said beekeeper Grant Stringer. In March, some areas of Vancouver Island lost as many as 90 per cent of their bees to an invasion of mites that were brought in on illegally imported hive racks. The insects are essential for pollinating orchards and many vegetable crops. "Local bees, bred on Vancouver Island for our climate, for our beekeepers, that's what we want to rely on," Scullion said. "We don't want to rely on imported bees at all."

The Trial (German: Der Prozess) is a novel by Franz Kafka, first published in 1925. One of Kafka's best-known works, it tells the story of a man arrested and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority, with the nature of his crime never revealed either to him or the reader. Like Kafka's other novels, The Trial was never completed, although it does include a chapter which brings the story to an end. Like Kafka's other novels, The Trial is a parable about the human condition.

Let us hope this trial (Basi, Virk, Basi)—only now scheduled to begin more than six years after the RCMP raided offices in the British Columbia Legislature and the homes of some politically well-connected in the community—does begin and end. As it is, of those with offices in the Leg and of those well-connected, only two ministerial assistants and a cousin have been charged. (Their bosses, the transportation and the finance ministers, were not charged. But they resigned and skedaddled out of politics and the public eye very quickly after the raids took place.) BC Mary and her crew at The Legislature Raids have kept this desultory tale of justice delayed (and, who knows, maybe justice denied) alive even through all the years the corporate media totally ignored it. The blog has offered up much solid fact and even more lively opinion. The flickering lamp of freedom has burned on its editorial desk. But now, it appears that Robin Mathews who has contributed so much to the blog and who, more often than not, was the only reporter present throughout the long proceedings that have led to next Monday's trial date, has been denied press credentials for the trial. Visit BC Mary's blog to view this latest twist and to search the archives for background to the trial. If you care about justice in British Columbia (legal and social), you owe yourself some time there.

For his part, Robin Mathews, wrote to the provincial Supreme Court. He said in part:

B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Robt. Bauman,
Assoc. Chief Justice Anne MacKenzie,
Mr. Justice Joel Groves,
Jill Leacock, law officer.
May 12, 2010

My Lords, My Lady, and Ms. Leacock:

With the very deepest regret I am writing to you about what I have to believe is one more expression of administrative chaos at the Supreme Court of British Columbia (or, perhaps, far, far worse – what may be perceived as active prejudice and partisanship at the highest levels of the court).

I refer to what you name the “Accreditation Process For Journalists”, a process (June, 2002) by which “accredited journalists” may “take recording devices into B.C. Supreme Court trials in order to assist them to report accurately….”

I have been denied accreditation by a committee of four chosen by the Court (all four committee members are employees of one single, notoriously reactionary media conglomerate which I criticize publicly!), and I reject the decision out of hand.

I request, formally, that you overturn the decision of the committee without any delay and inform me of the overturning without any delay.

The rejection of my application raises questions very much larger than the particular case of my rejection. ...

Jim Saturday morning comment: About that headline, sometimes a body just gives in to fear, frustration and despair. I'm over it now, not the fear, frustration and despair, rather I'm over yielding to that mood. Thank you.

If you want an example of the arrogance the jerks that make up British Columbia's cabinet demonstrate and the sense of entitlement they feel. go visit Public Eye and scroll down to watch the two videos of Finance Minister Colin Hansen.

Related: From today's Public Eye:

The Campbell administration appears to have moved to retroactively curtail children and youth representative Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond's sweeping power to access government documents. The law governing the representative presently gives Ms. Turpel-Lafond the right to any information held by a public body regardless of "any claim of confidentiality or privilege" except one based on solicitor-client privilege. That right could be read as allowing her to access confidential cabinet documents. But, yesterday, the government introduced an amendment to the Children and Youth Representative Act clarifying that power "does not apply with respect to information that would reveal the substance of deliberations of the Executive Council or any of its committees." If passed, the amendment will be deemed to have taken effect on March 30, 2007. That's the date the Children and Youth Representative Act came into force.

Public contract is private business?
Sean Holman Public Eye British Columbia Canada April 30, 2010

In the midst of government social service reductions, Mary Polak has repeatedly tried to refuse to answer questions about a unique perk enjoyed by the ministry of children and family development's top bureaucrat. At issue: Lesley du Toit's $2,000 month living allowance. In a 2007 interview with Public Eye, the premier's then press secretary Mike Morton explained Ms. du Toit, "still maintains her permanent home in South Africa. And it was negotiated as part of her contract that, while she was here, she would receive a living allowance rather than moving her over here on a permanent basis." But the Langley MLA seems to be more tight-lipped about that allowance.

Asked why that perk was still in place given those service reductions, the minister said on "Voice of BC", "Well, I'm not going to comment on her employment contract." This, despite the fact that contract - under the Public Sector Employers Act - is legally a public document. ...

BC Mary, as always, is on top of the BC Rail scandal/trial. Visit her site for the latest. A who’s who of politicians, highly placed bureaucrats, back-room operatives and corporate executives has been subpoenaed to testify in the long-awaited political corruption case that continues to cast a shadow over Premier Gordon Campbell's administration. And that's only the half of it.


Wild Salmon Are Sacred

Government does not appear to understand the value of wild salmon. Salmon farming is impacting wild salmon populations worldwide because like all feedlots it intensifies disease and this is lethal to wild fish. Visit Salmon Are Sacred for more info.

The Get Out Migration is a call to action to make government aware that we want wild salmon to take higher priority than farm salmon. Farms belong on land. We will start walking from Sointula, at the north end of Vancouver Island, on April 23 and arrive in Victoria May 8.

A people’s movement to protect the fish that built BC – wild salmon

(April 22, 2010, Sointula, BC) After 20 years of expressing concern to governments that won’t listen and have shielded Norwegian salmon farms from the laws of Canada, the public of British Columbia is taking to the streets to get industrial salmon farming out of the ocean and away from their wild salmon.

he Get-Out Migration begins today with an evening send-off from the fishing village of Sointula. Tomorrow morning, the Namgis First Nation will perform a ceremony at the Nimpkish River at 10am for the group walking into the mountains.

“Get Out for Wild Salmon” released today on www.salmonaresacred.org shows biologist Alexandra Morton leaving the Meetup River with the young wild salmon and the send off by the Broughton First Nation village Gwa'yasdams Village. “When International companies come in here and lay waste to our territory, we have a problem with that,” said elected chief Bob Chamberlin.

Anissa Reed of Ocean Aura and one of the planners says, “people absolutely hold salmon sacred. The outpouring to the Get-Out Migration of artwork, volunteers organizing awesome events in every town, offering us shelter in their homes is a demonstration of the attachment British Columbians have to wild salmon. We expect thousands to participate.”

“Government has ignored its own studies on salmon farming since 1989. This is exactly how we lost the food security, thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars that the North Atlantic cod brought to Canada.  “We, in BC, do not intend to play out this tragedy again,” says Alexandra Morton, “government must support the families dependent on this industry as it is removed from the ocean onto land.”

On April 16, 2010, the Department of Justice (DOJ) had to instruct DFO to lay charges against Norwegian fish farm company Marine Harvest, for unlawful possession of wild salmon and herring.  “This offence was reported to DFO last year, why did it require the DOJ to lay a straightforward charge?” asks Morton. “If we want wild salmon, British Columbians need to send government a very clear message this nonsense is over, get salmon farms out of the ocean and let Canadians reinvent this industry on land.”

The Get Out Migration has spread to other towns. For details see Itinerary.

Former solicitor general tied to 2nd improper land deal
CBC News British Columbia Canada April 30, 2010

John Les said he would not comment Wednesday on a review regarding a land deal in which he was allegedly involved in Chilliwack. Photo: CBC. Les is a former Chilliwack mayor. Chilliwack's current mayor, Sharon Gaetz, also refused to comment on the past deals.

B.C.'s former solicitor general John Les has been linked to another piece of farmland that was improperly subdivided, effectively removing it from the province's agricultural land reserve. Les, a Liberal MLA for Chilliwack, was forced to resign from his position as solictor general two years ago after the CBC revealed he was under investigation by the RCMP for his role in some undisclosed land deals. A report released by the Agricultural Land Commission on April 21 concluded 66 properties in the Fraser Valley community of Chilliwack were improperly reconfigured between 1991 and 2009, violating provincial regulations designed to protect valuable farmland. On Wednesday, CBC News identified one of those improper reconfigurations involved a land parcel at Rosebank Place that was co-owned by the former solicitor general. On Thursday, residents of McSween Road told CBC News that John Les and his brother Corney Les were involved in another one of the improper deals identified in the ALC report. ... To add insult to injury, Loewen and her husband asked Chilliwack city hall if they could do the same thing — subdivide their property — but they were told they were too late to cash in, she told CBC News. "The city said no. You can't. The rules have changed. And they said it was a loophole that was there for six months and it was closed, and there was nothing we could do," said Loewen. "We were very surprised," she said. "It seems like there are different playing rules for different members of our society." "I'd like to see the truth come put," said Loewen. ...

The ALC report issued this week is critical of what happened at Chilliwack city hall between 1991 and 2009. The period of the review - 1991 to 2009 - includes the period covered by an investigation into the business activities of former B.C. cabinet minister John Les. The commission's report says that in 1994 Chilliwack amended a policy that had been supportive of the land reserve so that the city could consider boundary adjustments if there was an open-space benefit. It says the review of subsequent boundary adjustments shows more attention was paid to that policy than to provincial law governing the reserve. B.C.'s Agricultural Land Commission manages the Agricultural Land Reserve, which was formed in 1972 to protect farmland in the province. The commission stated in its report that it is too late to do anything about the developments, but recommended that Chilliwack rescind a policy of allowing boundary adjustments like many of those that occurred in the city between 1991 and 2009.

The Chilliwack ALR fiasco
Richmond's Garden City Lands British Columbia Canada May 1, 2010

Chilliwack, British Columbia

Is the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) like a gunless sheriff in Dodge City? Flouting of ALR regulations by the City of Chilliwack has prompted that question again. In the past year or two, it became evident that Chilliwack’s adjustments to property boundaries a few years ago had led to agricultural land being improperly used for residential lots. Now an ALC investigation has identified 66 cases that were not consistent with the ALC regulations. That’s a large number, and one would expect strong consequences. But the ALC report says this:

After thoroughly reviewing all options available to remedy the inconsistent decisions, the ALC concluded that in most cases there is no practical and reasonable administrative or legal recourse that will enable it to reverse inconsistent boundary adjustment subdivisions. In essence, the ALC cannot turn back the clock and is compelled to accept that some agricultural lands in Chilliwack have been negatively affected by a number of boundary adjustments made by the City. (p. 3)

This is a high-profile situation because it involves former Chilliwack mayor John Les, who became an MLA and was a BC cabinet minister until he had to step down. If the government is ever going to give the sheriff a gun to go with the badge, this is one the best opportunities. A few more deputies to act on tips with early law enforcement would help too. Along with expecting and receiving the enforcement capability, the Agricultural Land Commission must put an end to the kind of messing around that happened with the City of Richmond long after the 2008 Garden City Lands exclusion application should have been firmly rejected. ...

Agricultural Land Commission Review of Boundary Adjustment Subdivisions within the City of Chilliwack (1991-2009).
Provincial Agricultural Land Commission April 2010

This link is to the HTML version of the report. The PDF version is 20-pages.

Intro: B.C. could export energy from Site C dam
Canadian Press/CTV News Canada April 20, 2010

B.C.'s energy minister says developing British Columbia's next mega dam could give the province the chance to sell clean, green power to Saskatchewan, Alberta and the United States. Blair Lekstrom says the government plans to use the proposed Site C dam to meet British Columbia's future energy needs, but he's not denying power exports are also part of the province's energy future. The government announced Monday it intends to move ahead with decades-old plans to develop the Site C dam in northeastern B.C., sparking outcry from environmentalists, local farmers and First Nations who say the proposed dam will flood valuable lands. Lekstrom says power exports are not part of the current plans for Site C, but the government is open to exporting power from other energy projects. Lekstrom says he views B.C. power as a market commodity similar to lumber, oil and gas and minerals. Paul Kariya with the Independent Power Producers Association of B.C. says Site C offers British Columbia a solid power foundation that allows the independent producers and the government to market new power resources.

Site C - first purpose
Norman Farrell Northern Insights British Columbia Canada April 21, 2010

Visit this page for its embedded links.

On April 10, Northern Insights reported that Liberals will force BC Hydro to provide firm-power to private producers for export. Privates want a choice of selling to BC Hydro or contracting with their own customers. However, they cannot guarantee availability of their own power on a continuous basis and the market value of interruptible power is unsatisfactory. The ability to make up shortages by accessing electricity from BC Hydro solves a major problem for private companies. ... Now, despite claims that Site C's 900-megawatt capacity is needed for domestic use, government intends to proceed so that it can facilitate power exports. ...

Site C confirms Libs' energy claims don't compute
Rafe Mair TheTyee.ca British Columbia Canada April 26, 2010

The polls showing Premier Campbell in deep doo-doo came out before the Site "C" decision. God only knows what the results would have been if they had been taken afterwards. Site "C" demonstrates beyond doubt that Campbell hasn't been telling the truth in two critical areas of his energy policy. B.C. is NOT a net importer of power which is the fundament of that policy. BC Hydro is sometimes, though not always. Moreover, counted as imports is the energy it buys abroad at low use times and re-sells in peak periods. It can do this because it can "store" energy as water in a reservoir. This isn't importing -- it's flipping, and at a nice profit too. You would think that Campbell and his crowd would know something about flipping. The fact is that BC Hydro is not the only provider of energy in B.C., and when you include -- as you must -- energy produced by Alcan, Teck Cominco and Fortis, British Columbia is a net exporter of power. Of more concern ought to be the Campbell government's mantra that private power will be used by British Columbia to make it energy "secure." This is plain and simply a falsehood, a falsehood the mainstream media simply can't grasp.

This is key, for if private power was needed for our own vital needs that would be a very serious matter, and the debate about damming our rivers would be different. The egregious nature of this falsehood can easily be seen thusly: the power to be produced by two large private "run of river" projects, the Bute Inlet and KlinaKilni projects, is considerably more than can be produced by Site "C." So why isn't Campbell fast tracking these undertakings, thus avoiding the need to do Site "C"? Because they can only produce their power during the run-off when BC Hydro doesn't need it. In short, when Gordon Campbell told us that the decision to give our rivers away was so that private power could help us be energy sufficient in 2016, the truth was otherwise. If you needed more proof of this, Site "C" provides it once and for all. ...

Site C seems to spell 'legacy' for premier
Michael Smyth The Province Vancouver Canada April 20, 2010

... Could there be any clearer indication that he's thinking of calling it quits in politics? Campbell looks to be in serious "legacy" mode at the moment. Just as W.A.C. Bennett left a legacy of giant hydroelectric dams -- Monday's announcement was made at the one named after the great man himself -- now Campbell seems to be thinking of how he'll be remembered when he's gone from office. With Campbell sinking lower in the polls than a snake's belly in a wagon rut, that exit could come sooner than later. And I suspect the premier was anxious to place his mark on what could be the last giant dam to be built in B.C. Think about it: "The Gordon M. Campbell Dam" has a nicer ring to it than "that damn Gordon Campbell" being uttered ... all around B.C. these days. ...

Items:


The W.A.C. Bennett dam is upstream from Site C. Other power sources -- such as run-of-river projects -- are not as desirable as dams, Marjorie Griffin Cohen writes. Photo: Ian Smith/PNG/ Vancouver Sun

Why I support Site C, with conditions
Marjorie Griffin Cohen Vancouver Sun British Columbia Canada April 24, 2010

Marjorie Griffin Cohen is a professor of political economy at Simon Fraser University. She is a former board member of BC Hydro and was the founding chair of Citizens for Public Power.

My support for Site C is relatively recent. In the past, like others who opposed it, I felt it would be bad for people in the region and would cause unnecessary environmental damage. Building the Bennett Dam and the Peace Canyon Dam created misery for the first nations who were dispossessed of their land while many others were deprived of their farms and houses as well. For decades some first nations did not even have access to electricity from the system. The human toll was awful and the river and its ecosystem were affected permanently. My mind was changed about Site C primarily because of the damage caused by the B.C. government's policy on electricity.

This policy limits the new generation of electricity to private power producers, with the only additions to public power generation coming from adding capacity at existing dams. While some new capacity has been installed in B.C. facilities in recent years, the government has relied primarily on promoting private run-of-river hydro projects for new supply. The private and piecemeal planning that occurred through this incremental privatization of electricity has encouraged a disastrous plunder of B.C.'s rivers. It is also expensive. BC Hydro pays absurdly high prices for acquiring power, with guaranteed purchase contracts for up to 30 years. This means taxpayers are paying for private sector investment. The nasty bit, though, is that the province will never own these assets and the public will never benefit from this massive subsidy to the private sector. More than 8,000 river sites have been identified by BC Hydro as possible areas for future development to provide up to 12,000 megawatts of power. These will not all be developed, but the potential for the continuing destruction of rivers is possible. All energy production causes environmental damage. The main question in assessing Site C is how its costs to the environment and people stand in relationship to using other energy sources. ...

My support for Site C is not unconditional, though. Site C should be owned by British Columbians exclusively through BC Hydro, just as are other large hydro assets. So far there are no assurances from the government on this. It should make economic and environmental sense and the upcoming reviews need to be transparent in this regard. The compensation and mitigation for first nations and other local residents need to be socially just. All bids for future run-of-river private power should be eliminated. When a new power project is built within the public sector it can and should receive the kind of oversight that is normal in a coordinated system. Site C could serve B.C. very well into the future, but only if the people of B.C. own the asset.

Farmer vows to fight Site C Dam
CBC News British Columbia Canada April 21, 2010

Some farmers in northeastern B.C. say they are going to fight a plan to build a massive hydroelectric dam that will flood the Peace River Valley. This week, the B.C. government announced it wants to go ahead with the Site C dam, near Fort St. John to generate electricity. But some farmers in the flood zone are vowing to stand their ground. "We'll be here until the water comes up at least to knee level," said Ross Peck, whose family has farmed the rich soil of the Peace River Valley for nearly 100 years. The proposed reservoir for the Site C Dam would flood 83 kilometres of the valley, covering the land where homes and farms belonging to family's like Peck's have stood for generations. Peck is outraged that the B.C. government is planning to flood his land, to create what it calls clean energy. ...

It's not the first time Peck's family has been forced out by a flood. His grandfather's place was washed away by the nearby W.A.C. Bennett Dam when it was built in the 1960's on the Peace River. "My grandfather was basically old and it broke his spirit. It's what he'd lived and worked for," said Peck. "There's been as many BC hydro people up and down the valley as wildlife," he said. Peck said an hour after B.C.'s premier announced he wanted to dam the Peace again, officials from BC Hydro showed up at his door, offering to make a deal to buy his land. He said no to the offer and said his only plan for now is to keep tilling the soil and standing his ground. "We were pretty upset, but I got out on the tractor went out on the field and worked off some of my frustration," he said.

Natives plan to fight Site C dam planned for Peace River
Matthew Burrows Georgia Straight British Columbia Canada April 22, 2010

... Along with all the other chiefs whose First Nations are covered by Treaty 8, [Chief Roland] Willson boycotted the premier’s media event, which took place at the W.A.C. Bennett Dam, near the town of Hudson’s Hope. Willson pointed out that the Campbell government watered down the provincial environmental assessment process after being elected in 2001. He said the West Moberly First Nations, which are still reeling from the effects of the first two dams, would be directly affected by the Site C dam, due to its proximity. ... Willson said he will fight “until the end” to stop the dam from being built. “When we start understanding the global ramifications of losing all that farmland and all the resources that will be gone from that, it will be too late,” he said.

Site C offers a green power source
Bruce Tutt, Letter to the Editor Times Colonist Victoria British Columbia Canada April 22, 2010

It is time for the Site C project to be built. B.C. is a net importer of significant amounts of electricity. This situation is only going to get worse, even with extensive conservation efforts as our population increases. It is interesting to note that the average household use of electricity is still edging upwards and is likely to increase as electric vehicles become the norm. ...

How Site C will turn northern B.C. into an economic powerhouse
Tim McEwan Vancouver Sun British Columbia Canada April 26, 2010

Tim McEwan is president and chief executive officer of Initiatives Prince George Development Corporation.

The provincial government's decision to proceed with the Site C clean-energy project will provide significant opportunities and economic benefits to northern British Columbia. ... The need for energy in British Columbia is expected to increase by as much as 40 per cent in the next 20 years. Even though BC Hydro is planning to meet more than half of British Columbia's expected electricity needs through conservation, that won't be enough, and new sources of clean power need to be brought on line. Site C is a critical part of the solution to provide clean and renewable power for our province's future. Site C also fits well with Prince George's aspiration to build itself and northern British Columbia as a knowledge-based, resource economy connected to the world.

Intro: Campbell rubbing Liberals the wrong way?
Seth Holman Public Eye Online British Columbia Canada April 26, 2010

Arrogant, dishonest and secretive - those aren't the qualities of someone you'd want as a friend let alone the leader of the province. Yet those are the qualities a majority of British Columbians associate with Gordon Campbell. This, according to the most recent survey by Vision Critical Inc. Of course, the premier has never been beloved by British Columbians - consistently running behind his party in the polls. But what should worry the Liberals is that British Columbians are associating those same qualities with their party. ...

Items: Edmonton profits big from BC private power
Will McMartin TheTyee.ca British Columbia Canada April 19, 2010


EPCOR plans new tower in Edmonton. The people of British Columbia are being hosed by the Campbell coalition to subsidize the IPPs. Visit this page for its embedded links.

What is an appropriate profit margin for independent power producers (IPPs) who sell clean- or green-energy to BC Hydro and Power Authority? The Tyee has learned that for one utility in Edmonton, a trio of B.C. IPPs generates annual profits of $15.7 million with net profit margins of 26.8 per cent. By comparison, the other power producers owned across North America by the Edmonton company have net-profit margins of just 7.8 percent. More about that company later, but back to the question that affects your pocketbook and quality of life if you live in B.C.: Are such big profit margins fair to tax payers who ultimately subsidize them? ...

Over the past several years, a name unknown to most British Columbians, NW Energy (Williams Lake) Ltd., has appeared among the top ten private-sector suppliers on BC Hydro's annual Financial Information Act return. The company operates a waste-wood burning, biomass plant in Williams Lake, capable of producing 68-megawatts of electricity annually. In 2008/09, NW Energy (Williams Lake) Ltd received $39.9 million from BC Hydro. A year earlier, in 2007/08, payments totaled $41.1 million, and in 2006/07, $42.3 million. BC Hydro's filings also reveal the name of another little-known supplier, Coastal Rivers Power Limited Partnership. It was paid $17.6 million in 2008/09; $18.4 million in 2007/08; and $16.1 million in 2006/07. Coastal Rivers Power operates two run-of-river hydroelectric facilities in B.C. The larger of the two, a power plant on the Mamquam River near Squamish, is capable of generating 52-megawatts of power annually. The smaller one, the Queen Charlotte Power Plant on South Moresby Island, is a six-megawatt facility. (The two will be referred to hereafter as Mamquam and Moresby.) If few British Columbians ever have heard of either NW Energy (Williams Lake) Ltd. or Coastal Rivers Power Limited Partnership (operator of Mamquam and Moresby), even fewer are likely to know that all share the same corporate parentage -- EPCOR Utilities Inc. ... It is manifestly obvious that the trio of B.C. power generators were three-and-a-half times more profitable than all the rest of CPILP's plants -- in Alberta, Ontario, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Colorado, California and Washington State -- combined. ... Regardless of how one views the need for clean-energy and independent power production, the wisdom of having three B.C. power plants annually send $38.9 million in gross profits, and $15.7 million in net profits, to an Edmonton-based multinational should at least raise a few eyebrows. Moreover, these three power producers -- NW Energy (Williams Lake), Mamquam and Moresby -- are just three of 61 companies with long-term energy purchase agreements from BC Hydro. Are the other 58 EPA contractors as profitable as EPCOR's trio? ...

One may not entirely agree with the harsh assessment of Fazil Mihlar and Margaret Wente that Gordon Campbell's BC Liberal government and its green energy policies have encouraged "pigs at the trough" and "sparked a massive corporate feeding frenzy." But it's impossible not to think that something isn't quite right with the enormous net-profit margins BC Hydro and Power Authority is paying at least one non-B.C. independent power producer to generate clean energy in our own province.

No Campbell dam
Gordon Forster, Letter to the Editor The Province Vancouver Canada April 21, 2010

In what country is what Gordon Campbell doing considered democratic? Since his election, the first one, he has lied to get our vote then completely backpedalled on pretty well every issue. When you dismantle the watchdogs who knows what is really going on in our government? I mean B.C. Rail, B.C. Hydro, B.C. Ferries and who could forget the attempt to sell the Coquihalla Highway, which was caught before the papers were signed. This all leads up to the Site C dam. I am really curious as to who is in line for the contract. And if this dam is built please tell me our premier's name won't be put on it.

Gordon Forster, Hope [B.C.]

Weisgerber's lucrative move from BC Hydro director to consultant
Will McMartin TheTyee.ca British Columbia Canada April 22, 2010

Visit this page for its embedded links.

During his speech announcing that the government is moving to the next stage on the Site C hydroelectric project on the Peace River, British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell acknowledged the contributions of Jack Weisgerber. John Sylvester Weisgerber, better known as Jack, is a former Social Credit and Reform Party of B.C. leader who represented Peace River South from 1986 to 2001. A Vancouver Province story this week identified him as a B.C. Hydro consultant, as well as a former aboriginal affairs minister and former member of the B.C. Treaty Commission. The Province story failed to mention that Weisgerber is also a former director of B.C. Hydro, appointed by the provincial cabinet in September 2001, a few months after Campbell was first elected premier. And as it turns out, Weisgerber's move in 2007 from director to consultant appears to have made better financial sense for him than it did for the Crown corporation. ... Put another way, Weisgerber Consulting Inc. earned more than five times as much consulting to B.C. Hydro than Weisgerber did each year as a director. ...

Campbell coalition's conceptual design of the potential Site C dam on the Peace River. On April 19, the B.C. government announced it will move forward with the Site C Clean Energy Project (Site C). The provincial government and BC Hydro have a lot of deals to strike in northeast British Columbia if they want public support for the proposed $6.6-billion Site C dam project. Jim comment: Best I can figure so far is the state of California and the companies involved in the extraction of bitumen from the Alberta tar sands are expected to be the main beneficiaries of this project.

BC ENERGY PLAN aka Bush-Cheney Energy Plan
Tom Rankin Friends of BC Hydro British Columbia Canada July 30, 2007 (Last updated November 17, 2007)

... The BC Energy Plan, if not interrupted soon, will cause the population of BC to lose its peace, prosperity and control over its rivers and public electrical energy systems. Since 2002 a Trojan horse has been operating the public utility BC Hydro in an inside attack on water and power. A modern piracy is occurring in BC. ...

Premier Gordon Campbell's Site C dam is starting to look like a done deal
Charlie Smith Georgia Straight Vancouver Canada April 17, 2010

Don't kid yourself. Premier Gordon Campbell may have decided to build the Site C hydroelectric dam around the same time as then-B.C. Progress Board chairman David Black recommended doing this in a newspaper article back in April 2004. But it wasn't going to help Campbell's northeastern MLAs by announcing this before the 2005 or the 2009 elections. With the last election out of the way, Campbell will likely declare on Monday (April 19) that his government is moving to the third of a five-stage process that will determine the future of the proposal. This will create an impression among some that this is not a done deal. This third stage, which is expected to last two years, involves dealing with regulatory issues and the environmental assessment of the project.

Keep in mind that in Campbell's B.C., environmental assessments never thwart major capital projects. Especially ones as big as the Site C dam, which will cost up to $6.6 billion and would flood the Peace River valley between the Peace Canyon Dam and the point where the Peace and Moberly rivers connect. And if the B.C. Utilities Commission gets in the way—like it did with run-of-river power projects—a Campbell-led government will likely change the law to ensure that the Site C dam will still go ahead. ...

Site C dam laying groundwork for surge in energy exports
Justine Hunter Globe and Mail Canada April 21, 2010

The construction of the massive Site C dam lays the foundation for a major expansion of green-energy exports – a surge that will transform renewable energy into an industry that rivals mining in B.C., the province’s Energy Minister says. The construction of the dam, approved by the province on Monday, is expected to cost more than $6-billion, and conservationists have vowed to fight the proposal as it moves to the environmental assessment stage. The government insists that the dam’s 900-megawatt capacity is needed for domestic use. But it would allow the province to export more power – a strategy Energy Minister Blair Lekstrom will set out in legislation later this spring – by adding to the province’s overall electricity production. ...

Russian studies
Sean Holman Public Eye British Columbia Canada April 21, 2010

The Crown corporation responsible for the province's transmission lines is hiring a consultant with a background in Russian energy policy and the democratization of post-Soviet countries to analyze California's power planning initiatives, directly awarding her a contract worth up to $80,000. Under the government's procurement guidelines, contracts worth $25,000 or more must be put through a competitive bidding process unless certain conditions are met - such as only one contractor being qualified to do that work. But a British Columbia Transmission Corp. spokesperson told Public Eye those guidelines don't apply to Crown corporations and that Olga Beznosova is being given the contract because of her academic credentials and her previous work for BCTC. According to her LinedIn profile, Ms. Beznosova has a master's degree in public policy and management from the University of Pittsburgh and is working on a doctorate in political science at the University of British Columbia. Her specialty: "Russian energy policy, politics of authoritarian states, and democratic transitions." ... In September 2006, the transmission corporation hired her as a part-time consultant in "strategic planning, corporate performance measurement and energy policy." ...

British Columbia Transmission Corp. is actively involved in North American organizations promoting the safe, reliable and cost-effective operation of the grid. BCTC participates on the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), the North American Electricity Reliability Council (NERC), and in the Western Renewable Energy Zone (WREZ) initiative. WECC is geographically the largest and most diverse of the eight Regional Entities that have Delegation Agreements with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). WECC's service territory extends from Canada to Mexico. It includes the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, the northern portion of Baja California, Mexico, and all or portions of the 14 Western states between. Since 1968, NERC has been committed to ensuring the reliability of the bulk power system in North America. WREZ: The Western Renewable Energy Zone project "is a joint venture between the Western Governors’ Association and the US Department of Energy that is pinpointing renewable energy hot spots in the Western United States" (and Canada, too, it would seem).

Disturbing the Peace: The case against the Site C dam
Max Fawcett TheTyee.ca British Columbia Canada April 2010

Max Fawcett, who served as a newspaper editor at the Chetwynd Echo in the Peace River area of British Columbia slated to be flooded if the Site C Dam project is approved this spring, interviews project opponents, sifts the government's claims, and lays out a dam-free alternative for the region. Five parts.

"The worst is yet to come…"
Laila Yuile I'm Laila Yuile and This Is How I See It British Columbia Canada April 20, 2010

Visit this page for its embedded links.

The announcement yesterday that the BC Liberals and Gordon Campbell plan to move ahead with a major dam in the beautiful and pristine Peace River region, is both devastating, and leaves me outraged – as it should you. As most of you know, I grew up in just outside of Prince George, and spent much of my childhood and youth traversing the back country hunting, fishing and exploring the north with my family. The area this dam is slated to destroy is one of the most beautiful and plentiful this province has to offer. Much more will be lost, than can ever, ever be gained, and for this reason I ask you to inform yourself about this project, the motive behind it and ask yourself if you can stand by and let one man leave a legacy of destruction for our future generations. ...

Here is the first in a series of videos that show the area that will be destroyed forever, if this project happens. ... The other two video segments that follow, can be accessed HERE , and a host of other video commentarys and protests from residents and others in the area affected can be accessed HERE I am asking you to watch these videos, listen to these people and decide for yourself what you think is right. And then make your voice heard. ...

Northeast residents wary of a future with Site C dam
Scott Simpson Vancouver Sun/Edmonton Journal Canada April 21, 2010

The provincial government and BC Hydro have a lot of deals to strike in northeast British Columbia if they want public support for the proposed $6.6-billion Site C dam project. Communities in the region want to benefit from development of the dam -- a multi-year economic boom providing 7,600 direct local jobs and 35,000 direct and indirect jobs provincewide -- but not if the megaproject threatens drinking-water supplies or overwhelms community services, northeast mayors say.

Northeast first nations, meanwhile, boycotted Premier Gordon Campbell's Monday announcement that Site C will proceed to a third, detailed stage of study in preparation for construction of the project at a location on the Peace River downstream of the W.A.C. Bennett and Peace Canyon dams. Liz Logan, Tribal Chief of the Treaty 8 first nations, said she and fellow chiefs representing northeast aboriginals are meeting on Thursday to determine how best to express their "outrage" that the project is going ahead despite unresolved grievances dating back to the construction of the Bennett Dam in the 1960s. ...

Natives plan to fight Site C dam planned for Peace River
Matthew Burrows Georgia Straigh Vancouver Canada Apri 22, 2010


West Moberly First Nations Chief Roland Willson (with son Dustyn) may go to court to preserve his way of life in Peace River country. Photo: Matthew Burrows

A First Nations chief from northeastern B.C. has said his band is considering legal action after Premier Gordon Campbell gave the nod for the controversial Site C dam proposal to proceed to the regulatory-review stage. Chief Roland Willson told the Georgia Straight by phone that the West Moberly First Nations are contemplating court action because his people weren’t given an opportunity to present their arguments during the project definition and consultation stage. ... Along with all the other chiefs whose First Nations are covered by Treaty 8, Willson boycotted the premier’s media event, which took place at the W.A.C. Bennett Dam, near the town of Hudson’s Hope. Willson pointed out that the Campbell government watered down the provincial environmental assessment process after being elected in 2001. He said the West Moberly First Nations, which are still reeling from the effects of the first two dams, would be directly affected by the Site C dam, due to its proximity. ...

“The chiefs take the position that they didn’t give up their aboriginal title, and that Treaty 8 is a peace-and-friendship treaty and not a cede-and-surrender treaty,” Devlin said. “However, the government of Canada and British Columbia take the position that Treaty 8 is a cede-and-surrender treaty. Making the pitch for aboriginal title is very difficult.” Willson said he will fight “until the end” to stop the dam from being built. “When we start understanding the global ramifications of losing all that farmland and all the resources that will be gone from that, it will be too late,” he said.

Noted: Gordon Campbell's statement on Earth Day

Office of the Premier

For Immediate Release
2010PREM0086-000455
April 22, 2010

PREMIER’S STATEMENT ON EARTH DAY

VICTORIA – Premier Gordon Campbell made the following statement on the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.

“Earth Day is an important opportunity to raise awareness for our environment. There is no denying that the world has changed. Climate change is real and we must all do our part to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and minimize the impact our actions have on the world. In British Columbia we are fortunate to have some of the most beautiful, pristine land on the planet. The province’s natural beauty is diverse and unparalleled. We are blessed with a land that deserves preservation and we have a responsibility to protect it. The B.C. Government is working to lead by example both domestically and internationally. ..."

Contact:
Bridgitte Anderson
Press Secretary
Office of the Premier
604 307-7177

For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca.

From our desk dictionary, "puffery: exaggerated commendation especially for promotional purposes." To balance the PAB's above Earth Day puffery (we're feeling especially polite today for some reason), some clear words from North Vancouver's Norman Farrell, who is one of Powell River's estimable sons.

Not merely consistent with guilt but inconsistent with innocence
Norman Farrell Northern Insights British Columbia Canada April 10, 2010

During the Liberal years, Gordon Campbell remade British Columbia. While the provincial economy grew, the fortunes of ordinary people declined, for the first extended period ever. Beneficiaries of change had demanded redistribution of wealth to the disadvantage of all but a few. The end result was not incidental or accidental. ...

A long history of inexpensive clean power was targeted for elimination. Premier WAC Bennett said that low cost power would be the foundation for job development as long as the resource was used at home, not exported south to run factories of the USA. Gordon Campbell turned that policy on its head. Now, BC Hydro is obliged to purchase high cost interruptible power so they can dump it in the export market at a loss. BC gains hugely now from low cost "heritage" generation sites. Without publicly owned projects, there will be no new ones because private facilities will demand "world prices" in subsequent contract terms. Imagine if private companies had built the Peace and Columbia River dams in the sixties. The utility would triple today's electricity prices. Even worse, BC Hydro intends to allow private producers to sell their own non-firm-power as firm-power by lending from BC Hydro's predictable resource, when private supply runs low. So irregular power production will be topped up from public sources while the price premium stays in private hands. At times of high demand and high prices, BC Hydro power will be given to the privates to sell. When export demand and prices are low, BC Hydro will take back from the privates. We will be told it was merely a balanced commodity trade, one kwh traded for another kwh; balanced trade sounds so innocuous. This is planned fraud, shielded from public view by government imposed secrecy. The beneficiaries are common to other frauds. ...

One attitude of citizens that Gordon Campbell's governance has reinforced beyond all reasonable levels is distrust. Distrust is the confident expectation that another individual's motives, intentions and behaviors are sinister and harmful to one's own interests. Regular readers know that I have written about how one hand cleans another when plutocrats do the washing up. We have accumulated so much indirect and circumstantial evidence of corruption that, despite frenetic efforts of Liberal defenders, a reasonable person can draw only one conclusion. The facts are not merely consistent with guilt but inconsistent with innocence.

Is there anything British Columbia's Campbell claque won't do to protect their masters?

Drug watchdog sidelined
"A" News British Columbia Canada April 2010

Video: Three minutes, 46 seconds.

VICTORIA - Medical health experts call the Therapeutics Initiative a counter-balance to one of the most lucrative industries in the world. But the independent drug watchdog is being sidelined by the Province. The program was established in 1994 at UBC. It provides physicians and pharmacists with evidence-based information on prescription drug therapy. The program is being phased out this summer and a new drug review model is being put in place.

Health Minister Kevin Falcon says a 2007 pharmaceutical task force made up of academics, clinical professionals and pharmaceutical industry leaders said there should be a new drug review model to improve clinical advice and increase transparency. The opposition says the Therapeutics Initiative is credited with protecting lives and saving the health system money.

The outcry from medical professionals from all around North America is loud. The Theraputics Initiative has been regarded as one of the best public-interest programs in existence. Some medical experts say the move by the provincial government to sideline an independent body that reviews pharmaceutical products in B.C. will cost more, cause more drug complications and may even put lives at risk.

Alarm raised over move to scuttle drug review process
Vancouver Sun British Columbia Canada April 8, 2010

... The Therapeutics Initiative, a University of B.C.-based panel of experts that advises the government and doctors on the safety of prescription drugs, is being removed from the drug review process after a task force expressed concerns about a lack of transparency and consultation.

Dr. Jerome Kassirer, the former editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine and author of On the Take, said via teleconference from California that the Therapeutic Initiative's conflict-of-interest policy was strong, resulting in an independent evaluation of new drugs. "If I was the pharmaceutical industry, I'd love to get rid of the Therapeutics Initiative for obvious reasons. They must be a thorn in their side," Kassirer said. "You can be sure that you're going to spend a lot more money, and have a lot more drug complications if the Therapeutics Initiative goes away and if the province doesn't rely on their recommendations."

The government uses information from the Therapeutics Initiative to decide which drugs are included for coverage by Pharmacare. The Therapeutics Initiative also sends drug recommendations to doctors and pharmacists. British Columbia's opposition health critic Adrian Dix said the panel saved hundreds of lives and millions of dollars in B.C. The Type 2 diabetes drug Avandia is a good example of how the Therapeutics Initiative saves lives, said Alan Cassels, drug policy researcher at the University of Victoria. Avandia was approved by Quebec and Ontario quite quickly, but B.C. took about four years to decide if the drug was safe, Cassels said. The drug was only offered on a limited basis in British Columbia, which has the lowest per capita drug costs in the country. In 2006 Dr. Jim Wright, managing director of the Therapeutics Initiative, said there was strong evidence to not use the drug because of "cardiovascular outcomes." Four years later, in February 2010, the New York Times reported that hundreds of people taking Avandia needlessly suffer heart attacks and heart failure each month, according to confidential U.S. government reports. "I would estimate that hundreds, if not thousands, of lives were saved just based on that one drug," Cassels said.

The Therapeutics Initiative is needed to counterbalance drug companies' marketing efforts, said Dr. Sidney Wolfe, medical director of the Health Research Group at Public Citizen, a U.S. consumer advocacy organization. "The typical prescriber in B.C. ... is deluged with billions of dollars of advertising and promotion for drugs. A massive amount of money is spent convincing doctors that drugs that are no better than other drugs and that might be more dangerous are good and worth prescribing," Wolfe said. "In the face of that it is even more important to have an independent group that is free of conflict of interest." ...

Related: Corporate drug retailers throw their muscle behind Big Pharma, the public good be damned.

Shoppers Drug Mart cuts hours
Rob Ferguson Toronto Star Ontario Canada April 13, 2010

When Health Minister Deb Matthews fired a broadside Monday at pharmacies furious over her drug reforms – accusing the industry of holding patients "hostage" for threatening service cuts – it was hard not to see a family feud developing. Her brother-in-law, former Liberal premier David Peterson, is on the board of directors at Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation, Canada's leading drug chain. Shoppers is the most vocal opponent of the Liberal government's controversial plan to slash generic drug prices in half.

As the war of words escalated in a testy exchange of letters between Matthews and pharmacy groups, Shoppers said it will shorten pharmacy hours at stores in London – the hometown of Matthews and Peterson – starting Tuesday. It also said it will impose delivery fees next Monday. The announced changes are clearly aimed at putting pressure on Matthews in her riding of London North Centre and came just hours after she issued a strongly worded letter asking pharmacies to "not hold patients hostage. I think it's important that people who disagree with the reforms fight the fight with us, not put their patients in the centre of this ... not withdraw services for people who need their drugs," she told reporters later.

The decision to cut a total of 170 hours of service a week at seven of its 20 London stores was a "difficult one," said Shoppers chief executive Jurgen Schreiber, who described the changes as "the first in a series" the company warned of last week. "However, given the impending funding cuts to community pharmacy announced by the Ontario government, we must modify our business model to ensure the long-term sustainability of our stores," he added in a statement. "We regret the inconvenience these changes may cause to our valued patients and customers." ...

Rexall opens new front in drug war
Rob Ferguson and Dana Flavelle Toronto Star Ontario Canada April 13, 2010

Rexall and Pharma Plus customers are now caught in the crossfire between drug stores and the Ontario government over drug reforms, with the chain announcing a new delivery fee Tuesday just minutes before Health Minister Deb Matthews held out an olive branch. Matthews suggested the province would consider increasing the $100 million in payments it has earmarked for pharmacists to provide medical services like flu shots if they go along with Ontario’s controversial plan to cut the price of generic drugs in half. “Let’s see,” she told reporters at Queen’s Park, following a week of complaints from pharmacists that the amount is too low given that the government plans to ban them from accepting $750 million a year in payments from generic drug manufactures. The ban is designed to bring the cost of generic drugs down by at least 50 per cent. ...

The move by Rexall, which will also freeze hiring at its corporate head office and eliminate programs for pharmacy students and interns effective immediately, follows a decision by larger rival Shoppers Drug Mart on Monday to shorten pharmacy hours in 7 London stores and impose delivery fees there. There are 250 Rexall and Pharma Plus stores in Ontario, where fees for deliveries will be imposed starting Monday. The amount of the fee has not been determined, the company said. “We are disappointed these measures must be taken, particularly given our long-standing commitment to the professional development of pharmacists,” said Rexall chief executive officer Andy Giancamilli. “The imminent health care cutbacks imposed by the McGuinty Liberal government have forced us to take immediate action and review our existing business model for the delivery of health care to ensure the viability of our business in the communities we serve. We are committed to doing all we can to continue to provide the best possible pharmacy care to our patients and customers despite the looming and severe cutbacks to pharmaceutical health care.” ...

Second pharmacy chain, Rexall, to cut services in Ontario
Karen Howlett and Marina Strauss Globe and Mail Canada Last updated April 14, 2010

A protest sign is installed in front of a Shoppers Drug Mart in the west end of London, Ont., challenging the recent provincial government decision on generic drug pricing. Geoff Robins/The Globe and Mail. Meanwhile, province’s Health Minister hints government could make financial concessions.

... The Opposition suggested that small, family-owned pharmacies will feel the brunt of the changes and that many will be forced to close. This would hurt consumers because there are not drugstores on every corner in small towns, said New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath. Bradley Pharmacy Ltd. is one such business that is facing an uncertain future, said owner and operator Terry McMahon. The drugstore has been a fixture in the northeastern Ontario city of Sudbury since Mr. McMahon’s mother opened it in 1954 and is the only pharmacy in town serving the francophone community. “I’m worried about my patients,” Mr. McMahon said in an interview. “I’m worried about looking them in the eye and telling them things are going to change drastically.”

Aries writes in a comment appended to the above post writes:

Speaking as someone who works in pharmacies quite often, this doesn't represent the end of the small stores; in fact, they will blossom. Big chains had greater buying power than the small independent and therefore received MUCH higher rebates. As such, they have more to lose. Sure, the small independent will lose money but this is nothing compared to what the big chain stores will lose. I'm sure in the long run the small independent will benefit from this because people will realize how useless and overpriced SDM and Rexall really are. Independents provide much better service at a lower cost. While SDM charges $8 for delivery in my home town; the independent I work at charges $1 and the pharmacists personally deliver Rx's to nursing home patients at no charge.

Jeffrey Simpson opines Canadians will all come out ahead if provinces band together to negotiate drug prices.

Pharmacies’ pain will be consumers’ gain if Ontario wins its drug showdown
Jeffrey Simpson Globe and Mail Canada April 13, 2010

Pharmacies big and small are furious at the Ontario government’s attempt to cut the cost of generic drugs. Cheering Ontario quietly are all the other provinces. If Ontario can pull this off, other provinces will not be far behind, because they are all struggling with rising health-care costs, including the cost of drugs. ... Drug spending, as a share of national spending on health, has been rising for years. It now stands at almost $30-billion, or about 18 per cent, compared to 28 per cent for hospital and 13.5 per cent for physicians. Of the $30-billion that Canadians spend on drugs, about 40 per cent comes from public plans. Drug costs, from 1985 to 2008, have increased at an annual average rate of 9.4 per cent, compared to a 6.6 per cent annual increase for overall health expenditures.

Drugs, of course, can save money. They can replace costlier treatments in hospitals, or allow patients to be discharged more quickly. In 2007, 64 new patented drugs were introduced to the market. Sometimes, new drugs replace existing drugs at much higher costs. Drug costs aren’t rising, contrary to popular mythology, because of patented drugs. These have been rising at slightly below the rate of inflation. But Canadians are big overall drug consumers: the second-highest per capita after Americans, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. One thing Ontario and all provinces should do is create a national drug formulary, a change recommended in the 2002 Romanow report on health care in Canada. Each province maintains its own formulary, and negotiates with drug suppliers to meet its needs. This is crazy, since the provinces together, representing 33-million people, would likely negotiate better prices than any individual province could. Of course, provinces will disagree at the margin about which drugs should be included in their formularies, but they could surely agree on 90-95 per cent of the drugs common to all formularies. Drug companies don’t like this prospect, which is a good reason for doing it. ...

Big Pharma’s solution for our health woes: More and more pills for the elderly.

Drug bust
Alan Cassels Common Ground British Columbia Canada April 2010 issue

I-ro-ny [ahy-ruh-nee] – noun, plural-nies: the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning.[From dictionary.com]

We’ve all heard a lot about the “greying of the population” and how the growing numbers of baby boomers entering retirement are going to make public healthcare around the world absolutely unsustainable. We are told perennial stories of how old people hog hospital beds and fill up expensive “assisted living” facilities – where a growing number of them require more individualized care, more medical procedures and a lot more drugs, all of which cost a ton of money.

Experts and other commentators point to the expensive care of the elderly as the likely straw that is going to break Canada’s camel-backed socialist medical system. The usual solutions put forth to deal with the coming demographic tsunami typically include:

1. Putting more private money into healthcare: nope, that’s a loser of a solution as everyone knows private health care is more expensive.

2. Raising taxes: also a difficult solution – look at the recent mudslinging over the harmonized sales tax in BC and Ontario and tell me a better way to effectively rouse the masses to insurrection.

3. Providing less healthcare: that’s a tough struggle too because every dollar saved on healthcare is either someone’s profits or someone’s income and who wants to take the blame for removing profits from those who depend on performing surgeries, selling drugs and treating people?

So while politicians and health policy makers are wringing their hands, searching frantically for solutions to a healthcare system groaning under the weight of the exploding numbers of elderly people, let me propose a modest solution: let’s increase prescription rates for seniors. That’s right, contrary to those nattering pharmaceutical nihilists, we must enact policies to get more and more pharmaceuticals to even more seniors if we want to make healthcare more sustainable.

We already know that pharmaceutical-induced deaths among the elderly are enormously helpful in freeing up more beds for other patients, reducing the workload of healthcare workers and the need for further expensive medical procedures. That’s why polypharmacy – the practice of taking multiple prescriptions – is the right solution to save our health system money. We also know that taking many different prescriptions every day is a practice that is likely shortening the lives of many people doing it so a simple cost-saving solution is to get more patients to do more of it. I have found it somewhat futile to be constantly promoting rational and sensible pharmaceutical use. Teaching doctors to be rational prescribers and educating patients to be sensible prescription drug users go against the grain of established medical practices and against the best energies of the pharmaceutical marketing machinery. Canadian seniors already take an obscene amount of drugs so let’s not fight it. Let’s go with the flow on this one. ...