Author: Norman Farrell
Blogging regularly since April 2009 on public affairs with focus on BC politics, journalism, the environment and ethical matters in the public arena.
Northern Insight: New adventures in not-net-zero land
It is a tough time for British Columbia. Natural gas producers are producing more but paying less to government. With bark beetle destruction and boundless raw log exports, the province’s forest industry is a shadow of its former self. Tough times dictates tough economic medicine and BC Liberals are dishing
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Guest post regarding Narrows Inlet
Submission to the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office regarding the proposed Narrows Inlet private power project Submitted by: Joan and Soren Bech Roberts Creek, B.C. Public consultation process On Oct. 12, we attended the Open House in Egmont, expecting to be able to provide comments on the NI
Continue readingNorthern Insight: No doubt about the winner in a contest of one
Ian Reid and Bob Mackin have been the leading journalists examining Paragon Gaming’s past relationship with Pavco. We knew Paragon had an inside track for the proposed casino at BC Place but it now seems theirs was the only horse in the race. Reid’s BC Place meet Paragon Gaming, along
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Platform for hatred
In my childhood long ago, Canadians used ethnic slurs without much thought. My east Vancouver family, not hateful people, disdainfully labelled central and eastern Europe war-victim refugees as DP’s or Bohunks. In those days, a black child was a Pickaninny or a Tar Baby; the parents called Spades, Spearchuckers, Coons, Spooks,
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Austerity only for the "plebs"
The most read article at Northern Insights is Adventures in not net zero land. It begins with this: “Helping manage the BC government’s war on school teachers and public education is Deputy Minister of Education James Gorman. He is a long time senior bureaucrat. “Public accounts show his salary in
Continue readingNorthern Insight: More lipstick please
Is Shirley Bond the Attorney General or a new arrival to this province? She sounds like the latter in presenting another BC Liberal plan to address backlogs and improve management of court cases. After almost 12 years of mismanagement, why would BC Liberals now have ability or willingness to solve
Continue readingNorthern Insight: We can help
As a journalist, Jody Paterson often wrote about Canadian children and families. Now, she and partner Paul Willcocks do humanitarian work in Honduras through Cuso International. One of their projects assists forty children without families. Jody and Paul set out to raise $8,500 for the foster home housing these children. Today,
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Would we vote for someone who promised to:
“Protect BC Hydro and all of its core assets, including dams, reservoirs and power lines under public ownership.” “Restore an independent BC Utilities Commission, to re-regulate BC Hydro’s electricity rates.” “Pass a Living Rivers Act to protect and improve BC’s river systems with scientifically-based standards for watershed management, enhancements to
Continue readingNorthern Insight: More Narrows Inlet
Exploiters are taking us from HERE TO HERE If you want this to end, visit the website of British Columbia’s Environmental Assessment Office and voice your objections.
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Just asking
According to audited financial statements, BC Hydro’s debt for future energy purchases was $7.9 BILLION in 2006, not including Powerex. In 2012, that number had gone up almost seven fold, to $53.1 BILLION, not including Powerex. Can anyone direct me to a discussion of this fact anywhere in mainstream media?
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Media fails to give an honest account
http://edocs.lib.sfu.ca/cgi-bin/Cartoons?CartoonID=2239 Yesterday, the Liberal government claimed its diligent examination of TransLink had resulted in $139 million in annual savings. As I noted, the claim was easily determined to be false. Yet that did not stop the media echo chamber from repeating, even amplifying, the delusive assertions. A news commentator recently
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Radical environmentalism on the rise
READ MORE AT FOREST ETHICS and Rabble.ca
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Political TransLink "audit" is worthless
The BC government claims it “found significant savings” following a performance audit of TransLink. Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Mary Polak says, “As we conducted the audit, we told TransLink about many of the efficiencies we were finding… a total of $98 million in savings. The completed audit… found a further $41
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Circulate this video
H/T Richard Hughes
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Call to action
On October 22, 2012 join and support people from across Canada in BC’s Capital in defending our coast from tar sands tankers and pipelines. Then, on October 24th, in communities across BC let’s show BC’s unbroken wall of opposition by linking arms at our MLA offices. B.C. Premier Christy Clark
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Pretend capitalists loot and pillage BC
I’ve been examining audited financial statements of two favourite public enterprises: BC Hydro and PAVCO. I completed preliminary examination but a paucity of meaningful data makes that a difficult task for an outsider. I’ll write more about these subjects in weeks that follow. After assuming leadership of BC Liberals, Christy
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Who buys after the last job is outsourced?
Our current home renovation project put us back in the market for major appliances. That brought to mind a 2010 piece, providing my view of Maytag, a once successful manufacturer that lost independence and ended up as one more brand name of Whirlpool Corporation. The following was first published March 3,
Continue readingNorthern Insight: More Bad Pharma
A few days ago, Patients exposed to harm on a staggering scale provided excerpts from Ben Goldacre’s book Bad Pharma. You can download or listen to a lengthy interview with Dr. Goldacre at The Guardian’s Science Weekly Podcast. I recommend this episode to anyone interested in knowing more about operations
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