Photo: Former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed. The Calgary-Lougheed electoral district is named after Lougheed. It has been one week since the Calgary-Lougheed by-election was called. The by-election is being held on Dec. 14, 2017, but voters in this district also have the option of voting in advance polls on Dec. 6,
Continue readingTag: Truthiness
Susan on the Soapbox: “Post-truth” Politics in Alberta
Albertans can learn a lot about the importance of truth in politics from the Trump/Clinton presidential race. Political lies have moved beyond “misstatements” for which politicians “take full responsibility” and (sort of) apologize, to “truthiness”, a term coined by Stephen Colbert for a lie that appeals to a voter’s feelings,
Continue readingIn-Sights: Crime (still) in progress (a 2010 article repeated)
News item:
British Columbia Liberals announce the new Clean Energy Act sets the foundation for a new future of electricity self-sufficiency.
Definition:
Self-sufficiency: The ability to satisfy one’s basic needs without outside help.
News item:
General Electric, the multinational corporation ranked in 2009 by Forbes as the world’s largest, invested $727 million in British Columbia’s Toba Inlet hydro power project and the first phase of the Dokie Ridge wind farm project in the Peace River.
News item:
Finavera Renewables Inc., a Vancouver company with no revenues, an accumulated deficit of $41.7 million and an overall shareholder deficiency of $5.5 million at the beginning of fiscal year 2010, was selected by BC Hydro to build four electricity-generating wind farms in northeastern B.C. The projects are expected to cost at least $800 million. General Electric has negotiated the exclusive right to provide 100 per cent financing for Finavera’s four wind projects.
The [Energy Purchase Agreements] with B.C. Hydro provide a revenue stream based on a defined price and are the commercial cornerstones of any power project in British Columbia, providing the basis to move forward towards project construction and operation.
Despite all the disingenuous and misleading B.S. issued by Liberal politicians and operatives for private power producers, that single sentence, which is carefully constructed and required by professional audit standards, demonstrates the reason why there is a rush of private power projects.
Read Will McMartin’s outstanding article at The Tyee. BC’s Energy Independence? Don’t Believe It.
[Energy independence], it’s all a sham. British Columbia under Gordon Campbell’s BC Liberal government has become increasingly dependent on non-B.C. owned corporations to produce high-priced electricity, which BC Hydro is forced (by government edict) to buy, and in turn sell at inflated prices to captive residential and commercial consumers.
See also McMartin’s May 11 piece, General Electric and BC’s Private Power Gold Rush.
In February and March, $142,420 was generated through the sale of just over 2.8 million share-warrant units at five cents apiece. A few weeks later, another 10 million shares were sold at six cents each and fetched a total of $600,000.
The former sale appears to have gone to Anchorage Capital Master Offshore Ltd., a New York-based hedge fund founded in 2003 by Kevin Ulrich and Anthony Davis, a pair of alumni from Wall Street’s largest investment bank and brokerage, Goldman Sachs.
In-Sights: Crime (still) in progress (a 2010 article repeated)
News item: British Columbia Liberals announce the new Clean Energy Act sets the foundation for a new future of electricity self-sufficiency. Definition: Self-sufficiency: The ability to satisfy one’s basic needs without outside help. News item: General Electric, the multinational corporation ranked in 2009 by Forbes as the world’s largest, invested
Continue readingNorthern Insight / Perceptivity: Truthiness
This week, radio Station CKNW played commercials aimed at promoting public confidence in the absolute safety of Trans Mountain pipeline operations and marine shipments of petroleum products on the west coast. The spots end with this tagline: “Trans Mountain, operating safely in your community since 1953.” Gadget Google – Lecteur
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Christy Clark’s Personal Fight Against BC Teachers Is Taking its’ Toll
Richard Hughes-Political Blogger In 2002, then BC Liberal Education Minister Christy Clark ripped classroom composition provisions out of the legally negotiated contract. The teachers in 1998 had negotiated a contract with the BC NDP government that funded the changes in classroom conditions, forgoing any wage increase. It was 0-0-0 for three years
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Jim Prentice Fails the “Truthiness” Test (apologies to Stephen Colbert)
If Jim Prentice is going to wade into the murky waters of “truthiness” the least he could do is do it properly, otherwise the whole thing becomes a farce. Stephen Colbert “Truthiness” is a term coined by political satirist/comic Stephen Colbert to describe the practice of framing a political message
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Rafe asks: Is ‘lying’ too strong a word for Clark Libs’ LNG fibs?
Rafe Mair has struggled with our Premier’s lack of ‘truthiness’ when it comes to the straight goods on LNG. If it were not so serious it would be downright hilarious. Most are not prepared, especially on big issues, to face fabricated stories from the make believe ‘Christy Clark World
Continue readingNorthern Insight: One value Premier failed to learn: truthfulness
In Sunday’s thirty minute TV commercial, Christy Clark said that leadership involves, “holding true to the values you were raised with…” If I were one of the people that parented her, I would feel a sense of failure, values wise, since she has little commitment to truthfulness. For example, she
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Truth and Premier Photo Op remain strangers
David Akin’s On the Hill, November 2/12, Latest job numbers: BC is number one — in job losses ” ‘I’m going to run on (being) number one in job creation,’ BC Premier Christy Clark told the Liberal Party of BC convention last Saturday, boasting at one point that BC had
Continue readingNorthern Insight: BC Liberal truthiness
We face 26 weeks of taxpayer paid pre-election advertising promoting the BC Liberals. They’ll be using “facts” like this one, broadcast on Global TV November 9:
“We’re ensuring British Columbians have the skills they need to be first in line for jobs.”…
Northern Insight: Truthiness in BC
During the past week, this blog’s third birthday slipped by and I barely noticed because life is busier than ever. What began as an aim to gain a little writing proficiency through practice has grown into a fairly consuming hobby. After more than 50 years as a news junkie, I’ve
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Can Geeks Defeat Lies? Thoughts on a Fresh New Approach to Dealing With Online Errors, Misrepresentations, and Quackery
fact check universe.png This afternoon, I’ll be at MIT for this conference, sponsored by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard and the MIT Center for Civic Media and entitled “Truthiness in Digital Media: A symposium that seeks to address propaganda and misinformation in the new media ecosystem.”
Continue readingNorthern Insights / Perceptivity: Vancouver Sun: FAIL!
On the left you can see yesterday’s Vancouver Sun cover page the day after more than 60 First Nations annouced they will not allow the Enbridge pipeline through their territories, on the right you can see today’s Vancouver Sun cover page the day after one First Nation annouced they support
Continue readingNorthern Insights / Perceptivity: Falcon: Revenue neutral HST an "urban legend"
When the referendum delivered an unwanted result, BC’s provincial government reshaped, polished and coordinated messages to the public. One particularly troublesome claim, made by Finance Minister Colin Hansen during the July 2009 HST annou…
Continue readingNorthern Insights / Perceptivity: Crimes in progress (another 2010 article brought forward)
News item:
British Columbia Liberals announce the new Clean Energy Act sets the foundation for a new future of electricity self-sufficiency.
Definition:
Self-sufficiency: The ability to satisfy one’s basic needs without outside help.
News item:
…
Continue readingNorthern Insights / Perceptivity: Elections BC and the charade of secrecy
Shortly after 11 am Friday, August 26, Acting Chief Electoral Officer Craig James delivered HST vote results to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Clerk of the Assembly and the Attorney General. At 11:15 am, James released details to member…
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