Norman Farrell
Resources giveaway
After Telus, Teck Resources Limited ranks as the largest BC company, by sales. In three years 2010 to 2012, Teck booked revenues of $31 billion, almost half from the sale…
FYI
The tobacco industry is being sued by Canadian provinces that aim to recover more than $100 billion in healthcare costs associated with tobacco related illness. British Columbia is one of…
Things we know, or should know
Many readers will be familiar with content of the following piece that I uncovered while doing computer file maintenance. It’s worth remembering. Robert Fulghum grew up in Texas, worked as…
"Revenue neutral" carbon taxes – hollow claim
In its June budget update, the BC Government said, “When the carbon tax was introduced, one of the key principles was that the tax would be revenue neutral – that…
Recalling BC pioneers
This item is recycled from the summer of 2010. I was reminded of it after a Twitter exchange about natural resource revenues and the lack of transparency surrounding them. This…
When regulators don’t believe in regulation
Fracking in Wyoming With Put the brakes on LNG until impact of fracking investigated, Laila Yuile draws attention to deficient science surrounding hydraulic fracturing in British Columbia. “The rush to…
Consumers targeted by BC Liberals
Governments prefer indirect taxation partly because politicians assume they’ll take less heat if hands of tax collectors slip into our pockets surreptitiously. That’s done in BC by instructing crown corporations…
Justice delayed: time is money
In the USA today, a black youth was jailed for life after a jury trial convicted him of a March 2013 shooting. The time from homicide to related conviction: 5…
Make the news, then report the news
After The Fraser Institute reported it’s never been easier financially to raise a Canadian child, Business in Vancouver surveyed Twitter response to the think tank’s featherbrained newspeak and found “considerable”…
That was then; this is now
Much of my youth was spent in the coastal mill town of Powell River. Paying excellent wages, the pulp, paper and lumber company directly employed almost 2,500 workers. It hired…
Sun Media provides platform for racism
I realize the Sun Media Corporation markets itself to rednecks and racists, but this comment attached to Cold Lake Sun article Man dead after being shot by RCMP on Cold…
A sad and costly police problem
Last Sunday, a large group of family, friends and associates gathered and paid tribute to Pierre Lemaitre, an officer who once was the RCMP’s senior media relations officer in British…
Sanctimonious, who me?
RossK at The Gazetteer notes one particular whine of one practitioner in the corporate media, Sanctimonious was an interesting choice of word by this guy but it better fits a…
A challenge to Wally Oppal and friends
In 2009, Delta South voters decided that one term MLA Wally Oppal was not the person they wanted to represent them in the Legislature. That decision made him eligible for…
Police officers can be victims too
The sudden death of RCMP Sgt. Pierre Lemaitre was probably in mind when Resergeance.net posted the video embedded here. More than a few people believe that Lemaitre was misused by…
Pushing back on the pushback
Anonymous reader argued through earlier comments that comparisons between BC Investment Management Corporation and Washington State Investment Board are inappropriate “apples and oranges.” The person attempted to justify huge increases…
Norm Farrell with Ian Jessop on CKDA
Tuesday, July 30, I was interviewed live by Ian Jessop on his afternoon program on CKDA1070. We talked about BCiMC for almost 30 minutes after 1:00 pm. You can listen…
A changeup – on Major League Baseball
Mother Jones asks, Is Your Team’s Owner a Major League Asshole? Tim Murphy, Ian Gordon, Tasneem Raja, and Sarah Zhang provide information to help us judge. Here’s a few examples:…
Smile
I’m a regular online listener to BBC News Quiz, a panel show created by John Lloyd 36 years ago. It has been hosted by Danish/British author and presenter Sandi Toksvig…