Words from Hansard
November 1, 2011, Page 8568 C. James: “To the minister, to the Premier, to this government on the other side: if they wanted to look at affordability, they’d end those…
Norman Farrell
Our pending meltdown
Are BC Liberals about to drag taxpayers into another economic calamity? Something akin to BC Hydro’s private power initiative, where government has taken near $50 billion of financial risk and…
On the backs of the disadvantaged
Minister orders end to bonuses at Community Living BC, CTV News, October 21, 2011 “Social Development Minister Stephanie Cadieux has ordered an end to bonuses for managers at the Crown…
More of Harper’s Canada
Private prison companies look to Canada as industry faces lawsuits in US, Bilbo Poynter, The Guardian, June 19, 2011 – US states are beginning to rely less on privately run…
Comparing investment returns WA & BC
My earlier article pointed out the vast difference in overhead costs for government investment agencies in British Columbia and Washington State. One of our readers asked: “How did our group…
Needing leadership, we get greed
Province pundit Michael Smyth slammed provincial court judges – bellyachers of the bench, he called them – for demanding richer packages of salaries and benefits. Maybe Smyth is grinding an…
Lying like a cheap rug
Perhaps the largest barrier making re-election of Christy Clark’s government unlikely is its lack of credibility. The Liberal brain trust decided long ago that veracity should always rank behind expediency.…
No news is likely bad news
With the first quarter of British Columbia’s current fiscal year ending, public agencies and crown corporations will soon release annual reports and audited financials for the year ended March 31,…
Smyth tells part of the story
I wonder if Province political columnist Michael Smyth spends only some of his time in this province and the rest on an isolated beach of Molokai. Occasionally, he seems plain…
Une artiste qui dérange
Harper government targeted artist for her green conscience, internal documents reveal, Vancouver Observer, June 12, 2012 “Franke James, a Canadian artist and environmental advocate blacklisted by the Harper government, has…
Crude lies
Pipeline spill risks are low, Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines “… with modern pipeline design and mitigation measures, the risks are very low… “What we can say is that at Enbridge,…
Politics over education of children
B.C. spends $1.7M on ads in teachers’ dispute, CTV BC, June 14, 2012 “The B.C. government’s ad campaign defending their position in the teachers’ dispute has cost more than $1.7…
Finding fibre for China
Timber panel eyes logging protected areas, Wendy Stueck, The Globe and Mail, Jun 12, 2012 “A committee looking for ways to boost B.C.’s dwindling store of timber is looking at…
British Columbia, Potemkin village style
Part of the plan to arrest dwindling BC Liberal support is to announce and re-announce program changes and capital projects, large and small. There is a flurry of proclamations happening…
Message to the Harper government
IMF chief Christine Lagarde warns world risks triple crisis, The Guardian, June 12, 2012 “Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund, has warned that the world risks a…
Destructive attack on democracy
British Columbia’s wealthiest citizens will soon be pressured to contribute unprecedented levels of cash for an intensive PR campaign aimed at ensuring reelection of a business friendly government. This will…
For climate change skeptics
A comment by Tom Rand, the resident clean tech advisor at MaRS discovery district in Toronto. He has North America ‘s “Greenest” hostel. His life’s work is pushing the needle…
Subverting democracy
A month after Jim Shepard resigned as CEO of BC’s second largest forestry company, the Liberal government appointed him Senior Policy Adviser. After a year, Shepard, 73, is leaving to…
Liberal’s own fast ferry
Last August, Chad Skelton of the Vancouver Sun reported on a conference call between BC Hydro president Dave Cobb and senior staff. Cobb said the utility was being forced by…
Hey, Bill Good
Good job. You won’t find much here that is complimentary about a broadcaster whose work I once respected. But, he deserves credit for working Canada’s Coast Guard story on the…