Monday, September 01, 2008

More BC Liberal Friends & Insiders: Tired of this Yet?

Tom Sandborn offered up a good story on the BC Liberals yanking job placement contracts for income assistance clients from WCG.

More of the Same, Insert Different Name

This is all just about more BC Liberal friend and insider deals. The patronage and shell games are just so tired, sordid and ugly.

Robin Adair, former CHEK TV government affairs reporter was a busy little Liberal campaigner. In 2001 he campaigned for Shirley Orr, and paid lobbyist for WCG International Ltd. on privatizing and outsourcing income assistance programs. And lucky Adair, became WCG's vice-president of communications and government relations after they landed the multi-million dollar contract from the BC Liberals.

Robin Adair & Ian Ferguson, CEO of WCG knew each other through the Victoria Chamber of Commerce and I’m sure through other Liberal connections.

Marisa Adair, Robin’s wife, also just happens to be Campbell’s Executive Director of Communications Services for the Resource Sector. According to Public Accounts for 2007/08 Ms. Adair was paid $106,553 for her communications expertise.

Elections BC reports that from 2005 to 2007 Ian Ferguson & WCG have contributed $20,620 to the BC Liberal party. According to the NDP, since 2001 WCG has donated has donated $95,000 to the BC Liberals. I guess it was well worth it for the millions they’ve collected from the BC government for the pathetic Jobwave programs.

Robin Adair only contributed a modest $400 to the BC Liberals in 2007, but that investment has paid great dividends for him and the little missus.

Ah, it pays to have friends in high places though don’t it? If only we were all so lucky.

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From the BC Lobbyist Registry:

Lobbyist: Adair,Robin In-House
Lobbyist Organization: WCG International Consultants Ltd

Topic: Social Assistance
Subject Matter: Represent JobWave Program for WCG

Terminated, no start or end date to lobbying activity.

Here’s a nifty little document I found poking around, it gives the salaries of Ministers, DM’s, Order in Council and “other” Liberal appointees for the 2007/08 fiscal year:

Public Accounts 2007/08: Consolidated Revenue Fund
– Detailed Schedule of Payments

Marisa Adair

ORDER IN COUNCIL 226
Statutory Authority: Public Service, s. 15
The Schedule to the General Appointment Order, 2006, OIC 656/2006, is amended by adding:

Marisa Adair, Executive Director, Communications - Resource Sector;

In the 2007/08 fiscal year, the BC government spent $30.9 million with WCG for Jobwave programs. He’s also been appointed again to the Board at Camosun College on July 31st 2008 so I guess he’s landing on his feet fine. Looks like WCG is quite the family business, quite a few Ferguson’s on the team. I guess they’ve made out like bandits on the BC Liberal gravy train. Too bad it’s at the expense of the citizens of BC. Employment programs were handled by BC government employees before Campbell and his underlings privatized it to WCG, costing taxpayers much more than what it cost originally and a whole lot of jobs for decent civil servants.

Other Adair Consulting gigs:

The provincial government has awarded Shaw Communications Inc. a $77,000 contract to produce and air two televised town hall meetings on the impact of offshore oil and gas development.....

"Former CHEK TV legislative reporter Robin Adair, a government relations consultant with WCG International Consultants Ltd. and Victoria Chamber of Commerce vice-president, was subcontracted by Shaw to find and schedule panelists for the show...."

So, if Mr. Adair is already a government public relations consultant and he is being subcontracted by Shaw to stack the panel for the government while being paid with govt' money awarded to Shaw, is this an example of P3 cubed?

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Liberals to JobWave: You're Fired
$8 million job training contract cancelled; work goes to B.C. competitor.
By Andrew MacLeod. Published: August 29, 2008. TheTyee.ca
http://thetyee.ca/News/2008/08/29/JobWave/

Brar Targets Job Program Sale
NDP critic raises concerns about timing, client privacy.

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Here’s an interesting little tidbit for those following the mysterious circumstances surrounding Victoria Police Department Chief Paul Battershill’s resignation connecting more dots.

From an old Public Eye Online report:

Planting rumours
Following Geoff Plant's announcement he wouldn't be running for re-election, there was much discussion as to what the attorney general would be doing in the future. Would Mr. Plant become a member of the academy, like New Democrat Andrew Petter? Or would he be joining the judiciary, others asked? Well, the answer is none of the above. It appears Mr. Plant has become a partner with Heenan Blaikie LLP. Heenan Blaikie, which once employed former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, is currently best known as the retirement home for fellow first among equals Jean Chretien.

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