Social Murder: The Culling of the Herd Continues

I'd like to know, King Gordo and your palace parasites, what the hell have the poor done to you to find them so contemptible that your government is always on the lookout for ways to prevent our citizens from getting help when they need it FROM THEIR GOVERNMENT. That would be your government, the one that takes, pillages and plunders, dividing up the spoils with the suckerfish.

As we slide into economic oblivion, this is the time our citizens need help the most, because things are going to get a lot uglier. Yet, you find new ways of creating barriers and exclusions from the poorest of the poor, the most vulnerable amongst us. Have you really no soul? Is your government really without a moral compass, or conscience that it would stoop to the lengths it continues to, so arrogantly, with an election close at hand? It would appear that the answer is Yes, yes and yes.

Sanborn's new story in the Tyee, Province's New Counting Makes Homeless Disappear, Say Critics sets out the lengths Campbell's government is going to disqualify people from being considered homeless:

Not if you couch surf, are recently homeless (under 30 days), people with inadequate housing with no heat, or water, if you & your children are in time-limited transition homes, or residential treatment programs ...

"The Homeless Indicator document says the new criteria are designed to "better identify and track homeless clients." It goes on to direct front line workers to classify aid applicants as homeless only when they have been living in public spaces -- on the streets, for example, or in abandoned buildings or in tent cities -- for more than 30 days or if they were brought into the system by a B.C. Housing outreach worker. "

Judy Graves

"Couch surfing sounds innocuous," she told The Tyee. "But couch surfers are in a dangerous position. Too often what is happening is a young person has to pay for a warm bed by giving sex. It's not an acceptable way to live."

(Laura) Track [Pivot Legal Society] notes that Minister Coleman has in the past offered an estimate of the number of homeless that was one half to one third the figure used by researchers for the Centre for Applied Research on Mental Health and Addictions. Their findings put the number as high as 15,500. "

Gail Harmer, a retired welfare worker with long experience working with the homeless, told The Tyee "the new criteria will seriously undercount the number of the homeless on welfare. We're seeing this because of the upcoming election. The Liberals want to look like they are doing something."

A ministry representative told The Tyee by e-mail that in 2008, before the new way of defining who is homeless was in place, the ministry's Vancouver Coastal Region saw the number of homeless welfare recipients up by 312, a 19.7 per cent increase. For Vancouver Island Region, the increase was 17.6 per cent and for the North Region the increase was 33 per cent."

Wonder how much higher this is getting as each month passes and more people get laid off. Employment Insurance waits are well into 2 months for many. There are some hurting people in BC and not only don't I see our current government doing anything about it, they're actually behind a lot of the pain.

On May 12th 2009 ask yourself do we want more of our citizens to experience the kind of social murder that has happened over the past 8 years. Because I sure the hell don't. ABC.

*******************************
BC's Homeless Numbers War
Housing minister slams studies, but won't order his own.

Metro Vancouver/GVRD "Still on Our Streets" report

MHSD- Homeless Indicator

Homelessness: Clear Focus Needed
B.C. Auditor General John Doyle

• Government has not established clear direction for addressing homelessness
• A lack of good information hampers government's decision-making
• Government is not adequately reporting on the results of it's efforts to address homelessness

"The continuing increase in the number of homeless counted suggests a lack of success in managing homelessness, let alone reducing it," the report said.

Social Murder and Other Shortcomings of Conservative Economics

Robert Chernomas and Ian Hudson. 2008-03-06.

Corporate power is one of the strongest forces shaping our world. More than half of the top 100 economic entities today are private corporations. With their immense size comes commensurate influence, to the point where corporations are able to wreak social and environmental destruction with few serious consequences.

Social Murder examines the connections between the destructiveness of global capitalism and the professional economists who help keep it that way.

**

Social Murder and Conservative Economics

Marc Lee. January 15th, 2008. Progressive Economics.

**************
The Time is Now: A Poverty Reduction Plan for BC Slideshow

This is a narrated presentation about how BC could end street homelessness and reduce poverty by one third — within the mandate of the next provincial government (first chapter is shown above — view the full slideshow here). It includes interviews with people working on health, immigration and family well-being issues, and with Erna Calingasan, a parent struggling to make ends meet by working two jobs.

Calling All Guest Writers & Activists: Get Your Blog Out

Have you been reading and thinking, hey, I've got something to say about XYZ and how the BC Liberals have buggered things up. Well, NOW is your chance to Get your Blog Out, without all the bother of starting your own.

We here at BC Liberals Suck will publish articles you submit by e-mail on our favourite topic - why and how the BC Liberals Suck. You may have a particular area of interest, or expertise, say how the neoLib's have screwed over Seniors, how they've mangled Community Living in BC, how they've opened the way to sucking our rivers dry. Whatever it is, there is fertile ground in BC and as we've seen, over the past 8 years, the BC Liberals are determined to leave no stone unturned in their wanton, greedy and reckless path to exploit and sell everything including the kitchen sink. So, have your say about it.

Here are the Rules of Engagement:

1. The Editor of BCLS has final edit privilege and responsibility.
2. You will not be paid for your submission and there is no guarantee your submission will be used. It will not be forwarded or used anywhere else, unless you submit it elsewhere.
3. No libel, no slander, no defamation, the Editor will edit your piece if it is any of these things.
4. Don't submit a thesis, or dissertation, make it a readable length, with facts and links to back up your position if possible.
5. Use your expertise to expose something you think the citizens of BC need to know more about before the election. Tell a personal story, something about what's happening in your community, how BC Liberal government policies have impacted you, your family and community.
6. Spread this blog around BC, the BC Lib's have tried to take away citizen's free speech and are messing with democracy and our rights under the Charter of Rights & Freedoms, let's not let them do it.
7. You can post the article using your own name, a pseodonym, anonymously, whatever.
8. We don't care if people who want to submit are from political parties, but we aren't shilling for anyone.
9. We can't guarantee once you submit a post we will be able to get back to you as this is a off-the-side-of-our-desk show.
10. We'll also consider other written forms, such as poetry, articles, haiku. Use your imagination, passion and interest in bringing attention to the issues and why they should compel voters to choose ABC (Anyone But Campbell's Liberals) on May 12th 2009.

** We reserve the right to develop new rules if unanticipated issues arise. **

So, if the prospect of seeing your words on this Blog, which is going viral all over BC, is appealing and you're willing to live by the rules of engagement, then submit your post to:

bcliberals_suck@yahoo.ca

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Charter of Rights & Freedoms

Fundamental Freedoms

2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:

a) freedom of conscience and religion;

b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;

c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and

d) freedom of association.

Equality Rights

15. (1) Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.

SoCreds in Liberal Clothing: The End Game

It's like shooting fish in a barrel, except the fish are Teflon zombies that just keep coming back to life after mortal wounds. I guess Mr. Kinsella has been making out like a bandit in more than one administration, talented fellow I guess, wouldn't know though - BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING HE HAS DONE FOR SEVERAL DECADES OF TAKING OUR MONEY.

Although, to be fair, I guess the SoCreds didn't get nearly as extravagant in shoveling out our taxpayer dollars as the neoLiberals have in their time forming government. It's a good thing that will be over soon, it's all been a very, very bad dream. But it's time to wake up now.

Official Report of

DEBATES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

(Hansard)

TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 1986

Afternoon Sitting

[ Page 8775 ]

Excerpts, find the whole thing here.

MR. HANSON: It's in Public Accounts.

We have raised extensively in this House our concern about partisan polling done at taxpayers' expense, advertising done at taxpayers' expense, disbursement of lottery funds at taxpayers' expense. We have an Orwellian nightmare in this Social Credit government, and those tentacles stretch from the Premier's office through into the lotteries branch . . . .

MR. HANSON: Mr. Chairman, one of the reasons we moved non-confidence in this minister is the kind of administration currently underway that is taking legitimate tax money which should be used for programs for people but is tunnelled to political hacks.

MR. HANSON: We're talking . . . . The minister rose in his place the other day and indicated that it was a decision of his ministry to undertake the consulting services of Mr. Kinsella, Mr. Heal and Mr. Bums.

Now Mr. Bums, he was the Provincial Secretary's campaign manager in 1981. Sorry, in May of 1979. In February of 1981 he was appointed interim general manager and deputy commissioner general of Transpo '86, later Expo. The initial appointment was for a six-month term: $36, 000. In March of 1981 he was appointed to the board of directors of the B.C. Development Corporation for a three-year term.

In April of 1983 Michael Bums appeared in news reports as one of the six main Social Credit fundraisers involved in raising money for this government. In August of 1983 he resigned as manager of Expo 86 and at this time Bums heads up the Sentinel Group, together with Patrick Kinsella of Progressive Strategies and Doug Heal of Douglas Heal Communications. Burns has previously incorporated Sentinel Strategies Ltd., of which he is president. Other directors are Bette Bums and assistant secretary James Hogan.

In March 1984 he was reappointed to the board of B.C. Development Corporation. In January 1985 - and this is my chief concern in my remarks right now, Mr. Chairman - that tax money was spent by this minister's department, public money, in a retroactive contract, tunnelling money to Douglas Heal, Patrick Kinsella and Michael Burns in retrospect.

I've never seen a contract like that. I've looked at a lot of contracts in viewing vouchers, Mr. Chairman, and the contracts go like this. They are an undertaking, they say "a term" - a term of work to be employed. Usually it outlines what the schedule of service is, herein called the work. There's a term. There's a stipulation of how payment is made - a schedule of payments. There's provision for reports, for confidentiality and so on. This contract was signed on January 16. The money was paid on January 2 1. There was a rush put on it. The term of the contract was six months prior to the sitting down and signing of the contract.

The people of this province deserve an answer for that. That's their money. The people of this province are tired of you spending their money on foolishness like this. You could have had a council of deputy ministers draw up the request for proposal. You could have had a council of deputy ministers, key people, non-partisan people, career government employees. But you picked three of your key political hacks from the big blue machine to bring the taxpayers to heel.

MR. HANSON: Okay, you say it's only $33, 350. But the people of this province deserve to know why retroactivity, and why these people. The minister stood up and said because one of them has computer training. That's foolishness. That's a totally inadequate response, totally inadequate.

Why Do Liberals and Their Insiders Think they Are Above the Law?

Most of us walk around every day obeying and living under the laws of our province and country. Why is it that BC Liberals and their friends and insiders think they are above the law, that the laws don't apply to them, or that they don't have to be accountable for their decisions and those they make as elected officials.

If you've ever held any kind of elected position you know that you are held accountable to those who voted for you, to those who are members of the organization and you are expected to adhere to both formal and informal process, rules and fairness.

Apparently, the BC Liberals and those they carry along in their wake don't think any of those things apply to them and that they can do anything they want and get out of any kind of accountability for the harm their decisions have on us peons. I say BULLSHIT. And I hope that a whole bunch of BC citizens feel the same way on May 12th.

This is now far beyond a partisan issue. I get that we like to be polarized in BC, but it's time for people to just start having some commonsense at the ballot box. How much do we allow and tolerate to happen by these elected clowns? How much is enough? How many "special investigations" into BC Liberal MLA's, into privatization schemes, into insiders and why they've been handed vast sums to do nothing other than pave the way for corporations to earn what used to be kept within government coffers and used to actually help fund government services.

Parliamentary privilege is a joke in BC. It is highly offensive and contemptuous of the mockery of democracy the BC Liberals are making of our parliamentary system. If the Canada Line was such a great thing, why is Falcon, or Campbell for that matter, afraid to testify about this in the civil case? What have they got to hide? Why should they be above testifying in this important case in which many, many small business people have received the shaft?

Whose side are the BC Liberals and their friends on, anyways?
After 8 years with these vultures I think that answer is plain to see and it ain't the citizens of BC. Don't we and our kids and their kids and their kids.... deserve so much better. I think we do. On May 12th Vote ABC: Anything But Campbell's Liberals.

*******

Cabinet minister not required to testify in Vancouver retailer's lawsuit

CBC News. Tuesday, March 17, 2009.

B.C. Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon will not be required to appear at a civil trial involving a Cambie Street merchant who claims she was forced to close her shop due to construction of the rapid-transit Canada Line.

Susan Heyes, owner of maternity wear retailer Hazel and Co., is suing the city and the provincial and federal governments after she said she lost nearly $1 million in sales because construction halted traffic to her store.

A B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled Tuesday that Falcon can be excused from testifying because parliamentary privilege gives him immunity from involvement in civil court cases.

Falcon contended that shop and restaurant owners would enjoy an economic boost once the rapid transit line is complete, later this year.

[What about those that went out of business during this cluster !^%* of a BC Liberal scheme. Who were the lobbyists on this one?]

****************

Questions unanswered about BC Rail payments to Liberal insider

Paul Willcocks, Paying Attention. March 16, 2009.

Excerpts:

The New Democrats has been asking a lot of questions about why B.C. Rail paid almost $300,000 to the consulting companies of Patrick Kinsella between 2002 and 2005. They haven't been getting answers. Kinsella is as well-connected as they come.

... Progressive Group, one of Kinsella's firms, was seeking a contract. The company identified successes in winning government decisions worth more than $2 billion to its clients.

Progressive helped Accenture "promote and educate the B.C. government of the value of outsourcing a number of the government services," the firm said. That resulted in a 10-year, $1.45-billion deal to take over most of B.C. Hydro's administrative functions.

B.C. Rail. The difference in this case is that the Crown corporation was paying Kinsella's company with taxpayers' money.

The NDP raised the issue repeatedly in the legislature last week.
What did the companies do for the money? Was there an open tender process? Were the Kinsella companies' ties to the Liberals a factor in the decision?

Premier Gordon Campbell and Attorney General Wally Oppal refused to answer.

Why would a Crown corporation need to pay a consultant to help it understand the government of the day?

Footnote: Kinsella embarrassed the government last fall when Information Commissioner David Loukidelis launched an investigation into allegations he had acted as a lobbyist without registering, as required by the lobbying laws. Kinsella's lawyers told Loukidelis the law didn't give him authority to investigate and their client wouldn't co-operate voluntarily.

Who Gets the Money Gets the Power, Setting the Ducks in a Row

From the "Oh, You've Made a Difference Alright" File:

Former BC minister expected in court

News1130.

Former BC finance minister Carole Taylor will be testifying in a civil trial involving a former Cambie Street business owner who was hurt by Canada Line construction. Business owners along the SkyTrain line hope it will help the case.

Taylor was outspoken about her concerns that some Cambie merchants were upset about losses due to the construction near their businesses. Now, she will have to testifiy. A judge has decided there's no reason why Taylor can't be compelled to share her knowledge about the Canada Line project.

Former Cambie Street merchant Susan Heyes says Taylor had a chance to see problems surrounding the construction, as it fell within her former Vancouver-Langara riding. Other business owners are happy Taylor will testify. Angela Reis, a restaurant owner near Cambie Street and Broadway, said, "I hope she can do something, it would set a precedence for everything here. There's no doubt in my mind."

Taylor is expected to appear in court Wednesday.

*******************
E-mail: carole.taylor.mla@leg.bc.ca

Constituency:
430 North Tower,
Oakridge Centre
650 West 41st Ave
Vancouver, BC
V5Z 2M9

Phone: 604 664-0115

Fax: 604 664-0133

Web site: www.caroletaylormla.bc.ca

Carole Taylor is the former B.C. finance minister, Vancouver alderman, and chairman of CBC/Radio-Canada, the Vancouver Board of Trade, Vancouver Port Corporation, and Canada Ports Corporation.

Carole Taylor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

********

On December 18, 2008, she announced her resignation from the Legislative Assembly after accepting an appointment to a federal Ministry of Finance advisory panel.

"Taylor is resigning to head council", Metro, December 19, 2008.

globeandmail.com: Carole Taylor resigns provincial seat
Dec 19, 2008.

Carole Taylor is stepping aside as MLA for Vancouver-Langara to head a federal economic advisory council, B.C.’s former finance minister said Thursday.

The council, which was announced by federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, includes business leaders from across the country and will provide input to the Jan. 27 federal budget.

Taylor, who served as finance minister for three years (2005-08), introduced North America’s first carbon tax.

She said her biggest accomplishment was signing 90 per cent of all public-sector workers to contracts before their old ones expired.

“I felt privileged to have (served as MLA) … at the end of the day, I’m a person who is leaving provincial politics feeling very good about the opportunities I had. I hope that I made a difference.”

MLA: Vancouver-Langara - Vacant since December 22, 2008.

Economic council to offer Flaherty business perspective, chair says

**************

Carole's Hubby:

Art Phillips (born September 12, 1930) served as mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from 1973 to 1977. Prior to being elected to this post, he founded the Vancouver investment firm of Phillips, Hager & North.

Phillips was elected to the Parliament of Canada in 1979 as a Liberal, but was defeated the following year in his bid for re-election. After Phillips' defeat, he returned to private life at his investment firm. By 2007, Phillips, Hager & North had become a leading investment firm on the west coast, with over $66 billion of assets under management.

Canada's Royal Bank to Buy Phillips, Hager & North | Reuters

Feb 21, 2008.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Royal Bank of Canada (RY.TO) said on Thursday it has agreed to buy Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management Ltd, one of Canada's largest independent fund managers with about C$69 billion ($68.3 billion) of assets under management.

PH&N shareholders will receive 27 million Royal common shares, with a portion deferred until three years after the deal closes, Royal, Canada's biggest bank, said in a statement.

(Reporting by Nicole Mordant; Editing by Peter Galloway)

************

And so our assets are merrily privatized away from us. We are seduced and reduced as our assets, money and future flow out and away into ever fewer hands:

Kelly McParland: Flaherty puts faith in astoundingly accomplished group of uberachievers

• Carole Taylor (chair)
• Geoff Beattie
• Paul Desmarais, Jr.
• George Gosbee
• Isabelle Hudon
• James D. Irving
• Mike Lazaridis
• Jack Mintz
• James A. Pattison
• Ajit Someshwar
• Annette Verschuren

Paul Desmarais Jr. is chairman and co-chief executive officer of Power Corporation of Canada. Power Corp. has close ties to former Liberal prime ministers Paul Martin and Jean Chretien, not to mention a boggling array of other political heavy-hitters of every stripe. Desmarais also sits on the board of directors of Suez, a multinational corporation that is a world leader in the water utilities sector.

Dr. Jacques Chaoulli, usually portrayed as a concerned physician, is also a senior fellow at the libertarian Montreal Economic Institute. Like the Fraser Institute, the MEI is on a mission to destroy Medicare. Among MEI's prominent backers is the Desmarais family (net worth $3.94 billion), which owns Power Corporation - Helene Desmarais, wife of Paul Desmarais, Jr., is on the MEI board. Power Corp. owns three major Canadian life insurance companies, including Great West Life, the largest provider of supplementary health insurance in Canada

Ajit Someshwar is founder and chief executive of CSI Consulting, a Toronto-based information technology and risk management company with more than 400 consultants based in the United States, Canada, India and Europe.

NRI Ajit Someshwar appointed Board of Directors of Export Development Canada- Ajit Someshwar was born in Bombay in India. He took an honours degree in commerce.

May 13, 2008
Trade Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
By Bhim Sen

The Honourable David Emerson, Minister of International Trade, today announced the appointment of Ajit Someshwar to the Board of Directors of Export Development Canada (EDC).

Emerson to lead B.C.'s new economic brain trust
Derrick Penner, Vancouver Sun. December 10, 2008.

With British Columbia’s economic growth expected to slow to a trickle and provincial employment projected to shrink in the coming year, Premier Gordon Campbell has named a council of business executives to advise government on weathering the economic storm.

David Emerson, the former federal cabinet minister, forestry executive and senior civil servant, will lead them.

The council’s staff will come from existing government personnel and it will be funded within existing government budgets. Emerson said there is no compensation attached to the positions.

[Since when do these kind of people do anything without some kind of renumeration, or benefit?]

They Gotta Fund the Olympics Somehow Right?

Taxation Without Representation is Tyranny
A slogan of the Revolutionary War and the years before. The colonists were not allowed to choose representatives to parliament in London, which passed the laws under which they were taxed. To be taxed only with the consent of one’s representatives in Parliament was a particularly cherished right of the people under English law, a right dating back to Magna Carta in the thirteenth century. Each additional tax caused fresh resentment among the colonists. Taxation without representation is one of the principal offenses of Britain listed in the Declaration of Independence.

************************************
Can someone tell me why we're having taxation without representation? Since when did that become part of our "democracy," which admittedly can only really be acknowledged is actually more of an oligarchy, with GC of course being the Oligarch. He certainly isn't smart enough to be the Machiavellian behind these vicious and amoral gouges of BC's citizens. Every way we turn there are government appointed Boards taking more. I don't know about you, but I'm damn tired of all of these unelected bandits and pickpockets stealing money out of my wallet that I need for me and my family to survive. How much have your utility bills gone up in the past year, or longer? Whether it's Hydro, Terasen Gas, or Translink, these unelected, BC Liberal government insiders and appointees keep helping themselves to the fewer and fewer dollars each of us has with each paycheque.
BC Hydro's primary business activities are the generation and distribution of electricity. Transmission of that electricity is facilitated by the BC Transmission Corporation on behalf of BC Hydro and other power providers in B.C.

BC Hydro's Board of Directors are here.

It's time for a reality check, let's look at some of the pertinent details about the players in this game, how about the fact that in the 2006/07 fiscal year 9 out of the 20 top highest paid senior executives of Crown agencies hailed from those lucky, lucky Liberal appointees and friends.

Executive Salaries & Compensation of BC Hydro executives for the 2006/07 fiscal year from the Top 20 highest paid Crown agency executives:

-Bob Elton President and CEO - $478,849. He's the 4th out of 20 highest paid Liberal appointed head of a Crown agency. Bob Elton was appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BC Hydro in November 2003.

- John Rodford, VP - $397,373, #8 out of 20
- Barry Hikichi, Construction Manager - $493,423. 9/20
- Him Cheung Luk, Engineering Team leader - $386,316. 10/20
- Alister Cowan, Chief Financial Officer - $359,515. 11/20
- Bev Van Ruyven, VP - $343,886. 12/20
- BP Cole, Manager - $317,486. 16/20
- Bruce Sampson, VP - $304,905. 18/20
- Christopher O'Riley, - $302,251. 20/20

Tell Bob Elton & the Board Chair, what you think of this latest price gouge for our very own BC Hydro by e-mailing, or calling him here:

Phone: 604 224-9376 (Greater Vancouver); 1 800 224-9376 (Other Areas)

E-mail: https://www.bchydro.com/contact/index.jsp?pg=

You'll probably not be surprised that the senior executives of the BC Transmission Corporation find themselves in the Top 20 highest salaries as well:

- Jane Peverett, President & CEO - $424,602. 7/20
- Brian Gabel, CFO - $332,536. 14/20

The Commission has been self-funded since 1988. Its costs are recovered primarily through a levy on the public utilities it regulates.

So, does that mean the more money it allows public utilities to take from taxpayers the more money it brings in? How exactly are those costs calculated?

The British Columbia Utilities Commission is a regulatory agency of the Provincial Government, operating under and administering the Utilities Commission Act ("UCA"). The Commission is responsible for ensuring that customers receive safe, reliable and non-discriminatory energy services at fair rates from the utilities it regulates, that shareholders of these utilities are afforded a reasonable opportunity to earn a fair return on their invested capital, and that the competitive interests of B.C. businesses are not frustrated. It approves the construction of new facilities planned by utilities and their issuance of securities. The Commission's function is quasi-judicial and it has the power to make legally binding rulings. Decisions and Orders of the Commission may be appealed to the Court of Appeal on questions of law or jurisdiction.

British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority / March 13, 2009
F2009 and F2010 Revenue Requirements

Leonard Kelsey, Commissioner of BCUC - $112,623

More wellpaid BCUC appointees here.

Tell the BCUC what you think of their continuing agreement with the price gouging of BC's citizens:

Telephone: (604) 660-4700; B.C. Toll Free: 1-800-663-1385
E-Mail: Commission.Secretary@bcuc.com

Maybe we should all boycott paying our BC Hydro bills for the month of April. Lets just see what impact and message that would have as we head to the ballot box on May 12th and tell the government we just won't let let their unelected appointees continue to gouge us.
*************************************
B.C. Hydro rates to rise 11 per cent by 2010

Scott Simpson,Victoria Times Colonist. March 13 2009.

BC Hydro can raise electricity rates by about 11 per cent over two years, the British Columbia Utilities Commission announced on Friday.

In a 288-page ruling, the commission agreed with Hydro's plan to use the rate increases to support a massive expansion of funding for capital projects to upgrade the crown corporation's aging hydroelectric assets.

However, the commission also ordered Hydro to cut its annual operating budget by three per cent for the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2009 - reflecting the provincial government's efforts to keep a lid on operational expenses during the current recession.

The BCUC ruled that Hydro could collect about three per cent for the current fiscal year - which actually comes to an end on March 30 - and eight per cent for fiscal 2009-2010 beginning April 1, 2009.

What's that Sound? It's the Ice Cracking Underneath Liberals

New details on payments to Kinsella's firms
Sean Holman, March 12, 2009. Public Eye Online.

Legislative raid trial defence lawyer Kevin McCullough has provided new details on payments made by British Columbia Railway Co. to former provincial Liberal campaign co-chair Patrick Kinsella's firms between 2002 and 2005. In court today, Mr. McCullough reminded presiding British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Bennett "there is an email from 2004 to Mr. Kevin Mahoney, then vice-president of BC Rail, from another executive, asking: 'Why are we paying this guy?' and the response is that Kinsella is a 'backroom Liberal.'" This, according to The Vancouver Sun's Neal Hall.

************************
Deep Throat: "What was Mr. Kinsella doing on behalf of BC Rail AND CN?"
************************
B.C. Rail paid Liberal insider

A-G Wally Oppal cites court case in refusing to discuss payment

Michael Smyth, The Province. March 12, 2009.

Patrick Kinsella, a friend of Premier Gordon Campbell and one of the most powerful stringpullers in the B.C. Liberal party, has made a killing on government contracts since guiding his pals to power in 2001.

Kinsella was co-chairman of the Liberal election campaign that year. He was a top Liberal strategist again in 2005 when Campbell was re-elected.

When he wasn't running Liberal election campaigns, Kinsella was busy running a lucrative business as a government-relations consultant. His speciality: helping corporate clients like Accenture and Alcan bag juicy contracts with the Campbell government.

"In 2002, he started getting on the payroll and made 300 grand — presumably to advise on exactly how to privatize B.C. Rail!"

But "presuming" anything on this file is a dangerous game. The simple question is: Why exactly did B.C. Rail pay Kinsella $300,000? Enter the attorney-general: Wally "Stonewally" Oppal.

"I won't answer the question," Oppal stonewalled once again. "It is before the courts." He's referring, of course, to the corruption charges levelled against three former government insiders after the B.C. Rail freight division was sold to private-sector rival CN Rail for $1 billion in 2003.

Comments:

Paul - March 12, 2009

The morons in Point Grey are going to re-elect Gordon Campbell in a few weeks whether the rest of British Columbia likes it or not. - It's called democracy folks. - Gordon Campbell isn't electing himself is he. - It's way past time to shine a very bright light on the citizens of Point Grey who have been electing and re-electing Gordon Campbell since 1996. - Point Grey doesn't care that Gordon Campbell has embarrassed us internationally. - Point Grey doesn't care that BC taxpayers had to pay $85 million in restitution after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Gordon Campbell violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms when he raped the HEU workers contract in the middle of the night like a thief. - Point Grey certainly doesn't care about about Gordon Campbell's selling of B.C. Rail. - Gordon Campbell may be a convicted drunk driver but he's Point Grey's convicted drunk driver and they worship the ground he walks on. - In a few weeks Point Grey will once again be proud to prove their love for Gordon Campbell. - It's called democracy folks. - That's just the way it is.
*******************************
Stonewally to the fore as NDP pounds Kinsella connection
By Vaughn Palmer, Vancouver Sun. March 12, 2009

What was the money for? Over the two days, New Democrats framed the question in a variety of ways. Here, for instance, was MLA John Horgan in full partisan flight: "Will the premier tell us why his pal got $300,000? Did he write a memo? Did he send an e-mail? Did he say that everything was fine? Is the train running on time? What the heck did he do?"

Premier Gordon Campbell was sitting right there in the house as Horgan and his colleagues pitched their questions.

He studied his briefing materials and chatted to adjacent ministers. At times he appeared to be amused, at other stony silent. The one thing he didn't do was get to his feet and answer.

Cabinet minister. Attorney-general. Ex-appeal court judge. Officer of the court. Nice guy, too. But really, Mr. Attorney-General, isn't this just an extremely convenient way to protect the premier from having to answer what his campaign chair was doing for 300 grand?
So could Oppal at least find out whether the Kinsella contract was, in fact, a matter before the courts? "No I'm not going to find out."Why?
"It's not my job to find out. That's something that you people should do."
One last question and this time let's follow the money. What was the $297,000 for?
"I don't know what the $297,000 is for and it is not my business.
"Doesn't know. Won't try to find out. Willing to stand there day after day and say nothing.
Which makes him the perfect foil to provide cover for the premier in this political embarrassment.

What the Libs don't want us to know
Bill 23 would limit truth-finding public inquiries.
Stanley Tromp. The Tyee. May 10, 2006.

He Worked Hard for the $$$, Our money.

How much more of these clowns, parasites and pimp daddies do we need to suffer? My god, what does it take, I guess an ELECTION. We can hold the Inquiry and Audit after they're gone. We're going to need to do that to find out where all of our MONEY has gone.

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The premier spoke and nobody heard
Sean Holman, Public Eye Online. March 11, 2009

Yesterday, Attorney General Wally Oppal and Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Kevin Falcon refused to say what services British Columbia Railway Co. was paying for when it transferred $297,567 between 2002 and 2005 to former provincial Liberal co-chair Patrick Kinsella's companies. Nor did Premier Gordon Campbell answer questions posed to him in the legislature about those payments. Nevertheless, when scrummed by reporters today, Premier Campbell said he had responded to those inquiries. But, if that's the case, we're unaware in which venue that occurred. The following is a recording of that scrum.

"Campbell: I think I've already answered those questions."

BC Rail paid firms of Liberal campaign co-chair for services

Paul Willcocks, Paying Attention. March 11, 2009.

The New Democrats asked about questions yesterday about $297,000 in payments from B.C. Rail to the consulting firms of Patrick Kinsella, the Liberals' campaign co-chair in 2001 and 2005.

BC Mary said...
Raid on the Legislature

Today I found a verbatum comment by Campbell at the time of the raids on the Legislature [Binder #8 page 3]. He said: "I heard that it had to do potentially with money laundering and drugs. That's the extent of it ..."

And yet, there's been another scramble by "trusted journalists" to scoff at the notion of organized crime being involved, too.

The RailGate 8000.....Counselling The Mayors

Gazetteer.

By way of example, when Lillooet mayor Greg Kamenka wrote to Mr. Campbell on August 13, 2003 (see pg 277 of Binder #8) informing him that the Council of the District of Lillooet had:
RESOLVED (THAT): The Government of British Columbia stop the sale or lease of BC Rail until such time that the Government has completed a forensic audit of BC Rail and a socio-economic study on the effect of the proposed sale or lease on communities along the line"

(AND FURTHER RESOLVED): That the Mayor's Council approve the Terms of Reference for the socio-economic study and this information be put before the public for open discussion."
(red bolding Gazetteer)

Mr. Campbell responded on Sept 02, 2003 (see pg 278 of Binder #8) that:
"As I have said previously, British Columbia needs an integrated, top-quality rail service to meet the needs of communities in the Interior, North and the rest of British Columbia, and we are committed to working with the northern communities to ensure that BC Rail remains an important asset in the future economic development of our province.

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The 2010 Olympic Cluster F$#^ of all Cluster F%^#$:

Olympic transportation plan draws widespread criticism

Hell On Wheels

CBC News

Why Don't They Want the People of BC to Have Justice?

Open letter presented to Attorney General: Cuts in legal aid in BC will have a devastating impact on women

On Tuesday, February 24, Kasari Govender, Legal Director of the West Coast Legal Education and Action Fund (West Coast LEAF), met with Attorney General Wally Oppal to present the first 1000 signatures supporting an open letter protesting cuts to legal aid in B.C.

Pivot Legal Society and West Coast LEAF began collecting signatures to illuminate the concern about the recent continuation of cuts to legal aid in B.C. that will have a devastating impact on women, particularly those living in poverty, women of colour, Aboriginal women, and other marginalized women.

"Women must have fair and equal access to the justice system," says Govender. "It is time to restore services and to develop a comprehensive strategy for building a legal aid system which ensures that women have equal access to the justice system in British Columbia."

The most recent erosion of legal services in B.C. includes:

- The closing of the family law clinic
- Stricter screening processes and eligibility requirements for clients
- Cuts to the tariffs for family, immigration and criminal law
- Reductions in services for people who cannot access legal representation through the Legal Services Society (LSS), including cuts to the staffing of the LawLINE, and
- Reductions in staff lawyers

LSS staff lawyers currently take cases that private lawyers simply cannot take on and most often these are cases that involve complicating factors, such as, insecure immigration status, litigation harassment by an ex partner, a history of domestic violence and/or mental illness.
While Govender has presented the first 1000 signatures today, West Coast LEAF has an eventual goal of 5000 supporting signatures.

To join the organizations and individuals expressing concern about the recent legal aid cuts through our Access to Justice petition, please go here.
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Tell the Honourable Mr. Wally Oppal what you think by contacting him:

E-mail: wally.oppal.mla@leg.bc.ca
Web site: www.wallyoppalmla.bc.ca

Victoria Phone: 250 387-1866
Vancouver Phone: 604 775-2246

3158 East 54th Ave.
Vancouver, BC
V5S 1Z1

Find other MLA's and let them know what you're thinkin' about as we head
into the election.

The Fall of a Government: The Truth behind the Sale of BC Rail

Enough is enough. It is time for some kind of federal inquiry and oversight into the governance and administration of the Province of British Columbia over the last 8 years. Extraordinary actions call for extraordinary measures.

As citizens of BC we can no longer tolerate the corruption, the blatant subversion of justice, decency, honour and integrity of the current administration. We will be paying for decades to come, as will our children and their children for the abomination that is Gordon Campbell's BC Liberal government and because of the greed of whatever demonic puppet masters he is working for. You can't get blood from a stone and the cookie jar is empty, so get the hell out of BC and back to whatever depth of Hell you've all come from. Did nobody ever mention you can't take it with you? It's ours anyways, so get lost.

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B.C. Rail Corruption Trial - Key Documents
NDP. March 06, 2009.

New Democrats Release Campbell Government Documents to Shed Light on B.C. Rail Corruption Trial

Documents detailing how Brian Kieran worked closely with the Premier's Office to arrange meetings between Gordon Campbell and Pat Broe of Broe Companies Ltd, the parent company of OmniTRAX.

The Charles River fairness evaluation , which the Liberals used to defend the transaction, was sent to the key people involved in brokering the deal prior to release.

The complete set of documents are here .

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Railgate Bombshell: BC Gov't Ethics Scorched by Rail Firms
Angry bidders 'dismayed' by 'unfair' process in $1 billion privatization.

Bill Tieleman. March 3, 2009. TheTyee.ca

Excerpt:

Two major rail companies who dropped out of bidding on the $1 billion privatization of B.C. Rail angrily accused the BC Liberals of leaking vital secrets to the winning competitor and conducting an "unfair" process.

CPR also dropped out of the bidding before CN was announced as the winner, calling the process "unfair" because it believed the B.C. government had leaked confidential B.C. Rail information to CN, giving that company a clear advantage in preparing its bid.

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Broe to Campbell, Aug 15, 2002:“I want to meet with you again ... the province will be best served if BC Rail freight service was privatized."

CAMPBELL STILL HAUNTED BY BC RAIL DEAL

Documents released this week by a judge in a political corruption trial trace the government's route from staunch denial to talks with bidders and then a media strategy on how to sell privatization to the public

MARK HUME.The Globe and Mail (National Edition) - March 7, 2009.

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Allegations of Breach of Contract, the Cover Up and Abrogation of Duty and Oath as Sworn Elected Representatives of the Province of British Columbia:

Hansard Debates [Blues] for Tuesday PM, March 3, 2009

... R. Fleming: These are questions about documents that are now in the public realm. Let's go back to after the CN Rail deal became public. All of the bidders, every bidder, wrote to government expressing their disappointment at the lack of fairness.

"Extremely dismayed with the handling of the B.C. Rail transaction because of a lack of fairness," wrote Burlington Northern.

"Lack of fairness put CPR at a significant disadvantage," wrote Canadian Pacific.

"We are disappointed with the news and the way in which it was communicated," wrote Omnitrax.

It turns out they were right. It turns out that not only did the government strike a tainted deal, they struck a tainted report about the deal.

So, again, to the Premier: will he admit in this House today that the so-called independent fairness report wasn't worth the paper it was written on and admit the deal was unfair, biased and not in the interest of British Columbians?

Hon. W. Oppal: Nice speech. Completely irrelevant. Lot of sound and fury, with the greatest of conceivable respect. The fact that the documents are in the public is completely irrelevant. All documents that are filed in a courtroom, are public. That doesn't give us the right to comment on them.

Interjections ...

Mr. Speaker: Just wait, Member.

R. Fleming: For the first time after many, many years, these documents today allow the opposition, the public, to have what the government has always had, to be on the same page. The only thing that hasn't changed is the government's unwillingness to answer questions, and that's not good enough.

The B.C. Rail deal was tainted. The fairness report was a sham. The government worked hand in hand with the fairness adviser to rein in a political scandal. That's what these documents show. It broke a key election promise. These things may mean nothing to those people, but the people of British Columbia deserve better. They deserve to know the real truth about a public asset worth billions of dollars ...

Election Blogs & Tools

First Call has launched a new advocacy tool for the upcoming provincial election. The Provincial Election Kit is framed around the Four Keys to Success for Children and Youth, and features an overview of the province's role, facts relating to each key, sample questions for candidates, and links to great resources for more information. They also have a new provincial election section of our web site (http://www.firstcallbc.org/currentIssues-ProvElection.html) where you'll be able to find the election kit, new links and more information as the election approaches.

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The CCPA has launched a provincial election blog, offering a source of expert commentary on the issues that will – or should – define the 2009 provincial election. The Lead-Up features timely analysis from the CCPA's staff and research associates on a range of topics, such as the latest unemployment numbers, the state of provincial finances, ideas for reducing poverty, trends and issues affecting children and youth, and much more. View the Lead-Up blog at http://bcelection.policyalternatives.ca

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The Hook: Political News, Fresh Caught

BC Politics