tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123189312024-02-28T05:32:14.112-08:00BC Liberals SuckThe Truth Will Set Us FreeBC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.comBlogger304125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-20508887157441855792016-11-23T19:18:00.000-08:002016-11-23T19:18:29.175-08:00Priorities: BC Liberal-style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFRrcj8F_9k5VFkNstwyar0lzYGmkr8aEd8_c7pz4uvohwdAbmWKLaPxgwHEonA-PB2Zna-aRmMu5NC9Q4-nphLtYURo6E8TIxeegFQxK63HZBk6cahHvhMxM5h-xYJhMUhBz/s1600/ICBC+cash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFRrcj8F_9k5VFkNstwyar0lzYGmkr8aEd8_c7pz4uvohwdAbmWKLaPxgwHEonA-PB2Zna-aRmMu5NC9Q4-nphLtYURo6E8TIxeegFQxK63HZBk6cahHvhMxM5h-xYJhMUhBz/s320/ICBC+cash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-18820963631079493362016-11-23T19:16:00.001-08:002016-11-23T19:16:09.861-08:00BC Liberals continue to Allow ICBC Mismanagement: Ratepayers lose<h1 class="entry-title" itemprop="headline">
<a href="http://vancouversun.com/?s=ICBC+drops+luxury+car+insurance%2C+but+savings+won%27t+prevent+rate+hikes"><span style="font-size: small;">ICBC drops luxury car insurance, but savings won't prevent rate hikes</span></a></h1>
<h1 class="entry-title" itemprop="headline">
<span style="font-size: small;">Rob Shaw (November 23, 2016). Vancouver Sun. <a href="http://vancouversun.com/?s=ICBC+drops+luxury+car+insurance%2C+but+savings+won%27t+prevent+rate+hikes">http://vancouversun.com/?s=ICBC+drops+luxury+car+insurance%2C+but+savings+won%27t+prevent+rate+hikes</a></span></h1>
VICTORIA — A plan by the B.C. government to cut off ICBC auto
insurance for Lamborghinis, high-end Maseratis and similar vehicles
won’t save enough to prevent massive hikes to basic insurance rates, and
is only a small fraction of the savings needed to end the financial
crisis at the beleaguered public auto insurer.<br />
<br />
Transportation Minister Todd Stone admitted Wednesday that
his move to end public insurance for super high-end luxury vehicles will
only save $2.3 million in claims costs annually at the Insurance Corp.
of B.C.<br />
<br />
That represents a drop in the bucket of what ICBC needs to save to
avoid the worst-case scenario that it reluctantly released Wednesday,
showing basic rate hikes climbing by as high as 42 per cent, compounded,
over the next five years.<br />
<br />
“We are not going to allow a scenario that would provide for that
level of basic rate increases to actually happen here in British
Columbia,” said Stone, who promised additional reforms in coming weeks,
and a push to reduce fraud, claims costs and other financial factors.<br />
<br />
The $2.3 million in savings is dwarfed by the $472 million ICBC
needed to take from its optional business this year just to cut a
projected 15 per cent increase in basic insurance rates down to the <a href="http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/icbc-finances-in-question-amidst-fight-to-keep-secret-rate-forecasts">4.9 per cent cap</a> promised by Premier Christy Clark.<br />
<br />
ICBC has had to use $1.4 billion earned by its optional insurance
business to keep basic rates artificially low for the past several
years, leading to questions about what effect, if any, the small savings
from stopping insuring of luxury vehicles would have on ICBC’s bottom
line.<br />
<br />
“It might provide a couple million of savings on an annual basis, but
just as importantly, it’s a fairness question for motorists across the
province,” said Stone, who portrayed the move as a way to protect
middle-class ratepayers from subsidizing the province’s wealthiest
citizens.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><b>NDP critic Adrian Dix said the luxury vehicle announcement was just
to disguise the fact that ICBC was forced to publish Wednesday a series
of damaging hypothetical rate forecasts to 2020, after <a href="http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/icbc-fighting-regulator-to-keep-future-rate-forecasts-from-public">losing a fight</a> with the B.C. Utilities Commission to keep the information secret.</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><b>Those scenarios (which use various assumptions around capital levels
and investment returns) suggest basic rates could rise a compounded 42
per cent by 2020 if ICBC makes no progress in reducing claims costs, 25
per cent with modest progress and 16 per cent in the best case for the
corporation.</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><b>
</b></span><span style="color: red;"><b>Stone criticized the BCUC for forcing ICBC to release forecasts built
upon “unreasonable assumptions” using “extreme projections.”</b></span><br />
<br />
Dix noted ICBC hasn’t hit internal financial forecasts in
several years, so it’s hard to take seriously the argument it could
meet four years of its optimistic projections.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><b>Analysts have said ICBC is caught in an unsustainable cycle
of politically-motivated rate caps by a B.C. Liberal government facing
re-election in May, rising claims costs, and a diminishing amount of
reserve capital available to earn money to artificially subsidize basic
rates.</b></span><br />
<br />
Stone called the scope of ICBC’s financial challenge “significant”
and the pressures it is facing from rising claims, injury and repair
costs “enormous.”<br />
<br />
He said the luxury car move would not address the challenges of ICBC but was one step toward reducing pressures on rates.<br />
<br />
ICBC will refuse to offer basic insurance on vehicles worth more than $150,000 once the law is changed next spring, said Stone.<br />
<br />
<span style="line-height: 1.5;">Luxury car owners will have to go to
private companies to get basic insurance. ICBC will maintain its
monopoly on basic insurance for everyone else.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 1.5;">Until the law is changed, high-end
drivers will find their premiums doubled to cover the skyrocketing cost
of repairing their vehicles, which Stone said is now being borne by
ordinary ratepayers. The change doesn’t apply to limos, trucks,
motorhomes or collector vehicles.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It costs up to six times as much to repair luxury cars in an accident
as an ordinary vehicle, and the number of luxury vehicles on the road
has risen 30 per cent to 3,000 in the past three years, said Stone.<br />
<br />
ICBC officials illustrated the situation by pointing out repairs to
the bumper on a Ferrari cost $6,000 compared to $390 for a Toyota
Corolla, and yet the basic insurance premiums for drivers of both
vehicles were comparably priced.<br />
<br />
The number of super-high-end exotic sports cars has nearly doubled
over the past six years on Metro Vancouver streets, from 1,300 vehicles
in 2009 to 2,500 in 2015.<br />
<br />
<a href="mailto:rshaw@postmedia.com">rshaw@postmedia.com<br />
</a><a href="http://twitter.com/robshaw_vansun" target="_blank">twitter.com/robshaw_vansun</a><br />
<h1 class="entry-title" itemprop="headline">
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></h1>
<h1 class="entry-title" itemprop="headline">
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </h1>
BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-41706999114164287082016-06-02T14:06:00.000-07:002016-06-02T14:06:18.516-07:00BC Liberals: Poverty pushers for BC citizens with disabilities
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 1pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/stephen-hume-provincial-clawbacks-relegate-the-disabled-to-life-of-poverty">Provincial clawbacks relegate the disabled to life of poverty<o:p></o:p></a></span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 1pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Stephen Hume(</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">May
31, 2016<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>). Vancouver Sun. <span style="color: #555555;"><a href="http://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/stephen-hume-provincial-clawbacks-relegate-the-disabled-to-life-of-poverty"><span style="color: blue;">http://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/stephen-hume-provincial-clawbacks-relegate-the-disabled-to-life-of-poverty</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Amy Jane Brown, or A.J. as she prefers to be called,</span><span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"> is an accomplished artist, once a
teenage ballerina, an advocate and a poster girl for the amazing abilities of
those members of the community we categorize as “people with disabilities.”</span></span><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="p1" style="background: white; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That categorization
is just a self-serving way of soft-soaping discrimination by providing an
identifying label — although A.J. defies labels.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">A.J. was born in Vancouver 50 years ago.
She lives with the consequences of a birth accident which rendered her deaf.
She has cerebral palsy, a condition which has left her progressively more
fatigued. She lives with the lingering after-effects of recurring surgeries to
correct an idiopathic scoliosis, which is a lateral curvature of the spine.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">These differences, she says, mean she’s
treated differently by the very people who profess to want to treat her like
every other citizen.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><strong><span style="color: red;">In spite of astonishing accomplishments,
she subsists on a tiny income that’s made even smaller by provincial
government clawbacks of federal benefits. The benefits are supposed to make
life easier for people coping with disabilities that ensure little prospect
they will ever enjoy incomes most of us take for granted.</span></strong> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There’s discrimination and there’s
discrimination. Acknowledging differences is one thing. Punishing people for
their differences is entirely another.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><strong><span style="color: red;">Like the Wizard of Oz, politicians are all
about grand mission statements, uplifting rhetoric and high-mindedness as they
promise route maps down the Golden Brick Road to the Emerald City. But behind
the carefully constructed curtain of tinsel and sham, what’s at work is a con
job serving the grubby principles of judgmental parsimony for the already poor.</span></strong></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">I wanted to introduce A.J. to Vancouver Sun
readers because — and I admit my occasional complicity — one of the
problems with writing about provincial governments, bureaucracies, policy
analysis and the politicians who enable policy on the public’s behalf is how
often we cloak ourselves in statistics.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Statistics are a convenient way for those of
us in the mainstream to distance ourselves from the realities of the actual
human beings affected and marginalized by abstract decisions.</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">That’s certainly the case for commentary about
people with disabilities who are affected, in many cases hurt, by government
policies that are clearly discriminatory — although government almost
always denounces discrimination, even while those on the receiving end of
discriminatory policy beg to differ.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="background: white; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">As a person and a mind, she
attended Balmoral Hall, a school for girls in Winnipeg, then Carson Graham
Secondary in Vancouver. As a high school student, her favourite subjects were
geography — she was fascinated by topography and how land elevations affect
weather — and mathematics.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">She earned a bachelor’s degree at
Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">“I chose Gallaudet because it was, at the
time, the only university that would teach deaf people. Nearly everyone used
sign language. It was a whole new world for me.” And for her mother. “Mom
freaked because she said it was the murder capital of the U.S.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> A.J. majored in English literature with
a minor in music. It was a struggle. Her five years at university were spent in
a powered wheelchair because that’s how long recovery from the spinal surgery
took.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">She graduated in 1990. Then came the real test
— finding a way to support herself despite her disabilities. Nobody, it seems,
was much interested in accommodating A.J.’s differences. She went back to
school at Capilano College and took business courses, then took more business
training at Open Learning University.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">“By this time it was getting harder to speak.
So, being understood was becoming more hard to do. I was getting to the point
where all I could do was point and grunt. I didn’t want to be a cave woman.”
Technology intervened. Now she uses her iPad to write what she wants to say.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">It took five years, but A.J. did find a job.
She then worked for eight years, first doing data entry at the Surrey Tax
Centre, later sorting mail for Canada Post, paying taxes and contributing to
her Canada Pension Plan like most other working people. But fatigue and her
physical condition eventually took their toll.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><strong><span style="color: red;">She now subsists on combined federal and
provincial disability benefits. With no clawbacks, those benefits would total
$1,450 a month, $544 from CPP and $906 from B.C. But the province reduces its
payment by the amount she gets from CPP and instead contributes only $342. This
the province characterizes as “topping up” her CPP, although it reduces her
monthly benefit to $886.</span></strong></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">A.J. has to deduct her monthly rent — she’s
lucky enough to be in subsidized housing — from her monthly disability
benefits, leaving her $546 a month on which to live. This is about half the
average monthly income in Botswana. It’s about 15 per cent of the average
monthly wage in Canada. B.C., it seems, expects people with disabilities like
A.J. to live on third world incomes in one of the more expensive cities in the
first world. </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><strong><span style="color: red;">“It is really punitive being on the B.C.
disability,” she observes. “I thought, as the name suggests, disability
assistance, that would be income on top of what I earn. I feel lied to. I
thought it was basic income. But it comes with severe limits.</span></strong></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">“I feel like this is a bad experiment gone
wrong. I have difficult choices on what to eat. I’ve heard of old women living
from cat food because that’s what they can afford. I sure hope that won’t be
me!”</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Any fair-minded person might see this as
discrimination directed specifically at people with disabilities because of
their disabilities, regardless of government’s self-serving Orwellian
definitions of clawbacks and discounted benefits as generous top-ups.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">“Yes, you bet I’m discriminated against. I’m a
woman, first off,” says A.J. “I’m deaf so that is another cubbyhole. Additional
is my cerebral palsy and my back. The more things that are ‘wrong’ with a
person, the more cubbyholes there are.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><strong><span style="color: red;">“I don’t get ANY of my CPP disability,” she
says. “The B.C. government helps itself to that money. It’s plain thievery.
It’s disheartening to have it gone, when I should have it.”</span></strong></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">The limited income means difficult choices.
She passes on lunch with friends. She doesn’t go for the physiotherapy she
would like because at $75 a visit the cost is too high. She cancelled cable TV
and its closed caption programming because it cost too much — why haven’t our
cheapskate politicians designated closed caption TV an essential service for
the deaf since it’s the only effective universal emergency communication
service they can easily access? </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Yet A.J. lives frugally so that she can save
enough each month to cover tuition for one art course at Emily Carr each term.
The total cost of her art courses for the year is less than Premier Christy
Clark earns for one day of swanning around at photo ops.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span style="color: blue;"><span class="s1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">It’s not likely A.J. will ever
be invited to one of those face-to-face power dinners with the premier that
prove so popular with our business elites, but if she could, here’s what she’d
inform Premier Clark:</span><o:p></o:p></b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></span></span></div>
<span style="color: red;">
</span><br />
<div class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><span style="color: red;">“You do know that clawing back
CPP and other sources of income (for people with disabilities) is abuse, don’t
you? Clawing back, or stealing, or deducting the money is wrong and should
stop. Please stop deducting.”</span></span></b></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p3" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; vertical-align: baseline; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="s2"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><a href="mailto:shume@islandnet.com" style="cursor: pointer; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">shume@islandnet.com</span></a></span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-16909482054991115012016-06-02T13:54:00.001-07:002016-06-02T13:54:33.950-07:00BC Liberals Play Politics with Kids Education in BC<h1 class="entry-title">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.cknw.com/2016/05/31/horgan-its-an-odd-way-to-run-a-public-education-system/">Horgan: “It’s an odd way to run a public education system”</a></span></h1>
<div class="entry-title">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Shane Woodford (May 31, 2016). CKNW. </span><a href="http://www.cknw.com/2016/05/31/horgan-its-an-odd-way-to-run-a-public-education-system/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.cknw.com/2016/05/31/horgan-its-an-odd-way-to-run-a-public-education-system/</span></a></div>
<div class="entry-title">
</div>
<strong><span style="color: red;">The leader of the B.C. NDP says the B.C. Liberal government is
blatantly trying to buy back votes with its recent education funding
announcements.</span></strong><br />
<blockquote>
“The classic example is taking with one hand and then giving it back just before the election.”</blockquote>
John Horgan says the 11th hour timing of today’s education
announcement, giving back $25-million of the $54-million the province
mandated school districts find, is a bit of a head-scratcher.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: red;">“Now all of the tough decisions have been made by school districts. They
have gone through very difficult budget processes. They have declared
certain schools are about to be closed and then the province comes at
the 11th hour, and drops a little tiny bit of money in the bucket that
won’t even come close to solving the problem. It is an odd way to run a
public education system.”</span></strong><br />
<div class=" fsk_splitbox_336" id="fsk_splitbox_336" style="height: 0px; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" id="fsk_frame_splitbox" mozallowfullscreen="" name="fsk_frame_splitbox" style="border: currentColor; height: 100%; margin: 0px; width: 100%;" webkitallowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
<div class="entry-title">
</div>
<div class="entry-title">
He says the funding announcement is not about the kids, but rather politics for the Christy Clark government.</div>
<blockquote>
“You have got this giving back of money that just a week
ago, just a week ago, the Minister of Education said was not going to
happen is a true indication that the government is clearly having
difficulty. They are blanketing the airwaves with feel good ads paid for
by taxpayers, because their polls are telling them they are doing very
very poorly.”</blockquote>
<strong><span style="color: red;">Horgan says it was also about bolstering the election chances for
MLAs Coralee Oakes, Dan Ashton, and Linda Larson in Quesnel, Osoyoos,
aand Penticton where the funding was announced simultaneously.</span></strong>BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-32445725647738687612016-05-31T11:47:00.001-07:002016-05-31T11:47:30.601-07:00BC Liberal Bafflegab: 90 Scientists & policy experts vs 1 unqualified Minister of Environment<div class="story-headline">
<h1 class="story-title">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/polak-lng-letter-1.3608162">B.C. environment minister says climate scientists' letter 'doesn't meet with reality'</a></span></h1>
</div>
<strong><span style="color: red;">Mary Polak defends B.C. Liberals' committment to LNG, the 'cleanest burning' fossil fuel</span></strong><br />
<span class="spaced" id="yui_3_11_0_1_1464718796319_29">Matt Meuse (<span class="delimited" id="yui_3_11_0_1_1464718796319_30">May 30, 2016). CBC News. <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/polak-lng-letter-1.3608162">http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/polak-lng-letter-1.3608162</a></span></span><br />
<span class="spaced"><span class="delimited"></span></span><br />
<span class="spaced"><span class="delimited"><strong><span style="color: red;">International climate change experts have </span></strong><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/pacific-northwest-lng-decision-delayed-1.3500849"><strong><span style="color: red;">decried plans for a liquified natural gas industry in B.C.</span></strong></a><strong><span style="color: red;">,
but Environment Minister Mary Polak says LNG has a key role to play as a
transition fuel — and that those experts haven't taken a wide enough
view of the industry.</span></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: red;">In </span></strong><a href="http://media.wix.com/ugd/f85bab_86eaddc3c8f04f5f967f0a5ccb333cda.pdf"><strong><span style="color: red;">a letter addressed to federal environment minister Catherine McKenna</span></strong></a><strong><span style="color: red;">,
90 scientists and policy experts said the proposed Pacific NorthWest
LNG plant near Prince Rupert would make it "virtually impossible" for
B.C. to meet its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets.</span></strong><br />
<br />
But Polak said the letter's authors have taken a myopic view of the
situation and that the provincial government would be announcing a
number of GHG reduction measures later this month.<br />
<br />
"By their own admission in the letter, they say that they have based
their estimates on no new actions in terms of climate," Polak told <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/onthecoast"><em>On the Coast</em></a> host Stephen Quinn.<br />
<br />
"Their assumption from the beginning doesn't meet with reality."<br />
<h2>
LNG as a "transition" fuel</h2>
<strong><span style="color: red;">The letter's authors say the new facility would increase B.C.'s GHG
emissions by as much as 22.5 per cent. But Polak said the LNG from the
plant would be used in place of GHG-rich fuels like coal and diesel and
would therefore mean a net reduction in emissions.</span></strong><br />
<br />
"You would likely only see about 3.7 megatons annually as a result of
[the Pacific NorthWest facility], which is far, far below what the
scientists are estimating in their letter," Polak said.</span></span><span class="spaced"><span class="delimited"></span></span><br />
<span class="spaced"><span class="delimited"><div id="yui_3_11_0_1_1464718796319_32">
Polak said that, while a complete
transition to clean energy is a desirable goal, it won't happen
overnight, especially in less developed countries like China. She said
LNG has an important role to play as a "transition" fuel that burns
cleaner than current energy staples like coal that can fill the gap
until clean energy technology is more viable.</div>
<br />
"In cases where you are replacing products that would've been dirtier, you are reducing emissions," she said.<br />
<br />
In the letter, the authors say there is no evidence that LNG will
replace coal in overseas markets and may actually replace
non-GHG-emitting forms of energy like nuclear.<br />
<br />
McKenna, the federal environment minister, has yet to approve the
Pacific NorthWest project. She was expected to make a decision earlier
this year, but <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/pacific-northwest-lng-decision-delayed-1.3500849">postponed the decision</a> after officials requested further information about it.<br />
<br />
<em>With files from CBC's <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/onthecoast">On the Coast</a>.</em></span></span>BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-49865385844115137222016-05-30T13:47:00.000-07:002016-05-30T13:54:45.687-07:00More Multi-million dollar Failed IT Projects <div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
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Nanaimo doctors say electronic health record system unsafe, should be shut down</h3>
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<div>
<div class="ancillary">
<a class="suppress-print-href" href="http://www.timescolonist.com/authors?author=Cindy%20E.%20Harnett">Cindy E. Harnett</a>
|
Times Colonist </div>
</div>
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Nanaimo doctors say electronic health record system unsafe, should be shut down</h3>
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<div class="ancillary">
<a class="suppress-print-href" href="http://www.timescolonist.com/authors?author=Cindy%20E.%20Harnett">Cindy E. Harnett</a>
|
Times Colonist </div>
</div>
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<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
Nanaimo
doctors say electronic health record system unsafe, should be shut down
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Implementation
of a $174-million Island-wide electronic health record system in
Nanaimo Regional General Hospital — set to expand to Victoria by late
2017 — is a huge failure, say senior physicians.<br />
After a year of testing, the new paperless iHealth system rolled out in
Nanaimo on March 19. Island Health heralds the system as the first in
the province to connect all acute-care and diagnostic services through
one electronic patient medical record, the first fully integrated
electronic chart in the province.<br />
But nine weeks after startup, physicians in the Nanaimo hospital’s
intensive-care and emergency departments reverted to pen and paper on
Wednesday “out of concern for patient safety.”<br />
Doctors said the system is flawed — generating wrong dosages for the
most dangerous of drugs, diminishing time for patient consultation and
losing critical information and orders.<br />
“The whole thing is a mess,” said a senior physician. “What you type into the computer is not what comes out the other end.<br />
“It’s unusable and it’s unsafe. I’m surprised they haven’t pulled it. I’ve never seen errors of the kind we are now seeing.”<br />
Doctors are so concerned, they want Island Health to suspend the implementation.<br />
“Take it away and fix it and test it before you bring it back — stop
testing it on our people,” said one doctor. “Why wasn’t this introduced
in Victoria first? If they went live in Victoria first, they would have a
riot.”<br />
The doctors, who fear reprisals, spoke to the Times Colonist on condition of anonymity.<br />
The $174-million system started with a 10-year $50-million deal for
software and professional services signed in 2013 with Cerner
Corporation, a health information technology company headquartered in
Kansas City, Missouri. Thus far, the company has been paid close to $12
million. The remaining $124 million is to be spent by Island Health for
hardware, training and operating the system.<br />
The system is being used in Nanaimo’s hospital, Dufferin Place
residential care centre — also in Nanaimo — and Oceanside Health Centre
in Parksville.<br />
Since March 19, mobile touch-screen computer console carts have been
rolling around hospital hallways. Voice-recognition dictation software
immediately transcribes a doctor’s verbal notes into a patient’s
electronic record, and scanners track each bar-coded patient bracelet
around the hospital.<br />
But doctors complain the new technology is slow, overly complicated and inefficient.<br />
“The iHealth computer interface for ordering medications and tests is
so poorly designed that not only does it take doctors more than twice as
long to enter orders, even with that extra effort, serious errors are
occurring on multiple patients every single day,” wrote one physician at
the Nanaimo hospital.<br />
“Tests are being delayed. Medications are being missed or accidentally discontinued.”<br />
Doctors can’t easily find information entered by nurses, the physician wrote.<br />
There are also complaints about the pharmacy module of Cerner’s
integrated system — the only joint build between Island Health and
Cerner.<br />
iHealth implementation staff brought in to input orders for physicians
this week entered eight drug mistakes on one day and 10 on another,
while there were no mistakes in the paper orders, doctors said. “If the
experts can’t enter it correctly, what is the average Joe going to do?”
one doctor said.<br />
Another problem, they said, is patients’ drug orders disappearing from the system.<br />
But Island Health spokeswoman Antoniette O’Keeffe said the system is safe and doing what it’s intended to do.<br />
“We are not going back to paper,” she said.<br />
“We can’t go back to paper. We don’t have the mechanics to go back to paper.”<br />
Island Health acknowledges that documentation for staff doing
emergency-department patient intake was a challenge, noting Nanaimo is
the busiest emergency department on the Island.<br />
Nanaimo has some of the top physicians in the country and “we respect
the feedback they are giving us, and so we are listening to them and we
are tweaking and modifying the system,” O’Keeffe said.<br />
Challenges include getting medication orders into the system, getting
clinical staff trained, work flow and documentation, O’Keeffe said.<br />
More staff have been added to speed up admissions and others are
working around the clock in the intensive-care and emergency departments
to input handwritten physician orders into the system, O’Keeffe said.<br />
Cerner is working with Island Health staff, “and they’ll be here until we get this fully implemented,” O’Keeffe said.<br />
Island Health credits the system’s electronic warnings for catching
about 400 human-caused medication errors and conflicts at three sites,
saying it’s a sign that the system is working. It will produce a
warning, for example, if the dosage is too high for a patient’s weight,
if the drug is not appropriate for a particular disease or if there’s a
drug conflict.<br />
Across the country, thousands of medication mistakes are made daily due
to human error, “and this system is designed to catch them,” O’Keeffe
said.<br />
Doctors respond that so many irrelevant flags pop up, it creates confusion, while the computer loses or duplicates drug orders.<br />
The system was a decade in the making for Island Health. Twenty-three
clinical teams were involved in developing various components and there
was user-group testing, modifications and feedback, O’Keeffe said.
Training has gone on for the last year, she said. “You can only bring a
system so far and then you have to put it in a real environment to test
it.”<br />
By the end of the implementation, it’s expected family doctors will
also be able to access patient files started in acute-care settings.
Island Health is working on that component now, O’Keeffe said.<br />
Once the system is working smoothly in Nanaimo, it will be installed in
the north Island and then Victoria hospitals in 12 to 18 months,
O’Keeffe said.<br />
<a href="mailto:ceharnett@timescolonist.com">ceharnett@timescolonist.com</a><br />
<a href="http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/op-ed/comment-new-computer-system-a-detriment-to-health-care-1.2264274" target="_blank">> Comment: New computer system detriment to health care</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/nanaimo-doctors-say-electronic-health-record-system-unsafe-should-be-shut-down-1.2264497"><strong>Nanaimo doctors say electronic health record system unsafe, should be shut down</strong></a></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.timescolonist.com/authors?author=Cindy%20E.%20Harnett"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">Cindy
E. Harnett</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (May 27, 2016). Times Colonist. </span><a href="http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/nanaimo-doctors-say-electronic-health-record-system-unsafe-should-be-shut-down-1.2264497"><span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/nanaimo-doctors-say-electronic-health-record-system-unsafe-should-be-shut-down-1.2264497</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Implementation
of a $174-million Island-wide electronic health record system in Nanaimo
Regional General Hospital — set to expand to Victoria by late 2017 — is a huge
failure, say senior physicians.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After a
year of testing, the new paperless iHealth system rolled out in Nanaimo on
March 19. Island Health heralds the system as the first in the province to
connect all acute-care and diagnostic services through one electronic patient
medical record, the first fully integrated electronic chart in the province.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But nine
weeks after startup, physicians in the Nanaimo hospital’s intensive-care and
emergency departments reverted to pen and paper on Wednesday “out of concern
for patient safety.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="color: red;">Doctors
said the system is flawed — generating wrong dosages for the most dangerous of
drugs, diminishing time for patient consultation and losing critical
information and orders.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="color: red;">“The
whole thing is a mess,” said a senior physician. “What you type into the
computer is not what comes out the other end.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><strong>
</strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="color: red;">“It’s
unusable and it’s unsafe. I’m surprised they haven’t pulled it. I’ve never seen
errors of the kind we are now seeing.”<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Doctors
are so concerned, they want Island Health to suspend the implementation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong><span style="color: red;">“Take it
away and fix it and test it before you bring it back — stop testing it on our
people,” said one doctor. “Why wasn’t this introduced in Victoria first? If
they went live in Victoria first, they would have a riot.”<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
<strong><span style="color: red;">
</span></strong><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong><span style="color: red;">The
doctors, who fear reprisals, spoke to the Times Colonist on condition of
anonymity.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong><span style="color: red;">The
$174-million system started with a 10-year $50-million deal for software and
professional services signed in 2013 with Cerner Corporation, a health
information technology company headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Thus
far, the company has been paid close to $12 million. The remaining $124 million
is to be spent by Island Health for hardware, training and operating the system.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
system is being used in Nanaimo’s hospital, Dufferin Place residential care
centre — also in Nanaimo — and Oceanside Health Centre in Parksville.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Since
March 19, mobile touch-screen computer console carts have been rolling around
hospital hallways. Voice-recognition dictation software immediately transcribes
a doctor’s verbal notes into a patient’s electronic record, and scanners track
each bar-coded patient bracelet around the hospital.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">But
doctors complain the new technology is slow, overly complicated and
inefficient.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong><span style="color: red;">“The
iHealth computer interface for ordering medications and tests is so poorly
designed that not only does it take doctors more than twice as long to enter
orders, even with that extra effort, serious errors are occurring on multiple patients
every single day,” wrote one physician at the Nanaimo hospital.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong><span style="color: red;">“Tests
are being delayed. Medications are being missed or accidentally discontinued.”<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Doctors
can’t easily find information entered by nurses, the physician wrote.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">There are
also complaints about the pharmacy module of Cerner’s integrated system — the
only joint build between Island Health and Cerner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong><span style="color: red;">iHealth
implementation staff brought in to input orders for physicians this week
entered eight drug mistakes on one day and 10 on another, while there were no
mistakes in the paper orders, doctors said. “If the experts can’t enter it
correctly, what is the average Joe going to do?” one doctor said.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
<strong><span style="color: red;">
</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong><span style="color: red;">Another
problem, they said, is patients’ drug orders disappearing from the system.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">But Island
Health spokeswoman Antoniette O’Keeffe said the system is safe and doing what
it’s intended to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“We are
not going back to paper,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“We can’t
go back to paper. We don’t have the mechanics to go back to paper.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Island
Health acknowledges that documentation for staff doing emergency-department
patient intake was a challenge, noting Nanaimo is the busiest emergency
department on the Island.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Nanaimo
has some of the top physicians in the country and “we respect the feedback they
are giving us, and so we are listening to them and we are tweaking and
modifying the system,” O’Keeffe said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Challenges
include getting medication orders into the system, getting clinical staff
trained, work flow and documentation, O’Keeffe said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">More
staff have been added to speed up admissions and others are working around the
clock in the intensive-care and emergency departments to input handwritten
physician orders into the system, O’Keeffe said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Cerner is
working with Island Health staff, “and they’ll be here until we get this fully
implemented,” O’Keeffe said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Island
Health credits the system’s electronic warnings for catching about 400
human-caused medication errors and conflicts at three sites, saying it’s a sign
that the system is working. It will produce a warning, for example, if the
dosage is too high for a patient’s weight, if the drug is not appropriate for a
particular disease or if there’s a drug conflict.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Across
the country, thousands of medication mistakes are made daily due to human
error, “and this system is designed to catch them,” O’Keeffe said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Doctors
respond that so many irrelevant flags pop up, it creates confusion, while the
computer loses or duplicates drug orders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
system was a decade in the making for Island Health. Twenty-three clinical
teams were involved in developing various components and there was user-group
testing, modifications and feedback, O’Keeffe said. Training has gone on for
the last year, she said. “You can only bring a system so far and then you have
to put it in a real environment to test it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">By the
end of the implementation, it’s expected family doctors will also be able to
access patient files started in acute-care settings. Island Health is working
on that component now, O’Keeffe said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Once the
system is working smoothly in Nanaimo, it will be installed in the north Island
and then Victoria hospitals in 12 to 18 months, O’Keeffe said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="mailto:ceharnett@timescolonist.com"><span style="color: blue;">ceharnett@timescolonist.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/op-ed/comment-new-computer-system-a-detriment-to-health-care-1.2264274" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Comment: New computer system detriment to health care</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-3811167871118946982016-05-28T14:28:00.000-07:002016-05-28T14:28:05.694-07:00Premier Clark: Its good to have friends, or family, in high places<h1 class="entry-title" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px currentColor; color: black; font-family: PrattRegular, Georgia, Palatino, "Book Antiqua", "Times New Roman", serif; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -0.6px; line-height: 1.25; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;" title="B.C. Premier is accused of interfering in a local band election to help a candidate who supports a $10-million wind farm proposal involving her brother">
<a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/christy-clark-accused-of-interfering-in-band-election-to-aid-brothers-deal/article27654979/"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Christy Clark accused of interfering in local band election to aid brother’s deal</span></a></h1>
<div class="entry-title" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px currentColor; color: black; font-family: PrattRegular, Georgia, Palatino, "Book Antiqua", "Times New Roman", serif; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -0.6px; line-height: 1.25; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;" title="B.C. Premier is accused of interfering in a local band election to help a candidate who supports a $10-million wind farm proposal involving her brother">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mark Hume. (2016). The Globe and Mail. </span><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/christy-clark-accused-of-interfering-in-band-election-to-aid-brothers-deal/article27654979/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/christy-clark-accused-of-interfering-in-band-election-to-aid-brothers-deal/article27654979/</span></a></div>
<div class="entry-title" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px currentColor; color: black; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 25px/1.25 PrattRegular, Georgia, Palatino, "Book Antiqua", "Times New Roman", serif; letter-spacing: -0.6px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;" title="B.C. Premier is accused of interfering in a local band election to help a candidate who supports a $10-million wind farm proposal involving her brother">
</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><strong>Premier Christy Clark has been accused of interfering in a local band election to help a candidate who supports a $10-million wind farm proposal involving her brother, Bruce Clark.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ms. Clark was not available for comment, but her office denied that the Premier’s recent visit to Haida Gwaii was in any way meant to influence the campaign of Chief Ken Rea, who was narrowly re-elected Monday, or to assist Mr. Clark’s business deal with the band.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“There’s no merit to this allegation whatsoever,” said Ben Chin, executive director of communications for Ms. Clark.</span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><strong>During her visit to Old Massett, a small native community on the north end of Haida Gwaii, Ms. Clark announced at a public meeting that the province was making a $150,000 grant to the Old Massett Village Council (OMVC).</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><strong>The money is for a feasibility study of a proposed $4-million expansion to the 40-student elementary school on the reserve.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><strong>The announcement gave a boost to the campaign of Mr. Rea, who has been a long-time supporter of Mr. Clark’s proposed wind farm.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But Mr. Chin said there was no link between Ms. Clark’s visit and Mr. Clark’s private business dealings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“The Premier is not aware of any relationship between Mr. Clark’s company and Old Massett Village Council,” Mr. Chin said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mr. Chin said the Premier went to Old Massett as a “relationship building” exercise, and it appears she got caught in political crossfire.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But Kimball Davidson, a candidate who was trying to unseat Mr. Rea, said the Premier’s surprise visit and the grant she announced on Nov. 26 unfairly helped his rival.</span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><strong>“I would consider it political interference,” Mr. Davidson said before Monday’s vote. “It’s in Bruce Clark’s best interest if Ken Rea becomes chief councillor again.”</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mr. Davidson, who got 117 votes to Mr. Rea’s 159, is opposed to the business deal between OMVC and Mr. Clark’s company, Broadwing Renewables Inc. and instead favours OMVC working in partnership with the Council of Haida Nation (CHN) to develop a wind farm.</span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><strong>Mr. Davidson said the school grant is curious because Chief Matthews Elementary School is on reserve lands, and is therefore a federal responsibility, and because two expansion studies have been done in the past 10 years with federal funds.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“I was kind of shocked that Christy Clark would come up here just to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to give you some money,’” Mr. Davidson said. “I think it all has to do with her brother.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mr. Clark said he had nothing to do with the grant and denied doing anything to get Ms. Clark to visit Old Massett.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“I have trouble getting her to come for family dinners,” he said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mr. Clark said he did help Mr. Rea make connections with government education officials.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“I simply told [Mr. Rea], ‘If you have issues, here’s who you talk to,’” he said.</span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><strong>Mr. Clark said due to his sister’s job as premier he is very sensitive to potential conflicts of interest, and he won’t get involved in business deals unless it’s through a public bidding process.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“At the end of the day, when you go through a public process and you’ve been prescreened and qualified and you have the best price and you win, I don’t see how anybody can complain about that,” he said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mr. Rea agreed Mr. Clark’s only role was that he helped make connections with the government.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“I don’t know anybody at the province, so Bruce gave me a number to call,” he said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mr. Rea said he dealt with officials in the Ministry of Education, not the Premier’s office, and Ms. Clark’s visit had nothing to do with the election.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“I don’t need her to come up to win or lose this election,” he said Monday, before the vote. “The real value for me to bring the Premier to help our community here is to give [the federal government] a kick.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mr. Rea said he was told by officials in Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (formerly Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada) that if he secured provincial funds, he could use it to leverage $2-million out of Ottawa and $2-million out of Victoria.</span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><strong>John Disney, economic development officer for OMVC, said the council has been working with Mr. Clark for several years, hoping to develop a wind farm to replace the diesel generation that now provides electricity on northern Haida Gwaii.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><strong>“That project is ready to go. It has been since 2007. The only thing that is stopping it is our own Nation, the Council of Haida Nation [CHN], won’t give us a letter of support for it. So it’s sort of internal politics,” Mr. Disney said.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Peter Lantin, president of the CHN, didn’t return calls.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mr. Disney said the wind farm would cost about $10-million to develop and Broadwing Renewables Inc. would arrange the financing, bring in a firm to build the project, and then, after about five years, OMVC would buy full control.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The project could not go ahead without an electricity purchasing agreement with BC Hydro. In 2012, the power corporation made a request for expressions of interest on Haida Gwaii and received 26 submissions, including one from Broadwing Renewables. BC Hydro did not pursue any of those renewable power deals at that time for cost reasons.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mora Scott, a BC Hydro spokesperson, said in an e-mail the corporation has asked the Haida Nation for a proposal, but “no project has been brought forward or selected at this time.”</span></div>
BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-80536306849542869062016-05-28T14:19:00.001-07:002016-05-28T14:19:20.602-07:00Housing: Rich Coleman, Housing Minister, calls people who need housing 'whining' people' <h1 class="headline" itemprop="headline" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: proxima-nova, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 52px; margin: 20px 0px 10px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.news1130.com/2016/05/26/housing-minister-whining-critic/">Housing minister's comments about 'whining' people are insulting: critic</a></span></h1>
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<span style="color: black;">Sonia Aslam (May 26, 2016). News1130. </span><a href="http://www.news1130.com/2016/05/26/housing-minister-whining-critic/">http://www.news1130.com/2016/05/26/housing-minister-whining-critic/</a></div>
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<span style="color: black;">VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – There is strong reaction today following controversial comments made by BC’s housing minister.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: red;">In case you missed it,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></strong><a href="https://twitter.com/colemancountry" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2fac5c; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px !important; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red;">Rich Coleman</span></strong></a><strong><span style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>had a questionable response when asked about criticism suggesting the provincial government isn’t doing enough about affordable housing.</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: red;">“I guess some people just have to get up and whine every day. You just have to look at the glass as half-full, not half-empty right? We’re getting there. There are over 2,000 units being built in the City [of Vancouver] in the last five or seven years,”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></strong><a href="http://www.news1130.com/2016/05/25/coleman-housing-minister-whine/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2fac5c; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px !important; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red;">he said yesterday</span></strong></a><strong><span style="color: red;">.</span></strong></div>
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What he said isn’t sitting well with everyone, from potential homeowners to the Official Opposition.</div>
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NDP Housing Critic<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/Dave_Eby" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2fac5c; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px !important; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">David Eby</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>feels Coleman’s comments are simply out of touch and show the Liberals don’t understand how difficult it is to buy a home here.</div>
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“Keep in mind, this is the same housing minister who just last year said that house prices in Vancouver were ‘actually pretty affordable.’ And that was just days after a report finding Vancouver to be the least affordable city in entire world,” says Eby.</div>
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“[Coleman’s] response that he believes that people who are concerned about affordability are whiners is entirely in character and actually totally explains why this government has refused to take action on the issue.”</div>
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Eby is promising to make this a sticking point as we gear up for the next provincial election less than a year from now.</div>
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“The disconnect in this government when I’m talking to the finance minister, the housing minister or the premier about housing issues and time and time again… They say there’s no issue and they’re not concerned about it. And if they are concerned they just want to study it for another year before taking any action. At its root, they simply believe people trying to get into the housing market in Metro Vancouver are whiners.”</div>
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He admits the disconnect applies to most politicians in Victoria — including himself — who earn a wage above the average in Metro Vancouver.</div>
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“We have a guaranteed pension. In addition, there are housing allowances in Victoria. And when you look at the property holdings of the Cabinet, for example, they are fairly significant — including the housing minister.”</div>
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Eby believes the unaffordable housing market is going to be one of, if not the biggest issue in next May’s election.</div>
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Some people didn’t like Coleman’s comments on social media either, filling our<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/NEWS1130" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2fac5c; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px !important; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/NEWS1130/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2fac5c; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px !important; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>pages with comments like:</div>
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“It’s one thing not to sympathize with the people you’re supposed to serve, but to blatantly spit in our faces” and “what a condescending ignorant comment from a paid public servant.”</div>
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BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-44623972119139929572016-05-28T13:57:00.000-07:002016-05-28T13:57:03.460-07:00One year until Election 41 in BC: May 9 2017<strong><span style="color: red;">Its a year now until the next election, the 41st in British Columbian history.</span></strong> <br />
<br />
<strong>Never at any point has it been more important to work to rid our province of the BC Liberal </strong><a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oligarchy"><strong>oligarchy</strong></a>. <br />
<br />
Check back here for stories of BC Liberal misdeeds, scandals, and other stories that get to the heart of what the BC Liberal party has come to be known for: <br />
<br />
Fiscal mismanagement and distortion. <br />
Corruption and self-protection and preservation.<br />
The most unaccountable, harmful government in B.C. history. <br />
<br />
Please share and distribute this blog so people can learn the truth about this governing party and its insiders. <br />
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Thanks to all of the people who have been reading for all of these years. <br />
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<strong><span style="color: red;">BC Liberals Suck</span></strong><br />
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BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-71058628451125696072013-05-23T18:59:00.003-07:002013-05-23T18:59:46.515-07:00Some chat from The Post-Mortem: #Elxn40 Shake<img alt="Blogger" class="comment-icon gplus-comment" src="http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" style="background-color: white; background-image: url(http://www.gstatic.com/images/icons/ui/gprofile_button-16.png); background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; color: #202020; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; line-height: 18.1875px; white-space: nowrap; width: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.1875px; white-space: nowrap;"> </span><span dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.1875px; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/13120304941614101286" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;">Gabriel Laurence Cayer</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.1875px; white-space: nowrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.1875px; white-space: nowrap;">said...</span><br />
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<dd style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #202020; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't think it's "clear that Clark didn't win this election, Dix lost it." Dix squandered most of his lead by heading a pretty lame campaign, but it took a really brilliant Liberal campaign to put Clark all the way over the top.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="comment-timestamp" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
9:44 PM</div>
<span class="item-control"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=12318931&postID=665478680972645778" style="border: none; color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" title="Delete Comment"><img alt="Delete" class="icon_delete" src="http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" style="background-image: url(http://www.blogger.com/img/cmt/comment_sprite.gif); background-position: -32px -101px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: none; height: 13px; width: 13px;" /></a></span></span><div class="r" style="clear: both; height: 1px; line-height: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
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<dt class="blog-author" id="c8939539332528425793" style="background-color: white; color: #202020; cursor: pointer; line-height: 18.1875px; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.25em; white-space: nowrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="Blogger" class="comment-icon blogger-comment" src="http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" style="background-image: url(http://www.blogger.com/img/cmt/comment_sprite.gif); background-position: -45px -117px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; height: 16px; width: 16px;" /> <span dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;">BC Liberals Suck</a></span> said...</span></dt>
<dd style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #202020;">It is very clear that the NDP (not just Dix) ran "a pretty lame campaign" and this may have squandered a good lead. There is more than one reason this happened, not just a bad campaign strategy. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #202020;">I would hope those of us with a variety of political persuasions can all agree on one thing - that polls are full of crap! We might as well have people throwing bones and soothsaying the outcome of elections from here on out. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #202020;">However, it is absolute nonsense to think "it took a really brilliant Liberal campaign to put Clark all the way over the top."</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #202020;">Millions of dollars, both taxpayer BC Liberal supporters and others, were shoveled out of the back of a truck and Christy Clark couldn't manage to get elected in her own riding!!! </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #202020;">This stunning defeat came from the person who had been both the MLA for Vancouver-Point Grey, but also front and centre as Premier for 2 years!!! She lost, even though she was running against a political neophyte, David Eby, who had far less financial resources backing him, and is an unknown quantity to a lot of people. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #202020;">What Eby had was an outstanding and hardworking campaign team, a brilliant mind and passion to serve the public good. He is also a person with the kind of integrity and ethics Clark could never begin to even dream of. His constituents are fortunate to have him represent them, those who voted for him and those who didn't. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #202020;">What the BC Liberals had was lots of $$$ (much of it taxpayers) for attack ads, candidates who appealed to local voters, and some really safe ridings. They also have voters who like their political ideologies and decisions, no matter how bad they are and how they impact us. Its only a matter of time before all of us get this, because no-one can be shielded forever. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #202020;">I was talking to a friend the other day and she told me that because there are no doctors, or transportation for people living in smaller communities in BC to go to places to see doctors and specialists (as well as waitlists to see them), by the time they are able to find ways to get to doctors, they see them and are riddled with cancer and die within very short time frames. That is Health Care brought to you by the BC Liberals. </span><br /><br /><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">In some ways, as the BC Liberal brand of government keeps imploding upon itself, and the election lies start to become more apparent, or fail to materialize, the NDP and their supporters might just start to think it was a blessing in disguise not to win this go around.</span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Watch and wait, it's all coming apart at the seams. BS, spin, mismanagement, and incompetence can only work for so long before it all starts to fall apart.</span></b></div>
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6:54 PM</div>
<span style="color: #202020; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span class="item-control" style="color: #202020; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=12318931&postID=8939539332528425793" style="border: none; color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" title="Delete Comment"><img alt="Delete" class="icon_delete" src="http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" style="background-image: url(http://www.blogger.com/img/cmt/comment_sprite.gif); background-position: -32px -101px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: none; height: 13px; width: 13px;" /></a></span></span></dd>BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-35105877849405020602013-05-15T23:28:00.000-07:002013-05-15T23:28:13.036-07:00The Post-Mortem: #Elxn40 ShakeAn exuberant (unelected) Premier Christy Clark was making the rounds of the media today, with a start on the Jeff O'Neill morning show on 99.3 CFOX where she was given bad champagne to toast her victory until she was onto the next media hit. The foremost question on everyone's mind is who is going to step aside so she can try and win a "sure thing" riding.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F92352902" width="100%"></iframe><br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the obligatory gnashing of teeth, hand wringing and the like are carrying on as people try to figure this $hit out. In no particular order:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">Adrian Dix is tarnished and a sitting target because of the stuff that happened a long time ago in a galaxy far away. </span></b>It made great ads to bash him, but it was what Stephen Colbert would call "truthiness." He was not, at the end of the day, a criminal. He made a mistake and he resigned. That is a helluva lot more than some of the deviants, Machiavellians and their ilk that are running around the BC public sector under the last 12 years. I guess we get 4 more now. Bully for us!</li>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">It scared the $^*! out of people when the NDP talked about raising the debt</span></b> with new spending in a time of economic insecurity and high personal debt. </li>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">Dix is no match to Clark's charismatic leadership.</span></b> She's a good debater, presented as confident, well spoken on many occasions. When she can't dazzle them with her speaking points, she will baffle them with BS that means nothing. To those managed to get off their couches to vote, she seems like more of a confident, go-getter leader than Mr. Policy. It isn't that Dix isn't up to the job. He just can't compete with her carefully crafted image and the spin machine behind her. </li>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">Negative campaigning and advertising blitzes work. </span></b>This campaign proved this to me in spades. You couldn't turn around without seeing, hearing, being exposed to a negative ad about Dix, contrasted by warm and fuzzy ones with Clark sitting around the table in soft light. I'm surprised they didn't rig up a halo. </li>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">People who did not vote strategically in swing ridings </span></b><b><span style="color: red;">helped elect a BC Liberal majority.</span></b> If voters strategically swung votes from independents, or Greens to the NDP to prevent a Liberal majority we would have had different outcomes in many ridings. In saying that, <b><span style="color: red;">I think it is exciting that Andrew Weaver, the first Green Party member was elected. And I think it is great Vicki Huntington is back too as an Independent. </span></b></li>
</ul>
<div>
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">A bit of a round up:</span></b></div>
<div>
<h1 class="title">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/michael-stewart/2013/05/eby-and-heyman-offer-answers-to-ndp-heartbreak?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rabble-news+%28rabble.ca+-+News+for+the+rest+of+us%29#.UZPqRYITW4k.facebook">Eby and Heyman offer answers to NDP heartbreak</a></span></h1>
<div class="story-author">
By <a href="http://rabble.ca/category/bios/michael-stewart">Michael Stewart</a>, May 15, 2013. Rabble.ca</div>
</div>
<div class="story-author">
<br /></div>
<div class="story-author">
<b><span style="color: red;">I'm devastated that this province can look forward to four more years
of unfettered neoliberal policies.</span></b> This election result is a disaster
for labour, for students, for teachers, for the environment, for First
Nations rights, for poverty and for affordable housing.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">There are already rumblings of what went wrong: </span></b><a href="http://bc.ctvnews.ca/liberals-vote-splitting-strategy-under-fire-from-ndp-1.1277730" rel="nofollow">vote splitting</a>, <a href="http://billtieleman.blogspot.ca/2013/05/bc-ndp-flailed-instead-of-fighting-back.html" rel="nofollow">the success of negative campaigning</a>, <a href="http://the-mound-of-sound.blogspot.ca/2013/05/what-does-tonights-disaster-say-about.html?showComment=1368597367402" rel="nofollow">the lack of killer instinct</a> by Dix and his party.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">First, Eby has called his campaign a referendum against Christy Clark's
leadership. </span></b>If that's true, and she lost her seat, then all the negative
campaigning in the world shouldn't have made a difference. True, Point
Grey is not representative of the province as a whole, but it does
indicate that the electorate harbours serious questions over Clark's
record and leadership. Combine this with the 20-point lead Dix enjoyed
only a few weeks ago and <b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">it's clear that </span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Clark didn't win this election,
Dix lost it.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red;">If the NDP wants to form government, they need to stop relying the
belief that the Liberals will simply play themselves out of power in
British Columbia and find their nerve.</span> Offer clear policies which
promise change in and of themselves by addressing the concrete needs of
British Columbians; not vague promises that someday, things will be
better.</b><br />
<b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red;">Otherwise, progressives in this province better get used to disappointment.</span></b></div>
<br />
<br />
***********************************<br />
<a href="http://billtieleman.blogspot.ca/2013/05/bc-ndp-flailed-instead-of-fighting-back.html"><b><span style="font-size: large;">BC NDP flailed instead of fighting back against vicious BC Liberal attack - and lost the election during the campaign</span></b></a><br />
<br />
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Bill Tieleman's </span></span><a href="http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/2013/05/15/ndp-flailed-instead-of-fighting-back" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">24 Hours Vancouver</a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">/</span></span><a href="http://thetyee.ca/" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Tyee</a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> column</span></span>, </b><span style="background-color: color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">May 15, 2013.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><span style="color: red;">Tuesday night’s victory by Premier Christy Clark and the
BC Liberals will go down in British Columbia political history as one of the
biggest upset victories ever.</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Unfortunately, it will also go into the books as a
triumph of fear over hope, of choosing incredibly negative, personal attack ads
over policy and vision, and a revolting example that using taxpayer dollars to
advertise your own party cause works.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><span style="color: red;">Clark’s team ran the most right-wing, Republican-style
campaign Canada has ever seen.</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><span style="color: red;">The BC Liberals were relentlessly nasty, using wealthy
allies to air slurs against BC NDP Leader Adrian Dix, while spending voters’
own money to promote the party with a collection of demonstrably false claims
about B.C.’s budget, job creation and <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD1">debt</span>.</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><span style="color: red;">And yet, it worked.</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For that, the BC NDP must bear its own share of the
blame. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It allowed a 20-point lead to disappear in a failed
campaign that flailed instead of fighting back.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Despite the Harmonized Sales Tax betrayal, the BC Rail
<span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD4">scandal</span> and Clark being one of the most unpopular premiers in Canada, the NDP
blew it.</span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><span style="color: red;">And now B.C. will suffer the consequences of electing a
leader who is more vicious than visionary.</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
***********************************</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Pete+McMartin+Absentee+voters+should+ashamed/8391619/story.html">Pete McMartin: Absent voters should be ashamed</a></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Excuses
cited for not participating in Tuesday’s provincial election, as well
as suggestions to making voting easier, are a load of crap</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="byline">
<span class="name">By Pete McMartin, Vancouver Sun columnist</span>
<span class="timestamp">May 15, 2013.</span></div>
<div class="byline">
<span class="timestamp"><br /></span></div>
<div class="byline">
<span class="timestamp">During her two days at the polling station, she talked to a Filipino
woman who came in, voted, and who then registered her dismay with the
apathetic B.C. electorate. Did they not appreciate the privilege of
voting? Were they aware that, around the world today, people were dying
for the right to vote — not figuratively, but literally — and that in
countries nowhere near as wealthy as ours, voter turnouts were much
higher?</span></div>
<div class="byline">
<br /></div>
<div class="byline">
The answers to both those questions, as evidenced by Tuesday’s
experience, would be, no. Neither do many of us appreciate the
privilege, nor do we care. More than half of all eligible voters in B.C.
have now voluntarily disenfranchised themselves.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Here are the numbers:</span></b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>As
of Jan. 1, Elections BC reported exactly <b><span style="color: red;">3,315,040 eligible voters for
the May 14 election</span></b>. Of those, <b><span style="color: red;">3,116,626 registered to vote</span></b>. (That total
will rise somewhat due to citizens who registered at polling stations,
the exact number of which won’t be known until early June.)</li>
<li>As of
Wednesday morning, exactly <b><span style="color: red;">1,628,524 votes had been cast and counted</span></b>.
(That number, too, will rise, due to late counting of mail-in and
absentee ballots.)</li>
<li>That works out to a <b><span style="color: red;">voter turnout of registered
voters of 52.25 per cent</span></b>, a fall from the 2009 voter turnout for
registered voters of 55.14 per cent.</li>
<li>But when you use the <b><span style="color: red;">number
of eligible voters</span></b> to determine voter turnout for this election, the
number falls further, to <b><span style="color: red;">just over 49 per cent</span></b>.</li>
<li>And when you consider the <b><span style="color: red;">total number of votes that the winning Liberals received</span></b> — <b>723,133</b> — the result is even more anemic.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">The
governing party of this province for the next four years attracted just
21.8 per cent of all eligible votes. I repeat, 21.8 per cent. That’s
not a mandate. It’s a palace coup.</span></b></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; overflow: hidden;">
<div id="1">
<b>Voting is a bequeathment, not a birthright, and it shouldn’t be seen as an inconvenience to be rectified by iPhone.</b><br />
<br />
It
needs defending, not diluting. It needs to be celebrated — not in the
flag-waving way of government flackery, but in the hard-eyed way that
reminds us how rare and privileged a thing it is.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">As for those who
were either too lazy, too busy, too complacent or too dissatisfied with
the process, or who were so sophomorically cynical about politicians
and politics that they couldn’t or wouldn’t get themselves down to a
polling station, they should be ashamed of themselves.</span></b><br />
<br />
There’s a problem with our voting system, all right. It’s them.<br />
<br />
<a href="mailto:pmcmartin@vancouversun.com" target="_blank">pmcmartin@vancouversun.com</a></div>
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BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-68161238447333836652013-05-15T06:41:00.000-07:002013-05-15T06:49:47.738-07:00BCNDP Wrestle Defeat from the Jaws of Victory: BC Liberal win majority, while Clark loses her own seat<b><span style="color: red;">Explain to me what kind of twisted "democracy" we have here in BC when a person (Christy Clark) can fail to be elected in her own riding, but will continue to be Premier of her party, which won a majority?</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Have said it before, but it bears repeating - to the victor goes the spoils and the corporations are licking their chops at what Clark and the BC Liberals will be delivering to them. People of BC, you are now owned lock, stock and barrel by the Corpocracy. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="color: red;">Don't have time to provide a full analysis right now, but the people of BC have spoken and this is what they have said:</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>We reject Adrian Dix as the leader of BC. He just did not resonate with a majority of voters. </b></li>
<li><b>We reject the BC NDP in many areas of the province. </b></li>
<li><b>We want more corporations to enjoy the spoils of our assets, our resources and we want to see more shadowy privatization and contracts we will never see. </b></li>
<li><b>We do not care about child poverty, seniors conditions, or the most vulnerable in our society. </b></li>
<li><b>We do not care that this government has been the most corrupt, incompetent and malicious in BC's history - we will elect them anyways over the NDP. Independent Vicki Huntington was re-elected in Delta South, making her
the only one of three independent MLAs to hold on to her seat.</b></li>
</ul>
<div class="headline">
<h1>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/05/14/bc-liberals-christy-clark-election.html">Christy Clark leads B.C. Liberals to surprise majority</a></span></h1>
</div>
<h3 class="deck">
But Liberal leader loses her own riding of Vancouver-Point Grey to NDP candidate</h3>
<h5 class="byline">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/credit.html">CBC News</a>. May 14, 2013</span></h5>
<h5 class="byline">
<span style="font-size: small;">Clark lost <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/05/06/bc-vancouver-point-grey.html">a tough fight to hold on to her seat in Vancouver-Point Grey</a>,
<span style="color: red;">to high-profile NDP candidate David Eby by 785 votes. Despite the
riding defeat Clark can still be premier, but it is expected she would
seek a seat in a byelection in a safer Liberal riding. The last time a B.C. party leader became premier but failed to win their seat was in 1924.</span></span></h5>
<b><span style="color: red;">The Liberals won 44.4 per cent of the popular vote and 50 Liberals were elected in the province's 85 ridings.</span></b><br />
<br />
<div id="yui_3_4_1_2_1368623423402_50">
<b><span style="color: red;">The NDP won 39.5 per cent of the
popular vote, giving them 33 seats in the legislature, three seats less
than they held before the election. </span></b></div>
<div id="yui_3_4_1_2_1368623423402_50">
<br /></div>
<b>Green Party candidate Andrew Weaver won the first provincial seat for
the party in the Vancouver Island riding of Oak Bay-Gordon Head, but
party leader Jane Sterk failed to win her seat in Victoria.</b> Overall the
Greens won eight per cent of the popular vote.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Independent Vicki Huntington was re-elected in Delta South</span></b>, making her
the only one of three independent MLAs to hold on to her seat.<br />
<br />
<b>"Tonight we have received a mandate from the people of British Columbia.
And I say to the citizens of British Columbia: You have humbled us
tonight with this opportunity and the tremendous obligation you've
placed on our shoulders. Together we will make British Columbia better.</b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">"British Columbians will always know what I stand for," said Clark, who stuck
close to her campaign message of growing the economy, balancing the
budget and creating a "debt-free B.C."</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">"Together we have succeeded in keeping B.C. on the right track … Our future has never been brighter."</span></b><br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>No more Orwellian words have been spoken. </b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>******************************</b></span><br />
<b style="color: red; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;">See this News1130 page for a results breakdown by riding: </b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.3;"><b><a href="http://www.news1130.com/2013/05/15/bc-election-results-page/">BC election results page</a></b></span></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">P.S. And here I was looking forward to retiring this blog. </span></b><br />
<br />BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-72278729613869678702013-05-14T15:42:00.000-07:002013-05-14T15:42:10.212-07:00<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary
act." - George Orwell</span></b>BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-77295727420816538382013-05-14T06:23:00.000-07:002013-05-14T06:23:11.153-07:00Predictions & Prognostications: May 14th is Finally Here!<b>Getting down to the wire, below are some of the predictions rolling in. I might as well get my predictions in too. </b><br />
<ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">NDP win a Majority</span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">BC Liberals have Modest Returns</span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">An Independent, or more</span></b></li>
</ul>
<b>I would like to see some Independents elected, more than just one, if possible. Vicki Huntington and Bob Simpson getting in again would be a good thing for democracy in BC. Electoral politics really need to change in this province. We've got to grow up and look at other options beyond first past the post. I definitely lean toward more diverse representation than what our current electoral landscape looks like. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">As difficult as it is for me to believe this, after everything they've done, there are still a few BC Liberal strongholds that will secure them some seats. We'll have to see which ones as there are some real races in here. A few ridings that spring to mind to keep an eye on:</span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Abbotsford South</span></b> - Will it be Darryl Plecas, or John van Dongen, whose rabid pit bull schtick once he was out of the BC Liberal stranglehold has been a joy to behold.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: red;">Cariboo North</span> - </strong>Will Bob Simpson get in as an Independent (hope so!)?<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">Comox Valley - </span>Will environmental concerns over coal get people voting NDP over Liberal?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: red;">Delta South </span></b>- Go Vicki Huntington go! We need more (effective) Independents to add to the electoral flavour in BC.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">Kamloops-North & South Thompson </span>- Bellwether ridings. Could go either NDP, or Liberal. All I know is BC is a better place now that flaming @$$hole Kevin Krueger is no longer "representing" </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-weight: bold;">Kamloops-South. </span><span style="background-color: white;">People in that riding should be happy too, he made a fool of you and I hope you remember when you're at the ballot box that your MLA represents YOU around the province. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: red;">Langley </span></b>- I would like to see John Cummins, leader of the BC Conservatives win and kick Mary Polak back to whatever wafflehut she used to work at. Problem is I don't really think that will happen. Cummins and his party have not shone in this election and frankly, it's hard to take him, or the party seriously at this point. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red;">Surrey-Fleetwood</span> - </strong><span style="background-color: white;"> Longtime BC NDP Jagrup Brar MLA is facing off against </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">Peter Fassbender, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Mayor</span><span style="background-color: white;"> of the c</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">ity of Langley,who is running for the BC Liberal banner in a riding he doesn't reside in.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-weight: bold;">Vancouver-Fairview - </span><span style="background-color: white;">Photogenic former BCGEU president, George Heyman, should be able to to deliver a win. He will have some of the best campaigners behind him so getting out the NDP vote should be easily accomplished. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-weight: bold;">Vancouver-False Creek </span><span style="background-color: white; color: red;">- </span><span style="background-color: white;">I beg of you people of False Creek, do not inflict the rest of the province with</span><span style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold;"> </span> Sam Sullivan, the former Vancouver mayor. Besides, you can't get better than Matt Toner, who is the kind of 21st century digital dude and businessman that we need in Victoria.<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-weight: bold;">Vancouver-Fraserview - </span><span style="background-color: white;">All I can say is so happy Kash Heed is gone. Although now he will likely insufferably find a voice in the media on policing issues. Maybe without some last minute dirty tricks political smear tactics </span>Gabriel Yiu will win the riding on good old fashioned campaigning.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-weight: bold;">Vancouver-Langara - </span><span style="background-color: white;">Popular George Chow, former city councilor and strong Chinese community leader is taking on Moira Stilwell, a BC Liberal MLA who has been languishing away from the lime light because she is probably a real threat to Clark's puerile leadership. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">Vancouver-Point Grey: </span>Will David Eby kick</span><strong style="background-color: white;"> </strong><span style="background-color: white;">Premier Christy Clark to the curb. If there is a merciful and just God he will (just kidding). But here's hoping the most excellent Mr. Eby wins! He is EXACTLY the kind of new/fresh (and smart) blood the people of BC need in Victoria. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: red;">Vernon-Monashee -</span></b> With a vote split in the riding, Mark Olson of the NDP might swing the vote his way. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<b><span style="color: red;">Victoria-Beacon Hill </span></b>- Carole James has been a solid NDP MLA and there is no reason she shouldn't win this riding. However this is one to watch because it will be interesting to see how many votes Jane Sterk, leader of the Green Party gets. It is also interesting to note the last minute ads for the Green Party in this riding.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<b>*******************************************</b><br />
<a href="http://thetyee.ca/Tyeenews/2013/05/13/Updated-Riding-Forecasts/?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=130513" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Tyee's BC Election 2013 Updated Riding Forecasts</b></a><br />
<br />
<div class="tagline">
<b><span style="color: red;">We say NDP 57, Liberals 27, one indie. </span></b>Bet against us?
</div>
<div class="meta">
By <a class="contrib-link" href="http://thetyee.ca/Bios/_Tyee_Staff_and_Contributors/" title="Bio page for Tyee Staff and Contributors"> Tyee Staff and Contributors</a>, Today,
TheTyee.ca </div>
<div class="meta">
<br /></div>
<div class="meta">
</div>
<div class="first">
Final polls released in the lead-up to the provincial
election still have the NDP in lead, albeit a narrower lead than a month
ago. Now, <b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">the <a href="http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/2013/05/10/Ipso-Poll-Election-Eve/" target="_blank">NDP is expected</a> to take about 43 per cent of the vote, and the Liberals about 37.</span></b><br />
<br />
That makes updating The Tyee's <a href="http://election.thetyee.ca/ridings" target="_blank">riding forecast</a> more difficult -- especially for the 10 ridings we deemed too close to call when we made our <a href="http://thetyee.ca/Tyeenews/2013/04/22/BC-2013-Forecast/" target="_blank">predictions</a> back on April 22.</div>
<br />
But we're going to bite the bullet and make
those calls anyway, armed with the latest polling data as crunched by
Angus Reid, Ipsos Reid, the insightful blog <a href="http://www.threehundredeight.com/" target="_blank">ThreeHundredEight.com</a>, and analysis from The Tyee's own in-depth coverage over the past weeks.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>Our totals now add up to 57 seats for the
NDP, 27 seats for the BC Liberals, and one seat for an independent. </b></span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">See
how our forecasts break down by riding</span> <a href="http://election.thetyee.ca/ridings" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">*********************</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-ndp-stays-ahead-as-liberals-base-erodes/article11903890/">B.C. NDP stays ahead as Liberals’ base erodes</a></span></b><br />
Daniel Bitonti, May. 13 2013, The Globe and Mail.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">The B.C. NDP holds a nine-point lead over the B.C. Liberals as voters
head to the polls, according to a new Angus Reid survey conducted
exclusively for CTV and The Globe and Mail.</span></b><br />
<br />
The online poll surveyed 800 voters over the weekend, with the results released on Monday.<br />
<br />
“I
think what it shows <b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">more than anything is that there were a lot of
people who made up their minds on how they were going to vote before
this [the campaign] ultimately began,</span></b>” said Mario Canseco, the
vice-president of Angus Reid Public Opinion, noting that the difference
between the two parties was the same as it was in a poll released last
Friday.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Of the voters surveyed, 45 per cent said they intend to vote for an
NDP candidate, while 36 per cent said they will vote for a Liberal. Nine
per cent said they would vote for the Green Party candidate, while
seven per cent said they would vote Conservative.</span></b><br />
<br />
The first Angus
Reid poll of the campaign had the Liberals trailing the NDP by 17 per
cent. In early May, the Liberals narrowed it to within seven percentage
points, only to see the NDP push their lead up again.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Mr. Canseco
said the Liberals’ inability to retain voters who supported them in the
last election has been the biggest factor plaguing the party. The latest
poll shows that only 67 per cent of people who voted Liberal in 2009
plan to do so on Tuesday. The same poll shows that the NDP has retained
83 per cent of its voters.</span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">“A third of their base is gone,” Mr.
Canseco said of the Liberals. </span></b>“This [weekend] was the chance they had to
reconnect with the base. If there was an opportunity to connect, this
was the moment to do so. … <b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">But there was probably too much baggage to
deal with.”</span></b> BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-52261573230188165562013-05-13T06:40:00.000-07:002013-05-13T06:40:36.428-07:00Chinese Corruption Investigation leads to BC Liberal party insiders <span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Remember some time ago the head of CSIS issued a dire and rather paranoid warning of "foreign influence."</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: red;">"</span></b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.890625px;"><b><span style="color: red;">Two years ago, CSIS director Dick Fadden made headlines by openly speaking of provincial cabinet members and municipal politicians coming under foreign influence. Though Fadden was cagey about the alleged foreign interference, he broadly suggested that China posed concerns" </span></b><span style="color: #333333;">(</span><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/09/20/csis-foreign-takeover-dangers-nexen.html" style="color: #333333;">CBC News</a><span style="color: #333333;">). </span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.890625px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/5j-tRKdMx8g?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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</div>
<h1 id="watch-headline-title" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-wrap: normal;">
<span style="color: red;"><span class="watch-title long-title yt-uix-expander-head" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" style="-webkit-user-select: auto; border: 0px; cursor: pointer; letter-spacing: -0.05em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="CBC National: CSIS director says foreign governments infiltrating local, provincial governments"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> CBC National: CSIS director says foreign governments infiltrating local, provincial </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.05em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">governments.</span></span></span></h1>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/beijing-investigates-high-official-tied-to-bc-pulp-mill-fraud/article11881586/?service=mobile">Beijing investigates high official tied to B.C. pulp mill fraud</a></span></h1>
<div id="entry-meta">
<div class="byline">
ANDY HOFFMAN, The Globe and Mail, May. 12 2013.</div>
<div class="byline">
<br /></div>
<div class="byline">
</div>
<b>One of China’s top officials is under investigation for corruption
that includes an alleged bank fraud scheme tied to a long-shuttered pulp
mill in northern British Columbia controlled by a businessman linked to
several high-ranking members of the B.C. Liberal Party.</b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">The
state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that the Central Commission for
Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China is investigating
Liu Tienan, the deputy director of the National Development and Reform
Commission, for alleged “serious disciplinary violations.”</span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Mr. Liu ranks among the highest of officials caught up in a sweeping
crackdown on corruption led by China’s new President Xi Jinping. The
case has ties to a failed investment in the Skeena Cellulose Pulp Mill
in Prince Rupert by Chinese businessman Ni Ritao.</span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">The Globe and
Mail has previously reported that B.C.’s former Jobs Minister, Pat Bell,
forwarded an internal government e-mail discussing fraud allegations
published in China against Mr. Ni, the Chinese businessman who purchased
the mill. </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Mr. Bell passed the e-mail on to Bill Belsey, the
vice-president of the B.C. Liberal Party, who also works for Mr. Ni and
appears to have lobbied on behalf of the Chinese businessman and his
company.</span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Mr. Belsey, a former MLA, is being investigated by a
provincial watchdog for failing to register as a lobbyist. Mr. Bell is
not running in the election.</span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Andrew Wilkinson, a former B.C.
Liberal Party president and the party’s current candidate in the riding
of Vancouver-Quilchena, was once the legal representative of a company
controlled by Mr. Ni, whose broken promises regarding plans to restart
the shuttered pulp mill in Prince Rupert have cost the city more than
$3.5-million in legal and maintenance fees.</span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Mr. Wilkinson also had
dealings with Sun Wave Forest Products, a company also controlled by
Mr. Ni, when he served as deputy minister for the Ministry of Economic
Development between 2003 and 2006, according to documents obtained by
The Globe.</span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Mr. Liu is alleged to have helped arrange an attempted
loan of more than $100-million to Mr. Ni by two Chinese banks. Mr. Ni
allegedly claimed the funds would be used to buy the pulp mill in Prince
Rupert, an asset that he had already purchased in 2005 for about
$9-million. A forged appraisal report valuing the mill at $202-million
(U.S.) was used to attempt to secure the loan. The Globe has obtained a
copy of the apparently fraudulent document. The appraisal firm named in
the document, American Appraisal Canada Inc., denies ever issuing the
report.</span></b><br />
<br />
<b>Mr. Ni’s original investment in the pulp mill was made
through a company called CGR Investments Inc., which was incorporated in
2003. CGR later became a subsidiary of Sun Wave, which completed the
purchase of the mill. Mr. Liu’s wife, Guo Jinghua, was a director and
10-per-cent shareholder of CGR, according to documents obtained by The
Globe. In 2005, her ownership stake in CGR was transferred to Liu
Dechang, the son of Liu Tienan and Ms. Guo.</b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">According to Elections
BC, Sun Wave and CGR donated $14,696 to the B.C. Liberal Party or
election candidates between 2005 and 2007.</span></b></div>
BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-51115373145571947142013-05-13T06:27:00.000-07:002013-05-14T06:24:50.405-07:00To the Victor Goes the Spoils: BC Liberals Suck List: The Real Deal, No Spin<b><span style="font-size: large;">Here is the BC Liberals Suck List of how the BC Liberals have made life in BC so much harder, more expensive and less accountable over the last 12 years. In no particular order:</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>We all pay much more to live in BC now:</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li>MSP monthly fees</li>
<li>BC Hydro</li>
<li>BC Gas</li>
<li>BC Ferries</li>
<li>Translink & transportation costs</li>
<li>Carbon tax (and the scandal of the Carbon Trust)</li>
<li>Food costs and cost of living</li>
<li>Rent, with fewer rights for tenants</li>
</ul>
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Privatizations, Outsourcing & Privacy Rights:</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li>Tearing up collective agreements, firing workers and bringing in cheaper labour in health care leads to increases in transmittable disease outbreaks at many licensed and public facilities. </li>
<li>MSP data and information is outsourced and risks of privacy breaches continue. Question: How do we even know when they screw up? Answer: We don't. </li>
<li>BC Hydro to Accenture (who has paid millions in fines in the US for mismanagement of data projects)</li>
<li>BC Gas sold, now it's Terasen Gas and taxpayers pay a private corporation for gas</li>
<li>P3 projects that include tolling on some routes, but not others</li>
<li>BC Identification card and Drivers Licenses with RFID technology that can track citizens in BC, Canada and the U.S. </li>
</ul>
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Fiscal Mismanagement & Incompetence</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li>Spending millions in cost over-runs on the Vancouver Trade & Convention Centre to have a leaky building. </li>
<li>Spending millions in cost over-runs on replacing the roof at BC Place. </li>
<li>The Port Mann, Gateway and other projects have poured $$$ into private companies while taxpayers are left holding the bag.</li>
<li>Cut the Therapeutic Initiatives program. </li>
<li>Spent $16 million taxpayer funds on BC Liberal ads pre-election. </li>
<li>Spent at least $11 million on the Times of India Awards show to court the "Ethnic" South Asian vote and has less than zero to show for it. </li>
</ul>
<div>
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Have destroyed the following:</span></b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Slashed and burned the Legal Aid and court system around BC. Justice has never been more difficult to access. </li>
<li>Have completely mangled and politicized the BC Public Service Agency and public sector so that it is a culture of bullying, covering up scandals, corruption and incompetence, while competent people with integrity fled in droves leaving pond scum behind to fight each other over the spoils. </li>
<li>Ministry of Attorney General in BC has spent millions in unknown and unreported legal fees fighting litigation from aggrieved parties. Does anyone even know how many lawsuits against the BC government were launched over the last 12 years and how much this has cost taxpayers?</li>
</ul>
<div>
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Scandals, Incompetence and a Lack of Care for the Most Vulnerable among us:</span></b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>BC Rail and the real estate that is gone and refusal to have an Inquiry into the whole mess. </li>
<li>Secret, shadowy approval to spend $6 million in taxpayer funds so Basi & Virk wouldn't get on the stand and name names. The burning question for many, would one of those names be Christy Clark?</li>
<li>For 8 years in a row BC led Canada in child poverty (which is family poverty), (now #2 for the country) which means a generation of children in BC have grown up in deprivation. This will cost society billions in health, social and criminal justice costs. </li>
<li>Income and disability assistance have never been harder to access leaving thousands of people, including children and families, around BC living in deep poverty and homeless with no way to get out. </li>
<li>BC's so-called child protection system in which children and youth have no-one to protect them from the very system that is supposed to stop them from being abused and neglected. </li>
<li>Community Living BC - Devolved from the BC government to save money. Don't keep waitlists, don't know, or care, how many people really need services, don't know how many people are suffering. </li>
<li>Thousands of homeless people in BC have died but the BC Liberal government made sure not to keep any real statistics on this, or issue any reports that analyze why so many have died. </li>
<li>Shell games with seniors care beds and affordable housing dollars. </li>
<li>BC's tattered and fragmented Health care system leaves many in pain, suffering and experiencing a much lower standard of care than a first world nation should experience. </li>
<li>International human rights agencies, including the United Nations, have singled BC out for the numbers of women living in deep poverty, for the continuing mistreatment of Aboriginal girls and women and the failure to adequately investigate missing and murdered Aboriginal girls and women across BC. </li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-49050264702931582632013-05-12T21:17:00.004-07:002013-05-12T21:17:52.756-07:00List Makers - Part 4: Martyn Brown lists many of the Clark-inspired Scandals & Fiascos of recent times<br />
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<h1 class="large-title">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.straight.com/news/381096/martyn-brown-vote-once-think-twice?fb_action_ids=10152785225135063%2C10152782547900063&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map={%2210152785225135063%22%3A235130303278342%2C%2210152782547900063%22%3A160553280779886}&action_type_map={%2210152785225135063%22%3A%22og.likes%22%2C%2210152782547900063%22%3A%22og.likes%22}&action_ref_map=[]">Martyn Brown: Vote Once, Think Twice</a></span></h1>
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<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date">
by <span class="name"><a about="/users/martyn-brown" class="username" href="http://www.straight.com/users/martyn-brown" property="foaf:name" title="View user profile." typeof="sioc:UserAccount" xml:lang="">Martyn Brown</a></span> on <span class="date">May 12, 2013, Georgia Straight. </span></div>
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<span class="date"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="date"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="leadin">Did Christy Clark</span> actually spoil her own ballot? Yes. </span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">No, I’m not just talking about the one in which she happily wrote down two names, before the cameras. </span></b><b><span style="color: red;">I mean, she’s the author of her own widely expected defeat on Tuesday, and deservedly so.</span></b></span><br />
<br />
Although,
like so many mistakes Clark has made, her botched advance ballot was
also a classic example of her putting politics ahead of the serious task
at hand, while also demonstrating how not to vote.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">She was so
consumed with the photo op and with putting her own name first—sigh—that
she almost forgot who she was really voting for.</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>In a battle of images vying for all that camera love—pearly-white
teeth, irresistible smiles, passion and emotion—Adrian Dix can’t compete
with Clark.</b><br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Trouble is, that’s not leadership. It’s empty imagery
that is about as important to governing as the bombast and tarradiddles
that are “Christy’s” defining stock-in-trade.</span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Campaigns are
curious adventures in voter manipulation. They tend to bury substance
with style and to reward those who look the best in making their
opponents look worse.</span></b><br />
<br />
It’s funny to think that Dix should have
lost some support for looking too serious, too cerebral, and too bookish
for a job that demands those attributes. It’s not so funny that anyone
would somehow misconstrue him as a “weak” leader, when his performance
in contrast to Clark’s over the last two years has demonstrated anything
but.<br />
<br />
Dix has pursued a thoughtful, transparent, and laudable course that is
still short on vision, but that is long on realism, moderation and
conciliation. That should serve his government well in building new
relationships that can begin to transcend the ideological divide that
all parties have historically fostered for partisan advantage.<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Be that as it may, through a series of successive mistakes made by
her own hand, Premier Clark has also spoiled her party’s reelection
chances.</span></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Certainly, she was dealt a tough hand, saddled as she was
with the HST, with a massive deficit, and with 12 years of B.C. Liberal
baggage that she also largely helped author as Gordon Campbell’s deputy
premier.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red;">That alone, however, does not account for why Clark went
from leading in the opinion polls in the wake of winning the Liberal
leadership to so profoundly losing public trust and confidence.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Some 61 percent of all voters now disapprove of her performance.</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Even after last year’s two humiliating byelection losses, her government showed no sign that it had heard the voters’ message.</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Instead,
it defiantly claimed a “victory” in the comfort of a second place
finish that managed to “beat” the B.C. Conservatives. Were it not for
that party’s self-immolation, the B.C. Liberals would still be facing a
wipeout scenario.</span></b><br />
<br />
<b>Clark could have championed parliamentary reforms and acted to change Victoria’s “sick culture.” </b><b>Instead,
she thumbed her nose at the parliamentary calendar, she showed contempt
for the legislature, and she sadly confirmed that when it came to
changing a backwards institution, the lady wasn’t for turning.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Clark’s hiring decisions were often equally disastrous.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">She appointed her lone caucus supporter, Harry Bloy, to cabinet and
appointed him a second time, even after he failed in his first
portfolio. With him came the Community Living B.C. disaster, the
appointment of Brian Bonney, the Burnaby hospital fiasco, and the “quick
wins” scandal.</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Clark appointed the Harperites who hurt her office. One of them was
her former chief of staff, who was forced to resign for inappropriate
conduct. Her government’s paperless “review” of that incident added
further insult to injury that diminished the Public Service Agency.</b><br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">The
Premier appointed her former deputy chief of staff, who was fired for
coordinating the “quick wins” scheme. She must bear the ultimate
responsibility for that scandal that so discredited her government and
that so offended multicultural communities.</span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">It was Clark’s choice
to waste $16 million of taxpayers’ money for partisan political
advertising, which mostly served to undermine her government’s claim to
responsible fiscal management. Every penny of that was borrowed and
added to the deficit.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">It was Clark’s government that repeatedly missed its own deficit
targets. And now she has the audacity to campaign on eliminating a debt
that she proposes to increase by 50 percent by 2015, if all goes
according to plan.</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>It was Clark who defied her own finance
minister and Treasury Board by promising Prince George the “world’s
tallest wood building”, which gave rise instead to yet another scandal.</b><br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="color: red;">It was her government that betrayed Telus on the BC Place naming rights controversy and cost B.C. taxpayers’ $40 million.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">It is the collective weight of her government’s failure, on top of the
HST fiasco and the voters’ fatigue after 12 long years of Liberal rule,
that will likely sink the Clark government on Tuesday (May 14).</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Either way, change is coming to British Columbia, in large measure,
because Christy Clark spoiled her chance to prove that she was better
than Dix to lead B.C. forward.</span></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>She squandered her time and the
privilege of power by embracing the politics of the past instead of
leading with vision and conviction that reaches higher for British
Columbia.</b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>On Tuesday, it will be the people who will again hold the power in choosing a government.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">If
the polls are accurate, the self-described “comeback kid” is about to
get a rude reminder that there is more than one way for voters to spoil
her ballot.</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>They will do that decisively by carefully making a
confident mark for positive change that will leave no doubt about their
voting intent.</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</span></div>
BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-87465920797383781392013-05-12T21:02:00.002-07:002013-05-12T21:02:16.485-07:00Mapping BC Liberal Scandals, Clark's Words & Political Betrayals of Trust<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">BC Liberal Election 2013 Web </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Mapping:</span></b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">Recent Scandals</span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">What Christy Clark Says</span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">BC Liberal Political Betrayals of Trust</span></b></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.thewebworks.bc.ca/bcpoli/htmlwebs/the_election_web_v1.0.htm"><img alt="the_election_web_v1.0.htm" border="0" height="347" src="http://www.thewebworks.bc.ca/bcpoli/htmlwebs/the_election_web_v1.0_files/the_election_web_v1.0_1.PNG" usemap="#InspirationMap" width="400" /></a>BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-53473118332387544432013-05-12T16:00:00.004-07:002013-05-12T16:00:58.764-07:00List Makers - Part 3: More from Laila's List<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">More from Laila's </span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><a href="http://lailayuile.com/100-reasons-the-bc-liberals-must-go/">100 + reasons the BC Liberals must go</a></span></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">52)</strong><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><b><span style="color: red;">The highly contentious and suspect South Fraser Perimeter Road – yet another project in Campbells infamous Gateway program,</span></b><span style="color: #333333;"> that runs through farmland, skirts the unique and precious Burns Bog, and has taken more than a few peoples home, AND has already been downgraded before it is even built. </span><a href="http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2010/10/08/south-fraser-perimeter-road-downgrades-confirmed-by-news-1130-reporter-dave-white/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2010/10/08/south-fraser-perimeter-road-downgrades-confirmed-by-news-1130-reporter-dave-white/</a><span style="color: #333333;"> and</span><a href="http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2010/08/13/south-fraser-perimeter-road-moves-ahead-as-revised-fraser-transportation-group-signs-agreement-with-ministry-of-transportation/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2010/08/13/south-fraser-perimeter-road-moves-ahead-as-revised-fraser-transportation-group-signs-agreement-with-ministry-of-transportation/</a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">51)</strong><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> The sale of BC Rail, and everything related that has happened before- and since. </span></b><a href="http://bctrialofbasi-virk.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://bctrialofbasi-virk.blogspot.com/</a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/the-key-to-the-bc-rail-sale-lays-in-premier-gordon-campbells-beginnings-in-real-estate-and-land-development/" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/the-key-to-the-bc-rail-sale-lays-in-premier-gordon-campbells-beginnings-in-real-estate-and-land-development/</a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">50)</strong><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> The $6 million pay-off of Basi and Virk to plead guilty to some charges in the trial – but not the ones relating to the sale of BC Rail.</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><a href="http://therealstory.ca/2010-10-20/bc-politics/bc-rail-6-million-and-a-non-disclosure-deal-suppresses-evidence" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://therealstory.ca/2010-10-20/bc-politics/bc-rail-6-million-and-a-non-disclosure-deal-suppresses-evidence</a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">48)</strong><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">The HST and all the lies that surrounded the introduction of it to the people of BC </span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">– </span><a href="http://fighthst.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://fighthst.com/</a></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">47)</strong><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Child poverty rates the highest in the country – 8 years in a row – Shame, shame, shame. Doesn’t Campbell know the children <em style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">really are</em> our future? </span></b><a href="http://www.firstcallbc.org/pdfs/currentissues/press%20release08stats.pdf" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.firstcallbc.org/pdfs/currentissues/press%20release08stats.pdf</a></div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">44)</strong><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Hidden tolls paid by everyone in BC, on the Sea to Sky highway, disguised as ” Vehicle usage Payments”</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><a href="http://lailayuile.com/2010/10/31/shadow-tolls-on-sea-to-sly-highway-the-william-r-bennett-bridgeand-the-bc-rail-connection/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://lailayuile.com/2010/10/31/shadow-tolls-on-sea-to-sly-highway-the-william-r-bennett-bridgeand-the-bc-rail-connection/</a><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> AND scroll down on this link to the full series </span><a href="http://lailayuile.com/best-of/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://lailayuile.com/best-of/</a></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">43)</strong><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">Gutting of Freedom of Information laws in BC.</span></b><span style="color: #333333;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.straight.com/news/micheal-vonn-bc-government-job-posting-exposes-crisis-democracy" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.straight.com/news/micheal-vonn-bc-government-job-posting-exposes-crisis-democracy</a><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> Under Christy Clark, allegedly an open government, requests are now posted online, which inhibits many people from requesting. However, often newsworthy FOI requests are not posted.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">37)<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></strong><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Gutted workers rights, undermined labour laws. </span></b><a href="http://www.telusplanet.net/public/afl/LabourNews/june02-07.html" style="border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.telusplanet.net/public/afl/LabourNews/june02-07.html</a></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">36)</strong><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">The introduction of the Carbon Tax ( still don’t like it, punitive to northern residents) and the Pacific Carbon trust, that has provided a fabulous income to friends of the BC Liberals. </span></b><a href="http://lailayuile.com/2013/03/27/auditor-generals-long-awaited-report-on-pacific-carbon-trust-finally-released-and-surprise-surprise-there-are-big-problems-all-around/" style="border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://lailayuile.com/2013/03/27/auditor-generals-long-awaited-report-on-pacific-carbon-trust-finally-released-and-surprise-surprise-there-are-big-problems-all-around/</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">33)</strong><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> Continual mismanagement of the Forests and related forestry industries in this province</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><a href="http://www.policynote.ca/pat-bells-youtube-foray-sewing-seeds-of-misinformation/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.policynote.ca/pat-bells-youtube-foray-sewing-seeds-of-misinformation/</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">32)</strong><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">Gutted the apprenticeship system in BC, laid off apprenticeship counselors and replaced them with a 1-800 number.</span></b><span style="color: #333333;"> </span></span><a href="http://pacificgazette.blogspot.ca/2012/12/we-are-shockedshocked-we-tell-you.html" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://pacificgazette.blogspot.ca/2012/12/we-are-shockedshocked-we-tell-you.html</a><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> ( Hey Christy, you need skilled labour to fill jobs in BC)</span></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">31)</strong><b><span style="color: red;">The entire Accenture/Bc Hydro ongoing debacle… </span></b><a href="http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/03/22/Finavera/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/03/22/Finavera/</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">26)</strong><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>The long and storied relationship between the BC Liberals, SNC Lavalin that continued with Christy Clark bringing on Gwyn Morgan as her personal advisor during her transition. </b></span><a href="http://lailayuile.com/2013/02/11/friends-helping-friends-the-story-of-how-the-bc-liberal-snclavalin-connection-persists-with-christy-clark/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://lailayuile.com/2013/02/11/friends-helping-friends-the-story-of-how-the-bc-liberal-snclavalin-connection-persists-with-christy-clark/</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/03/03/bc_premier_christy_clark_faces_calls_to_resign.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/03/03/bc_premier_christy_clark_faces_calls_to_resign.html</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"><strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">23)</strong> One word: </span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>PAVCO</b></span><span style="color: #333333;">, who hates the truth so much they want to stop investigative journalist Bob Mackin from getting any from them. </span><a href="http://2010goldrush.blogspot.ca/2013/02/pavco-seeks-to-blacklist-inconvenient.html" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://2010goldrush.blogspot.ca/2013/02/pavco-seeks-to-blacklist-inconvenient.html</a></span></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">22)</strong><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Ethnicgate: </span></b><a href="http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/lett/195318072.html" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/lett/195318072.html</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/03/03/bc_premier_christy_clark_faces_calls_to_resign.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/03/03/bc_premier_christy_clark_faces_calls_to_resign.html</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">21) </strong><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> On a related topic, </span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">the overpriced Time of India Awards Show</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">, billed as being a strategic move to open BC to Indian investment and business opportunities.. but </span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">no one in India watched and it turns out its just a huge advertising plunder to attempt and buy more votes from the Indo community in BC: </span></b><a href="http://2010goldrush.blogspot.ca/2013/04/the-trials-and-tribulations-of-toifa.html" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://2010goldrush.blogspot.ca/2013/04/the-trials-and-tribulations-of-toifa.html</a></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">18)</strong><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> While claiming she has government spending under control, Clark spent more on government credit cards than Campbell in the same time period. </span></b><a href="http://lailayuile.com/2012/07/30/show-me-the-money-seehow-what-little-we-know-of-the-legislature-spends-its-money-plus-premiers-office-spends-double-what-campbells-crew-did-in-his-last-year/" style="border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://lailayuile.com/2012/07/30/show-me-the-money-seehow-what-little-we-know-of-the-legislature-spends-its-money-plus-premiers-office-spends-double-what-campbells-crew-did-in-his-last-year/</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">16)</strong><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> Bringing the still controversial Smart Meters to British Columbia</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">.. when in other locales, people have a choice, and in others, they haven’t worked well </span><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/01/30/bc-smart-meter.html" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/01/30/bc-smart-meter.html</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">15)</strong><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>Failed Jobs Plan, </b></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">worst yet, </span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Clark continues to spout inaccurate numbers and expects voters to believe her</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> – </span><a href="http://blogs.canoe.ca/davidakin/politics/no-other-way-to-say-it-the-bc-government-is-fudging-its-job-creation-record/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://blogs.canoe.ca/davidakin/politics/no-other-way-to-say-it-the-bc-government-is-fudging-its-job-creation-record/</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">13)</strong><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">The BC Liberals have continually refused to adhere to Generally Accepted Accounting Principle, instead manipulating the provincial books to make the financial picture of the province look better than it really is</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span></b><a href="http://lailayuile.com/2013/01/06/british-columbians-deserve-easy-to-understand-financial-reportingwith-a-clean-opinion-from-their-government-auditor-general-john-doyle/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://lailayuile.com/2013/01/06/british-columbians-deserve-easy-to-understand-financial-reportingwith-a-clean-opinion-from-their-government-auditor-general-john-doyle/</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">12)</strong><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">The BC liberal government continually stonewalled their own Auditor Generals attempts to find the truth behind the $6million Basi- Virk payment. </span></b><a href="http://billtieleman.blogspot.ca/2012/09/basi-virk-stonewalling-auditor-generals.html" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://billtieleman.blogspot.ca/2012/09/basi-virk-stonewalling-auditor-generals.html</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">11) </strong><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Clark keeps insisting – and repeating on air – that Moodys rating agency verified her budget was balanced… when in reality, they did not and that isn’t even what they do. Hasn’t stopped her from repeating it over and over again… </span></b><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/04/26/bc-reality-check-ndp-spending.html" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/04/26/bc-reality-check-ndp-spending.html</a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"><strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">10)</strong> </span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>BC Liberals real debt load is far more than </b></span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>claimed: </b></span><a href="http://lailayuile.com/2013/04/22/bc-liberal-legacy-a-huge-debt-burden-aka-christy-clark-really-has-no-clue-what-she-is-talking-about/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://lailayuile.com/2013/04/22/bc-liberal-legacy-a-huge-debt-burden-aka-christy-clark-really-has-no-clue-what-she-is-talking-about/</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">7)</strong><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">That same Christy Clark spent $15million taxpayers dollars on partisan government ads on the very unsuccessful BC Jobs Plan…</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">. </span><a href="http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2012/11/20/BC-Liberals-Ads/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2012/11/20/BC-Liberals-Ads/</a><span style="color: #333333;"> ….</span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> all while claiming she controlled government spending.</span></b><a href="http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-party-leaders-spar-over-pipelines-balanced-budgets-in-radio-debate/article11578970/?service=mobile" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-party-leaders-spar-over-pipelines-balanced-budgets-in-radio-debate/article11578970/?service=mobile</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">6)</strong><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>While claiming to have reigned in government spending, under Christy Clarks leadership, the BC Liberals added $ 11 Billion dollars to the provincial debt and obligations. </b></span><a href="http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/2013/04/22/highs-of-liquified-natural-gas-a-fiscal-downer" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/2013/04/22/highs-of-liquified-natural-gas-a-fiscal-downer</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2)</strong><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Christy Clark’s LNG plan for the future of BC? Just rainbows,glitter and unicorns, as shown by CBC Reality Check. </span></b><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/04/26/bc-reality-check-lng.html" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/04/26/bc-reality-check-lng.html</a></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">And<span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> the number 1 reason</span> the BC Liberals must go?</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The BC liberal party actually voted Christy Clark as their leader… and look what’s happened since.</span></b></div>
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BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-8445624974673937472013-05-12T15:41:00.002-07:002013-05-12T15:41:58.155-07:00List Makers - Part 2 - Laila Yuile's 100 + reasons the BC Liberals must go.Laila that political media dynamo that BC Liberals and others love to hate has updated her list of the reasons the BC Liberals have to go in T-3 days.<br />
Here are some that caught our eye. Read the whole list <b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://lailayuile.com/100-reasons-the-bc-liberals-must-go/">here</a></span></b>.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 1.3em;"><a href="http://lailayuile.com/100-reasons-the-bc-liberals-must-go/" style="line-height: 1.3em;"><b>100 + reasons the BC Liberals must go</b></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Laila Yuile, <a href="http://lailayuile.com/" rel="home" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: black; line-height: 36px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="No Strings Attached : Laila Yuile on politics and life in B.C.">No Strings Attached : Laila Yuile on politics and life in B.C.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">In 2010, I asked my readers to see how fast they could come up </span><a href="http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/100-reasons-not-to-vote-for-gordon-campbell-again/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">with 100 reasons NOT to vote for Gordon Campbell </a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><span style="color: #333333;">( and the Liberals) again. Readers rose to the challenge, and the comment sections quickly filled with </span><b><span style="color: red;">concrete examples of Liberal failures that have all occurred during that Golden Decade during which the BC Liberals revealed an agenda of slice and dice vs. corporate welfare.</span></b></span></span><br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">141)</strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">"Fabricating ” an ‘energy crisis’ in BC to be solved by forcing the public utility BC Hydro to buy power at twice the market value from </span></b></span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><a href="http://creekside1.blogspot.com/2009/07/ipps-suffer-momentary-lapse-of-muscular.html" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Liberal-stocked independent power producers </a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;">and then reselling it at a loss to owners of air-conditioners in California .</span></span></b><br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">140)</strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><b><span style="color: red;">Closed 24 of 68 courthouses</span></b><span style="color: #333333;"> so the Attorney General could meet budget targets , therefore putting excessive strain and overload on the remaining ones, and forcing people to travel further to deal with family and criminal matters.</span></span><a href="http://bccla.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/20120401-Justice-Denied-report1.pdf" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://bccla.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/20120401-Justice-Denied-report1.pdf</a><br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">137)</strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><b><span style="color: red;">Massive, MASSIVE cutbacks to legal aid services in this province, across the board,</span></b></span><em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="color: red;">for the entire time the BC Liberals have been in power .</span></b><span style="color: #333333;"> </span></em><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">More people than ever are unable to remedy family law and simple legal matters because of lack of funding and resulting closures to free clinics, help lines and offices. </span><a href="http://www.povnet.org/node/3629" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.povnet.org/node/3629</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"> details in the reasons below.</span><br />
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">127)</strong><span style="color: #333333;">committed to NOT introduce internet gaming in 2007, then</span><b><span style="color: red;"> created and introduced the new BCLC online gambling site this year, again increasing and furthering the incidence of gambling addiction and family strife,</span></b><span style="color: #333333;"> since there is no way to police it.</span></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">126)</strong><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> raised gambling limits to $ 9,999.00 – a mere $1 below the reportable level to FINTRAC, the agency that monitors and polices money laundering… </span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">lol.</span><a href="http://billtieleman.blogspot.com/2010/07/explain-bc-liberals-addiction-to.html" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://billtieleman.blogspot.com/2010/07/explain-bc-liberals-addiction-to.html</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">125)</strong><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><b><span style="color: red;">raised MSP premiums, while service and wait times increased</span></b><span style="color: #333333;"> – and get ready for another MSP premium increase January 1st, 2013</span>.<a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/health/premiums+rise+second+straight+year/7987242/story.html" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.vancouversun.com/health/premiums+rise+second+straight+year/7987242/story.htm</a></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">122)</strong><b><span style="color: red;">closed 176 schools between 2001 and 2009 . </span></b><strong style="border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ONE FREAKING HUNDRED AND SEVENTY SIX SCHOOLS!!!! <a href="http://bctf.ca/SchoolClosures.aspx" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://bctf.ca/SchoolClosures.aspx</a></strong></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">121) </strong><b><span style="color: red;">cut funding to the Success by 6 program, an initiative which gave young children a head start through more than 400 projects in 240 communities in British Columbia,</span></b><span style="color: #333333;"> including early childhood literacy programs, music and social programs for preschoolers, mentorship programs for single mothers, and pregnancy support .</span><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/03/24/bc-success-by-six-cancelled.html" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/03/24/bc-success-by-six-cancelled.html</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">120)</strong><b><span style="color: red;">Cuts to seniors services and care</span></b><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><a href="http://www.hsabc.org/news/seniors-victims-long-term-care-and-home-support-cuts" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.hsabc.org/news/seniors-victims-long-term-care-and-home-support-cuts</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">116)</strong><b><span style="color: red;"> cuts to funding and programs for special needs children </span></b><span style="color: #333333;">in schools as a result of budget cuts.</span><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/06/25/bc-vancouver-special-needs.html" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/06/25/bc-vancouver-special-needs.html</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">115)</strong> highest tuition fees ever on record , for university and colleges in BC<a href="http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/September2010/16/c2521.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/September2010/16/c2521.html</a></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">111) </strong><b><span style="color: red;">BC post secondary students collectively pay more in fees than government collects in corporate income tax</span></b><span style="color: #333333;">, showing where Liberal priorities really are.</span></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">110)</strong><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><b><span style="color: red;">cuts to surgeries in BC</span></b><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/01/21/bc-oylmpics-cancelled-surgeries-dix.html" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/01/21/bc-oylmpics-cancelled-surgeries-dix.html</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">109)</strong><span style="color: #333333;"> c</span><b><span style="color: red;">uts to diagnostic and rehabilitation </span></b><span style="color: #333333;">services</span><a href="http://www.hsabc.org/search/cuts%20to%20diagnostic%20and%20rehabilitation%20services" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.hsabc.org/search/cuts%20to%20diagnostic%20and%20rehabilitation%20services</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">108) </strong><span style="color: #333333;">c</span><b><span style="color: red;">uts to community outreach services </span></b><a href="http://www.nupge.ca/content/3456/bc-cuts-southern-vancouver-island-social-services" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.nupge.ca/content/3456/bc-cuts-southern-vancouver-island-social-services</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">104)</strong><b><span style="color: red;"> cuts to income assistance programs</span></b><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><a href="http://www.bcfed.com/node/294" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.bcfed.com/node/294</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">103) </strong><span style="color: #333333;">although the </span><b><span style="color: red;">Liberals increased the number of Casinos and access to other forms of gambling, continued cuts have been made to the amount of gaming grants</span></b><span style="color: #333333;"> given out to social service agencies, programs, playground and schools – only a small portion were ever restored. </span><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/03/08/bc-community-gaming-grants.html" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/03/08/bc-community-gaming-grants.html</a></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;">97)</span><span style="color: red;"> </span></strong><b><span style="color: red;">unregulated fish farms on the coast of bc and their impact on wild salmon stocks</span></b><span style="color: #333333;">, as well as the increase in fish farm licences the Libs handed out during their tenure. </span><a href="http://thetyee.ca/Views/2005/10/02/WildSalmonWipedOut/" style="border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://thetyee.ca/Views/2005/10/02/WildSalmonWipedOut/</a></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">94) </strong><b><span style="color: red;">The announcement by Campbell to flood hectares of prime land for yet another dam to generate power the province will sell elsewhere – and Christy Clark continues the push for Site C, admitting it’s needed for her LNG </span></b><b><span style="color: red;">dreams</span><span style="color: #333333;"> </span></b><a href="http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2010/04/20/the-worst-is-yet-to-come-rafe-mair/" style="border: 0px; color: #ff4b33; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2010/04/20/the-worst-is-yet-to-come-rafe-mair/</a></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">93) </strong><b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">Crown land giveaways and contracts apparently based on political donations.</span> </span></b><a href="http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/brookfield-asset-management-gordon-campbell-and-british-columbias-best-assets/" style="border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/brookfield-asset-management-gordon-campbell-and-british-columbias-best-assets/</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">88)</strong><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> The “coincidental” and repeated occurrence of </span><b><span style="color: red;"> d<span style="font-size: large;">evelopment and real estate companies who donate large $$ to the Liberal party of BC, getting lucrative land deals and approvals across the province</span></span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: large;"> </span><a href="http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/BC-Politics/2009/05/08/Builders-real-estate-firms-gave-big-to-BC-Liberals/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/BC-Politics/2009/05/08/Builders-real-estate-firms-gave-big-to-BC-Liberals/</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">87)</strong><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> The ” coincidental” and repeated occurence of other </span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">corporations( mining,gas, oil and independent power producers) who donate large $$ to the Liberal party of BC getting lucrative contracts, deal and approvals</span></b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>across the province: </span><a href="http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2010/05/07/the-kind-of-corruption-the-media-talk-about-the-kind-the-supreme-court-was-concerned-about-involves-the-putative-sale-of-votes-in-exchange-for-campaign-contributions-james-l-buckley/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2010/05/07/the-kind-of-corruption-the-media-talk-about-the-kind-the-supreme-court-was-concerned-about-involves-the-putative-sale-of-votes-in-exchange-for-campaign-contributions-james-l-buckley/</a></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;"><span style="border: 0px; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">86)</span> <span style="font-size: large;">In February 2008, the public learned that Campbell’s TransLink board voted themselves a 500 percent pay raise. </span></span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">Only a few weeks later, the premier’s BC Ferries directors received an increase of up to 60 percent — on April 1, 2008 – the same day ferry fares were increased for British Columbians.</span><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">Compare this with the fact that in 2008, more than 50,000 British Columbians worked for minimum wage or less </span><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/02/08/bc-translink.html" style="border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/02/08/bc-translink.html</a></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">85)</strong><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">The very large and expensive mess that is known as BC Ferries </span></b><a href="http://thetyee.ca/News/2009/11/07/BloatedFerries/" style="border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://thetyee.ca/News/2009/11/07/BloatedFerries/</a></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">83)</strong><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">The very large and again, expensive mess known as BC Hydro , which is on the path to financial ruin</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><a href="http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/08/23/BCHydroPathToRuin/" style="border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/08/23/BCHydroPathToRuin/</a><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> and another opinion</span><a href="http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_thompson_nicola/clearwatertimes/opinion/101681738.html" style="border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_thompson_nicola/clearwatertimes/opinion/101681738.html</a></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">78). </strong><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><b><span style="color: red;">Choosing to contract out the storage, handling and administration of our personal medical records to an American company, which leaves personal information potentially open to dubious uses with American law enforcement </span></b></span><a href="http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2009/05/06/bc-citizens-assessment-of-what-the-campbell-government-has-done-to-british-columbia-so-far/" style="border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2009/05/06/bc-citizens-assessment-of-what-the-campbell-government-has-done-to-british-columbia-so-far/</a></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">76)</strong><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Christy Clark has spent so little time in the legislature, she needs a map to find her way around the building when she does show up. Only 19 days in session in one calendar year! </span></b><a href="http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/01/13/the-absentee-b-c-legislature/" style="border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/01/13/the-absentee-b-c-legislature/</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">72)</strong><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><b><span style="color: red;">Exporting raw logs to China and elsewhere ( a direct contradiction to a campaign promise he made prior to first being elected back in 20o1) all while <span style="font-size: large;">closing BC mills who could process wood here. </span></span></b><a href="http://www.peoplesvoice.ca/articleprint21/02)_BC'S_FOREST_JOBS_CRISIS.html" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.peoplesvoice.ca/articleprint21/02)_BC’S_FOREST_JOBS_CRISIS.html</a><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><a href="http://store.wildernesscommittee.org/campaigns/communities/campaigns/communities/readers/raw_logs/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://store.wildernesscommittee.org/campaigns/communities/campaigns/communities/readers/raw_logs/</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">71)</strong><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Vancouver convention centre completely ridiculous cost overruns</span></b><span style="color: #333333;"> , which technically might make it the largest screw-up in the history of BC – that is, until the final and true bill for the new Port Mann bridge comes in </span><a href="http://www.bcndp.ca/newsroom/campbells-convention-centre-overruns-largest-boondoggle-bc-history" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.bcndp.ca/newsroom/campbells-convention-centre-overruns-largest-boondoggle-bc-history</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">70)</strong><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Sea to sky highway over-runs </span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">– with no toll to cover costs . Campbell told press repeatedly at photo ops that the cost of the highway would be $800 million, yet </span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">the final cost was nearly$2 billion +</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><a href="http://www.bcndp.ca/newsroom/campbell-liberals-p3s-not-time-not-budget" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.bcndp.ca/newsroom/campbell-liberals-p3s-not-time-not-budget</a></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">68)</strong><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Failed P3- Port Mann Bridge debacle </span></b></div>
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<a href="http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2010/08/25/the-truth-will-set-you-free-but-first-it-will-piss-you-off/" style="border: 0px; color: #ff4b33; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2010/08/25/the-truth-will-set-you-free-but-first-it-will-piss-you-off/</a><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> and of course the must read</span><a href="http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2009/10/09/laila-yuile-says-time-to-start-those-tolls-on-the-sea-to-sky-highway/" style="border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2009/10/09/laila-yuile-says-time-to-start-those-tolls-on-the-sea-to-sky-highway/</a></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">66)</strong><span style="color: #333333;">The tragically expensive new <b><span style="font-size: large;">roof on BC Place stadium</span></b>...</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">Originally announced at $365 million BEFORE the election, it went to $458 million after the election ...</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">total of $ </span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>577 million. </b></span><a href="http://www.burnabynow.com/news/Costs+balloon+Place+roof/3385325/story.html" style="border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.burnabynow.com/news/Costs+balloon+Place+roof/3385325/story.html</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">64)</strong> More cuts to seniors beds in residential care, than have been created, leave seniors and their families at risk and great worry <a href="http://www.straight.com/article-218182/ndp-leader-carole-james-whacks-gordon-campbell-seniors-care" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.straight.com/article-218182/ndp-leader-carole-james-whacks-gordon-campbell-seniors-care</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">65) </strong><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Homelessness in BC has risen over 300% during Liberals time in power.</span></b></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;">62) </span><span style="color: red;">S</span></strong><b><span style="color: red;">evere mental health and addiction cuts left many on the streets and without care- this continues through 2013 with no plan to address the challenges of the most vulnerable. </span></b><a href="http://www.bcndp.ca/newsroom/bc-liberal-mental-health-and-addiction-cuts-will-hurt-communities" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.bcndp.ca/newsroom/bc-liberal-mental-health-and-addiction-cuts-will-hurt-communities</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">61)</strong><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Ken Dobell. And there are many more just like him among the BC Liberals crew of supporters/corporate friends.</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><a href="http://billtieleman.blogspot.com/2008/03/tieleman-ken-dobell-is-not-crook-he-is.html" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://billtieleman.blogspot.com/2008/03/tieleman-ken-dobell-is-not-crook-he-is.html</a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;">60)</span><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">"</span></strong><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">The Kinsella Connection”</span></b><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><a href="http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2009/04/11/the-kinsella-connection-it%E2%80%99s-no-secret-that-patrick-kinsella-is-one-of-gordon-campbell%E2%80%99s-closest-friends/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://lailayuile.wordpress.com/2009/04/11/the-kinsella-connection-it%E2%80%99s-no-secret-that-patrick-kinsella-is-one-of-gordon-campbell%E2%80%99s-closest-friends/</a></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">53)</strong><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><b><span style="color: red;">The BC Liberals cut student aid, while tuition rates here in BC remain at an all time high </span></b><span style="color: #333333;">- making it hard for domestic students to obtain a post secondary degree. It turns out that the </span><b><span style="color: red;">Liberals have been promoting our universities and colleges to overseas students, leaving our own BC students in the cold. </span></b></span><a href="http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2009-2013/2010ALMD0057-001287.pdf" style="border: 0px; color: #743399; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2009-2013/2010ALMD0057-001287.pdf</a></div>
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BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-67809828412164135972013-05-09T23:17:00.000-07:002013-05-09T23:17:24.166-07:00The List Makers: Part 1 - 20 Reasons for Not Voting BC Liberal<br />
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<h1>
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">The list makers are out in full force right now. Bring it! Would love it if people want to add their reasons for not voting BC Liberal to the list under comments. </span></h1>
<h1>
<a href="http://www.vancourier.com/news/Twenty+reasons+voting+Liberal/8361959/story.html" style="font-size: x-large;">Twenty reasons why I’m not voting Liberal</a></h1>
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<div class="byline">
<b><span class="name">
By Geoff Olson, </span><span class="timestamp">May 9, 2013, Vancouver Courier.</span></b></div>
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The
24-hour news cycle doesn’t favour long-term memory. The continuing
fallout from the December 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut,
barely registered a blip in the mainstream media by the time the U.S.
Senate snuffed a tepid gun control bill in April. Similarly, the
February meteorite that lit up Russian daytime skies with the energy of
several Hiroshimas came and went like a firefly compared to the
weeks-long gigawattage of the “Gangnam Style” video by the Korean rapper
Psy.<br />
<br />
As for Fukushima, some may have to wrack their memories for a reference. Is that a brand of digital cameras or a roll of sushi? <br />
<br />
The
rewritten press releases, puff pieces and paper-thin investigative
reports in most dailies do little to counter the average news consumer’
gnat-like attention span, shrunk to the length of 140 characters by
social media. Still, <b><span style="color: red;">even I’m surprised how quickly the B.C. Liberal’s
last big scandal vanished down the media memory hole, with local
reporters trumpeting the party’s recent “surge” in the polls. </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">In
early March, Kim Haakstad resigned over a 17-page “Multicultural
Strategic Outreach Plan” that she helped draft as Premier Christy
Clark’s deputy chief of staff. Haakstad sent the document to several
Liberals through her private Google email account. The secretive
operation, with government money earmarked for partisan purposes,
planned apologies to select ethnic groups for “historical wrongs” as a
cynical ploy to win hearts and minds at the ballot box.</span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Clark’s
$11 million Bollywood film award fiasco in April</span></b> <b><span style="color: red;">looked a lot like an
extension of an attempt to buy ethnic votes.</span></b> <b><span style="color: red;">Bottomless cynicism or
out-of-control careerism? </span></b>Either way, in the unlikely event the B.C.
Liberals return to power, we can anticipate exactly what we experienced
with Gordon Campbell three times in succession: a hazy memory of being
wined and dined before waking up with a Sidney Crosby-sized headache and
our undies around our ankles.<b><span style="color: red;"> It’s impossible for me to list all the
controversies connected with the party’s 12-year reign. But for the
benefit of our long-term memories, here’s a partial list.</span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">The B.C.
Liberals: </span></b><br />
<br />
<b>1) Ripped up legally binding, negotiated contracts in the
public sector; </b><br />
<b>2) Closed courthouses; </b><br />
<b>3) Rolled backed employment
standards legislation; </b><br />
<b>4) Introduced a new $6 “training wage” at two
dollars an hour lower than minimum wage; </b><br />
<b>5) Introduced a bill for
reducing the minimum work age to 12 years; [<span style="color: red;">see story about child labour and increased injury and disability rates under the BC Liberals <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/business/bc2035/pays+price+lower+work/8363528/story.html">here</a></span>].</b><br />
<b>6) Expanded provincial
gambling; </b><br />
<b>7) Closed hospitals, cut beds and shut long-term care
facilities; </b><br />
<b>8) Laid off nurses and health care workers and privatized
services, </b><br />
<b>9) Handed Pharmacare and MSP operations over to a U.S. firm,
Maximus, which had been fined twice for failing to reach contractual
targets; </b><br />
<b>10) Shut down or reduced funding for independent offices like
the provincial Ombudsman, the Information and Privacy Commissioner, and
Elections B.C.</b><br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Whew. Hang on, 10 more…</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>11) Cut air and water
quality protection; </b><br />
<b>12) Gutted the Forest Practices Code; </b><br />
<b>13) Lowered
standards for wildlife protection; </b><br />
<b>14) Presided over the expansion of
industrial fish farms; </b><br />
<b>15) Eliminated the Independent Office of the
Child, Youth and Family Advocate; </b><br />
<b>16) Broke the promise not to introduce
the HST and withdrew it only after massive public outcry; </b><br />
<b>17) Unveiled
under-projected, treasury-sucking megaprojects, from the $900 million
Vancouver Convention Centre to the $560 million renovation and
retractable Asshat for B.C. Place; </b><br />
<b>18) Failed to resolve questions about
the B.C. Rail sale, including the $6 million payout for Basi and Virk’s
legal fees; </b><br />
<b>19) Failed to supply details on the funding cut to
provincial drug safety evaluations by the UBC-based Therapeutics
Initiative; </b><br />
<b>20) Recently approved a misleading print ad for 24 Hours
designed to resemble a front page news story. </b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Clark recently ran a
red light on a dare from her 11-year-old son, with a reporter present
in her car. </span></b><br />
<br />
Although her automotive lesson in family values doesn’t
compare to Campbell’s conviction for drunk driving in Maui in 2003, it’s
interesting that the B.C. Liberals’ reign could be bookended by
irresponsible driving decisions. Whether or not you think the former
talk radio host should be piloting a province, let alone a vehicle with a
minor in it, there are at least 20 good reasons why her party should be
pulled off the legislative road and slapped with a four-year driving
suspension for DUIL (Driving Under the Influence of Lobbyists).<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.geoffolson.com/" target="_blank">www.geoffolson.com</a></b><br />
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© Copyright (c) Vancouver Courier</div>
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BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-26887859432838336962013-05-09T06:52:00.004-07:002013-05-09T06:52:51.303-07:008:01 Club: Christy Clark, You're Fired!<b><span style="color: red;">Love this new meme about the 801 Club. I guess if Pinochio Coleman, Hogg and Fassbender haven't heard of it means they haven't been invited into this elite new club. D'oh!</span></b><br />
<br />
<span class="header"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.cknw.com/news/vancouver/story.aspx/story.aspx?ID=1956723">Liberals dismiss existence of "801" club </a></span></b></span>
<br /><span class="subheader"><span class="mini">Shane Woodford, </span><span class="minidim">5/8/2013, </span>SURREY/CKNW (AM980)</span><br />
<b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red;">BC Liberal candidates at a Surrey rally for leader Christy Clark are dismissing claims of a movement to oust her.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red;">Fort Langley-Aldergrove candidate Rich Coleman didn't mince words calling the so-called 801 club a “load of crap."</span></b><br />
<br />
<b>"I think it's cheap, childish, amateurish, on the part of anybody who
would say it, but there's lot of people around politics who don't
actually understand things like loyalty and trust and they're not people
who are with us."</b><br />
<br />
Coleman says this all a distraction from a clearly desperate NDP.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">"We are in the best shape we have ever been going into an election
and coming out of an election in all manners and we have attracted the
greatest slate of candidates I have ever seen so I think that people who
want to do that just go and have your own little world but stay out of
ours because we are just going go win the election."</span></b><br />
<br />
Fellow Liberal Gordon Hogg says he has never heard of the 801 club.<br />
<br />
"Only heard from you just now."<br />
<br />
"What do you think?"<br />
<br />
"Well I think it is bizarre to be thinking of that in the future
right now we are focused on trying to win an election doing everything
we can to focus on that and that has to be our sole motivation and
source at this point in time."<br />
<br />
The same thing goes for Surrey-Fleetwood contender Peter Fassbender.<br />
<br />
"Have you ever heard of this 801 club?"<br />
<br />
"No I haven't, no I have heard of the 401 which is a highway that we built a new bridge on."<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Global BC reports of a movement within party ranks to push for
Clark’s resignation one minute after the polls close at 8 pm on election
day.</span></b><br />
<br />
<br />
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<img height="400" src="http://proxy.storify.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fmedia%2FBJyTlUpCYAAY2B3.jpg" width="300" /><br />
<br />
<h1 class="title">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a class="title" href="http://www.vanramblings.com/bc-election-2013-liberal-knives-are-out-to-oust-christy-clark.html">BC Election 2013: Liberal Knives Are Out to Oust Christy Clark</a></span></h1>
<h1 class="title">
<span style="color: red;">Follow the link for the video. </span></h1>
<h1 class="title">
<span style="color: red; font-size: small;">As reported by Jas Johal on <em>Global BC's </em>
evening NewsHour, an organized movement to oust Christy Clark as BC
Liberal leader has already begun in the upper echelons of the provincial
governing party.</span></h1>
<b><span style="color: red;">Called the <em>801 Club</em> —
symbolizing 8:01 p.m., one minute after the election and the minute when
the movement plans to begin the process of putting pressure on Clark to
step aside, the club — made up of party members and business leaders —
has already created 801 buttons, as can be seen in the video clip above,
to signify the serious intent of the movement.</span></b><br />
<br />
<b>The <em><span style="color: #990000;">801 movement</span></em> not only wants
to rid the party of Christy Clark, but those that surround her, as
well, including her brother, Bruce; ex-husband and BC Liberal organizer
Mark Marissen; the 2013 Liberal party campaign chair Mike McDonald; and
current Liberal party president, Sharon White.</b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Gordon Campbell's former chief of staff,
Martyn Brown, says the scandals that the Clark Liberals have endured
are self-inflicted and speak to Clark's rudderless and
ethically-challenged leadership of the BC Liberal party.</span></b><br />
<blockquote>
"When
you look at one thing after the next, it's just a bad series of
judgements that fall directly in her lap," Brown told host Simi Sara, at
<a href="http://www.cknw.com/news/audiovault/index.aspx" target="_blank">12:38pm</a>, on her afternoon CKNW talk show. "There
is no escaping that, and this just brings it home in spades to people
that it is the Premier's judgement that is at issue here."</blockquote>
Day after day, in the <em><span style="color: #990000;">Georgia Straight</span></em> and in <em><span style="color: #990000;">The Province</span></em>
newspaper, Brown has challenged Clark's questionable leadership of the
BC Liberal party, and her time in government as the unelected Premier of
the province.<br />
<b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red;">Why would Brown consistently position himself on the attack against
Clark in everything he writes and tells any broadcaster or journalist
that will interview him unless he is, in fact, one of the charter
members of the <em>801 Club</em>, working
in concert with business leaders to ensure that a person who better
represents the interests of the business community will replace Christy
Clark after a resounding defeat at the polls next Tuesday?</span></b><br />
<br />
Piling on today on—<em><span style="color: #990000;">the increasingly beleaguered</span></em>—Christy Clark, high profile BC Liberal <a href="http://www.straight.com/news/379486/daniel-veniez-adrian-dix-reason-im-voting-bc-ndp-first-time-my-life" target="_blank">Daniel Veniez</a>, who writes in his <em><span style="color: #990000;">Georgia Straight</span></em> commentary ...<br />
<blockquote>
<b><span style="color: red;">"I'm
progressive, but not of the ideological left, and pragmatic, not of the
doctrinaire right. I am a moderate and in the sensible centre ... <em>I have never voted NDP in my life</em> ... In British Columbia, voters have only two parties to choose from. On May 14, I am voting B.C. NDP. There are two reasons for that. The first is Christy Clark. The second is Adrian Dix. </span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<b><span style="color: red;"> </span></b><b><span style="color: red;">
Clark's gaffe-prone, content-free, divisive, and ethically challenged
tenure as unelected premier of B.C. has been well chronicled. </span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<br />
The core of her relentless electioneering is anchored on a fantastical
notion that B.C. will be "debt free" in 15 years through liquefied
natural gas. This is based entirely on the incredibly dubious premise
that the stars of a volatile and highly cyclical commodity business will
align exactly as she predicts. The reality is that none of us —
including those within the industry who would make these multibillion
investments — has the foggiest clue whether any of this is fact or
fiction.<span style="color: red;"> </span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">But common sense should tell us this: Clark has made a career
out of smoke and mirrors ... the "debt free BC" slogan of her campaign
is yet another whopper from Clark, whose entire government has been
punctuated by advertising, gimmickry, and endless photo-ops, culminating
in this election with a slogan that simply defies all credibility ..."</span> </span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><b>Dix is a refreshing change.</b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">He's
a humble and quiet man, not given to exaggeration nor to fits of
narcissism. Not a "natural" politician, Dix is nevertheless obviously
comfortable in his own skin. Well read and well briefed, Dix knows his
files, understands the machinery of government, and has a great
appreciation for what government can and can't do. Dix has tried to do
politics differently and has waged an honourable campaign. </span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">As premier, Adrian Dix will restore honesty and substance in Victoria. </span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<br />
He'll
bring sober, deliberative, and collaborative leadership to the
premier's office. He'll attract good people from across the ideological
spectrum. He'll govern the province as he has his own party: by
appealing to all of us to come together to solve the problems of British
Columbia. He'll work hard to restore faith in our public institutions
and trust in the competence and professionalism of government. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>
All of us want competent, honest, and accountable government that
appeals to the best in all of us. Adrian Dix will do that. That's why
the NDP is getting my vote on May 14.</b></span></blockquote>
BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-35629100477910719422013-05-07T22:59:00.002-07:002013-05-07T22:59:28.722-07:00The Non-Story Election: Gordon Who?This election is turning out to be making a big deal about Non-stories. Fortunately some are great at catching the back stories, like Bob Mackin from <a href="http://www.biv.com/">BIV</a>, who is doing outstanding work on the election.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Like this one, about Gordon (Who Gives a $!#% What You Think) Wilson! Seriously, the guy is a legend in his own mind, but none of ours. </span>Why anyone would hitch their wagon to the likes of outgoing Premier Clark at this point is beyond me, but fill yer boots. <span style="color: red;">Although clearly it might be a good idea to get a new gig lined up under the circumstances. Unfortunately he hitched his wagon to the wrong horse. </span></b><br />
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<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/CDTFbc-P9_o/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/CDTFbc-P9_o&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/CDTFbc-P9_o&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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<span class="watch-title yt-uix-expander-head" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" style="-webkit-user-select: auto; border: 0px; cursor: auto; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="Gordon Wilson - Come Home (broadcast quality)"> <span style="color: red;">Gordon Wilson - Come Home </span>(broadcast quality)</span></h1>
<br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large; line-height: 36px;"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/05/06/gordon-wilson-bc-liberal-christy-clark_n_3223167.html" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large; line-height: 36px;">Gordon Wilson, Former BC Liberal Leader, Endorses Christy Clark </a></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">HuffPost BC, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: small;">05/06/2013.</span></span><br />
<br />
<h1 class="grid_8 alpha omega">
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 21px;">POWELL RIVER, B.C. - Former B.C. Liberal leader Gordon Wilson says he has come home to the party he put on the map in 1991 before forming his own party and then crossing the floor to the New Democrats.</span></div>
<div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; line-height: 21px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Wilson announced in a YouTube video that he is rejoining the party he left in 1993 and supporting Premier Christy Clark as she aims to lead the Liberals to victory in the May 14 election.</span></div>
</div>
</h1>
<h1 class="grid_8 alpha omega">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.biv.com/article/20130507/BIV0109/130509946/gordon-wilsons-endorsement-of-clark-follows-slew-of-legal-financial?utm_source=BIV+Daily&utm_campaign=f6cc2cea07-Daily_Tuesday_May_75_7_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e7a16d5571-f6cc2cea07-196407789">Gordon Wilson's endorsement of Clark follows slew of legal, financial woes</a></span></h1>
<div>
<span class="byline">By <a href="mailto:2010goldrush@gmail.com">Bob Macki</a>n, </span><span class="date">May 7, 2013, Business in Vancouver. </span></div>
<div>
<span class="date"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="date"><b><span style="color: red;">Former BC Liberal leader Gordon Wilson's surprise call for
disaffected party members to "come home" and support Premier Christy
Clark's re-election campaign comes in the wake of a string of his own
financial and legal difficulties.</span></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74TD73dyPDc" target="_blank">Wilson announced Sunday evening via YouTube</a> that he is rejoining the Liberals after 20 years.<br />
<br />
He
led the party to official opposition status in 1991 but lost the
leadership to Gordon Campbell in 1993 and started his own Progressive
Democratic Alliance Party.<br />
<br />
In 1999, he joined the NDP cabinet and
his portfolio included overseeing BC Ferries' controversial,
money-losing fast ferries. Clark's campaign has relied on attacking the
NDP's 1990s record.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Business in Vancouver has unearthed court files revealing the extent of Wilson's financial and legal problems since then.</span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Wilson
and his wife, one-time Liberal house leader Judi Tyabji Wilson, were
subject to the court-ordered sale of their Powell River waterfront home
at 9573 Random Road four months ago.</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>CIBC Mortgages received a
January 7, 2013, order for immediate sale from Justice Robert Crawford.
The nine-acre property is now listed for $842,900 through Coast Realty
Group. Wilson's Duddles' Lair sheep farm shares the same address.</b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">The
couple had previously been ordered to pay $918,355.02 to CIBC on May
22, 2012 by Master Douglas Baker in the Powell River court, after
gaining a three-month delay in foreclosure proceedings.</span></b><br />
<br />
The
Wilsons' joint February 15, 2012, submission to the court said: "We have
never before had mortgage delinquency, and the current delinquency
issue was caused by our work to sell our software company. We now have
three transactions that are in the final stages of conclusion prior to
payment, any one of which will yield sufficient funds to clear the
accounts."<br />
<br />
Having real-estate agents and prospective buyers
through the house at the time would be "counterproductive to our ability
to apply our full attention to concluding business that will see
creditors fully restored."<br />
<br />
Wilson's blog said he is the chair of
Tugboat Enterprises, which owns the My Selkie data recovery software.
Court fillings indicate negotiations were active in 2011 and 2012 to
sell Tugboat's intellectual property to Origo Industries of England. The
Wilsons, through their Blackberry Coast Capital company, hired the
Berlin law firm Kanzlei Kittner to represent them in Europe.<br />
<br />
Negotiations
appear to have stalled. Tyabji Wilson and Tugboat were sued July 31,
2012, by Hakemi Law Corp. for $31,909.23 in fees and disbursements owing
and $13,772.41 contractual interest.<br />
<br />
Lawyer Tom Hakemi claimed
they did not pay eight invoices from October 6, 2009, to May 7, 2010,
and were $580.32 short on a September 1, 2009, invoice for $5,080.32.<br />
<br />
Before
the filing, on July 20, 2012, a Tyabji Wilson email to Hakemi said she
did not contest that money was owed and claimed the bill was "on the
short list of priority payments."<br />
<br />
"Confidentially, I can tell you
that the amount to be transferred to McMillan will be CAD$25,000,000,
and our lawyer in Berlin tells us that their bank will hold funds for up
to ten days before the transfer as part of the standard bank protocol,"
Tyabji wrote in the email contained in Hakemi's affidavit. "We are
looking at early to mid-August to pay you."<br />
<br />
An October 24, 2012,
email from Gordon Wilson to Joel Hill, a lawyer at Hakemi's firm, said,
"Neither Judi nor I are currently in a financial position that will
permit us to hire legal counsel."<br />
<br />
Hakemi became Tugboat and Tyabji
Wilson's lawyer when they were named as defendants in a September 2008
defamation lawsuit filed by West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast Liberal member
of parliament Blair Wilson. The co-defendants included the Province
newspaper reporter Elaine O'Connor and Clark's then-husband Mark
Marissen, who remains a BC Liberal campaign adviser. The unrelated Blair
Wilson claimed an October 2007 Province story falsely alleged financial
impropriety on his part. Blair Wilson ran for the Green Party but lost
in the 2008 federal election to Conservative John Weston, who was the
runner-up to Wilson in 2006.<br />
<br />
In an October 24, 2012, email to
Hakemi's colleague Joel Hill, Gordon Wilson wrote: "Regrettably, we
still face action by Mr. Wilson and his lawyer Mr. Jay Straith despite
their inability to provide a shred of evidence linking either Tugboat
Enterprises Ltd. or Judi Tyabji Wilson to the alleged charges he has
been presented on behalf of his client."<br />
<br />
A February 8, 2013,
consent order signed by the parties said Hakemi was granted judgment
against Tyabji Wilson and Tugboat for $35,853.33.<br />
<br />
Wilson's blog
links to the Tugboat website, which is said to be under maintenance, but
lists a toll-free phone number. The operator said her company no longer
has a contract with Tugboat.<br />
<br />
The phone number attached to the Tugboat website registration is not in service.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Neither Gordon Wilson nor Judi Tyabji Wilson responded to Business in Vancouver's email or Twitter requests for an interview.</span></b><br />
<br />
<a href="mailto:BMackin@biv.com">BMackin@biv.com</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/bobmackin" target="_blank">@bobmackin</a></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-78722601057610936132013-05-05T10:03:00.000-07:002013-05-05T10:04:25.661-07:00BC Liberals Gutted Employment Standards & Labour Codes in BC: Wilkinson Needs a Lesson in History & Reality<b><span style="color: red;">For a smart guy, Andrew Wilkinson's statements on BC's Labour Code and the NDP's intention of changing it make him look like an idiot and a party hack. </span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The BC Liberals gutted the Employment Standards, the Labour Code and Worksafe BC. Many people in BC have felt the pain of that and will continue to. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="color: red;">There have been widespread labour relations conflict and long strikes under the "leadership" of the BC Liberals. Where the hell has Wilkinson been while all of that was happening?</span> </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>BC doesn't need anymore politicians who bury their head in the sand while real people hurt. Some of those real people could be your constituents if enough people are stupid enough to vote for the likes of Wilkinson. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="color: red;">With this one article, he makes it clear he will not be an advocate, or representative, for those who are living with the consequences of labour and workplace issues that arise out of the poor protection of the BC Liberal Labour codes. I hope the working people in Vancouver-Quilchena understand that when they go to the ballot box. </span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The BC Liberals have also cost tax payers millions in legal fees fighting losing battles because of tearing up freely bargained collective agreements. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="color: red;">The BC Liberals brought international disgrace and condemnation to BC for bringing in legislation that encouraged child labour by making it much easier for those 12 year old and up to work. That is definitely something the NDP must remove from the Code. </span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Working people in BC have seen an assault on their workplace safety and rights and ability to access wage replacement while injured due to the changes of Labour Code, Employment Standards and Worksafe BC legislation and regulations. When the NDP become the majority government, they have both an opportunity and an obligation to change and improve these things to equalize things for workers and employers. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Maybe Wilkinson should take a read of the CCPA report, <i><a href="http://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/BC_Office_Pubs/bc_2005/employment_standards.pdf">Eroding Worker Protections:</a> British Columbia’s New ‘Flexible’ Employment Standards </i>by David Fairey before he starts talking about things he clearly has no clue about. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="color: red;">Under the BC Liberals employers have taken full advantage of expanding the use of Temporary Foreign Workers, while BC and Canadian taxpayers and citizens have gotten the shaft. </span>This has lowered the income rates for all Canadians, something the BC Liberals are clearly in favour of. </b><br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr valign="top"><td><span class="header"><b><a href="http://www.cknw.com/news/vancouver/story.aspx?ID=1953148"><span style="font-size: large;">BC Liberal candidate calls out NDP over vague Labour Code promises</span></a></b></span><br />
<span class="subheader">VANCOUVER/CKNW (980AM)</span><br />
<span class="mini">CKNW News Staff | Email news tips to nwnews@cknw.com</span>
<br />
<span class="minidim">5/4/2013</span>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">The BC Liberal candidate for
Vancouver-Quilchena says if the Liberals get elected, they would not
mess around with the Labour Code - unlike the BC NDP.</span></b><br />
<br />
Andrew Wilkinson -- speaking to reporters at Jack Poole plaza -- says
the NDP have a tremendous amount of pressure from the unions.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">"They've said they want to rebalance the Labour Code and they won't
tell anybody what that means. </span></b>They say they want to consider the card
check system for union certification rather than the secret ballot, but
they won't commit one way or the other. This is sure sign of weak
leadership from the NDP."<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">He adds they've had good labour relations in the province for 12 years and the Liberals would work to keep it that way.</span></b></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="hdiv17">
</div>
BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12318931.post-18067766666482741162013-05-04T21:41:00.002-07:002013-05-05T09:19:31.785-07:00Changing Things Up: Brown - Part 2<br />
<div class="field field-name-title" style="background-color: white; color: #555555; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<h1 class="large-title" style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.straight.com/news/378576/martyn-brown-changing-face-change-morning-after-ndps-win">Martyn Brown: Changing the face of change: the morning after the NDP’s win</a></span></h1>
</div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">by <span class="name" style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase;"><a about="/users/martyn-brown" class="username" href="http://www.straight.com/users/martyn-brown" property="foaf:name" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #999999; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="View user profile." typeof="sioc:UserAccount" xml:lang="">MARTYN BROWN</a></span> on <span class="date" style="font-style: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase;">MAY 3, 2013, Georgia Straight. </span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">The main question is, how large will the NDP’s majority be? The answer may turn on the degree to which voters start thinking about how they want the world to look on the morning after the vote.</span></b></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Change is surely coming. But the face of that change in the legislature, if not the government, still rides on how people vote in the dozens of ridings that are far from decided.</span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><b>Voter apathy could cost the B.C. Liberals a whack of seats that are on the margin. Complacency could similarly deprive the NDP of many seats it might otherwise win. When voters see any election as a lost cause or as a foregone conclusion, the losing and winning parties alike stand to forfeit winnable seats when their supporters sit on their hands.</b></span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><b>Paradoxically, in a “race” that appears to be over at the provincial level, the race is actually getting tighter at the riding level in former B.C. Liberal strongholds that are now within reach.</b></span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The NDP have to be worried that voters who want a change in government may feel they can vote with impunity for other candidates, including for B.C. Liberals, if they believe that the NDP can’t lose and that some other candidate is uniquely preferable.</span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For the B.C. Liberals, the problem is reversed. Their potential supporters might feel that because the fate of the government doesn’t hinge on their vote, they can take a flyer on whoever they see as the strongest candidate to represent their values, interests, or community in the legislature. Even the NDP stand to benefit from that dynamic, which the independents, Greens, and B.C. Conservatives are also banking on.</span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>The change that most Liberal supporters want from their own party is renewal. Yet that message has been downplayed at every turn. Inexplicably, the Premier did not even mention her team in the leaders’ debates or in her party platform. And her campaign has kept the spotlight squarely on her, with minimal focus on the strength of new talent that she can claim to have attracted.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Instead of focusing on their strongest asset—their new candidates and fresh faces—the B.C. Liberals have almost exclusively focused on their largest liability. Clark’s disapprovals are still off the charts, even if she has done a better job of late of looking like a premier.</b></span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While many B.C. Liberal candidates have tried to distance themselves from Clark's leadership and even from their party label, they will need a better argument than their leader has made for them to get elected.</span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Candidates who know they will lose without a radical shift in strategy might feel emboldened to change their pitch. They may seek to focus public attention on opportunities for change within the pending change that’s bound to deliver an NDP government.</span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><b>At the root of that appeal is an acknowledgement that their party will not form the government, that their leader will not be around for long, and that neither of those factors should determine people’s votes.</b></span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s a risky but potentially powerful strategy for those candidates who are on the cusp.</span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Would it really be healthy for democracy to have another lopsided government? Experience suggests that we are always better off with a strong opposition and a wide diversity of skills, perspectives, and values on both sides of the legislature, even though I certainly never would have admitted that in past partisan capacities.</span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Would it really be in the public interest for entire regions like Vancouver Island to be without any voice in opposition? When the tables were reversed, and the B.C. Liberals’ swept every seat outside of Vancouver, not many voters agreed that it was an ideal outcome. </span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Candidates might frame their case less around who will form the government then about why they are needed in the legislature, especially in the event of an NDP government. </span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Valid arguments abound. They include the need to ensure a strong opposition that can hold the NDP accountable over the next four-and-a-half years. They include the need to have new MLAs and a strong B.C. Liberal presence to help rebuild the party or its successor before the next election. They include representing local issues, community concerns, and societal values that are not likely to be front and center in the NDP’s agenda.</span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Independents, Greens, and Conservatives are already making a similar pitch, also arguing to elect them and make history by forever changing our flawed two-party political system. More choice means a better voice for those values that the two main parties will never advance.</span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: red;">The NDP candidates also stand to make history by winning seats that will forever change B.C.’s political landscape. Simply electing members in places that have been historically impossible to crack could permanently make those seats more competitive. </span></b><span style="color: #333333;">We saw that in the Cariboo, when Dave Zirnhelt was elected years ago in a byelection, and in Oak Bay-Gordon Head, when Elizabeth Cull swept into office, and in Chilliwack-Hope one year ago.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All of those seats were so-called "free enterprise" bastions that went NDP. The truth is, these days, precious few seats are truly "safe" when ideology is trumped by other considerations, as we see today in B.C.</span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With an NDP government still looking most likely, “a strong voice in government” is an eternally powerful message that is newly relevant for those candidates who are knocking at the door in swing ridings. And unless the B.C. Liberals get well over 40 percent in the polls, it is a message that only the NDP candidates can credibly claim.</span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As suddenly viable contenders in previously unthinkable seats, those NDP candidates can also make an appeal to end the polarized, partisan politics that has for too long created barriers instead of bridges to understanding when governments inevitably change.</span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That would certainly be healthy for democracy and for forging new relationships between government and their traditional ideological opponents. They would do much better for everyone if they started talking and listening to one another, instead of putting each other down or simply ignoring each other, as is usually the case when governments change stripes.</span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><b>I know. I helped fuel that dynamic in various partisan positions that I held over the decades and it was anything but ideal in advancing economic opportunities or in addressing vexing social problems, with shared insights, ideas, skills, and workable solutions.</b></span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The point is, all of the above types of arguments that candidates can make to increase voter interest, support, and turnout are largely liberated because of voters’ expectations of a lopsided NDP victory. That might seem less likely today than it did a week ago, but it is still the odds-on probability.</span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><b>To the extent that voters believe that the NDP is still the runaway favourite to win on May 14, and if they remain focused on what they want their legislature to look like on May 15, they may find other motivations for voting than simply who will form the government.</b></span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The important thing is to get out and vote, because the individual choices that voters make in each riding can still change the face of change that our elected representatives will lead and deliver.</span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"><b>Like the song says, “there's got to be a morning after,” even in a Poseidon Adventure. The B.C. Liberals might download that corny Ringtone.</b></span></span></div>
<div class="field field-name-gs-helper-author-date" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
<em style="color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Martyn Brown is the author of the new e-book Towards a New Government in British Columbia, available on Amazon. He was former B.C. premier Gordon Campbell’s long-serving chief of staff, a top strategic advisor to three provincial party leaders, and a former deputy minister of tourism, trade, and investment in British Columbia.</span></em></div>
BC Liberals Suckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646644405853395094noreply@blogger.com0