VANCOUVER

Bill Tieleman

Huge win for Vision Vancouver, stinging defeat for NPA, council wipeout for COPE, first seat for Greens - all teach electoral lessons
Vision Vancouver election night party with re-elected Mayor Gregor Robertson & teamWow!  What a fantastic, sweep - a capital V-Victory for Vision Vancouver and Mayor Gregor Robertson!It is quite phenomenal to win every seat you contest in a municipal election at every level - and that's what Vision Vancouver did last night, winning mayor, 7 council seats, 5 school board seats and 4 park board seats - a majority on each body.Congratulations to Gregor and all the re-elected and newly- elected VV councilors, school trustees and park board commissioners!  You have a mandate to be envied!And I want to add a big congrats to the folks behind the scenes who worked so hard for so long for this Vision victory and don't get mentioned - Vision campaign manager Mike Magee - my friend and former Toronto housemate; Ian Baillie - Vision executive director; Strategic Communications and Vision pollster Bob Penner - another old friend from my Toronto days; Vision communications director Marcella Munro; communications officer Kevin Quinlan, staffers Lora Honrado, Rita Ko, Braeden Caley, Stepan Vodine, Carolyn Askew, Matt Smith and so many others - apologies to those I miss in this list. Sadly, the Coalition Of Progressive Electors - COPE, which I also supported, had a devastating evening, re-electing only Allan Wong on the Vancouver Board of Education.  I am particularly sorry to see the loss of Ellen Woodsworth on Council - although I understand mail-in votes have yet to be counted [not Advance Polls however] and a recount is expected with Ellen trailing by just 92 votes!I am personally also sorry to lose two dedicated school trustees - Al Blakey and Jane Bouey of COPE - who have made real contributions to public service on behalf of students, parents, teachers and staff over many years - you will be missed.The lesson for COPE is not completely clear but there is no question that the bitter comments of Tim Louis, who failed in his bid to return to Council, indicate yet another divisive debate will consume COPE in the year ahead.  I supported Tim despite some misgivings but many I spoke with simply could not.  I do support something Vision and COPE agree on completely - the need for the provincial government to eliminate corporate and union financing in municipal elections - leaving personal donations the only source of funding.  This election, which likely cost $2 million plus for both Vision and the NPA, is evidence of the need for reform - something we also must demand on the provincial level to match federal restrictions on corporate and labour donations.Congratulations - conditional on the final result - are due to Adriane Carr of the Vancouver Green Party, who won the 10th and last seat on Council - her first electoral victory in over 25 years of trying at the provincial and federal level!  Like Harry Rankin in the past, who lost 13 times before joining Vancouver City Council, persistence pays off.I didn't support Adriane but I wish her well.  Now the Greens will be forced to put some content into what has been an "empty box" product for years - shiny and green with "new and improved" on the outside but nothing inside in terms of political record.The Non-Partisan Association is no doubt feeling downcast today - but has some reason for modest self-congratulation when their situation is rationally analyzed.I never felt Gregor Robertson could be challenged successfully as mayor, and certainly not by NPA Councilor Suzanne Anton.  But give Anton and campaign manager Norman Stowe credit for a tough-minded, expensive campaign and for exploiting the difficult Occupy Vancouver situation for all it was worth.  If anyone doubts that negative attack ads work, the NPA proved that once again.The NPA has doubled its council contingent without running a single incumbent nor any candidate whose name was a household word - no small accomplishment.  And for much of the night it appeared the NPA could have won 3 or even 4 seats, with Bill Yuen and Mike Klassen of the NPA-loving City Caucus blog - which may now shut down - finishing in 12th and 13th spot - just under 1,000 votes from making council.  And three other NPA challengers followed them as well.  The NPA is far from planning its funeral.Occupy Vancouver was Robertson's biggest challenge and a lose-lose proposition - early intervention would hurt him with his base of support and potentially cause an Oakland-like violent riot; moving slowly hurt him with more centrist voters who wanted the encampment gone yesterday.  Robertson's decision to seek a court injunction and enforce fire and safety rules while supporting Occupy's right to free speech and ability to raise important issues was the correct one - as last night's results proved.I will have lots more to say and detailed analysis of the results in my 24 hours/The Tyee column on Tuesday November 22 - which is always reproduced on this blog in its full length version - stay tuned!And lastly, regardless of your politics or the results, thanks to everyone who put their name forward to serve their community in the municipal elections across BC.  It's not easy to do and you are to be congratulated..

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Kevin Falcon the Fall Guy for Jim Flaherty - BC loses billions in health care funding, HST repayment - but Falcon fails to get it
Ex-Premier Gordon Campbell & Finance Minister Kevin Falcon - asleep at the switchBC Liberal Finance Minister Kevin Falcon must have had that falling feeling Monday when he praised federal Conservative Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's new plan to reduce health care funding increases - then watched as most of his provincial counterparts denounced Flaherty.Why?  Because the federal Conservatives just pulled the rug out from under BC and other provinces' funding, six ways from Sunday.Flaherty surprised provincial finance ministers by unilaterally announcing that Ottawa will end current health care funding increases of 6% a year by 2017, despite rising costs, leaving the provinces to make up the difference.The new plan will also reduce BC's per capita health care funding because Ottawa's funding formula doesn't deal with our aging population's hire costs, meaning up to an additional $250 million a year will be lost.But too late - Falcon was already on the record:  "From B.C.'s perspective, we think certainty is good thing," he said. "We cannot ignore what is taking place around the world."Huh?  What's going on is that BC is getting shafted and Falcon was sticking up for his federal Conservative friends, not British Columbia.Quebec's Finance Minister Raymond Bachand wasn't as thick as Falcon.Bachand called the unilateral federal decision to dramatically reduce funding "totally unacceptable."Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter called it "profoundly disappointing".Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said it was "frustrating".Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said the provinces will lose $21 billion."It means less access to quality health care," Duncan said.By Tuesday even Falcon had figured out that BC was being shafted.And his hardline response?  He'll ask the federal government to "adjust" the per capita formula - but if BC got that "we'd be very happy with the rest of the package."Falcon and BC Premier Christy Clark have also thrown in the towel on getting repayment of the federal Harmonized Sales Tax grant of $1.6 billion reduced to reflect the period of time the HST will have been in effect.  Now they are hoping to claim "victory" by getting an extended lay-away plan to repay the entire amount.Just one question - wouldn't you love to play poker with these jokers?Jim Flaherty must be laughing all the way back to Ottawa.Pathetic..

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9 clear lessons from the 2011 Vancouver election - centrist government, attacks ads, good names and sore losers all addressed
Sean BickertonGregor Robertson debates Suzanne AntonTIm LouisReading Vancouver Voters' MindsCity's voters teach all parties lessons about what matters in elections.Bill Tieleman's 24 hours/The Tyee columnTuesday November 22, 2011By Bill Tieleman"You will expect me to discuss the late election. Well, as nearly as I can learn, we did not have enough votes on our side." - U.S. President Herbert Hoover, 1874-1964Every election provides lessons for parties and candidates -- sometimes very painful ones.Saturday's Vancouver city election was particularly educational.First lesson. Vancouver voters like centrist government that works.Mayor Gregor Robertson and Vision Vancouver received an enormous vote of confidence in sweeping every seat they contested -- mayor, council, school and park board. It doesn't get better than 100 per cent success.Robertson, who I support, continues a tradition of centre-left mayors, following Larry Campbell and Mike Harcourt.The Non-Partisan Association's mayoralty candidate Suzanne Anton ignored that fact and ran a right-wing "common sense" campaign, which obviously wasn't sensible.Second lesson. Your good name, and its rank in the alphabet, really matters.The NPA won two seats, with George Affleck -- the very first name on the lengthy council ballot -- and Elizabeth Ball getting the nod.No matter how illogical it appears, voters definitely favour those with last names near the top of the alphabet.Third lesson. Name recognition counts.Green Party of Vancouver council winner Adrianne Carr has a more familiar name to voters than some current councilors, thanks to running eight times, including as provincial Green Party leader and a federal deputy Green leader.Conversely -- or perversely -- Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) members gave up their safest seat by refusing to nominate sitting councillor David Cadman.Instead they narrowly put hard-left former councillor Tim Louis on their ticket along with promising but unknown newcomer R. J. Aquino and incumbent Ellen Woodsworth, who came in 92 votes behind Carr in 11th.Louis and Aquino finished far back, in 17th and 20th, respectively.Fourth lesson. Party name matters, and it doesn't.Carr's Green teammates, Park Board incumbent Stuart Mackinnon and school board candidate Louise Boutin, both fared poorly despite Carr's win.Mackinnon, who was the only Green allied with Vision and the COPE in 2008 but not 2011, dropped from sixth place then to 12th this time.But Vision was the magic word that helped elect unknowns Tony Tang to council, Cherie Payne and Rob Wynen to school board, and Niki Sharma and Trevor Loke to park board.However, COPE sadly discovered its name was nearly synonymous with defeat.COPE incumbent councillor Ellen Woodsworth and school trustees Al Blakey and Jane Bouey all lost despite their alliance with Vision, and new COPE candidates were told by voters to keep their day jobs.Only veteran COPE school trustee Allan Wong survived the purge of a party that has contested elections for over 40 years.Fifth lesson. Attack ads work.While the NPA was severely criticized by some for a nasty, U.S.-style election campaign, the reality was that it had no incumbents running for council under a weak mayoral candidate and with no burning civic issues.Incumbency is a huge advantage in civic elections, so that meant negative advertising and a relentless focus on the Occupy Vancouver camp was the NPA's best hope at winning seats.And while voters always say they hate this kind of politics, as usual it worked.The NPA secured two councilors, three school board trustees and two park board commissioners and the party was in contention all night to possibly add two more councillors. In a tough fight against a popular incumbent, that's not bad.Sixth lesson. Money talks and money doesn't matter.Another contradiction that makes political strategists go crazy.COPE complained that it didn't have sufficient funds to compete in a battle between Vision and the NPA that likely saw each party spend over $2 million -- a massive amount.But COPE's $341,000 campaign combined with Vision Vancouver's extensive advertising, telephoning and 1,600-volunteer get out the vote tie-ins with COPE put their candidates' names in front of voters nonetheless.Compare its budget and resources with those of the Green Party of Vancouver.Carr's winning effort spent about $15,000 and the only evidence of her campaign were a few small newspaper ads and Adrianne Carr standing on Vancouver street corners with a lawn sign.But Carr beat three COPE councillors nonetheless. Which brings up the...Seventh lesson. Vote-splitting third parties and independents hurt major parties.Neighbourhoods for a Sustainable Vancouver was like one of the city's ubiquitous pop-up stores -- here today, gone tomorrow.Running candidates like former COPE stalwart Terry Martin and with surprising endorsements from people like former NDP and COPE candidate Mel Lehan, NSV threw a monkey wrench into the COPE machinery, not Vision their target.NSV even issued a news release endorsing NPA candidate Bill McCreery, who actually lives in Richmond and couldn't vote for himself, along with Carr, the COPE trio and independent anti-gambling advocate Sandy Garossino.While mayoralty candidate Randy Helten barely made a ripple in the electoral pool with his 4,007 votes, the NSV council candidates Martin, Marie Kerchum, Nicole Benson and Elizabeth Murphy took between 12,614 and 19,644 votes each. Garossino took 20,866 votes.Ellen Woodsworth lost by 92 votes -- do the math. If even a minimal number of those voting for NSV candidates had instead supported COPE, the veteran party would still have a council seat.Instead, what both COPE and the NPA have are evident in the...Eighth lesson. No one likes a sore loser.Tim Louis and Sean Bickerton, come on down!Louis the Che Guevara fan showed notable party discipline throughout the campaign, biting his tongue because COPE had agreed to an electoral alliance with Vision Vancouver that meant neither party could criticize the other.That discipline ended at about 8:01 p.m. Saturday, with Louis -- who I also supported -- soon lambasting both his own party and Vision for its perceived failings."It's very clear COPE was established many years ago to give voters an option of a party not in the pocket of developers," he told CBC Radio's Stephen Quinn Monday afternoon."I'm sad to say we've gone from bad to worse -- not one party controlled by developers but two," Louis said, referring to Vision Vancouver.COPE, said Louis, has two choices: "We have to go back to our roots or go into a museum as an extinct party."Louis predictably wants a purge of the current COPE executive so the members can "elect the right executive to be free of developers."(Louis may not have grasped Guevara's advice that: "The desire to sacrifice an entire lifetime to the noblest of ideals serves no purpose if one works alone.")Not to be outdone by Louis, Bickerton unloaded a broadside aimed at Anton, NPA campaign manager Norman Stowe and campaign chair Peter Armstrong."But the voters have spoken, decisively rejecting a mayoral campaign based on puerile, sophomoric, gotcha-style attacks and trivial wedge issues," Bickerton wrote on his personal blog after thanking supporters and campaign workers.Bickerton ironically finished just behind Louis, leaving the two bickering candidates with less than a stellar electoral future.The last lesson is one Bickerton and Louis could learn from, as could the NPA overall.It's quite simple really. Doing a good job still always beats going negative.Just ask the mayor..

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Bill Tieleman reaches 1,000 posts on this blog!
Cheers to my readers!It is fitting that my 1,000 post on this blog was a tribute to my late father-in-law Fred Cave - but totally coincidental.I would like to take this opportunity to thank my many, many readers since the Bill Tieleman blog was set up on October 12, 2006!The blog has had over 825,000 visits and over 1 million page views from nearly 300,000 unique visitors since that time and is averaging about 20,000 visits a month from about 8,000 unique visitors currently.  [Those figures from Google Analytics.]The website measurement service Alexa.com ranks the Bill Tieleman blog at a lofty 1,057,433 in the world - where the top website is ranked #1.  Yes, it's Google, followed by Facebook and YouTube!So that leaves me lots of room to grow!  [The Tyee.ca is ranked 101,672 globally, for a reference point - and that's excellent.]But it's not about building a huge readership here - otherwise this site would be full of Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson's convicted doctor, and that sort of confection "news".I appreciate the readers who come here looking for analysis and commentary from my perspective on BC, federal and municipal politics as well as many other topic  - balanced or augmented by the views of many posters from every conceivable perspective. This blog has extensively covered the BC Legislature Raid case - from the pre-trial hearings for David Basi and Bob Virk through to the surprise guilty plea bargain and beyond - including a new column coming up next today.All my columns and stories from 24 hours Vancouver newspaper and The Tyee are here - with my thanks for their strong support of my work over the past many years.And thanks also to the advertisers on my blog - who appear here through Google Ads.So thank each and every reader very much for your strong support and I look forward to continuing this blog for many years to come.Cheers!Bill Tieleman.

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No Way YVR! The fight starts now against Vancouver International Airport's plan for 33% hike in Airport Improvement Fee - unaccountable YVR can take off, eh?
No Way YVR!Welcome to Vancouver - $20 Airport Improvement Fee - or else!Vancouver airport's improvement fee hike, set by unelected officials with BC Liberal ties, should be grounded Bill Tieleman's 24 hours/The Tyee columnTuesday January 31, 2012By Bill Tieleman"I'm leavin' on a jet plane/I don't know when I'll be back again." - John Denver, "Leaving On A Jet Plane," 1966.If you're leaving on a jet plane out of Vancouver International Airport starting in May, you'll be leaving 33 per cent more money behind for YVR's Airport Improvement Fee.That's because an unelected, unaccountable YVR board of directors led by a chief executive officer making $500,000 a year wants to raise $1.8 billion, primarily to handle baggage faster for international passengers transiting through YVR to and from Asia.And they want to take that $1.8 billion straight from your pocket, by increasing the Airport Improvement Fee by $5 to $20 for 10 years on every passenger flying out of British Columbia.I have a reaction of two words that start with the letters B and S -- Bellingham and Seattle airports!Take off elsewhereThousands of British Columbians are already saving hundreds to thousands of dollars by flying out of those two U.S. airports, fed up with a variety of taxes, fees, charges and fuel surcharges on tickets.And that will increasingly cost Vancouver airport jobs and governments revenue.It's estimated that one in five Canadian leisure travellers already drive to the U.S. to avoid domestic taxes and another 11 per cent are considering it, according to a survey by the Hotel Association of Canada.So it's no surprise Bellingham airport has a $30-million expansion of its own underway to accommodate Canadian passengers.And it's not shocking that Seattle's airport set a new record for passengers in 2011, with 32.8 million travellers, while Vancouver had just over 17 million last year.Vancouver's Airport Improvement Fee was imposed as an allegedly temporary measure in 1993 and a former YVR CEO predicted in 1996 that it would be gone by 2002.But why give a sucker a break?And don't expect a big public hearing or consultation on the Airport Improvement Fee -- the YVR board of directors can do whatever it wants to the travelling public.That's because YVR's structure is among the most undemocratic and unaccountable you can imagine for an organization responsible for Canada's second-busiest airport.In 1992, it was transferred from federal government control to become a strange not-for-profit that does not answer to either the federal nor provincial government.Here's who gets to appoint the board of directors under YVR's rules:• The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of B.C.• The Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia• The Law Society of British Columbia• The Vancouver Board of Trade• City of Richmond• City of Vancouver• Metro Vancouver• Government of Canada -- two directors.Those members appointed by the above then choose four members from "the community at large," but any review of the current 14 directors could only conclude that membership is restricted to B.C's elite. YVR CEO and president Larry Berg is also a director.Board's BC Liberal tiesA review of Elections BC records finds that at least six directors have made contributions over $250 to the BC Liberal Party since 2005, including over $109,000 from "director at large" Rusty Goepel, either personally or through companies he had leadership roles in.A man listed as "Lawrence Berg" has given over $21,000, and a "Larry Berg" separately gave $2,000. Elections BC will not give further information about donors to confirm identity.When asked whether YVR CEO Larry Berg had made contributions to the BC Liberals, the airport authority's director of communications Rebecca Catley responded: "We don't have access to information about the private and personal contributions of Larry Berg over the past seven years."Canadian government appointee George Cadman has donated over $8,000 personally or through his company. Other BC Liberal donors on the board include chair Mary Jordan, Carol Kerfoot and Brian Bentz, while director Gerri Sinclair publicly endorsed ex-premier Gordon Campbell in the 2009 election.Of course, it's easy to make political contributions when YVR's chair is paid $115,000 a year, committee chairs $26,000 and other directors $20,000, plus $1,000 for every board and committee meeting attended and $500 for other meetings.And it's easy to think raising the Airport Improvement Fee is no big deal when the CEO makes in the salary range of $368,000 to $552,000, when the senior vice-president range is $196,000 to $294,000 and vice-presidents from $160,000 to $240,000 -- with benefits and retirement packages as well.Loser, not user, paysThe reality is, as Berg has admitted in the media, that rapidly expanding air travel to China is what's driving this expansion.In an opinion piece published by the Vancouver Sun on Thursday, Berg writes that: "China's demand for air travel is growing by seven per cent annually, one of the fastest growing markets in the world. We want YVR to secure its fair share of that market...""Today it takes an average of 90 minutes to connect from an international flight to a domestic flight. In order to be the gateway of choice, connection times are the key... We want to get connections times consistently under 60 minutes," he says.So British Columbians are going to pay more so passengers flying to and from China and other Asian destinations save 30 minutes. That may be good marketing for YVR, but it isn't user pay -- it's loser pay for those of us who don't need connecting flights when we arrive in Vancouver -- we're home.YVR actually makes the outlandish claim that it is a "community-driven organization" by pointing out it holds a "public meeting" every year and stating that "we welcome your feedback."Well here's my feedback -- if you want to raise $1.8 billion for better service to travellers who are only passing through Vancouver, then charge them the Airport Expansion Fee -- but not the rest of us who actually live here!I'm sick and tired of paying the existing Airport Expansion Fee for 20 years and no, I don't want to pay an extra 33 per cent more per flight as of May.If you agree, join my new Facebook protest page -- No Way YVR -- and send the airport a strong message -- that if they ignore us, we can take off elsewhere..

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Political Christmas Carols: Christy the Premier - Away in the U.K.; Wreck The Libs with Trasolini; O Cummins All Ye Faithful
Deck the Halls of PowerWith BC's own political Christmas carols this season.Bill Tieleman's 24 hours/The Tyee columnTuesday December 20, 2011By Bill Tieleman"Let's be naughty and save Santa the trip."-Singer Gary AllanWhen Christmas carols meet B.C. politics 'tis the season to be a jolly old Grinch.Here are a few songs you could hear around the Legislature this holiday season.Christy the Premier[To the tune of "Frosty the Snowman"]
Christy the Premier/Was a radio talk show soul,With a giant smile that stretched a mile/And a very ambitious goal.Christy the Premier is a fairy tale, they say,She was made of fluff but she sure could bluff, so she came to power one day.There must have been some magic/In that photo op they planned.For when they turned the cameras on/She really did glad hand!O, Christy the Premier/Said she'd beat the NDPAnd the Liberals say/She'd campaign awayTo keep power for them in B.C.Thumpetty thump thump/Thumpetty thump thump,Look at Christy spin!Thumpetty thump thump/Thumpetty thump thump,She really wants to win!Christy the Premier/Knewthe polls were bad that day,So she said, "A spring election we'll run/It'll be such funNow before I melt away."
Down to the Caucus/With an election writ in hand!Running here and there all/Around the Ledge saying: "Elect me while you can!"She led them down the streets of town/Right to the Cabinet room. 
And she had to call it off when/She heard them holler "Stop!"Then Christy the Premier/Had to hurry on her way, 
But she waved goodbye saying/"Don't you cry, I'll be back at 'NW some day."Thumpetty thump thump/Thumpetty thump thump,They made Christy go.Thumpetty thump thump/Thumpetty thump thump,Back to radio you know!Away in the U.K.[To the tune of "Away In A Manger"]Away in the U.K./High Commissioner his role,Premier Gordon Campbell/Rewarded for his toil.The stars in London, England/ Shone ever so bright,But Gordon was troubled/All through the night."It's really not fair," he said to himself,The Order of B.C. is not on my shelf.I wanted it, I craved it -- my friends made it so,But to get it in hand, to Victoria I must go.""It pains me to think of the reception I'd get,When Dave Barrett hasn't even got an OBC yet!Nor Vander Zalm, nor Harcourt -- still longer they wait,But it's better to get it too early than late!"Wreck the Libs[To the tune of "Deck The Halls"]Wreck the Libs with Trasolini/Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha-ha
Christy thinks that Joe's a meany/Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha-ha
Joe once was a friend of Clark/Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha-ha
But now with Dix he'll make his mark/Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha-ha
That by-election in Port Moody/Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha-ha
Has made the premier very broody/Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha-ha
With one more in Chilliwack/Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha-ha
Liberals fear a heart attack/Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha-haO Cummins, All Ye Faithful[To the tune of "O Come, All Ye Faithful"]O Cummins all ye faithful/Rightwing and triumphant,O Cummins, O come ye to Victoria/Cummins, Christy scolds him:"He'll split our Liberal vote!/Cummins, let's ignore him,Cummins, we abhor him!O Cummins, don't vote for himFor Christy's sake!"Right of centre/Conservative and Reform,Lo! He relishes Liberal scorn!Oh my god/A third party at last!Best wishes to all readers for a happy and safe holiday season! No 24 hours newspaper column next week but see you back here on December 27 for a very special Basi-Virk 8th year column for The Tyee and this blog. Back in 24 hours on Tuesday January 3, 2012..

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Premier Christy Clark rejects BC Legislature Raid inquiry again - and claims no questions remain to be answered!
"Move along, nothing to see here, move along."Railgate questions? Asked and Answered, Says Premier Christy ClarkPremier calls me out as she rejects Basi-Virk inquiry. Yet questions do persist.Bill Tieleman's 24 hours/The Tyee column Tuesday November 29, 2011By Bill Tieleman"I think it would probably come up with some conclusions that would clear up a lot of myths that people like Bill Tieleman might like to perpetuate." - Premier Christy Clark on a B.C. Legislature Raid inquiryChristy Clark still rejects holding an inquiry into the biggest political scandal in recent B.C. history -- about two ex-BC Liberal ministerial aides passing confidential government information on the $1-billion sale of BC Rail to lobbyists for one bidder.The premier claimed Thursday there are no questions to be answered after last year's surprise guilty pleas of ex-government aides David Basi and Bob Virk.And Clark says an inquiry wouldn't embarrass her, but would actually clear up myths that I'm allegedly spreading.Clark was deputy premier at the time of the deal, when police raided the B.C. legislature in December 2003 with an unprecedented search warrant to obtain evidence -- and her own brother Bruce's home was also searched by police, because of his links to Basi and Virk.The BC Liberal government paid Basi and Virk's $6-million legal fees despite their admission of guilt, as part of the plea bargain deal that ended their trial after just two of an estimated 40 witnesses -- including possibly Christy Clark herself -- had testified.But in response to a question I posed for Shaw Cable's Voice Of B.C. last Thursday, Clark told host Vaughn Palmer it would be "really expensive" to hold an inquiry to get to the truth -- so she won't.The idea that there are no questions to be answered is absurd.Instead of "myths," we actually have some cold, hard facts that many people would likely wish to see further examined.Statements of factFor example, a joint "Statement of Facts" entered in B.C. Supreme Court by special prosecutor Bill Berardino and defence lawyers for Basi and Virk says the police search of Bruce Clark's home found confidential government bidding information about a related BC Rail privatization effort.Basi and Virk pled guilty to breach of trust and fraud in part because of their role in illegally passing information to Bruce Clark -- who was never charged -- about the proposed $70 million sale of the BC Rail Port Subdivision in Roberts Bank.The Statement of Facts reads: "With respect to Count 10 of the Indictment and in relation to the Port Subdivision bidding process, the RCMP seized a number of documents from Bruce Clark's office and residence, which Basi and Virk disclosed to Bruce Clark between Jan. 1, 2003 and Dec. 28, 2003."
"Two examples of the documents that Basi and Virk improperly disclosed to Clark are:"a) The draft Request for Proposals for the Port Subdivision bidding process, which was received by Clark prior to the RFP being finalized by the Evaluation Committee; and"b) A 'confidential presentation' made by TD Securities to the Evaluation Committee dated Oct. 14, 2003 containing a detailed economic analysis of what BC Rail considered to be the value of the Port Subdivision."Christy Clark has acknowledged Bruce Clark played an undetermined role in her BC Liberal leadership campaign, but has declined requests from The Tyee to explain his duties, which weren't mythical.Bruce Clark has not spoken to media at any point about his role in either the BC Rail situation or his sister's campaign.Clark points to Toope reportChristy Clark has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the BC Rail case and police have said no cabinet ministers were investigated.In a 2004 police interview with Erik Bornmann -- a lobbyist for losing BC Rail bidder OmniTRAX who turned into the key Crown witness against Basi and Virk -- he claims he discussed his client's bid with Christy Clark and other cabinet ministers."We were very interested to see what cabinet ministers we could count on as being allies for our bid. We've expected Gary Collins, Christy Clark, Rick Thorpe to be supportive simply on account at the meetings that we had with them and some follow-up, some follow-up conversations," Bornmann says in the police transcript that was released by the courts after a media disclosure application filed by the Globe and Mail newspaper and CTV. Collins was then-finance minister and Thorpe competition minister.Later, Bornmann elaborates."I had a conversation with Christy Clark and with Bobby Virk and Dave Basi separately and Dwight was, Dwight Johnson [OmniTRAX executive] was in the regular habit of wanting information on the BC Rail process," Bornmann said."I'd met Christy, I'm, as you know, friends and acquaintances with Christy's husband [now ex-husband Mark Marissen] and I'd a, I'd sort of broached the topic I mean, just trying to recall, I broached the topic or I promised Brian [Bornmann lobbyist partner Brian Kieran] that I'd broach the topic of BC Rail with Christy but I didn't receive, didn't receive anything terribly useful from her just a, Basi and Virk would have obviously have a, provided me with information on whatever was taking place, but Christy wasn't providing any information beyond what politicians tell people," Bornmann told police.Clark says she is proud of a "great report" she requested by University of B.C. president Stephen Toope into her government's payment of legal fees to Basi and Virk without any effort to recover those funds when they pled guilty.The report, Clark says, will "make the process better" in dealing with public servants facing criminal charges in the future.But regardless of Toope's esteemed role as a senior professor of law and well-deserved reputation, there is also the fact that UBC receives hundreds of millions of dollars from the provincial budget each year. If Clark had wanted to pick a person with no ties to government spending, she could have done so.Clark also could have asked Toope to investigate why Basi and Virk's legal fees were exempted from repayment when they pled guilty. But she didn't.Questions not yet answeredB.C. auditor general John Doyle -- who is independent of government -- is also investigating the Basi-Virk payments and has been forced to go to court to gain access to government documents.Doyle's report may eventually provide some limited answers, but is more likely to raise new questions about what happened.A key one is why the defence alleged for years that a "consolation prize" -- the Roberts Bank port-subdivision rail line -- was to be offered by the government to OmniTRAX in exchange for the company staying in the bidding after CP Rail and Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railroad both quit,saying the process was tainted?The reality for Clark is that unless and until some independent inquiry is held to address such questions that a full trial may have answered, the BC Legislature Raid case will continue to smell like bad cheese in the fridge.David Basi has called for a public inquiry, in an exclusive interview with 24 Hours and The Tyee in February."I want everything released, all the transcripts of the wiretaps -- not just snippets -- let's get it all out," Basi told. "I have consistently called for all documents in this case to be released and for a public inquiry, which I will fully cooperate with."But the one person who could call an inquiry isn't going to do so.Here's Clark's exchange with Vaughn Palmer after my question was posed to her.Palmer: "But the difference between your party and the NDP at the moment is -- Adrian Dix was on the show just recently, he says there still needs to be a public inquiry into BC Rail and your position is we don't need one."Clark: "Yeah, my position is two people were convicted and I think people want to move on. It was a hugely expensive process and I think people want to move on from it because I don't know that there's a whole lot more to learn in the thing -- you know, two people were found guilty, by the courts. And so, you know, let's not throw any more good money after bad on this."We are struggling to try and find resources for all the things that we need to do already in British Columbia so you know, we're in really tough financial times, the world is in economic turmoil. We have to make sure we are lookin' after people in British Columbia and frankly I think that if, you know..."Palmer: "You don't think that a public inquiry in this case would embarrass you?"Clark: "Well, no I don't! Absolutely not! Absolutely not! And in fact I think it would probably come up with some conclusions that would clear up a lot of myths that people like Bill Tieleman might like to perpetuate."But the thing is it would be really expensive and I don't know that there are any more answers to be found out there."When Clark says Basi and Virk were "found guilty by the courts," a more precise way to say it is that they pled guilty by their own admission in a deal negotiated by their lawyers with the Crown.But the larger point is that finding out what really happened is not throwing good money after bad -- it is an essential part of democratic accountability.If you believe an inquiry is needed, join my Basi-Virk Public Inquiry page on Facebook..

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My father-in-law Fred Cave has passed away - a great father, grandfather, partner and patriot who served Canada at war
Erin Ross Coward with grandpa FredI am deeply saddened to report that my father-in-law Fred Cave has passed away this evening in Winnipeg at the age of 89.Fred was a wonderful man - he fought for Canada in the fields of France in the Second World War, worked hard all his life, met, fell in love with and married Fran - Shirley's mother, and took Shirley to be his daughter when she was 20 for the rest of his life.  Since Shirley's own father had died tragically when she was just 9, this was an amazing and welcome experience.Fred also adored Shirley's daughter Erin Ross Coward when she was born in 1984 and together they spent many fabulous time together - just the two of them at the zoo or on adventures around Winnipeg.Fred also was an amazingly patient and devoted care aid to Fran when she fell victim to chronic illness, never complaining about his additional and considerable duties.There are men you meet in life where the one thing you say above all is - "He's a hell of a nice guy."  I was fortunate indeed to have such a man as my father-in-law.Like my own father, Fred survived the Second World War only to face a deadly enemy much later in life - Alzheimers Disease.Shirley, Erin and I are very grateful to Fred's son Jeff and his wife Suzanne for the loving support they give Fred in his last years.  Our deep condolences go out to them and to all of Fred's family and friends.Fred's memory will live on in our hearts forever. .

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NDP MLA Jagrup Brar walking the talk - and he deserves our thanks for exposing outrageously low welfare rates
MLA Jagrup Brar with son Fateh, left, and daughter Noor, right.Jagrup Brar is a big man - with a big heart and a strong social conscience.The New Democrat  Member of the Legislative Assembly for Surrey-Fleetwood accepted the challenge from Raise The Rates to live on social assistance - welfare - for a month to highlight just how difficult it is for the 180,000 British Columbians who need help from government to survive but get very little.Jagrup is walking the talk - and is the first MLA to do this since the late great Emery Barnes in 1986, when the rate was only $350 a month.You can see and read more at the website for this challenge.I was particularly moved to see how proud Jagrup's 12-year-old daughter Noor was in speaking to Global TV about her father's determination to do something good for those in need.Jagrup has to get by on just $610 for a month - of which $375 is for shelter and $235 for support - but pretty obviously the shelter money isn't enough anywhere in Metro Vancouver, so the support money gets used for rent, not food, for most recipients.Social assistance rates are never an easy issue for governments of all stripes - the current BC Liberal government has a terrible record - the worst child poverty rates in Canada for eight straight years.But the previous NDP governments and Social Credit governments also were strongly criticized at times for their policies.I wish Jagrup well in not only getting through one difficult month that others face every month for years, but in opening the eyes and hearts of British Columbians to find a solution that lets people in need get the help they deserve..

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Bob Rosen - a strong voice silenced too soon
Bob Rosen - centre - playing with the Gram Partisans - June 2010 - Bill Tieleman photo I was shocked and saddened to learn this evening that Bob Rosen had suddenly passed away Tuesday morning at the age of 64.Bob was a teacher, a musician, an activist for social justice and one of the nicest guys you could meet.I didn't know Bob as a close friend but we met and talked many times over the past 20 years and I was pleased to hear him play with his friends in the wonderfully named Gram Partisans -  a group that played both politically progressive tunes and the country works of Gram Parsons.Bob had a wonderful voice, was a fine guitar player and played from the heart.My wife Shirley Ross and I give our deep condolences to his wife Eva, son Michael and all his many, many friends and family.Bob's music, commitment to the fight for social change and his humanity will be deeply missed.We will not hear that strong voice again on this earth.Charlie Smith of the Georgia Straight has posted an article on Bob's passing that I encourage you to read.Also more on Bob here, including a video of the Gram Partisans playing "Home" - so nice to hear Bob's voice there.A Celebration of Life:We will celebrate Bob’s life  on Saturday, January 21st 2012 at 7:30pm atthe Peretz Centre 6184 Ash St., Vancouver..

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Will Elections BC announce Thursday a new investigation into BC Liberal MLA Kash Heed's tainted 2009 election win in Vancouver-Fraserview?
Kash Heed as Solicitor-GeneralIt looks likely that Elections BC will launch a new investigation into BC Liberal MLA Kash Heed's tainted 2009 election win in Vancouver-Fraserview.Elections BC's new Chief Electoral Officer Keith Archer is holding a news conference Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in Victoria to respond to two requests that the independent body which regulates elections address new allegations made by Barinder Sall, Heed's campaign manager.Heed has already been fined $11,000 for exceeding spending limits by about $5,500 in 2009 thanks to a vicious anti-NDP leaflet and radio advertising that helped him narrowly defeat NDP candidate Gabriel Yiu by less than 800 votes.But Sall, who pled guilty to several Elections Act violations and received a plea bargain sentence of one year's probation and a $15,000 fine, has alleged that the total amount Heed spent far exceeded $5,500 - telling media outlets that the number was between $30,000 and $40,000 more than that.Heed and his lawyer have vigorously denied any knowledge of additional overspending.One can only surmise that if Archer intended to reject separate requests from Gabriel and from NDP MLA Leonard Krog, the party's critic for the attorney-general's ministry, that it would have been done through a news release or statement.However, we will find out Thursday morning - watch this space for details..

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Peter Ladner blasts Non-Partisan Association, City Caucus blog in new Business In Vancouver column
Peter LadnerFormer Non-Partisan Association mayoralty candidate and Vancouver city councilor Peter Ladner is blasting his former party and the blog City Caucus over the results of the last municipal election, saying the "NPA falls on its own sword of tired tactics".In his November 29 column in Business In Vancouver - available online only by subscription - Ladner fires both barrels:"It’s time for the NPA to get out a huge vacuum and suck up all the people who think every political opponent is evil, and that job No. 1 is to eliminate them," Ladner writes."It’s a tiresome, downer strategy borne of three years of citycaucus.com blog’s partisan putdowns – hilarious to family and friends, but tedious and irritating to anyone who cares more about the city than about hating Vision and COPE (RIP). (Was that blog really funded by former mayor Sam Sullivan’s 2008 election war chest?)"It's no secret that Ladner took on City Caucus founders Daniel Fontaine - Sullivan's former chief of staff - and Mike Klassen - another NPA-Sullivan stalwart - when he challenged the sitting mayor for the 2008 NPA nomination and won but lost the election.Ladner also supports failed NPA council candidate Sean Bickerton's criticism of the campaign run by manager Norman Stowe and chair Peter Armstrong and bankrolled by developer Rob McDonald.Ladner discretely criticized the NPA before the election for attacking urban agriculture issues promoted by Vision Vancouver and Mayor Gregor Robertson - Ladner being the author of a great new book on the trend titled The Urban Food Revolution - but it appears the gardening gloves have come off and the brass knuckles on.I have asked Fontaine and Klassen if they have a response to Ladner's column and will be happy to provide it here..

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Ex-Premier Glen Clark and billionaire Jimmy Pattison - Jas Johal's series on Global TV starts Tuesday
Ex-Premier Glen Clark and billionaire Jimmy Pattison - Global BC reporter Jas Johal's fascinating and exclusive series starts on Tuesday - see the preview of "The Odd Couple"..

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Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year too!
Christmas 2010 - West Broadway, Kitsilano - Bill Tieleman photoBest wishes to all my readers for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Like the poster says, let's remember to live more and buy less - and help those in need at this special time of year. Cheers,Bill .

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Hasta luego - Bill Tieleman in Mexico!
Bill Tieleman caught on holiday in Mexico!Amigos y amigas - I will be in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with my family from December 12 to 19 on holiday - and your posts may be delayed during that time, as will any new items from me.I will still have columns in 24 hours newspaper and The Tyee online on Tuesday December 13 and Tuesday December 20 - your continued readership is appreciated - muchas gracias!See you soon - hasta luego!

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BC Ferries outrageous decision to "only" pay new CEO Mike Corrigan $563,000 compared to David Hahn! Plus $200,000 one-time bonus!
BC Ferries management - sailing away with your money.Absolutely outrageous!There's no other way to describe BC Ferries' decision to pay new CEO Mike Corrigan $563,000 a year to run a monopoly service.And to put the proverbial lipstick on a pig, BC Ferries thinks it's great news for long-suffering customers that they limited Corrigan's salary package to just 60% of what $1 million a year current CEO David Hahn has been making!Even BC Transportation Minister Blair Lekstrom - who is ultimately responsible for this travesty - can't stomach that amount of money."In these difficult fiscal times, do I think it's a concern?" Lekstrom told CTV News. "Yes, I do."But that's not all - BC Ferries will "phase out" it's long-term bonus program for senior executives like Corrigan - not by cancelling it but by dividing a huge $778,000 fund between Corrigan and three other executives!Tell that to people lining up for a $100 ride on BC Ferries!Lekstrom is queasy on this part too."I'm not sure it is appropriate," Lekstrom said.Not sure?  Let me spell it out - this is completely unacceptable.  And doing nothing about it - which so far is Lekstrom's plan - is more evidence the government is completely adrift.Let's compare Corrigan's $563,000 to the salary of the top paid health care CEO in 2010 - Provincial Health Services Authority CEO Lynda Cranston -  who made $390,110.That's for a job with people's lives on the line - not passengers in a line for burgers and fries.I think Cranston is also overpaid - but she still made $173,000 less than Corrigan.The PHSA has a budget of over $1 billion annually and employs over 10,000 people, including doctors, specialists, medical technicians and other staff.BC Ferries annual budget is about $757 million and has less than 5,000 employees.I have nothing against Corrigan, who I've never met, nor do I blame him for making as much money as he can from BC Ferries.But the owner of BC Ferries has a lot of nerve paying him this much - that would be the BC government, Premier Christy Clark - proprietor..

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