Ask yourself, is this where our whole World is heading? If your answer is HELL NO!!!
Then figure out what you need to do to stop this from happening, join in with the rest of Us, the growing throngs of civil HUMANity and MAKE CHANGE on a small and large scale.
Press play
*********************************
The Plot Thickens: Loose Lips Sink Ships
Police sergeant accused of leak that sank chief
A senior Victoria police sergeant who was suspended this month is accused of leaking the letter to the media that sparked the investigation into former police chief Paul Battershill.
The inquiry into Sgt. Jim Simpson's actions is poised to open a fresh round of scrutiny of the police department, and has the potential to dredge up a mess of information that has been shrouded in secrecy since Battershill resigned from the force Aug. 13 when the Victoria police board said it had lost confidence in his leadership.
Follow the bouncing ball to the Sale of BC Rail and the Raid of Our Legislature.
*******************************************
What Better Gift than Fair Trade Coffee for the Holidays?
CoDevelopment Canada
More than 20 years of building partnerships for global justice.
Café Etico offers you a great coffee experience - fair trade, organic
coffee at a great price. Roasted locally to ensure that you get the best tasting cup of coffee, you also know that the rich flavour is contributing to communities across Latin America and supporting a positive model of global trade.
Purchase Café Etico
Café Etico can be purchased at a variety of retail outlets across the Lower Mainland. It can also be purchased directly from our office at
101-2747 East Hastings, Vancouver, BC.
Click here for a list of retailers and pricing.
To place an order directly call 604-708-8782 or email us at etico@codev.org.
***************************************
Hot Show Alert: Quinteto Tiempo
When: 7:30pm – December 5th 2008
What: Concert to Benefit the community of Bajo Lempa in El Salvador and for the Cuban’s Emergency Fund
Where: Peretz Centre Auditorium
6184 Ash Street @ 43rd Ave, Vancouver, BC
Tickets: Suggested donation $30
Buy Tickets Here & Support Local Businesses & Community Events:
People’s Coop Bookstore – 1391 Commercial Drive
Vallarta Mexican Restaurant – 2891 E. Broadway
Tierra Del Sol – 2018 Commercial Drive
Highlife Records – 1317 Commercial Drive
Presented by: Association Mangle for Culture – BC & Arts and Culture Committee of Vancouver, Vancouver District Labour Council
Hear Quinteto Tiempo
See Quinteto tiempo en El Salvador: Cancion con todos
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Slippery Slope: Free Speech & Freedom of the Internet take a Hit
With the CRTC's latest ruling allowing Bell Canada to continue to throttle and limit it's customers data transmission the anwser is really easy. Use your rights as consumers and stop giving them any business.
Why is this an important issue? Net throttling gives Big Telecom corporations, such as Bell, Shaw, & Telus, complete control over Canadians access to the Internet. It also limits the competition from smaller Internet Service Providers (ISP's) who are wholesale customers. Through the use of throttling, Big Telecom puts customers of smaller ISP's at a disadvantage in being able to offer the same type of connectivity, fast data transmission time.
I'm not sure why this also hasn't been investigated by the Competition Bureau under the Competition Act of Canada, because this also seems like an effort by Big Telecom to create monopolies and cut out their competition.
Fundamentally, Net Neutrality is an issue of democracy and free speech. With the rise in the popularity, use and freedom of speech that the Internet provides to global citizens, corporate media and political leaders have essentially lost control of how they can control citizens access to information. Think about it, prior to the Internet, almost everything citizens knew was through corporate and local media. Our understanding of every issue that we weren't directly involved in was filtered and disseminated by the media outlets. The control of Big Media (which was often a vehicle of the political and ruling elites) has diminished and corporate media knows it is dying a slow, gasping death. Look at CanWest & CTV's staffing cuts. It would be oversimplifying it to say that's the only reason, but it's important.
As a purveyor of independent news & media, obviously I come from a perspective that Net Neutrality and free speech should be promoted and are of far more relevance than protectionism of Big Telecom's profits. Let's face it, if it weren't for free speech and the Internet, there are so many things the general public would never hear about. So many things that citizens in this fine democracy of Canada would not know about our elected officials and what they're up to on our time and dime.
For instance, did you see the federal NDP's shadow cabinet announcement? I read numerous media outlets every day, didn't see a thing reported. Considering that these MP's were elected by citizens, I think it is in the public's interest to know who they can go to about the many issues that impact life in Canada. I think it's important we know that Glenn Thibeault is the Opposition critic for Consumer Protection. So the citizens of Canada can contact him about Net Neutrality and other relevant consumer issues.: Thibeault.G@parl.gc.ca
A larger argument exists, that Internet throttling is the slippery slope in the cessation of free Internet access. The idea is that the real "plan is to convert the Internet into a cable-like system, where customers sign up for specific web sites, and then pay to visit sites beyond a cutoff point."
"Mike Finch of American Free Press stated that the 'demise' of the free Internet is slated for 2010 in Canada, and two years later around the world! Canada is seen a good choice to implement such shameful and sinister changes, since Canadians are viewed as being laissez fair, politically uninformed and an easy target." He claims that sources working within Big Telecom corporations have leaked this information.
The Official Decision: The Canadian Association of Internet Providers' application regarding Bell Canada's traffic shaping of its wholesale Gateway Access Service
Reference: 8622-C51-200805153
Tell the CRTC's Chair Konrad von Finckenstein what you think about this decision here.
Or call him @ 1-819-997-3430.
Here is a list of CRTC Provincial & Territorial Commissioners to contact them.
Interested parties may submit their comments by February 16, 2009. They may do so by filling out the online form, by writing to the Secretary General, CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0N2, or by fax, at 819-994-0218. The Commission also plans to hold an online consultation to allow the public the opportunity to discuss the issues and questions related to the Internet traffic management practices of ISPs.
Read more about Net Neutrality & Fair Copyright from Michael Geist
CRTC allows Bell to continue internet throttling
Net neutrality takes a big hit
By DHARM MAKWANA, 24 HOURS
Net neutrality took another big hit, local advocates said yesterday.
The CRTC ruled Bell Canada can continue to “throttle” its customers by limiting the quantity of data transmitted on its network at certain times or by certain software usually used for sharing files the size of computer programs, movies or albums.
Steve Anderson, with SaveOurNet.ca, said Bell systems aren’t sophisticated enough to distinguish between the illegal distribution of software and legal use.
“Other services such as phone over Internet or streaming services for the news would be throttled,” he said. “This limits consumer choice onlne, bad for online innovation and bad for freedom of expression.
See Global National's Stop the Throttler video.
For more information about Internet freedom: savetheinternet.com
Why is this an important issue? Net throttling gives Big Telecom corporations, such as Bell, Shaw, & Telus, complete control over Canadians access to the Internet. It also limits the competition from smaller Internet Service Providers (ISP's) who are wholesale customers. Through the use of throttling, Big Telecom puts customers of smaller ISP's at a disadvantage in being able to offer the same type of connectivity, fast data transmission time.
I'm not sure why this also hasn't been investigated by the Competition Bureau under the Competition Act of Canada, because this also seems like an effort by Big Telecom to create monopolies and cut out their competition.
Fundamentally, Net Neutrality is an issue of democracy and free speech. With the rise in the popularity, use and freedom of speech that the Internet provides to global citizens, corporate media and political leaders have essentially lost control of how they can control citizens access to information. Think about it, prior to the Internet, almost everything citizens knew was through corporate and local media. Our understanding of every issue that we weren't directly involved in was filtered and disseminated by the media outlets. The control of Big Media (which was often a vehicle of the political and ruling elites) has diminished and corporate media knows it is dying a slow, gasping death. Look at CanWest & CTV's staffing cuts. It would be oversimplifying it to say that's the only reason, but it's important.
As a purveyor of independent news & media, obviously I come from a perspective that Net Neutrality and free speech should be promoted and are of far more relevance than protectionism of Big Telecom's profits. Let's face it, if it weren't for free speech and the Internet, there are so many things the general public would never hear about. So many things that citizens in this fine democracy of Canada would not know about our elected officials and what they're up to on our time and dime.
For instance, did you see the federal NDP's shadow cabinet announcement? I read numerous media outlets every day, didn't see a thing reported. Considering that these MP's were elected by citizens, I think it is in the public's interest to know who they can go to about the many issues that impact life in Canada. I think it's important we know that Glenn Thibeault is the Opposition critic for Consumer Protection. So the citizens of Canada can contact him about Net Neutrality and other relevant consumer issues.: Thibeault.G@parl.gc.ca
A larger argument exists, that Internet throttling is the slippery slope in the cessation of free Internet access. The idea is that the real "plan is to convert the Internet into a cable-like system, where customers sign up for specific web sites, and then pay to visit sites beyond a cutoff point."
"Mike Finch of American Free Press stated that the 'demise' of the free Internet is slated for 2010 in Canada, and two years later around the world! Canada is seen a good choice to implement such shameful and sinister changes, since Canadians are viewed as being laissez fair, politically uninformed and an easy target." He claims that sources working within Big Telecom corporations have leaked this information.
The Official Decision: The Canadian Association of Internet Providers' application regarding Bell Canada's traffic shaping of its wholesale Gateway Access Service
Reference: 8622-C51-200805153
Tell the CRTC's Chair Konrad von Finckenstein what you think about this decision here.
Or call him @ 1-819-997-3430.
Here is a list of CRTC Provincial & Territorial Commissioners to contact them.
Interested parties may submit their comments by February 16, 2009. They may do so by filling out the online form, by writing to the Secretary General, CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0N2, or by fax, at 819-994-0218. The Commission also plans to hold an online consultation to allow the public the opportunity to discuss the issues and questions related to the Internet traffic management practices of ISPs.
Read more about Net Neutrality & Fair Copyright from Michael Geist
CRTC allows Bell to continue internet throttling
Net neutrality takes a big hit
By DHARM MAKWANA, 24 HOURS
Net neutrality took another big hit, local advocates said yesterday.
The CRTC ruled Bell Canada can continue to “throttle” its customers by limiting the quantity of data transmitted on its network at certain times or by certain software usually used for sharing files the size of computer programs, movies or albums.
Steve Anderson, with SaveOurNet.ca, said Bell systems aren’t sophisticated enough to distinguish between the illegal distribution of software and legal use.
“Other services such as phone over Internet or streaming services for the news would be throttled,” he said. “This limits consumer choice onlne, bad for online innovation and bad for freedom of expression.
See Global National's Stop the Throttler video.
For more information about Internet freedom: savetheinternet.com
Friday, November 21, 2008
Events Not to Be Missed
Hip Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes
When: Friday, November 21st, Doors 8:30pm, Film starts 9pm
Where: Vancity Theatre - 1181 Seymour St Vancouver, BC
What: Documentary highlighting the role of men, women & commerce
in mainstream hip hop. Panel discussion, featuring Chuck D follows.
Fundraiser for Battered Women's Support Services
BWSS Crisis & Intake Line: 604-687-1867
Vancity Theatre: Vancouver International Film Theatre
**************************
For all of you Fashionistas and Early Christmas Shoppers
FAB FAIR’S 5th Annual WINTER SALE
When: Saturday November 22nd and Sunday November 23rd 11:00am-5:00pm daily
Where: Heritage Hall - 3102 Main Street at 15th Avenue,
Vancouver
What: 45 fabulous and funky local designers
will come together in the historic Heritage Hall to display their eclectic mix
of jewellery, handbags, scarves, hats, belts and so much more.
$2 admission, kids free.
For more information email:fabfair@hotmail.com
***********************************
Eastside Culture Crawl
When: Nov 21: 5pm to 10pm & Nov 22 + 23: 11am to 6pm
Where: In over 300 artist's studios across East Vancouver!
What: The Eastside Culture Crawl is an annual FREE 3-day visual arts festival.
This event involves artists who work on the east side of Vancouver, BC,
in an area bounded by Main Street to Commercial Drive and from First Avenue
north to the waterfront.
The website has the locations of participating artists.
********************************************
Tar Sands: The Dark Side of the Boom
BC-Wide Speaking Tour on the Impacts of the Tar Sands on
Communities in Alberta and BC
Dogwood Initiative
Council of Canadians
Please join us for a very important panel about the largest industrial project in history that has been devastating the environment and communities in Alberta. This enormous development is expanding across the continent with little to no regard for the eco-systems and communities that lie in the path of its infrastructure.
Speakers include:
Mike Mercredi - Member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, speaking about the front line struggles of the indigenous community in Fort Chipewyan agains the tar sands industry.
Jesse Kalman - Tar Sands Campaigner with the Polaris Institute, speaking about the social and environmental impacts of the tar-sands.
Will Horter - Executive Director of Dogwood Initiative, speaking about the support infrastructure based and proposed in BC affects current and future tar-sands development.(Speaking in Vancouver, Victoria, Comox and Nanaimo)
For more details & information go here.
Tar Sands Tour Dates:
Vancouver
Tuesday, November 25
Heritage Hall, 3102 Main St. (7pm)
Contact - Council of Canadians Vancouver Chapter:
norman.hill@shaw.ca or 604-789-9331
Nanaimo
Tuesday, December 2
Vancouver Island University—Nanaimo Campus
Room 109 - Building 356,
900 Fifth Street (1pm)
Contact - Council of Canadians Nanaimo Chapter:
blhansen@shaw.ca or 250-245-2254 / 250-816-6253
Victoria
Wednesday, December 3
The BCGEU Hall,
2994 Douglas Street (7pm)
Contact - Council of Canadians Victoria Chapter:
barbaramp@fastmail.fm or (250) 220-5355
****************************************
Anti-Poverty Legal Strategies: Housing and Human Rights
Meet Irene Faulkner, Lawyer in the Victoria Tent City Case
In October, the BC Supreme Court judged that Victoria's bylaw preventing homeless people from erecting temporary shelters in city parks violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms*. Irene Faulkner will speak in Vancouver on Wednesday, November 26, 2008 as part of a panel on housing and human rights.
Join us in a discussion with legal organizations and lawyers representing poor and homeless people in the fight against poverty. What are the possibilities and limitations of the law in anti-poverty organizing? What role do those directly affected by poverty have in advancing legal challenges?
WHO:
IRENE FAULKNER: Lawyer in Victoria Tent City lawsuit. Last month, a BC Supreme Court found that Victoria's bylaw preventing homeless people from erecting temporary shelters in city parks violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
ROZ SALVADOR: lawyer with BC Public Interest Advocacy Centre, a non-profit, public interest law office that advocates for poor people in matters of income assistance, disability benefits and residential tenancy.
LAURA TRACK: lawyer with Pivot Legal Society that utilizes strategic legal advocacy to focus on the causes of problems rather than symptoms.
PIVOT has released several reports and launched several legal complaints on the issue of lack of affordable housing in the DTES.
WHAT:"Housing, fighting poverty and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms"
WHERE:YWCA, 733 Beatty Street
WHEN:Wednesday, November 26th, 6:30 p.m.
The event is free.
This event is organized by West Coast LEAF and co-sponsored by the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre POW (Power of Women) Project.
For more information please phone (604) 684-8772
or email exec@westcoastleaf.org or project@dewc.ca
*"Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice." s. 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Part I of the Constitution Act, 1982, being Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982, (U.K.), 1982, c. 11
*****************************
Finally, if you've never used this site, I highly suggest checking it out.
Rate My MD
When: Friday, November 21st, Doors 8:30pm, Film starts 9pm
Where: Vancity Theatre - 1181 Seymour St Vancouver, BC
What: Documentary highlighting the role of men, women & commerce
in mainstream hip hop. Panel discussion, featuring Chuck D follows.
Fundraiser for Battered Women's Support Services
BWSS Crisis & Intake Line: 604-687-1867
Vancity Theatre: Vancouver International Film Theatre
**************************
For all of you Fashionistas and Early Christmas Shoppers
FAB FAIR’S 5th Annual WINTER SALE
When: Saturday November 22nd and Sunday November 23rd 11:00am-5:00pm daily
Where: Heritage Hall - 3102 Main Street at 15th Avenue,
Vancouver
What: 45 fabulous and funky local designers
will come together in the historic Heritage Hall to display their eclectic mix
of jewellery, handbags, scarves, hats, belts and so much more.
$2 admission, kids free.
For more information email:fabfair@hotmail.com
***********************************
Eastside Culture Crawl
When: Nov 21: 5pm to 10pm & Nov 22 + 23: 11am to 6pm
Where: In over 300 artist's studios across East Vancouver!
What: The Eastside Culture Crawl is an annual FREE 3-day visual arts festival.
This event involves artists who work on the east side of Vancouver, BC,
in an area bounded by Main Street to Commercial Drive and from First Avenue
north to the waterfront.
The website has the locations of participating artists.
********************************************
Tar Sands: The Dark Side of the Boom
BC-Wide Speaking Tour on the Impacts of the Tar Sands on
Communities in Alberta and BC
Dogwood Initiative
Council of Canadians
Please join us for a very important panel about the largest industrial project in history that has been devastating the environment and communities in Alberta. This enormous development is expanding across the continent with little to no regard for the eco-systems and communities that lie in the path of its infrastructure.
Speakers include:
Mike Mercredi - Member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, speaking about the front line struggles of the indigenous community in Fort Chipewyan agains the tar sands industry.
Jesse Kalman - Tar Sands Campaigner with the Polaris Institute, speaking about the social and environmental impacts of the tar-sands.
Will Horter - Executive Director of Dogwood Initiative, speaking about the support infrastructure based and proposed in BC affects current and future tar-sands development.(Speaking in Vancouver, Victoria, Comox and Nanaimo)
For more details & information go here.
Tar Sands Tour Dates:
Vancouver
Tuesday, November 25
Heritage Hall, 3102 Main St. (7pm)
Contact - Council of Canadians Vancouver Chapter:
norman.hill@shaw.ca or 604-789-9331
Nanaimo
Tuesday, December 2
Vancouver Island University—Nanaimo Campus
Room 109 - Building 356,
900 Fifth Street (1pm)
Contact - Council of Canadians Nanaimo Chapter:
blhansen@shaw.ca or 250-245-2254 / 250-816-6253
Victoria
Wednesday, December 3
The BCGEU Hall,
2994 Douglas Street (7pm)
Contact - Council of Canadians Victoria Chapter:
barbaramp@fastmail.fm or (250) 220-5355
****************************************
Anti-Poverty Legal Strategies: Housing and Human Rights
Meet Irene Faulkner, Lawyer in the Victoria Tent City Case
In October, the BC Supreme Court judged that Victoria's bylaw preventing homeless people from erecting temporary shelters in city parks violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms*. Irene Faulkner will speak in Vancouver on Wednesday, November 26, 2008 as part of a panel on housing and human rights.
Join us in a discussion with legal organizations and lawyers representing poor and homeless people in the fight against poverty. What are the possibilities and limitations of the law in anti-poverty organizing? What role do those directly affected by poverty have in advancing legal challenges?
WHO:
IRENE FAULKNER: Lawyer in Victoria Tent City lawsuit. Last month, a BC Supreme Court found that Victoria's bylaw preventing homeless people from erecting temporary shelters in city parks violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
ROZ SALVADOR: lawyer with BC Public Interest Advocacy Centre, a non-profit, public interest law office that advocates for poor people in matters of income assistance, disability benefits and residential tenancy.
LAURA TRACK: lawyer with Pivot Legal Society that utilizes strategic legal advocacy to focus on the causes of problems rather than symptoms.
PIVOT has released several reports and launched several legal complaints on the issue of lack of affordable housing in the DTES.
WHAT:"Housing, fighting poverty and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms"
WHERE:YWCA, 733 Beatty Street
WHEN:Wednesday, November 26th, 6:30 p.m.
The event is free.
This event is organized by West Coast LEAF and co-sponsored by the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre POW (Power of Women) Project.
For more information please phone (604) 684-8772
or email exec@westcoastleaf.org or project@dewc.ca
*"Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice." s. 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Part I of the Constitution Act, 1982, being Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982, (U.K.), 1982, c. 11
*****************************
Finally, if you've never used this site, I highly suggest checking it out.
Rate My MD
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Universal Children's Day: When Will Children Come First?
Universal Children's Day
20 November 2008 is celebrated as the international day for children. The United Nations General Assembly recommended in 1954 (resolution 836 (IX)) that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day, to be observed as a day of understanding between children and of activity promoting the welfare of the world's children. The date of 20 November marks the day on which the Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989.
2008 is the 19th anniversary of Universal Children's Day.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world. Today, 193 states have ratified the CRC. In fact, only two countries in the world — Somalia and the United States — have not yet given the CRC legal force, although both have signed it.
United Nations: Convention on the Rights of the Child
Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by
General Assembly resolution 44/25 of 20 November 1989
entry into force: 2 September 1990, in accordance with article 49
Ratification information
Preamble
The States Parties to the present Convention,
Considering that, in accordance with the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Bearing in mind that the peoples of the United Nations have, in the Charter, reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights and in the dignity and worth of the human person, and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Recognizing that the United Nations has, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the International Covenants on Human Rights, proclaimed and agreed that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth therein, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status,
Recalling that, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations has proclaimed that childhood is entitled to special care and assistance,
Convinced that the family, as the fundamental group of society and the natural environment for the growth and well-being of all its members and particularly children, should be afforded the necessary protection and assistance so that it can fully assume its responsibilities within the community,
Recognizing that the child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding,
Considering that the child should be fully prepared to live an individual life in society, and brought up in the spirit of the ideals proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, and in particular in the spirit of peace, dignity, tolerance, freedom, equality and solidarity,
Bearing in mind that the need to extend particular care to the child has been stated in the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child of 1924 and in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child adopted by the General Assembly on 20 November 1959 and recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (in particular in articles 23 and 24), in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (in particular in article 10) and in the statutes and relevant instruments of specialized agencies and international organizations concerned with the welfare of children, '
Bearing in mind that, as indicated in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, "the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth",
Recalling the provisions of the Declaration on Social and Legal Principles relating to the Protection and Welfare of Children, with Special Reference to Foster Placement and Adoption Nationally and Internationally; the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (The Beijing Rules) ; and the Declaration on the Protection of Women and Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict,
Recognizing that, in all countries in the world, there are children living in exceptionally difficult conditions, and that such children need special consideration,
Taking due account of the importance of the traditions and cultural values of each people for the protection and harmonious development of the child,
Recognizing the importance of international co-operation for improving the living conditions of children in every country, in particular in the developing countries...
Read all Article here.
See here for the full BC Association of Social Workers (BCASW) Media Release:
From Words to Action: On the 19th Anniversary of the 1989 House of Commons Resolution to end child poverty, BCASW urges governments invest in social infrastructure
November 18th marks the nineteenth anniversary of the passage of the 1989 all-party resolution of the House of Commons to eradicate child poverty in Canada. The BC Association of Social Workers wants to remind all levels of government of that historic commitment to the health, wellbeing and human rights of the children of Canada.
November 20th 1989 was also the historic date that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was introduced to the world. Canada ratified their commitment to the human rights of all Canadian children on January 12th 1992. Sadly, as a whole, Canada has made very little progress toward the integration of the spirit and intent of that Convention, the transfer from theory into reality and practice.
20 November 2008 is celebrated as the international day for children. The United Nations General Assembly recommended in 1954 (resolution 836 (IX)) that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day, to be observed as a day of understanding between children and of activity promoting the welfare of the world's children. The date of 20 November marks the day on which the Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989.
2008 is the 19th anniversary of Universal Children's Day.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world. Today, 193 states have ratified the CRC. In fact, only two countries in the world — Somalia and the United States — have not yet given the CRC legal force, although both have signed it.
United Nations: Convention on the Rights of the Child
Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by
General Assembly resolution 44/25 of 20 November 1989
entry into force: 2 September 1990, in accordance with article 49
Ratification information
Preamble
The States Parties to the present Convention,
Considering that, in accordance with the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Bearing in mind that the peoples of the United Nations have, in the Charter, reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights and in the dignity and worth of the human person, and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Recognizing that the United Nations has, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the International Covenants on Human Rights, proclaimed and agreed that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth therein, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status,
Recalling that, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations has proclaimed that childhood is entitled to special care and assistance,
Convinced that the family, as the fundamental group of society and the natural environment for the growth and well-being of all its members and particularly children, should be afforded the necessary protection and assistance so that it can fully assume its responsibilities within the community,
Recognizing that the child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding,
Considering that the child should be fully prepared to live an individual life in society, and brought up in the spirit of the ideals proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, and in particular in the spirit of peace, dignity, tolerance, freedom, equality and solidarity,
Bearing in mind that the need to extend particular care to the child has been stated in the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child of 1924 and in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child adopted by the General Assembly on 20 November 1959 and recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (in particular in articles 23 and 24), in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (in particular in article 10) and in the statutes and relevant instruments of specialized agencies and international organizations concerned with the welfare of children, '
Bearing in mind that, as indicated in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, "the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth",
Recalling the provisions of the Declaration on Social and Legal Principles relating to the Protection and Welfare of Children, with Special Reference to Foster Placement and Adoption Nationally and Internationally; the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (The Beijing Rules) ; and the Declaration on the Protection of Women and Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict,
Recognizing that, in all countries in the world, there are children living in exceptionally difficult conditions, and that such children need special consideration,
Taking due account of the importance of the traditions and cultural values of each people for the protection and harmonious development of the child,
Recognizing the importance of international co-operation for improving the living conditions of children in every country, in particular in the developing countries...
Read all Article here.
See here for the full BC Association of Social Workers (BCASW) Media Release:
From Words to Action: On the 19th Anniversary of the 1989 House of Commons Resolution to end child poverty, BCASW urges governments invest in social infrastructure
November 18th marks the nineteenth anniversary of the passage of the 1989 all-party resolution of the House of Commons to eradicate child poverty in Canada. The BC Association of Social Workers wants to remind all levels of government of that historic commitment to the health, wellbeing and human rights of the children of Canada.
November 20th 1989 was also the historic date that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was introduced to the world. Canada ratified their commitment to the human rights of all Canadian children on January 12th 1992. Sadly, as a whole, Canada has made very little progress toward the integration of the spirit and intent of that Convention, the transfer from theory into reality and practice.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Guess They were Serious: Lack of Transparency in Hiring of Victoria Police Chief leads to Resignation from Victoria Police Board
Fireworks at the meeting of the Victoria Police Board
meeting, regarding the appointment of Jamie Graham
as the next Chief Constable of the Victoria Police Force.
Serious questions are being raised about the process
wherein Graham moved to the top of the list of candidates,
which included acting Chief Bill Naughton.
Victoria police board member quits over hiring
of new chief
CBC News.
Catherine Holt, a member appointed to the board, has
been reported to bring forward a motion at an in camera
meeting to learn more about the process. Her motion was
defeated, although we don't know by how many votes.
It appears she wanted more transparency and openness
around the decision-making of the process around the
selection and appointment of the winning candidate.
She also explained she thought that the appointment should
wait for the new mayor-elects of Victoria, Dean Fortin and
Esquimalt, Barb Desjardins, Chair and Vice Chair of the police
board, to be sworn in, before this important decision was made.
Ms. Holt also stated that she believed that the new Chair and
Vice Chair should be involved in that appointment.
Once her motion was defeated, Ms. Holt felt she could not
continue to participate in the process and she resigned her
position on the Victoria Police Board.
Holt said she couldn't remain a member of the outgoing
board and live up to her public duty if it planned to hire a
new police chief during its final days.
"There is public concern about the process, this
board and the candidate, and an incoming chair
and vice-chair have been identified, and in any
public governance situation I know of, those
people should be able to make the final decision,"
said Holt.
Barb Desjardins, speaking to the media, also pointed out
that Graham is considered a "controversial" person and
she too wants to know about the process of his selection
and why a recommendation was made if he was the
person selected. Seems reasonable to me, since she and
incoming Chair of the police board, Fortin, will have to
manage any problems that might arise out of this
appointment and ongoing business of the force.
See for yourself one of the only media pieces that exists
right now. Select Top Story for the News Final.
Late in the day, CBC finally posted a story on this.
It's quite interesting how this has been handled by the
media. On last night's Final News, GlobalTV mentioned
the story briefly, not nearly as detailed as the story on
their website here.
A story in the Victoria Times Colonist was removed for
most of the day, but late in the day was restored.
I suspect lawyers have been busy making phone calls
this morning.
Victoria police board member quits over hiring of
new chief
Says she's unhappy with decision to hire new police chief
before new mayors are on the job
Lowe said Holt's resignation was a surprise.
"To not have a motion passed and resign on the spot
doesn't do that position much justice," said Lowe, who
added Holt was removed from the selection committee
because of "conflict of interest."
The process has taken six months and cannot start
again as it would take another three months before
someone could be hired and some candidates would
not be willing to go through it again, Lowe said.
Fortin and Desjardins were at the board meeting as
observers to be briefed on the hiring process.
After the meeting, Desjardins said she was satisfied
and Fortin, who, before he was elected, asked for
the choice to be delayed, said he was ready to
live with the decision.
"The board makes the decision and it's our responsibility
to move forward when the contracts are finalized.
This is about building for the future," said Fortin,
who will be asking for an external review of the
police department."
I think Mr. Fortin might want to expand the
terms of reference for that review to examine
outgoing Mayor Alan Lowe's actions as Chair of
the Police Board through the whole messy business.
His comments about Ms. Holt being removed from the selection
process is very, very curious. Why would he tell the public
and media something like that and label it conflict of interest,
when Ms. Holt appears to be the one who was quite transparent
and excused herself from the final selection because of potential
bias against two of the candidates, because she was a witness in
an investigation. More and more questions arise about it all.
New questions also arise as to whether Graham will now be
subject to disciplinary action after being found guilty of
"disreputable conduct" under the Police Act for his failure
to cooperate in the investigation of police misconduct by
the RCMP regarding the 50 affidavits submitted by
Pivot Legal Society on behalf of Vancouver citizens who
complained of abuse at the hands of police.
PCC's Decision Ordering Investigation into 3rd Party
Complaint Against Vancouver Chief Constable Graham
The final nail in the coffin though is the recent report issued
by Delta, B.C.
Police Chief Jim Cessford, who found Graham guilty
of "disreputable conduct" under the Police Act.
Cessford stated: "It is my view that there is clear
and convincing evidence that Chief Graham
committed, through his inaction, the Code of
Conduct offence of discreditable conduct."
This is no small issue, a thorough investigation, by another
police official, found former Chief Constable Jamie Graham
guilty of breaching theCode of Professional Conduct in failing
to cooperate and ensure cooperationby officers under his
authority in the investigation into complaints of disreputable
conduct, including physical assaults against marginalized
and vulnerable citizens, many of whom have poor physical
and mentalhealth, by some officers of the Vancouver Police
Department.
Apparently the Office of the Police Complaints
Commissioner won't comment until the appointment is
confirmed. No-one from the Victoria Police Board is
willing to confirm Graham got the job.
Sounds like management material for Victoria to me. One
thing we might be wonder is that if Graham, or his people
in blue happen to stumble on some unseemly, or harmful
information in "Politiciantown" if he might be a better bet
for keeping it under wraps than other selections.
One has to seriously question the judgment and smarts of the
Police Board over this hiring. We can't even begin to figure out
the dynamics at play within the Victoria Police Depart-
ment, but I can't fathom why this Board would appoint
someone with such a seriously flawed public record of managing
in his previous gig as Chief Constable of the Vancouver
Police Department. It's not like his past is hidden away.
Graham has a well established history of showing public
and open disregard for the rights of poor citizens and for
the Police Act he was working under. He dismissed the
findings of the RCMP that some of the affidavits had merit
and apparently encouraged members not to cooperate
with the RCMP in that investigation.
Prior to hiring him and putting him on Victoria's
books, a little due diligence might be in order.
A good question to ask on behalf of the citizens
of Victoria - just how many investigations has
Jamie Graham been the subject of over his
career in policing? It's a pretty relevant question.
Another little tid bit many may not remember is that
Graham, as Vancouver's Police Chief, overspent one
year's budget by $5 million. At the time I couldn't help
but wonder why he wasn't terminated then.
If any CEO overspent like that, and that is what a Chief
Constable is, they are fired in the private sector. So why
was it okay for that to happen in the civil service? His
overspending was absorbed by the City of Vancouver
and its' taxpayers.
From BC Liberals Suck: Vancouver City Police news
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Vancouver's top cop highest paid city employee
CBC News, (Jun 7 2005). VANCOUVER –
Vancouver's chief of police was the highest paid employee
on the civic payroll last year. According to the city's 2004
statement of financial information, Chief Jamie Graham
took home more than $223,000. But a police spokesperson
says that amount included back pay for missed vacation time
and a $16,000 bonus. The board decided not to pay
Graham a bonus this year.
Police chief defends overspending
CBC News, (Oct 29 2004). VANCOUVER –
Vancouver Police Chief Jamie Graham isn't making any
apologies for the fact his department has come up more
than $5 million over budget.
FROM OCT. 28, 2004: Police spending drives city into red
Police Accountability Endorsed
By charlie smith, (2-Dec-2004 ). The Georgia Straight.
From BC Revolution: Graham's Incompetence
A litany of media stories and quotes abouth Graham's
very public role as top cop in Vancouver.
Some particularly important ones:
Vancouver Police Chief spending taxpayers money
like he is the King of Vancouver.
October 29, 2004
November 9, 2004
To bring you all up to date, the above mentioned
"over-expenditure of five million dollars" is not at
all the result of "unexpected expenditures", as hard
to believe as that already is to accept. Rather it is
in fact a continuation of a pattern of over-expenditure
that saw this same "Chief" of the VPD spend more
than three million more LAST YEAR than he
was lawfully allowed under BOTH the Vancouver
Charter AND Police Act.
Here is another VERY interesting bit entitled:
CTV exposes Graham's connection to Hong Kong
criminal network. Click on the video link under the
Graham's Incompetence collection of stories.
"Ho has been transferring large sums of money to
various VPD fundraisers. Ho is filmed in the above video
at a VPD ODD squad fundraiser dinner."
Ho has been reported to contribute money to the
Vancouver Police Foundation.
The stories mention "Ho was caught by the VPD with
a large sum of cocaine, yet the VPD dismissed all
charges...."
"Ho's family is one of the many Hong Kong members of the
Big Circle crime syndicate that was recently exposed
(in a W5 passport scandal report) as having close ties to
the upper brass within the RCMP and Federal government. "
VPD says Graham will be cleared in current
controversy
By Charlie Smith. Georgia Straight. Dec. 1 2005.
Vancouver police Chief Jamie Graham is being investigated
under the Police Act in connection with donations to the
Vancouver Police Foundation.
According to the VPD release, a "senior member" of the
department had concerns about tax issues and asked
for a review by the RCMP commercial crime section. "
The results of the investigation conducted by the RCMP,
assisted by the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency,
was that there was no wrongdoing by anyone and that
was confirmed by a Special Prosecutor appointed by the
Attorney General's office," the VPD stated.
The VPD claimed in its news release that media falsely
stated that Ho had paid for hotel rooms at a conference
of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police in Vancouver
in 2004. "
In any mass conference booking of hotel rooms it is
common for the hotel to include a few complimentary
rooms," the VPD purported. "Chief Graham and two
other executives of the CACP stayed in those rooms and
all others were billed."
The VPD also insisted in the news release that Graham
will be cleared because the investigation concerns the
same issue that the RCMP already reviewed.
Ho is a former Vancouver police-board member
and owner of MCL Motor Cars. Several years ago,
the Burrard Street dealership supplied a Jaguar,
decked out in RCMP colours, to the North Vancouver
RCMP detachment for community relations. At the
time, Graham was the commanding officer in North
Vancouver.
Vancouver police chief faces investigation
CBC News.
Vancouver police Chief Jamie Graham is under investigation
by the Police Complaints Commissioner for leaving a
used target practice sheet with bullet holes through the
head of the silhouette on the desk of the city manager.
The chief had written on the sheet:
"A bad day at the range is better than the best day at work."
**********************************************
After the gong show that the whole Battershill fiasco
turned into and read more about that saga here, I think
it's a really fair question: why didn't the Board see fit
to promote from within? Why was Bill Naughton
good enough to be promoted and sit in the Chief's
Chair at one of the worst times in the force's history,
serving for over a year, but he wasn't deemed
suitable, or good enough for the permanent job?
I agree wholeheartedly with Ms. Holt that Victoria citizens
and taxpayers deserve more transparency and information
about the process for Graham's appointment. What makes
this quite interesting is Ms. Holt is a BC Liberal appointee
to the Victoria Police Board. She's also a well respected
management consultant with the Sage Group of
Management Consultants.
For someone with Ms. Holt's experience and calibre to be
so deeply concerned about the process and timing of
Graham's appointment we should all be listening. The fact
that she would take such a public stand in resigning from
the Board over this is a signal that there is much more to
the story than people are being told and I think it is a
sign of deep integrity for Ms. Holt to show courage in
standing up for her convictions.
Too bad the rest of the current and future Victoria
Police Board don't appear to be quite as interested in
transparency and due diligence as Ms. Holt and Ms.
Desjardins. I suspect the potential folly of that will be
seen in the future, depending on the choice the Vic
Police Board makes. And they should choose wisely,
many are watching.
meeting, regarding the appointment of Jamie Graham
as the next Chief Constable of the Victoria Police Force.
Serious questions are being raised about the process
wherein Graham moved to the top of the list of candidates,
which included acting Chief Bill Naughton.
Victoria police board member quits over hiring
of new chief
CBC News.
Catherine Holt, a member appointed to the board, has
been reported to bring forward a motion at an in camera
meeting to learn more about the process. Her motion was
defeated, although we don't know by how many votes.
It appears she wanted more transparency and openness
around the decision-making of the process around the
selection and appointment of the winning candidate.
She also explained she thought that the appointment should
wait for the new mayor-elects of Victoria, Dean Fortin and
Esquimalt, Barb Desjardins, Chair and Vice Chair of the police
board, to be sworn in, before this important decision was made.
Ms. Holt also stated that she believed that the new Chair and
Vice Chair should be involved in that appointment.
Once her motion was defeated, Ms. Holt felt she could not
continue to participate in the process and she resigned her
position on the Victoria Police Board.
Holt said she couldn't remain a member of the outgoing
board and live up to her public duty if it planned to hire a
new police chief during its final days.
"There is public concern about the process, this
board and the candidate, and an incoming chair
and vice-chair have been identified, and in any
public governance situation I know of, those
people should be able to make the final decision,"
said Holt.
Barb Desjardins, speaking to the media, also pointed out
that Graham is considered a "controversial" person and
she too wants to know about the process of his selection
and why a recommendation was made if he was the
person selected. Seems reasonable to me, since she and
incoming Chair of the police board, Fortin, will have to
manage any problems that might arise out of this
appointment and ongoing business of the force.
See for yourself one of the only media pieces that exists
right now. Select Top Story for the News Final.
Late in the day, CBC finally posted a story on this.
It's quite interesting how this has been handled by the
media. On last night's Final News, GlobalTV mentioned
the story briefly, not nearly as detailed as the story on
their website here.
A story in the Victoria Times Colonist was removed for
most of the day, but late in the day was restored.
I suspect lawyers have been busy making phone calls
this morning.
Victoria police board member quits over hiring of
new chief
Says she's unhappy with decision to hire new police chief
before new mayors are on the job
Lowe said Holt's resignation was a surprise.
"To not have a motion passed and resign on the spot
doesn't do that position much justice," said Lowe, who
added Holt was removed from the selection committee
because of "conflict of interest."
The process has taken six months and cannot start
again as it would take another three months before
someone could be hired and some candidates would
not be willing to go through it again, Lowe said.
Fortin and Desjardins were at the board meeting as
observers to be briefed on the hiring process.
After the meeting, Desjardins said she was satisfied
and Fortin, who, before he was elected, asked for
the choice to be delayed, said he was ready to
live with the decision.
"The board makes the decision and it's our responsibility
to move forward when the contracts are finalized.
This is about building for the future," said Fortin,
who will be asking for an external review of the
police department."
I think Mr. Fortin might want to expand the
terms of reference for that review to examine
outgoing Mayor Alan Lowe's actions as Chair of
the Police Board through the whole messy business.
His comments about Ms. Holt being removed from the selection
process is very, very curious. Why would he tell the public
and media something like that and label it conflict of interest,
when Ms. Holt appears to be the one who was quite transparent
and excused herself from the final selection because of potential
bias against two of the candidates, because she was a witness in
an investigation. More and more questions arise about it all.
New questions also arise as to whether Graham will now be
subject to disciplinary action after being found guilty of
"disreputable conduct" under the Police Act for his failure
to cooperate in the investigation of police misconduct by
the RCMP regarding the 50 affidavits submitted by
Pivot Legal Society on behalf of Vancouver citizens who
complained of abuse at the hands of police.
PCC's Decision Ordering Investigation into 3rd Party
Complaint Against Vancouver Chief Constable Graham
The final nail in the coffin though is the recent report issued
by Delta, B.C.
Police Chief Jim Cessford, who found Graham guilty
of "disreputable conduct" under the Police Act.
Cessford stated: "It is my view that there is clear
and convincing evidence that Chief Graham
committed, through his inaction, the Code of
Conduct offence of discreditable conduct."
This is no small issue, a thorough investigation, by another
police official, found former Chief Constable Jamie Graham
guilty of breaching theCode of Professional Conduct in failing
to cooperate and ensure cooperationby officers under his
authority in the investigation into complaints of disreputable
conduct, including physical assaults against marginalized
and vulnerable citizens, many of whom have poor physical
and mentalhealth, by some officers of the Vancouver Police
Department.
Apparently the Office of the Police Complaints
Commissioner won't comment until the appointment is
confirmed. No-one from the Victoria Police Board is
willing to confirm Graham got the job.
Sounds like management material for Victoria to me. One
thing we might be wonder is that if Graham, or his people
in blue happen to stumble on some unseemly, or harmful
information in "Politiciantown" if he might be a better bet
for keeping it under wraps than other selections.
One has to seriously question the judgment and smarts of the
Police Board over this hiring. We can't even begin to figure out
the dynamics at play within the Victoria Police Depart-
ment, but I can't fathom why this Board would appoint
someone with such a seriously flawed public record of managing
in his previous gig as Chief Constable of the Vancouver
Police Department. It's not like his past is hidden away.
Graham has a well established history of showing public
and open disregard for the rights of poor citizens and for
the Police Act he was working under. He dismissed the
findings of the RCMP that some of the affidavits had merit
and apparently encouraged members not to cooperate
with the RCMP in that investigation.
Prior to hiring him and putting him on Victoria's
books, a little due diligence might be in order.
A good question to ask on behalf of the citizens
of Victoria - just how many investigations has
Jamie Graham been the subject of over his
career in policing? It's a pretty relevant question.
Another little tid bit many may not remember is that
Graham, as Vancouver's Police Chief, overspent one
year's budget by $5 million. At the time I couldn't help
but wonder why he wasn't terminated then.
If any CEO overspent like that, and that is what a Chief
Constable is, they are fired in the private sector. So why
was it okay for that to happen in the civil service? His
overspending was absorbed by the City of Vancouver
and its' taxpayers.
From BC Liberals Suck: Vancouver City Police news
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Vancouver's top cop highest paid city employee
CBC News, (Jun 7 2005). VANCOUVER –
Vancouver's chief of police was the highest paid employee
on the civic payroll last year. According to the city's 2004
statement of financial information, Chief Jamie Graham
took home more than $223,000. But a police spokesperson
says that amount included back pay for missed vacation time
and a $16,000 bonus. The board decided not to pay
Graham a bonus this year.
Police chief defends overspending
CBC News, (Oct 29 2004). VANCOUVER –
Vancouver Police Chief Jamie Graham isn't making any
apologies for the fact his department has come up more
than $5 million over budget.
FROM OCT. 28, 2004: Police spending drives city into red
Police Accountability Endorsed
By charlie smith, (2-Dec-2004 ). The Georgia Straight.
From BC Revolution: Graham's Incompetence
A litany of media stories and quotes abouth Graham's
very public role as top cop in Vancouver.
Some particularly important ones:
Vancouver Police Chief spending taxpayers money
like he is the King of Vancouver.
October 29, 2004
November 9, 2004
To bring you all up to date, the above mentioned
"over-expenditure of five million dollars" is not at
all the result of "unexpected expenditures", as hard
to believe as that already is to accept. Rather it is
in fact a continuation of a pattern of over-expenditure
that saw this same "Chief" of the VPD spend more
than three million more LAST YEAR than he
was lawfully allowed under BOTH the Vancouver
Charter AND Police Act.
Here is another VERY interesting bit entitled:
CTV exposes Graham's connection to Hong Kong
criminal network. Click on the video link under the
Graham's Incompetence collection of stories.
"Ho has been transferring large sums of money to
various VPD fundraisers. Ho is filmed in the above video
at a VPD ODD squad fundraiser dinner."
Ho has been reported to contribute money to the
Vancouver Police Foundation.
The stories mention "Ho was caught by the VPD with
a large sum of cocaine, yet the VPD dismissed all
charges...."
"Ho's family is one of the many Hong Kong members of the
Big Circle crime syndicate that was recently exposed
(in a W5 passport scandal report) as having close ties to
the upper brass within the RCMP and Federal government. "
VPD says Graham will be cleared in current
controversy
By Charlie Smith. Georgia Straight. Dec. 1 2005.
Vancouver police Chief Jamie Graham is being investigated
under the Police Act in connection with donations to the
Vancouver Police Foundation.
According to the VPD release, a "senior member" of the
department had concerns about tax issues and asked
for a review by the RCMP commercial crime section. "
The results of the investigation conducted by the RCMP,
assisted by the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency,
was that there was no wrongdoing by anyone and that
was confirmed by a Special Prosecutor appointed by the
Attorney General's office," the VPD stated.
The VPD claimed in its news release that media falsely
stated that Ho had paid for hotel rooms at a conference
of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police in Vancouver
in 2004. "
In any mass conference booking of hotel rooms it is
common for the hotel to include a few complimentary
rooms," the VPD purported. "Chief Graham and two
other executives of the CACP stayed in those rooms and
all others were billed."
The VPD also insisted in the news release that Graham
will be cleared because the investigation concerns the
same issue that the RCMP already reviewed.
Ho is a former Vancouver police-board member
and owner of MCL Motor Cars. Several years ago,
the Burrard Street dealership supplied a Jaguar,
decked out in RCMP colours, to the North Vancouver
RCMP detachment for community relations. At the
time, Graham was the commanding officer in North
Vancouver.
Vancouver police chief faces investigation
CBC News.
Vancouver police Chief Jamie Graham is under investigation
by the Police Complaints Commissioner for leaving a
used target practice sheet with bullet holes through the
head of the silhouette on the desk of the city manager.
The chief had written on the sheet:
"A bad day at the range is better than the best day at work."
**********************************************
After the gong show that the whole Battershill fiasco
turned into and read more about that saga here, I think
it's a really fair question: why didn't the Board see fit
to promote from within? Why was Bill Naughton
good enough to be promoted and sit in the Chief's
Chair at one of the worst times in the force's history,
serving for over a year, but he wasn't deemed
suitable, or good enough for the permanent job?
I agree wholeheartedly with Ms. Holt that Victoria citizens
and taxpayers deserve more transparency and information
about the process for Graham's appointment. What makes
this quite interesting is Ms. Holt is a BC Liberal appointee
to the Victoria Police Board. She's also a well respected
management consultant with the Sage Group of
Management Consultants.
For someone with Ms. Holt's experience and calibre to be
so deeply concerned about the process and timing of
Graham's appointment we should all be listening. The fact
that she would take such a public stand in resigning from
the Board over this is a signal that there is much more to
the story than people are being told and I think it is a
sign of deep integrity for Ms. Holt to show courage in
standing up for her convictions.
Too bad the rest of the current and future Victoria
Police Board don't appear to be quite as interested in
transparency and due diligence as Ms. Holt and Ms.
Desjardins. I suspect the potential folly of that will be
seen in the future, depending on the choice the Vic
Police Board makes. And they should choose wisely,
many are watching.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
A Little Brevity, Homage & Celebration
You have not lived until you have seen the Flight of the
Conchords. They both rock my World and make me laugh
parts of my anatomy off. If I were to engage in some of
that passe netspeak, I would say they make me ROTFL!
Flight of the Conchords Ep 7 'Mutha Uckers'
The Conchords are now on Comedy Network every week.
Check them out to bring some brevity and absurdity to
your otherwise staid and boring day.
************************************
The Place to Be This Week:
100 years of South Asian Presence in Canada
November 17-23
Various FREE Some amazing events centred on this
special anniversary
South Asian Events blog
South Asians first arrived in Canada at the end of the
nineteenth century, and by 1908, approximately 5,000
were reported to be resident in British Columbia.
That year, the Canadian government introduced the
Continuous Journey requirement seeking to prohibit
further South Asian migration into the country.
In 1914, Gurdit Singh, a Punjabi, chartered the Komagata
Maru and a group of 376 South Asians passengers sailed
to Canada to challenge this racist law. Although they were
forced to return to India, they dealt a serious blow to the
‘Keep Canada White’ policies of the white settler society.
A group of South Asian academics, activists and community
groups have come together to organize a week-long series
of events in November (17- 23), 2008, to mark over one
hundred years of South Asian presence in Canada, and to
commemorate the 100th year anniversary of the Continuous
Journey requirement. These events will pay homage to
the struggles waged by South Asian communities in the past,
celebrate our achievements, and build alliances as we
face the challenges of the 21st century.
We would like to acknowledge that we reside on the lands
of the Indigenous peoples / First Nations and support them
in their ongoing struggle for self determination from racist
settler-colonialism.
Beats Without Borders
CD Remix Party Delhi2Dublin Delhi 2 Dublin
Thursday, Nov. 20th -
The Red Room (398 Richards)
Vancouver
Check 'em out here and here
If you like non-stop dance & good vibes, then this is
the show for you.
Komagatamaru Heritage Foundation
Conchords. They both rock my World and make me laugh
parts of my anatomy off. If I were to engage in some of
that passe netspeak, I would say they make me ROTFL!
Flight of the Conchords Ep 7 'Mutha Uckers'
The Conchords are now on Comedy Network every week.
Check them out to bring some brevity and absurdity to
your otherwise staid and boring day.
************************************
The Place to Be This Week:
100 years of South Asian Presence in Canada
November 17-23
Various FREE Some amazing events centred on this
special anniversary
South Asian Events blog
South Asians first arrived in Canada at the end of the
nineteenth century, and by 1908, approximately 5,000
were reported to be resident in British Columbia.
That year, the Canadian government introduced the
Continuous Journey requirement seeking to prohibit
further South Asian migration into the country.
In 1914, Gurdit Singh, a Punjabi, chartered the Komagata
Maru and a group of 376 South Asians passengers sailed
to Canada to challenge this racist law. Although they were
forced to return to India, they dealt a serious blow to the
‘Keep Canada White’ policies of the white settler society.
A group of South Asian academics, activists and community
groups have come together to organize a week-long series
of events in November (17- 23), 2008, to mark over one
hundred years of South Asian presence in Canada, and to
commemorate the 100th year anniversary of the Continuous
Journey requirement. These events will pay homage to
the struggles waged by South Asian communities in the past,
celebrate our achievements, and build alliances as we
face the challenges of the 21st century.
We would like to acknowledge that we reside on the lands
of the Indigenous peoples / First Nations and support them
in their ongoing struggle for self determination from racist
settler-colonialism.
Beats Without Borders
CD Remix Party Delhi2Dublin Delhi 2 Dublin
Thursday, Nov. 20th -
The Red Room (398 Richards)
Vancouver
Check 'em out here and here
If you like non-stop dance & good vibes, then this is
the show for you.
Komagatamaru Heritage Foundation
Way to go Vancouver: Kickin' it NewSchool
Now, congratulations are well in order for the Vision
Vancouver/COPE win and the well deserved routing the
NPA took. However, we can't escape the serious problem
that only approximately 26 per cent of voters showed
up to vote in this most important of elections.
I'm sure there are lots of reasons for this, but I don't
really care what excuses people have for not going to
the ballot box. Voter apathy, election burnout, no-one
to vote for, politicians are all the same. Blah, blah,
blah. There are people all over this planet who don't have
the right to vote, people who fight and die to bring that
right to their people and nations. It's time for a serious
re-think of what democracy means to Canadians.
Most of us may not realize it, but when we take things for
granted, they are at the most risk of being taken from us.
Democracy is in many ways on shaky ground here in Canada.
Looking at this election makes that very apparent. Somewhere
around 26% of Vancouver's population voted in our new government.
That means close to 75% did not vote for the new government.
It was the same in the federal election, with similar splits.
Now, I happen to think that 26% voted for the right people
to lead Vancouver into the next 3 years, but that's my bias.
What it always come down to is that one team got the vote
out better than the other.
And, as Larry Campbell, former Vancouver mayor and now
Senator in Ottawa, mentioned, Vision Vancouver is a party
of the present and future. They got the vote out by using
Web 2.0 technologies in the most effective ways - Facebook,
Twitter, text messaging. It worked to engage a wide range
of voters, including young people, in this election. It's
a lesson all political parties should learn well.
The NPA was hampered by infighting, by the lack of a cohesive
team and has again, self-destructed, like we saw in 2002.
I'm not sure the leadership of the NPA is given to any self-
reflection, but this is the time to engage in some of that.
The party was ripped apart by internal politics, a pattern
they can't seem to get away from.
I feel bad for Peter Ladner, who is certainly not a bad guy,
or leader. He may well be asking "Et Tu Brutus?" this morning.
It's probably the appropriate thing to be asking after
everything that's gone down in the last week, regarding
Millenium. That money trail is still going to be followed
to find out where the pots of Vancouver taxpayer gold have
gone.
I also hope all the NPA folks who ran and lost, especially
those who had the privilege of serving Vancouver, give some
serious thought and analysis to why they were voted out. Some
pretty big mistakes and misjudgments were made about very
basic things, Politics 101. Time for some lessons to be
learned.
Final Results from CBC Election Report
Gregor Robertson - Mayor Elect - 67598
City Council
Raymond Louie of Vision Vancouver - 66226
Heather Deal of Vision Vancouver - 63116
George Chow of Vision Vancouver - 62262
Kerry Jang of Vision Vancouver - 60598
Andrea Reimer of Vision Vancouver - 59148
Tim Stevenson of Vision Vancouver - 58380
David Cadman of COPE - 56665
Suzanne Anton of the NPA - 52941
Geoff Meggs of Vision Vancouver - 49538
Ellen Woodsworth of COPE - 45877
School Board
BACCHUS, Patti (Vision) - 64451
LOMBARDI, Mike (Vision)- 62772
CLEMENT, Ken (Vision)- 62096
GREGSON, Sharon E. (Vision)- 61417
WONG, Allan (COPE) - 56027
BLAKEY, Al (COPE) - 49045
BOUEY, Jane (COPE)- 48227
Ken Denike (NPA)- 46777
GIBSON, Carol (NPA)- 46048
Parks Board
BARNES, Constance (Vision)- 62973
JASPER, Aaron (Vision)- 58343
BLYTH, Sarah (Vision)- 567756 (?)
WOODCOCK, Loretta (COPE)- 49901
HUNDAL, Raj Vision)- 48871
MACKINNON, Stuart (Green) - 48415
ROBERTSON, Ian (NPA) - 44005
Other good news from Metro Vancouver:
Dianne Watts of Surrey wins the mayor chair again,
for a second time. Ms. Watts is the blueprint
of how to make change on a large scale and politicians
and would-be politicians should be looking to her
leadership style and substance for lessons in how to
bring positive change and team building to their
municipalities.
Derrick Corrigan won Burnaby again.
Now, one might hope that the election of a progressive
majority of mayors in Metro Vancouver and other
municipalities around the province signals to the BC
Liberals that the alarm is sounding off for change.
It ain't just Obama's slogan:
It is Time for a Change
And all around BC voters are getting out and delivering
that change for all of us.
Vancouver/COPE win and the well deserved routing the
NPA took. However, we can't escape the serious problem
that only approximately 26 per cent of voters showed
up to vote in this most important of elections.
I'm sure there are lots of reasons for this, but I don't
really care what excuses people have for not going to
the ballot box. Voter apathy, election burnout, no-one
to vote for, politicians are all the same. Blah, blah,
blah. There are people all over this planet who don't have
the right to vote, people who fight and die to bring that
right to their people and nations. It's time for a serious
re-think of what democracy means to Canadians.
Most of us may not realize it, but when we take things for
granted, they are at the most risk of being taken from us.
Democracy is in many ways on shaky ground here in Canada.
Looking at this election makes that very apparent. Somewhere
around 26% of Vancouver's population voted in our new government.
That means close to 75% did not vote for the new government.
It was the same in the federal election, with similar splits.
Now, I happen to think that 26% voted for the right people
to lead Vancouver into the next 3 years, but that's my bias.
What it always come down to is that one team got the vote
out better than the other.
And, as Larry Campbell, former Vancouver mayor and now
Senator in Ottawa, mentioned, Vision Vancouver is a party
of the present and future. They got the vote out by using
Web 2.0 technologies in the most effective ways - Facebook,
Twitter, text messaging. It worked to engage a wide range
of voters, including young people, in this election. It's
a lesson all political parties should learn well.
The NPA was hampered by infighting, by the lack of a cohesive
team and has again, self-destructed, like we saw in 2002.
I'm not sure the leadership of the NPA is given to any self-
reflection, but this is the time to engage in some of that.
The party was ripped apart by internal politics, a pattern
they can't seem to get away from.
I feel bad for Peter Ladner, who is certainly not a bad guy,
or leader. He may well be asking "Et Tu Brutus?" this morning.
It's probably the appropriate thing to be asking after
everything that's gone down in the last week, regarding
Millenium. That money trail is still going to be followed
to find out where the pots of Vancouver taxpayer gold have
gone.
I also hope all the NPA folks who ran and lost, especially
those who had the privilege of serving Vancouver, give some
serious thought and analysis to why they were voted out. Some
pretty big mistakes and misjudgments were made about very
basic things, Politics 101. Time for some lessons to be
learned.
Final Results from CBC Election Report
Gregor Robertson - Mayor Elect - 67598
City Council
Raymond Louie of Vision Vancouver - 66226
Heather Deal of Vision Vancouver - 63116
George Chow of Vision Vancouver - 62262
Kerry Jang of Vision Vancouver - 60598
Andrea Reimer of Vision Vancouver - 59148
Tim Stevenson of Vision Vancouver - 58380
David Cadman of COPE - 56665
Suzanne Anton of the NPA - 52941
Geoff Meggs of Vision Vancouver - 49538
Ellen Woodsworth of COPE - 45877
School Board
BACCHUS, Patti (Vision) - 64451
LOMBARDI, Mike (Vision)- 62772
CLEMENT, Ken (Vision)- 62096
GREGSON, Sharon E. (Vision)- 61417
WONG, Allan (COPE) - 56027
BLAKEY, Al (COPE) - 49045
BOUEY, Jane (COPE)- 48227
Ken Denike (NPA)- 46777
GIBSON, Carol (NPA)- 46048
Parks Board
BARNES, Constance (Vision)- 62973
JASPER, Aaron (Vision)- 58343
BLYTH, Sarah (Vision)- 567756 (?)
WOODCOCK, Loretta (COPE)- 49901
HUNDAL, Raj Vision)- 48871
MACKINNON, Stuart (Green) - 48415
ROBERTSON, Ian (NPA) - 44005
Other good news from Metro Vancouver:
Dianne Watts of Surrey wins the mayor chair again,
for a second time. Ms. Watts is the blueprint
of how to make change on a large scale and politicians
and would-be politicians should be looking to her
leadership style and substance for lessons in how to
bring positive change and team building to their
municipalities.
Derrick Corrigan won Burnaby again.
Now, one might hope that the election of a progressive
majority of mayors in Metro Vancouver and other
municipalities around the province signals to the BC
Liberals that the alarm is sounding off for change.
It ain't just Obama's slogan:
It is Time for a Change
And all around BC voters are getting out and delivering
that change for all of us.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Follow the Money Trail – Part 2: All Good Things Seem to Lead to Liberals
The revelations just keep getting better & better about the
whole Millenium gong show. This from CBC:
Vancouver mayoral candidates return Millennium's
donations
Both Vancouver mayoral candidates have rejected campaign
contributions from Millennium Development Corp., the builder
of the controversial Olympic Athletes Village for the 2010
Games.
Non-Partisan Association's Peter Ladner said
Millennium delivered a $2,000 cheque to him last
week.
Vision Vancouver's Gregor Robertson said he received
Millennium's $1,000 donation cheque Wednesday.
Understatement of the Year
"The timing of it is troubling given that decisions have
been made and driven in secret by the NPA and campaign
donations are arriving after the fact," Robertson said.
"I think we need to ask hard questions about where the
dollars come from and why?"
Ladner's copy of the report turned up on fellow NPA
councillor B.C. Lee's desk two days later, and Vancouver
police are now investigating the incident at the request of
Mayor Sam Sullivan.
Valerie Wan, a senior consultant for Millennium,
told CBC News Wednesday that the developer has
donated just under $10,000 to the Nov. 15 civic
election to both the NPA and Vision Vancouver.
************************************************
So, bit of a question here: exactly how much has
Millenium donated to the NPA and Vision Vancouver
over the past few years? How about individuals
associated with Millenium and Armeco?
Where did the other $7000 donated by Millenium go?
While the police are investigating, they might want to
expand things a little and get copies of the daytimers
and meeting schedules of mayor and city council going back
to, oh I don't know, the time when Olympic venue contract
bids were getting sorted out. No lobbyist registry at
Vancouver city hall. Yet.
Also, police might want to have a look at disclosure statements
by city councillors, re: any gifts from Millenium, or Armeco.
From the City of Vancouver webpage:
Campaign financing
Candidates and elector organizations will be required to
provide the chief election officer with up-to-date contact
information and must file financial disclosure statements
if they incur election expenses or receive campaign
contributions. Campaign organizers only need to file this
information if they incur election expenses or receive
campaign contributions in excess of $500.
**************************************************
It's quite interesting the kind of things we can learn when
looking at the Campaign Financing Disclosure statements
from the last election.
Peter Ladner received $2500 from Concord Pacific on
October 28th 2005. They were one of the contenders in
the Olympic Village bid too.
Rennie Marketing Systems handed over $1000 on
October 3rd 2005.
Apparently a lot of individuals contributed too and their
names were blanked out. One very generous soul gave
Mr. Ladner $3000 on October 5th 2005. Wonder
who? It looks like their last name begins with an S.
Vancouver Election Spending Out of Control
Prone to fraud, few limits, and a whopping $30 spent per
vote.
A Tyee special report. By Monte Paulsen
Published: October 31, 2007
Excerpt$:
The right-leaning Non Partisan Association and its 26
candidates reported raising more than $2 million for the
November 2005 election. The NPA itself reported only
$603,887 in party donations, 81 per cent of which came
from corporations.
The balance was raised by the NPA candidates themselves.
Mayor Sam Sullivan led the pack, with reported donations
of more than $490,000. Like the NPA, Sullivan's money
flowed overwhelmingly from corporate donors.
The centre-left Vision Vancouver party reported raising a
total of $1.357 million during the 2005 election period.
Unlike the NPA, Vision's candidates did not also mount
individual fundraising efforts.
Vision reported taking 73 per cent of its money from corporate
donors, 15 per cent from individuals, 12 per cent from labour
unions and the balance from various non-profit organizations.
The left-leaning Coalition of Progressive Electors reported
raising $532,852 during the 2005 election period. COPE took
69 per cent of its 2005 funds from labour unions, and less than
5 per cent from business.
NPA (Civic Non-Partisan Association)
Campaign Financing Disclosure Statement
Notable Donations to NPA coffers:
- Paul Barbeau – Barbeau, Evans & Goldstein: $2066
(or $2086) on August 24th 2005.
- Mark Marissen – Marissen Holdings Inc.: $417.30 on
October 13th 2005
- Patrick Kinsella – Progressive Strategies Ltd.: $417.30
on August 24th & October 5th 2005
- Concord Pacific donated $14,000 on October 26th 2005.
Canadian National Railway Company - $25,000 on
November 9th 2005. Just what does a Montreal based
company have to do with the NPA and why would they
donate such a generous amount to their campaign?
Total amount of donations declared: $1,157,641.74
Much of the information is vetted, especially individual donors.
Vision Vancouver
Campaign Financing Disclosure Statement
Supplementary Financing Disclosure Statement
(November 14, 2007)
Concert Properties - $1580 on March 18th & May 30th
2005
Concord Pacific – Total $48,250
Eagle Medallion Fortress Investment Corp.–
Total: $169,994.80
Why is the Calgary based firm so interested in a new upstart
Political party? Well, whatever the linkage, it’s interesting,
because apparently Steve Lefevre, described as the
“beneficial owner of EMFIC was arrested in the United States
on charges that appear to be related to online gambling.
Vision OK with campaign gift
Recently convicted donor had given $170,000
Christina Montgomery, The Province
Published: Monday, July 16, 2007
Great Canadian Casino – Total: $30,750.
Millenium’s donations are all broken down into separate
donations, $500 for what appears to be each holding company:
Total: $3000
Rennie Marketing Systems: Total: $75,639.
Xiang Enterprises Ltd. - $30,680 from a mystery company,
whose director is listed as a Dario Giannandrea from Montreal.
CUPE BC: $72,700
Total donations to Vision: $1,389,089.66
COPE (Coalition of Progressive Electors)
Campaign Financing Disclosure Statement
Supplementary Disclosure
Total donations: $525,740.81
No real surprises here, trade unions donated the most:
CUPE BC, different CUPE locals, HEU, Vancouver
Elementary Teachers
Labour/Union total: $360,511.13
Concord Pacific Group donated a total of $9250.
***********************************************
Sweeet, more to add to the investigations and Olympic
Contract Inquiry. If Millenium has this kind of money
to be throwing VANOC’s way, why are they bellying
back up to the Vancouver trough for more taxpayer
funds?
Millennium joins team as Official Supplier of the
Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter
Games
Developer of Olympic and Paralympic Village
Vancouver now on board
Vancouver, March 20, 2008 – The Vancouver Organizing
Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter
Games (VANOC) today welcomed the Millennium
Development Corporation to its team as an Official
Supplier through a financial contribution to VANOC
of $3 million.
Awarded the contract by the City of Vancouver in
April 2006, Millennium is the developer of the Millennium
Water project that will serve as the Olympic and Paralympic
Village Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Games.
Through this partnership, Millennium obtains Official Supplier
rights, which enhance the organization’s ability to market
this unique development in conjunction with the 2010 Winter
Games.
From the Vancouver 2010 Supplier page:
Millennium Development Corporation is an Official Supplier and
is the developer of the Millennium Water project that will serve as
the Olympic and Paralympic Village Vancouver during the 2010
Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Entire council agrees to lie-detector test on city hall
report leak
Chad Skelton and Darah Hansen, Vancouver Sun
Published: Thursday, November 13, 2008
Furlong speaks to the Vancouver Board of Trade:
Furlong calls on business community to step up to
welcome the world in 2010
Nov 13, 2008
Strong leadership from the community, changes to business
operations, a warm welcome to visitors and support for
Canada’s athletes were among the Business Top Ten List
shared by Furlong to ensure successful and unforgettable
Winter Games in 2010.
ZNet - Vancouver Olympics Sustainability
whole Millenium gong show. This from CBC:
Vancouver mayoral candidates return Millennium's
donations
Both Vancouver mayoral candidates have rejected campaign
contributions from Millennium Development Corp., the builder
of the controversial Olympic Athletes Village for the 2010
Games.
Non-Partisan Association's Peter Ladner said
Millennium delivered a $2,000 cheque to him last
week.
Vision Vancouver's Gregor Robertson said he received
Millennium's $1,000 donation cheque Wednesday.
Understatement of the Year
"The timing of it is troubling given that decisions have
been made and driven in secret by the NPA and campaign
donations are arriving after the fact," Robertson said.
"I think we need to ask hard questions about where the
dollars come from and why?"
Ladner's copy of the report turned up on fellow NPA
councillor B.C. Lee's desk two days later, and Vancouver
police are now investigating the incident at the request of
Mayor Sam Sullivan.
Valerie Wan, a senior consultant for Millennium,
told CBC News Wednesday that the developer has
donated just under $10,000 to the Nov. 15 civic
election to both the NPA and Vision Vancouver.
************************************************
So, bit of a question here: exactly how much has
Millenium donated to the NPA and Vision Vancouver
over the past few years? How about individuals
associated with Millenium and Armeco?
Where did the other $7000 donated by Millenium go?
While the police are investigating, they might want to
expand things a little and get copies of the daytimers
and meeting schedules of mayor and city council going back
to, oh I don't know, the time when Olympic venue contract
bids were getting sorted out. No lobbyist registry at
Vancouver city hall. Yet.
Also, police might want to have a look at disclosure statements
by city councillors, re: any gifts from Millenium, or Armeco.
From the City of Vancouver webpage:
Campaign financing
Candidates and elector organizations will be required to
provide the chief election officer with up-to-date contact
information and must file financial disclosure statements
if they incur election expenses or receive campaign
contributions. Campaign organizers only need to file this
information if they incur election expenses or receive
campaign contributions in excess of $500.
**************************************************
It's quite interesting the kind of things we can learn when
looking at the Campaign Financing Disclosure statements
from the last election.
Peter Ladner received $2500 from Concord Pacific on
October 28th 2005. They were one of the contenders in
the Olympic Village bid too.
Rennie Marketing Systems handed over $1000 on
October 3rd 2005.
Apparently a lot of individuals contributed too and their
names were blanked out. One very generous soul gave
Mr. Ladner $3000 on October 5th 2005. Wonder
who? It looks like their last name begins with an S.
Vancouver Election Spending Out of Control
Prone to fraud, few limits, and a whopping $30 spent per
vote.
A Tyee special report. By Monte Paulsen
Published: October 31, 2007
Excerpt$:
The right-leaning Non Partisan Association and its 26
candidates reported raising more than $2 million for the
November 2005 election. The NPA itself reported only
$603,887 in party donations, 81 per cent of which came
from corporations.
The balance was raised by the NPA candidates themselves.
Mayor Sam Sullivan led the pack, with reported donations
of more than $490,000. Like the NPA, Sullivan's money
flowed overwhelmingly from corporate donors.
The centre-left Vision Vancouver party reported raising a
total of $1.357 million during the 2005 election period.
Unlike the NPA, Vision's candidates did not also mount
individual fundraising efforts.
Vision reported taking 73 per cent of its money from corporate
donors, 15 per cent from individuals, 12 per cent from labour
unions and the balance from various non-profit organizations.
The left-leaning Coalition of Progressive Electors reported
raising $532,852 during the 2005 election period. COPE took
69 per cent of its 2005 funds from labour unions, and less than
5 per cent from business.
NPA (Civic Non-Partisan Association)
Campaign Financing Disclosure Statement
Notable Donations to NPA coffers:
- Paul Barbeau – Barbeau, Evans & Goldstein: $2066
(or $2086) on August 24th 2005.
- Mark Marissen – Marissen Holdings Inc.: $417.30 on
October 13th 2005
- Patrick Kinsella – Progressive Strategies Ltd.: $417.30
on August 24th & October 5th 2005
- Concord Pacific donated $14,000 on October 26th 2005.
Canadian National Railway Company - $25,000 on
November 9th 2005. Just what does a Montreal based
company have to do with the NPA and why would they
donate such a generous amount to their campaign?
Total amount of donations declared: $1,157,641.74
Much of the information is vetted, especially individual donors.
Vision Vancouver
Campaign Financing Disclosure Statement
Supplementary Financing Disclosure Statement
(November 14, 2007)
Concert Properties - $1580 on March 18th & May 30th
2005
Concord Pacific – Total $48,250
Eagle Medallion Fortress Investment Corp.–
Total: $169,994.80
Why is the Calgary based firm so interested in a new upstart
Political party? Well, whatever the linkage, it’s interesting,
because apparently Steve Lefevre, described as the
“beneficial owner of EMFIC was arrested in the United States
on charges that appear to be related to online gambling.
Vision OK with campaign gift
Recently convicted donor had given $170,000
Christina Montgomery, The Province
Published: Monday, July 16, 2007
Great Canadian Casino – Total: $30,750.
Millenium’s donations are all broken down into separate
donations, $500 for what appears to be each holding company:
Total: $3000
Rennie Marketing Systems: Total: $75,639.
Xiang Enterprises Ltd. - $30,680 from a mystery company,
whose director is listed as a Dario Giannandrea from Montreal.
CUPE BC: $72,700
Total donations to Vision: $1,389,089.66
COPE (Coalition of Progressive Electors)
Campaign Financing Disclosure Statement
Supplementary Disclosure
Total donations: $525,740.81
No real surprises here, trade unions donated the most:
CUPE BC, different CUPE locals, HEU, Vancouver
Elementary Teachers
Labour/Union total: $360,511.13
Concord Pacific Group donated a total of $9250.
***********************************************
Sweeet, more to add to the investigations and Olympic
Contract Inquiry. If Millenium has this kind of money
to be throwing VANOC’s way, why are they bellying
back up to the Vancouver trough for more taxpayer
funds?
Millennium joins team as Official Supplier of the
Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter
Games
Developer of Olympic and Paralympic Village
Vancouver now on board
Vancouver, March 20, 2008 – The Vancouver Organizing
Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter
Games (VANOC) today welcomed the Millennium
Development Corporation to its team as an Official
Supplier through a financial contribution to VANOC
of $3 million.
Awarded the contract by the City of Vancouver in
April 2006, Millennium is the developer of the Millennium
Water project that will serve as the Olympic and Paralympic
Village Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Games.
Through this partnership, Millennium obtains Official Supplier
rights, which enhance the organization’s ability to market
this unique development in conjunction with the 2010 Winter
Games.
From the Vancouver 2010 Supplier page:
Millennium Development Corporation is an Official Supplier and
is the developer of the Millennium Water project that will serve as
the Olympic and Paralympic Village Vancouver during the 2010
Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Entire council agrees to lie-detector test on city hall
report leak
Chad Skelton and Darah Hansen, Vancouver Sun
Published: Thursday, November 13, 2008
Furlong speaks to the Vancouver Board of Trade:
Furlong calls on business community to step up to
welcome the world in 2010
Nov 13, 2008
Strong leadership from the community, changes to business
operations, a warm welcome to visitors and support for
Canada’s athletes were among the Business Top Ten List
shared by Furlong to ensure successful and unforgettable
Winter Games in 2010.
ZNet - Vancouver Olympics Sustainability
CanWest: Oh the Times They Are A-Changin'
Seems CanWest has fallen on tough times, or at least their
soon-to-be former employees have. Around 560 of them are
getting the axe: 210 in broadcasting and 350 in publishing,
which is 5 per cent ofCanWest's 10,478 employees in Canada.
CanWest axes 560 jobs
Globe & Mail. November 12, 2008.
TORONTO — Burdened by debt, CanWest Global
Communications Corp. is cutting 560 jobs from its operations,
hoping to buy itself breathing room to withstand an economic
downturn.
Canada's largest media company, which owns the Global
Television network and daily newspapers in major cities across
the country, is hoping to cut $61-million from its annual
operating costs.
In recent months, the firm has moved closer to breaching one of
its bank covenants amid a slumping economy that is sapping
advertising dollars from the industry.
Canwest cuts 560 jobs Canada-wide
CBC.
Here's links to Investor Relations that will detail a bit more
about the pertinent details:
3rd Quarter Results News Release 165K
3rd Quarter 2008 Interim Report to Shareholders:
Canwest Global Communications Corp. 1,710K
Wonder what the Communications, Energy and
Paperworkers Union (CEP) is going to have to say about
all of this?
I have a suggestion for cost cutting measures for
CanWest:
STOP SUING PEOPLE & the CANADIAN GOVERNMENT!
Do you really not see the painful irony in filing civil lawsuits against
free speech activists while launching the multi-million dollar
David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights
That $7.5 million donated might have been used in other ways.
It's all rather confusing and one might wonder if the donated funds
are going to file, or fight, constitutional challenges?
This is a step in the right direction, CanWest needs to do
more of this:
Canwest retreats - drops suit against Mordecai
Briemberg
The campaign will continue until Canwest also abandons
legal action against Gordon Murray and Carel Moiseiwitsch,
who produced the parody in June 2007 that satirized Canwest’s
well-known anti-Palestinian and pro-Israel bias. Canwest’s
founder, Izzy Asper, described the media conglomerate in
2003 as “the strongest supporter of Israel in Canada.”
CanWest sues over Vancouver Sun parody
The Information Policy Blog
CanWest huffs and puffs while free speech burns
Straight.com
CanWest Global Attacks Drug Ad Laws
Posted in February 1st, 2008 by Rob Wipond
Big Pharma isn’t the one fighting to legalize pushing
amphetamines during Degrassi reruns; it’s CanWest Global
(owners of the Victoria Times-Colonist, Global TV, CH TV,
Vancouver Sun, Vancouver Province, Dose, Metro etc).
CanWest has launched a lawsuit under the Charter
of Rights and Freedoms, trying to tear down
Canada’s limits on pharmaceutical advertising.
Currently, prescription drugs can be advertised to the
general public in two ways: the ad names a drug without
describing what it treats, or the ad discusses an illness
without mentioning a drug name.
Update October 2008: The case of CanWest
Mediaworks vs Canada is scheduled to resume
hearings in January, 2009.
Go here to view a video for more information.
Media Blackout: CanWest Global Attacks Drug
Ad Laws
soon-to-be former employees have. Around 560 of them are
getting the axe: 210 in broadcasting and 350 in publishing,
which is 5 per cent ofCanWest's 10,478 employees in Canada.
CanWest axes 560 jobs
Globe & Mail. November 12, 2008.
TORONTO — Burdened by debt, CanWest Global
Communications Corp. is cutting 560 jobs from its operations,
hoping to buy itself breathing room to withstand an economic
downturn.
Canada's largest media company, which owns the Global
Television network and daily newspapers in major cities across
the country, is hoping to cut $61-million from its annual
operating costs.
In recent months, the firm has moved closer to breaching one of
its bank covenants amid a slumping economy that is sapping
advertising dollars from the industry.
Canwest cuts 560 jobs Canada-wide
CBC.
Here's links to Investor Relations that will detail a bit more
about the pertinent details:
3rd Quarter Results News Release 165K
3rd Quarter 2008 Interim Report to Shareholders:
Canwest Global Communications Corp. 1,710K
Wonder what the Communications, Energy and
Paperworkers Union (CEP) is going to have to say about
all of this?
I have a suggestion for cost cutting measures for
CanWest:
STOP SUING PEOPLE & the CANADIAN GOVERNMENT!
Do you really not see the painful irony in filing civil lawsuits against
free speech activists while launching the multi-million dollar
David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights
That $7.5 million donated might have been used in other ways.
It's all rather confusing and one might wonder if the donated funds
are going to file, or fight, constitutional challenges?
This is a step in the right direction, CanWest needs to do
more of this:
Canwest retreats - drops suit against Mordecai
Briemberg
The campaign will continue until Canwest also abandons
legal action against Gordon Murray and Carel Moiseiwitsch,
who produced the parody in June 2007 that satirized Canwest’s
well-known anti-Palestinian and pro-Israel bias. Canwest’s
founder, Izzy Asper, described the media conglomerate in
2003 as “the strongest supporter of Israel in Canada.”
CanWest sues over Vancouver Sun parody
The Information Policy Blog
CanWest huffs and puffs while free speech burns
Straight.com
CanWest Global Attacks Drug Ad Laws
Posted in February 1st, 2008 by Rob Wipond
Big Pharma isn’t the one fighting to legalize pushing
amphetamines during Degrassi reruns; it’s CanWest Global
(owners of the Victoria Times-Colonist, Global TV, CH TV,
Vancouver Sun, Vancouver Province, Dose, Metro etc).
CanWest has launched a lawsuit under the Charter
of Rights and Freedoms, trying to tear down
Canada’s limits on pharmaceutical advertising.
Currently, prescription drugs can be advertised to the
general public in two ways: the ad names a drug without
describing what it treats, or the ad discusses an illness
without mentioning a drug name.
Update October 2008: The case of CanWest
Mediaworks vs Canada is scheduled to resume
hearings in January, 2009.
Go here to view a video for more information.
Media Blackout: CanWest Global Attacks Drug
Ad Laws
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The Plot Thickens: Vancouver City Hall prepares for Investigation Season
Well, well, well, the stew is thickening. Lots of new investigations
on the way, I'm sure there will be some interesting things turning
up, but not in time for Saturday's civic election. Voters better
choose wisely at the polls to make sure justice is done in
Vancouver as we head into the Olympics.
Maybe while the police are investigating they might look into
allegations of some other things, such as coercion,
secret commissions and breach of trust related to this
statement from Gary Mason, who broke the story for the Globe
& Mail, which brings up some excellent questions:
"Details of the city's involvement in bailing out the
project's cash-strapped developer have until now been
kept secret. Councillors are under a publication ban
and have been told they face serious repercussions if
they discuss publicly the decisions taken at the in
camera meeting."
So, the Vancouver Police Department should be examining
who instituted a publication ban? When? What repercussions
have been threatened against the parties and Who would
mete them out? Would those repercussions use City funds
to enact them?
And, since Phillip Owen and Larry Campbell are johnny's
on the spot in explaining how all sorts of deals and contracts
are made in camera at Van City Hall. I'm sure they will
make good witnesses to interview.
Also, it should be confirmed, or denied as to whether Tim
Stephenson introduced a motion to bring all of this out in
the open so taxpayers and citizens could learn more about
it before the city provided more money to a private
corporation, which may, or may not, be alleged to have ties
to the NPA. That seems like an important question for the
VPD to be looking into too.
In Lo down on the city's $100 million loan Allen Garr,
of the Vancouver Courier says that Stephenson did. He writes:
"And, just so you know, before that in camera meeting Vision
Vancouver Coun. Tim Stevenson moved a motion at council
to have all matters to do with the Millennium deal made public.
The NPA majority first delayed him then ruled him out of order.
More to the point, this whole arrangement with Millennium
was an NPA deal from the beginning. Ladner and his crew will
have to wear that. ..."
It's also a great thing that Vancouver City Hall has "whistleblower"
policies too. I have a feeling those are going to come in handy
soon.
Whistleblowers Get Some Protection at Vancouver City
Hall
Administrative Report: Whistleblowing Policy.
Standing Committee on Planning & Environment.
Vancouver City Council, May 15th, 2008.
From the Pivot NewsWire
City lacked legal authority for $100m secret meeting
For immediate release – November 12, 2008
Vancouver – Pivot Legal Society has filed a complaint with the
Provincial Ombudsman alleging that the City of Vancouver did
not have legal authority to withhold information from the public
about a $100m Olympic village loan guarantee.
“This complaint targets all three major municipal parties
represented on council right now,” said Laura Track, housing
campaigner with Pivot. “To our knowledge, not one councillor
stepped up and voted against holding the meeting in secret or
insisted on public debate.”
City of Vancouver bylaws allow in camera meetings when
discussion of the “acquisition, disposition, or expropriation”
of land or improvements would harm the interests of the City.
The complaint points out that the $100m loan guarantee raised
none of those issues. The complaint also raises concerns about
statements made by City staff.
Police to investigate disappearance of confidential
Olympic Village documents
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 6:09 PM ET
CBC News
Five Things That Make Me Wonder What The $100
Million Bailout Is Really For, Exactly (v3.0)...
Gazetteer.
The Banana Republic of Vancouver?
What the hell goes on at City Hall with 100 million
taxpayer dollars?
Read the Comments, seems that Mr. A.G.Tsakumis has
taken exception to your intrepid editor's story and is in the
process of bursting a blood vessel, or having a stroke, or
something.
Vancouver may loan Millennium up to $100-million
Firefighters union endorses Robertson for mayor
Every Vision candidate backed except for one
on the way, I'm sure there will be some interesting things turning
up, but not in time for Saturday's civic election. Voters better
choose wisely at the polls to make sure justice is done in
Vancouver as we head into the Olympics.
Maybe while the police are investigating they might look into
allegations of some other things, such as coercion,
secret commissions and breach of trust related to this
statement from Gary Mason, who broke the story for the Globe
& Mail, which brings up some excellent questions:
"Details of the city's involvement in bailing out the
project's cash-strapped developer have until now been
kept secret. Councillors are under a publication ban
and have been told they face serious repercussions if
they discuss publicly the decisions taken at the in
camera meeting."
So, the Vancouver Police Department should be examining
who instituted a publication ban? When? What repercussions
have been threatened against the parties and Who would
mete them out? Would those repercussions use City funds
to enact them?
And, since Phillip Owen and Larry Campbell are johnny's
on the spot in explaining how all sorts of deals and contracts
are made in camera at Van City Hall. I'm sure they will
make good witnesses to interview.
Also, it should be confirmed, or denied as to whether Tim
Stephenson introduced a motion to bring all of this out in
the open so taxpayers and citizens could learn more about
it before the city provided more money to a private
corporation, which may, or may not, be alleged to have ties
to the NPA. That seems like an important question for the
VPD to be looking into too.
In Lo down on the city's $100 million loan Allen Garr,
of the Vancouver Courier says that Stephenson did. He writes:
"And, just so you know, before that in camera meeting Vision
Vancouver Coun. Tim Stevenson moved a motion at council
to have all matters to do with the Millennium deal made public.
The NPA majority first delayed him then ruled him out of order.
More to the point, this whole arrangement with Millennium
was an NPA deal from the beginning. Ladner and his crew will
have to wear that. ..."
It's also a great thing that Vancouver City Hall has "whistleblower"
policies too. I have a feeling those are going to come in handy
soon.
Whistleblowers Get Some Protection at Vancouver City
Hall
Administrative Report: Whistleblowing Policy.
Standing Committee on Planning & Environment.
Vancouver City Council, May 15th, 2008.
From the Pivot NewsWire
City lacked legal authority for $100m secret meeting
For immediate release – November 12, 2008
Vancouver – Pivot Legal Society has filed a complaint with the
Provincial Ombudsman alleging that the City of Vancouver did
not have legal authority to withhold information from the public
about a $100m Olympic village loan guarantee.
“This complaint targets all three major municipal parties
represented on council right now,” said Laura Track, housing
campaigner with Pivot. “To our knowledge, not one councillor
stepped up and voted against holding the meeting in secret or
insisted on public debate.”
City of Vancouver bylaws allow in camera meetings when
discussion of the “acquisition, disposition, or expropriation”
of land or improvements would harm the interests of the City.
The complaint points out that the $100m loan guarantee raised
none of those issues. The complaint also raises concerns about
statements made by City staff.
Police to investigate disappearance of confidential
Olympic Village documents
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 6:09 PM ET
CBC News
Five Things That Make Me Wonder What The $100
Million Bailout Is Really For, Exactly (v3.0)...
Gazetteer.
The Banana Republic of Vancouver?
What the hell goes on at City Hall with 100 million
taxpayer dollars?
Read the Comments, seems that Mr. A.G.Tsakumis has
taken exception to your intrepid editor's story and is in the
process of bursting a blood vessel, or having a stroke, or
something.
Vancouver may loan Millennium up to $100-million
Firefighters union endorses Robertson for mayor
Every Vision candidate backed except for one
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
They Can't be Serious: Jamie Graham for Victoria Police Chief?
It broke yesterday that Jamie Graham, former police chief
of the Vancouver Police Department is being considered for
the top cop job in Victoria. I've got two things to say to that
one: They can't be serious? And Hell No!
Victoria's Police Department has been a tangled, sordid mess
for some time now. Rank and file members have been very
unhappy and morale has been low for quite a while. Why you
might ask? Well, like many organizations, politics and bureaucracy
are at the heart of the problems.
Paul Battershill was brought in from Vancouver as police chief in 1999.
I suspect that's where his problems began. Internal politics went into
play, with whomever was eying his chair quite likely nursing a grudge
and waiting for an opportunity to get rid of him.
Reports were that as top cop, he brought a progressive and more
human side to that job. He was known to make his presence on the
street felt, talking with the homeless and taking a more liberal
approach, which may have raised the ire of the powers that be in the
local business community, who favoured a more punitive approach
to criminalizing poverty.
Keith Baldrey called it a "palace coup" and it seems pretty accurate
to describe the unfolding of Battershill's demise as Victoria's top cop.
Shadowy reports of "senior officers" and chummy local businessman &
real estate developer, Gerald Hartwig, bringing forward "allegations of
wrongdoing" that set the stage for one of the most sordid little power plays
openly seen in BC's policing. The fact that Hartwig was the Liberal Party
Election Readiness chairman brings another interesting twist to this dirty
little bit of business. Seems as though Mr. Hartwig has a great deal of
influence in Victoria, what with his high profile real estate deals, his
position on the Liberal Riding Association and on the Victoria Chamber
of Commerce, another breeding ground of BC Liberals friends and insiders.
At the end of the day, after a complete investigation, it was alleged
Battershill was not guilty of any criminal offence, and he engaged in
no financial improprieties. However his reputation was in the gutter with
the allegation he had a personal relationship with Marli Rusen,
the Heenan Blaikie LLP labour lawyer, who the Victoria PD hired to offer
advice and draft contracts to provide severance pay for former staff.
Ms. Rusen has filed a lawsuit against her former employers, who initiated
a Law Society complaint against her. One might wonder what Ms. Rusen
got a window into in her time with the Liberal law firm of choice.
Police complaints commissioner Dirk Ryneveld, in his review of the matter,
concluded that "private persons of considerable influence," allies of
said unnamed shadowy "senior officers," were also behind the allegations
and downfall of Battershill.
Battershill was tarnished as having lost the confidence of the police
board. Whether any of this was warranted, or not, it wasn't an option for
him to return to a police force beset by rumours and dissension in the ranks.
It would have been virtually impossible for him to return and lead the force
at that point and he was forced to resign. A succcessful and bloody coup for
those who wanted him gone.
PCC's Reasons for Decision Whether to Hold a Public Hearing
re The Battershill Investigation (Sept. 2008).
Here are some of the reasons Graham makes a poor choice for
this job:
Under his leadership, there was a great deal of poor leadership
regarding hiring of new police officers.
I happened to know two individuals who applied to the VPD, while
it was under Graham's watch. Being somewhat biased, but also
not stupid, I can say categorically, Vancouver would have been
lucky to get two fine individuals such as these. Both educated, bright,
very experienced in fields that relate to policing, people who if you
had to have a cop show up at your house, you would want these kind
of folks. And guess what, while local headlines were screaming for new
cops, both of these people were turned down for reasons that were not
abundantly clear. One was hired into another force and quickly moved
up the ranks, in recognition of his value and work. The other moved
into other areas of work. That was Vancouver's loss.
Graham's "leadership" again, saw him shamefully deny the
kinds of abuses some of his officers were undertaking on the
job as it concerned 50 affidavits introduced by Pivot Legal
Society.
Additionally, Graham's continuing lack of leadership and
accountability for his members cooperation of internal
complaints of misconduct against citizens was duly noted
by the Police Complaints Commissioner.
He went so far as to suggest that a retired judge, or justice should
be brought in to conduct an Audit of the handling of public complaints
against officers. That speaks to a core issue of a lack of leadership
and integrity in ensuring that the police force was aware of it's
obligations to the human rights and dignity of the public its members'
are sworn to uphold.
After a thorough RCMP investigation into the complaints in 2004,
the RCMP advised in its' completed report that in their learned
and informed opinion, some of the complaints were substantiated.
What was Graham's response? He continued to assert that none of
the complaints were substantied. He continued to ignore Pivot's
and the citizen's complaints. He denied that the RCMP's report had
any merit and he continued to shield his officers from accountability.
Graham's lack of personal judgment in such serious matters speaks
deeply to problems of morality and ethical integrity as a leader and
as one who is sworn to uphold the public good and that cannot be
overlooked.
The fact that Graham booked it out of Vancouver, as Chief Constable,
prior to the completion of an investigation into his conduct, also speaks
to his commitment to accountability. With retired status, there is no
recourse to his actions while on the job. Jim Chu, the new Police Chief,
immediately distinguished himself as a very different kind of leader,
by issuing a statement of apology about the circumstances surrounding
the complaints brought forward by Pivot and committing the force to
providing "quality police service," encouraging citizens to come forward
with "issues" so that the force could continue to improve it's service.
Graham's statements refuting the findings of the investigation, that he
was found guilty of disreputable conduct for his actions as chief related
to the Pivot and public complaints is also a red flag. Had he made a
statement admitting that he respected the decision and has given the
entire process some thought and wished he had handled it differently,
maybe his reputation could have been mended somewhat. Unfortunately,
he presented himself as lacking in judgment, integrity and a failure to
learn and grow from past mistakes and offer a better role model to police
in the province.
There are many police officers with a high degree of integrity and ethics
in the province of BC. There are many who do the right thing every day
on the job. Many of them saw what their brothers and sisters on the lines
were up to and probably wanted to ensure that a stop was put to behaviour
which brought a black mark to everyone on the force. One might wonder
how those types sometimes faired with Jamie Graham as their leader,
setting the bureaucratic and ethical tone of the policing organizations he
was in charge of.
It's also worth taking a read of the Police Commissioner's Decision
into Pivot's complaint about Graham too (June 2007).
PCC's Decision Ordering Investigation into 3rd Party Complaint Against
Vancouver Chief Constable Graham
The final nail in the coffin though is the recent report issued by
Delta, B.C. Police Chief Jim Cessford, who found Graham guilty
of "disreputable conduct" under the Police Act. Cessford stated:
"It is my view that there is clear and convincing evidence
that Chief Graham committed, through his inaction, the
Code of Conduct offence of discreditable conduct."
This is no small issue, a thorough investigation, by another police official,
found former Chief Constable Jamie Graham guilty of breaching the
Code of Professional Conduct in failing to cooperate and ensure cooperation
by officers under his authority in the investigation into complaints of
disreputable conduct, including physical assaults against marginalized
and vulnerable citizens, many of whom have poor physical and mental
health, by some officers of the Vancouver Police Department.
New police chief may be Vancouver's old chief
Global TV reporting that Jamie Graham has either been picked
or is on shortlist
An interesting bit to speculate about concerns the political use and
influence of police boards. I do not know why the fact that mayors
sit as chair of police boards is not considered a conflict of interest.
It very clearly is. It lends very little credibility to the importance
of the role of Chair of a Police Board. One might also wonder about
the influence the ruling parties of the day have concerning political
appointees. One can see some of the problems associated with
Liberal appointees to the Victoria Police Board. There are five
members appointed by the BC Liberals to this board, which outnumbers
the elected officials of the local municipalities. And it's completely
unknown whether any of them have any kind of relevant experience,
or background in policing to such an important board. When examining
their work on the board, there is an appearance that appointees also
seem to simply blindly follow Alan Lowe's lead, Victoria's mayor, in
whatever he says. That's just clearly not the kind of leadership that is
warranted under these kind of circumstances.
As an interesting aside, the blogosphere has long wondered about the
true motivations of those who took Battershill down. The fact that
Gerald Hartwig, clearly a BC Liberal insider, is alleged to have helped
bring Battershill down via well timed, nebulous Freedom of Information
complaints, leading to unfounded allegations by "senior officers" is a fact
that shouldn't go unnoticed by many. Battershill was the top cop in a city of
politicians (many who have much, much to hide) in the midst of the
biggest corruption trial in BC's history - the sale of BC Rail and the
Raid on the Legislature.
There are many who speculate about whether Battershill got too close
to the truth about things and he needed to go down in flames, being
discredited as someone who may be in the running to be called as
a crucial witness if this scandal ever makes it to trial.
At the end of the day, one of the things all of this makes clear is that
there needs to be some massive changes in how leadership is viewed
in the arena of policing. A recent CBC investigation into the high number
of complaints of proven misconduct by police officers around BC
proves that there are some major problems in many forces and this
needs to be addressed. The labour market is being strained in every
sector. In some respects, for specialized types of work, such as policing,
the gene pool is extremely shallow. Police forces need to do their
homework well about who they are hiring.
In 2008, almost 2009, it's not enough for police leaders to simply push
away complaints about potential abuses of the public good, or the rights
of citizens to expect fair, competent and humane policing.
True leaders in the 21st century know that the mark of a good organization
is to build a foundation of ethics, integrity, transparency and accountability
at all levels. To act in the public good in all things and to attract and retain
people who uphold the most valuable of qualities and to either minimize
the harm from those who don't meet the standards, or get rid of them as
the risks and liabilities they are. That, is real leadership.
Fundamentally, the Victoria Police Board better conduct themselves
very wisely in their decision of who will become the next Chief of Police
in Victoria. The province is watching and the force faces some serious
challenges and deserves to have solid, ethical and consistent leadership
to forge the path ahead.
of the Vancouver Police Department is being considered for
the top cop job in Victoria. I've got two things to say to that
one: They can't be serious? And Hell No!
Victoria's Police Department has been a tangled, sordid mess
for some time now. Rank and file members have been very
unhappy and morale has been low for quite a while. Why you
might ask? Well, like many organizations, politics and bureaucracy
are at the heart of the problems.
Paul Battershill was brought in from Vancouver as police chief in 1999.
I suspect that's where his problems began. Internal politics went into
play, with whomever was eying his chair quite likely nursing a grudge
and waiting for an opportunity to get rid of him.
Reports were that as top cop, he brought a progressive and more
human side to that job. He was known to make his presence on the
street felt, talking with the homeless and taking a more liberal
approach, which may have raised the ire of the powers that be in the
local business community, who favoured a more punitive approach
to criminalizing poverty.
Keith Baldrey called it a "palace coup" and it seems pretty accurate
to describe the unfolding of Battershill's demise as Victoria's top cop.
Shadowy reports of "senior officers" and chummy local businessman &
real estate developer, Gerald Hartwig, bringing forward "allegations of
wrongdoing" that set the stage for one of the most sordid little power plays
openly seen in BC's policing. The fact that Hartwig was the Liberal Party
Election Readiness chairman brings another interesting twist to this dirty
little bit of business. Seems as though Mr. Hartwig has a great deal of
influence in Victoria, what with his high profile real estate deals, his
position on the Liberal Riding Association and on the Victoria Chamber
of Commerce, another breeding ground of BC Liberals friends and insiders.
At the end of the day, after a complete investigation, it was alleged
Battershill was not guilty of any criminal offence, and he engaged in
no financial improprieties. However his reputation was in the gutter with
the allegation he had a personal relationship with Marli Rusen,
the Heenan Blaikie LLP labour lawyer, who the Victoria PD hired to offer
advice and draft contracts to provide severance pay for former staff.
Ms. Rusen has filed a lawsuit against her former employers, who initiated
a Law Society complaint against her. One might wonder what Ms. Rusen
got a window into in her time with the Liberal law firm of choice.
Police complaints commissioner Dirk Ryneveld, in his review of the matter,
concluded that "private persons of considerable influence," allies of
said unnamed shadowy "senior officers," were also behind the allegations
and downfall of Battershill.
Battershill was tarnished as having lost the confidence of the police
board. Whether any of this was warranted, or not, it wasn't an option for
him to return to a police force beset by rumours and dissension in the ranks.
It would have been virtually impossible for him to return and lead the force
at that point and he was forced to resign. A succcessful and bloody coup for
those who wanted him gone.
PCC's Reasons for Decision Whether to Hold a Public Hearing
re The Battershill Investigation (Sept. 2008).
Here are some of the reasons Graham makes a poor choice for
this job:
Under his leadership, there was a great deal of poor leadership
regarding hiring of new police officers.
I happened to know two individuals who applied to the VPD, while
it was under Graham's watch. Being somewhat biased, but also
not stupid, I can say categorically, Vancouver would have been
lucky to get two fine individuals such as these. Both educated, bright,
very experienced in fields that relate to policing, people who if you
had to have a cop show up at your house, you would want these kind
of folks. And guess what, while local headlines were screaming for new
cops, both of these people were turned down for reasons that were not
abundantly clear. One was hired into another force and quickly moved
up the ranks, in recognition of his value and work. The other moved
into other areas of work. That was Vancouver's loss.
Graham's "leadership" again, saw him shamefully deny the
kinds of abuses some of his officers were undertaking on the
job as it concerned 50 affidavits introduced by Pivot Legal
Society.
Additionally, Graham's continuing lack of leadership and
accountability for his members cooperation of internal
complaints of misconduct against citizens was duly noted
by the Police Complaints Commissioner.
He went so far as to suggest that a retired judge, or justice should
be brought in to conduct an Audit of the handling of public complaints
against officers. That speaks to a core issue of a lack of leadership
and integrity in ensuring that the police force was aware of it's
obligations to the human rights and dignity of the public its members'
are sworn to uphold.
After a thorough RCMP investigation into the complaints in 2004,
the RCMP advised in its' completed report that in their learned
and informed opinion, some of the complaints were substantiated.
What was Graham's response? He continued to assert that none of
the complaints were substantied. He continued to ignore Pivot's
and the citizen's complaints. He denied that the RCMP's report had
any merit and he continued to shield his officers from accountability.
Graham's lack of personal judgment in such serious matters speaks
deeply to problems of morality and ethical integrity as a leader and
as one who is sworn to uphold the public good and that cannot be
overlooked.
The fact that Graham booked it out of Vancouver, as Chief Constable,
prior to the completion of an investigation into his conduct, also speaks
to his commitment to accountability. With retired status, there is no
recourse to his actions while on the job. Jim Chu, the new Police Chief,
immediately distinguished himself as a very different kind of leader,
by issuing a statement of apology about the circumstances surrounding
the complaints brought forward by Pivot and committing the force to
providing "quality police service," encouraging citizens to come forward
with "issues" so that the force could continue to improve it's service.
Graham's statements refuting the findings of the investigation, that he
was found guilty of disreputable conduct for his actions as chief related
to the Pivot and public complaints is also a red flag. Had he made a
statement admitting that he respected the decision and has given the
entire process some thought and wished he had handled it differently,
maybe his reputation could have been mended somewhat. Unfortunately,
he presented himself as lacking in judgment, integrity and a failure to
learn and grow from past mistakes and offer a better role model to police
in the province.
There are many police officers with a high degree of integrity and ethics
in the province of BC. There are many who do the right thing every day
on the job. Many of them saw what their brothers and sisters on the lines
were up to and probably wanted to ensure that a stop was put to behaviour
which brought a black mark to everyone on the force. One might wonder
how those types sometimes faired with Jamie Graham as their leader,
setting the bureaucratic and ethical tone of the policing organizations he
was in charge of.
It's also worth taking a read of the Police Commissioner's Decision
into Pivot's complaint about Graham too (June 2007).
PCC's Decision Ordering Investigation into 3rd Party Complaint Against
Vancouver Chief Constable Graham
The final nail in the coffin though is the recent report issued by
Delta, B.C. Police Chief Jim Cessford, who found Graham guilty
of "disreputable conduct" under the Police Act. Cessford stated:
"It is my view that there is clear and convincing evidence
that Chief Graham committed, through his inaction, the
Code of Conduct offence of discreditable conduct."
This is no small issue, a thorough investigation, by another police official,
found former Chief Constable Jamie Graham guilty of breaching the
Code of Professional Conduct in failing to cooperate and ensure cooperation
by officers under his authority in the investigation into complaints of
disreputable conduct, including physical assaults against marginalized
and vulnerable citizens, many of whom have poor physical and mental
health, by some officers of the Vancouver Police Department.
New police chief may be Vancouver's old chief
Global TV reporting that Jamie Graham has either been picked
or is on shortlist
An interesting bit to speculate about concerns the political use and
influence of police boards. I do not know why the fact that mayors
sit as chair of police boards is not considered a conflict of interest.
It very clearly is. It lends very little credibility to the importance
of the role of Chair of a Police Board. One might also wonder about
the influence the ruling parties of the day have concerning political
appointees. One can see some of the problems associated with
Liberal appointees to the Victoria Police Board. There are five
members appointed by the BC Liberals to this board, which outnumbers
the elected officials of the local municipalities. And it's completely
unknown whether any of them have any kind of relevant experience,
or background in policing to such an important board. When examining
their work on the board, there is an appearance that appointees also
seem to simply blindly follow Alan Lowe's lead, Victoria's mayor, in
whatever he says. That's just clearly not the kind of leadership that is
warranted under these kind of circumstances.
As an interesting aside, the blogosphere has long wondered about the
true motivations of those who took Battershill down. The fact that
Gerald Hartwig, clearly a BC Liberal insider, is alleged to have helped
bring Battershill down via well timed, nebulous Freedom of Information
complaints, leading to unfounded allegations by "senior officers" is a fact
that shouldn't go unnoticed by many. Battershill was the top cop in a city of
politicians (many who have much, much to hide) in the midst of the
biggest corruption trial in BC's history - the sale of BC Rail and the
Raid on the Legislature.
There are many who speculate about whether Battershill got too close
to the truth about things and he needed to go down in flames, being
discredited as someone who may be in the running to be called as
a crucial witness if this scandal ever makes it to trial.
At the end of the day, one of the things all of this makes clear is that
there needs to be some massive changes in how leadership is viewed
in the arena of policing. A recent CBC investigation into the high number
of complaints of proven misconduct by police officers around BC
proves that there are some major problems in many forces and this
needs to be addressed. The labour market is being strained in every
sector. In some respects, for specialized types of work, such as policing,
the gene pool is extremely shallow. Police forces need to do their
homework well about who they are hiring.
In 2008, almost 2009, it's not enough for police leaders to simply push
away complaints about potential abuses of the public good, or the rights
of citizens to expect fair, competent and humane policing.
True leaders in the 21st century know that the mark of a good organization
is to build a foundation of ethics, integrity, transparency and accountability
at all levels. To act in the public good in all things and to attract and retain
people who uphold the most valuable of qualities and to either minimize
the harm from those who don't meet the standards, or get rid of them as
the risks and liabilities they are. That, is real leadership.
Fundamentally, the Victoria Police Board better conduct themselves
very wisely in their decision of who will become the next Chief of Police
in Victoria. The province is watching and the force faces some serious
challenges and deserves to have solid, ethical and consistent leadership
to forge the path ahead.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Events: Housing - People's Stop Work & Evictions
Dear friends,
While the City of Vancouver is putting $100 million dollars
into the hands of private developers for the Olympic village,
the City has at the same time given permission to shut down
some of the precious social housing and affordable rental
housing units in the City.
Many of the units in the Little Mountain Housing Complex (LMHC)
have been boarded up, to intimidate the remaining tenants into
moving out. While thousands in Vancouver are homeless, more
than 200 homes now sit empty at Little Mountain.
224 homes will be destroyed years before the reconstruction begins.
A new development is about to begin on the site of 4545 Prince Albert
and 4550 Fraser Street; tenants of 126 low-end market rental units are
about to lose their homes.
The city of Vancouver's Rate-of-Change bylaw, which requires
one-to-one replacement of any rental housing converted or demolished,
does not require owners to rent to their former tenants, and cannot prevent
the new rent from being beyond the means of the former tenants.
Furthermore, the by-law excludes rental apartments in commercially-zoned
areas such as the 4500 block of Fraser Street, where 78 of the 126 units
to be redeveloped are slated for demolition.
What does this all mean? It means our friends and neighbours living in
these 350 units of housing are either being forced out of their familiar homes,
or in danger of becoming homeless.
On Wednesday Nov. 12, from 10-11am, please join us at Main Street
and 36th Avenue, to issue a people's "stop work order". We need to
protest the scandalous situation at LMHC and support the remaining
tenants.
On Thursday Nov. 13, from 10-11am, please join us at Fraser Street
and 29th Avenue, to support the Fraser Street tenants in the protest titled
"Getting Ready to Be Homeless".
David Chudnovsky - MLA, Vancouver Kensington
While the City of Vancouver is putting $100 million dollars
into the hands of private developers for the Olympic village,
the City has at the same time given permission to shut down
some of the precious social housing and affordable rental
housing units in the City.
Many of the units in the Little Mountain Housing Complex (LMHC)
have been boarded up, to intimidate the remaining tenants into
moving out. While thousands in Vancouver are homeless, more
than 200 homes now sit empty at Little Mountain.
224 homes will be destroyed years before the reconstruction begins.
A new development is about to begin on the site of 4545 Prince Albert
and 4550 Fraser Street; tenants of 126 low-end market rental units are
about to lose their homes.
The city of Vancouver's Rate-of-Change bylaw, which requires
one-to-one replacement of any rental housing converted or demolished,
does not require owners to rent to their former tenants, and cannot prevent
the new rent from being beyond the means of the former tenants.
Furthermore, the by-law excludes rental apartments in commercially-zoned
areas such as the 4500 block of Fraser Street, where 78 of the 126 units
to be redeveloped are slated for demolition.
What does this all mean? It means our friends and neighbours living in
these 350 units of housing are either being forced out of their familiar homes,
or in danger of becoming homeless.
On Wednesday Nov. 12, from 10-11am, please join us at Main Street
and 36th Avenue, to issue a people's "stop work order". We need to
protest the scandalous situation at LMHC and support the remaining
tenants.
On Thursday Nov. 13, from 10-11am, please join us at Fraser Street
and 29th Avenue, to support the Fraser Street tenants in the protest titled
"Getting Ready to Be Homeless".
David Chudnovsky - MLA, Vancouver Kensington
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Something Stinks in Vancouver: Follow the Money Trail for Olympic Venues
Well, well, well, it's not too often we get such a tasty little bit of
scandal dropping on us just days before we go to the ballot box
in a civic election, but that's exactly what has happened in
Vancouver. It's a complicated mess, but one well worth following.
What's It All About
The Olympic Athlete's Village is a P3, Public (Vancouver city)
-Private (Millenium) "Partnership." Research around the world has
established that these neo-Conservative plans virtually always end up
costing taxpayers much more, as the ideology behind them is to transfer
the risk of the project onto the backs of taxpayers vs. the corporations
who receive the bids. Taxpayers have little control, or even awareness,
of how the funds are being spent. When the money trails are followed,
they are often the work of lobbyists and political connections.
First off, credit should go to brilliant Betty Krawczyk. On February 3rd 2008, she wrote a story on her blog, For the Love of the Olympics, in which she detailed key information regarding the building of the Olympic Village. She also highlighted the tangled web of connections and linkages that are seeing Vancouver taxpayers having their money shoveled into the hungry mouths of shadowy transnational corporations.
To nut shell it, here is what we know right now:
- The Millennium Development Corporation received the contract
to build the Olympic Athlete's Village.
- Millenium is a subsidiary of the Armeco Group of Companies. When you hit on Amerco, it goes directly to the same link as Millenium. They are a transnational that reaches into several countries, with offices situated in France.
From The NPA may be in deep over the Olympic Village.
"Millenium is the development arm of the Armeco Group.
The NPA council picked Armeco's Millenium for the massive
(Olympic Village) deal, and Paul Barbeau was the President
of the NPA and the President of Armeco Construction Limited
in the years prior to the award."
- Millenium would kick in $193 million, $30 million as a down payment.
- The city of Vancouver has already advanced close to $30-million to
Millennium's lender, Fortress Investment Group.
- Millennium would also receive over $82 million for building the units.
- Vancouver would do the site fixing at another $153 million.
- There would be 1100 condos, 250 would "belong" to the City after
the games. The price of the condos would be between $500,000 and
$6 million and would be pre-sold. With the real estate market tanking,
it's not going to happen. Period.
- The City of Vancouver already signed on to a $190-million loan guarantee
to Fortress Investment Group, which provided a $683-million loan to Millennium.
- Two directors of Armeco Construction Ltd., Shahram and Sharokh
Malekyazdi, relatives of the founder of the company, partnered with Armeco
Group of Companies.
- The Malekyazdi's allegedly don't hold board meetings, have issued no shares to their company and have reportedly not filed the required annual financial papers (as of early November 2008) with the provincial Ministry of Finance.
- The only current director of Armeco Construction Ltd. is Paul Barbeau,
who was a recent head of the Vancouver civic NPA party.
From Barbeau's LinkedIn page:
President - Vancouver Civic Non-Partisan Association 2004 to 2006
Another curiosity, did Mr. Barbeau's law firm receive any corporate and commercial legal contracts from the city of Vancouver and the province,
involving Fortress, Millenium and Intrawest? What linkages does the Barbeau
firm have to Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals?
See also, Lawyer denies he's in conflict over Olympic contract
February 14, 2007
Conflict of interest alleged in 2010 bid
Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan said he was "not aware that
Paul Barbeau is a director of a company that may be related
to Millennium Properties."
"Council's unanimous decision to select Millennium was based
entirely on the merits of the proposal," he said in a statement.
Millennium was incorporated on June 14 last year, two months
after city staff recommended its bid be chosen to build 1,000
condos for the Olympic Village. The bidding process was
undertaken by an independent committee and lasted eight months.
Barbeau was listed on B.C.'s corporate registry as a director of
Armeco in a Nov. 19, 2005, report."
So, what the NPA would have us believe is:
1. They didn't know their own president had a corporate contract
and was a director of Armeco, which was bidding on this multi-
million dollar contract.
2. That an unincorporated company, with no established record
of financial and project management of this scope, was the most
credible and appropriate bid selection for Vancouver taxpayers
funds.
3. That there was no conflict of interest for Barbeau and his
positioning in this whole mess.
4. That Vancouver taxpayers and citizens do not have a right to
know how the NPA awarded these contracts.
- The two lenders involved in this project are Fortress Credit Corporation,
& the taxpayers of Vancouver.
When looking into Fortress CC a bit more, it's interesting there is no
information available identifying the Board of Directors, or any executives.
Seems pretty shadowy to this curious george. Is there something to hide?
This is what one overview reports, sounds like Disaster Capitalists to me:
Company Overview
Fortress Credit Corporation engages in originating, structuring, and providing
financing solutions to corporate, real estate, and asset-based borrowers.
The company focuses on lending opportunities arising from the cyclicality
of the credit markets, industry specific trauma, out-of-favor classes, and
industries and asset dispositions. It offers bridge loans to borrowers, flexible
acquisition facilities for acquirers of opportunistic assets, and mezzanine or
last-out secured loans to companies.
Gary Mason of the Globe & Mail broke the story about the October 14th
secret and private meeting in which Vancouver city councilors voted
unanimously to provide an additional $100 million loan to the doomed
Millenium group building the Olympic Village.
An interesting note, the project is reported to be over by $60 million,
but the generous Vancouver city council is going into debt to offer Millenium
up to $100 million AND is going to spend up to $450,000 on a management
to bring in a third party to oversee management of the project. A project
the NPA dominated board pushed through giving an unincorporated and
untested company command of millions of taxpayer dollars with no track
record, but solid NPA connections.
His story goes on to say:
"Details of the city's involvement in bailing out the project's
cash-strapped developer have until now been kept secret.
Councillors are under a publication ban and have been told
they face serious repercussions if they discuss publicly the
decisions taken at the in camera meeting."
The questions being, who the hell put a publication ban on this information,
that is clearly in the public interest? Who told councillors there would be
"serious repercussions" for informing the public and taxpayers and just
what "repercussions" are we talking about? That sounds like some pretty
heavy alleged Criminal Code violations, namely intimidation, coercion and
secret commissions to this non-lawyer.
From a CBC story: Vancouver council stands by decision to bail
out Olympic Village
At a news conference before the zoning meeting on Friday evening,
Ladner said he would not release any details of the $100-million loan
when negotiations have not finished and would do whatever necessary
to ensure the completion of the Olympic Village.
"If necessary, I am prepared to lose this election to save this project
and protect the city's taxpayers." [Peter Ladner's statement]
************************
I am sincerely glad Ladner is willing to die by his own sword.
Because that is exactly what is going to happen. This is the
nail in the NPA's coffin. Ladner's continuing assertion that
taxpayers do not have a right to know about any of this is a
clear signal he is no different than Sullivan, that he will err on
the side of protecting the NPA from accountability and that
he does not have the moral integrity, nor judgement to run
Vancouver.
It is so repugnant and vile of Ladner to blame Vision, COPE and
taxpayers for wanting to know the full details of these crooked dealings
and suggesting that this transparency is jeopardizing negotiations with
these inept and possibly fraudulent clowns it suggests not only is the
NPA over. Ladner's political career is over because of the
position he has taken on this issue. I know morality isn't a
popular thing to bring up in politics, but there has been a
profound breach of the public trust in this situation and if
Ladner doesn't see it, and isn't willing to address what his
party has possibly done and how taxpayers and citizens have
been harmed and used, then he is unfit to sit in Vancouver
city hall in any capacity ever again.
I think it's important to look at the Vision councillor's roles in this too.
These aren't stupid people, well, not usually. However, they chose,
in camera, to vote unanimously with the NPA on shovelling increasing
amounts of taxpayers funds into the coffers of a shaky, creaky seive.
Several of them have known about different pieces of this for some time.
I think they better give their conduct some serious consideration. Their
political careers are hanging on their involvement in this too.
In addition, the question of the day is were the councillors aware
that Estelle Lo, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Vancouver City
thought this project was too high-risk for taxpayers? There are
all sorts of rumours flying around about whether she tendered her
resignation, whether she was fired, or whether she's still an
employee of the City. Inquiring minds want to know, but I suppose
she's keeping quiet, since whistleblowing is rarely a wise career move.
Let's look at it all logically:
Fortress Investment Group bought Intrawest, which runs Whistler-
Blackcomb in 2005 for $2.8 million. I'm not even going to get into
some of the questions surrounding how Intrawest was initially financed,
but if you want to read some more speculation read this story and the comments
on the Hook.
Intrawest was unable to meet it's debt re-payment, likely do to it's losses
in the money it gambled away in the markets. So it bellied up to the trough
again and had to re-negotiate.
Their subsidiary, Fortress Credit Corporation, has a $750 million mortgage
on the Olympic Village in Vancouver. That project is now more than
$60 million over-budget, as managed by Millenium.
What we also know about Millenium is that the funding for other projects is
in jeopardy. The Port of Nanaimo project and another project have been put
on hold. In the game of dominos, once one tile goes down, nothing stops the
rest. There is nothing to suggest that giving Millenium more money is
going to fix this and like Ms. Lo quite likely told the NPA dominated council,
this is too high-risk for taxpayers.
With all of this information being linked together, I think there is enough
for a formal complaint to the Commercial Crimes division of the RCMP, since
this is a multi-jurisdictional issue, involving several corporations and
municipalities. Make no mistake, following the money trail is going to take
us to VanOC and the BC Liberal party. This has their stench all over it.
Many of us know, it may have been the NDP who put the plan together
to bring the Olympics to BC, but it was the BC Liberals and their insiders
who are cashing in and bankrupting our entire province for generations
to come. It's time to start unravelling the tangled ball of yarn that will
show how it was all done.
The way I see it, savvy players in the game have an opportunity to expose
one of the biggest scandals in the Vancouver's and BC's history. People have
to decide where they want to be sitting when the dung hits the fan. And they
better make that decision fast, with intelligence and conviction. Careers,
reputations and ambitions hang in the balance. That is a personal promise.
An interesting new development. The Office of the Information &
Privacy Commissioner has now removed the ability of the public to
look up the names of lobbyists. The question must be asked, whose interests
is this supposedly Independent office now serving? What we know is that
these kinds of projects aren't awarded without well connected lobbyists,
in BC, that's usually those who are connected to Gordon Campbell and co.
Vancouver doesn't even have a lobby registry and the Vancouver Charter
would have to be changed by the province to get one. I think it's worth
some Freedom of Information requests to examine Sam Sullivan's
day timers for some select years, say 2004 to 2007 to see just who he was
meeting with and connecting the dots on the outcomes of project bids.
Have a look on the public report page here.
As Betty sagely put it:
OH, FOR THE LOVE OF THE OLYMPICS! Love? Oh, no.
It’s actually money. For everybody but us Vancouverites who
have to shell out for this huge province wide construction party
masquerading as a civic celebration (oh, all right, everybody in
the province pays).
The Big Boys weren't counting on the global economy tanking so fast
and they've all lost a LOT of other people's money and they're back at the
trough for more. We've seen that everywhere.
We have to seriously connect the dots to the largest transfer of tax payer
funds and wealth to private and unnaccountable transnational corporations
in the history of our world. To read more about that see this article.
This is happening right under our noses and Ladner and his ilk are sitting
there justifying this as though we, the taxpayers, are in the wrong for
wanting to know where the hell our money is going. For that reason alone,
on November 15 2008, the NPA must be voted out.
When the new city council is in, the first order of business must be an
unanimous motion to conduct an Independent Inquiry and
Forensic Audit into the awarding of contruction and legal
contracts and the transfer of Vancouver tax payer's money into
the coffers of transnational corporations for the Olympics.
Nothing less will do to restore some integrity and accountability at Vancouver
City Hall.
I hope Vision & COPE heed this message well - your integrity,
opportunity and capacity to run and manage Vancouver will be
made, or broken on this. Choose well.
scandal dropping on us just days before we go to the ballot box
in a civic election, but that's exactly what has happened in
Vancouver. It's a complicated mess, but one well worth following.
What's It All About
The Olympic Athlete's Village is a P3, Public (Vancouver city)
-Private (Millenium) "Partnership." Research around the world has
established that these neo-Conservative plans virtually always end up
costing taxpayers much more, as the ideology behind them is to transfer
the risk of the project onto the backs of taxpayers vs. the corporations
who receive the bids. Taxpayers have little control, or even awareness,
of how the funds are being spent. When the money trails are followed,
they are often the work of lobbyists and political connections.
First off, credit should go to brilliant Betty Krawczyk. On February 3rd 2008, she wrote a story on her blog, For the Love of the Olympics, in which she detailed key information regarding the building of the Olympic Village. She also highlighted the tangled web of connections and linkages that are seeing Vancouver taxpayers having their money shoveled into the hungry mouths of shadowy transnational corporations.
To nut shell it, here is what we know right now:
- The Millennium Development Corporation received the contract
to build the Olympic Athlete's Village.
- Millenium is a subsidiary of the Armeco Group of Companies. When you hit on Amerco, it goes directly to the same link as Millenium. They are a transnational that reaches into several countries, with offices situated in France.
From The NPA may be in deep over the Olympic Village.
"Millenium is the development arm of the Armeco Group.
The NPA council picked Armeco's Millenium for the massive
(Olympic Village) deal, and Paul Barbeau was the President
of the NPA and the President of Armeco Construction Limited
in the years prior to the award."
- Millenium would kick in $193 million, $30 million as a down payment.
- The city of Vancouver has already advanced close to $30-million to
Millennium's lender, Fortress Investment Group.
- Millennium would also receive over $82 million for building the units.
- Vancouver would do the site fixing at another $153 million.
- There would be 1100 condos, 250 would "belong" to the City after
the games. The price of the condos would be between $500,000 and
$6 million and would be pre-sold. With the real estate market tanking,
it's not going to happen. Period.
- The City of Vancouver already signed on to a $190-million loan guarantee
to Fortress Investment Group, which provided a $683-million loan to Millennium.
- Two directors of Armeco Construction Ltd., Shahram and Sharokh
Malekyazdi, relatives of the founder of the company, partnered with Armeco
Group of Companies.
- The Malekyazdi's allegedly don't hold board meetings, have issued no shares to their company and have reportedly not filed the required annual financial papers (as of early November 2008) with the provincial Ministry of Finance.
- The only current director of Armeco Construction Ltd. is Paul Barbeau,
who was a recent head of the Vancouver civic NPA party.
From Barbeau's LinkedIn page:
President - Vancouver Civic Non-Partisan Association 2004 to 2006
Another curiosity, did Mr. Barbeau's law firm receive any corporate and commercial legal contracts from the city of Vancouver and the province,
involving Fortress, Millenium and Intrawest? What linkages does the Barbeau
firm have to Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals?
See also, Lawyer denies he's in conflict over Olympic contract
February 14, 2007
Conflict of interest alleged in 2010 bid
Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan said he was "not aware that
Paul Barbeau is a director of a company that may be related
to Millennium Properties."
"Council's unanimous decision to select Millennium was based
entirely on the merits of the proposal," he said in a statement.
Millennium was incorporated on June 14 last year, two months
after city staff recommended its bid be chosen to build 1,000
condos for the Olympic Village. The bidding process was
undertaken by an independent committee and lasted eight months.
Barbeau was listed on B.C.'s corporate registry as a director of
Armeco in a Nov. 19, 2005, report."
So, what the NPA would have us believe is:
1. They didn't know their own president had a corporate contract
and was a director of Armeco, which was bidding on this multi-
million dollar contract.
2. That an unincorporated company, with no established record
of financial and project management of this scope, was the most
credible and appropriate bid selection for Vancouver taxpayers
funds.
3. That there was no conflict of interest for Barbeau and his
positioning in this whole mess.
4. That Vancouver taxpayers and citizens do not have a right to
know how the NPA awarded these contracts.
- The two lenders involved in this project are Fortress Credit Corporation,
& the taxpayers of Vancouver.
When looking into Fortress CC a bit more, it's interesting there is no
information available identifying the Board of Directors, or any executives.
Seems pretty shadowy to this curious george. Is there something to hide?
This is what one overview reports, sounds like Disaster Capitalists to me:
Company Overview
Fortress Credit Corporation engages in originating, structuring, and providing
financing solutions to corporate, real estate, and asset-based borrowers.
The company focuses on lending opportunities arising from the cyclicality
of the credit markets, industry specific trauma, out-of-favor classes, and
industries and asset dispositions. It offers bridge loans to borrowers, flexible
acquisition facilities for acquirers of opportunistic assets, and mezzanine or
last-out secured loans to companies.
Gary Mason of the Globe & Mail broke the story about the October 14th
secret and private meeting in which Vancouver city councilors voted
unanimously to provide an additional $100 million loan to the doomed
Millenium group building the Olympic Village.
An interesting note, the project is reported to be over by $60 million,
but the generous Vancouver city council is going into debt to offer Millenium
up to $100 million AND is going to spend up to $450,000 on a management
to bring in a third party to oversee management of the project. A project
the NPA dominated board pushed through giving an unincorporated and
untested company command of millions of taxpayer dollars with no track
record, but solid NPA connections.
His story goes on to say:
"Details of the city's involvement in bailing out the project's
cash-strapped developer have until now been kept secret.
Councillors are under a publication ban and have been told
they face serious repercussions if they discuss publicly the
decisions taken at the in camera meeting."
The questions being, who the hell put a publication ban on this information,
that is clearly in the public interest? Who told councillors there would be
"serious repercussions" for informing the public and taxpayers and just
what "repercussions" are we talking about? That sounds like some pretty
heavy alleged Criminal Code violations, namely intimidation, coercion and
secret commissions to this non-lawyer.
From a CBC story: Vancouver council stands by decision to bail
out Olympic Village
At a news conference before the zoning meeting on Friday evening,
Ladner said he would not release any details of the $100-million loan
when negotiations have not finished and would do whatever necessary
to ensure the completion of the Olympic Village.
"If necessary, I am prepared to lose this election to save this project
and protect the city's taxpayers." [Peter Ladner's statement]
************************
I am sincerely glad Ladner is willing to die by his own sword.
Because that is exactly what is going to happen. This is the
nail in the NPA's coffin. Ladner's continuing assertion that
taxpayers do not have a right to know about any of this is a
clear signal he is no different than Sullivan, that he will err on
the side of protecting the NPA from accountability and that
he does not have the moral integrity, nor judgement to run
Vancouver.
It is so repugnant and vile of Ladner to blame Vision, COPE and
taxpayers for wanting to know the full details of these crooked dealings
and suggesting that this transparency is jeopardizing negotiations with
these inept and possibly fraudulent clowns it suggests not only is the
NPA over. Ladner's political career is over because of the
position he has taken on this issue. I know morality isn't a
popular thing to bring up in politics, but there has been a
profound breach of the public trust in this situation and if
Ladner doesn't see it, and isn't willing to address what his
party has possibly done and how taxpayers and citizens have
been harmed and used, then he is unfit to sit in Vancouver
city hall in any capacity ever again.
I think it's important to look at the Vision councillor's roles in this too.
These aren't stupid people, well, not usually. However, they chose,
in camera, to vote unanimously with the NPA on shovelling increasing
amounts of taxpayers funds into the coffers of a shaky, creaky seive.
Several of them have known about different pieces of this for some time.
I think they better give their conduct some serious consideration. Their
political careers are hanging on their involvement in this too.
In addition, the question of the day is were the councillors aware
that Estelle Lo, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Vancouver City
thought this project was too high-risk for taxpayers? There are
all sorts of rumours flying around about whether she tendered her
resignation, whether she was fired, or whether she's still an
employee of the City. Inquiring minds want to know, but I suppose
she's keeping quiet, since whistleblowing is rarely a wise career move.
Let's look at it all logically:
Fortress Investment Group bought Intrawest, which runs Whistler-
Blackcomb in 2005 for $2.8 million. I'm not even going to get into
some of the questions surrounding how Intrawest was initially financed,
but if you want to read some more speculation read this story and the comments
on the Hook.
Intrawest was unable to meet it's debt re-payment, likely do to it's losses
in the money it gambled away in the markets. So it bellied up to the trough
again and had to re-negotiate.
Their subsidiary, Fortress Credit Corporation, has a $750 million mortgage
on the Olympic Village in Vancouver. That project is now more than
$60 million over-budget, as managed by Millenium.
What we also know about Millenium is that the funding for other projects is
in jeopardy. The Port of Nanaimo project and another project have been put
on hold. In the game of dominos, once one tile goes down, nothing stops the
rest. There is nothing to suggest that giving Millenium more money is
going to fix this and like Ms. Lo quite likely told the NPA dominated council,
this is too high-risk for taxpayers.
With all of this information being linked together, I think there is enough
for a formal complaint to the Commercial Crimes division of the RCMP, since
this is a multi-jurisdictional issue, involving several corporations and
municipalities. Make no mistake, following the money trail is going to take
us to VanOC and the BC Liberal party. This has their stench all over it.
Many of us know, it may have been the NDP who put the plan together
to bring the Olympics to BC, but it was the BC Liberals and their insiders
who are cashing in and bankrupting our entire province for generations
to come. It's time to start unravelling the tangled ball of yarn that will
show how it was all done.
The way I see it, savvy players in the game have an opportunity to expose
one of the biggest scandals in the Vancouver's and BC's history. People have
to decide where they want to be sitting when the dung hits the fan. And they
better make that decision fast, with intelligence and conviction. Careers,
reputations and ambitions hang in the balance. That is a personal promise.
An interesting new development. The Office of the Information &
Privacy Commissioner has now removed the ability of the public to
look up the names of lobbyists. The question must be asked, whose interests
is this supposedly Independent office now serving? What we know is that
these kinds of projects aren't awarded without well connected lobbyists,
in BC, that's usually those who are connected to Gordon Campbell and co.
Vancouver doesn't even have a lobby registry and the Vancouver Charter
would have to be changed by the province to get one. I think it's worth
some Freedom of Information requests to examine Sam Sullivan's
day timers for some select years, say 2004 to 2007 to see just who he was
meeting with and connecting the dots on the outcomes of project bids.
Have a look on the public report page here.
As Betty sagely put it:
OH, FOR THE LOVE OF THE OLYMPICS! Love? Oh, no.
It’s actually money. For everybody but us Vancouverites who
have to shell out for this huge province wide construction party
masquerading as a civic celebration (oh, all right, everybody in
the province pays).
The Big Boys weren't counting on the global economy tanking so fast
and they've all lost a LOT of other people's money and they're back at the
trough for more. We've seen that everywhere.
We have to seriously connect the dots to the largest transfer of tax payer
funds and wealth to private and unnaccountable transnational corporations
in the history of our world. To read more about that see this article.
This is happening right under our noses and Ladner and his ilk are sitting
there justifying this as though we, the taxpayers, are in the wrong for
wanting to know where the hell our money is going. For that reason alone,
on November 15 2008, the NPA must be voted out.
When the new city council is in, the first order of business must be an
unanimous motion to conduct an Independent Inquiry and
Forensic Audit into the awarding of contruction and legal
contracts and the transfer of Vancouver tax payer's money into
the coffers of transnational corporations for the Olympics.
Nothing less will do to restore some integrity and accountability at Vancouver
City Hall.
I hope Vision & COPE heed this message well - your integrity,
opportunity and capacity to run and manage Vancouver will be
made, or broken on this. Choose well.
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