BC Liberal Energy Minister Bill Bennett is supposedly on the warpath, looking for ways to trim the fat from the crown corporation’s bulging belly. The Liberal Government was “surprised” by last-minute cost revisions to a few Hydro projects, skewing its budget calculations, we’re told.
Bollocks.
There is no “surprise” here – any suggestion thereof is political theatre. Strike that. Let me call it what it is: LYING…
The mainstream media, as is to be expected, is largely parroting the government’s cover story and ignoring the real problem: BC Hydro and its ratepayers are in a world of hurt because of 12 years of very deliberate and disastrous BC Liberal Government policies, pushed on the public utility.
First and foremost of these was the forcing of BC Hydro to purchase $55 BILLION worth of sweetheart, long-term contracts with private power companies, which we didn’t need.
More than three years ago, filmmaker, environmentalist, independent journalist Damien Gillis wrote The $55 Billion private power racket and real story behind Hydro’s debt. Today, his words remain accurate except the problems have grown worse. Gillis was both blunt and accurate when he said:
This program is legalized fraud, plain and simple.
The long term scheme has occurred almost without notice by members of the Legislative Press Gallery, the people charged with reporting matters political. They should be public watchdogs but, with a handful of exceptions, they are nothing more than timid lapdogs.
In BC, Ian Jessop, a journalist willing to examine dark sides of political issues, was removed from the airwaves after people whispered in the ears of Bell Media executives. That was not a one-off. CANADALAND caught Bell Media pulling the leash on its staff in southern Ontario. The listener funded news operation reported:
Hosts of three southern Ontario radio stations were ordered to not express any opinions about the troubled theme park on air, because Marineland does so much business with Bell.
“In light of Marineland opening and the ongoing controversy I want to make sure we’re all on the same page regarding this client,” program director Sarah Cummings wrote in a May 2014 email sent to radio staff, since obtained by CANADALAND. “I know there are many opinions but I am asking that you please refrain from talking about them on air.
“They are an enormous client of Bell Media…
Damien says that we cannot be suckers duped by the BC Liberal agenda. I agree.
Categories: BC Hydro, Independent Power Producers (IPP)
IN-SIGHTS 
“timid lapdogs”, not so much. They are complicit in all that is going on at B.C. Hydro and they simply refuse to report on it. When you look at the B.C. Lieberals and the B.C. media, its hard to tell them apart.
I almost burst into laugher when the msm reports and suggests parents and family report their gangster or drug dealing children and family members in an effort to reduce crime. Why would they? These are people who are part of their family. We have the msm who refuse to report on all the “crime” in B.C. and they aren’t even what you might call blood relatives.
The B.C. msm simply isn’t up to the task and the “political” journalists who knows where their integrity went, but most likely into the toilet.
The best way to get the information out on B.C. Hydro and what its costing us, is to run a face book campaign and advertise the news in small independent newspapers.
Bill Bennett is simply incompetent and an old time “political whore”, well in my humble opinion.
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Whores are gonna be pissed off at you for lumping ANYONE in the BC Liberals in with them!!!!
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Damien Gillis has for a long time (as you have Norm – relentlessly) been reporting the facts on ‘Hydrogate’… to give this Liberal con-play an identifiable handle for all the ongoing corruption/incompetence/scandal that now defines BC Hydro.
e.a.f. really gets it with ‘respect’ to the ‘performance’ of the MSM nabobs. Our fifth estate clearly know the facts, they just refuse to report them. They tip toe through a minefield of facts, statistics, economics, past Auditor Generals warnings, the Opposition’s questioning, the warnings of independent industry experts and the insights of independent informed bloggers. They are not practicing journalism, they are aiding and abetting corruption.
The general public gets the facts… what was once a public jewel of a crown corporation has been debased and hobbled with massive debt, infested with Liberal insiders politically directed not for the benefit of BC citizens, BC families, BC taxpayers, in fact not for any of British Columbians futures – excepting those of the Clark BC Liberal pirates, their corprate sponsors and their one percenter family.
Against all this concern and evidence the corporate chosen MSM continue to dutifully and carefully craft the governments actions/inactions, continue to deflect, misrepresent – to lie for their benefactors against the interests of the public. We have bubble of scandal long brewing, a Ponzi scheme of corruption. It can not end soon enough.
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When the smoke clears and the real story is told it will be clear that the “irresponsible” reporting by Damien Gillis in the Common Sense Canadian and a few others like Norm Farrell, that this Liberal government deliberately destroyed BC Hydro WAS 100% ACCURATE.
In any civilized jurisdiction, the pay-offs to Liberal cronies would produce an extensive investigation and jail doors slammed.
Since 2007 a very few activists have risked their careers and life savings exposing these bastards while the MSM sang their praises and helped the Liberals get re-elected.
The public should know this and more than a few should hang their heads.
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Rafe, in re-reading Damien’s work at Common Sense Canadian, it is interesting to note how many of his opinions remain on the mark, despite passage of time. He is a wonderful contributor to public debate and I remain amazed at how some in media have survived so long by backfilling, revising and shilling. Maybe it is that last word that provides explanation.
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Alison Creekside:
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I am very pleased that you are getting your analysis out to a wider audience Norm, CKNW of all places! Especially after the shutting down of the excellent Mr Jessop on CFAX.
McComb is a real old school newsman that seeks the facts. A striking contrast to mold school Baldrey, Palmer and the ‘late’ Mr Good who always seemed more intrested in Liberal cheering than the revelation of inconvenient truths.
McComb’s airing of new guest experts… Laila Yulie, Martyn Brown and you Norm is a very improved offering of insights, facts and analysis.
Kudos to McComb and you and all.
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This entire BC Liberal government has overstayed its’ welcome. They have cost the BC electorate billions while paying off their corporate sponsors and Liberal cronies by a similar amount…
They feel no shame. May 9th 2017 should be the date that finally removes this cancer from our future. I want my democracy returned.
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Bennett was able to legally and justifiably stop many IPP’s that were not even finished the design stages….chances of them meeting their contracted COD as stipulated in their initial BC Hydro EPA’s are slim to none….but he gleefully rubber stamped them anyways….with Polak following suit (in spite of questionable EA’s done by consutlants who donate heavily to the BC Liberals). But he didn’t. Palmer, Baldrey, Smyth, Fletcher et al had years of opportunity to report on facts surrounding alpine lake draining IPP’s and their cost to the BC taxpayer, nevermind the environmental disruption to our lakes and inlets. But they didn’t. I call bull#!%$ on anything Bennett says now.
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Just think, if Bennett had retired before the last election we might have saved Mount Polley (Quesnel Lake) and billions from an unnecessary dam. Good night Bill.
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It goes much deeper than Kootenay Bill. Liberals have been determined to pave any road for Murray Edwards, a billionaire supporter from outside the province who’s been responsible for millions of dollars deposited into BC Liberal party accounts. Influence peddling Liberals claim no favours are earned by contributions but the Edwards/Imperial Metals example shows exactly the opposite.
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