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  1. Pingback: Hypocristy, part 3 – In-Sights
  2. Pingback: Hypocrisy part 2 – In-Sights

  3. Hugh, here’s a copy-paste of what I wrote about the Woodfibre IPP. Even if they never sink a shovel for the LNG plant, the power plant has a lucrative contract with Hydro. It’s unusual in that it actually has a dam… not just run-of-river.

    Forget the need to reimburse the builders for all the work they had to do to get it up and running: this plant was built in 1947.

    From Norm’s https://in-sights.ca/2016/10/04/just-asking-2/

    By chance, I stumbled across this fresh story on a legacy power plant at Woodfibre. Western Forest Products used the dam and hydro station to make power for the old pulp mill, which closed in 2006.

    Left with a perfectly good power plant, capable of churning out 11 gW/hours per year, WFP appears to have applied for an IPP standing offer contract in 2010. This seems to have been transferred over to Woodfibre LNG in 2013.

    The news story says “Woodfibre LNG earned $1,745,928 during the year ending March 31, according to BC Hydro’s Financial Information Act Return for 2016. Woodfibre LNG officially purchased the Woodfibre site in February 2015.”

    (Norm, tell me if my math is wrong): Take 11 gigaWatt/hours and turn it into 11,000 megaWatt/hours. $1,745,928 ÷ 11,000= $158.72 per mWatt/hour.

    As Norm shows us, the market price for hydro power is around $30/hour.

    One might wonder if Woodfibre LNG has any intention of ever making LNG. They are printing pretty easy money, selling power to mostly-unwitting ratepayers.

    http://www.squamishchief.com/news/local-news/back-in-time-at-woodfibre-1.2358712

    * * * * *

    Comments at the Squamish Chief weren’t working, so I wrote a letter to the editor here. They “corrected” my spelling of Brussels sprouts, but printed the rest as submitted:

    http://www.squamishchief.com/opinion/letters/letter-bc-hydro-paying-woodfibre-lng-too-much-1.2368791

    * * * * *

    Now I see an article on problems with Woodfibre LNG donations to the BC Liberals: http://www.squamishchief.com/news/local-news/suspend-wlng-s-environmental-assessment-certificates-my-sea-to-sky-1.11892321

    I’ll give the Squamish Chief credit for not burying bad news for the Woodfibre gang.

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    • Thanks GBS. This is such a monumental gaffe that it appears to be an April Fools joke, but I read about it five months ago and just chalked it up to another Rich Coleman/’Flip’ Wilson ‘negotiating’ ploy so I know its not April Fools.
      It is indeed beyond belief and perhaps the reason I dismissed it to the ‘lack of credibility’ bin back then.
      I enjoyed your Brussels sprout parable – it made it more comprehensable than the mega-gigi wattables language the power brokers use.
      Somebody should be in jail!

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  4. “The corporation (BC Hydro) paid nearly $1.75 million to Woodfibre LNG, the company with federal and provincial approval to build an LNG export facility near Squamish. A final investment decision has yet to be made by the Singaporean owner, but Hydro bought electricity from the company’s Squamish Power Project.”

    From last October:

    https://www.biv.com/article/2016/10/liquor-distribution-branch-profit-pavco-deficit-do/

    So Woodfibre owns IPP Squamish Power Project. See on list here:

    Click to access ipp-supply-list-in-operation.pdf

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  7. Sorry for wrong date and location of AGM. That was last years AGM where the Board overwhelmingly supported appointing and anointing KPMG as their shiny new auditor. The correct 2017 AGM is WEDnesday April 19, 2017 at the Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier in North Van, if you want to show up with pitchforks. The timing of this decision was during the first CBC investigative reporting of KPMG’s scam and I suppose the Board felt it had no bearing on their decisions.

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  8. Further to your piece on Credit Unions, I thought you would find this interesting. At around the same time that the KPMG “Isle of Man” tax avoidance scheme was being reported by CBC, I received a letter from North Shore Credit Union aka Blue Shore Financial, that in the interest of generally accepted ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES they would be changing their auditing Firm to KPMG. I imagine their former auditors Pricewaterhouse Coopers must have wondered what larceny they needed to engage in to have kept the account. I wanted to ask Blueshore if they would soon be of offering tax avoidance schemes for their customers. Their AGM is April 13, 2017 at the Seymour Golf and Country Club. It would be nice if a CBC crew could show up and ask them about it. I think that using the words ethics and KPMG is an oxymoron. KPMG also blessed the Site C Dam.

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  10. The BC Liberals announced today that because there is over $4 Billion in the WorkSafeBC fund they are going to give some of the excess back to their friends (Employers).
    The NDP claim that the money should go toward the injured workers and their families.

    News Release:
    “Government to direct the creation of a policy for return of WorkSafeBC funds

    The government intends to amend the Workers Compensation Act to establish a new policy requiring WorkSafeBC to return funds to employers when it has a surplus of contributions from employers in the Accident Fund.

    WorkSafeBC currently has more assets than liabilities in the Accident Fund as a result of the accumulation of funds.

    Quotes:

    Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour –

    “Employers fund the workers’ compensation system in our province and we think their money should be returned to them when the system is over-funded. We will establish in legislation a policy that requires WorkSafeBC to return money to B.C. employers .”

    **************
    There is a funny and factual LNG, Site C Dam video on the Tyee website: Frackin ‘ Eh?

    https://thetyee.ca/Video/2017/03/27/Kerrigan-Countdown-Christy-Clark-LNG/?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=280317

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  12. Brad Bennett at the last convention talking about and believe in “strong, fiscal management”, Christy and Co don’t represent special interest groups …. and on and on. Sorry Brad, the title of this particular blog fits what you’re saying here. Personally, I couldn’t watch/listen to the whole thing. Such hypocrites.

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  13. It appears that the BC Liberals are running scared. Most of the newspapers are carrying stories of unaffordable housing, selling Senior Retirement (Homes) Concept to Chinese buyers for $1 Billion, drug crisis, doctor shortages, gas price increases, ferry cancellations, unfair life insurance cancellation coverage, reopening of Liberal “closed ” Parks, oil spills and oyster viruses.

    It will be the over 45 years-of-age voter that tosses the BC Liberals out.

    https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-approves-sale-of-bc-retirement-home-chain-to-chinese-group-with-murky-ownership/article34107591/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com&

    http://angusreid.org/bc-election-2017/

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  14. In the same vein, Gordon Wilson’s report “British Columbia Ferry Corporation and Fiscal Fairness for Ferry Dependant Communities” has been scrubbed cleaned. When you attempt to retrieve the document, you get 26 pages fully redacted other than photos. I guess 600 dollars a day is quite the inducement to retract unfavourable criticisms of the BC Liberal government.

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    • Since the family has now been acquired by BC Liberals, Gordon and Judi may regret the criticisms contained in that document. I have a copy and it includes statements like this:

      “This lack of commitment to the provision of affordable and transportation services within FDCC [Ferry Dependent Coastal Communities] has created growing hardship for the citizens who live in these communities, and has proven to be a serious impediment to economic growth…

      “In summary, since 2003, rather than the residents of ferry dependent communities receiving the benefit of government expenditure for their “marine highway” and unlike those who receive an annual benefit from expenditures on the construction of bridges, tunnels and highways financed by the BCHFA, and further enjoy the benefit of the annual highways operating capital, BC Ferries has instead be forced under this arrangement to pay money back to the government and recover those funds ferry users. To date, BC Ferries has paid the province $489,809,000, almost half a billion dollars. This further confirms the government’s failure to abide by ‘fiscal fairness’ in the application of tax dollars for transportation…

      “…Despite the facts set out above regarding the coastal ferry service, the interior ferries continue to be built and run free of any direct charge to the user though the MoTI and BCTFA.

      “To address the government’s violation of the principle of fiscal fairness, and to restore the economic integrity of the BC Coastal economy, BC Ferries should be treated as a tolled portion of the highways and financed through the BCTFA, where amortization of cost is more equitably shared by all British Columbians. The current structure for BC Ferries fails the test of fiscal fairness and discriminates against those who live in coastal communities…”

      The Wilson/Tyabji report concludes that coastal communities have “no appetite for increase in fairs…” [sic]

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  15. Christy Clark’s honesty and integrity should be challenged by a class action lawsuit over the construction of the Site C Dam.

    So far, Clark has had business dealings with the impeached South Korean president (corruption), Samsung (corruption) and the Malaysian PM Najib Razak and Petronas (corruption).

    I wouldn’t doubt that these dubious characters have contributed generously to Clark’s re-election. I wonder how much BC taxpayers have contributed to these offshore companies, under the table? The Liberals should be held to account – especially on May 9th.

    Malaysian PM Najib Razak hosting BC Premier Christy Clark on May 5, 2014. Caption for this photo released by the BC government was titled ‘Connecting with the Government of Malaysia & Petronas’ and boasted Najib ‘has been very supportive and engaged with Petronas’ investment in BC.’

    The prime minister of Malaysia, who is central to British Columbia’s liquefied natural gas development ambitions, is the subject of a major financial corruption scandal rocking his country.
    Who Is BC’s Big LNG Partner? A Petronas Primer
    READ MORE

    The Tyee 2014 Report:

    Earlier this month The Wall Street Journal, citing documents from government probes, reported that investigators suspected that almost $700 million in cash had been wired through state agencies, banks, and companies linked to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
    The company is a state-owned development vehicle chaired by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who also serves as the country’s treasury minister.
    Investigators believe the $700 million eventually found its way into Najib’s personal accounts and served as a slush fund for the last election. Malaysia has few rules on campaign donations or election spending.

    https://thetyee.ca/News/2015/07/24/BC-Gas-Malaysia-Scandal/

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  16. As an old, very old, MLA I can only say that had she quit politics at that moment it would have been a hell of an extro! But, alas, she didn’t quit and, the moment she stepped into government she was merely a short slippery slope to hypocrisy on a grand scale, in fact given how she’s treated the ill, mentally and physically ill, the homeless, poor, those unable to fend for themselves wthether temporarily or permanently, she goes straight into the Hypocrites Hall of Fame, Cruelty Division, without any waiting period.whatever. She is in a lack of class all of her own although she’s in pretty good company considering Mike De Jong’s balanced budget, A/G Suzanne Anton’s coverup of the BC HYDRO inexplicable (in an hinest way) collapse and the Brains of the Outfit, Rich Coleman’s grasp of the non LNG business and how to explain our good fortune to voters.

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    • And we haven’t even got a report back from ‘Flip’ Wilson on the state of LNG affairs. Perhaps he’s keeping low, hoping those pay checks keep rolling in even though nobody’s talking LNG. And poor old Ben Stewart! Is he still in Africa flogging Kelowna wine? Better stay low for a couple more months in case West Kelowna remembers it was him, not Chrispy, that they initially voted to represent them.

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      • Mr. Stewart resigned from his stint as BC’s special representative in Asia and returned to his business in the Okanagan at the end of December. No replacement yet. Maybe Christy is waiting to see if she needs to fill it with someone who just happens to give up their seat to someone more deserving. I still wonder if, as certainly seems the case, the Criminal Code at section 121(1)(e)(ii) would be violated if a reward such as a posting to Asia was offered in exchange for a person resigning from an elected office.

        Mr. Wilson, the very talented man of many trades and political parties is on board as BC’s LNG champion until 2018, so the cheques are still rolling in. In the happy event he’ll have a new boss after May 09th, the terms of his reward for “coming home” will dictate whether the new boss can kick him out of the house.

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  17. Oh I don’t think Keith dug it out. How about, I was trolling other websites and came across this? Now that sounds believable.

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    • All the shows and newscasts that I heard on CKNW gave generous attribution and I thank them for doing so.

      I did note that Keith Baldrey showed the clip on Tuesday’s newscast, complete with Global logo. He said, “We dug out a little clip from 1999…”

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      • I suspect Mr. Baldrey is furiously digging for other little video clips from 1999. He’s been including negative vignettes on the 1990s NDP in his writings to balance ongoing BC Liberal misdeeds for years. He can be a good (selective) researcher.

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        • I heard Postmedia’s Rob Shaw say he had gone through the archives and discovered everybody does it. Imagine a traffic cop, seeing a driver go through a school zone at 100 kmh, reacting with “It’s all good; everybody speeds at one place or another.”

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  19. For those of us who are hard of hearing, especially when Christy starts her Bullying Rant:

    https://www.leg.bc.ca/documents-data/debate-transcripts/36th-parliament/3rd-session/h0401p9

    C. Clark: People don’t want the government to spend 700 grand of their money so they can find out how to access services; people want this government to spend their money so that those services are there for them to access. That’s what British Columbians want.

    So I’ll ask the minister this. We were up all night debating this budget because they can’t introduce it until the very last minute. . .

    Interjections. SNIP

    The Speaker: First supplementary, the member for Port Moody-Burnaby Mountain.

    C. Clark: The minister says that the public just doesn’t understand the NDP. It’s not that the NDP have done anything wrong; it’s not that they’ve taxed people out of the province; it’s not that they’ve driven up waiting lists to amongst the highest in the country; it’s not that parents are having to buy textbooks for their children’s basic curriculum in schools. The problem is that the NDP are just misunderstood, so they’ve got to spend $700,000 of taxpayers’ money to make sure that the public is just smart enough to try and understand the well-meaning government. Well, anybody who’s seen their grandchildren move to Alberta or their grandfather not get his heart bypass or their kid not get a course in university understands NDP budgeting.

    The Speaker: And the question is?

    C. Clark: And if this minister wants to send a message to British Columbians. . .

    The Speaker: And the question?

    C. Clark: . . .that they’ll understand, will she do the right thing? Will she send them a clear message? Will she drop the ad campaign? Will she yank the ad? Will she save the dollars, and will she put every single penny back into health care, back into education, back into police on the streets?

    Hon. J. MacPhail: These are information ads. I must tell you, though, that if this government. . . .

    Interjections.

    Hon. J. MacPhail: No, no. Just a second. Relax.

    If we had actually wanted to engage in partisan ads, we would have a picture of the member for Okanagan West saying: “Pouring more money into the health care system is like pouring money down a black hole.” That would be a partisan ad.

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  22. Cpp disability how can the bc government expect
    A person to live on 700 dollars a month
    The christy Clark and the government should be ashamed of them selves why don’t you put your patients on 700 a month miss Clark see how they fair for a hole year that goes for the rest of the government to

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  23. wow ! she screwing us Tax payers right up the Ass.And she s premier with a small p.Politition s are all crooks 1 form or another another scandel we paying how pathedic!

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  24. Hello Norm:
    Do you think that Christy Clark might try and promote the Site C Dam as a possible drinking water source to sell drinking water to California?

    Remember how the HST was never discussed then suddenly there was an attempt to ram it in just after the election .. Just like the BC Rail sale, Smart Meters and various LNG terminals.

    Glad to hear she is being sued over spending taxpayers money for her campaign ($50 million)… that was meant for the opioid crisis.

    I think she is in the pipeline business not really caring what’s inside the pipe. Apparently, we have World Class response to everything here in BC. You can see it in her smile.

    Her insider polling meter must indicate she will be unemployed on the evening of May 9th.

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    • Sorry Art but I think there’s more value in skimming the drinkable water off the top of the Mt PolleyTailing pond and selling it to California than building the Site C Dam.

      Cause if anyone knows more about “skimming from the top” than Christy…….I’d like to meet em.

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  26. OMG., Linda Reid, in my opinion, she isn’t much use as an MLA and so they made her the speaker given she wasn’t up to being a Cabinet minister. they had to do something with her and that is her reward. of course given she isn’t up to much of any task, she isn’t able to control the Leg. She can’t even fake it.

    Ah the spine, as I’ve said, you can be a Premier and/or MLA if you don’t have a spine, or legs or feet, or eyes, or ears, but you can’t be a decent premier without a heart or brain. Doesn’t matter if C.C. thinks Horgan doesn’t have a spine. She hasn’t demonstrated much of a heart or a brain. C.C. had 8 children in care die on her watch. That is all we need to say about the current premier. She did nothing to stop it happening because it kept happening. she’d say she would do better, but didn’t. she did raise $12M though for her war chest. that works out to about $1.5 million a child, so while she was fund raising and not doing the job she was elected to do, 8 kids died and lord knows how many others were mistreated, not dealt with properly and not provided adequate resources.

    Yes, in my opinion Christy Clark is a hypocrite and a few other unflattering things.

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  27. Last year I tuned in on occasion to the livestream Leg. I wasn’t up to doing the same this year. LInda Reid, the house speaker more often than not chooses not to control the outbursts in the house which makes it almost impossible at times to hear those who have the floor. More specifically the speaker chooses to allow the Liberals wide latitudes and doesn’t grant the opposition the same rights. I fear the upcoming debates will unravel in a similar fashion if the Liberals are once again exempted from adult behaviour.

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  28. Note the enraptured gentleman sitting behind the hypocrite. Haven’t heard him decrying his heroine’s current penchant for advertising. Wonder where his backbone is?

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  31. It was a fair comment then — and an even more fair comment to echo CC’s words back at her now, considering the massive boost in pre-election dollars the BC Libs are squandering.

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