Gwen and I raised three adult children in North Vancouver. Each lives in this community, as do our seven grandchildren. Before retirement, I worked in accounting and small business management. Since 2009, I have published commentary about public issues at IN-SIGHTS.CA.
Clearly, government revenues from natural resources have declined substantially in recent years. This is in spite of rising metals and minerals prices and growth in production volumes. Here is an example. […]
The bright minds at Kinder Morgan have re-refined advertising in their effort to build support for the inner harbour of Vancouver becoming a site for major bitumen exports. Now the tag line used is: “Committed to safety since 1953.” Of course, this remains fundamentally false since the Trans Mountain pipeline, built in the mid 20th century, was not acquired by Kinder Morgan until 2005. Previous pipeline operators may have been committed to safety but those people are long gone. Today, Kinder Morgan chooses not to stand on its own record across North America; they prefer to appropriate the reputation of Trans Mountain’s departed owners…
The bulk of this item was written in 2010 and it was moved to the top a year later. I’ve done a little editing to recognize the political environment of 2014 but […]
October 15, I listened to Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett provide detailed assurance that, unlike budgets of numerous BC megaprojects that suffered runaway costs, the $7.9 billion Site C dam budget […]
On his CFAX1070 afternoon show this week, Ian Jessop interviewed Eric de Place, Policy Director of Sightline.org, which Tuesday published a new report, “The Facts about Kinder Morgan” that examines the company’s […]
If you want to know about Kinder Morgan’s methods of communication, read As Pipelines Expand, So Do Fears of Clearcuts, Spills, by Bryan Zandberg, The Tyee, November 2006: When pipeline heavyweight Kinder […]
Through the magic of search engines, this item, first published August 2012, draws regular attention from readers. Mitchell is talking about Britain but similar rules for moneyed immigrants apply in many nations, […]
“Hypocrisy can afford to be magnificent in its promises, for never intending to go beyond promise, it costs nothing.” – Edmund Burke Promises vs. ‘political speeches:’ Tories’ honesty questioned on support for […]
In The Tyee, Scott McCannell, executive director of the Professional Employees Association, asserts, The B.C. government has slashed professionals in the public service to the point where it doesn’t have a full […]
//storify.com/Norm_Farrell/walken-the-plank/embed?border=false//storify.com/Norm_Farrell/walken-the-plank.js?border=false[View the story “Sleepwalken the plank” on Storify]
When financial people mention “sunk costs,” they refer to expenditures that cannot be recovered. Almost 15 years ago, BC politicians learned the investment of hundreds of millions for fast-ferries had to be […]
Greg Rickford, Conservative Minister of Natural Resources Canada, a lawyer with eight months experience running a department of government, spoke recently about the National Energy Board at the Economic Club of Canada. […]
//storify.com/Norm_Farrell/media-accountability-or-lack-thereof/embed?border=false//storify.com/Norm_Farrell/media-accountability-or-lack-thereof.js?border=false[View the story “Media accountability, or lack thereof” on Storify]
//storify.com/Norm_Farrell/bc-government-s-favoured-few/embed?border=false//storify.com/Norm_Farrell/bc-government-s-favoured-few.js?border=false[View the story “BC Government’s favoured few” on Storify]
A large organization of employers in Australia wants governments to subsidize businesses crippled by large price increases for natural gas. Ai Group says governments have to moderate the consequences of decisions to […]
For roughly the same amount Pavco paid for modifications to BC Place, Poland built, from the ground up, Stadion Narodowy, a 58,145 seat arena and conference centre with similar retractable roof technology […]
From the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, October 2014: There are new warnings that gas prices will skyrocket as Queensland’s huge LNG export projects start production next year. The independent think tank, the Grattan […]
Oil’s dive set to transform LNG market, The Financial Times, November 14, 2014 BC taxpayer “The downward spiral in oil prices is poised to shake up liquefied natural gas… “The 30 per […]
Site C not necessarily a slam dunk: Bennett, Business in Vancouver, October 15, 2014 “Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett says he is still torn on whether his government should give the […]
Being troubled by patriotic zealotry and glorification of war, I feel vaguely discomforted by Remembrance Days, particularly when craven politicians take centre stage at memorials. While struggling to find words that conveyed […]
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While watching tv courtroom dramas, we are often convinced of the truth by the first presenter… only to be turned…
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The Gordon Campbell/ChristyClarke years did not bode well for BC. The same Developer real estate views are still widely adhered…