Not-a-nincompoop blogger RossK at The Gazetteer mentioned difficulties faced by Bob Mackin, the province’s preeminent investigative journalist, when Bob digs, and pays, for information the government does not want us to know. […]
Good questions
Norm Farrell
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.
Let them die and decrease the surplus…
Paul Willcocks writes a blog with the perceptive eye of a skilled and experienced journalist and editor. I suspect Vaughn Palmer might even exclude Paul from his description. Nincompoops ranting in their […]
Shill, sham and flimflam
The Vancouver Sun added an experienced political reporter when it hired Rob Shaw from the Times Colonist. Now it is time for the Sun to assign Bob Mackin to the pundit’s role, enabling Vaughn Palmer to work for PR firm Hill+Knowlton, where he need make no pretense of objectivity.
Taxpayers, assume the position
Reader who goes by the name of Hawgwash left this comment at the earlier article, Subsidies for some, higher fees for others: I see Vaughn Palmer is actually touching this topic and even […]
Subsidies for some, higher fees for others
Replay of article first published in November 2013. Despite claims that natural gas will last almost forever and drop massive wealth into BC’s treasury, I’ve demonstrated here, with numbers taken from finance […]
Special treatment for special people
First Call Advocacy Coalition I write here about natural resource giveaways that amount to billions of dollars. Meanwhile, the Premier stands in the Legislature to justify monthly clawbacks of $187 from a […]
With Ian Jessop CFAX1070, May 14
We discuss the province’s natural gas revenue, BC Ferries, log exports and public debt. http://www.gmodules.com/gadgets/ifr?url=http://prac-gadget.googlecode.com/files/google-audio-step.xml&up_MP3=https://sites.google.com/site/audiofilesnrf/home/14%2005%2014%20CFAX.mp3?attredirects=0&d=1&up_START=No&up_CCOL=%23d1dae3
Premier Clark promised a review
In the two and one half years since that review began, we have evidence of its results.
BC Ferries still owed $25 million 2nd mortgage
Under leadership of CEO David Hahn and Board Chairs Elizabeth Harrison and Don Hay, in a deal negotiated before completion of construction, BC Ferries lent a real estate developer almost $25 million […]
Looking at BC’s revenues from natural resources
A replay, first posted October 2013. It is important to consider that the $868 million shown as FY 2013 income from crown land tenures is mostly recognition of exploration rights sold in […]
Charting BC natural gas revenues
The following charts are created with production data from Statistics Canada (CANSIM 131-0001) and other reports from government ministries. These demonstrate significant changes of income from exploration and production of British Columbia’s […]
I’m all right Jack!
At The Tyee, Bob Mackin contributed Ex-Head of Troubled SNC-Lavalin Named Chair of BC Crown Corp. Like all work from this diligent investigative journalist – one of the few in BC – […]
Short term gain for long term pain, updated
BC Stats updated data on raw log exports and the volume shipped out of province in March 2014 was up 24% from the preceding month. In the fiscal year ended March 31, […]
Economics, by and for lay people
George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Second Lord of the Treasury of the United Kingdom, boasted recently about his nation’s modest economic growth. If expansion continues, Britain will soon have an […]
Numbers tell a story
From the ProPublica story, The Rise of Corporate Impunity, “[Eric] Holder, who is now the U.S. attorney general, seemed to lament the position government enforcers had found themselves in. ‘I am concerned […]
Model T and Big Mac parallels
A once convenient version of history stated that a century ago, Henry Ford paid daily wages of $5, double the usual, so workers could afford the vehicles they made. According to myth, […]
When special interests buy a government – updated
Before BC Liberals were first elected in 2001, they promised natural resource producers to materially cut the public share of values extracted. They kept their promise and producers filled party coffers in […]
On resources with Ian Jessop, Apr 17
Perception supersedes reality
WorkSafe BC is in the news again and Shirley Bond appointed part-time Ferry Commissioner Gord Macatee to review WSBC operations. This is a common government ploy: when one group of patronage puppies […]
Flimflam sham
When conducting hearings on Northern Gateway, the National Energy Board Joint Review Panel denied participation to many and held sessions behind closed doors to limit opposition voices. Its decision favoured multinational industry […]
in-sights.ca 
The Gordon Campbell/ChristyClarke years did not bode well for BC. The same Developer real estate views are still widely adhered…