The Great Star Fleet At the turn of the 20th Century, the Alaska Packers Association assembled the largest fleet of privately owned sailing ships in the world. It was an era in […]
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.
Pro-media: watchdogs or lapdogs?
Katie Hyslop has a worthwhile piece in The Tyee about the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation. Teacher Decries Pension Plan’s ‘Unethical’ Investments, The Tyee, Nov. 13/12 “[Paul] Hutcheson started researching the B.C. […]
Wazzup, ferry riders?
A few days ago, Mary Polak’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure announced the “B.C. coastal ferries consultation and engagement process”. The ministry invited: Input on considerations to achieve $26 million in savings […]
A caution for Canada’s Conservative Party
Six CPC members of Parliament may be deposed if the Federal Court accepts allegations of widespread voter suppression during the May 2011 election. This action, to be heard in December, is separate […]
BC Liberal truthiness
We face 26 weeks of taxpayer paid pre-election advertising promoting the BC Liberals. They’ll be using “facts” like this one, broadcast on Global TV November 9: “We’re ensuring British Columbians have the […]
Conservatives use truthiness liberally
For people who care about Canadian veterans, truthiness of the Conservative government is cringeworthy. Harper’s crowd claims to be: …unwavering in our devotion to making sure that Canadian veterans not only have […]
SNC-Lavalin & BC Liberal commonality
A reader of the piece about BC Investment Management Corporation’s holdings in unethical companies asked if the agency has a relationship with SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. Unfortunately but not surprisingly, it does. And, it […]
Like Emily Litella, without the never mind
NBC anchor Brian Williams told election night viewers, “Donald Trump, who has driven well past the last exit to relevance and veered into something closer to irresponsible here, is tweeting tonight.” In […]
Vertical integration of Chinese forest industry
The Wall Street Journal reports the China Investment Corp. will acquire a substantial stake in Island Timberlands, which owns about 254,000 hectares of forest land, mainly on Vancouver Island. Soon, we may […]
Money speaks louder than words
According to a March 2012 Canadian Press report, “British Columbia and five other provinces are teaming up to sue Canadian tobacco firms for health-care costs. “B.C., New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba […]
Comparing investment returns WA & BC – REPLAY
First published June 18, 2012 (Click on the label bcIMC for more information:My earlier article pointed out the vast difference in overhead costs for government investment agencies in British Columbia and Washington […]
Take from the poor, give to the rich
Further to my comments about homeowners subsidizing industrial power, here is an extract from the blog of Vancouver lawyer Jim Quail, Site C and the Kitimat LNG Export Terminal: Christy Clark’s Program […]
Time to reform government advertising
We’re presently bombarded with slick advertising from two senior levels of government. As well, industry is celebrating tar sands as great for the environment and, of course, producers tell us that natural […]
Restraint is only for the little people
The fiscal year ended March 2012 was a good year in the executive suite of this BC public agency. These are averages of the five highest paid executives of that oganization. One […]
Nice work, if you can get it
Mark Blucher was appointed interim president and CEO of ICBC in October 2012. He fits the insurance company’s culture of bloated entitlement quite nicely. Blucher joined the company in August 2010 and […]
When politics and science diverge
The Cohen Commission Final Report is available now. I suggest you download the full document because it will probably disappear rather quickly into federal archives to gather dust alongside other costly and […]
Designed to fail – REPLAY
From March 2011, in my humble opinion, this article is worth repeating: Overcrowding at Royal Columbian hospital led to shutting down microwaves in the on-site Tim Hortons doughnut shop. Emergency physicians were […]
ICBC desperately needs real management
Ten months ago, I published Talking tough, empty words and empty head, a piece mocking Attorney General Shirley Bond in her role as lead ICBC overseer. Shortly after, Finance Minister Kevin Falcon […]
One hand washes another
A principle of management states that senior staff lead by example when it comes to ethics and morality. Behaviours of leaders set the values that their followers use. Another certainty is that […]
Rush to secure rewards
With only 27 weeks to oblivion, BC Liberals have limited time to pick forbidden fruit. We know about the failed bid to privatize BCLDB and the flood of high cost private power […]
in-sights.ca 
If you require high standards a good place to look for clarity is Liz Oyer. Liz - Blanche takes down…