This is a small piece of information learned in my recent examination of business in Norway. In the article Two Oil Economies, I mentioned Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global, the sovereign wealth […]
Public service: a rewarding career
Eventually, the piper must be paid
L.F. Copeland (1888): Mathematics is an exact fact; figures don’t lie, but liars sometimes figure. Financial statements of governments and crown corporations should be simple and understandable. They should be; but seldom […]
Performance short of promise
During the 2013 BC election, Liberals talked frequently of “Debt-Free B.C.” The party platform included this: No conscious person will be surprised when I state the performance has fallen short of the […]
With Ian Jessop, CFAX1070, Jan 22
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Speaking for the future – Updated
This week I got confirmation that new corporate funding has been assembled to counteract bloggers and writers in alternative media who reveal mismanagement of provincial assets and emphasize the public’s declining share […]
A few billion here, a few billion there…
Growth in long-term debt at #BCHydro. #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/27grtfWv7g — Norm Farrell, IN-SIGHTS.CA (@Norm_Farrell) January 22, 2015 In addition to growth in long-term debt, #bchydro obliged to pay over $50 billion for private […]
BC Prosperity Fund Accrual
February 13, 2013, Premier Christy Clark announced …the new British Columbia Prosperity Fund to ensure communities, First Nations and all British Columbians benefit from the development of a new liquefied natural gas […]
Distracting, dissembling, deflecting – lest you forget
Are you unhappy with rapidly increasing electricity rates and the general state of BC Hydro finances? Are you looking for the party responsible? Well, the Vancouver Sun has the answer. It’s a […]
Report news while making news?
It is appropriate to ask if political writers can report objectively after they become paid participants in the public forum, earning appearance fees and other remuneration from businesses with interests in their coverage…
Tax preparation software – FREE
A message I’ve been repeating annually. For most of us, Canada’s income tax season is in focus, or soon will be. As previously noted here, I urge you to try certified tax […]
A question to consider
A quick reminder about on-screen diversity at Fox News #foxnewsfacts pic.twitter.com/XE7tSHw2p9 — The Poke (@ThePoke) January 11, 2015 //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js @ThePoke @Norm_Farrell Can’t help but think if that’s what the collage of missing […]
He can’t handle the truth
Laila Yuile uncovered an indication that Stephen Harper has new plans for Gordon Campbell. It involves a telephone pollster with Conservative ties asking a call recipient if Gordon Campbell is trustworthy. In […]
Canada’s radical makeover
Michael Harris is author of Party of One, published by Viking Canada. he is a writer, journalist, and documentary filmmaker. He was awarded a Doctor of Laws for his “unceasing pursuit of […]
An internet sage speaks
Lew said… about prisons I think there’s a conflict of interest here. The government shouldn’t be allowed to design and build with public money what might (if there is any justice) be […]
Anything wrong with this picture?
Canada’s governments say that natural resources are driving economic growth across the country. They just don’t specify which country. Resource companies don’t want to pay mining, income, sales and property taxes, they […]
Recipe for disaster: malpractice followed by neglect
Scotty on Denman left a comment at the previous article, De plan, de plan! and, for me, it resonates. Anyone who reads Recalling BC pioneers will understand why. Captain Vancouver reported BC […]
De plan, de plan!
BC Stats published the monthly numbers for log exports to November 2014. The number reinforce arguments made in a recent Times Colonist Op Ed. An excerpt: B.C. government has gradually abandoned the […]
Political success, program failure
Shortly before the 2013 provincial election campaign began, BC Liberals announced a new program that was to be funded with over $100 million: GP For Me, February 22, 2013 The Province has […]
Ferries’ future foretold
The inimitable RossK at The Gazetteer has another in a series: This Day In Clarkland…Transport Minister’s Casablanca Moment. In his piece, RossK linked to one at Northern Insight and, although written many […]
The ethics of business
Something got me thinking about business ethics and that brought to mind a short piece I wrote for the Jewish Western Bulletin (now The Jewish Independent) in 2003. The item described a […]
in-sights.ca 
The Wall Street takeover of Canada shouldn't come as a surprise. Ex Goldman Sachs executive, Mark Carney, is demonstrating once…