This week in BC Political News

Another week has passed … and along with it came many stories regarding, and around, politics in British Columbia.   Among them has been the on-going saga of problems with Community Living BC … last week’s Angus Reed poll … questions about what is and will be acceptable in BC’s off-share tourism marketing … the impact of the federal crime bill on BC … and much more.

Here are some of the stories that made the news this past week.

No home for man, in jail 7 months -- Community Living unable to find place for 19-year-old with developmental disabilities       Victoria Times Colonist

… said jail is becoming the default home for disabled young people when there is no support in the community. "Basically we're using jail as the services for him," she said. "CLBC has not been able to find a placement for him."  …  said she fears for the safety of the young man, who has the developmental age of a six-year-old child and is vulnerable to abuse in the criminal justice system … said the government is paying far more to keep the man behind bars than it would cost to care for him in the community, and officials could be at risk if he comes to harm …

Poll delivers bad news to Clark and Liberals   BC Local News

... people often say they support parties with limited chances of success between elections, before returning to the fold … several things might make this different ... Cummins the main one.  He’s an experienced, skilled campaigner, as shown by his six successful campaigns to be an MP … attracted others with experience and knows how to do the basic stuff that other fledgling political efforts tend to mess up … been quick off the mark and effective in issuing news releases critiquing the Clark government … Cummins has a chance, with some credible candidates, to make a pitch to voters who aren’t happy with either of the two main parties, a significant group these days..

De Patie killer violates parole – again  BC Local News
… Doug De Patie, whose 24-year-old son Grant was killed by Pratt in 2005, did not expect Pratt to last long outside prison.  "He is not ready for the outside world," said De Patie, who was informed that Pratt missed his 8 p.m. curfew Saturday.  "He is making a mockery of the parole system. He is not showing any remorse. He is not showing any respect for the loss of Grant."

Search starts for a seam of TV talent    Victoria Times Colonist

… series about B.C.'s mining industry, using your tax dollars … government and mining industry have put a call out for someone to create and produce an eight-part "informational" TV series about the 120 different careers in the province's mineral exploration industry … it could start airing in the fall of 2012.  The BC Mineral Exploration and Mining Industry Labour Shortage Task Force - which uses federal funds administered by the province - is kicking in $100,000 in seed money ...

BC agrees to not aim tourism marketing in China at gays or gamblers  Time Colonist
… asked about the restrictions, Tourism Minister Pat Bell said: “Part of the sensitivity in China is making sure we market the appropriate sorts of activities in B.C. Those are identified by the Chinese central government as areas where they don’t think there is an opportunity to market into B.C. Approved Destination Status is a negotiation, making sure we meet the needs of the Chinese consumer and at the same time reflect everything that’s good about B.C., so the details of the actual negotiations I would have to provide when I get back to B.C.” ...

BC Liberals weigh benefits over costs in Harper’s crime bill  Globe and Mail

… the British Columbia government’s bean-counters will be grinding through the financial impact of the federal Conservatives’ omnibus anti-crime bill. Whatever figure they come up with, B.C. won’t go to the wall to recoup the costs from Ottawa … Ms. Clark is trying to coax back to her tent the 18 per cent of voters who, the pollsters say, support the fledgling B.C. Conservative party …

Ruling denies commercial fishing rights to B.C. First Nation

… the Supreme Court agreed with the lower courts that the euchalon trade was sporadic and not central to their sustenance.  "It is not enough to show that some element of trade was part of the pre-contact way of life if it was not distinctive or integral to that way of life," Justice Ian Binnie wrote in the decision.  "Such sporadic trade as took place in other fish products was peripheral to the pre-contact society and did not define what made Coast Tsimshian society what it was."

Premier Clark must come clean on which parts of the federal crime bill she does not support

“What provisions of the bill does Premier Clark not support?  Does she object to ending house arrest for serious or violent offenders … increasing penalties for sexual offenders who target children … mandatory sentences for serious drug offences? Maybe she opposes letting victims of terrorism sue supporters of terrorists and states that support terrorists?  At what point does she think that protecting our children from sexual predators is too expensive?” asked Cummins.

'Families first' rings hollow  New West Record

... it has also become near impossible for the government to provide any credible response to calls for an independent inquiry of CLBC's operations, other than acceding to such an inquiry immediately … only an internal review is occurring … internal reviews is that they don't necessarily challenge decisions that have been made or question the value of policies that are set in stone … many of CLBC's problems seem to stem from poor decision-making and policies that were poorly thought out...

Cummins: CLBC crisis can be laid squarely at the feet of the Liberals
”Under this Liberal government there is never enough money for client care, but the civil servants and insiders running the system do very well … the Crown agency paid out $300,000 in performance bonuses to top managers and executives … paid CEO Rick Mowles a salary of $230 000 per year and upon dismissal he received a severance of $345,000.  These outrageous salaries and bonuses were paid while the agency closed 65 group homes for developmentally disabled adults … $25,000 contract for media relations to put a positive spin on this story.”

Eighty-six Signees Promise to '86' Property Tax Hikes   Taxpayers Federation

… the Contract with Taxpayers includes ten points, including keeping tax increases at or below the provincial rate of inflation, encouraging direct democracy, supporting transparency in expenses and a Municipal Auditor General and resisting downloading from senior levels of government …

Premier not learning from history  Christy Clark unable to stop party's fall in popularity while NDP gains ground – Vancouver Province Newspaper

… when Campbell announced he was quitting on Nov. 3, 2010, Liberals dared to hope he would take all that baggage with him, and the party could win another election under a new leader.  It's happened before. Back in 1996, the governing NDP had crashed in the polls … Harcourt quit. Glen Clark took over. And the NDP won a stunning second majority government …

How could we advise casinos to skip China's market potential? Pamphlet another cock-up in poor management of B.C.'s tourism sector – Vancouver Province Newspaper

… it's a huge market," said the vice-president of Great Canadian Gaming ...  why would a government intent on creating jobs and developing trade with Asia advise casinos to stay away from China, where gambling is a national obsession?  ... gay tourism is one of the fastest-growing travel sectors in the world, said Dean Nelson, executive producer of Gay Whistler's Winter Pride promotion.  "It's a market worth billions of dollars around the world," ...

I’m Alan Forseth in Kamloops … on this Remembrance Day of November 11^th, 2011.