The report Krog and Bond were referring to was just about future indemnity on legal costs

Are you old enough to remember the story of the little engine that could --- or have you seen the Walt Disney movie "Dumbo", where the work train is taking circus animals to the next town?   

Up the hill it goes saying … "I think I can … I think I can”.  Once to the top, it then heads down saying "I thought I could … I thought I could …”

I bring this up because the whole BC Rail and Basi / Virk Trial is rearing its ugly head again … and at the end of the day this may be a mantra that goes round and round in Christy Clarks head ... albeit with slightly different words.

I think I can … I think I can … keep the whole Basi / Virk mess hidden

I thought I could … I thought I could … keep the whole Basi / Virk mess hidden

How far back does this whole thing go?  Years … and years … AND YEARS. 

Odds and Ends

Just a couple of things of note from the past week.

One story you may have missed was that fat juicy pay raise some at Powerex have received.  Never heard of Powerex??  Well it's the power export arm of BC Hydro.  Seems that several of the top management people there are in line for pay raises of hundreds of thousands of dollars!

In story in the Vancouver Sun it said that Thomas Bechard will now be making $432,950 a year (a 65% increase since 2008-09) ... Mark Holman's pay has jumped by 70% and he will now be earning $678,898 ... while get this, Robert Campbell will be going from an annual salary of $196 thousand, to nearly $630 thousand ... an increase of 320%.

In 22 elections the NDP has only won three times (1972, 1991, and 1996) with leaders most would consider to be moderates.

Adrian Dix -- NDP Leader

Adrian Dix grew up in Vancouver, one of three children to parents who ran a small business. He graduated from the University of British Columbia, and is married to writer and arts advocate Renée Saklikar.

Before being elected as an MLA in 2005, Adrian Dix spent 5 years as the BC Yukon Branch Executive Director of Canadian Parents for French, and also served as the Chief of Staff to former NDP Premier Glenn Clark from 1996 to 1999.

In 2005, he was was elected as the MLA for Vancouver Kingsway. In the six years since then he has been the Opposition Caucus Deputy House Leader, and served as Opposition Critic for Health. Adrian has extensive experience as a non-profit director, education community leader, government strategist and media commentator.

Dawn Black named NDP interim party leader

And now it’s a race …

“Welcome to a future – a New Democrat future – where everyone can contribute and no one is left out” --- NDP MLA Adrian Dix during his leadership announcement Monday January 17^th in East Vancouver

It hasn’t be a very well kept secret, and now Adrian Dix, alleged to be one of the toughest New Democratic MLA’s, has announced he is running to lead the party.  Dix, who was elected to the BC legislature in 2005, is a former room mate of Premier Glenn Clark.  He worked with Clark helping him become premier in 1996 when the NDP last won a provincial election, and then went on to serve as Clark’s Chief of Staff.

Justine Hunt from the Globe and Mail has stated that, “Mr. Dix has been one of the strongest critics on the opposition benches since winning election in 2005, tackling both the children and families file and, more recently, health. He takes credit for pushing the government into the creation of an independent watchdog for children and youth, as well as for winning better security for women using public transit.”




Royal Inland Hospital --  Kamloops, BC

For those living in the Kamloops, Thompson Nicola region, Adrian Dix, who is currently the NDP’s Health critic has often been on the attack with regards services at Royal Inland Hospital, most recently with regards to the cleaning of hospital surgical equipment.  This caused him to be a burr under the saddle of Kamloops South Thompson Liberal MLA Kevin Krueger, who as you know just a few days ago had to retract and appologize for the following comments he made in an interview with a Kamloops radio station:

Politics This Week (Jan 2nd - 8th, 2010)

Again this week there were a lot of interesting stories around politics in Victoria … and around the province with the BC Conservatives, the Liberals, and the NDP.  Here’s just a snapshot of some of the stories that made the news this past week …

Gender quota makes BC NDP seem ridiculous -- National Post

Predictably, this affirmative-action provision has come back to bite the NDP in its political buttocks. The resulting publicity has made the party appear …

Valley Conservatives to pick MLA candidate after March -- Canada.com

By Spencer Anderson, Comox Valley Echo January 7, 2011 The BC Conservatives are set to face off against Comox Valley MLA Don McRae in the next election …

NDP’s ‘renewal’ is going nowhere in this leadership race -- Globe and Mail

When 13 members of the BC New Democratic Party caucus decided to take out leader Carole James in a holiday-season coup, they insisted it was nothing

Harry Lali ... 'the establishment' ... and 'Older White Males'

Since news broke of the ridiculous situation the NDP find themselves in (at least 1 of the 3 main party positions must be filed by a woman), many have been outspoken about how “un-democratic” the New Democratic Party is.

Again, one of the following 3 positions must be filled by a woman … the Treasurer, President, or Party Leader, and since Carole James resignation, that leaves only the leaders position available – and no woman stepping forward to date declaring they are in the running.

So what do we have?  Equity Quotas … Gender Rules … Reverse Discrimination

Joining the chorus in the past several days, and again yesterday in announcing his candidacy to the leadership of the NDP, longtime member Harry Lali has all of a sudden discovered this clause in their constitution.  As he has been an MLA now for 20 years, I have to wonder how he missed this important point.

What have we been offered by those who want to be the leader of the BC Liberal party

On November 9^th, 2010, just days after the announced resignation of Premier Gordon Campbell, Jeff Jedras of the National Post wrote an article entitled, “BC Liberal Leadership still a prize worth winning” (http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2010/11/09/jeff-jedras-b-c-liberal-leadership-still-a-prize-worth-winning/#ixzz1A5LdypS0).  His article began with the following:

It’s hard to know where to start in appreciating the wacky state of B.C. politics. It has arguably the most electorally successful premier in B.C. history in Gordon Campbell, who survived a drunk-driving charge while in office, only to be felled by a caucus and taxpayer revolt. A taxpayer rebellion led by Bill Vander Zalm, a former premier who presided over the destruction of the once-mighty Social Credit brand and left office in disgrace and mockery. And an opposition party in the BC NDP that, with the government at historic lows in the polls, seemed more interested in knifing its own leader, Carole James.

The latest development, Campbell’s resignation as Premier, was both inevitable and surprising. He tried to save himself with a televised infomercial a few weeks ago, offering large personal tax cuts, but the damage was done. With a caucus revolt brewing, Campbell recognized the writing was on the wall and decided to go as gracefully as possible …

That was nearly two months ago, and since then what have we been offered by those who want to be the leader of the BC Liberal party -- and premier of the province? … here’s a quick reminder: