Remand Centre Update

It's down to Vancouver, Surrey and Delta for the much-maligned remand centre, says The Delta Optimist.

The Age-Old Question...

If a party leader and executive resigns in the forest, but no one is there to hear them fall--do they make a noise?

The BC Conservatives, known for little more than their endless in-fighting, has now lost its leader, Wilf Hanni, and much of their executive. Advance editor Bob Groeneveld summed up the ramifications of these resignations on his blog:

And in other important news in B.C. politics, a butterfly sneezed somewhere in Africa...

Happy Canada Day!

Get out and celebrate--but stay safe.

Backing Away From The Gregor Plan

I have no inside knowledge on this, but yesterday's big Regional Transportation Accord announcement has Mayor Dianne Watts's fingerprints all over it. Taking a cue from the Livability Accord strategy, Lower Mainland mayors have signed off--along with business, labour and environmental leaders--on a "Regional Transportation Accord calling on all three levels of government and TransLink to work together to find solutions to achieve adequate funding." (See press release here.)

This is a classic Dianne move--when in doubt, expand your coalition--and stands a much better chance at gaining traction in Victoria than the last suggestion the Mayors made: asking for the carbon tax revenue to be directed to TransLink.

That idea, Mayor Green tells me, came from Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson--maybe the last guy in any City Hall in British Columbia that you want to take advice from when it comes to the provincial government.

A former NDP MLA, Gregor runs very hot and cold when it comes to the Province, whether it be gushing over the Premier at an event, retracting those same statements when they were (gasp!) published, or negotiating the HEAT shelter funding via press release. He doesn't seem to grasp any of the fundamental principles of how the BC Liberals operate.

The carbon tax suggestion is the perfect example: here's Premier Campbell's great personal political gambit, which is only barely tolerable to many British Columbians because, by law, the revenues must be returned to the public through income tax cuts and the Climate Action Dividend. Robertson suggests instead that this money should flow into transit--making it a pure tax grab. Instead of just asking for the money outright from the provincial treasury, he tried to be cute with the carbon tax, and that was a complete non-starter. It was shot down within hours, no matter what the Mayors tried to say.

These Mayors have one major hurdle when it comes to the Province baling out TransLink: from what I can glean from the BC Liberals I talk to, they do not feel provincial tax dollars should flow into TransLink's operating revenue stream because, effectively, people in Williams Lake, Trail, Prince George (where new Transportation Minister Shirley Bond lives), and elsewhere would be funding transit in the Lower Mainland.

Now John Winter of the BC Chamber of Commerce gets this. Read his comment from yesterday's signing:

"While the BC Chamber represents businesses of every size, of every sector in every region of the province, we recognize that the current congestion in Metro Vancouver is having a negative impact on the ability to move people, goods and services that are inherent in a healthy, robust economy. We need to ensure that we have the ongoing funding in place to support a long term transportation plan that supports growth in the region and province. The BC Chamber remains committed to providing our input to all parties to find the appropriate solutions."

Of course, as Vancouver Councillor Andrea Reimer pointed out on Twitter this morning, a cow washing up on shore in Victoria received more press than this Accord. Sigh.

Gregor Gutted

Mike Smyth at the Province blasted Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson yesterday for his handling of the HEAT shelters:

The False Creek North shelters were so thoroughly botched by city hall that it's hard to imagine any neighbourhood that would now be willing to co-operate with Robertson on his housing agenda. (clipped)

Meanwhile, I hear lots of grumbling that Robertson simply doesn't have the backbone to stand up to the raving left-wing idealogues inside his own party. I'm sure there are some Vision Vancouver types who thought it was deliciously subversive to stick a bunch of junkies and crackheads into a smug cocoon of latte-sipping condo-dwellers and watch the ensuing mayhem.

I think Robertson has tremendous potential as a politician, but he must get a grip on his own agenda. The next "bold idea" that could go sideways on him: the bicycle-only lane on the Burrard Street bridge.

June 2009's Most-Read Posts

Here are our top 5 posts from June 2009:

1. James Coleridge Decision
2. New Secretary-Treasurer
3. Metro Vancouver Directors Get Big Bucks
4. Langley Real Estate: #1 in Lower Mainland, #4 in Canada
5. Cabinet Sworn-In

And here are June's Township Council meeting recaps:

June 1 Afternoon
June 15 Afternoon Evening
June 22 Afternoon Evening

Follow-Up Stories

Some stories in the local papers that follow-up on various Township issues:

- Township Council gave final reading to rezoning 222nd/Fraser Hwy. for seniors and single-family housing (Times).

- Looks like we weren't the only municipality relieved to see IPI hit the bricks. Coquitlam has a new contractor, too (Tri-City News).

- Langley Township and City have a new emergency plan (Times).

- Some residents think we should aggressively seek out and cap artesian wells--including the one at Five Corners. That won't make Wally Martin very happy (Times).

Stay Classy, Langley

By the way, in the past few days, we've had to spike or alter a half-dozen Dotcomments due to some inappropriate content. We apologize for having to do this, but as publishers, we can be held liable for what is posted here.

So, as a rule of thumb: refrain from accusing people of illegal activities or outright lying or deceit. Insults are not welcome here. These are things that will not be published.

Campbell #5

Gordon Campbell became the fifth longest-serving Premier of British Columbia today. Can you name the four premiers who have served longer than his 8 years, 25 days?

I got three of the four right. Click here for the answer.

Oversensitive?

I read this op-ed in the Toronto Star yesterday, and our MP Mark Warawa was getting beat up by an opponent of the Alberta oil sands:

Earlier this month, Dr. John O'Connor, a dedicated family physician, and I got badly tarred by another one of Ottawa's disturbing political gangs.

The ambush happened June 11 before the House standing committee on environment and sustainable development, which is studying oil sands and water. We testified not as experts but as concerned citizens. We didn't ask to appear; the committee invited us. (clipped)

The MPs representing the Liberal, NDP and Bloc Quebecois asked many civil questions but showed an uneven grasp of tar sands operations. But the four Conservative MPs on the committee, Peter Braid, Mark Warawa, Blaine Calkins and Jeff Watson, spent most of their time attacking our credibility. They didn't want to talk about water.

Like members of some strange Communist gang, they assumed that Dr. O'Connor was a natural born liar. They insinuated that he had no credibility because he wasn't an industry cancer professional or a highly degreed expert. What, after all, would a family physician know about rare bile-duct cancers, even though his father died of one? They suggested that a 30 per cent higher-than-expected rate for cancers in the community must be a lifestyle issue. In other words, the people living downstream of the tar sands had simply chosen to make themselves cancerous.

Then they questioned O'Connor's patriotism. In May, both O'Connor and I accepted an invitation by Greenpeace to speak in Norway. O'Connor courageously told Norwegians, public investors in the tar sands via their state-owned company Statoilhydro, that unfettered tar-sands development was creating a real public health problem in Fort Chipewyan. The Tories ever so slyly accused O'Connor of taking part in unCanadian activities.

Wow. Sounds rough, I thought to myself. But I was left with a nagging doubt about the whole thing. I mean, you can criticize Warawa for a lot of things, but he's not a nasty guy. So I searched and found the transcript of the actual meeting.

Warawa got two opportunities to ask questions. The first time, he asked about the doctor's professional qualifications (fair question, I think) and asked why the doctor's count of people with cancer differed from the official count provided by an Albertan health authority (another fair question, and neither was asked with any malice that I could diagnose). Then Warawa tried to dig into the doctor's involvement with the Norwegian branch of Grrenpeace. Again, it didn't seem malicious.

Near the end of the meeting, Warawa got another chance to ask questions. Here's what he said:

Dr. O'Connor, so I don't forget, I'll begin by saying that during our trip to Fort Chipewyan, we sensed a great respect in the community for you and the work you've done in that community. I think it's reciprocal. I sense a real love for that community from you.

Hardly a smack in the face! Then Warawa asked the doctor about a deformed fish (and I had flashbacks to that Simpsons episode with the fish with three eyes), and whether it was pollution that caused the deformity or a genetic issue.

This was as tough as it got:

Warawa: Were you aware when you went with Greenpeace that you were part of a 10-day delegation and that their purpose was to pressure the Norwegian government to not have participation in the oil sands?

Dr. John O'Connor: I believe that was Greenpeace's intent in going to Scandinavia. My purpose in going there was to highlight the concerns that have arisen as a result of the findings downstream, the concern of the peoples across northern Canada. Also, and I've said this very clearly to them, there have been silver linings to this cloud of the tar sand development. A lot of members of the communities would not have had the ability to earn the types of incomes they have had. That is a kind of good—

Warawa: I'm sorry to interrupt, Doctor, but my time is limited. When you were in Scandinavia, in the message they heard, did you bring up pulp mills and industry along the river, or was it mainly focused at the tar sands?

O'Connor: I just told my story.

And the meeting ended.

So there you have it. You tell me: Did Warawa ambush this guy? Did he attack his credibility or patriotism? Because I don't see it.

Out and About

It's been a fun few days, and I wanted to mention a few places I've been recently--and mention a couple of things to do on Canada Day.

On Saturday afternoon, I tagged along with Jenny for a wedding she was performing at Hayward Lake in Mission. We had never been there, and it was a beautiful spot, although the water levels are low due to some work BC Hydro is doing. I had about an hour to kill and stumbled upon BC Hydro's Stave Falls Powerhouse museum. What's not to love about an old building with old generators, electricity demonstrations, and 1940s appliances?

On Sunday, we dropped in on Township 7 Winery's Art in the Vines event, which was booming under the perfect south Langley sunshine. Afterward, we swung by the new Frosting Cupcakery in Langley City. It's a cute spot and the girls loved their cupcakes.

And last night, I took Indie out to see the Vancouver Titans' home finale at the Events Centre. It was a good crowd, 600+, and a lot of fun, even if the home side lost 129-100. The Titans were missing a couple of their big bodies, and their interior defence showed it.

Which brings us to Canada Day, a big deal here in Langley.

The big Canada Day celebration actually kicks off today at McLeod Athletic Park. Click here for the details.

There's also the Fort Langley celebration tomorrow, and (my personal favourite Canada Day tradition) the pancake breakfast at Krause Farm from 9 to 11 a.m.

Greenwood on the District Deficit

The Langley Advance features a very interesting letter today from outgoing School District secretary-treasurer Peter Greenwood on the District deficit--a rare step for a senior bureaucrat:

To the Editor,

At its June 16 meeting Langley's Board of Education reported a projected $4.8 million deficit in its 2008-2009 operating budget. Board chair Joan Bech shared some preliminary conclusions that have been provided by the accounting firm Deloitte, which was engaged to conduct an independent review of accounting and budgeting procedures in the district.

The board indicated in its public statement that it would be sharing information in the report, which the board will formally receive in September. In the meantime, a few things can be said to clarify the situation.

The projected $4.8 million deficit is not due to past decisions of the board. As chair Bech stated, it was due to "incorrect and incomplete calculation of expected expenditures" and "accounting errors in calculations and reconciliations." These errors, which have been identified and corrected and will not be repeated in subsequent years, led to a situation where the district spent more money than it had.

Although the district has dealt with the causes of the deficit, it has not addressed the overspending that occurred in 2008-2009. The district had to reduce expenditures by $3.1 million for 2009-2010 to bring them in line with projected revenues. Those reductions were necessary to balance the 2009-2010 budget and ensure another deficit will not be incurred.

As for the 2008-2009 deficit, the Ministry of Education has been informed of the situation, with formal notification to take place when the financial audit for 2008-2009 is completed. At that point the district will request a meeting with the ministry to work out a plan for eliminating the outstanding amount.

Peter Greenwood
Secretary-treasurer

The Week's Best Late Night Jokes

About.com has their usual list of the week's best political late night jokes, including this one from Conan O'Brien: "Today the governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford, who's the head of the Republican Governors Association, held a press conference to reveal he had an affair with a woman from Argentina. People were shocked because Republicans traditionally don't do well with Hispanic women."

Sunday Soapbox

Here's the usual open thread to discuss whatever is on your mind.

And here's a word cloud of what we posted last week (click to enlarge):

Au Revoir, Sunday Times

Today marks the final edition in the 11-year run of the Sunday Times. And Frank Bucholtz is saying goodbye:

A great deal has changed in 11 years. Langley is larger than ever, but people get their information in a much wider variety of ways. One of those ways is The Times' vibrant website, with content that changes every day, and often hourly. People who want to know what is going on in the community don’t have to go any further than their computer.

Most of our readers now have high-speed Internet in their homes and offices, and checking news websites is a daily fact of life for many people.

It costs a lot of money to print and distribute a newspaper, and it was felt that we can use that money more wisely by putting more effort into the Wednesday and Friday print editions, along with the website, which now features videos of many of the events we cover.

Metro Vancouver Salaries Tops $100 Million

Thanks to CityCaucus.com, we know that salaries for staff and politicians at Metro Vancouver came to $102,131,905 in 2008. Unbelievable for an agency that should just be a sewer, water, and solid waste utility, with a small planning resource pool to help municipalities coordinate their strategies near borders with other communities.

64th Overpass Update

The Advance does a good job of explaining the Agricultural Land Commission's process in this online-only piece. Meanwhile, work continues by the Roberts Bank Rail Corridor working group (which includes the Province, the Township and TransLink, to meet the nine conditions set out by the ALC in their preliminary approval for the 64th Avenue overpass. The ALC generally doesn't meet during the summer anyway, and I expect everything to be in place for their review this fall.

Superintendent's Report

Langley RCMP Superintendent Janice Armstrong has posted her latest report, and passes along a warning about a recent rash of cat burglaries:

We have experienced a series of Cat Burglaries (break-ins to residences while people are home) in the past two months. A number of these crimes involved the suspect (s) breaking in through unlocked garages, stealing power washers and tools. In other cases, access to the residence was achieved through unlocked doors and windows. Cash from purses, video games, CD's, DVD's, computers and credit cards were taken. In the remaining cases, the suspect (s) forced open doors and windows. While these crimes have been occurring all over the Township and City, the last three happened north of the freeway in the area of 93rd Avenue and 208th Street and 94th Avenue and Glover Road. Cat burglaries have been occurring in other jurisdictions such as Abbotsford and North Vancouver. Despite the recent hot weather, it is recommended that home owners lock doors and windows and use extra precautions where possible (dowels in windows, extra locks, alarms, etc).

Parents For Independent Trustees Cleared

The BC RCMP have announced that the Parents for Independent Trustees group, while late, did file the necessary paperwork regarding their endorsement ad in the 2008 School Board election, says the Advance.

MLAs Rich Coleman and Mary Polak had been previously cleared of any wrongdoing for endorsing candidates in that ad.

Budget Blues

The fallout over at the School Board Office continues, as trustees, parents, staff, and others try to come to grips with what to do next. CUPE's reaction can be read here, and the Langley Teachers' Association's reaction is here.

What To Do This Weekend

Tourism Langley's latest Fresh Sheet of acitvities can be found here.

Around The Township

Nathan Pachal blogs about the joint meeting of the Langley Township and City Parks and Recreation committees.

The Langley Events Centre's environmental features are profiled by the Times.

Business at the Otter Co-op continues to boom (Times).

Township Council voted 8-1 to support Langley Lodge with $33,000 a year for three years (Times). To put that number in perspective--it's less than a nickel a month for the average Township property owner.

The Township is seeking a federal grant for a third artificial turf field in Willoughby (Times).

City residents aren't sold on the City's plans for 208th Street (Times).

BCCLU: Looking Out For You. Well, Not If You Live Up North.

The BC Civil Liberties Union has announced that it will challenge the BC ridings map for the 2013 election, as they believe it unfairly boosts rural voters' rights--at the expense of the urban ridings. From the Georgia Straight:

The president of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association has said the province's electoral system is unconstitutional because it dilutes the influence of people who live in urban and suburban constituencies.

In a phone interview with the Straight, Robert Holmes said the population differentials between constituencies are so great that it undermines the principle of people having an equal and effective vote. "There are a half-dozen or more ridings that are so out of whack from what they should be that it is just unconscionable," Holmes said.

In Stikine--the least populous constituency--there were 14,708 eligible voters in the May 12 election. In Comox Valley, there were 49,503 eligible voters--more than three times as many. Langley, New Westminster, Fort Langley–Aldergrove, and Vancouver-Fairview each had more than 45,000 eligible voters, and all three Richmond constituencies had more than 44,000 eligible voters. None of the four Kootenay constituencies had 32,000 eligible voters.

I think rural MLAs have enough of a challenge dealing with sheer geography of their ridings now--to get to a certain level of population, one would either need to add 40 MLA seats or give one poor MLA massive geographic swathes of the province.

Do you feel underrepresented, compared to the rural regions of British Columbia?