Wednesday, November 21, 2007

 

48 hours until next BCRail hearing, and a reminder from "Lynx" why it's important

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First, there was this comment:
Anonymous said...

Sounds like the BC Gov't got a great deal selling off an asset which was declining in value and which even the private sector could not turn a profit with.

November 19, 2007 5:57 PM


And then lynx said...

absolutely wrong, anonymous 5:57.

Not according to an internal memo released by BC Rail in 2003.

BTW... think land deal, think "real estate" deal, think how that rail line snakes through "prime", previously inaccessible BC real estate, when you think of the sale of BC Rail. This was never about a rail deal....kinda reminds you of how our FN treaty process is being used to access previously inaccessible land as well.

Anyway, here's the 2003 news item ....and heeeere's Joy:

Internal memo shows BC Rail is earning a profit for BC taxpayers

Opposition leader Joy MacPhail yesterday blasted Premier Gordon Campbell in the legislature for breaking his promise to keep BC Rail public. MacPhail released an internal BC Rail memo showing the company is earning a profit and exceeding its financial performance targets.

"Gordon Campbell has been saying that BC Rail is a losing enterprise and needs to be sold to provide service to the North," said MacPhail. "But BCRail's books tell a very different story."

According to a confidential memo released by MacPhail, BC Rail made so much money this year that bonuses were paid to all managers at the railway. The memo clearly points out that the bonus was a direct result of an increase in the net operating income of the railway.

As well, said MacPhail, the three-year strategic plan of BC Rail states that it expects to make a further profit over the next three years.

MacPhail also said that the Premier, in his February televised address, said that BC Rail was being subsidized by taxpayers to the tune of nearly a billion dollars. However, according to BC Rail's strategic plan, the Crown corporation has not received a subsidy since 1993."What is notable is that the BC Liberal Party has received $158,000 in donations since 1996 from CN and CP-- the two main competitors vying for BCRail. Now Gordon Campbell is breaking his promise, and selling of a profitable public enterprise to pay off his political bankrollers."


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It's all there in Hansard. Many, many thanks to "Lynx" who has a way of knowing where to look for these historic insights. And we desperately need to look for the answers. Big CanWest media in B.C. won't willingly tell the whole story. If reports on the B.C. Opposition are published, they're tailored to create a certain impression. And we must never forget that there were 185 new spin doctors added to the government payroll in Sept. 2006 by Order in Council. Some have suggested (were they kidding?) that "Anonymous 5:57" (above) may in fact have been one of those "Media Monitors" like Dave Basi was, hired to keep on tweaking the news to suit a political purpose. So thanks again, Lynx. - BC Mary

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Comments:
The Premier says a lot of things and it took people like Joy McPhail to catch him when he started spreading the baloney. A lot of BC folks knew the railway was making money an hae been for years. Gordo cooked up a story others might believe and even though he has stated BC Rail wan't for sale, he then tried to convince the tax payers that they were getting farly short lease on the rails. short as in almost 1000 years.The man can't be trusted but unfortunatly rnought follw his line of thought that he gets elected.. dl
 
mary,

this may be tommorrows update for your site. paul taylor is becoming more and more tangled in the spiders web of this scandal.
Check out the hansard from today!

HANSARD TRANSCRIPT

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2007

Afternoon Sitting

KPMG REPORT ON
ACTIONS OF PAUL TAYLOR

L. Krog: Over a month ago the government released only a summary reporting letter from KPMG into the activities of Mr. Paul Taylor and the B.C. Automobile Dealers Association.
In this House on May 29, the Premier promised that the full review, the terms of reference, the documentation, the process undertaken, the steps taken and the full report will be made available on completion of the review.
The summary reporting letter does not meet the Premier's promised standard. It is quite simply a whitewash, and so my question is very simple. Will the Minister of Finance live up to the government's promise to this House and direct forthwith the release of the full KPMG report as promised?

Hon. C. Taylor: As has been said in this House, when the proper FOI process has been completed, information will be released.

Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental.

L. Krog: It's very clear that that process appears to be more of a delaying tactic than a process.

The opposition has received a further relevant e-mail dated January 27, 2003, from Mr. Kieran to Mr. Bornman, part of which reads: "Just got a call from Paul Taylor's wife. She is his message bearer. He suggests we get Omnitrax together with Larry Blain, the new CEO of Partnerships B.C., the P3 agency that Paul engineered. Larry is on holiday at the moment. Paul says all partnerships with government including BCR will be funded by Partnerships. We'll put this together next week."

This clearly shows that the real issue is the relationship between Mr. Taylor and Pilothouse, which KPMG was not instructed to investigate. This e-mail shows that Mr. Taylor was providing Pilothouse with a range of information dealing with the most sensitive and confidential government matters.

Will the Minister of Finance do the right thing and launch today a full inquiry with real powers to investigate the activities of Mr. Taylor?

Hon. C. Taylor: When the information came forward to the Premier's office, an investigation was launched with KPMG, a reputable firm. They found in their results that, in fact, there was no wrongdoing by Mr. Taylor.

If any new information is available, I would suggest that the opposition make it available to the Premier's office.
 
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Anonymous 6:10,

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU.

We're indebted to you, and to Lynx today.

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The Campbell/Coleman administration, is, guilty beyond ASSociation!!!
 
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