Monday, December 03, 2007

 

Break-in at Bill Tieleman's office

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Today: Monday, December 3, 2007

Tieleman Hit by Break-In

Bill Tieleman in his ransacked office. Photo by Rob Kruyt of
24 Hours Vancouver.

Reporter thinks intruders sent Railgate 'message.'

By Rob Annandale
Published: December 4, 2007

TheTyee.ca

The office of a Vancouver journalist has been broken into in an incident he believes is linked to the political scandal he is covering.

Bill Tieleman, a regular contributor to The Tyee who has been writing about the B.C. legislature raid case, discovered upon his return from the courthouse Monday that someone had broken into his office via the ceiling and a vacant adjacent office after attempts to force his door apparently failed.

Although nothing was missing, Tieleman said the intruders had moved a copy of a book about the raid and an accompanying press kit across his office and placed them on top of fallen ceiling tiles.

"Somebody was sending me a clear message about the B.C. legislature raid," he told The Tyee. "There's no question about it."

Tieleman has been documenting the twists and turns of an affair that is still in the pre-trial phase nearly four years after it burst onto the public scene.

Police raided the B.C. legislature offices of two ministerial aides on Dec. 28, 2003 and suggested at the time there might be links to drugs and organized crime going to the highest levels of government. In the end, the heart of the matter was the $1 billion privatization sale of B.C. Rail to CN Rail. {Snip} ...

"They tried pretty hard to get in the door," he said. "They just didn't do a good enough job."

Police have investigated the crime scene and taken a statement from Tieleman who says he takes the incident seriously but refuses to be intimidated.

"The main thing is I'll continue writing for The Tyee and 24 Hours about this."

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Bill: Very sorry about this. First thing I thought of, when I read this in Tyee, was that it sounds like what happened to the lawyer, Bruce Torrie, who had been advising the B.C. Liberal Party on (in his words) two factions of Organized Crime operating within the party. When he returned to his Victoria home, he found -- as you did -- his documents ransacked but nothing taken except a jar of coins. I'll look up the story. Cripes, this is unsettling. But perhaps it's a wake-up call, too, that the people in Courtroom 54 should get moving to resolve Case #23299 without any more delays. - BC Mary.

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Found this, Bill:

Victoria Independent Media Center

Did Bxxx's Bxxs Burgle Bruce Torrie's Victoria Home?

by Alan Rycroft and Bruce Torrie , Friday February 06, 2004

Bruce Torrie is a well-known environmentalist with a keen interest in climate change. He is also a long-time member of the Liberal Party who has been investigating the infiltration of the Liberal Party by organized crime. Recently his home in Victoria was burgled by unknown persons. The RCMP is investigating....

LIBERAL LAWYER'S HOUSE BURGLARY FOLLOWS BRIEFINGS ON ORGANIZED CRIME

For Immediate Release: February 4, 2004

VANCOUVER -- The Victoria home of Bruce Torrie was burgled last weekend, three weeks after he began briefing high-placed Liberals about the possible infiltration of the Liberal Party of Canada by organized crime. Bruce Torrie is the former Legal Counsel to the LIberal Party of Canada (BC) and the Liberal Party of BC, as well as the former President of the Vancouver Centre Provincial Liberal Riding Association, and the former Policy Chair of the LIberal Party of BC.

"Police tell me that this was the work of professionals, who cut phone lines to disable the alarm system," said Torrie. "They left almost everything of real value, taking only three large jars of pocket change and a few other items. They found two secret hiding places in my home that I didn't even know existed, and turned my house upside down apparently looking for information."

Torrie has been briefing high-placed LIberal Party officials and activists from his Vancouver home since January 9, and believes the burglary is related to his briefings.

"After the RCMP raid on the B. C. Legislature, it's no secret that police are investigating organized crime at the highest levels of Canadian society," said Torrie. "I think organized crime was trying to find out what I know about their activities within the Liberal Party of Canada."

Torrie believes that there are two crime rings fighting for control within the LIberal Party of Canada, and that several prominent politicians and party functionaries are "patsies or proxies for organized crime."

Information:

http://www.brucetorrie.ca

Bruce Torrie, 604. 685 0222

RCMP, 250 474. 2264 (file no. 20041551)

The burglary is being investigated by the RCMP. Media outlets wishing to gain access to the crime scene in Victoria are asked to schedule an appointment through Bruce Torrie.

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Comments:
This looks like the work of SPIDERMAN!
 
I'm sorry to hear of this breakin Bill. I have been broken into acouple of times and it's not a pleasant feeling. The first time I had felt as though I'd been raped.
But from this comes a couple of things. First, there is apparently a lot more interest in this case than the mainstream media puts out. Secondly whoever did this monitors at the very least The Tyee, 24 Hours and the Blogs. In monitoring the blogs they would have known that Bill was going to court this morning and he would not be in the office.
We know the police have a thin blue line. I'm wondering if reporters have the same. If so are they going to get behind Bill on this.
I'm Glad this won't deter Bill in his reporting of the Legislature Raids and the illegal sale of the BCR.
 
Desperate people do desperate things . . .

Very disconcerting, Bill - I can well imagine your thoughts. I admire your courage & ethics. Please do carry on as you are.

Funny how the truth is always such a threat to the guilty who in their desperation to suppress it, always resort to low life tactics.

Yet the best solutions always lie in holding firm while moving forward armed & dangerous WITH the truth. It is a tougher route but one well worth taking.

Power to well informed people!
 
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gary e,

That's what I've been wondering, too: will the Vancouver-Victoria journalists (and publishers) step up to support Bill Tieleman now?

Will they show some solidarity at this level?

All I can figure is this: if Bill finds the facts of the BC Rail Case, he'll name them and explain them.

'Somebody' doesn't like that.

Which side will the media be on?

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I thought that the proper way to "send a message" was a horse's head on a pillow not a book on brkoen ceiling tiles.

They must have been rookies!
 
EXPRESS COLLISION SHOP SAID,

The break in at Bill's office is one more reason why this trial has to see the light of day. We have to expose sleazy cowards like this. A while back I wrote about not ever inviting any of the individuals on the original search warrant list over to my place for a glass of wine. I stand by that comment. I was up late last night hoping that there was some security cameras on and that these sleaze balls would be arrested.(how sad it is that I have to even think about security cameras).

Bill T-THANK YOU for your work on this trial.Keep your head held high and lets not let these cowards bring us down. Bill and Mary you both have a lot of new friends in the collision and auto glass industry. You will hear from them soon. Keep up the great work.

On another note-a sketchy rumour has it that there is some major changes at the top of ICBC. I wonder ..........more emails ?
 
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