Saturday, April 05, 2008

 

Big fluke amid big scandal at ICBC

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Column by Les Leyne
Times Colonist - Saturday, April 05, 2008

The Insurance Corporation of B.C. yesterday presented the imminent departure of its chief pilot as a routine career change that has nothing -- nothing whatsoever -- to do with the fact that one engine is on fire, the cabin is filling with smoke and the rest of the flight crew is getting fired left right and centre.

It picked a Friday afternoon to make the announcement that CEO Paul Taylor has decided to bail out and take up a new opportunity in the private sector starting early next month. Right away, suspicions arose. Nothing good ever comes out of head offices on Friday afternoons.

{Snippety-doo-dah!} ...


NDP Leader Carole James was left sputtering like everyone else by his departure. The huge coincidence about the new job opportunity developing right when a major scandal was breaking out is "very hard to believe" she said.

Taylor would have been a prime political target for the Opposition. He was a key treasury adviser to former Alberta premier Ralph Klein and was recruited to B.C. by the Liberals prior to the 2001 election. He did a one year stint at the New Car Dealers Association while waiting for them to take power, and was slotted into a key cabinet advisory job after they won.

He later became deputy minister of finance. He was one the senior advisers who instituted the considerable downsizing of government during the Liberals' first term.

He moved over to ICBC after the bulk of the restructuring was done and has run the corporation for more than three years. It's an exquisitely sensitive public corporation that touches the lives of everyone with a driver's licence. It's facing an extraordinary mess that looks like it will take months at least to clear up. And now it will be up to someone else to do the clearing up.

Taylor's landing spot will be announced next week. No matter where it is, it will be more comfortable than ICBC is right now.

Read Les Leyne's full column at:
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/columnists/story.html?id=53d1cb3f-a998-482f-b897-d8123de72496

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Comments:
Les Leyne appears again to be dissing the NDP with his comment "NDP leader Carole James was left sputtering like everyone else"

Who is everyone else Mr. Leyne? Where are your comments on the Premier? Where was he? Not a word from him. As usual, hiding somewhere. I suggest if a columnist wants to write a column he, or she, should write it in balance. Not slanted to make one person or party look bad.

Maybe your comment sjould have been "we have no idea what the Premier has to say on this matter because he can't be reached".
 
Express Collision Shop Said,

ORGANIZED CRIME IN BC PAID FOR BY 2.9 MILLION POLICY HOLDERS OF ICBC ?

I must remind all that ICBC has already admitted publicly to most of these alleged crimes on many occasions over the last six weeks. Todays Neal Hall article in the Sun is most revealing. Check out the RCMP statements. Very disturbing. The RCMP may possibly be investigating ex RCMP officers. I find it ironic that April is ICBC's AUTO CRIME ENFORCEMENT MONTH. Some of the goals for the Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team (IMPACT) and police forces across B.C. are to arrest more car thieves, drive down auto theft and prevent more lives from being stolen. They should start with ICBC.

This fiasco has been a lose, lose for all. There will be a huge cost to all of us and I am not talking about just dollars. The industry has been cleaning up our acts, with the help of ICBC over the last ten years. There are many good people at the corporation and they are very upset over this mess. The moral at ICBC is at an all time low. That also applies somewhat to the industry. Yesterday, I recieved many phone calls from shops all over BC. The feelings range from anger, disbelief, shock and in some cases joy. The hard part is now beginning and the Industry will do all it can to help out. There are many serious problems at ICBC, this one took all by surprise. You will hear new allegations over the next few weeks. It is time to clean house and make a better corporation.

I must also remind all that these are criminal allegations and more than a few. ICBC over the past 15 years has charged many people and collision and glass shops with fraud. The corporation has also been throwing their weight around with any one who poses a risk to them. Many of the senior managers who are under suspicion are known in the industry as the corporate bullies. Some other day I will tell some of these injustices.

ICBC has played a dangerous game since this mess first broke. The scant information released and how it was released should cost some people jobs. Some of these cars should never have been allowed on the road. I would like to know who inspected these cars for roadworthiness. When a salvage car is sold, the vin and history go through about 8 different departments at ICBC. This was a very sophisticated, well planned, long running alleged racket that involved many people to succeed. Many would call that organized crime.

Gary E, the Premier made a statement late yesterday. I will let you decide on his statement. Keep your eyes on this blog for newsbreaking stories. Mary's Site was second only to the Sun in breaking this news yesterday. If I was not on the phone, MARY would have been first. Next time. Sorry about that one.

Mary, it is good to see all the ICBC related shenanagens connected to this trial. The jigsaw puzzle is starting to come together and connecting a few more tracks to the ties. Keep up the good work all.
 
"The Insurance Corporation of B.C. yesterday presented the imminent departure of its chief pilot as a routine career change ..."

....can't resist, even though I know we're talking metaphor here but maybe the "chief pilot's" landing spot will be that ol' faithful - "Harmony Airlines".

I mean how many hours real "flying time" did Gary Collins have when he "landed" there?
 
Don't worry, Taylor will land on his feet. The guy is made of teflon.
 
Taylor has a job working for some windmill outfit up the coast. Saw it on TV this evening Saturday
 
Express Collision Shop Said,

HARMONY IS OUT OF BUSINESS-ROUGH LANDING

NEW LOBBYIST IN TOWN-PLEASE REGISTER

Global TV stated that Mr. Taylor is going into the wind generated power business with operations proposed in Hecate Straight. I hope he is not entering the thought of lobbying the government, for at least a few weeks. Mr Taylor said he was contacted by a head hunter agency within 2 days of ICBC releasing the first press release of this scandal Feb 13 2008, I believe. Mr Taylor has told the media he first learned of this scandal in late January 2008. Tell me please, if a CEO making $300,000 per annum plus a huge performance package and a man of the highest integrity would bail in light of this scandal ? A real leader would fight like a banshee to clean up this mess on his watch. Real leaders also don't bail when the ---- hits the corn field. Maybe there is another reason for this special resignation. I hear the liberals have the best negotiators in the province. Then again, I have no idea how the inner workings of government work. Back to my statement the other day, if Taylor was fired, certain lawyers would love having him singing in the Smythe street court house. Lobby de do ya, Lobby all day, My oh my were all running away.

Only time will tell how this mess will unfold. The wagons are circling. Let us all hope that justice is served.This time the RCMP will be keeping a close eye on the corporation, along with a few other agencies. Political Kharma always has a way of unfolding, eventually.

Anon's, good work with the latest info from the court house. I am cross referencing those special numbers. Looks very interesting.
 
This is Taylor's MO. At the first hint of any scandal he bails. If you try to link him after the fact you will wind up with a cease and desist letter.

I think that Taylor going to a windmill company makes as much sense as Collins going to an airline but perhaps Winco felt that Taylor's steady supply of "hot air" might help their fortunes.
 
Ahhhhhh......

If I'm not mistaken are there not quite a few former 'oil and gas' team-types associated the Windmill industry?

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Tell me please, if a CEO making $300,000 per annum plus a huge performance package and a man of the highest integrity would bail in light of this scandal ? A real leader would fight like a banshee to clean up this mess on his watch. Real leaders also don't bail when the ---- hits the corn field. - writes Express Collision.


That comment resonates.

It's not as if Paul Taylor should feel honour-bound to resign because he himself is under investigation at I.C.B.C.

No, it's more like he was captain of a ship which has hit a rock. That means he as Captain should stay with it and put things right again. A good captain leaves a ship in good order.

Instead, the I.C.B.C. Chief Executive Officer grabs the first lifeboat and takes off, leaving the mess for others to repair.

Not cool.



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It was nice to see Michael Smyth's column echoing these words (above), and comparing a CEO to a ship's captain.

I was also thinking that Paul Taylor should contemplate the meaning of the term "ship-shape".

Not a term describing I.C.B.C. right now.

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