Monday, July 13, 2009

 

BC Rail 5th anniversary message from Leonard Krog

July 13, 2009

Dear BC Mary,

Thank you for your e-mail about the sale of B.C. Rail and the upcoming fifth anniversary of the closing date on the deal.

The sale of B.C. Rail was a broken promise that erupted into the largest political scandal in B.C. history. But perhaps even more importantly, it embodies Premier Campbell’s agenda to sell off public assets to his corporate friends.

As you know, the New Democrats actively opposed the sale and from the outset we have worked to demand accountability and expose the truth about events that lead up to the sale.

We have also demanded accountability about the impact of the sale. Our FOI request resulted in making public a heavily severed version of the contract, and we have continued to call on the government to come clean on the entire contract.

Although we do not have the capacity to seek a legal injunction on the sale as we approach the fifth anniversary of the closing date, please be assured we will continue to press the Campbell government to finally release the entire content of the deal and we will continue to oppose any further sell-offs of our public assets.

I also want to thank you for your tireless efforts to both expose the truth about the B.C. Rail scandal and protect the public from further harm.

LEONARD KROG, MLA
NEW DEMOCRAT OFFICIAL OPPOSITION
NANAIMO

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I present this reply exactly as received. Your comments will be welcome.

- BC Mary

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Kootcoot has given me permission to include the message he received from ... ahem ... Leonard Krog (not really from Krog; neither was mine). There are good links included here but Koot wasn't at all pleased that they misspelled his ... er, name. I promised to include it just the way it was:

Dear Conctituents,

Thank you for your e-mail about the sale of B.C. Rail and the upcoming fifth anniversary of the closing date on the deal.

The sale of B.C. Rail was a broken promise that erupted into the largest political scandal in B.C. history. But perhaps even more importantly, it embodies Premier Campbell’s agenda to sell off public assets to his corporate friends.

As you know, the New Democrats actively opposed the sale and from the outset we have worked to demand accountability and expose the truth about events that lead up to the sale.

We have also demanded accountability about the impact of the sale. Our FOI request resulted in making public a heavily severed version of the contract, and we have continued to call on the government to come clean on the entire contract.

Although we do not have the capacity to seek a legal injunction on the sale as we approach the fifth anniversary of the closing date, please be assured we will continue to press the Campbell government to finally release the entire content of the deal and we will continue to oppose any further sell-offs of our public assets.

I thank you for your interest in this very important case. Below, for your interest, are links to the contract in its severed form.

http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/bcrail/

http://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/PubDocs/bcdocs/370853/index.htm)

http://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/PubDocs/bcdocs/370854/index.htm).

Thank you again for getting in touch,


LEONARD KROG, MLA
NEW DEMOCRAT OFFICIAL OPPOSITION
NANAIMO

LK/ll

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Comments:
The only way to protect the public from any further harm is,

TO TELL THE WHOLE TRUTH!
 
Remember how the Dippers and The Media were all hot to trot to make a big fuss about a certain BC Liberal Party insider's untendered 'contracts' with BC Rail just before the election writ was dropped.....

What happened?

.
 
I'm sorry, Mr. Krog, I don't buy the "nuthin' we can do" mindset.

Why can't the NDP seek an injuction?

What's holding the NDP back?

What's holding you back?

What are you doing to stop the sale from being finalized?

I understand that Campbell and his bootlicks are selling off the province, but the NDP has been worthless in stopping them - for 8 long years and counting! Joy and Jenny were more effective when they were but 2 brave voices in the Legislature than anything I have heard since. They brought the NDP back from the brink, but for what purpose?

Now is the time to get it together, Mr. Krog. There is no time to lose.
 
Yeah, Gazetteer ...

We've been asking those questions for such a long time.

Then recently Professor Robin Mathews gave Laila and me some homework, saying to us, in bold capital letters: YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST READ THIS. So I did. It knocked me flat, but answered all my questions. And it was published 5 years ago!!

Privatization, Profit and Porkchopping
by Will Offley
Canadian Dimension - July 1, 2004

http://canadiandimension.com/articles/1968.

That's why the Opposition does nothing very much to actually disturb the government.

.
 
Has anybody in opposition talked to the Lieutenant Governor?

There doesn't need to be a VOTE of non-confidence to keep a runaway premier in check.
 
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
 
Anonymous 11:50,

No, it isn't the Basi Virk Basi trial ... not unless they have changed their minds.

Right at the get-go, they chose "Judge alone".

The only other details I have is that all the Basi Virk lawyers have cleared their appointments for that period from September to January ...

Thanks for the compliment. Y'know, every time I go searching for something in the Archives here, I'm more and more impressed by the treasure we are building up. Someday, when we finally know what happened to BC Rail, somebody must write the books. They absolutely must. And The Legislature Raids will be a big help.

Good luck ... wow, 6 to 8 months is a huge commitment of your time. I hope it's challenging for you, rather than merely depressing.
 
It was quite an article wasn't it Mary? When I read that, I can't even describe how I was feeling.

But, I totally agree with your assessment - that is EXACTLY why the NDP has become a party of toadies IMO. Not only to the unions, but to the government as well. Which makes one wonder...why are they there? What good are they doing that they deserve the salaries, expenses, perks, and pension we are forced to pay them?

Bah!

Dear Mr. Krog;

Did you really have to wait this long to reply, having received letters from a number of us asking for your help to protect our assets? Thanks! For Nothing.

Gordon Campbell has much to answer for, the NDP has just as much. How sad is it when two NDP women took on 77 MLA's IN the Legislature and make the Libs look like inept fools...yet a party of 30+ NDP MLA's are now being made to look like fools? What did the two have that the 30+ don't? Guts. No one owned them.

Mr. Krog, unless the NDP makes MAJOR changes in leadership, policy, and attitude over the next 4 years...your party will be lucky to have even 2 seats after the next election. That means you better find some capable blood to transfuse with...someone like Corky maybe. He actually KNOWS what he's talking about, and what the ISSUES are. Even better than that - he know HOW to oppose someone/something. It's too bad the party needs him, more than he needs the party.
 
To Anon 11:50 (now deleted),

I'm so sorry that your interesting comment slipped through and somehow I didn't notice until later that it was headed NOT FOR PUBLICATION.

So that's why it has been removed. I thought it was interesting, appropriate, and I appreciated the encouragement.

But I feel it's important to honour any request that a comment to be kept private.

Just so you know.

Best wishes.
 
Leah,

If you believe, as I do, that a free press functions as an arm of a democratic society ...

don't you wonder how this article by Will Offley could lie around gathering dust for FIVE YEARS before some diligent soul (a) finds it, (b) understands it, and (c) sends it around saying YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST READ THIS?
 
There is so much available right now,toxic budget,double the job losses,welfare numbers,recocnition and reconciliation and yet.....

The present group of dippers seem muted,Bruce Raulston yesterday on publis eye radio.....
Can you say OATMEAL/WISHY WASHY or inept......
To the leaders of the NDP.......

I formerely request that you enroll most of you MLAS into a......
PUBLIC SPEAKING COURSE !!!!

Between Simpson/Raulston and many others..........

YOU DON`T KNOW HOW TO SPEAK

I can`t believe how many umms,ahhhs,and fumbled toungue words come out!
A politician should never,ever use the word umm or ah...SHEESH

I am getting the impression that the election was deliberately lost,the reason,the present books and the finances over the next few years are going to be so brutal that the NDP calculated that if they won they would end up wearing massive deficits and a huge uptick in the BC debt.
The way the NDP MLAs speak they couldn`t get hired as tele-marketers.
I again implore the NBP BRASS--Enroll your people into public speaking classes(demand it)

Cheers-Eyes Wide Open
 
Prp,

You're so far off the topic of BC Rail, I would delete you except for the fact that B.C. so badly needs your passion.

Teaching old dogs new tricks? Maybe, if they WANT to learn. But do they want to learn? Or are things going just right for them?

Have a look at Will Offley's article and tell us what you think.
.
 
boy!! that sure sounded to me like leonardo has just ,simply, given up? boy what a great opposition,maybe they were right in saying they couldn't run a koolaid stand? They can't even understand what they can do about getting answer's or getting to the bottom of this sordid affair does it seem to you that democracy has been lacking for the last number of year's,but even so Mary keep on trucking,and don't give up like krog did!
 
The thing that's most depressing about Offley's article, for me at least, is the sense that the whole crew: Ken Georgetti; Jack Allard; Nancy Curley; Gerry Forcier; Dave Haggard; Leif Hansen; Rod Hiebert; Don McGill; Charles Peck; David Schaub; Randy Smith; Anthony Tennessy and Bryan Wall seem to all be in Jack Poole's pocket - along with Gordon Campbell.

Despite these people's ostensible public profile as representatives of the public interest through their labour background, how could they actually think that it would be appropraite for THEIR company (Concert Properties) to take the funds of their union brothers and sisters and use them - to the tune of 16 thousand dollars - to support Gordon Campbell's government? Not to say that they are also using these funds to feather their own nests and subvert the public interest of all British Columbian at the same time.

What's good for Concert Properties is NOT NECESSARILY good for BC.

These people clearly don't care about anything BUT money -

It isn't just that Concert is a big supporter of P3s in this province - which would be bad enough - but it is absolutely reprehensible to continue to pay lip service to the false notion that they can do this and still support the principles of the New Democratic Party.

Is this why the old guard in the party is so anxious to get rid of Carole James?

Is the union influence behind the scenes not only the reason for the failure of the NDP to do better in the last election - but also the reason that Gordon Campbell - despite his obvious incompetence as a manager and his failure as a decent human being - has the funds to continue to lie about what his agenda actually is?

Somebody, and I'd suggest it is the actual rank and file of the unions these cranks pretend to represent, ought to be screaming blue murder about this.

How does one contact Will Offley?

If the province has a future then the activities of these guys must be flushed out into the open.

NOW

These characters must be thrown out of the tent - has Offley updated the article since 2004?
 
BC Mary--The point I was trying to make is the fact that the NDP are useless public speakers....

If they can`t convey the BC Rail message,the budget lie message,unemployment message,the LIES-Deciet-......

What good are they,I have nightmares about what`s going on,but even I have a tough time listening to some of the dippers....
I will try to stay on topic...

Campbell is a criminal,happy now?
 
Mary, I found the article about 3 weeks ago and assumed that I was behind the times and everyone else would have seen it by now. In future I won't assume - I'll send a link and ask if you've seen it, if it's something we need to be aware of.

I sent it to one of the stewards in the HEU about 2 weeks ago, with a note asking if they knew about this. I received the reply last week. "No, but it is indeed very interesting isn't it?" They didn't look too happy, nor should they.

This union capitalist group is no different than any other P3 group in its agenda...wealth creation, power, and control. They're just far more secretive about it. These are the unions involved as shareholders, note who is part of it - and who isn't:

Pension plans that invest in Concert are:

* Boilermakers' Pension Trust Fund
* Bricklayers and Masons Pension Plan
* Carpentry Workers' Pension Plan of B.C.
* Ceramic Tile Workers' Pension Plan
* Local 213 Electrical Workers Pension Plan
* Floorlayers' Industry Pension Plan
* Heat & Frost Local 118 Union Pension Plan
* IWA - Forest Industry Pension Plan
* BC Labourers’ Pension Plan
* Marine and Shipbuilders Local 506 Pension Plan
* Operating Engineers' Pension Plan
* Piledrivers, Divers, Bridge, Dock & Wharf Builders Pension Plan
* The Plumbers Union Local 170 Pension Plan
* The Pulp and Paper Industry Pension Plan
* Shopworkers Industrial Union Local 1928 Pension Plan
* Teamsters (Local 213) Pension Plan
* Teamsters Canadian Pension Plan
* Telecommunication Workers Pension Plan
* United Food and Commercial Workers Union Pension Plan

How sweet is it to use union pension funds to create your corporation, then control who gets a job, AND how much they're going to earn while working for you. Is ANY union allowed to join, or is it an invitation only party?

The BC Fed called for what could have turned into a general strike in 2002 - and then backed away from the pot they stirred, hanging the HEU out to dry. Did they lose sleep over the 15% wage cuts the HEU was forced to swallow? Did it bother them that the HEU were refused the right to vote on whether or not to accept the new contract being imposed on them? I sincerely doubt it! Did they object to the 15% pay raise Campbell gave himself, and select ministers, AT THE SAME TIME as the HEU wage cuts took effect? I doubt it. I think it's time that union members wake up and realize that the union bosses just might not be there for the good of the rank and file...as much as their own "piece of the pie."
 
Sure, I'm happy, comrade. But if you're asking what the topic is, it's BCRail.

Check my photo.

Have a look at that Will Offley article, too, eh?

Looking forward to your comments ...
 
Sorry Mary, missed the answer to your question - yes, the media is a functioning arm of democracy. Probably even more important than the party in power, because they can make or break an election. Canwest is proof of that.

Which is why I smiled from ear to ear when I saw their shares drop to a mere 6 cents a share...too bad it wasn't lower.

My only fear now is that someone with an even worse track record than Canwest will step in to fill the "void." We can only hope Faux News is sleeping. Not bloody likely though.
 
And out of sheer curiosity - how much did Concert Properties donate to the NDP in the last election?

That should speak volumes.
 
Leah,

I'm always glad to receive a tip ... and it's interesting that the Offley article sat for FIVE YEARS and is now having a whole new life of its own.

I did see it some time ago and the thing is: it's a bit off topic so I don't really want to get into the quicksand of partisan politics.

I just offered that link recently because people (myself included) have been so baffled by the do-nothing NDP ... and the Offley narrative effectively explains that.
 
I got my copy of Leonard Krog's "Message from Useless" from some minion named Ms. Carroll, and only noticing the legislature return address, initially assumed it was some other MLA, that ALSO doesn't represent my interests - just like the rest of them!

What a waste of words and bandwidth Krog's letter is. Let's examine a couple parts like:

"The sale of B.C. Rail was a broken promise that erupted into the largest political scandal in B.C. history"

Really? If it is the "largest political scandal in B.C. history" how come it was barely mentioned during the election. Sorry Mr. Krog, but Glen Clark's deck is still the biggest scandal in B.C. history, maybe if we actually HAD an opposition, this wouldn't be the case.

"As you know, the New Democrats actively opposed the sale and from the outset we have worked to demand accountability and expose the truth about events that lead up to the sale."

Sorry again Leonard. Maybe Jenny and Joy, long ago, TRIED to demand accountability and answers about the BC Rail deal AND the Ledge raids, but since you all became the James Gang, this corruption has become much less important than what kind of genitalia an NDP candidate happens to possess.

"We have also demanded accountability about the impact of the sale. Our FOI request resulted in making public a heavily severed version of the contract,"

Don't pat yourself on the back too hard, I mean you ARE the justice critic for the party that is SUPPOSED to be in opposition. And do you guys just cut and paste each others stuff and send it out. I mean "severed version" of the contract is such ridiculously stilted usage - why keep using it? Perhaps words such as "redacted" "cut" "censored" or "Blacked Out" would be better choices, all!

And why did the NDP pull down these same FOI results during the election, the BC liaRs left EVERYTHING, even blatantly "political" stuff on their equivalent legislative website. Those FOIs weren't even "political" just documents that SHOULD BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN ANYWAY, and would be in a non-banana republic.

" and we have continued to call on the government to come clean on the entire contract."

These demands, are you whispering them into Gordon's ear perhaps? Because out here in the real BC, we don't really notice anybody demanding much of the Campbell Crime Family - and the thugs certainly don't volunteer much information (you know it's Question Period, nobody said anything about answers).
 
BC Mary,I have known that Campbell was,is a corporate and moral thief since 2001...
Yes,the tentacles are everywhere,anyone with half a brain can put 2 and 2 together,as you know I have been banned so many times on various blogs for stating the obvious,and recently for ALLEDGEDLY promoting assasinations......
I hope we can get the rail back and prosecute the criminals,I`ve written letters to the editors,hundreds of notes to the NDP,dozens of email of mine read on the radio,and I`m regular on the cutting ledge and even today on the monday quaterback,my voice resonates.......
I think your a saint BC Mary,you go girl,you fight BC Rail.....

A railway or a historic monument,whatever you want to call it,it`s material,it can be replaced or bought back,my passion is salmon,wild salmon,they can`t be replaced or bought,forest lands,same thing.........

You are #3 on the list of my most admired classy lassies..#1MOM--#2-Alexandra Morton--Then BC Mary....

Hey,bronze is cool,,,,,,,,

Third world dictatorship,you bet,there`s a big human rights story going on in Dawson Creek/"THE CORPORATION" is there,the people,are expendable.......

The day of reckoning is coming for the perpetrators,I won`t post anything that you have to delete.....

You save the rail,I will save the salmon.......be careful,who`s going to save the messengers.

Cheers-Eyes Wide Open
 
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