Gordon Campbell Must Explain His Conflict: Lobbying California on Behalf of His Friends Who Are Raping Our Rivers
I recently spent some time recalling what it was like to watch a Premier fall.
I was young, but experienced, and it still stunned me. It’s quiet a demeaning process. The man falls and so do so many around him. But it;s the people who suffer the greatest humiliation. It’s the people who I worried about then–and it’s them that I worry about now.
Although, our humiliation with Gordon Campbell as Premier isn’t new…
One of Gordon Campbell’s most prolific donors is Chairman of a company that bought BC Rail–a not under-performing public asset, in a deal that was vetted by one of Gordon Campbell’s chief advisers and the man who likely delivered Mr. Campbell to the Premier’s Office. The case, of course, is now before the courts.
But there can be nothing more economically (and ecologically!) hurtful, long-term, than the display of pure, unadulterated theatre of the Independent Power Projects that have spread across this province in the last seven years.
Why?
Well, it’s simple: IPPs or ‘Run of River Power Projects’ are motivated by the Campbell government’s mania for (false) green tech, resulting in the raping of B.C.’s rivers and streams to produce power that is then forced upon B.C Hydro so that they in turn can blow it off at a fraction of what they paid for it because it’s produced during what is referred to as ‘spring-run off’, when B.C. Hydro is at maximum capacity (reservoirs are full to the brim), therefore making the storage of private power absolutely impossible.
The Utilities Commission, having recognized this system of revolving losses (at the expense of the environment) as being complete bunk, have referred to IPPs as an answer to a non-existent problem. But Gordon Campbell is insistent on it.
And here’s where I have the biggest problem with this charade: IPPs in this province are largely either founded or directed by long-time BC Liberal supporters, past appointees, donors, campaign advisers and party hacks.
In fact, to admit to my own conflict, many of them are long time friends of mine, too. I went to school with one. I almost attended the same law school with another. Yet another (a funder) is a twenty-five year friend, who has deep roots in the federal Liberal Party. His father was once my boss. Another is a long-time advisor to one Liberal leader in B.C. And another is one of the finest political minds in the province, who I consider a dear friend, but have never had the heart to confront–although he knows because he reads this site often enough.
And for the life of me, I cannot understand how they can look themselves in the mirror.
The contracts Mr. Campbell has granted are astounding, truly astounding. As of 2008, there were over 500 licenses in queue. There are sketchy figures as to who’s through and who isn’t, but there can be no question the ‘Run of River’ is really ‘Rape of River’. The financier of at least five of these projects (with Ontario union pension money) admitted as much over lunch about a year ago.
As soon as I told him how I felt, and pressed him a little. His calls stopped and I haven’t heard from him again.
And to think that three weeks in a row, I bought lunch…
Meanwhile, our precious, pristine B.C. rivers are being turned into revenue streams (pun intended) for energy that is not necessary, being sold at a loss, and is harmful to the environment.
Mark my words, unless something earth-shattering comes out of the ‘Basi-Virk’ trial (and I’m told it surely will–as I surely hope) Gordon Campbell’s most despicable legacy will be IPPs.
But wait…last week he was in California actually PLEADING (!!!) with Californian law-makers to reverse course and buy private power from firms run by the Premier’s political pals.
To say that I was flabbergasted would be a considerable understatement.
Not a word from the local or provincial press. Nothing. No one asked the pertinent questions. Well, here they are…it’s never too late, all of you in Victoria. Wakey, wakey…
a) Premier, you made an extraordinary trip to California to essentially plead with Californians to change their laws and buy power from IPP projects that the Utilities Commission deem an answer to a non-existent problem, Sir, considering that many of your friends and close political allies, campaign workers, regular donors and stalwart supporters are either owners or directors of the vast majority of those companies, has anyone of those IPP corporations promised you anything for your efforts after you leave govt?
b) After your retirement from politics, Premier, have you been promised a directorship with any of them? Do you or any of your family members have investments or interests in any of those companies, Sir?
And you can read the story that went almost unnoticed, here.
I find it absolutely incredible that this faux niche industry is being led by the Premier, an industry loaded with his political pals, and not a single hard-nosed question by anyone in the media.
Shame.
He wont answer Alex neither will anyone else they made backroom deals to pillage our resources and he is in california trying to change their minds to line his own pockets sad isnt it, and almost everyone in BC now knows .
If MSM would have any moral fibre they would have 20 hard questions for Campbell from day 1 when he tore up contracts on hes said one thing done another and never had to account for his actions which simply fed the machine , keep posting keep telling people what is true most I know rate BC MSM with the Tabloids now when it comes to political matters and tehy wonder why people dont buy papers anymore , id pay you first !
Good post lets hope soemone does ask
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Thanks, but I won’t hold my breath.
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Good work. Thank you.
Again we need a major shakeup in the MSM.
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You’re welcome. Yes, we do. And it’s coming.
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Alex:
After Glenn Clark left office and after he was cleared of any wrongdoing over the “bogus” RCMP “porch” allegations, I remember seeing him walking (and I do mean literally) around downtown Vancouver peddling some bizarre recycling scheme. It was a very sad spectacle.
Shortly thereafter, Jim Patterson gave him a job as he recognized that something had to be done to get the former Premier of this Province “off the street”. It was a wise and gracious act of kindness on Jim’s part and I am sure that many of us in the business community thanked him for it.
I don’t know about you but I have yet to talk to anyone in the BC business community today who would be willing to do the same for our current Premier when he leaves office. It is not only that he is absolutely detested on a personal level for his arrogant and inept handling of the affairs of the Government but that they recognize the dangers of getting to close to someone who has the smell of corruption about him when he enters a room.
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Oh, I’m sure he’d find gainful employment with any of at least three industry leaders I’m thinking of. They’re close pals of his that would take him on, without question.
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…so can you explain to me why they are waiting to make an offer that he can’t refuse?
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No. Because one isn’t forthcoming. He’s actually waiting for the PM to bail his derriere out.
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Agreed, but this brings us back to my original statement as in “anyone”.
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I know…I know…
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“It is not only that he is absolutely detested on a personal level…”
I actual laughed out loud when I read this… then I remembered – this is our premiere. This is just pathetic.
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premier
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I worked for one of Jimmy’s companies at the time when he hired Glen Clark and there wasn’t one person in the company who thought Jimmy made a good move when that was announced.
In fact there was common talk around the office of how we might “address” the former premier should he be thrown in as our boss, knowing what he did to the province.
Now, as someone calling themselves deep throat I was hoping either a) you were someone with inside info on the government, or b) a very attractive female with a certain affliction.
We at least know one is not the case.
As for doing something to get Mr. Clark “off the street”, there has always been a rumour…..yes a rumour, nothing more……that Jimmy’s hiring of Glen Clark was a pay back for certain dealings between the two when Clark was Premier.
One such rumour was to do with Westshore Terminals where Jimmy and his lawyers were able to convince a judge that his investment in the company came after a consolidation of shares and not prior to, netting Jimmy a return that still stands as one of his best to this day.
There were others as well but I’m not about to list the theories within Jimmy’s own companies and management for the hiring. You never know who reads these blogs you know.
So was Jimmy’s hiring of Clark, “kind and gracious” when no one else wanted to touch him with a 100 foot pole?
Perhaps. The Jimmy I know can be a pretty decent guy despite the rumours he like to perpetuate.
Now, I will say this. No one and I mean no one, becomes a billionaire without being shrewd, and knowing when to cash in on the relationship and favours one builds over the years. Not unless you have a horseshoe up your ass and struck it rich with an internet startup in 1999 before the bubble burst.
Since Jimmy isn’t an internet billionaire, we need to go with the former scenario.
Is anyone in the business community thankful he gave Glen Clark a job as you suggest.?
Please.
Frankly Clark would have landed back with a union gig at some point. Working for Pattison hasn’t changed his socialist passport, it’s only shown the hypocrisy of the left more clearly to those that pay attention.
He’s working for “the man”, taking money to pay his bills from “the man” but yet he still wants to “stick it” to “the man” like any good NDP..er…socialist.
So Deep Throat, think about all that before you go off thinking this was a completely gracious act.
Geez, your name wouldn’t be Carole from Beacon Hill would it?
Please don’t answer that, it would completely ruin #2 for me.
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Anonymous August 21, 2010 at 10:57 PM:
Wow, your wave of negative energy almost overwhelmed me!
Believe you me; if I had been working for Jimmy when he hired this former Premier of B.C., I too would have reacted the same way as you did. Perhaps even more so, as in, “…so you are the f^*+#^+ former Premier …welcome aboard”.
It is only because of the passage of time that I now recognize the wisdom of Jim’s gracious act.
In this regard, may I humbly suggest to you that your anger (albeit well justified) continues to cloud your understanding of the point I was trying to make. After all and in spite of what we may think of this sadly pathetic former Premier, he was cleared of any criminal activities before Jim hired him.
Currently and with respect to “Railgate”, the same cannot be said of our current morally vapid Premier and as such, he remains at the present time and for the foreseeable future, “untouchable”. And as you, Alex and I both know, the consequences of this immutable state of affairs inevitably leads to an unthinkable and unpalatable thought…the return of the NDP.
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Negative energy….?
Really?
Hang out at Cortes Island with the Hollyhock brood much?
If you’re going to hang out on the web with a moniker like “Deep Throat”, at the very least be able to take the scrutiny that comes to you for your choice.
And apparently you missed my point.
The rumours are that it may not have been a kind heart that hired a still accused Glen Clark, but a fat wallet. There’s a big difference there that anyone over the age of 21 should understand.
As for your contention on an unpalatable thought of the NDP’s return, that’s very clever “Deep Throat”, Carole, or whatever your name is. Maybe even a staff member for MS. James…..
ANYONE who who raises Glen Clark in comparison to Gordon Campbell in such way as you did in your post above has NDP written all over them.
Keep trying to cover your tracks though. One day maybe I’ll say good job.
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Anonymous August 21, 2010 at 10:57 PM:
Okay now I get it!
You were one of the unlucky ones in the Patterson Group who had to interact with our dear former Premier and as a result, you now see NDPers everywhere you look.
How humiliating it must have been for you to swallow your tongue while keeping that pleasant smile on your face.
How sad it is now.
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Okay fellas, enough jousting, let’s get back to the issue at hand, if you will, please…
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He…He…He…
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You kill me…
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I know…I know…
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Out of respect for AGT because it’s his blog, I’ll back off.
However, to clarify:
1) It’s the Pattison Group, not Patterson, again trying to play coy by misspelling his name……give it up already, you’re not fooling anyone.
2) I never had to deal with our former Premier in my role with the Pattison Group – period.
3) I don’t swallow anything for anyone, nor to I back down on my principles for a deal or a buck. Otherwise I would have beaten you to the punch for the moniker “deep throat”.
4) As I said before if you think you’re fooling anyone by your antics, you’re sadly mistaken.
For Alex, on the topic at hand, IPP isn’t questioned by the media because its been sold as “green” power. Heaven forbid anyone question efforts to “green” the province. The left-wing media in this province would never have any of “that”.
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I said enough…and I meant it. no more. Stick to the topic pls, thx.
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Nice to get back from holidays and find you’re still on form!
In Rome I was having a political discussion with some friends and the topic turned, unsurprisingly, to corruption. Canada has a very clean reputation but I am actually starting to think that we are in some respects worse than Italy, because whereas the Italians at least have no illusions about what is wrong with their institutions we bask in blissful ignorance.
Of course the complicit MSM you describe take the chief responsibility for that. Thankfully we have had Rafe Mair pursuing this issue over the last few years and you and other honourable individuals doggedly pulling up the shades and letting light onto the other rotting morsels of the Miss Haversham’s feast of a government. A few rats have been sent scampering, but the big ones are still on the table, shamelessly stuffing themselves.
Time to pull the cloth from under them!
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Thank you. Yes, welcome home.
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Thanks for keeping this story in the forefront Alex. This could very well be equal to the BC Rail issue as the biggest blunders in BC Political History. I’m not sure why the public is not protesting in front of the Legislature on this theft of a a public resource that was once the envy of the world. When the public starts paying double for Hydro in a few years, maybe just maybe they will awaken to what can only be describe as a Mafia type control of our most important public resource.
I agree Alex that the media instead of being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars ( BCTV ) to do “feel good” stories about BC, they should be doing their job with in depth reporting on this & other issues ( BC Rail ) to educate the public, that BC is being sold off in exchange for high paid private sector ( retirement ) jobs.
Guy in Victoria
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You’re most welcome.
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I don’t know much about our dealings with California now, or in the past, but a friend told me that B.C. was never paid for the power we supplied them during one of their serious power failures some years back. If that’s true, someone should tell Ahnold, that we’ll be baack! To collect! Of course it is only good sense one supposes; that he would give these contracts to friends (businessmen and women) rather than a bunch of socialists, considering the contempt betwixt the two.
However, it is obvious to anyone with eyes to see that Gordon Campbell stands in awe of the Terminator. speaking of terminations ….
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I think the whole thing stinks to High Heaven. What a lark! The Premier, on our tax buck, bumping for his pals survival. Incredible.
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Some research on what is in store shows that BC HYDRO will pay into the 10s of billions more for IPP power we really do not need and are locked into , Campbells freinds and political peers are in almost every company involved look at the lists of ex politicians freinds and BC Liberal helpers and its insane he has set up his freinds to literally plunder cash from us forever , when do we begin to look at corruption as crime .
I know you dont like to allege such things as criminal act Alex but its really past simple mismanagement Campbell has created this event and not from any sensible environmental platform its been done with pure greed teh motivating factor , i do beleive we would eb answering to soem authorities if we did such so should every one of teh individuals who dreamed this plan up.
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It’s truly astounding that he gets away with such rubbish. IPP tech is a complete waste and is an answer to a non-existent problem. Gordon Campbell should be charged for indebting the province in such complete and utter folly.
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It seems as if the printed version of the MSM has collectively decided to cover our provincial government by only regurgitating the press releases provided to them by the PAB. On the television and radio newscasts we get to hear a statement by the politicians, but no questions and answers. Hell, they don’t even need any reporters to cover our government anymore. Just send a cameraman, record whatever it is the politician wants broadcast and call it a wrap.
The only people reporters seem to hound nowadays are the families of victims of a tragedy.
On the hydro front, Stats Can has reported that our Hydro rates went up 36.7% in July. I certainly hope they made an error in their calculations, and if not, then I guess we are already subsidizing the river rapers.
Things just keep on getting better and better everyday. Not!
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Please tell me you are not going to become a Rafe Mair version 2.0.
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I am not going to become Rafe Mair 2.0.
Worry not.
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More likely he gets kidnapped in a bong bus full of old hippies and begins riding bikes everywhere – had to alex lol
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It’s okay….just this once…
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I just had a post up on a cbc blog about Gordon Campbell’s girlfriend deleted by the moderators…
How does a person exert that kind of detailed message to the media? It was not a derogatory post. It didn’t use foul language. What kind of club is being wielded?
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I don’t know what you wrote. It might be innocuous to you and me but could be problematic for them. Likely not. They’re just all sensitive. And yes, he has many friends in many places. Dennis Skulsky protected him at CannedWaste for years. Send me what you wrote under separate cover and I’ll tell you what likely spurred their sensors.
agtsakumis@shaw.ca
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So Alex, what kind of justice is going to fix this fiasco? Will the people of BC whom are shouldering this expense see anyone charged with treason? Not acting in good faith on behalf of its’ citizenry?
Not likely.
Will the people of BC start a revolution?
Not likely.
Will the province will be full of people sitting in the cold, dark days of winter suffering with no power, wondering what the fuck happened.
Likely.
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There is a reasonably short synopsis on the “Commonsense Canadian” website by Rex Weyler showing how BC Hydro is quickly moving to a state of insolvency.
Also there is another one put out last week that is more technical in its calculations, but coming up with the same findings.
THey are both worth a read.
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Thank you. Will do.
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A few months ago, Scott Simpson detailed the bare essentials of what you chronicled, minus your cogent conclusion that taxpayers stand to get hosed. The Vancouver Sun, of course, buried the Simpson article me in the backwaters of the business section. Since then…nada.
For his part , Bill Good stickhandles around the troubling math to, instead, laud environmentalism to his CKNW listeners.
There’s only two ways we can be saved from this boondoggle:
* proponents prove unable to finance their run-of-river, wind or solar projects;
* North American electricity prices triple in the next few years so that the proponents get paid less than the going rate over the bulk of their 30 to
40 year contracts.
Both scenarios are unlikely . That may mean voting in the NDP to suspend the process.
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That may be for many people. And the longer Gordon stays, the more likely the scenario.
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There is a single mother, down the block. She works two part time jobs for, $8.00 per hour. She has to rely on the food bank very heavily, to feed herself and two children. She had no idea, how she was going to be able to buy her kids, their school supplies. She is, already worried about x-mas for her children. Why, are these people made to suffer this? Why, in this best place to live province, do we have the highest number of children, living in abject poverty? This is a crime against humanity, to deliberately force these, poor mothers and children to go without, even the basics of life. Any way, I offered her a deal. I am too old to climb ladders, so, I asked her to wash my windows, on the outside, and to do some yard work, for $10.00 per hour. She will also, shovel snow for me, and take me shopping in the winter. She works very hard, at her jobs, and still has to work on her days off. The HST rebate, nowhere meets her needs. She is terrified of the winter, because, of the utility bills. Campbell, as far as I am concerned, should be boiled in oil.
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This is sentiment that I have often tried to resist, but when I think about what he has done to the underprivileged, the sick, the elderly, the people most in need, I start looking at my olive oil bottle sideways…..
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