All posts by Rafe Mair

About Rafe Mair

Rafe Mair, LL.B, LL.D (Hon) a B.C. MLA 1975 to 1981, was Minister of Environment from late 1978 through 1979. In 1981 he left politics for Talk Radio becoming recognized as one of B.C.'s pre-eminent journalists. An avid fly fisherman, he took a special interest in Atlantic salmon farms and private power projects as environmental calamities and became a powerful voice in opposition to them. Rafe is the co-founder of The Common Sense Canadian and writes a regular blog at rafeonline.com.

What Next for the NDP?

Canada, Politics, Western Canada, ,
Share

I’m trying to figure out if I was surprised to hear of Carole James resignation or not.

Certainly I was sorry for Carole whom I believe is a fine person who probably, as I said long ago, is not of the right temperament for politics, BC style. She’s a conciliator not a fighter but ironically because she couldn’t conciliate her own party she had to leave. But, she couldn’t conciliate her own party because conciliators don’t work out in BC politics. Follow me so far…?
 
The first problem the NDP has is how to name a replacement. There is a clause for leadership review for next November but the review has just happened so when and how is Ms James to be replaced? While I don’t know a damned thing about the NDP Constitution it must allow for an extraordinary leadership convention when they don’t have one, as was the case when Glen Clark resigned in 1999 and in February 2000 was replaced by Ujjal Dosanjh.
 
The timing of a leadership race is a delicate question. Ms. James spoke of an interim leader in the New Year so the question is whether a convention is called before November or not. My suggestion – made so as to ensure it will never happen – would be to wait until next November with an interim leader, someone who agrees not to stand for leader as Dan Miller did in 1999. There are deep wounds within the party and to have an early leadership convention would simply have them deepen not heal.
 
These wounds reflect not so much upon Ms. James but on the divisions she went in with, mainly over the power of Labour within the party. These divisions are easily exacerbated in the NDP, especially when leaders are selected. One obvious division is personified by Moe Sihota whose salary is being paid by the Union movement. There are three factors there: 1. many just don’t like Moe very much; 2. there was resentment that the decision to pay him was secret; 3. the payment coming from Labour sent a message that Labour was fighting to recover lost territory.
 
To hold an early leadership convention would see much more blood spilt in public. It will be spilled anyway, but by November such cooler heads as there are in the party will have had a chance to look for ways to smooth over the ruffled feathers with a view to “fixing” the convention to the degree it can be fixed.
 
The obvious danger is that postponing the convention will give the new Liberal Premier a chance to build up his party’s fortunes; the extent to which they can do that depends, of course, on who that premier is. 
 
Who are the favourites for the NDP crown?
 
It’s rather like looking over a crop of yearlings and picking out which one will win the Kentucky Derby – there are many imponderables, the first of which is can he/she come from the 13 dissidents who brought James down?
 
Conventional wisdom says that Brutus never wins the crown – though the dirtiest, craftiest Brutus of them all, the now finally disgraced Brian Mulroney, is the obvious exception. The Bruta (assuming the feminine of Brutus), Jenny Kwan has a lot of IOUs in the party not just for her obvious abilities but for her service in the two person caucus after the 2001 debacle.
 
Assuming that you find any NDP MLA attractive, there are several attractive choices amongst the dissenters, Norm Macdonald from Columbia River-Revelstoke being one. Apart from being a dissenter he also comes from a small political base meaning he would have to earn delegates elsewhere.
 
Katrine Conroy and Robin Austin also suffer that problem. Claire Trevena certainly fits the right NDP image of being female and able to win a tough constituency.
 
From the ”loyalist” list we have several contenders including Dawn Black, Kathy Corrigan, Adrian Dix, Mike Farnworth, John Horgan, Michael Sather, and Leonard Krog.
 
I will, in a bit, give you my hopes rather than predictions but first there are three “outsiders” one cannot rule out no matter what they say.
 
Corky Evans may have been away but not so far that he couldn’t circulate a lengthy letter enumerating the sins of Carole James just when she least needed it.
 
Gregor Robertson denies any interest but I’ll be more persuaded of that stand after some time has passed, especially if there doesn’t seem to be a favourite emerging.
 
Joy MacPhail has been seen about these days and I mention her because she has a following and a not bad record as a cabinet minister in tough portfolios.
 
Now permit me to put my environmentalist’s hat on. Call me “one issue Rafe” if you will but to me the “environment” is the overriding issue and here’s why – we can lose money and we can fail many people and groups but those things can be fixed; while all harms and wrongs cannot be fully repaired, changes in government can usually make things better.
 
When we destroy our environment, it’s gone forever. Moreover, the people I mention I believe would clearly work to save the environment and also keep our commitment to good fiscal policy and social issues.
 
Norm Macdonald, mentioned above, would suit my criteria admirably. I’ve seen him up close and must say it’s a pity he will be dissed as a conspirator, but I think as time passes that will too.
 
I’m also impressed by Katrine Conroy who has deep roots in the party which will probably erase her “sins” if disloyalty to Carole James is that, and has a good record on the “environment.”
 
I have not mentioned Michelle Mungall from Nelson-Creston because she is a rookie and young – but young and free of old time baggage might be the way the campaign goes and stranger things have happened.
 
I also think that Mike Farnworth is an experienced legislator and sound on environmental matters. The experiences he’s had over the years has clearly strengthened him.
 
My main choice, in a tossup with Farnworth, would be John Horgan, the energy critic. He understands the terrible Campbell Energy Plan and the inevitable consequences of it. He also has been the most forthright on what must be done including the making public of all the IPP contracts and judging them as to whether or not they are unconscionable. The issue with John is health as he is a cancer survivor.
 
Am I, then committed to the NDP? Is the Common Sense Canadian so committed?
 
The answer is a resounding “NO!” In fact we would welcome the presence of another party pledged to the values we, and thousands of British Columbians are working to restore in this province we love. I would like to say that we haven’t given up hope on the Liberals but on their record, that’s surely too much to hope. Since the departure of Gordon Wilson in 1993 the Liberal party has become greedy and doctrinaire right wing, moving, lamentably, over the last decade, steadily to the “right,” to where they seem now to be just the political arm of the Fraser Institute.
 
The Common Sense Canadian is looking to saving our province from the fate of Brazil, Indonesia, Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico states and others which have had their heritage ravaged by greed accompanied, indeed encouraged by government policy or indifference.
 
We at the Common Sense Canadian are busting our asses to bring decency, common sense, and sensitive leadership to BC to replace the destruction of our heritage and that which makes us unique.
 
Far from being anti-business, all we ask is that companies behave themselves; all we ask government is to set out solid rules of environmental conduct and enforce them.
 
We don’t think that’s too much to ask and as we read it, neither does the majority of British Columbians.
 

Share

Mad as Hell About Bogus Hydro Rate Increases

WATER, ,
Share


It must be a good
line because this is the third time in a week I’ve used H.L. Mencken’s great
line “Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit upon his hands,
hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.” After reading the
news item that BC Hydro is asking to raise its rates by 27% for upgrading their
facilities, then reading the next day it was 55% for “badly needed projects” I
found myself once more reaching for my trusty cutlass.  

Is there no end to
what we’re asked to believe? John Horgan, NDP Energy critic, was bang-on when
he linked this to the outrageous $50 BILLION that BC
Hydro owes Independent Power Producers (IPPs) for dams that destroy our rivers
and send power not to BC Hydro but to the United States. Would that the
NDP deals with private power in stark, unadorned English instead of the sloppy
diarrhea that oozes from its program as laid down a few days ago by their now
soon to be former leader. 

How dumb do they
think we are? Are we to believe that there’s a magic energy fairy at the bottom
of the garden who will give Hydro that $50 Billion and rising? This is close
to, if not there, plain fraud.  

The plain fact is
that every householder not courting bankruptcy knows that you cannot hide a
massive debt that is going to build IPPs on our dime, then soak Hydro (meaning
us, folks) to the heavens when it’s forced to buy private power that they don’t
need. 

I want to say this
succinctly and in plain English. Our BC Hydro, one of the best
energy companies in the world, has no need of more energy yet is forced to buy
power from IPPs that they don’t need – meaning they either sell it on the
market for ½ or less of what they pay for it or use it instead of their own
power at 12 times their own cost of making it. 

 All together,
now, let’s read that paragraph again and march to our nearest antique shop for
cutlasses. 

One would think – at
least an outsider not au fait with BC politics might – that some politician
would take up the cudgels on our behalf! (By the way, if you’re sensitive to
bloodshed, buy a cudgel rather than a cutlass). Here we have a Liberal
leadership with half a dozen or more candidates and not a word will be uttered
about the following: IPPs, farmed salmon, destruction of agricultural land, oil
pipelines and tankers filled with Tar Sands sludge. Not a peep will you hear!
Not a word even in defence because none of them has the guts to even defend
Liberal policies much less oppose them. 

In the unlikely event
that the NDPs recover enough to be in the hunt in the next election, where the
hell is their courage? 

I’ll tell you where.
The NDP’s now soon-to-depart leader, Carole James, has been reaching out to the
business community, as if that has a chance, and doesn’t want to unduly worry
the captains of industry who look upon the environmental disgraces given us by
Pinocchio Campbell & company as great steps forward. 

Ms has James talked
about the IPP fixes in terms of “sanctity of contract.” These deals are
more like those of a hoodlum mayor of a city who hands out plush contracts to
his brother-in-law – they would make “Boss Tweed” of New York, “Boss
Prendergast” of Kansas City, or Chicago’s Richard Daleys, pere
et fils, blush with pride yet the NDP position is “sanctity of contract!” 

What are the options we’re
left with? 

One is to join one of
the major parties and try to make them change their policy. That should be a
remedy but, alas, it won’t work. Political parties are run by the few at the
top and all resolutions they don’t like are either not brought forward for
debate or are so watered down as to be pre-digested mush. 

Another would be to
support the Greens, something I would do in a flash if I thought they could
even win a seat but they can’t and won’t. The Greens, decent honourable people
who want to save and protect the environment often get anger with me at public
meetings when I say this but have no answer when I point out that after 25
years they haven’t elected a soul, indeed haven’t even been close. (At a recent
speech I gave in Courtenay, a “Green” lady went to the floor mic, obviously
annoyed at what I had said, and said this:- the reason the Green Party hasn’t
elected anybody is that they don’t get enough votes!” God’s truth! 

You could encourage
and join a third “middle-of-the-road”

Party if one comes
forward. The logical people to make this happen are Chris Delaney and/or Gordon
Wilson. Delaney already has a party, BC First, and if meat can be put on those
bones it becomes a rational option.

There is something,
however, we all can do and indeed must do – raise Hell; such Hell that whoever
runs for office will know that the electorate is white hot with anger. We must
show all politicians that we will take action no matter where the latest
environmental abuse occurs – action even including civil disobedience. We must
do this even if it isn’t the particular “outrage” that grabs us most.

Damien and I have
started to tour the province and starting next February we will bring our
presentation, including videos, a local voice, and my own.

Let me close with
this: you can always get rid of a bad government and restore the economy with
another.

What you can’t do is
get the environment back – once lost it stays lost.

If you haven’t
started to fight yet, now’s a very good time to start. If you have started, it’s
a great time to intensify the fight and encourage others to do the same.

We have a long way to go and the bad guys have
all the money. Yet, if we all do decide with sharpened cutlasses to get into
the fight and stay with it, we can and will beat the bastards and leave a
legacy for future generations.

Share

Save BC Hydro!

WATER, , ,
Share

Thanks to the work of economist Erik Andersen we have a much clearer view of what the Campbell government has done to British Columbia Hydro, what they are obviously going to do, and what the consequences will be.

 
BC Hydro is, so to speak, an integral part of the Province’s family jewels. It was created by Premier W.A.C. Bennett to be a tool of government policy. Bennett could see that if BC was to develop it had to have cheap, available electric power, so he implemented the “Two Rivers Policy,” whereby large electric dams were built on the Peace and Columbia Rivers. This was at a huge environmental cost but it produced just what Bennett wanted – cheap, available and uninterrupted electric power. His success was little short of miraculous.
 
Let’s look at what’s happened in the past decade. Our great public power company has been forced to make unconscionable bargains with private companies (IPPs) which dam our rivers and sell the power to BC Hydro when they are able to do so, i.e. their rivers are high enough, which is mostly during the period BC Hydro has lots of electricity and full reservoirs.

Here’s the kicker (to our backside, big time): this means that BC Hydro faces two options – it can export this power at half or less than they paid for it, or they can use it at 12 times what they can make it for themselves. (this is your business oriented government at work, folks!)
 
Clearly, this state of affairs can only be dealt with in two ways – BC Hydro goes broke or we pay enormously increased electricity bills. In fact, if BC Hydro is sold or goes broke, the public loses all control and we get huge increases anyway.
 
What we have from Erik Andersen is confirmation of this catastrophe. Erik has also taken a look at some of the accounting “methods” of BC Hydro.
 
For example, the BC Auditor-General has had a similar look. The books disclose how Hydro in fiscal 2009 went from a real loss of about $700 million to a “profit” of about $550 Million. (When you’ve read this, try it on your own bank manager). 
 
Here’s what they do. They have what they call a “Regulated Asset Account”. (I warn you that the old shell game is going to look honest in comparison). They then take their expenses for that year and bundle this into the RAA and, because we the taxpayers pay BC Hydro’s bills, make this RAA into an “Account Receivable” and, are you ready for this, it becomes an asset (based on their ability to jack up our power bills to cover the difference) and POOF! There go their losses. The Auditor General has told BC Hydro not to do that anymore!!
 
How much is involved in this (in Andersen’s words) “hanky panky?”
 
Hold onto your hats again. In 2005 the amount in the RAA was zero – now it’s about $4 BILLION. This scheme is, according to Andersen, a “reckless endangerment” to the province and BC Hydro.
 
Why is this happening?
 
Mr. Andersen states the obvious, which is important because the government won’t. Andersen points out that this simply cannot be accidental – therefore BC Hydro must be being deliberately set up to fail.
 
What we have from Erik Andersen’s work is confirmation that BC Hydro is going down the tube and will only last as long as it can continue to raise our rates in order to stay afloat!
 
One is reminded of an adage of Woody Allen’s which I’ve cited, only changing “world” to “BC Hydro”:
 
“More than any time in history BC Hydro faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness, the other to total extinction. Let us pray that we have the wisdom to choose correctly.”
 
If, like the Campbell Liberals, you want BC Hydro privatized – because you believe in the Fraser Institute’s doctrine that publicly-owned assets must go to private companies – it doesn’t matter much whether you sell or abandon. The numbers with BC Hydro are huge on both sides of the ledger but its actual profit is only big time if a private owner can own it and run it free of government intervention. It is for that very reason W.A.C. Bennett bought ought the BC Electric Company and created BC Hydro.
 
From the Liberals’ point of view, selling off BC Hydro, after the fuss the public made when BC Rail was sold, makes no political sense, making bankruptcy a more attractive way to go.
 
Thus it’s clear that to save our rivers and their ecologies, we must save BC Hydro. 
 
To save BC Hydro, we must all get angry as hell and, in every way we can, take that message not only to the Liberal government but the NDP as well. From every corner of the province must come the cry “Save Our BC Hydro!”
 
The government must know, with no room for doubt, that not one more IPP project will be permitted and that we will take every available measure to stop them – starting right now!
 
 

Share

Face to Face with Big Trouble at BC Hydro

WATER, ,
Share

We at The Common Sense Canadian strongly urge you to see economist Erik Anderson demonstrate how the
Campbell government is deliberately bankrupting BC Hydro!

Victoria Community TV Presents:

Face to Face with Big Trouble at BC Hydro

Retired economist Erik Anderson discusses a
troubling and possibly sinister financial situation
at BC Hydro. And he asks: Is BC Hydro being put in
financial jeopardy in order to privatize it. This
is shocking and almost unbelievable stuff and must
be seen by all. Once again we see the Media and the
NDP silent, the government corrupt, and our future
being put at great risk. The stage is being set for
something that may make the BC Rail fraud look
small.

On Channel 11 in Victoria and Saltspring Island …

Saturday, Nov. 27 at 11AM and 11:30PM
Sunday, Nov 28 at 10AM and 9PM

Face to Face with Jack Etkin #48: Erik Anderson from ICTV Victoria on Vimeo.

… and in order to really get what he is saying, you
should watch this more than once…

Produced by Lazarus Productions

ICTV can be reached at jetkino AT yahoo.ca

Share

Where We Stand on BC Politics & The Environment

Canada, Politics, Western Canada, ,
Share

Our readers should know the position of The Common Sense Canadian. In a word, the environment is the #1 issue before the people of British Columbia, indeed the world. If we lose our farmland, our precious salmon, and our rivers, what’s left?

Money?

How do you make money out of farms that aren’t there any more so you have to import your food?

How do make money out of salmon that are killed by lice from fish farms? Especially when all the profit goes out of province, mostly to Norway?

How do you make money destroying rivers and the delicate ecosystems they’re part of, to make power we don’t need, especially when we subsidize out-of-province companies who take all the profits and much more elsewhere?

How do you make money with a pipeline with someone else’s oil-or black sludge as The Tar sands produce – across delicate wildlife habitat, 1000+ rivers streams and agricultural land when a rupture would wreak incalculable damage-knowing that the pipeline company, Enbridge, is notorious for its negligence?

How do we profit from exposing our delicate coast to tankers carrying this stuff? Have we learned nothing from the Exxon Valdez?

And where’s the profit in taking a huge ever-increasing risk in piping oil to Burnaby to be taken thence, through the two dangerous narrows in Vancouver harbour out through the Salish Sea and through the treacherous Juan de Fuca?

There is no amount of money in the world that makes these risks, indeed certainties, worthwhile.

We stand firmly for help to the disadvantaged, improved healthcare, aid to the homeless, and better education-but how can we do that if we have to import more and more of our food?-if we toss away not only the commercial sale of fish but the significant domestic and tourist use of that resource?-if we subsidize foreign companies to provide electricity for themselves, bankrupting our jewel, BC Hydro, in the bargain?

The long and the short of it is we cannot prosper by wiping out our natural resources-in fact we commit fiscal suicide and abandon our children’s heritage.

This means that The Common Sense Canadian will support candidates or parties based not on their political philosophy, but on their commitment to saving our environment-not just because it’s beautiful but because to do otherwise is fiscal madness.

Does a labourer, a small business person, someone in need, the sick, the elderly, the unemployed-or even the well off for that matter-win if the party they support ruins our environment?

No matter how smart you are with money, you can never make up fiscally or spiritually for the loss of the environment.

It’s not too soon to be looking ahead to the May 2013 election. We at The Common Sense Canadian are already campaigning and will do so full time until the election.

In the next few months we’ll learn a lot about who is going to be promising what.

With the Liberals it’s hard to see who can pull them out of their political quicksand. Will Carole Taylor be dragooned into seeking the leadership? Will it be Christy Clark? Mike DeJong? Kevin Falcon? George Abbott? An unknown?

Carole Taylor can’t escape responsibility for the disastrous Liberal policy towards farmland, fish farms, and energy. She would have to make pledges that would cost her support from industry and Ms. Taylor knows something about money matters and that you don’t get campaign funds unless you’re prepared to pay the piper.

Christy Clark is more to blame than Ms. Taylor, for she, after all, has had three years with her own talk show to support our environment before a large, daily audience. Rather than holding the Campbell government accountable, she has uncritically supported her old cronies the Liberal Party to which she’s joined at the hip. As for all other cabinet ministers, they, too, supported the utter desecration of our environment for the profit of their political friends.

The NDP is in the process of devouring each other but then it’s always been a nest of adders that rarely sheath their fangs. Even at the testimonial to Dave Barrett last Saturday you could sense the unsettled conditions. The question in the NDP, in case you’ve been on Mars for the past couple of years, is whether or not Carole James can win. It never seems to dawn on them that she might lose because they can’t get their act together.

The Carole James I saw in her press conference last week when she took the best the media could throw at
her and batted pitch after pitch out of the park, showed toughness not much seen before. It was the same at the tribute for Barrett-she didn’t beat about the bush and made it clear that she was in the fight to stay.

If she can maintain that steely determination and get her venomous adders targeted on Liberals rather than themselves, she could be tough to beat.

There are deep rumblings of a third party to take the place of the old Socreds, a party which under the Bennetts, père et fils, staked out the middle ground where most of the people of BC are politically. If it happens, it will badly hurt the Liberals by capturing the “centre” (abandoned by Campbell), while helping the Conservatives to steal their “right wing” support. The two we hear most about are Gordon Wilson and Chris Delaney, both decent men with an excellent grasp on issues-the edge perhaps going to
Wilson because of his electoral and cabinet experience.

What then does The Common Sense Canadian look to?

Four things:

1. A re-commitment to protecting
farmland, a “commitment that commits them to keep to their
commitment”.
2. A closure of all fish farms in
our oceans especially near routes of migrating Pacific salmon while encouraging
dry land operations.
3. A commitment to keep our precious coast free of Tar Sands oil supertankers from the proposed Enbridge pipeline and Kinder-Morgan expansion

4. A commitment to end all
licensing of private power construction, PLUS-and this is critical-making
public all private power contracts in existence, coupled with a flat refusal to
honour any which are unconscionable.

Carole James has shown a lamentable reluctance to pledge this in the name of “sanctity of contract” and
no doubt out of fear of losing support from business.

We put it to her and other political hopefuls this way: suppose you were running for mayor in a town run by a “Boss Tweed” on a ticket of cleaning up the city. If you won would you continue the unconscionable deals the old council had made with the mayor’s brother-in-law and other cronies which screamed of lining the pockets of friends and supporters? Of course not!

These private power contracts can’t pass the “smell test”-can they pass the “unconscionable” test?

How can it be conscionable to force our own power company, BC Hydro, to buy power that they don’t need, meaning that they must either sell it at a 50%+ loss or use it at 12 times the price they can make it themselves?

Surely these private power so called “contracts” must be made public so that we can see just what Campbell & Co. did, and if they’re unconscionably unfair to the public, be able to rescind them.

We always hear from the corporate giants that if we as a province don’t honour contracts with foreign investors, they won’t come to BC.

Really? Are they saying we should, in order to have their business, let them fleece the taxpayers? Is it their
position that crooks are welcome?

No one is saying that if the private companies simply got a better deal than we would have made that they should be rescinded. But if, as we suspect, BC Hydro is forced to buy power at twice or more what it’s worth, or 12 times as costly as Hydro can make it for itself, does this mean we can’t state the obvious, namely that we were cheated?

Shouldn’t any companies wanting to do business in BC know, right up front, that we will not put up with any more
“sweetheart deals” made by corrupt governments?

Surely even the Fraser Institute, that rightwing “think” tank whose advice Campbell uncritically
accepts, would agree that these contracts should see the light of day, and surely the captains of industry don’t beleive that anyone, a person, a company, or a crown corporation, should be bound by an unconscionable contract
forced upon them.

If these private energy deals are like those given to “Boss Tweed’s” brother-in-law, would any decent person of whatever political stripe or walk of life say that a new, honest government must bankrupt its prize possession because the previous government made a corrupt deal?

We, at The Common Sense Canadian (www.thecanadian.org) ay an emphatic NO! font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-

There we have it-The Common Sense Canadian says simply this: While we support all who fight to save our environment, to use the business term, the bottom line, is that in addition to our moral responsibility to leave our environment to generations to come, risking our environment is the height of fiscal irresponsibility.

*Boss Tweed-was an American politician most notable for being the “boss” of Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in the politics of 19th century New York City and State.

 

Share
Glacier Creek, in the Kootenays - spared for now from destruction by Axor Group's proposed private river power project

Glacier-Howser Contract Cancellation Highlights Important Fish Values

Uncategorized, , ,
Share

This story was in the Nelson Post for November 15:

BC Hydro and AXOR, the company behind the Glacier/Howser power project, no longer have a power purchase agreement. Just what that means for the controversial hydroelectric generating project is unclear, but the Nelson-Creston MLA says it’s “great news.”

Michelle Mungall, MLA for the Nelson-Creston riding, says she heard the news after she received a copy of an email from a source. The email, sent by a BC Hydro employee, reads: “‘BC Hydro no longer has an electricity purchase agreement with AXOR for the Glacier/Howser project,’” says Mungall, reading directly from the email sent on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010.

When I first read the story I was tempted to defy my age, bad knees, and avoirdupois and do some handsprings! For if the story is true, this is a huge decision and is bound to have a serious ripple effect throughout the province. But it quickly dawned on me that  there must me much more to the story than meets the eyes. 
 
Who cancelled the contract – was it BC Hydro or the company? On what grounds?
 
We soon learned from a representative of the company that as a result of delays to the project – the contract for which has been in place since back in 2006 – Axor was looking at hefty fines for failing to meet the terms of its contract and be delivering power by now, when the project is mired in the environmental assessment process and bogged down by massive public opposition.
 
Whatever the case – and BC Hydro has not been forthcoming with these answers – the fact remains the project wouldn’t have been delayed this long and the company wouldn’t have anything more to do before screwing up the Glacier-Howser rivers had it not been for the folks in the Kootenays who rose as one against this project and made it clear that they will do damned near anything to stop this project. Kudos also to West Kootenay EcoSociety, the Wilderness Committee, and MLA Michelle Mungall. For what’s worth, Damien and I, then with Save Our Rivers Society, were involved in this issue.
 
I’m going to conclude the piece with my educated guess as to what really happened and what will happen now. But first, a very important principle, no matter where the project is, has been underscored here. This principle affects every project in line for approval and this concern for the Bull Trout in the watersheds of the proposed Glacier-Howser project is a clarion call for us to emphatically state this principle as guiding all applications.
 
It is the question of “fish values”. The BC Environment Assessment Office, which has never denied a license, did send this matter back to Axor (the Dupont family) for further review because of the threat of the Glacier-Howser project to Bull Trout.
 
This is critically important because applicants have hitherto assumed and stated the assumption that all they need worry about is migrating Pacific salmon. Not that they worried very much, but let’s take a look at why the EAO’s now concerned about Bull Trout, which don’t migrate, and thus are what’s known as “resident fish”. That the EAO has made this issue a substantial part of their concerns here has implications that are immense.
 
The question of “significant fish values” (the term BC Hydro uses) in our rivers and streams is confusing to many and one can understand this.
 
Salmonids contain three principal branches and what’s confusing is that the popular names are often not the same as their real names.
 
Under the appellation “Salmo” are the Atlantic salmon and Brown Trout (some of which go to sea and are called Sea-Trout).
 
Then there are the Pacific salmon which carry the Latin name “Oncorhynchus” which include Chinook, Coho, Chum, Sockeye and Pink (there is another species, Masai, confined to Asia) and for the last couple of decades, the Rainbow (Steelhead when it goes to sea) and Cutthroat which (are you ready for this) were for a very long time styled as Salmo (I, personally, can’t understand how these two species can be Oncorhynchus when unlike the others, don’t die after spawning and can and do interbreed unlike the rest but a fish biologist I’m not). These salmon, along with steelhead, all migrate to the ocean and return to their home rivers.

Then there are Char which, to add to the confusion, are often called trout. They include the Brook Trout, the Dolly Varden, and Bull Trout amongst others. And the latter two are found throughout BC and are often confused with each other because they’re similar in appearance.
 
Just to hopelessly confuse, there are often strains of these fish groups which, while biologically the same as others, have differences in appearance, such as the Gerard Rainbows of Kootenay Lake, sea going Rainbows (Steelhead), and Kamloops Rainbow trout; as with the Bull trout of the Pitt River system and those in Glacier-Howser.

I make this point to demonstrate that Bull Trout are as critical to the ecologies of which they are part as any other salmonid by whatever name they are called, whether they migrate or not.
 
The significance of the EAO’s Glacier-Howser decision, is that it recognizes that it isn’t only the Pacific salmon you look to in determining “significant fish values”, for it follows that the Bull Trout and its cousin Dolly (Varden) which abound in most rivers and streams in BC must be included; thus it also follows that resident salmonids, not just migrating salmonids, must be part of any environmentalist assessment of every river.

It should be noted that their decision to send Axor back to the drawing board with their proposal had much to do with the record-breaking thousand-plus written submissions that followed these fabled public meetings – one of which was jointly authored by DFO and local First Nations, raising these very concerns about unique blue-listed Bull Trout populations threatened by the project.
 
Up until now private power developers (IPPs) have been able to say that either there were no fish values because there are no migrating Pacific salmon (almost impossible in BC rivers and streams) or if there are, assure us that these migrating fish in the river they’re damming don’t return as high as the diversion stretch (also often demonstrated to be untrue), shows their deep and abiding love of the environment. Not only is this dangerous nonsense, now they must deal with resident fish such as resident Rainbow, Cutthroat, Rainbow/Cutthroat Crosses, Dolly Varden and Bull Trout. As well they should.
 
Quel difference! All rivers in BC finally are seen as having “fish values”. They all are centerpieces of ecologies, including fauna and flora, of which fish are an integral and sustaining part. I assert with confidence that there is not an IPP that doesn’t seriously and adversely affect the river, its fish, and its ecology.
 
IPPs are monstrous projects, no matter how you look at them, but I can assure you that as the Common Sense Canadian takes our message all around the province, we will raise the profile given to resident fish.
 
Under their secret contract with BC Hydro we must assume that failing to meet timelines means the contract is terminated or can be terminated. From the BC Hydro information we have, it would seem that the timelines, not having been made, Axor is toast.
 
But, sadly, this seems so out of synch with how these Liberal bastards behave towards large donor corporations we have to look at what else might be happening.
 
What if the deal is this?
 
Axor has lost this contract but has been told by Hydro, “nudge, nudge, wink, wink do you get my drift?”, that they can re-apply; start all over again. And what if this “nudge, nudge” is saying don’t worry, you will not have to go all through the process of the “Clean Power Call”, hardly open bidding process anyway, but can negotiate directly with Hydro and not only get your new contract without a hassle, but also negotiate the price up at the same time? 
 
I make this point about price because although these IPP agreements are as secret as a political leader’s mistress, they do have a form to follow including a full environmental assessment process, or better said, as full as such a sham can be.

With any government with an ounce of integrity, one would be loath to make this point. But this government is as crooked as the proverbial hind leg of Fido and simply could not care less about the environment.

Having lost their contract, should they not be able to successfully
negotiate a new one, will Axor also finally forfeit their licenses to
the rivers? They should.

And this raises another issue, doesn’t it? Could this be why licence granting has been taken away from the Minister of Environment and given it to a new ministry, Natural Resource Operations, under a nonentity, Steve Thomson, who is now also Energy Minister? I mean, how cosy can it get?
 
I think I’ll hold off those geriatric handsprings for awhile yet!

Share

Potential BC Premiers and their Environmental Stances

Canada, Politics, Western Canada,
Share

There could not have been a worse government for the environment than the Campbell Liberals. On every possible front – farmland protection, fish farm disasters, the sale of our rivers and bankrupting BC Hydro, the total lack of environmental enforcement – you name it, and only Ronald Reagan and James Watt would have been worse, and even that is debatable.

It’s more than just evil deeds but an evil philosophy that’s at the root of the matter. I say that because all candidates for office play the “I-truly-love-the-environment” card punctuated with stories of camping trips when they were kids and such things. Gordon Campbell once told me of how he’d seen a billboard with migrating sockeye at the Adams River on it and how he’d taken a solemn vow to protect the environment for his children and grandchildren so they could share this miracle.

The first concern is, of course, the Liberal leadership campaign which has the great attraction that the winner is automatically the premier. That this may be just for a few months is true but, what the hell, you made it to the top and your picture will go up on the wall of the rotunda in the Parliament Buildings. It therefore behooves us to examine the candidates very carefully and, in my opinion, rule out anyone who’s been in the Campbell Cabinet.
 
Even the sainted Carole Taylor?

You bet – she was there when the moratorium on farmed salmon was lifted and she knew what the scientific findings were. They all did and not even a road-to-Damascus-like conversion can change that. I have no doubt that Ms. Taylor would be a strong premier, especially on fiscal matters, but I say, and have long been saying this: “a future government can always clean up a bad fiscal inheritance, even though it’s tough to do, but once you’ve lost your environment, it’s gone forever.”
 
What about Christy Clark? After all, her husband Mark Marissen is a Liberal backroom boy with considerable influence.
 
She can’t be ruled out but after her humiliating loss to Sam Sullivan for the NPA candidate-for-mayor a couple of years back, she may well conclude, as I have, that she won’t get the nomination, and if she did, for the same reasons I’ve given for Carole Taylor’s unsuitability, she won’t be elected … then again, if she were, how would she compare being leader of the opposition to the untaxing (the way she does it) job as a talk show host?

What she does have going for her is her gender…but in my judgment that’s not a deal-cincher especially if she’s in against Carole James.
 
You must be able to read political jargon to know who’s in and who’s not and, quite frankly, if it’s George Abbott, Rich Coleman, or whomever, it doesn’t much matter for it’s simply one evil replacing another.
 
There are two outsiders to consider: John Furlong and Diane Watts. When Furlong says he’s out, I would say that’s 90% a commitment. I know John and I don’t believe that he does want the job. He’s a sports nut – a squash pro, and a good one, the head pro at the cushy Arbutus Club until he got into the Olympics. (For what it’s worth, my son-in-law Larry Armstrong has been pro since Furlong left). Furlong loves the game and if he were to leave the jobs and speechifying the Olympics have given him I believe he would move into the international squash scene. Still, until the deadline passes, you can’t count anyone out.
 
I’m changing my mind a bit about Diane Watts. Her recent denials haven’t sounded quite as dismissive as earlier ones have been. It almost sounds like “No, unless there is an enormous draft Watts movement count me out”.
 
Could such a draft occur?
 
Don’t rule it out. Although this is the BC Liberal Party not the federal party – the insiders are much the same for both and they have a very long history of not letting principles stand in the way of getting elected. Even though she has no experience in senior government much less the premier’s office she has proved to be a quick study in local politics.
 
I think she would be nuts to go at this time in her young life. There is no guarantee that she would win, meaning 4 or maybe 8 years in opposition – an unpleasant option – before she was in power. That amount of time in opposition is soul-destroying, especially for someone who has had no previous time in the “zoo”.
 
But by my reading of the chicken’s entrails, Diane Watts has only said “no”, not “no f’ing way”.
 
The other thing environmentalists must consider is the NDP with or without Carole James. Whether or not she is the best the NDP can put forward, let’s consider what would happen if she were to win. Her record on the environment has been dodgy at best. I say that knowing that she has shown an interest, which is more than any Liberal has, but she gets an “F” on private power companies (IPPS).
 
The government has forced upon BC Hydro “sweetheart deals” with IPPS which ruin our rivers to produce power when Hydro doesn’t need it, forcing Hydro to sell it at a 50% loss on the export market thus bankrupting our public power company. Ms. James says she will honour contracts.
 
This statement was no doubt made for the benefit of industry but it’s wrong. It’s like a mayor, getting elected on a “clean government” slate honouring the sweetheart deals the ex-mayor made with his brother-in-law.
 
The standard for judging government contracts made for political reasons is simply, “is it conscionable?”  These IPP contracts are only conscionable if the judgment is made on the rules of “Boss Tweed”, the Prendergast machine of Kansas City, or Chicago mayor Richard Daly Sr.
 
Ms. James must assure us that she will make these IPP contracts public and if, as I suspect, they are unconscionable, they must be terminated.
 
We’re faced, then, with a party, Liberal, that doesn’t give a fiddler’s fart for the environment and one that only pays lip service to our concerns.
 
I’ve spoken about a third party, perhaps involving Chris Delaney or Gordon Wilson, or both. This could well be the alternative environmentalists are looking for. They are both very fine, knowledgeable men but if they present themselves, environmentalists around the province must be satisfied that they intend to be that too.
 
These are interesting, no critical, political times and we at the Common Sense Canadian stand ready to join all who care about our environment as they make their political stances clear.

Share

Poor Pinocchio: Campbell’s Sob Story Hard to Swallow

Canada, Politics, Western Canada,
Share

I have no intention of being Mr. “Nice Guy” to Gordon Campbell because he’s leaving office to wait for his massive pension to kick in and for lush directorships from the Energy companies to be offered.
 
I’m an environmental activist trying to save our salmon, our rivers, and our farm land. Why should I get warm and mushy all over because Campbell has been pushed out of his office?
 
Under Campbell’s government the moratorium on Atlantic Salmon fish farms was lifted resulting in the loss of 100s of thousands of our wild salmon being lost to sea lice from the fish farms. Far from doing anything about it, Campbell has encouraged more of them.
 
Citizens of Tsawwassen are fighting encroachment on farmland with nary a word of justification from Campbell whose job it is to support the principles of the ALR and stop encroachment.
 
Campbell has actively supported the destruction of our rivers and the ecologies dependent upon them, approving of large companies receiving permits to provide power that BC Hydro must buy, need it or not. Hydro must pay at least twice what it’s worth on the open market and since they don’t need the private power, have two options: sell it at a 50% loss or use it themselves at a cost of 12 times what Hydro can make it for themselves. Is it any wonder that folks who hate this desecration of our rivers, farmland and wild salmon bad mouth the premier and the minister responsible?
 
I raise this last question because Gordon Campbell is whining about how his family was upset by the things he was called – Pinocchio, I presume being one of them.
 
Families of politicians, great and small, always bear the brunt of abuse and if that cannot be borne, one shouldn’t get involved in the first place. I do feel for the Campbell family – my wife and four kids suffered this as well, for while I was not premier, I was a Councilor for and MLA of a smaller centre (Kamloops) and there was scarcely a day when one or more of them didn’t hear their father/husband abused. Prospective politicians should consult carefully with their entire family before taking the plunge. However, Campbell must take the majority of the blame himself.

The premier I worked for, a gillion years ago, unlike Campbell, let ministers do their job unhindered by hassling and “hands on” habits. This way we ministers quite rightly took responsibility for our portfolios.
 
Forgive me if I retell a story.
 
After a speech I made in Tsawwassen on the overhead power lines issue, I was approached a lady, clearly a Liberal, who chastised me for constantly asking where then-MLA Val Roddick was and said “I bet you that you never went to these sorts of rallies.”
 
I told her of a rally in Quesnel where ranchers angry at my stopping the killing of wolves were rallying for only one reason, to dare the minister to attend, and, if he did, hassle the hell out of them. I did and it was a hall full of 500 very angry men and women.
 
I said to her “I suppose you think I was a brave man.”
 
She nodded her head.
 
I said, “bravery had nothing to do with it; had I not gone I would have had my ass kicked out of cabinet.”
 
Bill Bennett expected his ministers to deal with their portfolios, especially the dodgy bits, and I daresay most of my colleagues could tell of the shit they had to stare down.
 
In the premier’s case the normal nastiness is much aggravated because on several occasions he – and there is no other word for it – lied through his teeth. Voters expect and tolerate “spin” but will not accept lies as opposed to polished political prose.
 
Let’s go back to the facing the public bit.
 
I’m involved in the movement to save our environment, especially, though not exclusively, fish and energy matters. I and my colleague Damien Gillis have spoken at public meetings all over the province and never, not once, did a Liberal MLA or candidate show up. In the May 2009 election we specifically asked the Cabinet Minister to attend meetings but nary a one did. I have challenged the premier and/or the energy minister to attend our meetings or simply have a debate with them but no takers.
 
Is it any wonder then that the public call the premier and his shy ministers “cowards” or worse?
 
I say this to Gordon Campbell: Sir, it’s not the media or environmentalists that have caused anguish for your family. For that you have no one to blame but yourself.

Share
Bon voyage, Pinocchio. It's been swell!

Campbell in Full Flight

Canada, Politics, ,
Share

I can only say this about Gordon Campbell’s resignation: if Damien and I did anything to assist this happening I’m only sorry that we didn’t do more and quicker. He was not only a bad leader – he disgraced himself and us. As an environmentalist I must also say that no matter who takes over as Liberal leader, they will need to do a massive 180 degree turn to even begin the recapturing of our province from the forces of greed and, yes, evil not just encouraged but paid off out of taxpayers’ money.

The only puzzle left about Campbell is what well paying job is waiting for him in the private energy world and what cushy directorships will he garner.

My guess as to who will take over at a later time simply hasn’t reached my brain yet, but even knowing what the Liberals think of my opinions, here’s another one for them.
 
Do not make the mistake the Socreds made when, in 1991, Vander Zalm resigned and Rita Johnston became premier.
 
Many in the cabinet thought that Ms. Johnston ought to turn the reins over to someone who would pledge not to seek the leadership, taking away the unfairness of Johnston running while she was premier. In fact a senior minister, Russ Fraser offered to do just that.
 
Johnston stayed and won the leadership in a fight with Grace McCarthy who, regrettably, took too much time to enter the race.
 
Most commentators who watch these sorts of things opined that had Grace won, she would probably have been defeated in the 1991 election but would have kept the party intact and there would have been no amazing rise of Gordon Wilson and the Liberals. This, it can be surmised, would have meant that the NDP would have been a one term government.
 
My point is not to speculate but to state that the Liberals would be wise to select a caretaker pending the outcome of their nominating convention. This might be a good time to drag perennial backbencher Ralph Sultan out of his hiding place in the corner.
 
Your guess is as good as mine as to who the new leader might be. The name most mentioned is Kevin Falcon which ought to bring joy to those who want the Liberals to go right into the ashcan. From my perspective as an environmentalist, he would be a terrible choice though he would present, with his appalling record, a fabulous target to shoot at.
 
So would Colin Hansen. His 1:51 blog (google Colin Hansen-private power) encapsulated the fact-free Campbell energy policy. It might seem unwise for me to recommend people watch this blog but every single point he makes is a falsehood and demonstrates that the Campbell energy policy is a collection of bare-faced lies.

Here are two consequences I see.

First, this opens the door for a centre party. Such a party with a recognized competent at the helm, with a mission statement like that of the old Socreds (minus all mention of God and Christianity) should recapture the majority of British Columbians who range from centre-right to centre-left; in other words, the people who supported the Socreds for 39 years.
 
Second, this is a huge wake-up call for the NDP. They cannot drift along with their leader speaking to service clubs and chambers of commerce. This is not the time to watch events but to take charge of them. Without a strong leader of the NDP, on the centre-left of the spectrum and the Liberals losing the centre-right, the opportunity for a new Socred-type party  is there – but not for long.

We at the Common Sense Canadian take this as the time we must press forward to ensure that whoever takes over, will do so with an aroused public, in full flight, on their case demanding that our province, with all its beauty, be rehabilitated and sound environmental initiatives put in place.
 
Please support us – and if you’re wondering how, this little story.

The great American trial lawyer, Clarence Darrow, had a happy lady burst into his chambers gushing “Oh Mr Darrow, How can I thank you for all you’ve done?”
 
Darrow replied – “Madam, ever since the Phonecians invented money, there’s only been one answer to that question.” Click here to follow Darrow’s advice.

Share

This Means War! Campbell’s New Ministry Final Straw for Environmentalists

Canada, Politics, Western Canada
Share

What has raged as an undeclared war between conservationists and the Campbell government starting in 2001 became a declared war when Gordon (Pinocchio) Campbell trotted out a new cabinet. For those of us dedicated to preserving our birthright, this war was formally declared when Campbell created an entirely new ministry called Natural Resource Operations as a one-stop-shop for permits in B.C., covering everything from large independent power projects to one-day hunting licences.

Campbell said the aim is to “streamline access to B.C.’s natural resources …The drive has always been to try and increase more investment in the province, to increase our export opportunities.”

The new minister Steve Thomson (Steve WHO?) is given responsibility for a wide range of natural resource approvals, including approvals related to:

  • Crown land allocation and authorizations
  • Forests and range authorizations
  • Roads/bridges/engineering
  • Independent Power Production
  • Mines and minerals permitting and inspections
  • Mineral and coal titles
  • Aquaculture licensing and regulation
  • Water use planning and authorizations
  • Aboriginal consultation and coordination – natural resource operations
  • Resorts and alpine ski developments
  • Licensing and permitting for angling, hunting and trapping
  • GeoBC and information management
  • FrontCounter BC
  • Provincial hatchery and stocking program
  • Watershed restoration
  • Fish, wildlife and habitat management
  • Drought management
  • Dam and dyke safety and regulation
  • Flood plain management
  • Pests, disease, invasive plants and species
  • Public backcountry and commercial recreation
  • Recreation sites and trails
  • Archaeology and Heritage Conservation Act permitting
  • Resource management compliance
  • Crown land restoration
  • Forest investment operations
  • Wildlife management

(The bolded powers are those of special concern to environmentalists).

What power is left to the Environment Minister? The premier’s statement clearly indicates that an already weak-kneed ministry requiring a weak-kneed minister to suit his policy will be weakened even more.

What other conclusion can one come to when giving plain meaning to Campbell’s words?

As far as The Common Sense Canadian is concerned this is war and we will join one and all British Columbians who care about their environment in taking the fight to Campbell and his bunch on every front and at every opportunity.

Is this over the top?

Not at all, in fact it shows we haven’t fought hard enough.

Damien and I had the great privilege of joining Corky Evans at two public meetings we held in the Kootenays last week and he, in two marvelous speeches, made the obvious but often forgotten point that the lands, water, and air we live in and use belong the Province of British Columbia in the right of the crown. It does not belong to the government of the province. And, here’s the critical point: the Crown is us, the citizens of this province.

The reality is, of course, that governments can, by passing a statute and having it approved by Her Majesty’s representative, the Lieutenant-Governor, alienate these possessions of ours but we should sit back and remember just what that process is.

It starts by The Legislative Council (the Cabinet) – the Queen’s advisors – tabling a bill in the legislature asking for approval. When approved, the Council (Cabinet) then asks the Lieutenant-Governor on behalf of the Crown to proclaim this as law.

We know that in practice the government does what it pleases but we should understand the technicalities so as to better interpret – and hopefully one day stop – the practice of alienating the resources that we the people own in the name of the Crown.

When the power of the Crown is corrupted, we the people must fight back. And it’s sure as hell been corrupted in British Columbia.

Consider how our resources were being dealt with by the Campbell government before Campbell made these changes. Take, for example, the Ashlu River. A large construction company sought to destroy the essence of this river so it sought government help to get this Crown-owned water given to them. (Actually, the request amounted to giving them the river and funding besides, but more on that in a moment).

At that time, the people had a process by which they could declare whether or not they wanted this to happen – it was called zoning.

After several public hearings the Regional District the Ashlu was in (The Squamish and Lillooet Regional District) refused to zone in favour of the corporation and left our water and its ecology in our hands, unalienated. The Campbell government immediately passed retroactive legislation taking away the right of local governments to zone these properties, known as Bill 30.

This meant that the people had no opportunity to pass judgment on these matters!

The only hope the public was left with was the environmental assessment process where the public would be entitled to go to public meetings concerning these projects.

These meetings were fixed. There’s no other word for it. The hearings were held at a time and place suitable to the company and – here’s the rub – whether or not the project should be approved was out of order! All a member of the public could do is suggest terms of reference for the environmental review process! Damien and I have been to several of these sham meetings and the anger of the public was white hot.

We the citizens can make our feelings known whether or not a Walmart Store should be built, whether a pub can go into a neighbourhood, or where an apartment will be permitted, and what form it will take – but when a company wants to steal a river, destroy it and the ecology it sustains, we have no right to be heard at all!

Even worse, the company pays almost nothing for the river and then – and mark this well – our Crown Corporation, BC Hydro, is forced by the Campbell government to give the company a sweetheart contract which pays the company twice or more what the power is worth on a “take or pay” contract, which power is not needed by Hydro, and thus must be exported for ½ or less what they paid for it! The moment the approval is given, the company uses that approval to finance the project! We have our property stolen then must finance its destruction!

What I’ve just said applies to what has happened hitherto – now, says Campbell, the government is going to “streamline” this ghastly process.

One must give plain meaning to those words. The Campbell government is going to make it even easier than it is now for our resources to be given away along with what amounts to a very generous cash-filled handshake!

I’ve been referring to Independent (Private) Power Production but please go back to the list and note that this streamlining of public theft from the people will also apply to Crown land allocation and authorizations, forests and range authorizations, roads/bridges/engineering, aquaculture licensing and regulation, water use planning and authorizations, natural resource operations, resorts and alpine ski developments, licensing and permitting for angling, hunting and trapping, dam and dyke safety and regulation and Flood Plain management.

CONCLUSION: We have moved from a fatally flawed environmental regime with no public consultation, under the direction of an insipidly weak minister, to a fatally flawed environmental regime, with no public consultation, under the direction of a minister ordered by the premier to make it all happen even easier and faster.

It’s now over to us – if we don’t defend what it ours, what is our legacy, we will go down in history as the generation that gave in to a tyrant.

For our part at The Common Sense Canadian we will fight every outrage with every weapon at our disposal and will encourage and assist as best we can, all who do the same.

Share