Archive for July 18th, 2008
What’s that smell in B. C.?
Brian Hutchinson has an opinion piece in the National Post (another of the Asper’s properties) which ties up the recent Auditor General’s report to the growing list of unresolved scandals dogging the BC Liberals. The release of land from a tree farm licence agreement follows pretty much standard operating procedure these days. It ignored due process, obvious conflicts of interest and the need to consult local government and the public. In other words, everything that has also occurred in this region lately over the power lines or the port expansion or the SFPR.
What surprises me is the source of this – up until now the media conglomerate has given the BC Liberal Party a much easier ride than they ever afforded the NDP. Which is as one might expect. But the current crop of scandals make the Nanaimo Bingo affair, or Glen Clark’s deck, look trivial.
A thorough analysis of what is happening now can be found on David Shrek’s blog – the two most recent articles really helped me to put this into perspective
UPDATE Saturday July 19
There is more on this story this morning from Vaughan Palmer “Forest firm takes issue with extraneous issues in land-use report”
“The auditor-general does not have the authority to reverse the decision” wrote Hert, “nor does he recommend that the decision be reversed.”
Case closed, as far as the company is concerned. But far from the end of the story in the political realm.
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The auditor-general’s full report on this running land-use controversy is posted on his website, at www.bcauditor.com.
Stephen Rees's blog 