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NDP’s survival on the line Tom Fletcher
VICTORIA – The B.C. NDP leadership contest is officially underway, with the entry of Vancouver Island veteran John Horgan in a reluctant reprise of his 2011 run against Port Coquitlam MLA Mike Farnworth. Unfortunately for them, weekend campaign events were overshadowed by revelations of flagrant abuse of taxpayers’ money by the executive and board of the Portland Hotel Society. A pair of audits finally released last week on this network of Downtown Eastside social agencies revealed systematic looting of the $28 million a year in taxpayers’ money that has kept this supposed charity running. Alas for the NDP, local MLA Jenny Kwan not only failed to keep an eye on it, her recently separated husband was one of the executives who took part for years, and she benefited to the tune of $35,000 in luxury travel. That’s what we know about, since much of the evidence wasn’t produced for the auditors.
When this Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous scheme finally came to light, Kwan hastily paid back the $35,000 and announced she’s taking an unpaid leave of absence. Her tearful claim that she believed nothing was wrong is simply not credible. She not only must have known of her husband Dan Small’s jet-set ways, she participated in at least two trips, one to Vienna and Bristol, England to do “research” and attend a poverty conference from high-end hotels. If it wants to retain any shred of credibility as it spouts misleading poverty statistics and simplistic solutions, the party must get rid of Kwan, who has two years left to max out her MLA pension. MLA pensions were a factor in the 2010 ouster of Carol James, who infuriated the old guard by trying to defuse a public backlash against a generous pay and benefits package worked out in private between the NDP and the B.C. Liberals. Kwan would later take a lead-
ing role in the caucus revolt that forced James out as leader. Longtime political watchers will see the PHS abuse as a bigger, uglier version of the Nanaimo Commonwealth Holdings Society scandal. There the siphoning off of bingo funds from charities cost Mike Harcourt his job as premier. In that case, NDP MLAs sat on the board, took their monthly cut and kept quiet. There’s more. Horgan became enraged last year at the reporter who took a tip from the B.C. Liberals to reveal the NDP was skimming constituency office budgets to pay for its own “ethnic outreach” operation in Vancouver. Horgan had rubberstamped the plan with a since-dismissed legislature accountant, and thought he had kept it secret after the auditorgeneral blew the whistle. His willingness to assess its ethics remains in question to this day. Then there is Craig Keating, who took over as party president from Moe Sihota last year. Did he inherit the $72,000 salary negotiated by Sihota with the B.C. Federation of Labour and two of its SPRING SPRING 4 FOR 4 FOR 3 EVENT 3 EVENT March March 2424 - April - April 30,30, 2014 2014
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largest unions? If so, do Horgan and Farnworth think this is appropriate? Will the party’s joined-at-the-hip relationship with government unions even be discussed in the carefully staged leadership contest that’s about to begin? Then there’s the policy shipwreck left behind by Adrian Dix. His plan to use environmental assessment as a weapon to torpedo industrial projects remains popular with the party’s urban base. Farnworth and Horgan have paid lip service to the notion that projects like the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion should be properly assessed. The party may wish to consider what would give its next B.C. leader any hope of governing.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014 Salmon Arm Observer
Gearing Up for First Livability and Wellness Check-up The Shuswap Community Foundation is gearing up for the release of a comprehensive and consumer-friendly report on the Shuswap’s livability and wellness this October, 2014. The Shuswap Vital Signs Report will evaluate the communities of the Shuswap as a place to live, learn, work and grow. This region-wide analysis will include Salmon Arm, Sicamous, Sorrento and Electoral Areas C, D, E and F. The power of the report will be its accessibility. It will be written in a way that makes it interesting, understandable, engaging, and above all, actionable for everyone living in our communities. The Foundation has engaged a lead researcher who will combine public opinion, citizen grading of key issues and priorities, and data from a variety of recognized sources to create a unique snapshot of up to thirteen key areas, such as: the Environment, Work, Getting Started, the Gap Between Rich and Poor, Housing, Safety, Learning, Arts and Culture, Belonging and Leadership, and Health and Wellness. The report will be the region’s first Quality of Life check-up, and will be part of a national Vital Signs initiative involving several communities across Canada. As a catalyst for networking, Vital Signs has been very successful in initiating and fuelling important conversations about quality of life in many communities. For examples of reports published by other community foundations, please visit www.vitalsignscanada.ca. The Shuswap Community Foundation is launching Vital Signs because the project supports the Foundation’s vision of “Uniting Those Who Care with the Needs of our Community.” Producing a Shuswap Vital Signs Report will also help the Foundation support our donors’ requests for information about the community, make our granting more effective and proactive, and will strengthen its understanding and ties to the community. And for all the communities in the Shuswap, the Vital Signs Report will support decisionmaking by identifying and promoting key priorities. Information and knowledge are at the heart of our ability to work together to make good decisions for our region. If you would like to be a part of this exciting initiative or would like more information, please feel free to contact the Foundation at 250-832-5428 or visit www. shuswapfoundation.ca.
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