For the third day in a row the NDP raised questions in the legislature about Patrick Kinsella's work for B.C. Rail at the time it was being sold to the Canadian National Railway in a $1 billion deal.
“What did Mr. Kinsella do for $300,000?” asked Leonard Krog, the MLA for Nanaimo.
According to a report from the Vancouver Sun, that same question came up in B.C. Supreme Court this morning where pretrial hearings in the B.C. Rail case continued.
"Why are we paying this guy?" asked a 2004 email sent during an internal audit to Kevin Mahoney, who was then a B.C. Rail vice-president, according to the Sun. “The response is that Kinsella is a 'backroom Liberal.'”
Kinsella was the co-chair of the B.C. Liberals 2001 election campaign and the chair of an advisory committee that oversaw the Liberals 2005 campaign. He has been at the centre of a controversy over his failure to register as a lobbyist.
On Tuesday the NDP first raised questions about $297,567 B.C. Rail paid between 2002 and 2005 to three companies associated with Kinsella: Progressive Group, The Progressive Group and Progressive Holdings.
Attorney General Wally Oppal has refused to answer all questions about the matter as they relate to something that is before the courts.
Oppal strengthened the impression that Kinsella is somehow implicated in the BC Rail case when on March 11 he answered a question about Kinsella and the $300,000 by saying, “I'm sure that and other questions will be answered at the trial.”
Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.
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SharingIsGood
3 years ago
PAB trolls
The public affairs archeologists from the last century have been noticeably absent from commentary about this issue. It is my guess that they have been instructed to just let this one pass as quietly as possible. After all, they have no argument; all they can do is dummy-up and call for their lawyer, Wally. Of course, Wally has no comment other than to pretend this is before the courts... not that it shouldn't be! "Most open government," BS!
BC Mary
3 years ago
As genuine as a $3. bill ... well, have we got the bill for you!
Good work, Andrew. Keep asking those questions. Ignore the dupes who say "Nobody cares." They wish.
I've noticed a healthy spike in the number of visitors to my blog, the past week, as the truth about the sale of BC Rail tumbles out.
Now if only I could master the skills of transferring images and photos to my blog, I'd be able to show you the $3. bill from Prince George ...
Someone up north fought hard against selling BCRail and one of his weapons was a splendiferous $3. bill with a certain premier's DUI photo at centre as Head of State, inspirational mottos of broken promises, and nice photos of BCRail all over, front and back.
As Gordo must've said, too: "Going cheap!"
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RossK
3 years ago
Photo up at my place Mary....
...here.
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And for those interested, Robin Mathews has an excellent eyewitness report on today's RailGate court proceedings up at Mary's place that is considerably more full-bodied than was Mr. Hall's.
You can read Robin's report here.
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Not that Mr. Hall didn't do us all a good service with his report, too.
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SharingIsGood
3 years ago
Baldry
Whatever is this province coming to? This story is so hot that it's not even Friday afternoon and Keith Baldry was forced to talk about what transpired in the Legislature on this evening's news. Of course, in his lead up, he tried to dismiss the BC Rail scandal as "almost forgotten" in his commentary - blaming the court process for dragging it on. I've got news for you, Keith Baldry, the reason why this BC Rail scandal often seems to be forgotten, isn't because the people don't want to know; it's because your CanWest/Global handlers want you to make sure their Liberal cheerleaders (like you) try to make it forgotten.
This is just a start, Keith Baldry, but you have a long way to go, a great deal of bias and lack of professionalism to make up for. Now get out there and dig and report all of the news, and in an unbiased manner. Report the news you have been avoiding. Leave your sneers and guffaws (but mostly your sneers), both verbal and visual, at home please.
RossK
3 years ago
Mr. Kinsella Speaks!
Early details here.
Campbellwearsatutu
3 years ago
It is only fitting
Patrick kinsella got gordon campbell elected,now patrick kinsella will get gordon campbell un-elected.
I have talked to many ex liberals and they will be staying home on election day.
Campbellwearsatutu
3 years ago
RossK
I read that lame statement from Patrick Kinsella,now that kinsella has spkoen,wally oppal and gordon campbell can`t say "it`s before the courts"
The cat is out of the bag,gordon campbell must resign but it will be much more fun to blast him to maui in the may12 election.
RossK
3 years ago
I dunno....
CWATT--
I figure this action is actually a limited hangout that was timed to come as soon as something popped out in court.
This way Mr. Campbell and his General-in-charge-of-Masonary can now use the double-stuffed stone walled response of 'it's before the courts!' and 'Mr Kinsella has made it clear that everything was legit'.
As such, what happens next all hinges, I think, on whether or not the proMedia biggies have it in 'em to go "all-deck-all-the-time" for a couple of weeks straight.
Clearly, Mr. Campbell and friends are betting they don't.
Have it in them, I mean.
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Alternatively, there is always the possibility that The Rainmaker's history of highly promiscuous consulting could lead to further revelations down the tracks...errrr...road. If that happens I reckon all bets are off.
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alive
3 years ago
Stop the PRESS
this is front page news!
direct link to our premier in a fraud case, what is missing is the screaming headlines!
Guess things look different when the liberals get is trouble?
Skywalker
3 years ago
It just occurred to me
All these newspapers you are reading that fail to report important events like the Basi/Virk trial are just a parody of the REAL newspapers. It is a giant hoax and will no doubt result in lawsuits against the pranksters for pretending to be the Vancouver Sun, The Province and the TC.
RossK
3 years ago
Actually Skywalker (not Luke)....
...It would appear that many of the finest of the fine proMedia folks who refuse to go all in on an investigation of The Rainmaker's $300,000 Deck appear to be quite good at spinning themselves.
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G West
3 years ago
See Mark Hume in today's Globe
Madame Justice Bennett appears positively elated with the prospect of permitting StoneWally to throw his see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil cloak over still more of the now-thoroughly-dead concept of legislative accountability in this province.
deeby
3 years ago
More on Baldrey...
He also claimed 'we' had been following the story for years, thinking something wasn't right, and waiting for something to break.
Seems to me that a year ago he was implying that BC Mary and Tieleman were cultish conspiracy theorists, that there was really nothing to see here and that people should just move on.
Welcome to the bandwagon Keith. There should be lots of fodder for new stories from the Bloggers that've done the real work over the past few years....
Campbellwearsatutu
3 years ago
Kinsella was doing a core review
That was the statement fron kinsella`s company.
What is a core review? Would not a core review be about assets,incoming and out-going incomes,customers,service levels,volumes,forcasts,would not this core review already exist in BC Rail`s accounting,managing,executive branch of bc rail?
Why would a core review take 36 months at 8000.00$ per month? would not a core review take no more than a month or two?
Would not the mangament team at bc rail have all the pertinent imformation at their fingertips?
There is no getting out of this one,even the most staunch liberal supporters know that premier campbell has funneled money to his freind,many of his freinds,there is no other explanation, how ethical can it be for his campaign manager,who wrote his election platform in 2001 and 2005 was being paid by the premier,being paid by a bc crown corporation,premier campbell has been in politics for decades,kinsella has been beside him the whole time,premier campbell should resign over this,there is no explanation for these transgressions except greed.
Stump
3 years ago
Core Review$
"Why would a core review take 36 months at 8000.00$ per month? would not a core review take no more than a month or two?"
Why? Because when you can out your client for a lying scum-bag you can pretty much name your terms.