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Plutonic Power CEO denies donating to Libs, then changes story

Plutonic Power CEO Donald McInnes said his company did not donate to the Liberal Party, in response to a caller on CKNW's Bill Good show this morning, but Elections BC records prove otherwise.

Plutonic Power Corporation is a Vancouver-based company developing a suite of run-of-river projects on the northern Sunshine Coast.

When The Hook asked McInnes to confirm his position, he said Plutonic donated to the Liberals for this campaign, but not in the past. In his column today, The Province's Michael Smythe pointed out that Plutonic was one of the Liberal's more generous donors in 2008, contributing a total of $39,758.

According to Elections BC political contribution records, Plutonic has in fact been a Liberal donor since May 2006. Since that time, it has made 22 separate donations to the party totaling $51,906, in amounts ranging from $250 to $20,000.

When asked why he made that claim, McInnes responded, "I don't consider that to be donations, that's buying a seat at a table," referring to money spent on Liberal fundraising luncheons and dinners.

Bill Good's show was broadcast live from a conference today on building a green economy, hosted by PowerUp Canada. It is the first of a series of green economy dialogues, said PowerUp's founder and CEO Tzeporah Berman.

Colleen Kimmett is a reporter for The Hook.

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