Six of the 13 Order of British Columbia recipients announced yesterday are past donors to the British Columbia Liberal Party.
The largest donor was Vancouver businessman Samuel Belzberg, whose Gibralt Capital Corporation has given premier Gordon Campbell's ruling party $45,700 since 2005, according to Elections B.C. records.
A government backgrounder said Belzberg is “one of British Columbia's most forward-thinking philanthropists” and has focused his “prodigious efforts on causes that appeal to his deep caring for humanity.”
Businessman Brandt Louie personally gave the Liberals $4,700 since 2005, while London Drugs Ltd., of which he is chairman, gave $22,275.
Other award recipients who donated to the Liberals include cranberry farmer Peter Dhillon ($2,750 since 2007), former senator D. Ross Fitzpatrick ($600 as an officer of CedarCreek Estate Winery), physician Ray Markham ($800) and radiologist Linda Warren ($600).
B.C. Chief Justice Lance Finch chaired an advisory council that picked the award recipients, according to the government's press release. Also on the council were Liberal MLA and speaker of the legislative assembly Bill Barisoff, Royal Roads University president Allan Cahoon, Union of B.C. Municipalities president Robert Hobson, deputy minister Lorne Brownsey and previous Order of B.C. winners Mohini Singh and Peter Legge.
None of this year's recipients had donated to the New Democratic Party.
In 2008, three of 15 Order of B.C. winners had donated to the Liberals. Legge was one of those donors.
Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.
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Skywalker
2 years ago
That's why...
...the whole thing is a farce and people don't give a rat's arse about the Order..
freebear
2 years ago
Do the Orders have Campbells face on them?
How many years will it be before Campbell gets his Order of BC; or will it be a court order?
Honourary degrees piss me off more than this story.
I had to pay, and continue to pay back, for my university degree; not have it given to me in a publicity stunt!
seth
2 years ago
Third World corruption
Thats British Columbia:
Railgate, campaign donation payoffs, lucrative board of director appointments for party hacks and retiring politicians, generous speaking fees for compliant journalists and of course party hacks and retiring politicians.
All part of the scam that the morons vote for.
Grania
2 years ago
Order of BC
We need a list of the businesses owned by Liberal supporters and contributers. London Drugs and Cedar Creek Estate Winery can start this list. Useful to those of us planning to boycott.
realisticman
2 years ago
Fun with numbers
46% of the Order of British Columbia recipients donated to the Liberal Party out of 13,722 individuals that contributed to the BC Liberal Party from January 1, 2009 to May 12, 2009.
That means that 54% of the recipients did NOT contribute.
Isn't that the story too?
It would be hard to not appoint a few.
Grumpy
2 years ago
I see that.........
.......that Gordo has now debased the order of BC as he has debased the province.
Frank
2 years ago
realisticman
You need to look at your own numbers.
Step 1 : use your calculator to figure out what percentage of the population of BC are Liberal donors.
Step 2 : Compare it with the number 46 which is the percentage of Order of BC recipients that donated to the Libs.
Step 3 : Try and understand why the 2nd number bears no resemblance to the first one.
Hint : Its political.
realisticman
2 years ago
Let's unturn another rock and try
The way most people see it, Frank, is that a substantial majority of the Order of British Columbia recipients are not on record as contributors to the BC Liberal Party. Even though it's understood and public records confirm that the BC Liberal Party derives an extraordinarily high part of its funding from individuals.
Can we assume that this majority contributed to another party? No, we cannot, but they might have.