Former Solicitor General and Chilliwack mayor John Les and his spouse sold property in Chilliwack at the start of March. The couple sold two of their remaining four units at 46,735 Yale Road, according to a notice of material change Les filed with Paul Fraser, the province's conflict of interest commissioner.
Since June, 2007, the RCMP have been investigating whether Les may have benefited improperly from dealings with land developers while he was mayor between 1987 and 1999. No charges have been laid.
MLAs file public disclosure statements regarding their assets, liabilities and financial interests annually with Fraser and are required to notify him within 30 days of any material change. Les is one of several MLAs to file such a notice since disclosure statements were last submitted in November.
The New Democratic Party MLA for Powell River-Sunshine Coast, Nicholas Simons, bought residential property in Powell River with a mortgage from the Bank of Montreal. And Jagrup Brar, the NDP MLA from Surrey-Fleetwood, bought land in North Battleford, Saskatchewan in December through the privately controlled corporation Frejno Holdings Ltd..
Burnaby-Edmonds NDP MLA Raj Chouhan and his spouse sold their home in Burnaby in February and in October the Liberal MLA for Nechako Lakes, John Rustad, sold property on Ellison Drive in Prince George.
Rustad bought shares in Terrane Metals Corp., and he and his spouse bought shares in Horizon Beta Pro Gold Miner.
Healthy Living and Sport minister Ida Chong took money out of a money market fund in December and invested in Pepper Creek Drilling Limited Partnership and Mineral Fields Limited.
Pepper Creek's internet presence is limited to an Alberta Securities Commission record and Chong said she knows little about the company. Her financial advisor recommended the investment and assured her that the company's activities are centred outside of B.C., she said.
And the Liberal MLA for West Vancouver-Sea to Sky, Joan McIntyre's recent purchases include longterm care providers Extendicare Real Estate Income Trust and Chartwell Seniors Housing Real Estate Income Trust.
She also bought shares in Methanex Corp, Atlantic Power Corp., Goldcorp Inc., Pembina Pipeline Income Fund, MBNA Bank, Bell Canada, Enbridge Inc., Advantage Oil & Gas, Biovail, BMO, Bank of Nova Scotia, Celestica, Cenovus Energy, CIBC, Encana, Enbridge, Interpipeline Fund, H&R Real Estate Inocme Trust, Just Energy Inc. Fund, Manulife Financial, PowerShares India ETF, Provident Energy Trust, Royal Bank, Sherritt International, Sino Forest, TD Bank, Transalta Corp. and Verizon Communications.
Finally, Liberal backbencher Douglas Horne, who represents Coquitlam-Burke Mountain, no longer owes money to Robert Pirooz, a Vancouver lawyer and mining company director.
Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.
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telus employee
2 years ago
Liberal MLA Joan McIntire's conflict of interest
Liberal contributions since 2005 from:
Goldcorp $242,200.00
Pembina Pipeline $2,392.00
Bell Canada $36,170.00
Enbridge $50,290.00
BMO companies $59,020.00
CIBC $144,010.00
Encana $373,470.00
Enbridge $50,290.00
H&R real estate $1,150.00
Royal Bank $44,950.00
TD Bank $48,240.00
Transalta $15,450.00
freebear
2 years ago
The more things change...
The more they stay the same!
Everybody is in the biz!
Notsure
2 years ago
Let me see if I got this
Let me see if I got this right: our politicians are able to extensively invest personally, but as a society we are running a deficit and require cuts to all essential services? So...we get to make the food, set the table, and clean up after, but go hungry while they feast. Democracy at its finest.
BC Boy
2 years ago
Not paying attention.
Previous poster isn't paying attention. The MLAs aren't doing anything that Joe or Mary Sixpack would do, that is sell and buy a house and sell and buy shares.
If the MLAs have the means, why shouldn't they be allowed to sell their house or buy shares in companies they don't have any government related interest in?
Really not much more than buying a '65 Volkswagen, spending money to fix it up and selling it for more than you paid for it orginally.
Many union workers do the same thing, and one only has to see where union pension funds are invested.
GuyinVic
2 years ago
Investment Tip
After reading this article I started thinking about the amount of stories related to the millions lost by investors who trusted their advisor. I'm also reminded about the amount of information that tells us all to do your homework & research instead of always just listening to your advisor. So I'm totally surprise to read Ida Chong make such a statement " Chong said she knows little about the company. Her financial advisor recommended the investment". Maybe I shouldn't be surprised because from what I've seen, she appears to know as much about her own Ministry and what is truly scary is that her advisor in this case is Gordon Campbell.
Notsure
2 years ago
BC Boy... Selling a house is
BC Boy...
Selling a house is fine, by all means. I'm referring to the investments in gold, etc. Our MLA's take home $98 000/yr. The average salary in BC is between $60-70k. These jerks are making personal wealth from our tax dollars. Meanwhile, in my area, 3 schools have been shut down and the hospital only performs services that can be gotten from an on-site first aid van.
BC Boy
2 years ago
Yeah so?
BC Boy...
"Selling a house is fine, by all means. I'm referring to the investments in gold, etc. Our MLA's take home $98 000/yr. The average salary in BC is between $60-70k. "
So?
"These jerks are making personal wealth from our tax dollars."
You make personal wealth off a company.
Sure you work for it, but not nearly as
many hours as the MLAs do.
Becoming an MLA is easy if you're well known in the community and reasonably
friendly towards strangers.
"Meanwhile, in my area, 3 schools have been shut down and the hospital only performs services that can be gotten from an on-site first aid van."
Not much difference from when the NDP
was in power nor when Social Credit was
in power.
Once earned the MLAs can re-invest if
they so choose subject to conflict of
interest guidelines.
If you're that jealous of them, call into
your local NDP riding and say you'd like
to run as a candidate in 2013.
They'll be glad to have you.
BC Boy
2 years ago
Probably the same as the Opposition
"Maybe I shouldn't be surprised because from what I've seen, she appears to know as much about her own Ministry and what is truly scary is that her advisor in this case is Gordon Campbell."
Probably equated to a few NDP critics knowing alot about the Ministry they are
the critic for. Many don't know much about
their respective Ministry, and usually take
their cue from the NDP House leader and Carol James and just criticize everything they see in front of them. Even if that
something actually works.
circle A
2 years ago
I don`t know
if your from bc, but you sure are somebodys boy. what a liberal brown nose.
Notsure
2 years ago
oh my
How is this a partisan issue? Why so much empty rhetoric? These are supposed to be public servants. They are not working in the private sector. They are stewards of our governmental body.
Health care, education, assistance for those in need - the core values for which we collective Canadians agree to pay our ever-increasing taxes - are being cut while our elected representatives live in much more comfort than most. This flies in the face of many democratic ideals and is indefensible, regardless of political affiliations, in a democratic society.
crankypants
2 years ago
Notsure
There is no way in hell that the average salary in BC is anywhere near $60-70k per year. It's doubtful if it even reaches $40k.
As to the article, I see no smoking guns. Today's politicians are smart enough to enable their supporters to fill their jeans with taxpayers money, leave the political scene then accept financially lucrative directorships after the fact.
freebear
2 years ago
Porek Barrelling at its finest!
The Biz:
" Today's politicians are smart enough to enable their supporters to fill their jeans with taxpayers money, leave the political scene then accept financially lucrative directorships after the fact"