What was a leak is now an alleged theft, with the Vancouver Police Department now getting involved in the city's ongoing $100-million bailout saga.
The VPD today confirmed it will conduct an investigation into an Oct. 14 meeting in which city council reportedly authorized a $100-million loan to the developers of the city's Olympic Village.
"The Vancouver Police have been asked to investigate the alleged theft of documents from an October 14th meeting at Vancouver city hall," VPD Const. Tim Fanning wrote in a short news release today.
Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan said he asked VPD Chief Const. Jim Chu to investigate “the internal theft of an important classified document.”
“I’m quite concerned that this document may have been leaked to try to affect the election,” Sullivan said."
On Monday, NPA Coun. and mayoral candidate Peter Ladner confirmed his copy of a sensitive city document had been found on the desk of his colleague, Coun. B.C. Lee, two days after the in-camera meeting.
That document is believed to be a source of a story in The Globe and Mail that alleged council had authorized the $100-million loan, which is still unconfirmed by the city.
"B.C. Lee and I have been set up," Ladner said Monday.
All those involved in in-camera meetings, including the mayor, city councillors and senior city staff, are expected to keep discussions private.
Instead, some details were leaked to Globe columnist Gary Mason, who wrote an anonymously-sourced story that, with just days to go before the Nov. 15 election, has overshadowed the campaign.
The NPA's Ladner, as chair of the city's finance committee, appears to have taken the most punches after the controversy emerged. The NPA-led council has refused calls to publicize details of the meeting.
On the other hand, opposition party Vision Vancouver appears to have benefited most from the story by calling for full public disclosure of the meeting, although the decision made at the Oct. 14 meeting was unanimous and Vision Coun. Raymond Louie sits as the vice-chair on the finance committee.
However, former Vision/COPE mayor Larry Campbell and former NPA mayor Philip Owen have both defended the decision being made behind closed doors.
"[The public thinks] it's been a secret deal. And it's not," Owen told The Tyee.ca Tuesday. "It's a standard process when you are dealing with property in the Property Endowment Fund."
Said Campbell, "If I was mayor, I'd be asking for a criminal investigation" into who leaked the document to the press.
Irwin Loy reports for Vancouver's 24 hours.
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DPL
3 years ago
If the VPD gets right onto
If the VPD gets right onto it the election will be far in the past. I'd like Owen or Senator Larry to tell us just how often the City bailed out a failing developer .And be quick guys the election is really really soon
Luke Skywalker
3 years ago
Who Dunnit???
There was speculation about Sullivan but since he contacted Chief Chiu early today to request the investigation I now doubt it.
And the big motivation leaves the remaining 4 Vision Vancouver councillors as the likely prime suspects.
And (fair or not) Vision Vancouver will now have to wear the "criminal investigation" stigma heading into Saturday's ballot box.
The narrative of the campaign has now certainly changed again.
realisticman
3 years ago
Do the right thing Gary Mason.
Clear the air Gary. Tell us how you came by those papers.
If they were taken by a councilor that is obliged to keep in-camera information confidential, by law, then a crime has been indirectly committed and that councilor is an accessory, particularly if they willfully passed the papers to the press.
G West
3 years ago
Clear the air - yeah right
You're joking realisticman...this is the journalist (I considered putting that in single quotes) who said - of the Basi/Virk case - 'There is nothing to these charges.'
I just heard smilin sammy on the radio luke - he ain't talkin'
Luke Skywalker
3 years ago
Well, Well, Well... Another Bombshell...
Global (BCTV) reported tonight the timeline of the card swipes at Vancouver City Hall.
And "one lone councillor was in attendance for an hour" at city hall prior to B.C. Lee finding the document on the desk to his unlocked office. B.C. Lee had previously left city hall prior to that one hour.
The same unnamed councillor whom city hall insiders reported was the suspect in last night's Global news story.
And who may that councillor be???
None other than Raymond Louie who is also:
1. Deputy chair of the city finance committee;
2. Appointed by Gregor Robertson to be his top policy adviser;
3. Appointed by Robertson to be Vision Vancouver's caucus chair;
4. And who also voted in favour of the loan to Millenium;
BTW, both Ladner and Robertson have both publicly stated that the culprit should come out and disclose himself.
The shite is now gonna hit the fan.
City of Vancouver writer Frances Bula has it right when she stated:
http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20081109/BC_domino_effect_bula_081109/20081109?hub=BritishColumbiablog
If, and that's still a big "IF", Vision Vancouver gains control of Vancouver City hall, Vancouverites will witness the most dysfunctional governance it has ever witnessed.
Too bad... Vision Vancouver could still have won city hall on its own merits.
realisticman
3 years ago
Follow the Money
The CBC reports tonight that VISION accepted money from Millennium in the previous election but the NPA did not.
Interesting.
G West
3 years ago
Political contributions Bwahhh hahahha
Would you care for an updated list of the folks who finance Gordon Campbell my friend?
It can be arranged.
Because if that's the game you're playing, it isn't going to work. The BC Liberals are so mired in payola that anyone and everyone else looks lily white by comparison.
In politics, sadly, everything is relative and the electors know who the real tar baby is and how it got that way.
Nice to see you're finally getting religion though!
thu
3 years ago
Raymond Louie, the Dick Cheney of Vision
So, now it's perfectly clear that Raymond Louie is acting as Gregor's "Dick Cheney" in this election. Gregor is the puppet, and Raymond Louie is the puppet-master. That explains a lot.
What I'd like to know is WHAT did Gregor know and WHEN did he know it? Is Gregor Robertson now claiming he knew nothing about who leaked this, or that it was illegal to do so?? If so, it just proves how incompetent he is to be Mayor. If not, then he's an accessory to a crime.
This is starting to look VERY bad for Gregor, Raymond and Vision. I bet Gregor wishes he never paid that transit fine now.
realisticman
3 years ago
GWest
"Police to investigate leak of Olympic Village loan details".
That my friend is the title of this story. The Vancouver Olympic Village. A City of Vancouver contract. Your candidate, Gregor Robertson, is running for the VISION/COPE Party and today (Nov.12.08) the CBC reported that this same party received and accepted CASH from the PROPERTY DEVELOPER of this project during the previous Vancouver election but the NPD, which is running Peter Ladner as candidate for mayor, did NOT accept money from this developer.
You attempting to divert the issue at hand by referring to the BC Premier is not what's at stake here. Save that for another time. It's important for electors to know that by voting for Gregor Robertson and VISION/COPE they will voting for a party that accepts money from a development company that is central to the present controversy.
G West
3 years ago
Nope The issue, my friend
Is the city propping up a wilting developer someone who's a good friend of the premier of the province?
That IS the issue - the connections between the NPA (you can start with my old friend Marty Zlotnik if you like) and the BC Liberals are well known.
I listened to the debate on CBC radio this evening and it was pretty clear Peter Ladner hasn't got a leg to stand on. And that the crowd was cheering for the other guy – when the moderator let them cheer that is.
I couldn't care less who leaked this mess - the public had a right to know and to know what their elected representatives are doing with the city and their money. As far as I’m concerned they were performing a public duty by being whistleblowers on a sleazy deal.
There is only now and this is the issue of the moment - the connections are there and you ignore them at your peril.
I could care less that Millennium hedges its bets.
There is no way any other group could be more incompetent than slick Sammy and his NPA confreres are.
And what about the $20 million + fund for Olympic parties...will that go to bail out the Premier's favourite too?
Keep on digging folks - if you break the shovel I'll provide another one.
Gregor Robertson is not a part of this council, remember?
And we know, after all, that Gordon and Marty will take money from anyone...did you not get in on the special deal Bell Mobility had for BC Liberal members?
Too bad!
G West
3 years ago
As for the title - who cares?
The other opportunities to post on this issue are rapidly disappearing - that's the problem with the short time frame on some of these stories.
G West
3 years ago
And, if you care
You can find something else to ponder at the end of this comment thread - http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Olympics2010/2008/11/11/OwenCampbellPooPooBailout/
Which is Also CLOSED - if you hadn't noticed.
realisticman
3 years ago
Yes, I Care
Did Gordon Campbell and his friends get to all the VISION & COPE members, as well as all the NPA members, that cooked up this deal back in 2003 (?), as well as those on Council now and buy them off? Is that why they all voted for these deals? Please tell, you seem to know. What amazing power!
I hear that Peter Ladner has accepted to undergo a lie detector test and Raymond Louie and Gregor have been asked if they would take one too. I wonder how they'll get out of that. Who do you think they'll blame not taking it on?
G West
3 years ago
I guess you're not aware
Of the fact that polygraph evidence is inadmissible in Canada. Who cares what tests any of them take - when the party in power is ON THE TAKE that's the 'real' question.
They're all grandstanding - just like people who live by the idea that you can let your friends in business have exclusive access to your program and run your campaign for the price of a few million beans....even CanWest is rapidly running down the memory hole - all their political contributions got them exactly where?
As for NPA supporters and BC Liberals calling foul at this stage of the game; you must be kidding - live by the sword and die by the sword.
Just like the British Empire - corruption and favouritism will take you only so far - eventually the honest few will call you out.
Just like Eric Blair....
Now, about those Three WISE MEN...Guess Senator Campbell wants to protect his little two suite investment eh?
As for Campbell, I'd say he's corrupted politics in this province at every level for a generation.
thu
3 years ago
Raymond Louie is the leaker
Now you can't tell me that Gregor had no idea that his Deputy Mayor did this?
http://canwest.a.mms.mavenapps.net:80/mms/rt/1/site/canwest-globalbc-pub01-live/current/launch.html?maven_playerId=globalbchomepage&maven_referralObject=3191964
realisticman
3 years ago
The Americans are Coming
No GWest, I didn't see any of your close personal friends from America on the list, namely Margaret Wente, Jeffery Simpson, Tom Flanangan, etc., as you repeatedly remind us, they're not REAL Canadians but there are quite a few others. Perhaps you would tell us which ones are REAL Canadians. Many foreigners are not familiar with the way things are done here, so you say. As you wrote a couple of days ago, "Because you are an immigrant you may not know the way the city of Vancouver has done business ever since the war ...", help us out here. Check the list.
http://thebernermonologues.blogspot.com/
realisticman
3 years ago
Globalization
http://thebernermonologues.blogspot.com/2008_11_12_archive.html
G West
3 years ago
realisticman
I haven't got a clue what you're talking about.
I could care less who finances Gregor Robertson's election. What's important is what happens once he's elected - if he does nothing but promote his friends and give away public assets like Gordon Campbell and Sam Sullivan have done, I'll be on his case too. Wait and see.
And I have no problem at all with Americans who come to Canada to be a part of this culture - the ones that bother me are folks who try to transplant their American philosophy to this country...as you well know.
Even the ones who get kidney transplants here - I'm all for it.
I don't think you do know the way Vancouver politics under the NPA has worked since the war - I excused you for that ignorance because you're an immigrant.
I suspect you're not the only one who takes that bunch for its word...
And, I thought I was doing you a favour.
The voters will do themselves another by running the current NPA council out of town on a rail - metaphorically speaking. I’m glad to see Mr Berner agrees.