Gaming Contributions...

What seems not to be reported herein is that it is municipalities who decide whether to permit gaming within their individual jurisdictions. Yes, those municipalities controlled by both civic Liberals and New Democrats.

With that taken into account, Vision Vancouver, the new centre-left Vancouver governing civic party, has been described by some as an NDP civic farm team.

Looking at Vision Vancouver's 2005 contributors (2008 has not yet been filed) also provides an interesting result:

If one looks at the $250,000 provincial figure and the multi-millions spent on an election campaign compared to the much smaller Vancouver municipal campaign, Vision Vancouver certainly received better bang for their buck/voter.

http://tinyurl.com/rzp7v
[URL shortened for technical reasons. -Moderator.]

To reiterate, it's the municipalities that are the key decision makers in permitting gaming within their jurisdictions, not the province.

integrity

I hope to be hearing about this in other places than the tyee. Sean Holman is a brave, intelligent, and persistent man. We're lucky to have him. I hope others in his profession will increasingly wish to be like him.

An offer they can't refuse?

I find it very interesting how many connections there are between our esteemed government and what is commonly referred to as 'organized crime'.

The police investigation that led to the legislature being raided and searched, and several key cabinet types suddenly finding their families needed them more than their party did is one. According to a police press release at the time.

This money flow following the sudden legalization of numbers and gambling after decades of calling it organized crime is another.

If this is a pattern, one would expect to find it mirrored in other recently legalized enterprises that used to be criminal behaviour.

Mr. Holman, ever consider doing a similar investigation into contributions from loan sharks? I mean check cashing/payday loan places that charge hundreds or thousands of percent interest? Or from the escort industry, which now advertises in newspapers and the yellow pages after centuries of illegality? Or even,dare we think it, from the one that remains illegal, the monopoly that seemingly finances all the rest, the drug trade?

Promises...promises.... promises.....

How soon they forget...

Campbell promise:
“Stop the expansion of gambling.” – 2002 Throne Speech
Since then....

Liberal government will be making $1 billion off gambling by 06/07 - a 78% increase.
Under Campbell the cap on the maximum number of slot machines in B.C. was first increased to 5,400 (from 3000) - and then eliminated altogether.

Not just casino capitalism but casinos have been expanded and deregulated.

Under Campbell casinos began serving alcohol on the casino floor and, for convenience they permitted the installation of ATMs right on the premises.

Campbell has been pushing municipal bingo halls to take on slot machines and online gambling was introduced to further boost revenues.

Even the lotteries branch, exposed by a report last year as possibly corrupt, was 'handled' by firing the CEO AND giving him an enormous severance package.

This government has NO credibility with respect to ANY of its promises but the gambling lies are probably the most flagrant...

Still no increase in the minimum wage; still no response to child poverty and no effective answer to homelessness.

I guess the young and the poor and the homeless and the sick and the old haven’t made enough political contributions to the little band of acolytes who run the province from the Premier’s office…..

No moral compass

This government sails without a moral compass. Alcohol consumption, drug use, criimal activity and gambling all increase during bad times. With the highest national child poverty rate for five years running, a great number of BC citizens have been having bad time. With the current economy, many of these children are poised for far worse. For the Campbell government to actively promote gambling and alcohol sales like it has through increasing the number of venues and the times they can be accessed is unconscionable. Unrestrained greed and power lust guides this government. For having elected them a second time, BC has proven to be a ship of fools. It's time to abandon ship.

I hope that, when this government finally washes up on the rocks, the bootlicks in the Public Affairs Bureau who spread lies and half truths with our hard-earned money might be able to be brought up on charges. Is there any legal precedent to catch and cage the rodentia as they are leaving the ship? Could their actions be considered malfeasance? In my books they are non gradus anus rodentum! I don't know why we must pay for them.

"Free press"?

Sure the "major" newspapers will pick this up! Soon as they receive instructions from above to screw their patron saint, Campbell. A guy who has been getting free ride in the Canwest/Black dominated press in this province because he's "so good for business" after all. Nevermind that this business is raping the province, what do they care, they're getting paid off now.

A pile of horsefeathers

"What seems not to be reported herein is that it is municipalities who decide whether to permit gaming within their individual jurisdictions. Yes, those municipalities controlled by both civic Liberals and New Democrats."

Yes, a permission forced on them by the 1999 NDP government who sought to exempt existing casinos from the rules and bylaws, who sought no remedies for the crime and social disorder that casinos cause, a provincial government hoping for a few more bucks in the provincial coffers, all the while knowing that the casino operators would never give them a dime toward their re-election campaigns.

"With that taken into account, Vision Vancouver, the new centre-left Vancouver governing civic party, has been described by some as an NDP civic farm team."

Described by who? VanderZalm zealot Alex Tsakumis? COPE has always been the closest thing to an NDP farm team. Vision is largely composed of a bunch of frosted flakes with few principles and no coherent political policy on anything. Very much like the BC Fiberals. Bend whichever way the wind blows and dance to whoever's piping the tune.

See this summary of the issues raised by the 1999 Rhodes Report on Gaming in BC (a provincial responsibility):

"The Provincial government's proposed legislation on gambling:

1. Takes away municipal jurisdiction
Proposed legislation gives the Minister power to over-ride local government. In Vancouver, this would mean Council's ability to regulate casinos would be undermined (e.g., the Minister could over-ride City by-laws for Zoning and Development, Building, Licensing, Noise, Signs, Parking, Street and Traffic).

It would give the Minister ultimate authority over relocation of existing casinos (where they go, size, and the type of activities permitted).

The White Paper suggests that, in the future, the Minister may be able to permit existing casinos in one municipality to be relocated into another municipality.

2. Avoids dealing with serious social issues around expanded gambling
The City of Vancouver may have as many as 7,800 pathological gamblers that could cost our society hundreds of millions of dollars per year.

3. Ignores economic issues
The proposed legislation does not say whether there will be any economic or social impact assessment of expanded gambling.

4. Does not realistically address policing issues
The proposed legislation does not adequately deal with the cost of increased demands on police resources to control legal or illegal gambling.

What mayor or city council wouldn't shrink from such overweening power wielded as that? To me it looks like prison sex - no attraction when viewed from the outside, but once you're inside, it's worth a try, if only to avoid a worse punishment.

This story well illustrates.............

..........Gordon Campbell's & his Liberal government pay as you go policy. You pay into Liberal coffers and you go about your business with little or no political interference.

Hell, CN Rail paid and guess what, they got a railway!

Another Scoop

Cheers to Sean Holman, another courageous BC news reporter. ALWAYS a pleasure to see his name in the Tyee. And what a scoop.

What's particularly disturbing about this story is how small donations from one industry (gambling/crime) can grow into a life long relationship. It's happened in jurisdictions around the world. Now its here in BC, in spades. Without public discussion, citizens will never be able to stop it.

Third world country status, here we come.

are political parties immune from drug money contributions?

given the following stats you got to wonder what goes on in this Province/country?

According to the May 19, 2008 issue of Macleans:

"There are an estimated 20,000 marijuana grow ops in houses across the province... It's conservatively estimated that marijuana is an industry with revenues of $5 billion to $7 billion a year.

...By some estimates, criminal activity amounts to roughly seven per cent of the province's total economy. .... it's safe to say that alongside construction and tourism, criminal activity is one of B.C.'s strongest growth industries. "We can quibble about a billion dollars here or a billion dollars there," says Darryl Plecas, a criminology professor at the University College of the Fraser Valley. "But the bottom line is there's no question this is a multi-billion [dollar] industry." Crime is big business in B.C., and business, unfortunately, is booming."

McMafia

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=3f5abe053ce09b5abff23eca43cf02a0

Police and drug figures

I'd be skeptical of police drug squad numeracy. These are the same people that regularly estimate the street value of marijuana on a by-the-joint pricing scheme.

zalm...

Methinks that ya should talk to former BC New Democrat premier Mike Harcourt.

Not only did centrist Harcourt perceive COPE to be "too" left-wing, he ran as an "Independent" as mayor and also ran three council candidates under his "Civic Independents" municipal party during the 1980's.

They were something akin to today's Vision Vancouver.

So you are now sayin' that COPE's Tim "Che Guevara" Louis was/is a typical New Democrat? :)

Liberal farm team

Used car salesmen and casino operators.

Right on Frank

I knew they had a style just couldn't put my finger on it but used car salesmen its right on. You hit on the nail. And funny think around election time everyone going feel they were sold a lemon.

Tieleman on his donations

First - congratulations to my 24 hours colleague Sean Holman on a truly great story that is far from over.

Second - Luke Skywalker is really in outer space. Yes, I give money to the NDP - and in fact, CanWest Global got the amount wrong - it's a fair bit more!

But I have also contributed to Vision Vancouver through my company - it is incorporated and anyone can find out easily that I own it.

Sean Holman's whole point is that the gaming and bingo industry folks were not being straightforward about who was giving - they made other corporate or individual donations to apparently mask that they were coming from gambling owners.

My case is straightforward. I own one company, and it is clear who owns it.

Third - unfortunately, the BC Liberal government - and to be fair - the NDP government before them - has failed to put any sensible donation legislation in place for municipalities.

Political donations should be encouraged by making them tax creditable. There should be spending limits and full accountability to voters.

Until then what it means is that business owners like myself can make corporate donations as a business expense, while individual donors get no credit for their contributions. Very unfair.

Lastly - Luke, I do have a deck. It came with my apartment.

I don't have a gaming license or bingo hall - I wish I did, as I'd be rolling in money.

Meanwhile, it's you who is rolling in red herrings.

Bill Tieleman

Bill...

I was not insinuating anything... really!

Reading the relatively recent media coverage regarding your donations, I did notice that you donated individually in one respect and corporately in the other.

So it was obvious to take same as an example in terms of the referenced story.

Good one! :) But most people that I know characterize me as pretty "down to earth".

But you were still Glen Clark's political strategist. ;)

Bill, I hate fish. Hate it. Read Herring, Yellow-Tailed Tuna... you name it

Bill, I wasn't attempting to take a personal swipe (as you unfortunately heed) and I do like your journalistic work!

Morality in gov't

When the NDP were in power, and they had a problem with gambling, those with responsibility resigned. With the BC Liberals, those with responsibility shout remember the NDP in the 90's and they do NOTHING. That is a major difference between the BC Liberals and the BC NDP. The NDP know how to accept responsibility while the BC Liberals do nothing but bluster and dig us in deeper into their immoral morass.

Zalm

Thanks for your post above "A pile of horsefeathers" (2 days ago).

It put me in mind of yet another reason I disliked Clark's gov't so much - its pursuit of gambling. I seem to remember that he was envisioning a huge downtown waterfront casino / convention center, as an investment vehicle for union pension funds.

It is instructive to see how leadership which holds views contrary to a Party's traditions can be put in place by a special interest group, in this case, the unions.

I wonder if he and his cynical buddy Dan Miller feel any shame.