Great Article

Just wanted to thank Will McMartin for another excellent article. He names names, this guy! Please keep up the excellent detailed work; this is by far the number one story in this province, much bigger than the Olympics or the HST.

Conflict commissioner job under scrutiny along other watchdogs

cfvua wondered where the Conflict Commissioner is...

Gordon Campbell announced about a month ago the appointment of a task force of 6 people to review, within 4 weeks, the effectiveness and job descriptions of the 8 provincial government watchdogs.

So, the Conflict Commissioner, the Freedom of Information & Privacy Commissioner, the Police Complaints Commissioner, the Ombudsperson, the Auditor General, etc. are all awaiting news of their fate at this moment, and are not doing much of anything.

One example, is the Ombudsperson's report into the numerous complaints about the care of seniors in BC health care facilities -- it is way, way overdue. No reason given for such foot-dragging on her report, other than (one can guess) she expects hell to break loose when she comes out with a light slap on the wrist instead of what a true, independent officer of the people should be doing in support of vulnerable citizens. Just watch.

And, if the 4 week duration for a review of such a complex subject matter isn't a tip-off for "rubber stamp of foregone conclusion", I don't know what is.

The report on the 8 government watchdog agencies was to be delivered this week (early April) as I recall. Wonder where it is? Probably in Gordon Campbell's workshop, undergoing special tinkering, refitting it so it can become another Trojan horse for their deceptive actions that are debilitating the province of BC.

Another great one by Will McMartin

There is a certain irony to this article being published on Easter Monday....as there appears to be, especially when it comes to Accenture, a story brewing here of biblical proportions that involves resurrection from the dead, ascension (northwards)....and the providing of safe haven for loyal disciples.

LarryBC:

Well said....you raise a really important issue.

Yes..... the ever well-funded "Ministry of Special Tinkering" is no doubt very busy these days.

Will McMartin and B.C.Hydro Board

Will McMartin points out the certainty of future huge
profits for the private sector insiders. Our current Provincial government seems intent on pushing through
these developments, regardless of rate increases to ordinary citizens. How can we stop this? We seem to be powerless (no pun intended).

Broken Link

Here's Drance's profile link on the Stikeman website:

http://www.van.stikeman.com/cps/rde/xchg/se-en/hs.xsl/Profile.htm?ProfileID=16258

The link was malformed during publishing, it seems. If it happens again with my post, just go to the main site (www.van.stikeman.com) and enter Drance's name in the people finder search on the left of the screen.

Sensitivity

Wow. Somebody has touched green energy's sensitivity button. Quite a defensive position if everything is as innocent as it is said to be.
I wouldn't put too much faith into what comes out of a "conference". Some of these things are so phony and are set up by the organizers to deliberately create an issue where there isn't one and then assume that the discussions becomes official policy. Most are a complete waste of time and the government should stop sending our bureaucrats to them. They only benefit the organizers who are business owners who also are "plugged in" if you will. None of my companies are represented by the firm either.
Not sure how we get by without them, but then maybe if they did.......
Wind energy, unless things change drastically quickly will be a drain on the economy, with very few BC jobs created during construction. "Special" people being brought in to do the most menial of tasks.

Queen of De Nile

Thanks to Will McMartin for reporting this compelling exposure and the Tyee for publishing this record of conscience.
The Commissioner for Conflict of Interest should start investigation without further ado. The COI legislation intends to prevent any instance from proceeding so far. The government of the day lacks political wit to see its own pathology. The Liberal leader has previously dismissed CoI rather than allow independent review.
To read the steps, here’s the link : http://www.leg.bc.ca/38th4th/1st_read/m216-1.htm
Hydro Minutes will reveal whether this director properly informed the Board, withdrew from promoting and voting, has placed his portfolio in blind trust and fulfilled the intent and spirit of the law governing his privileged appointment by the Liberal. Full access should be offered to this research.
The value of law is determined by its adoption within the intended community and enforcement without favoritism. This case betrays a blind spot among “elite” business and the Liberal camp. Self regulation is a code for free hand and any behavior. Do the rest of us want our society and democracy remembered for double standards and rapacity ?

Sigh

Drance is a director at Hydro because of his expertise and skill at the types of operation that a billion dollar corporation needs. I'm not on the board because my experience is more in the thousands of dollars range - I can't do his job as well as he can. Neither can you most likely.

A board like Hydro's should be made up of a diverse group of experts who together can run it for the best interests of the group it serves. They've got a succesful architect, someone who's managed highways and infrastructure projects, an aboriginal chief, accountants, finance experts and engineers. Again, I am not on that board because the biggest project I've managed is changing a bike tire. How many billion dollar decisions have you been trusted with? BC Hydro's board needs lawyers. It especially needs lawyers familiar the electrical industry and, for better or for worse, one that is familiar with a key stakeholder in BC Hydro's future: IPPs.

Should there be citizen representatives on the board? I think so, but I don't see anyone else suggesting this. What I see is blind rhetoric about corruption and petty political snipes. There is no reason at all why Drance should not be on the Hydro board. This article, or at least the way everyone is responding to it, suggest that there is some gross manipulation of the system going on here. When Drance sits on that directors chair, he has a mandate that excludes benefiting himself or any of his other interests. How effective are these restrictions is up for debate, but I know that most of these folks take their responsibilities seriously. It is transparently located here http://www.bchydro.com/about/company_information/board_committees/board_of_directors.html under Terms of Reference. Read it, and if you think Drance is operating outside this framework, make a complaint to the utilities commission.

Drance is but one man on the board. One man does not run a board, they make decisions together. Shout corruption at Chief Kim Baird and Peter Busby while you're at it, because they're just as culpable for whatever crimes you all are accusing Drance over.

shabbaranks - I think you've missed the point

With respect, I think the real question is NOT Drance's roll on the BC HYDRO board...The problem is his attendance at the IPP Conference. These people are studying and collaborating on ways to profit from relationships and contracts with a PUBLIC entity on whose behalf Drance has a duty to act. He is not on Hydro’s Board to advance the project of IPP power.

He is therefore, or at least he has the appearance of being, on both sides of the IPP issue - that's the problem, and the implication that Will McMartin spells out very clearly in the first 4 paragraphs of this column.

He then goes on to illustrate even further the 'appearance' of a conflict because of the way Drance registered for the conference - as a representative of his LAW FIRM - not as a Hydro board member.

From that, it seems quite clear that Drance is, at least nominally, playing both sides of the game.

He further points out why Stikeman Elliott, with its ties to Finavera Renewables (among other firms) is also in a potential conflict of interest relative to BC Hydro.

I don't believe it's too much to expect that the 'experts' BC HYDRO calls upon to staff its board should not also be - at least nominally - representing financial interests which will undoubtedly profit from doing business with HYDRO.

I think the case is pretty clear and Will McMartin's spelled it out very ably.

If Kim Baird is a big shareholder in any of the IPP firms who're clamoring to get sweetheart contracts with BC Hydro I'd expect Will McMartin to write about that too.

The fact he hasn't is probably because SHE isn't in a conflict situation.

Connections

Are what it is all about with this group. Why else would you bring a general contractor from Minnesota(are we short of GCs in BC?) to put together the balance of a $300 Million project near Chetwynd? Who then brings a trucking company from Ontario (must be short of trucks in BC too) who brings another trucker from Calgary to actually do the work.(Is Ontario short of trucks too?) HOpefully the shareholders of Plutonic aren't being duped by people with connections into paying more for construction than they need to. Just the markup on this phony arrangement should raise some hackles.
But then if the right folks are getting it will anyone care, other than the people who get to stay on EI while they watch out of province taxpayers take paycheques home.