Independent media needs you. Join the Tyee.

The Hook: Political news, freshly caught

Reporter's Notebook: Legislature watchdogs bring budget requests

The chair of the province's Finance and Government Services committee, Liberal MLA Randy Hawes, today dressed down the Representative for Children and Youth, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, for renting new offices without permission.

“I'm very hesitant to admonish, but I feel compelled,” said Hawes. “It should have come to us before you made a firm commitment . . . Before the commitment's made you have to come before us and tell us what you want to do.”

The representative's budget request includes $357,000 to cover the leases on two of its four offices. While the cost of the leases was covered in the current fiscal year's budget, she's looking for an increase for next year. Overall she is looking for an increase of $779,000 to the office's operating budget, bringing it to $7.34 million.

“We do not have an overage this year,” Turpel-Lafond told the committee. She has lived within her budget and made choices when it has been necessary to reallocate money. “I don't feel that any of them are inappropriate decisions.”

Hawes said the leases would likely have been approved, but that Turpel-Lafond should have checked with the committee before committing to ongoing spending. “Frankly our hands are tied.”

Speaking with reporters following the exchange, Bruce Ralston said, “I don't think it comes as any surprise that premises were leased and it comes as a cost.”

Turpel-Lafond was the last of the eight independent officers of the legislature, or watchdogs, to bring a budget request to the committee. Last week Conflict of Interest commissioner Paul Fraser came in for similar criticism for renting office space without permission.

There are five Liberal and four NDP MLAs on the bi-partisan committee. The committee next meets on December 8 and is expected to make its recommendations within the next few weeks.

Also of note from the committee meetings:

* Information and Privacy Commissioner David Loukidelis said he expects his already backlogged office will have more to do after the government fixes the Lobbyist Registration Act this spring. “Looking forward there's a case there'll be greater demands on our time.”

Loukidelis was looking for an increase of $404,000 to bring his operating budget to $3.6 million and add the equivalent of two full-time employees. “This is the fourth year in a row I'm here to report we have a backlog of files,” he said. “Our workload continues to challenge our ability to provide effective, efficient and responsive services to British Columbians and to public bodies and organizations in the private sector as well.”

* Last year Loukidelis' office received $150,000 to improve the online registration system and website for the lobbyist registry. A contractor has been chosen and work is underway, he said.

* Liberal MLA John Yap asked Loukidelis what would happen if his office gets no budget increase. Loukidelis responded, “We would continue to not provide timely service, in terms of the expectations of the public and the government for that matter.”

* Finding money is a matter of priorities, NDP MLA John Horgan observed. “Just last night I was watching the hockey game, and I saw three ads about how great things are here in British Columbia,” he said, according to hansard's draft version. “Then I turned to the news and saw four more ads. And then I come here today, and I see the hard-working efforts of your office trying to manage three distinct pieces of legislation. I see a 45 percent increase in requests for extensions, thousands of new case files and a modest request to meet that challenge.”

Hawes later argued that Horgan's was an unfair comparison since the ads are in this year's budget, while Loukidelis is looking for money from next year's budget. Those, of course, are totally different things.

* Auditor General John Doyle came in under budget this year, but was looking for an increase of $1.05 million to $16.3 million for next year. ”The reality is it actually pays back dividends to organizations,” he said. “There's always a place in the economy for ensuring things are going as planned.”

* During her presentation, where she was looking for a $299,000 increase to her office's budget, Ombudsman Kim Carter mentioned she's working on a major review of seniors' care in the province. “Quite frankly the response has been overwhelming in terms of complaints coming to us,” she said. Within four months of starting the project the office had opened 150 files.

* The May 12, 2009 provincial election and referendum will cost in the order of $33.7 million, according to the budget request for Elections B.C., the agency that manages provincial elections. The bulk of that is for the general election, with most of it going to paying the 32,000 temporary employees needed for the event.

* Chief Electoral Officer Harry Neufeld observed that fixed election dates make it much easier to plan ahead and be prepared. Snap elections, as may yet happen with the federal government, are hard to plan for, he said. “I wouldn't have traded positions this past weekend with my federal counterpart for any money.”

* Elections B.C. has new offices lined up in the soon to be vacated B.C. Ferries building on Fort Street in Victoria. “Bad mojo in that building,” observed NDP MLA John Horgan. “Get a shaman to come through.”

Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.

Find more in:

What have we missed? What do you think? We want to know. Comment below. Keep in mind:

Do:

  • Verify facts, debunk rumours
  • Add context and background
  • Spot typos and logical fallacies
  • Highlight reporting blind spots
  • Ignore trolls
  • Treat all with respect and curiosity
  • Connect with each other

Do not:

  • Use sexist, classist, racist or homophobic language
  • Libel or defame
  • Bully or troll
  • Troll patrol. Instead, flag suspect activity.
comments powered by Disqus