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NDP criticism a thorn in Furlong's side

John Furlong is no fan of Carole James or Harry Bains.

The Vancouver Olympics chief executive slammed the ex-B.C. NDP leader and its one-time Olympics critic in his memoir, Patriot Hearts: Inside the Olympics That Changed a Country (Douglas and McIntyre).

"I expected more respect from Carole James, who had never asked for a walk-through of our finances," Furlong wrote. "It burned me even more that the auditor general was sounding off and yet had never once asked to meet with me or members of my team to talk about the facts."

Furlong met Bains at the Waterfront Centre Hotel and accused him of spreading misinformation.

"It didn't matter what we did; it was never good enough for Harry or his party," he wrote. "He would just swing the bat as hard as he could and it didn't matter who he hit in the process."

Bains told QMI he "vividly" remembers a Nov. 10, 2006, meeting where Furlong berated him for claiming VANOC had gone over budget. At the time, Bains was publicly critical of VANOC's lack of business plan.

"He decided to go on the offensive, accusing me of not having facts," Bains said. "When I challenged him on it, he couldn't back it up."

Despite their criticism of spending by taxpayer-backed VANOC, Furlong sent James and Bains Olympic workforce clothing, according to Dec. 17, 2010, legislature disclosure statements. James donated her gifts to the Boys and Girls Club of Victoria.

Furlong's book also said Bloc Quebecois Members of Parliament received the surplus blue clothing, but almost returned them because a covering letter was in English. "The matter got resolved and they kept the jackets, but it was a final shot that didn't show a lot of class."

Bob Mackin reports for 24 Hours Vancouver.

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