Mr. T. Goes To P.G.

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Prince George, the Gateway to the North, is out there in the Hurtland.

Thus, even the business community is not quite living the pre-Olympic building boom dream that we are being forced to hallucinate our way through down here in the Southwestern British Columbia.

It is also a place that really benefitted from B.C. Rail, a once public asset which, thanks to Gordon Campbell's forced, and allegedly bribe-assisted, privatization putsch, no longer belongs to the people of this province.

Thus, unlike down here, where the only thing most folks think about, if they think about B.C. Rail at all, is the luridness of the growing scandal associated with the trial, up in Prince George some folks are really angry because of the harm they feel the actual deal has done to their community. Here is a short list that was enunciated recently by local pundit Ben Meisner:

• Loss of some $15 - $18 million dollars in annual salaries in the Prince George Region.
• Forest companies are now paying higher transportation costs making it more difficult to get their goods to market at a competitive price.
• Loss of some $100 million dollars a year in profit that could be channeled back into the B.C. economy.
• Loss of the ability to transport goods into Alaska (lost opportunity)

Mr. Meisner was part of a recent public panel that discussed the B.C. Rail sale in Prince George.

And our own favorite RailGate studio scribe, Bill 'Mr. T' Tieleman, was also there and, apparently, he let his virtual hair down and had some pretty interesting things to say:

Tieleman has been covering the Basi-Virk case in the B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver. He says the case is so bizarre “It seems like the X Files some times, you know the show’s slogan was the truth is out there, well in this case the truth is way, way, way, out there.”

Tieleman says the allegations are unbelievable. There have been allegations of dirty tricks, with planted phone calls to open line shows. There are allegations of lobby group links to some politicians, and allegations the sale (lease) to CN was a done deal from the very beginning. “There was even an alleged plan to dump manure on Jim Sinclair’s front lawn because Sinclair (head of the B.C. Federation of Labour) opposed the sale. I must say, I always knew the Liberals were full of bull, I just didn’t know they made home deliveries.”

Tielman believes the case will eventually go to trial, but he has questions. He wonders aloud why the Ministerial Aide for Gary Collins is facing charges, but no charges against the Minister. He wonders aloud why the lobbiest at the core of the case has not been charged. Tieleman says while it is not his intention to presume guilt or innocence, he is left to ask why those who are well connected or members of the Liberal party have been spared prosecution?

Gee, Mr. T.

Can't you tell us what you really think?

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And, just for the record, Mr. T. is now reporting over at his place that he actually added the poop to the bull when he spoke.

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