Thursday, March 03, 2016

This Day In Clarkland: Why Does The Free Enterprise Party Hate...



...Free Enterprise So Much?


Yesterday, we noted that a laundry company (that may or may not be 'BC-based' as the press release says) that has donated six figures to various and assorted sundry BC Liberals over the years has been given a big hospital laundry contract in Kelowna in the wake of the BC Liberal government's latest privatization enterprise. 

Interestingly, the contract is very long.

As in twenty years long, which surprised the heck out of me.

And then, our readers weighed in.

First came an Anon-O-Mouse with this:

10 years used to be the norm.

Here in Penticton the Mayor and council are hell bent on cutting 20 & 30 year NO BID deals for the commercialization of pristine waterfront parkland. 


Which, later in the comment thread, was followed by this, from Clever Elephant proprietor Paul Ramsey:

...(T)he government has signed a number of 10-year information technology deals over the past 10 years, which is borderline insane given the pace of change in the field. (Would a deal signed in 2006 include resources for mobile web technology? No, because the iPhone hadn't been invented yet, but that same deal would still be running today.)

20 years for laundry doesn't have the same in-built innovation problem (unless I misunderstand the clothes washing technology field) but it has crazy implications for getting good competitive bids. For something as commodified as doing laundry, why wouldn't we go out to bid every couple years, to keep a healthy competitive ecosystem around pushing prices down. If you award all the work to one company over huge time intervals, eventually there won't be any viable competitors around when the contract comes out to re-bid...



I chewed on all of that for awhile (i.e. during geezer rock band practice last night while all the noodling went on looking for this year's 'new songs').

And then, as I was putting the pedals away later, at home, Paul's last sentence became a 10,000 pound crap-hammer that whacked me up the side of the head, hard:

"...If you award all the work to one company over huge time intervals, eventually there won't be any viable competitors around when the contract comes out to re-bid..."


Why the crap-hammer?

Because, if you recall, this was, essentially the strate(r)gy of the BC Liberal's original 990 year privatization sin right from the beginning.

If you get my drift.


OK?


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And, thanks to readers NVG and Hugh for raising the red flag on the 'BC-based' thing. 
My original pass at the BCL donations just used the company's name...This led to the number $127,980....Reader Lew added the company's CEO to the search...When you add that number to the first number the new number, based on the new math (i.e. A + B = C), is.... $138,700.

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14 comments:

Anonymous said...

The crap flowing from the BC Liberals never ends...folks, its not about free enterprise and never was. This "criminal group" has to be dealt with, and soon. The whole BC lib concept is about "control of governance"...period. Whether that be through, contractual means, back room shady deals, or political manipulation of legislation and or manipulative accounting methods. This group of both corporate and government individuals, has subverted a democratic government, and is using tactics that can only be described as political and social manipulation, to drive their agenda.
Terrorism is not this countries greatest threat.
The political practices of the BC Liberals and the former Harper government are.
Their are federal agencies that deal with this nonsense. The question is, why aren't they?

Chuckstraight said...

The local MLA is Steve Thomson. I tried searching his name and laundry privatization- only article I could find mentioned he was not available.
Steve Thomson= a real community leader.

e.a.f. said...

At one time (60s and 70s) new hospitals used commercial laundries. Then the Socred government decided they might as well use the hospital laundries which already exsisted. That worked well. Then of course along comes a B.C. Lieberal government which wanted to ensure their friends had contracts.

People lost decent paying jobs, with a/l, and benefits. How did the province benefit from that. More low paying jobs only means more children living in poverty.

Its the same as Life Labs pretty much getting all the lab work in the province. what do we get, long line ups, unhappy staff, not so clean looking offices. The doctor-owners, a monopoly and a life time income. Wonder how much they contribute to the B.C. Lieberals.

Anonymous said...

Abbotsford next?

Lew said...

Anon@2:30

Done deal. Ecotex and K-Bro have the market cornered for VCH and FHA. Something like $36.5 million in 2014.

BTW RossK, you can add $16,190 to the contribution total through Magnatex, Shadow Creek Holdings and Pine Ridge Investments.

Mr. Beer N. Hockey said...

If they thought they could get away with it elections too would only be held every twenty years. Every four years is such a fuss after all.

Anonymous said...

Lew 410


http://www.kelownacapnews.com/news/370820731.html

looked up donations claimed ,allegedly, from commentator Bruce,on article, on mobile device access(does not show up on non mobile address)


http://contributions.electionsbc.gov.bc.ca/pcs/SA1ASearchResults.aspx?Contributor=ecotex&PartySK=0&Party=%28ALL%29&DateTo=&DateFrom=&DFYear=&DFMonth=&DFDay=&DTYear=&DTMonth=&DTDay=

http://contributions.electionsbc.gov.bc.ca/pcs/SA1ASearchResults.aspx?Contributor=randy+bartsch&PartySK=0&Party=%28ALL%29&DateTo=&DateFrom=&DFYear=&DFMonth=&DFDay=&DTYear=&DTMonth=&DTDay=

http://contributions.electionsbc.gov.bc.ca/pcs/SA1ASearchResults.aspx?Contributor=randy+bartsch&PartySK=0&Party=%28ALL%29&DateTo=&DateFrom=&DFYear=&DFMonth=&DFDay=&DTYear=&DTMonth=&DTDay=

http://contributions.electionsbc.gov.bc.ca/pcs/SA1ASearchResults.aspx?Contributor=pine+ridge&PartySK=0&Party=%28ALL%29&DateTo=&DateFrom=&DFYear=&DFMonth=&DFDay=&DTYear=&DTMonth=&DTDay=

http://contributions.electionsbc.gov.bc.ca/pcs/SA1ASearchResults.aspx?Contributor=shadow+creek&PartySK=0&Party=%28ALL%29&DateTo=&DateFrom=&DFYear=&DFMonth=&DFDay=&DTYear=&DTMonth=&DTDay=

Anonymous said...

Thing 1 - The BC Liberals killed successorship as part of their ill advised attacks on unions. With successorship people could follow the work. Unfortunately the Unions seemed to have forgotten to include successorship in their many winning suits against the government. Look at the 10 year contracts and the highways workers for a good, smooth example of successorship at work.

Thing 2 - Norm Farrell reminds us of what great stewards of the public purse the BC Liberals are when it is their friends purses they are defending as he points us back to a CBC report from last year. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/rushed-burke-mountain-land-deal-cost-taxpayers-43m-ndp-claims-1.3033022

Anonymous said...

http://www.straight.com/news/448286/dermod-travis-how-deadly-c-difficile-outbreak-unfolded-everyones-eyes

e.a.f. said...

too bad all of this didn't make the 6 o'clock news. but hey I got to hear all about a car chase from Nanaimo to Duncan.

Anonymous said...

It is with the deepest regret that I must call you out on impugning the BC Liberals with the scandalous allegation that mere money, not just blind ideology, may influence their actions.

I have it from no less the Dean himself, who heard it from the BC Liberal's Honourable Bill Bennett, Minister of Energy & Mines himself who stated: "...for anyone to suggest that this side of the house can be bought, it’s not much wonder we get upset."

With this overwhelming evidence placed before you I must demand you withdraw your snark!

Anonymous said...

Castanet calls it

Gov't booster cleans up

"The company that will soon begin handling laundry services at several Interior Health hospitals has a long history of being a big supporter of the B.C. Liberal Party."

Anonymous said...

and then there's this...

.PDF - 3 pages http://www.heu.org/sites/default/files/uploads/Marvin%20Shaffer%20final%20report%20October%2016%202015.pdf

Interior Health Authority Laundry Service

After reviewing the IHA documents obtained by the media through an access to
information request, I have concluded that these documents do not contain
any
methodologically valid business case or financial analysis that would justify the
contracting out of IHA laundry service

RossK said...

Anon-Three-Above--

Well....

When the old turdstormer barks....The Dean listens.


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Thanks Anon-Two-Above...Will follow-up.

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Thanks Anon-Above--

Busy science geek day and a littler e. birthday thingy this evening but I'll try to give it a hard read and dig around some more over the weekend.

If you want to send me background info feel free to send me an Email at: pacificgazette at yahoo dot ca

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