This Day In Clarkland...The $150,000 Conversation(s).

SomeRequestsAreMoreDirect
ThanOthersVille


Back in December of last year we commented on Mark Hume's piece in the Globe which noted that premier Christy Clark made an unannounced trip to the small community Old Masset on Haida Gwaii to dole out a whack of our money for a project for a school under federal (i.e. not provincial) jurisdiction that was supported by a band leader named Ken Rea who just happened to be in the midst of a campaign for his re-election at the time.

Interestingly,  Mr. Rea's opponent in that election campaign, Kimball Davidson, was opposed to a business deal between the local council and a company named Broadwing Renewables, Inc. that is proposing to erect a wind farm there.

Perhaps just as interestingly, if not more so, Mr. Rea supports the deal.

And, perhaps most interestingly, it turns out that the president of Broadwing is a very, very fine fellow named Mr. Bruce Clark who also just happens to be premier Clark's brother.

Now, of course, Mr. Clark's office denied any political inference and/or skullduggery whatsoever.

But.

How did Mr. Rea get in touch with members of Ms. Clark's government in the first place?

Well, for that, let's return to Mr. Hume's piece, shall we....

...Mr. Clark said he had nothing to do with the grant (to the school) and denied doing anything to get Ms. Clark to visit Old Massett.

“I have trouble getting her to come for family dinners,” he said.

Mr. Clark said he did help Mr. Rea make connections with government education officials.

“I simply told [Mr. Rea], ‘If you have issues, here’s who you talk to,’” he said.


Now.

As you can imagine, at the time we wondered who, exactly Mr. Clark told Mr. Rea to talk to.

Which brings us, courtesy Hansard and the eagle eye of Merv Adey, to yesterday's question period in the legislature when the leader of the opposition John Horgan questioned Ms. Clark about who, exactly made the ask.

The following is Ms. Clark's money quote:

..."Chief Ken Rea made the request directly to me in a meeting that we had."...


'Nuff said?


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And, for the record...Mr. Rea won his re-election by 42 votes over Mr. Davidson in the wake of Ms. Clark's grandstanding (acomplished with the help of flight by private jet, btw) and cash shovelling...
And, by all means, please go and read Merv's post on this to get the full story on all of this, particularly with respect to the lack of proMedia interest 'round here and the complete and utter lack of any justification whatsoever from the Ministry of Education (or anyone else in gov't) for the 'grant'.


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