Health Care Worker Firing (ctd)...How Much Do The Clarklandians Want The Ombudsman?

AllTheBuds
ThatFitVille


For a second there it looked like, essentially, not much as Cindy Harnett of the VTC in the lede of her latest:

B.C. Ombudsperson Jay Chalke addressed the (legislative finance) committee (last) Wednesday asking it not to refer to his office a 2012 Health Ministry investigation that led to the firing of eight drug researchers unless an amendment to a section of the Ombudsperson Act was made.

Deputy Attorney General Richard Fyfe advised the committee the change was unnecessary as it was unlikely to become a problem in a probe of witnesses in the case ...


And then, after Mr. Fyfe had finished playing his flute and banging his drum, things suddenly changed.

...(Clarklandian Attorney General Suzanne) Anton initially agreed with her deputy minister and said in the B.C. legislature Wednesday that the change wasn’t needed.

Today, committee chairman Scott Hamilton wrote to the attorney general explaining the section of the act in question was “an outstanding impediment” to the Ombudsperson’s ability to ensure a timely and effective investigation.”

“We are writing to advise you section 19(2) has been identified as a key obstacle to the committee’s ability to reaching a swift and consensus-based decision on the Minister of Health’s request,” the letter said...


And now, bingo-bango-boss-n-cooler, Ms. Anton has changed her mind and says she will introduce an amendment to section 19.2 of the Ombuddy's Act in the legislature next week.

What's that all about anyway Alfie?

Well...

This:

(2) Subject to section 18 and to subsection (4), a person who is bound by an enactment to maintain confidentiality in relation to or not to disclose any matter must not be required to supply any information to or answer any question put by the Ombudsperson in relation to that matter, or to produce to the Ombudsperson any document or thing relating to it, if compliance with that requirement would be in breach of the obligation of confidentiality or nondisclosure.

As for that pesky Section 18 that folks would be 'subjected' to?

Well, that all has to do with the 'Executive' which we've talked about before.

Seems to me that, if that 18 thing isn't dealt with also, all bets should be off from the get-go.


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And where do we recall the good Mr. Fyfe banging his drum before?....Ah, yes...Now we remember.


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This Is Not The First Time Wai Young Has Flubbed Her Lines.

SheWhoDefeated
OscarBluthVille


This, from early 2013:

..."February is spring in Vancouver," said (local Conservative MP Wai) Young, when asked about the timing of the closure. "Quite frankly, some politicians have politicized this when it was all over the news and everyone knew it was set for closure."...


What was Ms. Young on about back then?

Why, just a crazy little thing called the Kits Coast Guard Base Closing.

And we all know how that turned out when the oil started leaking into the harbour.


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She really beat Oscar Bluth?...You bet.


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Health Care Worker Firing (ctd)...The Irony.

ThingsThePublicNeedsTo
SeeVille


Cindy Harnett's VTC piece on whistleblower Alana James, which was published yesterday, is interesting for at least two reasons:

...(Former health information officer Alana) James has said her complaints involved assistant or associate deputy ministers, not most of the researchers who were fired, whom she calls scapegoats. “I would suggest they examine the process of concerns I brought to the government from 2010 forward,” said James in an email. “I would agree to come to Canada to be interviewed as part of a real investigation, but not if ... it is yet another exercise in theatrics.”...

{snip}

...James began raising her concerns in December 2010. In 2012, she named individuals as part of her complaint to then auditor general John Doyle, to whom she is now married.

He brought the allegations to the Health Ministry, kicking off an investigation. “Very ironically, the ministry, not realizing that the communication had originated with me, called me into a meeting, said ‘Look what someone sent the office of the auditor general — make this go away,’ which I took to mean, give us something that we can tell the office of the auditor general to make them believe everything is fine,” she said...


Now.

As came up previously, unfortunately talk is just that.

So.

What we, the public, need to see are the documentary evidence and Ms. James told the VSun's Rob Shaw she has in her possession.

OK?


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The Keef Report...Hysteria Revisited.

AllTheKeeferKnowsBestConventionitudinalWisdomry
ThatFitsVille


First, the hysteria monger cranks up his twittmachined wurlitzer.

Again:

Then, the 'hysterical' respond:

'Nuff said?



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Previous bout of hysteria mongering...Here.
Archive of previous Keef Reports...Here.


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This Day In Clarkland...The LNG 'Jobs' Response Double Whammy.

GetInLineAsFastAsYouCan
BritishColumbiaVille


First, the ridiculous, from the Premier herself, as reported by Black Press' Tom Fletcher:

"...We're making sure British Columbians are first in line for those jobs, British Columbians will get those jobs first..."


Why ridiculous?

Because Ms. Clark's 'Wizards of Giveaway Place' clearly went out of their way to make sure that there are NO onshore job guarantees whatsoever, this despite what other jurisdictions, including Australia, managed to negotiate in their deals.

****

Next, the sublimely supercilious from one of Ms. Clark's 'advisors':

What's this old-timey 'let's make the bastard deny it' strate(r)gy all about anyway Alfie?

Apparently, based on the post linked to by Mr. Marrissen in his tweet, it was off-base for the Dipperians to point out that up to 70% of the British Columbians in Ms. Clark's jobs line-up could be out of luck.

And where did that 70% number come from?

Well...

As the good Mr. Fletcher, he of the Black Press, pointed out in his piece, it actually came from...

The purveyors of the LNG Sparkle Ponies themselves:

...The figure comes from Pacific Northwest's filing to the federal environmental review, describing the potential impact of a large out-of-town workforce on northwestern B.C. communities...


Sheesh.


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This Day In Clarkland...Damn The Faux Propaganda Torpedoes!

AllTheSparklePoniesThatFitIntoA
Drive-ByMediaVille


Maclean's has a long-form piece up about our fine Premier.

It was published online yesterday under Nancy Macdonald's byline and it clearly serves to pre-pump the Resurrection of the Sparkle Ponies that will be put in motion in the B.C. legislature tomorrow.

Why the need for the pre-pumping?

Well, that way the glorious story of the resurrection can then be puked-up, pre-packaged and pablum-filled, on the national media cycle soundbite stage starting Monday night.

As such, the Maclean's bit must be seen to be 'balanced' using as many faux torpedoes of shillophancy as possible.

And one of the biggest blasts of fauxianism in the piece is the following:

"...(I)n 2004, (then premier Gordon) Campbell shunted his deputy (premier, Ms. Clark) to the children and families’ ministry, known for swallowing careers in foster-care scandals and child death tragedies, a curious demotion for his most able minister. Clark’s thrive-on-challenge bravura couldn’t offset talk of a rift—a pre-emptive move to clip the wings of a potential rival. Nine months later Clark announced her resignation, to spend more time with Hamish, then 3, she said..."


Did you catch that bit of double-edged propagammon?

Because, as anyone who was paying attention at the time knows, there was, indeed, wee bit of subtext to Ms. Clark's sudden resignation from provincial politics in that Railgate-tinged year of 2004.

And Macleans' Ms. Macdonald suggests (wink-wink, nudge-nudge), that it it might have had something to do with a shunting of Ms. Clark off to PoMo that began when the Knotty Gordian flipped her out of the disaster she made of the Education ministry into the MCFD.

Of course, what Ms. Macdonald does not mention is any connection whatsoever, either personal or familial, with a very fine fellow named Spiderman and/or the Boyz that were involved in Railgate. 

In fact, nothing whatsoever is mentioned about the Boyz at all.

Including the pre-Railgate work that one of them did for Ms. Clark's former husband who had become, as Ms. Macdonald of Maclean's succinctly puts it...

... a legendary Liberal organizer...

And then, as the piece winds down, Ms. Macdonald completely ignores the fact that Ms. Clark is the front for a pay-to-play operation that was most recently bought-and-paid-for by a certain subset of the purveyors of all those Sparkle Ponies who will give a most supportive analysis of the resurrection on tomorrow evening's national news.

Meanwhile, as for the (not so) gaudy job numbers that will the thrown around on those same national news broadcasts?

Well.

None of them....

As in, not one single one of them...

Is guaranteed to go to a Canadian, let alone a British Columbian.

OK?


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Ms. McDonald's piece is actually filled to bursting with those damnable faux torpedoes that appear to be fueled by press release reflexology and/or 'deep' background...One of the ones I found to be most egregious was the cursory description of a recently announced program that will facilitate the training single welfare Moms for certain types of  'in demand' photo-op operable jobs to show how 'progressive' Ms. Clark's government is...Nothing whatsoever, of course, about how truly anti-progressive a government is that keeps funding the boondoggle-driven bridge-building bund with the people's billions while it makes the elderly pay for their own wheelchairs, won't pay for 'extra' Christmas gifts for our most vulnerable kids,  and throws the adult disabled out into the street....And don't even get me started on the payout of hundreds of million dollars per year to private schools while the public system is being simultaneously strangled...Sheesh.


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The Bear Cubs' Champion Looks To Be Just That..

AllTheHacking

ThatFitsVille

Apparently, there has been a hack, fully redacted, of an Email back and forth between the (now) suspended provincial conservation officer who refused to kill those two bear cubs, Bryce Casavant, and his superior(s).

After laying out why he thinks the bear cubs are not risk to humans and can be rehabilitated before release back into the wild Mr. Casavant appears to have written the following:

"...My primary mandate is public safety and the immediate threat has been removed (ie. the sow). My duties as a law enforcement officer do not include the needless destruction of a baby animal that can be rehabilitated.

If a provincial vet would like to do a full health and behavioural assessment for potential euthanization at a later time that that is the call of an informed decision maker who is a qualified veterinarian and will abide by zoology best practices for the destruction of the animal..."

Sounds like a responsible, ethical, and logically-thinking conservation officer to me (i.e. the kind we want out in the field by the dozen).

The responses from the supervisor(s) are stomach churning.

Cassidy Olivier, who received the hack, and has put the full thing up on Scribble says he has a report coming soon in The Province.



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Healthcare Worker Firing (ctd)...Ms. Anton Says She Is The Boss Of Cabinet-Type Stuff.

....Or some such thing.

The above is from Clarklandian Attorney General Ms. Anton's very fast 'response' to Ombudsman Jay Chalke's concern letter.

You can read Ms. Anton's response, in its entirety, here.

As for Clarklandian 'protocols' and what their true value is....

Well?


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Thanks to an Anon-O-Mouse, in the comments for the heads-up....Ms. Always Campaigning's handiwork was linked-to in a solid story from Cindy Harnett in today's VTC....More to come...



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Health Care Worker Firing Investigation (ctd)...The Fast Work Of Ms. Anton.

WhenTheGoingGetsToughTheClarklandians
LawyerUpVille


The Ombudsman, Mr. Jay Chalke, sent his letter of concerns re: his ability to properly carry out an 'investigation' of the Health Care Worker Firings to the legislatures Finance Committee on Tuesday July 7th.

And then the following happened according to The Tyee's Andrew MacLeod:

...The committee also received a (Wednesday) July 8 letter from Suzanne Anton, the province's attorney general. "The Ombudsperson's letter has assisted by identifying potential challenges to an investigation by the Ombudsperson, the majority of which would have equal application in the case of a public inquiry," she wrote.

Anton's letter included a two-page table suggesting ways to mitigate the Ombudsperson's concerns and comparing them to what would happen in a public inquiry...


Gosh.

That was fast, eh?

Like Merv Adey, I too am beginning to wonder if a trap is being set here.

Don't fall into it Dippers.


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And, where, exactly, can we read the good Ms. Anton's  (who can no longer claim that she is 'not involved' when interviewed) actual letter?
Here's something else that has been bugging me since yesterday morning...When the uber-insider who is the Dean of the Legislative Press Gallery, Mr. Vaughn Palmer, wrote his latest column telling us (once again) that public inquiry's are bad and that Ombudsman-led inquiries are good, it really appeared that he didn't know about Mr. Chalke's letter even though his posted online Tuesday night...If that really was the case, isn't that bit of super-secrecy by the Clarklandians and friends telling?



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Health Care Worker Investigation (ctd)...The Publicly Inquiring Irony In The Ombudsman's Letter.

AllTheInquiriesThatDon'tQuiteFitInsideTheBellyOfA
LimitedHangoutVille


I noted, with interest, that once again the good Mr. Palmer of the VSun was telling us, just last night, that the independent public inquiry route could turn out to be a stinker in terms of getting to the bottom of the health worker firing business, especially in comparison  to a fast and efficient look-see by the Ombudsman:

...Taking aim at one of the leading conspiracy theories surrounding the case, (Former Health Ministry worker and whistleblower Alana) James denied the fired workers were targeted for retribution because of their involvement in the therapeutics initiative, the provincially funded drug-vetting program. “A red herring,” she called the notion that Big Pharma was behind the concerns she raised.

James pledged cooperation “if it were a proper inquiry,” suggesting something “similar to the Charbonneau Commission” — Quebec’s ongoing inquiry into corruption in the construction industry.

In that regard, I note that the Charbonneau Commission, appointed in late 2011, has yet to deliver a final report. Lately it has been meeting under a publication ban, amid a legal imbroglio over whether the commissioner can name and blame various individuals. The Montreal Gazette recently estimated the tab for the commission at $50 million and counting.

Against that prospect, there’s the possibility, being aired Wednesday by a legislature committee, of calling on the ombudsperson. The office has the necessary powers to summon witnesses, obtain documents and take testimony under oath and to do so behind closed doors, avoiding many of the costs and delays associated with public inquiries...


And then, this morning the new Ombudsman, Mr. Chalke, released a letter explaining why, at least under the current rules  (see, for example, section 18 of the Ombudsman's Act, scroll down), he and his office members might not be the best guys and gals for job, as noted by the VSun's Rob Shaw:

B.C.’s Ombudsperson says he doesn’t want to probe the botched firings of eight government health researchers unless government changes the law to give him more power.

Jay Chalke told MLAs in a letter released Wednesday that he has serious concerns about taking the case, including:

- Limitations that prevent him from compelling testimony from people who have previously signed confidentiality agreements.

- Possible limited access to cabinet documents.

- A desire by the fired researchers that the government instead pursue a full public inquiry, which Chalke said MLAs should give serious consideration...


Which is all well and good and has certainly raised my level of respect for Mr. Chalke.

But then things got really interesting in Mr. Shaw's piece:

...Chalke’s biggest concern centered on how he’s unable to compel evidence from anyone who has been bound to maintain confidentiality, according to powers under his legislation.

That’s a “serious impediment to any referred investigation,” wrote Chalke, in a case that involves confidentiality clauses for health researchers who have settled court cases with the government, as well as confidentiality related to public health data.

Chalke said his powers should mirror those of other legislative officers, such as the Representative of Children and Youth, who don’t have the same problems as his office.

“My concern about this issue is so significant that I would formally ask that the Committee not refer this matter to my office unless it is accompanied by a recommendation to government for an urgent legislative amendment,” Chalke wrote.

Either the Ombudsperson should get the same powers as the Representative for Children and Youth, or any referral from MLAs should be clear that any person is required to provide information despite confidentiality or solicitor client privilege, wrote Chalk (sic)...


Why interesting?

Well, because....

If not for an independent inquiry run by a fellow named Mr. Ted Hughes we, the public, would NOT even HAVE a 'Representative for Children and Youth' position with the power to do what Mr. Chalke wants to get to the bottom of things.

If you get my drift.



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Mr. Chalke's letter to the Finance Committee can be read, in full....Here.
I remind readers that the whole 'Ombudsman Solution' to the messy/expensive/icky Public Inquiry 'problem' seems to have been pretty much simultaneously breech-birthed by the good Mr. Palmer and the current Clarklandian Health Minister, Mr. Lake a couple of weeks ago....Seriously.
Merv Adey has more, including comments on developments stemming from Linda Kayfish's letter to the Premier....Here.


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The Keef Report...The Carrying Of The Troll Water.

SomeWaterIsWorthEvenMoreThanACaseOfNestle's
AllegedlyVille


First there was the trolling:

And then there was the carrying:

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Mr. Mills name ringing a bell?....Well he is currently the 'Executive Director Of Communications and Issues Management' for the BC Liberal government caucus...Earlier today we were wondering what, exactly, the Clarklandians expend their 'intellectual capital' on...Guess now we know.
Of course, all this really demonstrates is that the strate(r)gy is not to engage the public but rather to pique the curiosity of the punditry...
And in case you are really wondering...We wrote about the very fine efforts of the good Mr. Mills and his colleagues in the Premier's office awhile back...Interestingly, these particular efforts were, in the end, not found to be worthy of serious follow-up by the local pro-punditry.


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This Day In Clarkland...The 25 Year Petronas 'Adverse Change Event' Lock.

ProsperityForProducersEqualsOffshore
SparklePoniesGaloreVille


I'll leave the number crunching to Norm, but the following are the specific components of the adverse change event 'insurance' that we are locking ourselves into, taken directly from the agreement that the Clarklandian wizardry has 'negotiated' with the fine folks from Malaysia:

________________________

The Dean, Mr. Palmer, already has a piece up in the VSun, which is, essentially, number crunched-free as well.

But it does include the following most interesting "can you get through the next election scot- free?" bit of back and forth:

...The agreement sets out a possible timeline for Pacific NorthWest LNG, starting with enactment of the enabling legislation and the province taking the necessary steps to bring it into force. The Liberal majority should have all that in place before the end of summer.

The proponent then has 24 months to fulfil a number of conditions including front-end engineering and design, securing federal environmental approval, lining up financial resources and entering into a final investment decision.

Noting that the 24-month grace period could leave the project in flux until the summer of 2017, I asked de Jong if the timeline was crafted to carry the government and the proponent past the next provincial election.

Not at all, he replied. The Liberals have not expended “a lot of intellectual capital” on the possibility that the proponent, once the necessary approvals are in hand, will balk at going ahead. “It seems abundantly clear that is their intention and their wish.”...


Which begs the question....

What, exactly, do Cookie Dough Mike and his fellow Clarklandians expend their 'intellectual capital' on these days anyway?

Sheesh.



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And, yes, the 'agreement' released to the public really does look like it was loaded, page-by-page, into a pre-millenial HP combi-scanner by a six year old...The darned thing isn't even square for Pete's sake.


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The Keef Report...When In Doubt, Play Confuse-A-Cat.

Glad to see that the good Mr. Baldrey was able to pump his impeccable Clarklandian sources to get to the bottom of that one.

Sheesh.


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The Keef Report...Are Some Transit Improvements More Worthy Of Help Than Others?

A lot of folks on the Twittmachine are asking why there will be no referendum for the three billion Massey Tunnel replacement bridge.

Which is a good question.

But one thing I've been wondering for awhile now is why the good Mr. Bateman didn't call for a referendum prior to the building of the similarly priced Ice Bomb bridge?

Gosh.

Is it possible the fact that he didn't had something to do with the fact that, back in the day Mr. Bateman, working with a very fine fellow named Bonney, had something to do with...

...This


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The Translink Referendum's Final Shuffle...Ron Obvious Tries To Eat His Hindsight Cake Whole.

RemovingTheScalesFromOurEyesAfterTheFact
FishwrapVille


Heaps of praise have been thrown around the conventional wisdom offices of the Twittmachinery the last 24 hours or so for Mr. Mason's 'insights' on why the plebiscite was was not a Martha Stewartish thing:

...The B.C. government which called this vote against the advice of nearly everyone tried to put its own positive spin on the outcome; the people have spoken; this is what democracies are all about; the mayors will need to go back to the drawing board. But that is so wrong.

This was a bungled project from the start, one so poorly conceived and rolled out by the province that it was effectively stillborn. Its only value now will be to serve as a textbook example of how not to hold a transit referendum. What a glorious waste of time.


Which is all fine and good.

Except why didn't his Obviousness tell his readers this months ago?

Sheesh.



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And, of course, it's not like those paying attention couldn't see, right from the beginning, that the only real winners in this thing were going to be the flack-hackery.
Update...Crawford Killian of the The Tyee wrote the definitive 'Doomed/Designed To Fail' piece in....February.


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