The EMail That BC Ferries Didn't Want You To See (Allegedly).

AllThePeople'sBusinessCorrespondenceThatFits
Kinda/SortaVille


Because of some shenanigans that were going down earlier this year the Dippers submitted a freedom of information request for correspondence between BC Ferries CEO Mike Corrigan and Clarklandian Transportation Minister Todd Stone.

The request to BC Ferries came back empty.

And then Mr. Corrigan told CBC North that this was because he only has face-to-face type communications with with Mr. Stone.

But then, earlier this week a similar request made to the flipside (ie. the transportation ministry) turned up the following:

Which looks to be another incidence of a government (in this case government 'associated') Email disappearing.

Which is why the Dippers are making a fuss about it. 

The weird thing is that, in this case at least, Mr. Corrigan looks to be doing a good thing defending a program that is actually useful, both for the corporation and the folks that work for it.

And that leads me to the issue that I'd like to fuss about here.

Which is...

Why do folks like the good Mr. Stone and the other Clarklandians, not give a hoot-in-heckfire about whether or not BC Ferries does a good job with service and schedules and price-points and all that?

Could it be that the real reason is simple as...

They never have to actually take a freaking ferry like the rest of us!

****

Now.

Why would I even dare to suggest such a thing?

Well, the following is from a most interesting government 'luxury expense' expose by David Ball in yesterday's Tyee. Here's the lede and a little bit more (bolding mine):

British Columbia's children's watchdog wants to know why Ministry of Children and Family Development staff expensed what appear to be luxury services among their more than $5.8 million in credit card transactions over the past year.

A list of nearly 14,000 credit card charges made by the ministry in the 2014-2015 fiscal year included a number of purchases at golf and country clubs, spa resorts and five-star hotels, along with bills for helicopter rides, leather and fur stores and gourmet chocolates. The Tyee obtained the list from DataBC's online public registry.

The Tyee brought the spending to the attention of the Representative for Children and Youth, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, who confirmed she wants the ministry and B.C.'s auditor general to look into "expenses that look like luxury items."

According to the registry, in the 2014-2015 fiscal year nearly $2 million was spent on air travel, including nearly $140,000 on Helijet trips...

{snip}

...The Tyee did not compare its apparent "luxury" expenses with those of other ministries; nonetheless only one other department billed for Netflix, another for the same heliskiing lodge, and a number frequently travelled by Helijet...

So.

To finish up...

I like to take my dog down to that park where the north arm of the Big Muddy meets the sea out past YVR.

Which means that we walk along the tide line right under the flight path of those souped-up 'copters.

Does this mean I have to start elevating my blood pressure while making like Howard Beale even when I'm at the beach?

Sheesh.


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