CanPol Megathread: Big Changus

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > CanPol Megathread: Big Changus

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

A refresher on what is going on in British Columbia as we speak:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/email-scandal-1.3284856

quote:

The B.C. government is coming under heavy fire following the release of a report that revealed a culture of deleting emails in order to skirt freedom of information laws.

Speaking on CB.C.'s B.C. Almanac Thursday, NDP leader John Horgan expressed disbelief at the level of suppression of information B.C.'s Privacy Officer, Elizabeth Denham's report uncovered.

"[Cadario has] been cited as having no records," Horgan said. "Working in a location for two years and not one single email? You, the second most powerful person in the premier's office and you don't use email? That's hard to get your head around."

Denham's report, Access Denied, found that Michele Cadario, deputy chief of staff in the premier's office, routinely deleted emails in contravention of laws protecting the public's right to hold politicians accountable for their actions.

Highway of Tears email deletion referred to RCMP by B.C. privacy watchdog
Access Denied: Elizabeth Denham's full report

Denham also found that a staffer in the transportation ministry, George Gretes, could face charges after he lied under oath when he denied that he intentionally deleted emails and records connected to the Highway of Tears.
Delete, delete, delete

"People need to understand that it's not just about politics," Horgan said. "We're supposed to have freedom of information so the public understands why their government was making decisions on their behalf.

"Instead what the B.C. Liberals have done is make a culture of delete, delete, delete. They're scouring their computers at the end of the day so the public doesn't know what they're up to."

Also speaking on B.C. Almanac, freelance investigative journalist and FOI expert, Bob Mackin, said he believed today's revelations would prove to be "just the tip of the iceberg".

He also questioned the appointment of former B.C. Privacy Officer David Loukadelis as an advisor to help the government get back on track.

"He's been brought in at the expense of the taxpayer when they already have Elizabeth Denham who's already made so many recommendations that have fallen on deaf ears," he said.

"Why don't they just adopt everything she's already said?"

This is in light of the fact that the BC Liberals in 2013, went on a tirade about former NDP leader, Adrian Dix and his doctoring of an internal memo when he was working in the previous NDP government. Of course, news articles about the attack exist but campaign videos have been removed.

# ¿ Oct 26, 2015 21:35

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 5, 2024 11:00

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

THC posted:

Vancouver City Council voted today to tear down the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts. You know what that means: a bunch of people who don't live in Vancouver will be slightly inconvenienced while driving through Vancouver. That's bad!

Of course half of those people live outside of Vancouver and probably a tenth of that half drive to work downtown. It's like my father complaining about the bike lanes downtown when in reality he has never driven downtown for work ever, never visits downtown because he flies between here, Calgary, and Toronto most of the time, and when he does come downtown it's probably like once or maybe twice a year.

Bridge and tunnel people are the worst.

Tear them down and bring on the tears. :qq:

# ¿ Oct 28, 2015 18:55

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

rawrr posted:

I kinda liked the idea of turning them into an elevated greenway that the city was exploring, but I guess it's not really practical/beneficial.

Considering the cost required to rehabilitate these eyesores that were originally built to allow people to drive over the railway tracks from a failed freeway plan would be more expensive, it was the right move.

I am friends with someone on the False Creek Residents Association and their main beef is the lack of proper park space. I am sure that you cannot please everyone in that situation but I think that in the long-term and with the promised park that everything will work out for the better.

Having said that, it does suck that the cheapest parking lot downtown ($6.00 all day) will go with it, but enh I only drive to work maybe once or twice per year as I am a sane person and commute by SkyTrain.

# ¿ Oct 28, 2015 19:20

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

It speaks volumes about a person that uses that word.

# ¿ Oct 28, 2015 21:22

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

Terebus posted:

I live in downtown and I think it's a bad idea to tear down the viaducts. I don't think the replacement will handle the traffic and they'll just use the area to build more condos so I'm not sure how that's beneficial. They are an eyesore though. I think city council paid for a before/after traffic assessment but I'm not sure how much I trust that. What's the benefit to tearing the viaducts down?

The viaduct teardown coupled with the hospital moving outside of downtown Vancouver is going to make it pretty hilarious for when ambulances need to get anywhere near the Stanley Park or English bay areas.

The viaducts have been closed at various times in the past and the city didn't devolve into a Mad Max scenario. I bet that you had a problem with the giant screens outside of BC Place, all the while forgetting that you live in an intentionally noisy and bright area.

# ¿ Oct 28, 2015 21:41

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

Terebus posted:

Traffic gets pretty horrible when there's a viaduct backup and I don't think pushing more traffic into Hastings street is a good idea since there's already a ton of pedestrian/car accidents in that area. I'm all for better and more transit options in and out of downtown Vancouver but that's unlikely to happen with all this referendum bullshit getting thrown around. Since better transit is off the table traffic is going to just get worse in downtown and I think the new streets are going to compound the issue. I could be wrong about that and I'm not a traffic engineer but in my opinion adding extra intersections on surface roads in that area is going to be bad. That and trading the viaduct eyesore for more designer condos isn't a benefit.

Automobile traffic into the downtown core has been steadily decreasing for the past decade. Also the plan calls for connecting Georgia Street via Pacific Street, allowing an easier connection to 1st Ave, reducing the number of turns and intersections required to leave the downtown core and head to the "boonies". It's really not as bad as people paint it to be and yet everyone gets fixated on this idea that we're going to have everything ruined.

# ¿ Oct 28, 2015 21:59

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

Man I wish I did not miss this guy in the last election!

# ¿ Oct 28, 2015 22:32

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

rawrr posted:

http://vancouver.ca/docs/eastern-core/viaducts-study-summary.pdf

looks super thorough

e:

Yeah. This is what I was going to post. It has been cited in the NaPo as well:

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/vancouver-traffic-worst-in-canada-study-says

quote:

But the Lower Mainland will continue to have a traffic congestion problem while its population grows and areas south of the Fraser River and east of Langley are underserviced by rapid transit, said Walton, the mayor of North Vancouver.

City of Vancouver staff noted the number of vehicle trips into downtown Vancouver in the past 15 years have decreased by 20%. That�s a result of an increase in transit, cycling and walking.

So yeah. Traffic sucks a lot outside of the city centre, but cars going in and out are decreasing and have so for the past few decades.

# ¿ Oct 28, 2015 22:53

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

Melian Dialogue posted:

This isn't true. Both Car2Go and Evo support pretty much the entirety of Vancouver Proper from UBC to Boundary St. They don't only serve the downtown core.

Modo also serves from Surrey to North Vancouver--Victoria too.

quote:

Succinct and perfect. Guess what, your little confirmation bias-laden observations aren't a suitable alternative for real research and analysis, so I really don't care what joe-schmoe from Port Moody who drives in every day has to feel about the impact on traffic.

But my right to drive. :qq:

I wish there was an easier way to convey to the public that every square kilometre of road costs more to run and maintain than every kilometre of rapid transit.

# ¿ Oct 28, 2015 23:28

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

Ikantski posted:

Square km to linear km?

Yes. It's hyperbole but pavement costs more to maintain than rail.

# ¿ Oct 28, 2015 23:38

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/en-gb/581/024/760/rename-the-east-calgary-landfill-to-the-stephen-j-harper-research-archive/

Finally! An ePetition I'd actually sign.

# ¿ Oct 29, 2015 00:34

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

Do it ironically posted:

until you make transit faster than driving people wont care theyll shovel thousands of dollars out for the faster, more private commute

It's already faster if you live near rapid transit. For me to get to work from where I live, it's a 5 minute walk, 25 minutes on the train, then maybe a 5 minute walk again. For me to drive, it would be 1 hour to drive and then 10 minutes to park and walk. There's little excuse for a lot of people who drive into downtown Vancouver other than they just don't care about forking out 4x the money.

# ¿ Oct 29, 2015 00:55

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

ocrumsprug posted:

These are the same people that think Vancouver has no nuclear weapons because of the CoV sign as you enter the city aren't they?

Anyone that thinks the north of False Creek is going to get a park built like those drawings should contact me though. I have some viaducts to sell you at a very good price.

But there are drawings!

Cannot wait for a larger parking lot that Cirque du Soleil will use.

Also there's a hospital built in Richmond that will suffer greater than one built on the flats. The flats for the new hospital site are suitable for such a project.

Besides, St Paul's existing site is a loving death trap and is a waste of money to fix.

# ¿ Oct 29, 2015 06:30

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

James Baud posted:

Premise 1: You can't trust anything the government tells you, it's all propaganda, kinda like preemptive vaccines in the absence of an outbreak saving lives as opposed to saving the healthcare system a little bit of money.

Premise 2:

Never mind the fact that nuclear-powered ships from the United States military have been docked at the Port of Vancouver.

# ¿ Oct 29, 2015 07:02

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

Pinterest Mom posted:

Good news! �ric Grenier has just managed to successfully project the results of the federal election.

At least he got the Greens right.

# ¿ Nov 2, 2015 22:33

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

PT6A posted:

Hahaha, Goodale's French is goddamn horrible. You had a week to practice, man!

I was just about to comment in here about that. It's worse than mine.

# ¿ Nov 4, 2015 16:58

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

Surprised Dion is Foreign Affairs and not on the Environment file.

# ¿ Nov 4, 2015 17:02

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

So British Columbia is a barrel of laughs these days.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/massey-tunnel-replacement-project-foi-returns-no-records-1.3303545

quote:

On the heels of a stinging report by B.C.'s privacy commissioner about the triple deletion of provincial government records related to the Highway of Tears, a Delta man is wondering what happened to information on the George Massey Tunnel replacement decision.

Ian Robertson, a retired professional engineer, wanted to know how the government chose a bridge to replace the Massey Tunnel over the four other options that were on the table.

Premier Christy Clark made the bridge announcement at the 2013 Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, but when Robertson filed a freedom of information request he was stunned with the response that "no records were located."

"Humourously I speculated that maybe the premier made the decision in the midst of her morning shower on the way to UBCM because she didn't have anything else to say," said Robertson.

The 10-lane bridge will replace the congested 60-year-old tunnel between Richmond and Delta along Highway 99. Construction is slated to begin in 2017 and will cost an estimated $3-billion.

"This is a multi billion dollar project," said Robertson. "They're going to replace a four lane tunnel with an eight to 10 lane bridge so someone has to have done some thinking at some point somewhere along there to get there."

Not the first time

Delta South MLA Vicki Huntington said she was also told there were "no records" after her office made an FOI request to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure for ten years of records relating to the Massey Tunnel replacement project.

"Government information is becoming an endangered species in this province," stated Huntington.

Robertson feels the "no records" report highlights a worrying trend in the way government handles information.

"There's clearly a process going on behind the curtain and it's not being exposed to the public," he said.

Having done an FOI myself before on BC Ferries, it's pretty funny how I was able to get firewall rules sent via e-mail and details on the contract and yet nothing can be found on bridge building.

# ¿ Nov 5, 2015 00:34

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

With Harper no longer in power and Nickelback unable to do this anymore...

What Canadian band can we expect to endorse Trudeau in such a way? Hedley?

# ¿ Nov 9, 2015 21:55

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

jm20 posted:

The criminal justice system is pretty lackluster in terms of sentences for crimes

Please elaborate.

# ¿ Nov 11, 2015 20:26

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

jm20 posted:

Vehicular Manslaughter, NCR, NCR due to drug/alcohol/PTSD/etc

So you're saying that those who are mentally unfit should face stiffer penalties? You're not elaborating much other than throwing around a statement here and then spitting off acronyms as if it's a defence.

# ¿ Nov 11, 2015 20:55

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

jm20 posted:

I don't believe you can separate a persons physical actions from their mental state of mind, it's fairly straightforward. In the case of episodic <<insert mental illness>> where the end result is physical violence and at the extreme causal to death, there should not be a blurred line where for instance Vince Weiguang Li or Guy Turcotte should be free by any frame of the word free. The same applies to drinking and driving deaths whereby the responsible party basically gets 4-5 years tops for murdering people such as the pending case against Marco Muzzo (who will likely serve under 5 years).

If you really want to bring psychology into it, when a person is mentally fit, they should serve the remainder of their sentence as the rest of the population would, rather than release them into the streets. Keep in mind I'm not talking about petty crimes and having people serve 20 years for theft, I'm talking about murders and the soft velvet glove of the Canadian criminal justice system.

Are you a psychologist?

# ¿ Nov 11, 2015 21:33

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

Cultural Imperial posted:

bro

https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/careers-carrieres/professionals-professionnels/pay-remuneration

loving lol the CSE can gently caress off

Nice to know that my decision to stay in the private sector has paid off.

Ron Paul Atreides posted:

why do you both have the sane pony avatar god drat it it's confusing especially when you are arguing

Because the knowledgable CS student is really, really upset and has also gotten over his cold.

# ¿ Nov 12, 2015 16:30

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

Do it ironically posted:

The biggest gang problem in Calgary is Somalian refugees who refuse to integrate into society, shootings, killings, drug deals, it's a real problem, I personally don't see anything wrong with having a xenophobic country model, we don't even have a plan for when we bring in these refugees, it's all just for political points, let's take care of our own country first.

I'll bite.

Let's take care of our own country first? Great. Let's start by fixing the infrastructure problems on native reserves, getting the CHMC back into building cooperative housing projects so we can get people out of the hellhole that is the current housing market, and then let's fix the homelessness problem.

You're not racist at all I am sure.

# ¿ Nov 12, 2015 19:42

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

Jordan7hm posted:

What exactly are you complaining about?

jm20 is asking for people to preface their posts with "I am not a lawyer" just like how he posts (read: never) that he's "not a psychologist" while he is going on about sentencing for the mentally ill.

# ¿ Nov 13, 2015 02:44

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

jm20 posted:

I am saying is that, contrary to the posters who think the justice system is working as intended, we seriously, IMO, under sentence crimes resultant in the deaths of people. From impaired driving, to driving while old, to safety mishaps, etc.

Kindly tell us what an "adequate sentence" might be for these sort of crimes. :allears:

# ¿ Nov 13, 2015 03:09

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

Then there is Vancouver where to leave the airport by rail is $5 plus the regular transit fare--so downtown would be $8 in the end.

# ¿ Nov 13, 2015 17:33

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

PT6A posted:

Having an additional fare supplement to go to the airport is pretty normal. It's generally less than $10, though!

Why can't there be a decent high-speed link to Pearson? All those cities with high-speed links or metro links to their respective airports were established when those links were built, just the same as Toronto.

Oh. Don't get me wrong: $8 is pretty good for what is really a metro system and depending on the time of day that is really all you're going to pay to get around most of Metro Vancouver--at worst it would be $11. I was just pointing out that Toronto's rail link is painfully expensive for what it provides.

# ¿ Nov 13, 2015 18:24

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

Ikantski, I bet you cannot go a week without posting about the OLP and their follies.

# ¿ Nov 13, 2015 23:38

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

Evis posted:

Do the people calling for war also support the fifty years of nation building that's needed too?

Do people who are anti-abortionists support the building of social safety nets for unexpected children?

# ¿ Nov 14, 2015 07:52

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

jsoh posted:

agreed, we should attempt to destabilize another middle eastern country because ??????????????????????????????

Because white people think that they can solve all of the world's problems.

# ¿ Nov 14, 2015 08:16

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

JawKnee posted:

Canadian Politics Megathread: Just one big sex drug driven party.

Mods please do the needful.

# ¿ Nov 14, 2015 20:44

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

Dreylad posted:

Which means trying to hash out some kind of global deal on geo-engineering so that we don't have rogue countries or rogue capitalists trying to save themselves without understanding any unintended consequences of their science project.

China already seeds clouds on a regular basis so I wouldn't rule them out as trying to proceed forward without taking anybody else's opinion into account.

# ¿ Nov 17, 2015 03:08

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

Jordan7hm posted:

Gambling might be a mental illness but theft isn't.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleptomania

# ¿ Nov 20, 2015 16:33

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

THC posted:

Christy Clark, BC's worthless toad of a premier, says Trudeau's senate plan doesn't "address our concerns" (whatever those are) so we're just not going to participate. The senate doesn't represent our interests and she's gonna make sure that remains the case for years to come.!

Also, strong economy and jobs.

Was there an e-mail sent about this to her? Maybe it got triple-deleted.

# ¿ Dec 3, 2015 21:01

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

Ikantski posted:

As much as I dislike Wynne, as a lover of absurd comedy, I absolutely enjoy her question period answers.

If the forums don't survive this migration, I must let you know that I will miss your horrible, non-stop posts about how Wynne is devil-incarnate. :smith:

# ¿ Dec 4, 2015 02:02

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

Should have spun the other way.

Been digging around for an unrelated article and found some of these on our good friend, JT:

http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCABRE88P0X220120927

quote:

Trudeau's son would lead Canada Liberals to win: poll
Thu Sep 27, 2012 4:10pm EDT
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Justin Trudeau, son of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, would take his Liberal Party from a distant third in Parliament to forming the next government if he were chosen as Liberal leader, according to a poll released on Thursday.

The Forum Research phone poll, conducted for the National Post newspaper, said that if the 40-year-old member of Parliament was Liberal leader and an election was held now, his party would win 39 percent of the popular vote.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives would be reduced to 32 percent, and the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP), currently the biggest opposition party, would be pushed back to third place with 20 percent.

Trudeau, a former school teacher, is expected to launch his run for the Liberal leadership next Tuesday, and with his 151,000 Facebook followers and the cache of his family name he would be the overwhelming favorite to win.

Until candidates lay out their policies, they often start with higher poll numbers than they end up with, but this poll gives some indication of the strength of the Trudeau name.

The Liberals have more often than not run Canada, and Pierre Trudeau was prime minister from 1968 to 1979 and again from 1980 to 1984. But for the past several elections the party has been squeezed by the NDP on the left and the Conservatives on the right. It suffered its worst showing ever in the 2011 election.

Liberal insiders say Trudeau tends to the left of the party.

The Forum Research poll was taken on Sept 26, the day news emerged that Trudeau would declare his candidacy. Forum surveyed 1,707 people, a sample size considered accurate to within 2 percentage points 19 times out of 20.

By comparison, an Environics poll taken before Wednesday's flurry of news about Trudeau, put the NDP at 35 percent, the Conservatives at 31 percent and the Liberals down at 20 percent.

Environics surveyed 1,600 decided voters, for a 2.4-point margin of error, from Sept 10-23.

The next election is not scheduled until October 2015.

(Reporting by Randall Palmer; Editing by Peter Galloway)

~~Aren't the numbers fairly accurate here?~~

[edit]

Yes. They are. Liberals got 39.47%, Tories got 31.89%, and NDP got 19.71%. I'd say that is pretty close.

[/edit]

Also this article too:
http://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/what-justin-trudeau-has-said-on-five-key-questions/

quote:

Five questions worth pondering about Justin Trudeau
John Geddes on what Trudeau has said on a handful of key issues

John Geddes
September 27, 2012

71
Five questions worth pondering about Justin Trudeau in the feverish days leading to his announcement next week, and how he dealt with these issues in an earlier interview:

It�s impossible to get past the fact that he�s Pierre Trudeau�s son. How will he avoid being always measured against his famous father?

JT: �My father was incredibly focused, incredibly linear� . I�m a high school teacher. I�m someone who stumbles my way through, leads with my chin in some cases, leads with my heart in all cases.�

Many Liberals are looking to Trudeau as a saviour, but wouldn�t merging with the NDP make sense electoral sense given left-of-centre vote-splitting?

JT: ��if one of the two opposition parties manages to get its stuff together, I don�t know that a merger� is going to be necessary. I think Canadians are going to be unwilling to allow Mr. Harper to continue.�

Trudeau hasn�t said or done much of note on economic issues. What can he say to keep Stephen Harper from trouncing him on that big subject?

JT: �What is this government doing? It�s relying on a combination of selling off our natural resources� and a form of trickle-down economics that has been thoroughly discredited everywhere��

Much of Trudeau�s appeal is said to be among the young. Isn�t the problem that too many young adults tend not to bother voting?

JT: �I think a bold message will wake them up. We saw that a little bit in the Occupy movement. Over the next three years, I think young people are going to wake up and be empowered.�

Harper campaigns on stability, competence. Trudeau doesn�t look likely to contest him on that ground. What will he offer instead?

JT: �I think the next leader needs to understand that business as usual doesn�t work, that we�re in a time where we have to rethink a lot of the basic ground rules and assumptions of our civilizations.�

# ¿ Dec 4, 2015 18:43

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

Most of the dispensaries are run by organized crime .

# ¿ Dec 5, 2015 00:26

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

Baronjutter posted:

So all these happy branded pot shops all over Victoria are all HA or something? Are they all sort of working together under a large organized crime umbrella or rival groups control different shops?

A number of them are sourcing their stuff from HA-operated grow-ops.

# ¿ Dec 5, 2015 01:34

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 5, 2024 11:00

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

Former BC Premier, Bill Bennett has died

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bill-bennett-died-1.3351863

quote:

Former B.C. premier Bill Bennett died Thursday night in Kelowna, B.C., at age 83, his brother Russell has told CBC News.

Bennett had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease for several years.

Bennett succeeded his father, former premier W.A.C. Bennett as leader of the B.C. Social Credit Party in 1973 and was elected premier in 1975, defeating then New Democratic leader Dave Barrett.

His victory � and two re-elections � returned the conservative Social Credit Party to an era of political domination in the province that would last until the NDP was returned to power in 1991.

In a statement Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paid his respects to the former B.C. premier.

"On behalf of all Canadians, Sophie and I offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends and colleagues of former British Columbia premier Bill Bennett," said Trudeau.

Trudeau described Bennett as a savvy politician and businessman who helped build the province and its reputation.

"He was a very capable and hard-working British Columbian who contributed enormously to his province and to our country. He will be remembered and honoured."

'He built his own legacy'

Reacting to news of Bennett's death on Friday, B.C. Premier Christy Clark said if there was one word associated with Bennett, it would be "builder."

"As the son of one of British Columbia's most iconic leaders, Bill Bennett not only emerged from his father's shadow � he built his own legacy," said B.C. Premier Christy Clark in a statement.

Clark said Bennett had a "natural, commanding presence" � the kind of person you couldn't help but notice when he entered the room.

"Throughout his career, he made an impression on people as a humble man, who believed in public service as a calling," she said. "He will be remembered as one of our greatest and most influential leaders."

Bennett's family spoke publicly about his battle with Alzheimer's in 2014, when longtime friend Charles Fipke pledged $9.1 million for research into the disease in the former premier's name.

'Ushered in modern era'

Bill bennett order of B.C.
Bennett received the Order of British Columbia in 2007, recognizing his work as a leader and builder in the province. (B.C. Government)

Bennett was honoured as a visionary and a builder in 2007 when he received the Order of British Columbia.

He was noted as the leader who brought Expo 86, the SkyTrain, the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre and the Coquihalla Highway to B.C.

At the time, former premier Gordon Campbell praised Bennett as the man who "ushered us into the modern era."

When elected, Bennett had vowed to "get B.C.'s economy moving again," but he also zeroed in on the pocketbooks of virtually every British Columbian with measures such as a 40 per cent increase in provincial sales tax, a 140 per cent increase in premiums under the government's Autoplan insurance program and a 100 per cent increase in B.C. ferry fares.

In the early 1980s, Bennett gained a reputation as being hard-nosed after cutting thousands of jobs from B.C.'s public service despite massive protests from labour.

'He commanded tremendous loyalty'

Bennett's former cabinet colleagues remember him as a tough political fighter � but also funnier than the public may have known.

"A lot of people don't know this about him, because he had that dour look about him � but he was a very, very witty man," said Rafe Mair, who held the health and education portfolios in Bennett's cabinet, before becoming a well-known radio personality.

"We all would have crawled a mile on our hands and knees over broken glass for the guy. He commanded tremendous loyalty."

Former premier Bill Vander Zalm, who also served in Bennett's cabinet and succeeded him as premier, remembers Bennett as an understanding and sympathetic leader.

"He was a very, very hard worker. Totally committed to the province and its well-being and its progress. And he did a super good job."

Former member of the B.C. Legislature David Mitchell, who wrote a book about B.C.'s Social Credit administrations after those of Bennett's father, has a different view of Bennett the younger.

"He was known as a tough guy. He was never loved. There was never strong affection for him, but in terms of public policy and the impact he had on the province he was one of the more significant premiers in B.C.'s history."

Retired undefeated

Bennett retired undefeated from politics in 1986, a year that saw British Columbia host the World Exposition, a key turning point for the province's international reputation.

But Bennett's post-political career was by no means uncontroversial. In 1996, the B.C. Securities Commission found Bennett and his brother Russell, known as R.J., guilty of insider trading in relation to a U.S. lumber company's unsuccessful attempt to take over Doman Industries.

The commission found that the Bennetts sold shares of the company in 1988 using information provided by Doman Industries president Herb Doman. In 1999, the securities commission ordered the Bennett brothers and Doman to pay the commission $1 million to cover the costs of the case.

Bennett is survived by his wife of 60 years, Audrey, his brother Russell, four sons, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

His family said in an obituary that Bennett cherished his time with them and had a quick wit and great sense of humour.

"Bill was competitive in all aspects of his life, whether in business, politics or the game he loved most � tennis," it said.

# ¿ Dec 5, 2015 17:50

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > CanPol Megathread: Big Changus

«‹›23 »