Whistleblowers BC

The Sounds of a Global Meltdown: Who really rules the World

2011-10-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

"The governments don't rule the world, Goldman Sachs rules the world... The first thing people should do is protect their assets, protect what they have ... my prediction is that the savings of millions of people is going to vanish and this is just the beginning."

The sound of global markets and domestic realities imploding. Useless efforts to plug the holes in the dam. An elite more powerful than we can possibly imagine, impoverishing the human race right under our very noses.

Watch the video that's gone viral: Alessio Rastani, unabashedly telling the world how to make money from the impending crash.

'Anyone can make money from a crash,' says market trader

Ministers from the world's richest nations are reportedly on the way to agreeing a deal for troubled eurozone countries.

Following the IMF meeting in Washington, the BBC understands that three elements have been discussed.

They include a so-called "haircut" of Greece's sovereign debt, meaning institutions holding Greek debt would have to write off half of what they were owed.

The plan also envisages an increase in the size of the European Union bailout fund to two trillion euros.

European governments hope to have the plan in place in five to six weeks.

But one independent market trader - Alessio Rastani - told the BBC the plan "won't work" and that people should be trying to make money from a market crash.

*********************

IMF Advisor: Global Financial Meltdown in 2 to 3 Weeks

Zero Hedge, October 6, 2011.

Watch the video of Sir Mervyn King speaking about the decision by the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee to put £75billion of newly created money into the economy in a desperate effort to stave off a new credit crisis and a UK recession.

World facing worst financial crisis in history, Bank of England Governor says
The world is facing the worst financial crisis since at least the 1930s “if not ever”, the Governor of the Bank of England said last night.

Dexia bank gets massive bailout
France, Belgium and Luxembourg are to bail out the troubled bank Dexia, following fears it could go bankrupt.
BBC News, October 10, 2011.

Austria, Hungary:

Erste Group Reveals Stunner: Reports Billions In Previously Undisclosed Underwater Sovereign CDS; Who Is Next? And How Much More Is Out There?
Tyler Durden on 10/10/2011, Zerohedge.com

Debt crisis: live
Matthew Sparkes, Martin Strydom, 10 Oct 2011, The Telegraph

Markets edge up on Merkel and Sarkozy plan to pump money into banks but default fears linger as EU prepares to delay forthcoming summits due to ongoing talks on steeper losses for Greek bondholders.

#OccupyWallStreet: A Global Whistleblow & Line in the Sand

2011-10-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

Check, check, how's it sound?

My apologies for not writing for such a long time, life is very busy. Much whistleblowing and the usual obstruction and corruption continues only the stakes are much higher now. Our "global village" is in unparalleled peril on many fronts.

But, as in other ages, the people are rising up all over the world. Those who are bruised, bloodied and burdened by a kind of slavery in the modern world. Too many are hurting, so revolution and protest is in the air.

Here are some links with some inklings of what is going on in North America, the growing #OCCUPYWALLSTREET movement that is going far beyond the belly of the beast.

Adbusters' Kalle Lasn Talks About OccupyWallStreet

The Tyee, October 7, 2011.

The veteran culture-jammer on his role in getting the protest rolling, magic memes, what he would demand, and more.

"We always thought of ourselves as the catalyzers, the people who set that meme, as we like to call it, in motion. And right from the start we decided that we're not going to play a part on the street, that if our meme flies, if people love it, then we're happy to come up with posters, and we did send them all kinds of handbills and we sent them corporate America flags.

************************

#OccupyWall Street: The Most Important Thing in the World Now

Naomi Klein, October 6, 2011. The Nation.

We pointed out that the deregulation behind the frenzy came at a price. It was damaging to labor standards. It was damaging to environmental standards. Corporations were becoming more powerful than governments and that was damaging to our democracies. But to be honest with you, while the good times rolled, taking on an economic system based on greed was a tough sell, at least in rich countries.

Ten years later, it seems as if there aren’t any more rich countries. Just a whole lot of rich people. People who got rich looting the public wealth and exhausting natural resources around the world.

The point is, today everyone can see that the system is deeply unjust and careening out of control. Unfettered greed has trashed the global economy. And it is trashing the natural world as well. We are overfishing our oceans, polluting our water with fracking and deepwater drilling, turning to the dirtiest forms of energy on the planet, like the Alberta tar sands. And the atmosphere cannot absorb the amount of carbon we are putting into it, creating dangerous warming. The new normal is serial disasters: economic and ecological.

Big Money, For Little Protection: Blowing the Whistle on a Sham Tribunal

2010-10-25T16:15:00.000-07:00

Little Known, Little Used Whistleblower Panel Budgets $8.1 million
Amy Minsky, October 25, 2010. Postmedia News.

OTTAWA — A little-known, never-used government tribunal will spend as much as $8.1 million of taxpayers' money by the end of 2012-13, federal documents show.

The Public Servants Disclosure Protection Tribunal was set up in 2007 to protect public servants from retaliation after reporting immoral or illegal activities in government. Since then, it hasn't heard a single case.

The fact that the tribunal hasn't been used comes to light following the sudden departure on Oct. 18 of Christiane Ouimet, the first federal public sector integrity commissioner, while her office was being investigated by Auditor General Sheila Fraser.

The tribunal would take cases referred by the Ouimet's office. In three years, the commissioner didn't find any wrongdoing in any of the 170 complaints her office received.

Fifty-eight whistleblowers complained to the commissioner's office since 2007-2008, saying they were mistreated or violated after filing a report. The commissioner launched only four investigations as a consequence of those complaints, and only two have been completed.

Because neither had findings of reprisal, the tribunal has never been referred a case.

"It's clearly a waste of money," said David Hutton, executive director with the Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform (FAIR), a registered charity advocating for whistleblower protection. "This whole expensive system has achieved absolutely nothing. In fact, it has made things worse."

Hutton said to the integrity com the tribunal gives whistleblowers an "illusion of protection" when the reality is civil servants are left without recourse after filing a complaintmissioner about irresponsible, immoral or illegal government activities.

The tribunal spent $836,000 in 2008-09, according to its performance report from that year, and has tabled spending estimates of $1.83 million for each successive year until 2012-13.

Lisanne Lacroix, the registrar and deputy head of the tribunal's office, said she is surprised they haven't received a single case in three years. But, as she pointed out, the lack of work has meant less money actually spent.

"I have $1.828 million in my budget," she said. "But since we haven't had any cases, I haven't spent it."

Money not used is returned to the government each year.

While waiting for a case, the office has established rules and guidelines, trained staff and become familiar with legislation, Lacroix said.

She said the office currently employs four full-time and two part-time employees.

But if and when the tribunal eventually hears a case, there is virtually no chance the public servant will win, Hutton argues.

An equivalent "kangaroo court" in the United States heard 2,000 complaints, and only four cases prevailed, Hutton said. "It's virtually impossible for an employee to prove that an employer took reprisal against them. It's very hard to look at this system and come to any conclusion other than this is for show."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper created an independent Public Sector Integrity Commissioner to protect whistleblowers in 2007, with the intention of making civil servants feel protected when calling government on a misdoing.

But some opposition MPs say it's clear the legislation isn't working.

"I think you can safely say the Conservatives broken promises are expensive," NDP MP Pat Martin said. "It's a smoke-and-mirror illusion of whistleblower protection, when really, the legislation is inadequate to really protect them in any case."

Editorial: Effective Whistleblowing Protection Needed

2010-10-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

What the public knows about the Basi/Virk case is the tip of the iceberg. And the people who know the most have been protected and indemnified. It pays so well to be in politics, for some.

BC Needs Effective Legislation to Protect Whistleblowers
Editor, Burnaby Now, Oct. 21, 2010

In the week following the dramatic rescue of 33 trapped workers from a Chilean mine, Chile’s president was pressured to ratify an international convention protecting whistleblowers who bring to light safety concerns at work.

The need to protect whistleblowers sounds like a problem from the developing world.

Surely Canadians have this all worked out. Or have we?

The recent Basi-Virk case, in which the duo pled guilty to breach of trust and accepting benefits relating to the sale of BC Rail, doesn’t just raise questions about the honest dealings of public employees involved in big-money projects.

It also questions the safeguards in place to protect those who may be aware of wrongdoing, but fear the repercussions of going public.

In British Columbia, the NDP introduced Whistleblower legislation in 2007 but it died on the vine. At the federal level, however, the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act was enacted the same year, and is supposed to protect federal civil servants from the repercussions of whistleblowing.

That said, according to a report from the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner, the sentiment amongst civil servants is that the law doesn’t do enough to protect people who bring questionable conduct to light.

This sentiment is echoed by the Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform, FAIR.

One FAIR statement rings especially true in light of recent events in B.C.:

“Virtually every scandal—in government or in the public sector—has a whistleblower dimension: either because the story has come to light through information provided by insiders, and/or because the problem was preventable if the organization had listened to these insiders and fixed the problem, instead of covering up.”

One can’t help but wonder if effective whistleblower legislation in B.C. could have prevented the Basi-Virk affair in the first place.

The Price of Saying No: Unravelling Democracy in BC

2010-09-24T20:32:00.000-07:00

One strand at a time, this is what it looks like when democracy is being unravelled. Well, perhaps it's more visceral than that. This is what it looks like when a corrupt government and it's leaders rip apart an already bruised and battered Democracy.

This is what happens to those who stand up and say no. Stand up for the citizens of BC. There is no more room for that in BC.

In April 2010, Linda Johnston, deputy chief electoral officer with Elections BC said the provincial government could not fight former premier Bill Vander Zalm's anti-HST petition with a taxpayer-funded mail-out.

Elections BC wrote the government Wednesday saying the government mail out does not meet the rules of the Recall and Initiative Act when it comes to government advertising surrounding promoting or opposing Bills or petitions.

"In order to ensure compliance with the Recall and Initiative Act, it is imperative that government advertising does not indirectly promote or oppose an initiative petition or the associated draft bill in any way unless government first registers as an initiative advertising sponsor and complies with the $5,000 advertising limit," said the letter to the Ministry of Attorney General from deputy chief electoral officer Linda Johnson.

More here.

On June 5, 2010 Chief Electoral Officer Harry Neufeld's term came to an end. Neufeld told the media he had no concerns having to leave before the HST recall petition process has come to an end.

"I have excellent staff here and an extremely capable deputy [Linda Johnston]" he said.

**********************************

Ax Fall on Officer who Nixed Lib's HST Budget Mailer

Linda Johnson's job eliminated by politically appointed interim Elections BC chief.

By Andrew MacLeod, 10 Sep 2010, TheTyee.ca

In September 2010 the Tyee reported that [Craig]James, who was appointed by the government in June on an interim basis until an all-party legislative committee can decide on a permanent chief electoral officer, announced a restructuring that eliminated the deputy chief electoral officer position.

Linda Johnson, who had held the position for 19 years and who had been with the agency that oversees provincial elections for 28 years, lost her job as part of the restructuring.

Interim Chief Electoral Officer Craig James: What is he up to?
Ian Reid, the Real Story, Sept. 24, 2010

Two weeks ago, James fired the deputy Chief Electoral Officer Linda Johnston, claiming he was reorganizing the non-partisan office to be more efficient.

Critics speculated the real reason for the firing had to do with Ms. Johnson’s ruling preventing the government from advertising against the anti-hst campaign. To critics, the firing looked suspiciously like government ordered payback. That only added to concerns that James, the interim Chief Electoral Officer appointed by the government without consultation, was bringing a partisan flavour to the office during an unprecedented period.

Gambling with more than Dollars: How Organized Crime has Increased their Market Share in BC

2010-07-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

In the media business , one would say this story has legs. And arms. And some heads that got together to create a plan for BC to become Super Friendly and pave the way to make it as easy as going online and washing lots and lots of cash 'til it is shiny clean here in Beautiful BC.

Questions to ask. Who made the decisions? Anyone influence the decision-makers? How exactly? Who benefits? Where is the RCMP in all of this? A simple time line tells the story and gives answers to many of the questions that arise out of this latest story of corruption in BC.

Remind us again why it is that BC's gambling and gaming enterprises are under the Ministry of Housing & Social Development and not the Ministry of Public Safety & Solicitor General? Who made that decision when they were deciding on the structure of government?

*************************************************

Fun with FINTRAC
Public Eye Online. July 21, 2010.

Watch Coleman explain it all away here.

Let's compare and contrast: yesterday, when asked about British Columbia Lottery Corp. being fined more than $670,000 for 1,020 violations of the Proceeds of Crime and Terrorist Act, Solicitor General Mike de Jong told The Vancouver Sun, "Obviously the facilities are there to administer to members of the public engaged in lawful gaming activities and if some of these early reports are true, yes, it is troubling." But, last year, when confronted with allegations there was a "ton of criminal activity" at the province's casinos that wasn't being effectively targeted, the minister responsible Rich Coleman gave us a number of reasons why that wasn't the case.

The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada is the same agency that fined the lottery corporation.

BCLC president and chief executive officer Michael Graydon has said those fines were connected to problems with the reports it filed to the centre - not money laundering or terrorism.

The Vancouver Sun paraphrased Mr. Graydon as stating those reports - which record transactions of $10,000 or more - were late, had clerical errors or didn't include enough information to satisfy the Act. [Ed. Technical incompetence can excuse away so many things, can't it?]

Mr. Coleman didn't respond to repeated interview requests placed through the housing and social development ministry's communications shop.

The fines, which are being appealed, followed an audit the centre conducted between October 28 and November 19, 2009. Mr. Graydon has said the problems that led to the fines have since been solved.

******************************
Mike DeJong Worried About BCLC's Casinos After Money Laundering Rule Violations: Online Gambling Site also a Concern
Kim Bolan and Jonathan Fowlie, Vancouver Sun July 20, 2010

Solicitor General Mike de Jong says he is concerned about the potential for organized crime to misuse B.C. casinos and online gaming after revelations that the B.C. Lotteries Corp. has been fined $670,000 by the federal agency that tracks money laundering and terrorist financing.

De Jong said Tuesday he is reviewing reports he has just received about more than 1,000 violations by the lottery corporation of the federal Proceeds of Crime and Terrorist Financing Act.

He [B.C. Lottery Corp. CEO Michael Graydon] said the final eight improper reports came because people cashed out more than $10,000 without proper identification, and the casino did not do the follow-up required under the law.

Part of the fine came because B.C. Lotteries missed a deadline for creating "a geographic profiling and high-risk profiling and analysis system" that had been requested by FINTRAC and is now in place, he said.

"In 2008, the BCLC was criticized for inadequate reporting relatd to money laundering," Simpson said. [Shane Simpson, NDP MLA.]

And he said BCLC board chairman John McLernon claimed at the time in a letter then minister John van Dongen that a number of steps were being taken to fix the problem.

McLernon said there were more incidents of suspicious transactions at B.C. casinos than in other Canadian jurisdictions.

Last year, the B.C. government increased the weekly limit that can be spent on online gaming to $9,999 from $120. Critics said the move was set subvert FINTRAC rules where transactions of $10,000 or more must be reported to Ottawa.

De Jong said Tuesday he didn't know how the limit was arrived at.

She [FINTRAC director Jeanne Flemming] said one review indicated half the casinos examined "did not have an effective anti-money laundering training program in place."

***********************************************

Begg's the Question
Public Eye Online. November 16, 2009.

Housing and Social Development Minister Rich Coleman has said the province's anti-illegal gaming team was disbanded on the advice of the RCMP unit's consultative board. But, according to internal documents obtained by Public Eye, the top bureaucrat responsible for overseeing policing in British Columbia wrote about shutting down that government-funded unit "ASAP" three months before the board made its recommendation.

On October 23, 2008, the then director of the province's police services Kevin Begg sent an email to the general manager of the government's gaming police and enforcement branch Derek Sturko with the subject heading "IGET (sic)" - the acronym for the province's now disbanded integrated illegal gaming enforcement team.

In that email Mr. Begg stated, "I need to give RCMP directions to shut the unit down ASAP so that we do not have any financial obligations beyond Mar 31. Not sure how this impacts your unit."

**********************************
Ex-unit Commander questions Government's Commitment to "meaningful" Illegal Gaming Investigations
Public Eye Online. October 21, 2009.

The former commander of British Columbia's now-defunct integrated illegal gaming enforcement team is questioning the provincial government's commitment to "meaningful" illegal gaming investigations. Speaking exclusively with Public Eye, Fred Pinnock also described the RCMP's senior management in British Columbia as demonstrating "willful blindness" when it comes to the connection between illegal gaming and organized crime. And he said his provincially-funded RCMP team should have been expanded - not shutdown.

Mr. Pinnock said there hasn't been any big busts at casinos even though "it obvious that highly-pedigreed gangsters frequent these venues on a continuing basis. There's a ton of criminal activity being conducted in these places every day, including money laundering, loansharking and other enterprise crimes."

The RCMP is "playing ostrich" about the problems inside legal gaming facilities, he concluded, with senior management only giving "token attention" to the illegal gaming problems outside those establishments.

****************************
Question: What were Rich Coleman and Patrick Kinsella Discussing at Dinner Last Night?
Alex G. Tsakumis: Rebel with a Clause.

In what must be one of the STUPIDEST moves for a sitting Cabinet Minister of the Campbell govt, Minister Rich Coleman was having dinner last night at the Keg Restaurant in South Surrey, with none other than former unregistered (non?)lobbyist and BC Liberal insider/pal of the Premier, Patrick Kinsella. They were accompanied by their wives and third woman.

Whistleblowers BC says:

Your comment is awaiting moderation.

July 25, 2010 at 10:01 AM

My bet, haha, was it was a social dinner. They would keep the business behind closed doors and away from the wives and any prying eyes. It just doesn’t make sense to be discussing strategy etc. with the wives along at the Keg, they don’t want to hear that crap. Don’t underestimate the power of networking and socializing to cement working relationships.

Coleman doesn’t have a snowballs chance of hell in becoming the next premier. He may duke it out to become the next leader of the party and could win, but this would be the death knell for a party that is already on it’s knees. Don’t forget the former cop, turned politician has bungled every single portfolio he’s been on and there is enough of a trail to seriously question his morals and ethics, which citizens in BC are doing with the party in a big way. His nonchalance over this lottery scandal is indicative of someone who has zero ability to now connect to how voters are perceiving this very serious situation.

Question, where is the commercial crime unit of the RCMP in this lottery scam? You effectively have a sitting government, working in conjunction (colluding?, secret commissions?) with many other players, that has paved the way to what may be the biggest money laundering scheme in Canadian history. The FINTRAC investigation of BC Lottery should be made public and turned over to the RCMP. You just know there was a conversation had between some major players, “hey, you know how we can beat these FINTRAC regulations for reporting, let’s just change the reporting threshold to $9999. That’ll keep FINTRAC out of our hair. Changes like that don’t just happen. What specific individuals were involved in that conversation and then made it happen? The public deserves to know that.

Have said it before, will say it again, the BC Liberal government is the most corrupt, most incompetent and most unethical in the history of this fair province and quite likely Canada.

Attacks on Democracy: This is NOT my Canada

2010-06-27T21:58:00.000-07:00

Full video of police charging on protesters as they finished singing the nation anthem

Yee-Guan's Posterous, June 27, 2010.

********************
Activists Decry Arrests at Peaceful March

Strong show of force disperses group calling on authorities to let arrested protesters go
Tim Kiladze and Adrian Morrow, Globe & Mail. Jun. 27, 2010.

Targeting & Retaliation Against Whistleblowers: Why Doesn`t Anyone Want the Truth

2009-12-13T14:17:00.000-08:00

While this is an American story, about issues within the U.S. - targeting of whistleblowers, or ethical resisters, it is very common place across nations. As societies we should be asking ourselves how it has come to pass that the people who display high moral decision-making, taking personal and professional risks to come forward in the interests of the public has come to be seen as a thing for which people should be stomped on, targeted and retaliated against. Where has our moral compass gone. Why is that the bad guys (the corrupt, criminals and the morally bankrupt) are protected and shielded from accountability and responsibility for the harm they cause.

Web of FBI, DOJ Criminal Racket Targeting Individual Whistleblowers Hits the Skies

December 13 2009.

Punitive actions against these honest public servants send chilling signals to other would-be whistleblowers… - Captain Dan Hanley

Self-identified targeted individuals’ claims of persecution and widespread, systemic Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Justice (DOJ) abuse of power are mounting with the grassroots organization, Medical Whistleblowers that includes its Transportation Whistleblower spokesperson, also spokesperson of the Whistleblowing Airline Employees Association, Captain Dan Hanley.

Last week, Hanley stated that the Department of Homeland Security and Transportation Safety Authority were recently responsible for the greatest national and airline passenger security risks since 911 and he continues to highlight FBI and DOJ refusal to respond to former alleged criminal complaints involving United Airlines.

Criminal retaliation against TI whistleblowers

In COINTELPRO signature style of yesteryear, the FBI and DOJ grants immunity to criminals retaliating against citizens that attempt to expose corruption, such as “kidnapping of children, false incarceration after framed by criminal elements in civil and criminal authorities, impoverishment, coercion under duress, and serious physical injury up to and including death.” (Barbara Hollingsworth, UPDATE: FBI, DOJ refuse to investigate charges of judicial corruption, Examiner, 12/03/09)

Self-identified targeted individuals (TIs), many of whom are human rights defenders and corruption whistleblowers, many struggling to survive the above-named retaliatory criminal assaults and persecution, consistently report that the FBI refuses to investigate, the DOJ prevents legal support, and the mental health system denies advocacy.

Instead, TIs are re-victimized, often through forced medical and psychiatric evaluations, sometimes forced psychiatric treatment.

Senator Leahy called to action

Medical Whistleblower Executive Director Dr. Janet Parker has written to Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy about issues relating to reporting “Medical Fraud, Abuse and Neglect of Patients and Human Rights Violations” and the possibility of testifying before congressional committees.

Recently, American self-identified Targeted Individuals also wrote to Leahy calling for an investigation:

We, the undersigned, are therefore compelled to request that congressional hearings be held to examine our issues and hear our accounts of what is happening covertly in this country. It is time to end the cover-up and restore our country once again to its founding constitutional principles of freedom of justice for all.

Non-government groups across the nation are calling to impeach DOJ judge Jay Bybee for alleged war crimes resulting in thousands of innocent people being tortured, the latest protest against the 'Torture Judge' at court being last Thursday in Pasadena, California with Sharon Tipton saying, Bybee should be in jail, not sitting on the bench. (See Dupré, We will not be silent. Dupré inerviews Torture Judge Bybee protester Sharon Tipton, December 11, 2009)

Now, commercial aviation safety and security personnel terminated since 2001 for reporting security systems frailties, plus national and international whistleblower advocates want persecuted airline whistleblowers’ cases publicly reviewed.

These airline captains, federal air marshals and others attempting to protect passengers report that the FBI and DOJ refuse to investigate their claims, a national and passenger security grave risk.

Barbara Hollingworth of The Examiner reported that for three years, the FBI and DOJ have refused to investigate material evidence of a nationwide criminal racket allegedly infiltrated in state and federal courts, manipulating and exploiting litigants in bankruptcy, family and probate courts.

Fraud, computer hacking and money laundering

A 2006 affidavit claims that “multiple judges and lawyers are aware of and/or involved in alleged criminal acts,” naming Judge Eugene R. Wedoff, chief Northern District of Illinois bankruptcy judge in 1986.

Wedoff presided over the 2005 United Airlines (UA) bankruptcy resulting in 20 large unsecured creditors losing nearly $18 million and UA defaulting on $3.2 billion worth of pension obligations for over 134,000 employees, “the largest pension default in three decades – while its top executives walked off with millions in exit bonuses,” reported Hollingworth.

Dan Hanley, Whistleblowing Airline Employees Association (www.airline-whistleblowers.org) public spokesperson and former United 777 captain forced out of his job after reporting safety issues impacting passengers, stated that the recent TSA security leak was the greatest threat to passenger security since 911.

Hanley also alleges that United management fraudulently withheld information from the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC) that took over their pensions, and that PBGC never conducted federally mandated analysis of the United pension fund before agreeing to its termination. Although the Securities and Exchange Commission recently agreed to look into the matter, it has not met its stated deadlines.

Hollingworth reports that a court affadavits allege United Airline associated illegal actions:

Judge Wedoff and other alleged criminal judges of accepting $40 million in bribes at LaSalle National Bank in Chicago plus Wells Fargo and Northern Trust Bank in Arizona according to Hollingworth.
Wedoff’s payoffs went into ERW Living Trust that purchased Lot 114 of Greenfield Place in Maricopa County, Arizona and the signature of ERW trustee, “Richard E. Williams” is identical to Judge Wedoff’s.
A Phoenix, Arizona based criminal racketeering enterprise created fraudulent documents and identity theft to hack into the INSLAW court software program to funnel stolen private and government funds into Omega and Anchor Pure Trusts.
These trusts dispersed the hot cash into personal trusts, such as ERW, that then used fake property mortgages already bought with cash to further launder the money.
Multiple lawyers of prominent law firms” used fake federal marshal credentials to access the Federal Court Building in Chicago."
Wedoff allowed a bankruptcy trustee to confiscate and destroy records and transfer 'large sums of money' to his account at La Salle, 'highly irregular and illegal.'

The FBI and DOJ have not investigated what appears to be a massive criminal infiltration of the federal court system. As Hollingworth posits, “The big unanswered question is: Why not?”

National security and air safety at risk

The Department of Transportation never responded to Hanley’s April 2006 letter to Secretary Mineta. Furthermore, the US Department of Transportation wrote to Hanley stating that his FAA Whistleblower Report, (filed via certified mail with FAA), was “lost” and, “We anticipate no further action from our office regarding this matter.”

In a December 12 letter to Inspector General, Department of Transportation Calvin L. Scovel, Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security Richard L. Skinner, and Inspector General, Department of Justice Glenn A. Fine, Hanley stated:

“The issues addressed in my original and subsequent FAA Whistleblower Reports concerned grave commercial aviation safety and security issues.

“Additionally, allegations of methods of suppression of honest pilots who speak out in the name of passenger safety, but are ushered off the property at their airline through employment of ‘hostile workplace environment forced medical and psychiatric evaluations’ were addressed, as this sometimes results in the pilot loss of his medical certification, a federal requirement to fly commercial jet aircraft.

“Without appropriate governmental oversight of departments responsible for ensuring passenger and aircrew safety, but even more importantly, insurance of enforcement of current whistleblower laws, which sometimes results in retaliatory action against whistleblowers, our national air safety and security is compromised.

Persecution of honest public servants sends "chilling signals to other would-be whistleblowers within the airline industry, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Federal Air Marshal program" says Hanley.

Ban Ki-moon has pledged to "fight discrimination targeting individuals vulnerable to attack," the 2009 International Human Rights theme being to end discrimination. Whistleblowers are among those most vulnerable to persecution, including assassination.

“With a 2% probability of success for today’s federal whistleblowers under existing laws, stronger language of HR 1507 must be included in the final passage of the ‘Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009,’” stated Hanley.

Learn more by taking responsible action and continuing to ask, "Why?" and "Why not?" Your subscribing to Deborah Dupré's reports and posting the link to this site (rather than entire article) are requested and appreciated unless republishing permission is granted.

Email info@DeborahDupre.com. Dupré is author of Operation H1N1: Vaccine Liberty or Death ebook available at DeborahDupre.com.

You, Me & the SPP - Must-see Trailer & Other Videos about Continuing "Integration"

2009-09-06T10:18:00.000-07:00

These should be mandatory viewing for all of us. Most of us don't even know what's happening right under our own noses.

You, Me & the SPP: Trading Democracy for Corporate Rule

Another interesting video:

Should We Erase the U.S. Border for the Purposes of Trade and Labour mobility?

Jim Stanford, Chief Economist, Canadian Auto Workers and Michael Hart, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University debate U.S. Deep Integration. From Canadian Business Magazine debate.

U.S And Canada Sign New Border Security Agreement Part 1 Of 2

U.S. and Canada Sign New Border Security Agreement - Part 2 of 2

Both aired May 27, 2009 on CPAC.

Integrate this: Challenging the Security & Prosperity Partnership
Council of Canadians

Die SPP, Die

2009-08-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

Sounds too good to be true to me, that the "three amigos" and those who wait in the Shadows will let the Security & Prosperity Partnership (SPP) dissolve like this, there is too much at stake and too much to gain for the Powers that Be to stop it. I think they're just taking it out of the public eye, way more behind the scenes.

*********

We recognize and embrace citizen participation as an integral part of our work together in North America. We welcome the contributions of businesses, both large and small, and those of civil society groups, non-governmental organizations, academics, experts, and others. We have asked our Ministers to engage in such consultations as they work to realize the goals we have set for ourselves here in Guadalajara.”

- North American leaders’ statement, August 10, 2009, Guadalajara, Mexico

SPP deactivated while 'three amigos' promise public consultation on North American agenda

OTTAWA, Aug. 14 /CNW Telbec/ - Opponents of the Security and Prosperity
Partnership (SPP)are celebrating a preliminary victory in reaction to the
announcement on the official U.S. government SPP website that the pact "is no
longer an active initiative" says the Council of Canadians.

While the 'deactivation' of the SPP is a significant victory, the Council
of Canadians cautions that opponents of deep integration must remain vigilant,
given that many of the SPP's key priorities - energy integration, regulatory
convergence, security policy harmonization - cropped up in the final leaders'
declaration from the Guadalajara summit this week.

   "Trade and the economy must serve people and communities. The SPP was an
attempt to turn that upside down so that people and communities would have to
serve the interests of large corporations," says Maude Barlow, National
Chairperson of the Council of Canadians."Widespread opposition to this
profoundly undemocratic model of globalization has brought the WTO to its
knees, killed the Free Trade Area of the Americas,and now halted the SPP. It's
time for our governments to abandon this agenda and not just try to rebrand it
again under a new name."

***************
YouTube - Stop SPP Protest - Union Leader stops provocateurs 

Integrate This: Challenging the Security & Prosperity Partnership of North America

Council of Canadians

Founded in 1985, the Council of Canadians is Canada’s largest citizens’ organization,
with members and chapters across the country. We work to protect Canadian independence 
by promoting progressive policies on fair trade, clean water, energy security, public
health care, and other issues of social and economic concern to Canadians.

SPP update

The North American leaders summit – where Canada, the United States and Mexico met to discuss progress on the Security and Prosperity Partnership – took place August 9 and 10 in Guadalajara, Mexico and Canadians knew almost nothing about it.

Watch videos of the protest and updated factsheets at www.IntegrateThis.ca.

CRACKdown in Vancouver: Life Under Olympic Rule

2009-07-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

I sure have enjoyed all of those human and civil rights and freedoms I've have up to this point. They've been steadily eroded over the past decade. With the monolithic beast that is the Olympics upon us, we're seeing a fast tracking of the decrease and it's happening in the most insidious and creeping ways. And I don't like it.

It actually pisses me off that the Olympics is being used to introduce this level of security and militarization of BC. I have the utmost respect and awe of athletes who work their butts off to excel in Sport, they work hard and sacrifice to do their best for Canada. So it burns me to see the corporatization, security, surveillance and decline of our rights and freedoms being part of the Olympics the way its happening. Excellence in Sport and Achievement, National Pride, as well as a Bombastic Global Party have been hijacked and its doing our Fair Province a disservice, because its a gift that keeps on giving - kind of like Herpes.

************************

Some City Bylaw Changes for Olympics 'may become permanent'

Jeff Lee, Vancouver Sun. July 16, 2009.

Excerpt:

VANCOUVER — Vancouver city is about to enact sweeping temporary changes to its bylaws to allow the gritty, pointy end of the 2010 Winter Olympics to take place.

Everything, from allowing 24-hour commercial deliveries to to relaxing garbage pick-up times to allowing certain streets to be closed for pedestrian or security purposes, is being considered in hefty 90-page report going to council on Tuesday.

... prevent people from bringing megaphones or amplification equipment on to city property, allow security screening at the two Live Sites, and banning rolling or non-Olympic advertising vehicles on city streets.

The regulations would come into effect on Jan. 1 and end on March 31. But some of them, such as the prohibition on street-side advertising vehicles, could become permanent after the Games.

*******************************

You measure a democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists. - Abbie Hoffman

Mass Vaccinations Coming? Fear-mongering or Fact?

2009-07-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

Guess we get to wait and see how this will play out. We haven't heard the last of the H1N1 story. Is this bit about vaccinations part of the media fear-mongering and disinformation that have become such a pervasive part of our media world that we're scarcely even aware of how much absolute shite is passed off as fact and reality.

Canadian Doctor: H1N1 Vaccination a Eugenics Weapon for Mass Extermination

Kurt Nimmo
Prison Planet.com
Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Excerpt:

Canadian doctor Ghislaine Lanctôt, author of the Medical Mafia, has underscored the lawsuit recently filed by Austrian journalist Jane Bürgermeister against the WHO, the UN, and several high ranking government and corporate officials. Bürgermeister has documented how an international corporate criminal syndicate plans to unleash a deadly flu virus and institute a forced vaccination program.

“I am emerging from a long silence on the subject of vaccination, because I feel that, this time, the stakes involved are huge. The consequences may spread much further than anticipated,” writes Lanctôt, who believes the A(H1N1) virus will be used in a pandemic concocted and orchestrated by the WHO, an international organization that serves military, political and industrial interests.

During her trial in 1995, Lanctôt used an episode from the March 11th, 1979, 60 Minutes TV show covering the massive vaccination program foisted on the American public supposedly in response to the 1976 swine flu outbreak.

More than 33 years later, according to Dr. Russell Blaylock, a board certified neurosurgeon, “we are hearing the same cries of alarm from a similar lineup of virology experts. The pharmaceutical companies are busy designing a vaccine for the swine flu in hope that this administration will make the vaccine mandatory before another vaccine-related disaster can ruin their party…. Like SARS and bird flu before it, this swine flu scare is a lot of nonsense. Just take your high dose vitamin D3 (5000 IU a day), eat a healthy diet and take a few immune boosting supplements (such as beta-1, 3/1, 6 glucan) and you will not have to worry about this flu.”

According to a source known to former NSA official Wayne Madsen, “A top scientist for the United Nations, who has examined the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Africa, as well as HIV/AIDS victims, concluded that H1N1 possesses certain transmission “vectors” that suggest that the new flu strain has been genetically-manufactured as a military biological warfare weapon.

Video: Obama Administration to Implement Government Flu Shot Program

Silent Coup: America's Dying Breath - Part 1

2008-10-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

While we here in Canada have been caught up in both our own economic crisis
and our federal election, things have been moving at a rapid pace globally.

On October 1st 2008, a silent coup happened, one that is rapidly bringing the end of America. Think I'm being melodramatic, or crazy in that "don't mind him, he's a conspiracy theorist" kind of way. It's probably tempting to bury our heads and laugh all of this off, but, it would be a mistake to do that. Why would that be, good question and I'll try to lead down a thorny path to some answers.

I'm a follower and armchair commentator of geopolitics, which I've rapidly picked up a small bit of knowledge about. I'm also a rabid opponent to the Security & Prosperity Partnership(SPP) (being re-branded as North American Standards & Regulatory Area, NASRA) and the North American Union (NAU), all of which are direct threats to Canada's sovereignty and ownership of Canadian natural resources, including ownership of business and our own systems, such as our public health care system.

I'm never going to make apologies for being a proud Canadian nationalist and I won't be shy in telling you that Canada should be protecting our resources and assets in this time of globalization. I remember back in the day, fervently marching with the other idealists against APEC, recognizing a bad thing even when I was so young and knew nothing about the world, or those who quite simply want to own all that is worth something.

There is no doubt that American hegemony and their long-forgotten goal of manifest destiny has been at the heart of the United States interactions and agreements with other nations forever. It's funny how for some reason I always remembered about manifest destiny (of all the things I've forgotten from Social Studies), I think it must have been the arrogant presumption of righteousness that offended me even in those tender years, who the hell did those people think they were, anyways?

Over the years I've gleaned many pieces of information and media on the ever-increasing pace of "harmonization" and "integration" of Canada with the US and Mexico, starting with the first Free Trade Agreement (FTA), then NAFTA under Brian Mulroney's (neo)Conservative government, continuing under Paul Martin's (neo)Liberal government and going full steam ahead under Stephen Harper's Conservative government with the SPP, and the NAU.

During this election, we've heard a new bit about Harper's Conservatives plans to "integrate" Canada into the European Union (EU). We only heard about it because it was leaked, Harper didn't bring it up and he isn't showing us the draft agreement. He also didn't tell us about his plans to meet leaders from the EU just three days after the Canadian Federal Election, to go over the agreement that could throw Canada into the garbage can of history as a sovereign nation. It's funny, I kind of think that is an important thing for Canadians to know about, but hey, I'm no Prime Minister, what do I know?

The American Coup: Setting the Stage

In a widely viewed lecture available on Youtube, Naomi Wolf, an American author, gave a talk about her book, The End of America: A Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot. Now, for those of you who know her, Ms. Wolf, a bright, personable, popular writer on topics of interest, mostly to women, never resonated as a rabblerouser, a politico, or even as a major intellectual. That changed for me when I watched this lecture
and I began to see her as a visionary and someone we should all begin to listen to about what was happening in the United States of America. With this lecture, she was putting her neck on the chopping block in a very personal way.

In this lecture, she details very clearly the 10 steps, or the blueprint, for open society's that are being shut down in strategic moves toward creating dictatorships. For her book, she studied the rise of Mussolini, Hitler, Pinochet and other despots to see what patterns could be learned about how they assumed control and turned their countries into nations of people who carried out the unthinkable horrors of
their totalitarian leaders. See here for the 10 Steps to Turn an Open Society into a Dictatorship.

In her lecture, The End of America, Ms.Wolf describes these steps and what it looks like in a society slowly being turned into a dictatorship. We should ask ourselves, is this something we see happening in America and, more importantly, are we seeing some of these things happening in our backyard in Canada, especially under Stephen Harper's Conservative government? I think we are, it's just perhaps more subtle and less overt like it is in the US. Plus, the Canadian media has been in a process of being controlled and concentrated through corporate ownership in a way that has made it more difficult to connect the dots across our vast nation and see the incremental
steps toward this slippery slope.

These are the 10 Steps that Wolf identifies in her book:

1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy
2. Create a gulag
3. Develop a thug caste
4. Set up an internal surveillance system
5. Harass citizens' groups
6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release
7. Target key individuals
8. Control the press
9. Dissent equals treason
10. Suspend the rule of law

It's not too difficult to think of examples of most of these things:

1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy -
The "War on Terror" after 9/11, which was used in both the US & Canada to bring in unprecedented changes to civil rights, leaving it very easy for people to called "terrorists" and locked up, throwing out the usual legal rights of those accused, including the right to even have the opportunity to look at the "evidence" used to make the charges in the first place.

On October 26 2001, the USA Patriot Act was passed by a Congress, which introducted unprecented changes to the civil liberties and human rights of all Americans. Seems interesting how quickly the American government was able to just throw such a thing together in just over a month from September 11th 2001, but I guess they're speedy folks, or were they planning for something just like this to start revoking citizen rights under the American government and Constitution?

But it didn't just stop there. Once the information of citizens from other countries, such as Canada, was in the hands of US corporations, the US government could access this under the Patriot Act, without the parties ever knowing.

In BC, in 2006, Gordon Campbell's BC Liberal government passed amendments to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act in 2006 that allowed the disclosure of citizens' personal information outside Canada "to an individual who is a service provider of the public body... if the information is necessary for the performance of the duties of the individual in relation to the public body."

When combining this with the privatization of government services and information and technology contracts awarded by the Campbell Liberal government to American and transnational corporations(who often paid hefty lobbying fees and donations to the BC Liberal party), a great deal of personal and private information of Canadian citizens became easy to access by the US government.

In 2007, an audit by the U.S. Justice Department found that the American FBI committed "serious misuses of national security letter authorities" to access confidential records, and withheld information from Congress on how often businesses were forced to turn over customer data.

Here in Canada, fear was also used to motivate changes to our civil rights and an immediate re-organization of governmental departments into one monster Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Preparation (DPS), similar in scope and work to the American Department of Homeland Security (DHS). There is more on this below, as well as a timeline of the changes.

Security measures since 9/11
The changes wrought by the terror attacks of September 11 to Canada's laws and practices vis-à-vis refugees and immigrants are significant. Political pressure to tighten the Canadian border has resulted in the promotion of a vaguely defined 'security perimeter' that would encompass perhaps the whole of North America. As part of this project, the Canadian government has moved towards greater harmonization of immigration security policies and practices with the U.S., including cross-deputation of intelligence and policing agencies.

The Canadian government in this period also signed the Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States, which enables the rejection of refugee claimants at the border and their return to the United States for processing, and passed the Anti-Terrorism Act, or Bill C-36. Bill C-36, passed mere months after 9/11, allows for the arrest of terror suspects without a warrant, compels individuals to give testimony at secret hearings, and enlarges the scope for state surveillance and ethnic profiling.

Dec. 18th, 2001 - The Anti-Terrorism Act became part of the Criminal Code. It was hustled through parliament by the Liberal government using their majority and procedure to shut down debate and stop amendments by the opposition.
The changes to the code are "aimed at disabling and dismantling the activities of terrorists groups and those who support them." It allowed citizens to be arrested and detained for up to 72 hours if they are suspected of planning a terrorist act.

The Three Primary Provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act (Bills C-36 and C-42)

* suppress existing terrorist groups
* provide police with new investigative tools
* strengthen prison sentences for terrorists

For a much deeper analysis, read this by Anil Hira and Douglas Ross of SFU:

Canada After 9/11: A Land of Deep Ambivalence
The Divergent Canadian Response to American Primacy and the 'War on Terror,' But Ever Deeper Continental Economic Integration

Canada's Military Budget

Under the Stephen Harper Conservative government, Canada's military budget has ballooned out of control and instead of sending our troops abroad on NATO and peacekeeping missions, Harper changed our Forces mandate, a proud Canadian heritage, and instead sent Canada into Afghanistan into an American war over oil, under the guise of ousting the Taliban.

It was only during this October 2008 Federal Election have Canadians learned that Harper's mission in Afghanistan has cost us $7.7 billion dollars over the past six years, and could reach $18.1 billion dollars by 2011. However, due to "a lack of government consistency and transparency" it is difficult to fully estimate
how much this American war will cost Canadians, both monetarily and in the lives of our Armed Forces serving there, for a false war.

2. Create a gulag - Guatanomo Bay. Let's quickly review how this relates to Canada. Stephen Harper, as Canada's Prime Minister, has allowed a Canadian child, Omar Khadr to be abused, tortured and imprisoned for YEARS in Gitmo. When all other nations had reclaimed their citizens from this gulag, Harper has left Omar there and his ignored the child's rights under United Nation conventions and treaties. Stephen Harper's heart is as black as his soul for that. And being a father himself, he is a sorry excuse for a human being to fail to stop the abuse and torture of this Canadian child, who has now spent a quarter of his life imprisoned and abused by the American government. Shame on Stephen Harper, Shame on the Conservatives and they've brought shame on Canada for their abandonment of this Canadian child.

Omar Khadr Project

In Canada, we have both federal and provincial jails. Thankfully, Harper hasn't branched out and started contracting out to build new prisons the way the Americans have in creating their prison industrial complex.

3. Develop a thug caste - Blackwater - A company that has reaped multi-million dollar (over $800 million in contracts) for mercenary work for the US in Iraq. The US government (the State Department ) has contracted out military operations. They operate outside of the law, they have been alleged to kill civilians and they are accountable to no-one.

Apparently they also have contracts to work inside the US too. And, a Blackwater-linked company is training Canadian troops. They are also involved in intelligence gathering. For whom they are doing that is a big question.

Blackwater mercenaries are operating inside the United States, as well as training Canadian troops down in Virgina, home of the FBI.

The Privatization of Fascism: 60 minutes piece on Blackwater

BlackWater-Lobby Canada Tory Government for Secret Funding?

http://www.freewebs.com/habeascorpuscanada/grounds.html

Blackwater training some Canadian troops
David Pugliese, CanWest News Service Published: Saturday, September 29, 2007

Select Canadian soldiers have been sent to Blackwater U.S.A. in North Carolina for specialized training in bodyguard and shooting skills. Other soldiers have taken counterterrorism evasive-driving courses with the private military company now at the centre of an investigation into the killings of Iraqi civilians and mounting
concerns about the aggressive tactics of its workers in the field.
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=414820f7-998a-496f-b41d-c033e5d6d168

Blackwater-linked firm to train Canadian troops
Aug 27, 2008. Woods. Ottawa Bureau: The Star.

The military gave notice this week of its intention to award an $850,000 contract for advanced counterinsurgency training to the Terrorism Research Center, a Virginia-based firm that specializes in terrorism training for military and law enforcement officials. The contract is for one year with the option for a two-year extension.

The counterinsurgency school, which boasts close links to the U.S. government, is listed as a branch of Total Intelligence Solutions, a company that is run by former director of CIA counterterrorism Cofer Black and Erik Prince, a former U.S. Navy Seal.

Blackwater Shadow Army: Youtube videos on Blackwater's "work"

4. Set up an internal surveillance system - Some of us with suspicious minds can't help but wonder at the timing of the proliferation of the new social world many of us inhabit - MySpace, Facebook, Yahoo, Google, Microsoft.
It is now possible for any of us to have our most personal information gathering and surveilled by anyone with mad skills enough to hack our accounts.

Within one generation, millions of citizens around the world are putting vast quantities of personal and private information out onto the Internet through social networking sites and in other ways that are easy to trace and observe by those with the intention and skills.

The ability to track people's movement online and in the real world have become easy ways to keep track of what people are doing, with whom and when, what they are buying and where they live. Another example that comes to mind, many people aren't aware that the new I-Phones have a built-in GPS so you can track people's whereabouts.

An interesting story has circulated around the web about Microsoft Vista is that they've built a backdoor which, if activated, opens one's computer up like a vault for people to take a peak. They've also been busy little bees developing technology to help law enforcement and security personnel access information from people's computers. Aren't you feeling oh so safe as you surf around the web?

Microsoft Gives Vista Backdoor Keys To The Police

Microsoft device helps police pluck evidence from cyberscene of crime
By Benjamin J. Romano. Seattle Times technology reporter
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/microsoft/2004379751_msftlaw29.html

Many of the websites I get information from that are "off the beaten track" are regularly hacked and have their servers taken down. Sometimes this happens in unison to several of them at once. Videos are often removed faster from the 'net than people can get to see them, especially ones put out by those trying to get the word out about our rapid erosion of freedom, democracy and civil rights.

There isn't a doubt in my mind that me and some of my other activist friends are on some sort of "list" and are being watched online. Hell, I've been videotaped by police department members going to political events (everyone entering was
videotaped). This is a democratic, legal, local party meeting, here in Canada and our local police are recording citizens participation in these meetings. If that doesn't scare you I don't know what will.

Video - Marketing the Police State in Canada: Technology to Scan License Plates

Intelligence & Surveillance: Canada's No Fly List

Even though we don't hear much about it anymore, let's not forget Canada still has a "No Fly list." And once you're on that, even if it is a mistake, you're never coming off of it. And if US Customs has your name, you are flagged and searched. I don't even try to go down there anymore.

Passenger Protect: Canada's No Fly List

The government of Canada has created its own no fly list as part of a program called Passenger Protect.[40]
The Canadian list incorporates data from domestic and foreign intelligence sources, including the U.S. No Fly List.[41]
It contains between 500 and 2,000 names (that we're aware of).

Two main components:

1. "Specified Persons List" which includes the name, birth date, and gender of individuals believed to pose a security threat;

2. "Identity Screening Regulations" requiring all passengers who appear to be 12 years of age or older to present valid
government-issued ID before they are allowed to board a flight.[1] The list itself contains 1250 +- 750 names.

American Terrorist Watch List

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) also keeps a ACLU Terrorist Watch List Counter, which has well over 1 million Americans being "watched" by various US agencies, including the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Justice Department
"Among those caught up by the no-fly list are many infants and small children." Imagine for a second your child being identified and placed on a "terrorist list" by your own government.

There's no doubt in my mind that Canadian authorities have their own "intelligence" and surveillance watch lists, Harper & his minions taken virtually every page of Canada's strategies from the Bush administration.

5. Harass citizens' groups -
There has been widespread reports of the infiltration of community and activist groups and agent provacateur's being part of crowds during demonstrations on things such as the WTO, SPP and other anti-globalization meetings.

From Wolf's article:

There are reports in the US that anti-war, environmental and other groups have been infiltrated by agents: a secret Pentagon database includes more than four dozen peaceful anti-war meetings, rallies or marches by American citizens in its category of 1,500 "suspicious incidents". The equally secret Counterintelligence Field Activity (Cifa) agency of the Department of Defense has been gathering information about domestic organisations engaged in peaceful political activities: Cifa is supposed to track "potential terrorist threats" as it watches ordinary US citizen activists. A little-noticed new law has redefined activism such as animal rights protests as "terrorism". So the definition of "terrorist" slowly expands to include the opposition.

In Canada, we know so little about steps our own government has taken to infiltrate and harass citizen and community groups. I think most Canadians also know little about how our government has organized, or re-organized our external and internal defense, safety and emergency planning systems since 2001.

Department of National Defence (DND) and Canadian Forces

December 2003 - The Canadian government undertook a reorganization of the federal government, DND was in charge of emergency preparedness and response in Canada.

The Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness was created in 2003. Liberal MP Anne McLellan was the first Minister under Paul Martin, Liberal Prime Minister.

DPS's "responsibility is for protecting Canadians and helping to maintain a peaceful and safe society....The department is in many ways similar to the U. S. Department of Homeland Security, though it does not cover the protection of maritime
sovereignty." What this did was re-organize a number of Canadian agencies under one department, with one Minister.

Also in 2003, the following departments were placed under DPS's mandate and control:

* Canada Border Services Agency
* Royal Canadian Mounted Police
* Canadian Security Intelligence Service
* Correctional Service Canada
* National Parole Board

In March 2003 Day and Harper co-wrote a letter to The Wall Street Journal in which they condemned the Canadian government's unwillingness to participate in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Day later appeared as a speaker at a "Canadians for Bush" rally in the Niagara region, organized by controversial right-wing minister Tristan Emmanuel.

April 4, 2005 - The Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Act came into force.

Feb. 1, 2006 - Canada Command was formed, which is the Canadian Forces organization responsible for all routine and contingency Canadian Forces operations in Canada and continental North America. What operations are they undertaking in Canada & the US?

February 6, 2006 - Conservative Stockwell Day was appointed Minister of DPS by Stephen Harper. Things go from bad to much, much worse.

I think it is fair to ask on what grounds does Day have the experience, knowledge, or intelligence to be in charge of such an important department. This is a man whose highest level of education is high school. He was unable to finish
bible college (Vanguard), or university (Univerity of Victoria).

In his work, prior to using his daddy's political connections, he was an assistant pastor and school administrator in a fundamentalist Christian school, which came under fire for exposing students to anti-semitic teachings in the small community in Alberta. While sitting as a provincial MLA, the Government of Alberta had to pay out $792,064 in taxpayer funds to settle a defamation suit brought on by Day's words toward a lawyer. He also frighteningly was a believer of the Young Earth creationism, whose adherents often "believe that the scientific evidence supporting evolution, geological uniformitarianism, or other theories which are at odds with a literal interpretation of the Genesis creation account, is either flawed or misinterpreted."

February 14th 2008 - The Civil Assistance Plan (CAP) was signed between Canada (Stephen Harper) & the United States(George Bush), US Northern Command.

The purpose of the Canada-United States Civil Assistance Plan (CAP) is to provide a framework for the military of one nation to provide support to the military of the other nation in the performance of civil support operations.

Stephen Harper, Conservative Prime Minister signed this agreement secretly, without ever telling Canadian citizens about it. Canadians only found out when it was announced in the American media. Harper has now tied Canada to an agreement where American troops can come across our border at the call of the Canadian government and Canadian forces can cross the border to operate on American soil in case of a civil emergency.

There is no information available to the Canadian public whether American armed forces in Canada will be subject to Canadian laws, civil, or military. There is no information available about who American armed forces would be under the rule of, who they are accountable to, or what body Canadian citizens could make complaints about their conduct while they are operating in Canada.

It's fascinating to read a story like the one mentioned below when placing it into context that Canada has a fundamentalist Conservative Minister in charge of the RCMP. So, in spite of reliable, expert research, review and articles published by
world reknowned peer reviewed medical journals, we have our national police force contracting Conservatives to do research to refute the findings of real research efforts that support the continuation of a medical program that has scads
of real evidence to demonstrate Insite is working and in what ways.

RCMP Quietly Funded Study Critical of Insite Effort
Tory minister cited report in effort to close safe injection clinic.
By Monte Paulsen (Wednesday, October 8, 2008). Thetyee.ca

See Part 2 for More.

6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release
7. Target key individuals
8. Control the press
9. Dissent equals treason
10. Suspend the rule of law

Surrey Leads Canada in Whistleblowing Policies to Improve Accountability

2008-09-15T15:46:00.000-07:00

Surrey has a pretty bad, perhaps well-deserved rap, but that has changed significantly under the enlightened and progressive leadership of Dianne Watts, mayor and city council. Over the course of the executive leadership at Surrey City hall, they have introduced some excellent and very progressive policies and best practices that aim to reform and improve how the city and community do business together and how the city operates.

The first of these is the Whistleblower (Serious Complaints) Policy, introduced in June 2006:

The Whistleblower Policy is designed to provide a process for City employees to report any conduct that is not consistent with City policies and by-laws without fear of retaliation or penalization. This extensive policy applies to the City’s finances, Code of Conduct, accounting, government laws and rules and regulations.
The policy is the most broad-based and far-reaching of its kind in Canada, with only the City of Toronto having any kind of whistleblower policy whatsoever.

City of Surrey Leads The Way With Whistleblower Policy
June 13, 2006

In September 2008, the Surrey city council also introduced the Lobbyist Registration Policy:

The Policy requires lobbyists who intend to advocate on behalf of applicants for a rezoning, development permit, or an official community plan amendment to register with the City to ensure their activities are part of the public record. Lobbyists will be required to register with the registrar in the Clerk’s office and to update their file whenever they take on new clients.

“Through the Lobbyist Registration Policy we are ensuring the public is aware of those who are advocating when significant land use decisions are being considered by Council and who they represent,” said Mayor Dianne Watts. “We want to ensure the process is open and to send a strong message that this Council is firmly committed to transparent decision-making in government.”

Surrey’s New Lobbyist Registration Policy Increases Accountability and Transparency
September 9, 2008

Why Whistleblowing is Good for Vancouver

Excerpt:

Whistleblower protection, the name usually given to such protective measures, seems to be a no-brainer for the interests of municipal accountability.
As this week's Georgia Straight points out, in cases where employees have blown the whistle on organizational or governmental wrong-doing the perils of not having whistleblower protection have included harassment, intimidation, and loss of employment.

Whistleblower protection is far from a perfect solution but it does provide a modest baseline of security. This type of security is an important component of the system of checks and balances that are in place in our civic institutions. In fact, it's surprising this sort of protection isn't already part of the city's human resources practices.
***
CUPE, the City, and whistles
By Charlie Smith. The Georgia Straight.

Excerpt:

Former federal whistle blower Joanna Gualtieri told the Straight in a phone interview from Ottawa that whistle blowers need to be protected by statutes because policies can be ignored, and because unions sometimes won't pursue a whistle-blowing issue if they're trying to negotiate with governments on issues that could affect hundreds of thousands of employees. "They're not in a position to piss off the government," she said.

The B.C. Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act includes a clause protecting provincial-government whistle blowers who bring their concerns "in good faith" to the attention of the information and privacy commissioner.

Whistle-blower protection

30.3 An employer, whether or not a public body, must not dismiss, suspend, demote, discipline, harass or otherwise disadvantage an employee of the employer, or deny that employee a benefit, because

(a) the employee, acting in good faith and on the basis of reasonable belief, has notified the minister responsible for this Act under section 30.2,
(b) the employee, acting in good faith and on the basis of reasonable belief, has disclosed to the commissioner that the employer or any other person has contravened or is about to contravene this Act,
(c) the employee, acting in good faith and on the basis of reasonable belief, has done or stated an intention of doing anything that is required to be done in order to avoid having any person contravene this Act,
(d) the employee, acting in good faith and on the basis of reasonable belief, has refused to do or stated an intention of refusing to do anything that is in contravention of this Act, or
(e) the employer believes that an employee will do anything described in paragraph (a), (b), (c) or (d).

Seven common tactics for stymieing whistle blowers
> Make the whistle blower the issue, and take the focus off the message.
> Isolate the whistle blower, separating him or her from potential allies.
> Destabilize the whistle blower's support base.
> Blow the whistle first to set the agenda, defusing the impact of the whistle blower's action.
> Eliminate the whistle blower's job.
> Prosecute whistle blowers or threaten to take them to court.
> Bring in experts to discredit the disclosure.

Source: Confronting Moral Worlds: Understanding Business Ethics , by Mark N. Wexler (Prentice-Hall Canada, 2000).

Ferreira v. City of Richmond

In separate reasons for judgment, Saunders wrote: "It is not sufficient to say simply that a case concerns 'whistle blowing' to know the proper forum because that moniker may give rise to a plethora of issues, including freedom of speech, defamation, discipline, dismissal, harassment, and unsafe working environment. Thus while the context of this case may fit within the term 'whistle blowing', it is the essence of the case that must be examined to determine whether, at its heart, it is a matter of employment governed by the collective agreement."

Ferreira v. City of Richmond et al, 2004 BCSC 1600 (CanLII) — 2004-12-03

Ferreira v. Richmond (City), 2005 BCCA 66 (CanLII) — 2005-02-10
British Columbia — Court of Appeal

Ferreira v. Richmond (City), 2007 BCCA 131 (CanLII) — 2007-02-28
British Columbia — Court of Appeal

[58]What, then, should be made of the fact that these alleged tortious acts were taken in retaliation for whistleblowing? Whistleblowing is a matter of great public concern, which has been expressed recently by the Supreme Court of Canada: Merk v. International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers, Local 771, 2005 SCC 70 (CanLII), [2005] 3 S.C.R. 425, 2005 SCC 70; Vaughan, supra. These concerns have also been reflected by the common law's willingness to afford measures of protection for whistleblowers in appropriate circumstances: Initial Services Ltd. v. Putternil et al., [1967] 3 All E.R. 145; Fraser v. Public Service Staff Relations Board, 1985 CanLII 14 (S.C.C.), [1985] 2 S.C.R. 455; Read v. Canada (Attorney General), 2005 FC 798 (CanLII), [2005] F.C.J. No. 990, 2005 FC 798 (QL).
************
It's time for the courts to realize that they are falling down in recognizing the vast limitations for the civil and human rights of whistleblowers. Most collective agreements, if they even have "whistleblower" language, or organizations that have "policies" are woefully inadequate and considered open to interpretation and manipulation by employers. Patterns of outcomes and personal and professional consequences to whistleblowers, their families and within organizations are quite well-established and there is a great deal of research on these things.

Frankly, the time of arbitrators, unions and employers dealing with these types of issues that arise out of the employer-employee relationship must be ended. None of the parties involved simply have enough experience, education, or balls to deal with the issues and corruption has pervaded the process in many respects. As this Richmond case demonstrates and many others we know of, employers, and union representatives simply don't have a clue how to investigate and resolve these issues adequately and fairly.

Most of us don't believe police forces should investigate themselves, so why do we think that employers will be any better in matters they are quite likely motivated to keep covered up, especially if they concern public funds and management of public services. And, it is precisely the failure of unions to adequately represent whistleblowing employees and those who have been psychologically abused and harassed that lead to many union members feeling alienated and abandoned by their unions in their darkest days. Not that long ago in Beautiful BC we had a terrible example of the kind of tragedy that can occur when workplace issues of harassment aren't adequately and responsibily handled. How many more less violent, but no less damaging, workplace issues occur every day in diverse workplaces, with no corrections, no improvements, or lessons learned?

It is time for the courts to begin to demonstrate some serious leadership in whistleblower cases. As Madame Justice Saunders writes:

[81] It is not sufficient to say simply that a case concerns ‘whistle blowing’ to know the proper forum because that moniker may give rise to a plethora of issues, including freedom of speech, defamation, discipline, dismissal, harassment, and unsafe working environment.

It also isn't enough to have "whistleblower language" in collective agreements, or in policy. Until employers, unions and the courts recognize the personal, professional and organizational costs of corruption, illegal activities, bullying, psychological harassment, intimidation and misuse of managerial power in the workplace everyone will be impacted. There are those among us who believe in justice, in doing the right thing and in seeing an end to corruption and a commitment to improving workplace health, safety and practices. These courageous individuals should be applauded and thanked, not harassed to disability, death and fired, as is the standard modus operandi for most now. We look forward to the day that will be coming when all workers in BC will have the same rights and protections as those in Quebec, the right to work free of psychological harassment and harm, in safety and with dignity.

The War Drums are Sounding

2008-08-20T22:42:00.000-07:00

What’s that sound we’re hearing around our Global Village? Well, if my sources can be believed it’s the increasing beat of the War Drums. Under the cover of the Beijing Olympics, some might say the distraction of the Chinese, a number of war activities have been taking place around the world. The geopolitical maneuvering is ramping up for what will make for a very busy and perhaps frightening fall and winter.

First up, the propaganda machine is in overdrive about what really happened in Georgia. According to human rights reports, earlier in August, coincidentally as the Olympics were getting underway, heavy fighting broke out in South Ossetia between Georgian and South Ossetian forces. Russia became involved there and in the separate region of Abkhazia and other parts of Georgia in the following days. The violence was reported to have uprooted almost 160,000 people in recent weeks.

The Western media is playing this as Russia as aggressor, but there are some alternative views on that. This video clip of a 12 year old American girl caught in the fighting in Georgia was one. In this clip, she reports she was running from Georgian troops that were bombing the city and that it was the Russian troops who were helping and she thanked the Russians for coming to the rescue. Her aunt says it’s Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia who began this offensive and was the aggressor. She stated the city was bombed by the Georgian government and the president must resign. The Fox “news” anchor cuts away from both who were reporting positive information about Russia’s involvement in the incident.

And, wouldn’t you know it, the word is that after a bloodless coup, in which Saakashvili was backed by the American government, he was elected in 2004. Interestingly, he has links to the United States State Department, which is the foreign-policy arm of the American government (apparently he had a fellowship there). He also attended Columbia Law School in New York City & George Washington University Law School in Washington, DC. Sounds like the perfect man to be at the helm of a break-away Russian province. Seeing the ways of democracy at last. And maybe the color green?

It’s interesting to read this official statement from the US State Department:

NATO Support for Georgia
Secretary Rice (Aug. 19): "...NATO intends to support the territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of Georgia, and to support its democratically elected government, its democracy, and to deny Russia the strategic objective of undermining that democracy, of making Georgia weaker or of threatening Georgia’s territorial integrity."

If you desire to be poor, oppressed, and eventually vaporized in a nuclear war, vote Republican. ~ Paul Craig Roberts

*******************************
This bit of news might have slipped past most of our radar. But, again, the US has been busy overseas. They’ve signed a Missile Defense Agreement with Poland, who is being lauded by Condie Rice as being “fully integrated into the transatlantic structures of the European Union and NATO.” This little deal enables the US to position 10 interceptor rockets in Poland.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice - who signed the deal in Warsaw - said Moscow's earlier warning that the base on Polish soil could become a target for a nuclear attack bordered on the bizarre.

Last month, the US signed an agreement with the Czech Republic to base tracking radars there as part of the defence system.

Washington wants the sites to be in operation by about 2012.

Reports from inside Russia are saying that President Medvedev has issued a directive to deliver a 'crushing response' to those Western Nations (US and Israel) for positioning their missile shield in Poland, Apparently Russia has also notified Norway that Russia is now cutting all ties to NATO, and has warned the Western Military Alliance that it will not tolerate the rearming of Georgia.

********************************

Another big piece of news is the resignation of Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan’s beleaguered prime minister, who many believe was simply an American puppet. He resigned so he wouldn’t be impeached, as the Coalition was calling for. Word was he was trying to negotiate a deal that if he resigned he wouldn’t be tried as a war criminal. Here’s what the American State Department has to say about Musharraf:

Pakistani President Resigns
Secretary Rice (Aug. 18): "President Musharraf has been a friend to the United States and one of the world's most committed partners in the war against terrorism and extremism. ...We will continue to work with the Pakistani government and political leaders...to see Pakistan reach its goal of becoming a stable, prosperous, democratic, modern, Muslim nation."

**
Nigeria military chiefs dismissed
Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua has dismissed the country's chief of the defence staff together with the heads of the army and navy.

*****************************************

This article is an interesting one and sheds a light on the motivations of puppet leaders around the World. It’s kind of a no brainer that these “world leaders” have sold their nations and people out for the almighty buck, but I’m not sure if we understand the immensity of that fire sale. In a prescient way it brings us back to our domestic leadership. It’s been long known that Stephen Harper was simply an American hack and puppet, moving us closer to our demise as a sovereign nation and a complete erosion of our civil and human rights. I now suspect this is much further along than even those of us who’ve been long been aware of the steady increase in “deep integration.”

I think even at a provincial level maybe we need to link the fast track to political suicide Gordon Campbell has been on in the last while. Most of BC is just reeling from things like the carbon tax and the latest insane and unwarranted pay raises to well fed Deputy Ministers, ADM’s and senior bureaucrats.

Most people are expressing outrage and many of us are trying to wrap our brains around how he would do such a thing with an election only a scant 9 months away. But, I think it’s time we begin to situate Campbell and the BC Liberals conduct squarely as allies and underlings of the massive steamroller that is squashing all of us in the name of global domination. Campbell sure seems to be acting like a man who isn’t too worried about his future and His Majesty is acting benevolently toward his faithful insiders at all of our expense with impunity. I learned long ago, when things don’t make sense, there is something I just don’t know yet, but someone else does.

It’s wild if you begin to look at the common patterns. All of these “installed” leaders have sold out their own people, hook, line and sinker. Some are called War Criminals, or War mongers, committing war and treason against their own citizens. It is beyond my comprehension that people would engage in these kinds of things simply for greed.

So, the question becomes, are we going to survive this unceasing and greed for global domination? Because the most alarmist reports are saying we are rapidly heading toward World War III and it is starting to look that way to more than a few of us armchair observers. The sabers are rattling, against Russia, against Iran. Unwinnable wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. China’s hands won’t be tied forever, the Olympics are almost over. I guess it was quite a clever bit of strategy to award these summer Olympics to keep them busy and occupied.

With groups like the National Endowment for Democracy, offering “grants” for the “strengthening of democratic institutions” around the world, is it any wonder that we are rapidly heading toward a showdown some of us might not live through? We’re already losing far too many courageous soldiers and others who deserve so much better. And a life.

I don’t know about you, but I’m rather fond of living and want a safe world for our children to grow up in. Another Cold War, or nuclear war is not even on my list of things to do. In the West, we still live in vaguely democratic nations, so I can only hope and encourage all of us to work together and fight the real enemies, not the shadows and illusions created to deflect from who we really need to get rid of.

We need to start getting out into the streets and raising our voices against this oppression. In BC and Canada, we have some elections coming up and we need to get involved. If the traditional left parties aren’t up to the job, as they seem to have been kneecapped by the neo-cons too, we need to back candidates who are there to fight for our rights and needs. This is no time for half-assed, or namby-pamby leaders. Our world and lives are going to be at stake very soon and we need to elect the best people to help us all. I don’t know about you, but someday, if the children I know ask me what I did to fight for the World, I want to be able to tell them what I did so they could have a future.

Upping the Ante While Rome Burns

2008-08-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

Some edited comments from Bill Tieleman's Article:

Outrageous pay raises to senior BC Liberal government bureaucrats redefines Gordon Campbell arrogance
Bill Tieleman’s 24 Hours Column

Tuesday August 12, 2008

The NDP and the labour community have some of the finest media and communications artists and brightest minds and strategists around. And campaign organizers. There is something stopping them from lighting a fire under the party and I think we should all ask ourselves what? This is their election to lose and a lot of us don't want that to happen, unless they are going to be just as bad as the Liberals.

The truth cannot be evaded though, the next administration is going to have a nightmare of epic proportions to deal with. The cookie jar is almost empty, the full truth of where all the money has gone has yet to be told. Fires burning all around. The public service is being decimated by so many people quitting, being forced out and not represented by their union/the NDP, who could perhaps be the next boss.

It is quite absurd to totally lay the responsibility of the failure of the NDP to be making a big splash on Carole James. All parties, or even most organizations, take their primary leadership from executives who are supposedly "elected" to the board. Although portrayed as democratic, this is often a corrupted process, with nomination meetings being stacked. Or there might be a little covert intimidation by those in office, the status quo men, or their little hench people, to stifle less well known, or less popular candidates for the executive from throwing their hat in the ring.

Whether it's the Liberals, the NDP, the Greens, the labour council, or the board of directors, politics are politics and sometimes the people who look like the leader aren't really calling the shots. Carole James is a leader and a role model to many. She just may be part of something most of us can't even begin to understand.

It cannot escape all of our attention that many organizations are growing perverse, corrupt and brutalizing. Check these stories out for more proof:

Prince George's top cop ordered to apologize to city workers
Doug Ward, Vancouver Sun. Published: Thursday, August 14, 2008

Embattled police chief resigns, mystery lingers
Investigation turned up no criminal wrongdoing, mayor says; Battershill had been on leave since October over misconduct allegations
Rob Shaw, Times Colonist
Published: Thursday, August 14, 2008

This article is a perfect example of “stacking the deck” or the Board.

Cosy Business Ties Exposed by Health Budget Turmoil

BC's Health Authorities: Who gets hired (and fired).
By Will McMartin. Published: January 31, 2007. TheTyee.ca

*******

Listen up: I am issuing a personal challenge to all media artists, activists, writers, bloggers and journalists out there to break out and start using their mad skillz, gifts and talents to help expose the mofos to our citizens and help win BC back for all of us. It is OUR province and we want it back. We can do this, it is within our reach and we have the ability to do this together.

Whistleblowing: The Risk Management Tool of the Future?

2008-07-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

N.B. introduces whistleblower legislation
Last Updated: Thursday, November 29, 2007 | 8:41 AM AT
CBC News

The New Brunswick provincial government introduced legislation Wednesday that will prevent employees from being punished if they blow the whistle on bosses and colleagues who are breaking laws.

Human Resources Minister Wally Stiles said he hopes the new law won't have to be used very often, but if civil servants spot something wrong, they will be able to report it to a supervisor or the province's conflict of interest commissioner without fear of punishment.

"In the act itself, there is full protection for that civil servant to actually come forward, and whether he chooses to give [his] name or not, he can work that out with the conflict of interest commissioner."

The Public Interest Disclosure Act covers crimes, mismanagement of public funds and actions that create a health or safety risk to the public or the environment.

Beyond civil servants in government departments, the bill will also protect employees of hospital authorities, school boards and Crown corporations, including NB Power.

"I need to applaud this government for stepping forward and presenting this bill," said Tom Mann, executive director of the New Brunswick Union of Public and Private Employees.

Mann said he has dealt with government workers who wanted to report a problem but were too scared to do so.

"This bill, what I see in it is an opportunity for the public good to be protected," Mann said.

The act will make a more accountable and open government, Stiles said.

***************

Bill 8: Public Interest Disclosure Act
New Brunswick

Disclosure of Wrongdoing

Wrongdoings to which this Act applies
3 This Act applies to the following wrongdoings in or relating to the public service:
(a) an act or omission constituting an offence under an Act of the Legislature or the Parliament of Canada, or a regulation made under an Act;
(b) an act or omission that creates a substantial and specific danger to the life, health or safety of persons, or to the environment, other than a danger that is inherent in the performance of the duties or functions of an employee;
(c) gross mismanagement, including of public funds or a public asset;
(d) knowingly directing or counselling a person to commit a wrongdoing described in paragraphs (a) to (c).

****************************
Now, I'm pretty happy when any jurisdiction sees fit to enact Whistleblower legislation, but to my eye, this is flawed right from the get go due to the language of sub-section b.

It's sad that this has to be explained, but many whistleblowers, union reps, advocates, or just plain workers are subjected to "danger" in their course of duties precisely because their employers (sometimes governments) are guilty of negligence and wrongdoing in the first place. Can someone explain to me why in 2008 workers, no matter what level they are at, why dangerous, negligent and high-risk occupations are exempted from employers from safety? I've worked in high-risk occupations, I know many others who work in them as well. Many of these people are the real heroes in our society. Why do they deserve less coverage and concern for the "danger" they experience "on the job" where they are often helping create safety and wellbeing for others.

Having also seen what passes for "internal investigations" of wrongdoing, the authorities might want to get a bit more serious about this and actually have people who are trained to do more than push paper.

Again, the point is, employers, governments and legislators better wake up & smell the fair trade brewing, there are not enough people left to fill the seats you need to fill, you better start making safety and justice a priority for ALL WORKERS.

It's as simple as this: the rot and stench of "wrongdoing" and corruption is deep in many levels of government and in many organizations. Most workers smell it daily and most learn to turn a blind eye for their own health, because they need their jobs to shelter & feed their families. Until governments and organizations get serious at changing their protective and insular organizational cultures and get rid of the rotten fruit, no amount of legislation, or policies are going to improve things. And, at the end of the day, organizations of all sizes will fail miserably because of their unwillingness to clean house, because younger workers just won't stay and they will slag the organization to everyone they know. Risk management for the new millenium looks very different than it did in the past and it's time people woke up to that.

Global Cull List?

2008-07-06T18:47:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought being a scientist would turn into one of the more high-risk occupations of the world? Although admittedly, I am probably quite ignorant, or naïve about it all. But, if one is to examine the numbers of scientists and other high level global players who appear to be succumbing to suicides, murders and “mysterious illnesses” over the past few years I would say the sciences have shot to the top of the heap in risky business and there appears to quite a bit of danger lurking around the corners these days in the geopolitical realm.

Take the strange and terrifying case of Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez, biochemistry students and specialists who were in England working in infectious diseases and environmental engineering. They were both found in their flat bound, gagged, tortured and beaten repeatedly with a blunt object, then stabbed hundreds of times, pre and post mortem. Mr. Bonomo was reported to have been stabbed 196 times, Ferez, 50 times and both were then set on fire. Bonomo had been working on investigating the deadly H5N1 Avian Flu Virus at London’s Imperial College. An interesting incident preceding these horrors was the theft of Mr. Bonomo’s laptop the previous week. One wonders what might have been found on that and whether it had anything to do with his subsequent demise?

Some media reports state that Siti Fadillah Supari, the Indonesian Health Minister, is reported to be calling for the closure of the United States Naval Medical Research Unit 2
(NAMRU-2), which has been located in Indonesia for the past 40 years. It is at this site that a great deal of bioengineering research has been conducted by the US on infectious diseases from Southeast Asia. Indonesian government officials have linked the fact that their country has experienced the hardest hit of any other and a number of deaths of citizens due to Avian flu to the American research facility. Interestingly, Indonesian citizens who came down with the virus refused to turn over their samples to the American’s. Instead, their samples were sent to the French research facility that Mr. Bonomo worked at as a student, Inserm Medical Institute, prior to his studies in London.

According to some reports, over the last 4 years, approximately 80 of the world’s top researchers in infectious diseases and bird flu have been murdered, committed suicide, died of natural causes, or died under tragic and mysterious circumstances.

There have been so many deaths of top scientific researchers that some clever souls (or reckless, depends on where you sit) began to tally them. Most were top-level bio-engineers, chemists, nuclear power scientists and experts in their fields of science. Some worked in infectious diseases and many have died violent deaths, or of unknown causes all around the world. Some simply disappeared, were in crashes, shot, committed suicide. Some of these folks had high-level security clearance due to the projects they worked on. Many the murders were never solved and/or circumstances of death were never fully understood by authorities.

Certainly it seems a bit far-fetched that all of these deaths, or other occurrences, are part of some grand conspiracy, but it does lend one to raise an eyebrow about it all.

Not knowing virtually anything about bioterrorism, I would guess that this area has long been a burgeoning one in the geopolitical landscape. The stakes are so high for nuclear war, I would imagine being able to have a Plan B (or maybe that is the real Plan A) to rattle at adversaries is a more effective threat in a global race to … I keep trying to figure out what exactly is the BIG prize? It eludes me. All the money in the world? Water? Oil? Sure that’s all of it, the wealth of all of the world in the hands of a few. Okay, so they’ve virtually got it locked up. Now what?

From all of “us” to all of “you” – YOU WIN!!!! Now stop and go away to count your billions while the rest of “us” help the world survive. Because that old cliché still counts – you can’t take it with you, no matter how much you want to. And as far as I’m aware, we haven’t yet found the secret of immortality, just ask Jesse Helms.

Top French Bird Flu Researcher Brutally Murdered In London

By: Sorcha Faal. July 4 2008.

2 French Students Stabbed, Burned In UK
London Police Appeal For Witnesses To Help Solve Murder Of Two French Grad Students

****************************************************

Busy time in old Londontown? Alex Allan, being a “spy chief” probably would be considered as having a much more high-risk occupation. This is one guy who knows where the skeletons are all over the globe. Interestingly, some media report that he was found with blood “everywhere” others, quoting “government sources” say “there is no sign of foul play… no police involvement, or concern for the reason” for his hospitalization. Some are spinning this as a case of pneumonia, with blood coughed up. He was found unconscious and has had a “battery of tests,” no official diagnoses yet.

Keep in mind this is the fellow who is the Chairperson of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC). His job is collecting information from members of the Security Service, MI5, the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, and Government Communications Headquarters who sit on the committee and relaying it to the Prime Minister of England (and whomever else is involved). He’s only been on the job for a year and I suspect it’s been quite a year. If one were to speculate, he might make a pretty good target these days for a little biochemical “gift” to shut him up. And I’m pretty sure the Powers that Be in the UK (and elsewhere) might want to keep that under their hats.

The timing of Mr. Allan’s collapse is interesting, what with some serious reports of the “healthy numbers” of Russian operatives in the UK. It’s a curiosity whether Mr. Allan was going to be urging some action on that and perhaps using his position to bump up the resources of M15, which is apparently so seriously underfunded and maxed out that UK security and intelligence work is suffering. Silly me, I would think that the UK, a veritable hot bed of Islamic terrorists, Russian espionage and quite likely a whole lot of other malevolent plotting from parties unknown might want to keep a well stocked cupboard at the ready. Maybe they’re counting on their American buddies to pick up the slack? But it seems they’re spread pretty thin these days too and possibly will be even more in the dark days I fear are coming. I’m just an armchair observer around this geodome, but something sure doesn’t smell right about any of it.

Spy chief Alex Allan found with 'blood everywhere'

Britain's leading spymaster, who is in a coma after apparently being struck down by a mystery illness, was found covered in blood, according to a tenant.
By Rupert Neate. 06/07/2008. The Telegraph.

Disinformation, Manipulation & the Corporate Media

2008-06-27T19:21:00.000-07:00

I’ve been thinking about the use of the corporate media as a machine of disinformation and in some cases, manipulation of the public. Those of us in the so-called “blogosphere,” particularly those of us who are involved in political blogging often identify ourselves as “citizen journalists.” I wonder if many of us become involved in blogging in part as a reaction to the corporatization and concentration of media. I know that was a major catalyst for me. In Canada, in some ways I think our very democracy is swinging in the breeze up on the hangman’s platform as we are all subjected to non-stop spin and manipulation by the mainstream media (or MSM as they’re called). Things didn’t use to be this way and in part, I blame the CRTC,
who are supposed to be looking out for the public’s interest. I fail to see that happening when they’ve allowed corporations to concentrate so much media and subsequent rulings seem to be quite encouraging of corporate media in their endeavours.

Undoubtedly an important book for many of us to check out is “Lies the Media Tell Us” by James Winter, a communications professor from the University of Windsor. I recently read a book review in the CCPA Monitor (yet one more reason that makes the CCPA an outstanding alternative to MSM) by Roy LaBerge in which Winter’s book is dissected and some of his most important points laid bare. I think it’s easy
for most of us to disconnect from the real business of news… advertising dollars. In his book, Winter relates the quote from a newspaper authority who says the news is “just the filler in between the ads.” The point being, advertisers can and do exert an incredible influence on media content of news. A local couple of examples spring to mind for me that reinforce this point in a real world way.

1. Consider for a moment the chill of the 2007 Black on Black story (Sean Holman’s Public Eye Online) about the story of Victoria News reporter Brennan Clarke and editor Keith Norbury getting a “talking to” from Black Press Ltd. British Columbia chief operating officer Rick O'Connor about "the impact a potential loss of advertising from the automotive sector" would have on the company. This, after the newspaper published a story about a cross-border car shopper. Those who followed the story, probably most of whom are journalists were deeply concerned about Mr. Clarke’s subsequent firing, which, of course, had nothing to do with writing that story, according to his employer. The most chilling piece to me is when Holman reports publisher, Penny Sakamoto and Island group president Mark Warner “meeting with the reporter, Brennan Clark, regional editor, Keith Norbury, and group editor Brian Lepine to express their concerns and explain the impact a potential loss of advertising from the automotive sector would have on these newspapers." As further explained by O’Connor, Holman continues:

“asked whether editorial staff need to consider the impact their stories have on advertising, Mr. O'Connor said, "No. But they need to understand that, if they don't have balance, then we're wide open to whatever criticisms come our way - whether it's related to advertising or not. In this case, the story was related to an advertising sector we're very strong in. And we took the brunt of their unhappiness" - referring to the fact advertising from the automotive sector dropped the week after Mr. Clarke's article was published. Brrrrr, it’s getting cold in here.

2. Thanks to another blogger, Gazetteer, I was recently happy to discover Harvey Oberfeld’s blog, Keeping It Real. Oberfeld, journalist extraordinaire with heaps of experience in print, television and other media, has now made the jump into the abyss of the blogosphere, much to the delight of many of us. Now he is unfettered by a corporate master and can really tell it like it is, with decades of experience about media in Canada. His most excellent story Vancouver Sun: When Propaganda Imitates News is a great introduction to what we can expect. In this story, Oberfeld minces no words, right out of the gate:

“Friday the 13th was indeed a really unlucky day for the Vancouver Sun … in terms of its vigilance aimed at protecting its journalistic integrity.” He goes on to write about how he caught the Sun in a bit of a piece of shameful media manipulation in cahoots with their buddies, the BC Liberals. Sharp Harvey caught the Sun in their Special Section entitled Doing Business in China. Purported to simply be a series of articles about the obvious, doing business in China, looking at trade policies and practices and how to best capitalize on the largely untapped frontier of China as a business entity and corporate wet dream. As Oberfeld notes:

“BUT there were also FOUR pages boldly proclaiming IN FOCUS and featuring no less than SIX photos of Premier Gordon Campbell (as if the two others on other pages were not enough!) along with riveting articles entitled “A message from Premier Gordon Campbell”, “A message from Minister Colin Hansen”, and “British Columbia and Canada in the Asia Pacific Region: building a shared and prosperous future”… But there it was, atop two beaming pictures of the Premier, a statement asserting ”This feature has been provided by The Vancouver Sun”. Apparently, propaganda was now news “feature” material … bought and paid for.”

After writing to the Executive Editor Valerie Casselton, the Sun’s big gun, Editor in Chief Patricia Graham confirms to Oberfeld that ooops, “FOUR PAGES OF THE SECTION WERE GOVERNMENT ADVERTISING, but the paper had mistakenly NOT said so.” Her explanation:

“The feature is advertising and should not have been labelled that way; it was a mistake. We have a policy that advertising features should be labelled so that they do not appear to be editorial; unfortunately human error in this case meant the policy was not followed.”

Now, what started me on this thread was not actually media manipulation per se, but the idea of media disinformation as a powerful and often overlooked geopolitical tool. I read A LOT of media, mainstream, alternative and “off the beaten path” stuff. Some of it even I find hard to believe, but I’ll tell you, having been perusing this for some time, I think even some of the most “out there” stuff has kernels of truth in it.

What really sparked this for me is the report this week of an incident in which the global MSM is reporting that an Israeli guard in the army committed suicide at the farewell meeting in Israel of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Shimon Peres. For those of us who follow geopolitics, Mr. Sarkozy has just been crowned the President of the European Union (EU), making him a global player and leader in the geopolitical realm. The corporate media disinformation, or spin begins, and I quote:

"This was in no way an assassination attempt," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, calling the incident a suicide.

To me, admittedly just a little armchair spectator in this safer part of the world, this whole thing just stinks of “covert operations.” Reading the various MSM reports, Sarkozy was in Israel offering to be a peace broker between Israel and Palestine, a key goal of the EU. He was there to pledge his allegiance to Israel and to tell Israel “that it is "not alone" in facing any threat posed by Iran's nuclear programme.” Anyone else hearing the rattling of a war drum that originates halfway around the world, or more particularly, from the shadowy men who have risen above mere nation states?

Contrast this MSM reporting with this from alternative media sources, who report clearly and on the ground, including interviews with the Israeli guards family that this was in fact an assassination attempt and the cover up was immediate. A couple of things stand out for me.

- The interviews with the family, if they can be believed, who are quite adamant that the guard did not in any way demonstrate a propensity, or risk of suicide. And with his military training, experience, level of security clearance and someone who was clearly positioned as he was (on top of a roof) is not likely to publically commit suicide. Anyone who has served in the military, or those of us who know police officers understand, they usually suffer in silence for a long time, demonstrate a few signs of depression, hopelessness or problems that are identified by family and friends, which is clearly not the case for this officer, as reported by the folks who see him daily and know him best. And anyone who demonstrates any kind of mental weakness, or causes any kind of concern is not going to get the kind of clearance this officer had for this operation. These folks don’t kill themselves in public, like most cops, or soldiers, their trauma and pain is locked up in shame and when they do decide to end it, they do it in isolation away from the public eye.

- Another piece, MSM reports he was killed by a rifle. Now, I know military types are talented, skillful folks and I’m no "CSI ammunition expert," but I’d like someone to explain to me how a highly trained and experienced Israeli military trained officer, in the middle of a high level international mission, is going to manage to shoot himself with a rifle?

- Another important piece to me is that there were reports that after the death of the officer, two female Israeli army officers were reported to have “fainted” and been taken by authorities, purportedly for medical assessment. Now, I haven’t spent any time in the military myself and I know anything is possible, but can someone explain to me how two Israeli military officers who have enough experience and high level security clearance to be involved in this international mission guarding the safety and wellbeing of the nation’s Prime Minister and president were so dainty and slight of heart that they “fainted” at the sight of their military brother’s demise? The Israeli’s make tough people, and although I know more about trauma than most, there isn’t enough ink that could be spilled in this world to convince me these military officers went to pieces like what was reported. The pandering reference to the “weaker” propensity of “female officers” to fall to pieces is just not credible at all. What’s much more likely to me is they were birds eye witnesses to what happened and were whisked away for a “debriefing” which including strong “encouragement” (some might say compelled) to report on the “official” version of events.

- A fourth but related piece of the puzzle is that one of the first and only global alternative media networks to report on the assassination attempt against Sarkozy, What Does it Mean, was subjected to what they describe as being “brought [us] nearly to our knees with some of the most vicious and sustained assaults upon our computer networks I’ve ever seen.” And not satisfied to just attack them, the hack extended to their networks, namely the Russian Gnostic sisters, specifically Sorcha Faal, who disseminates information and reports from Russia about geopolitical events. The fact that Faal just posted a story about the assassination attempt is no coincidence and clearly efforts were made to bring the site down and stop them from challenging the manipulation and dissemination of disinformation by the global corporate media, which has decided what the real story is.

As one who likes to speculate, who benefits from discord and war in the Middle East most? I’ll leave it to all of your imaginations to figure that one out. I figure by just writing this little piece and some of the other things I’ve written before has gotten me on some sort of dissident round up list. Perhaps it sounds like paranoia and aggrandizement, but if I am to believe my brother and sister citizen journalists and human rights activists around the world, those of us who offer alternatives to MSM and alternative analysis of geopolitical events are quite at-risk as the machinery of the New World rolls ever forward crushing anyone and anything that gets in their path.

Last time I went to the States my name was flagged and my entire vehicle was searched. I won’t be back. Might be a coincidence, random searches happen, but so do apprehensions of activists and those perceived to be dissidents. And under American law, anyone can be declared an "enemy of the state."

And as far as I can make of it, the Powers that Be are on a tight deadline here, November 2008 is coming quick and Western regime change stands all but confirmed by the voters, which has of course not stopped them in the past, but just in case, the Big Boys need to pull out all of the stops while they can.

I think it’s going to be a very hot summer in certain parts of the world, while domestically, the sleeping giant of North America’s citizenry grows more and more angry and filled with despair as they lose everything and look for fingers to point in someone's direction and begin to ask what their governments are doing to help them? That’s the real million-dollar question.

Media can keep spinning out stories about vapid, stupid and expendable Hollywood types, or whatever distractions and disinformation they want, but the carnage across the Americas and the useless savagery being done to our courageous forces serving around the world will grow too serious for the Silverbacks to ignore.

This is the story of the universe, the dog chasing its’ tale: the demons come, the fighting begins, the world is destroyed, to be created anew by the just, compassionate and humble once again.

Israeli guard kills self at Sarkozy farewell
Francois Murphy, Reuters. Published: Tuesday, June 24, 2008

State-Sponsored Terror: British and American Black Ops in Iraq

By Andrew G. Marshall
Global Research, June 25, 2008

Gunshot starts panic as Sarkozy leaves Israel
Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem. The Guardian, Wednesday June 25, 2008.

The Project for the New American Century
By William Rivers Pitt (02/25/03).

10 Easy Steps to Losing An Election: Brought to You by the NDP

2008-06-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

NDP: Now is the time to send us $100
Lindsay Kines, Times Colonist
Published: Thursday, June 26, 2008

The NDP has a helpful suggestion on how to spend your $100 climate action cheque.

Give it to them.

In a "Dear Friend" e-mail to supporters, NDP environment critic Shane Simpson urges people to make their "gas tax rebate count" by funneling it to his party.

******
This just proves that the NDP are actually as frighteningly clued out as the Liberals. Who in their right mind okayed this grab of the Climate Change “dividend?” Whoever it is should be banished and muzzled. This whole thing begs the question, does the NDP actually want to be elected as the majority party in May 2009? This foolish stunt tells us no, in fact they don’t.

If the NDP brain trust couldn’t figure out this would be leaked and the optics of it when it was, then they are quite simply too stupid to be our next majority government. Because, like the Liberals, it’s these Backroom Silverbacks that are going to be the ones coming up with government policy and direction. If we were a conspiracy minded type, we might actually think the NDP actually wants the party to lose the next election. Although they have a nice leader(certainly a nicer one than the Liberals) Carole James is just not believable as a strong leader and the party continually present confusing, ill advised or half-baked platforms and ideas. Talk to anyone on the street (who isn’t an NDP insider) and they would not be able to say a thing about what the NDP actually stands for anymore, or what better solutions they have to offer. And that’s a PRETTY BIG problem considering they will be involved in an election in less than 18 months.

It’s this insular “inner circle” party thinking that helped kill Sam Sullivan’s career as mayor of Vancouver and that was a humiliating defeat. To recount, the sitting mayor lost the nomination for mayor in the next election of his own party. Talk about a non-confidence vote. He and his insiders on the executive did what they could to smear his opponent, yet, at the end of the day, he still lost. And he lost because he was out of touch with his party and his style of leadership was so exclusive, insular, insulting and full of dirty pool that he couldn’t even win the support of a majority of his membership. As on aside, I really hope the neophytes who were cheerleaders to him learned their lesson over this. Their open and public adoration and support for someone who shot himself and his whole party in the foot (with the public) sends a loud message about their insight and judgment. Be a little more diplomatic, rise above it all folks, or, get your head out of your @$$ if you want to play this game and not look like an idiot and have to do some major butt kissing to the new boss to stay in the game.

I think it’s time for the NDP to take a long, cold, brave look at themselves and where they are heading (into the rocks if they don’t smarten up). They fail to understand they do not own the hearts and minds of voters in BC, even on the left or in the labour movement. BTW, their shill (the BCGEU) has engendered a serious bunch of ill will in the labour community over their foolish actions over the last couple of years so that is something to strongly consider and the labour community as a whole is going to question what the NDP has done for them and since they could be their employer next round of bargaining, things are not as cut & dried as they seem. The stunning lack of clarity about what the party actually stands for and whose interests they actually represent, makes enough of the lefties and more moderate centre folks nervous to make their return to prominence a questionable thing.

Don’t forget, it’s not just the media that helped sink them (fast ferries, Glen Clark, Bingogate) it was also some of the more questionable policy and governance decisions they made that killed their credibility as social democrats. They cut welfare in the late 90’s, started contracting out and continue to support devolution of services from government even in the midst of the mayhem now occurring. For anyone wanting more on some of their history in government see Jim Herring’s 2003 pamphlet “Labour, the NDP and Our Communities” for a fascinating analysis of the NDP in action when in power (Clarion Publishing).

Party insiders tell us that there are also many NDP members (and former members) who are disillusioned and wondering what the hell has happened to “their” party? The primary supposition, which is arguably quite accurate, is that the NDP are actually much more neo-liberal/conservative than they are willing to admit and continue to pander and bandy about that they are democratic socialists, but their actions are anything but. You can fool some of the people… I think it is also the fact that like, the Liberals, the major players rose from the ranks, it's the Peter Principle all over again, only on a bigger scale with no-one to really stop them (except maybe voters).

As a citizen, it would be hard to vote for a party whose confusing response to the Liberals ill-advised and unpopular carbon tax is to “Axe the Tax,” but even though they think it should be axed, they too would tax us? And, since it is going through, why don’t we give the $$$ to the NDP party instead??? If they actually want to get elected, maybe the party leadership will start to get real and look at the chance they are quite likely blowing with confusion, half-assed (or none) ideas and hypocrisy. Right now, all they’re looking like to voters is a bunch of bumbling idiots, and a gentler, perhaps less evil version of the Liberals. And those who have gone up against the party brass can tell you (if they can be found in the bone yard) is they can be every bit as nasty as the Liberals in getting rid of the naysayers, realists and those who have a differing opinion.

September 12, 2007
Whips and chains
Public Eye Online.

November 27, 2005

For Fox sake!

January 16, 2008
New Labour?

Earlier, we reported Canadian Office and Professional Employees communications director Mike Bruce, British Columbia Government and Service Employees Union staff representative Vanessa Geary and BC FORUM organizer/executive assistant Monica Ghosh Malcolm would be running for Vision Vancouver's executive. All of them were elected. And, when you add Canadian Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada national representative Joie Warnock to that list, it means four of the civic party's nine new board members come from the labour movement. Asked about the matter, Vision Vancouver director Mike Magee said, "I'm very pleased with the executive because it not only has labour it has business, it has youth, it has Chinese, it has Indo-Canadian, it has representation from across the city. I think it's a really strong executive. So we welcome labour and we welcome busines. And they're both represented."

May 16, 2008
Share and share alike?

The Vision Vancouver mayoral nomination membership drive may be over. But it didn't come off without a hitch. On April 29, provincial New Democrat president Jeff Fox notified the civic association that many of his members were "concerned that BC NDP membership lists have either directly or indirectly found their way into the hands of the Vision campaign."

Bit & Bytes

2008-06-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

You know, I got my “Climate Action Dividend” today, like a lot of BC citizens and I feel pretty crappy about it actually. I’m definitely into making changes in how I operate in terms of environmental issues (if I hear one more person say "carbon footprint" there will be blood)and the impact they have globally, but I feel like this is some lame attempt at buying me and perhaps my vote. See, we’re the good guys who hand out money and (pretend) are doing something about the environment...

The problem being, people with paid expenses for fuel, food etc. are totally disconnected and out of touch by how fast regular folks have been subjected to hefty rises in costs as a result. I think it is ridiculous that the BC Utilities Commission (handpicked Liberal cronies) have allowed Terasen Gas (more handpicked insiders) to raise the rate of gas 22% in the last year. Food costs have gone up, both because of increased fuel costs for transport, but also skyrocketing costs for basics, such as wheat and rice. The insane weather and tragedies around the globe isn't helping either. But, I'm quite sure the members of BCUC get expenses paid too. The whole lot of them get their gas paid for by us so they can afford to be magnamious. Unfortately, it's the rest of that pay and pay and pay. Critical mass folks, I think most of us feel taxed to death these days and we're not looking to our governments to add more. It's almost like Campbell and Dion are daring us to put them out of our misery. Okay, lets do it.

Carbon Tax Screws BC's North?
thetyee.ca

The closest thing we have, it seems, is figures from Terasen Gas, which show that the average natural gas customer in the Interior and the north actually ...-

A Province for Sale?
As B.C. assets shift into foreign hands, some see a big cost: Ability to chart our own economic future.
By Claudia Cornwall
Published: January 14, 2005

**

This was an outstanding of journalism by Chad Skelton in Saturdays Vancouver Sun. I hope the agencies and organizations checking up on their stats are ready to start answering questions.

Daycares lost track of children 230 times over five years
The second in the Sun's Care & Attention series
Chad Skelton, Vancouver Sun
Published: Friday, June 20, 2008

This is the link for where citizens can look up daycares, group homes & facilities to see their risk ratings, what violations the place has been cited for and for critical incidents:

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/features/care/index.html

You have to use the name of the program, or house, not the agency, or address.

***

A BIG shout out to George Carlin and family. He was a true genius and rabblerousers like him don’t come around very often. The Earth is a lesser place without him. Beware the filth:

Seven Words

Some people are stupid

Edgy comic George Carlin dies in L.A., aged 71
Comedian George Carlin, a counter-culture hero famed for his routines about drugs, dirty words and the...

Vancouver Sun. June 23, 2008.

**

The May 2009 Liberal Dream Team
BC Liberals Suck.

Bet Their Family Get-togethers were something

2008-06-18T20:54:00.000-07:00

Vancouver Island councillor and sons face new charges
CBC News. June 18, 2008

My comments:

I think it is quite likely the one brother has been plunged into the hell of instant detox and his hunger is quite likely for something other than food, but then that's just a guess. I take it none of the fine upstanding folks on here have ever been "dope sick" or known anyone who got "dope sick" but it is a pretty terrible thing. I don't know much about this case, but it seems fairly certain to me that drugs have torn this whole family apart and ruined the career and life of a man who was well thought of in his community. I've seen too much mayhem and pain from drugs, the drug trade and the impacts on families, good families and parents. I have compassion & understanding now. Most junkies I've known hate themselves and what they've done to their families and feel a kind of shame most of us will never know underneath it all.

There are glass houses people and every one of us reading this is one moment away from having a relative who is breaking into houses for crack money, or having her ass pimped out for dope. We all like to feel superior and smug as we pass judgment on the wreckage of other people's lives, but anyone on here who is a parent should kiss your kids and tell them that you love them and pray like hell everything will be okay and someone somewhere doesn't say to them someday, hey, it's just one line...just one hoot... Check out Everlast-Ends for a musical comment on it all.

And, I must agree, there is a wee thing called due process. If anyone of us fine folks was facing charges, or our loved ones, we'd probably want things like human and legal rights to be upheld and perhaps a fair trial, I'm just guessing. I'm sure this will play out the usual way, they'll plead to lesser offences, and take their lumps. The charges are already getting dumbed down.
**
Murder suspect allegedly assaulted man last year
Last Updated: Wednesday, June 4, 2008

How Bill C51 helps destroy Canada

2008-06-11T18:32:00.000-07:00

Thought I should jump in here about that virulent piece of nastiness, Bill C51. It would appear our very rights as mere citizens of Canada are in jeopardy.

What do the Conservatives have against Omega 3’s, Echinacea or Spirulina, or Greens.
A friend of mine with rheumatoid arthritis recently bought as much tiger balm as she could from her local wholesaler from all of their stores around. It’s one of the few things that gives her a modicum of relief of pain and she can’t bear the thought of going without. We joked that she could turn herself into a regional supplier of the stuff. But, once you start reading Bill C51, would my friend be viewed as a criminal to her government if it is passed? As I often find myself reflecting these, what the hell is wrong with our government?

Heike Ferrie wrote an excellent piece called Prescription drugs are now the leading cause of death in the May 2008 issue of the Monitor, from the
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Her article starts out with the following:

“Street drugs kill about 20,000 people a year in North America, but prescription drugs kill about 700,000 year, making legal drugs the leading cause of death. Drug side effects also cause 8.8 million hospitalizations annually or 28% of all hospital admissions.”

So, let’s get this straight. There is not one single known death attributed to natural health products in Canada, yet Stephen Harper and Tony Clement, his Minister of Health, want to strip the citizens of this country of our right to access a wide range of natural health products. If Bill C51 passes, and you buy/sell/share/collect/dry/eat/feed to your family any of the restricted items, your government will label you a criminal and you could be subject to fines 1000X bigger than those currently in effect.

As many are picking up, is this really about the health of Canadians? It’s really smoke & mirrors. Many are questioning the draconian measures being enshrined in this bill, right under our noses. Essentially, Bill C51 seems simply an additional link in the chain that is the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) and North American Union (NAU), where the powers that be (whoever these shadowy folks are) create something to fear domestically as a shield to erode citizen rights to those little things like freedom and democracy. When a government criminalizes it’s citizens for providing and selling health products there is something so much more going on.

The Official Stop C51 Website

Bill C-51 Will:
Allow Government agents to:
-Enter private property without a warrant Section 23 (4)
-Confiscate your property at their discretion, at your cost Section 23.3 a
-Dispose of your property at their discretion, at your cost Section 23.3 c
-Seize your bank accounts without a warrant Section 23 (2) (d)
-Charge you for shipping and storage of your property Section 23.3a-b
-Store your property Indefinitely without paying you for damages Section 23 (2) (d)
-Levy fines of up to $5,000,000.00 / 2 years in jail per offence. Section 31.1

Introduce new legislation that will:
-Allow laws to be created in Canada, behind closed doors, with the assistance of foreign governments, industrial and trade organizations Section 30.7
-Allow "Crack house style" of enforcement on natural health providers Section 23.1
-Allow enforcement to be considered on more than 70% of Canadians who use NHP's Health Canada Reference
-Allow the minister, based on opinion, to shut down research without any scientific reason or evidence of risk or harm Section 18.5
-Allow the minister, based on opinion, to allow or disallow market authorizations for Natural Health Products Section 18.7 (1)

**

Stop C51 Petition: Don’t Let OUR government push this through.

Let your MP know that if they don’t fight Bill C51 and help prevent it from being passed that they will never sit in that big House again. This is worth bringing the Conservatives down over and the Opposition members need to know that. They have had many opportunities and I suggest the destruction of Canadian’s basic Charter Rights & Freedoms in this way is enough of a reason to tear this House apart.

Member of Parliament Lookup

Find out who your MP is to request their advocacy services on your behalf.

Webpage: http://canada.gc.ca/directories-repertoires/direct-eng.html#mp

**
“Once upon a time there was a Canada”

Canada's C-51 Law To Outlaw 60% of Natural Health Products: Don't Let Big Pharma Do This To Canada

C-51 would even criminalize the simple drying of herbs in your kitchen to be used in an herbal product, by the way. That would now be categorized as a “controlled activity,” and anyone caught engaging in such “controlled activities” would be arrested, fined and potentially jailed. Other “controlled activities” include labeling bottles, harvesting plants on a farm, collecting herbs from your back yard, or even testing herbal products on yourself! (Yes, virtually every activity involving herbs or supplements would be criminalized...)
This last bit is interesting in the context of the Witch hunts of centuries past. Wise women (crones) were the established healers of the village and community and wouldn’t you know the criminalization and rounding up of these wise women led to the creation and rise of the medical and legal systems. I guess I better go throw that drying rosemary out, yikes, wouldn’t want the storm troopers descending to take me into custody, they’d have a field day with all the vitamins and natural health products I have in my home. I wonder what gulag they’ll build for all of these heartless criminals? Guatanamo is supposed to be emptying soon and I hear Haliburton is on a detention centre building boom in the US, so I guess we better stop giving vitamins to the kids too. A whole new boom time will happen for the child protection and legal system if parents are going to be criminalized for giving the kids natural health products. When is this madness going to stop?

Flotsam & Jetsam: BC Politics Style

2008-06-10T22:20:00.000-07:00

I ran into Shane Simpson the other day and asked him what happened with the Whistleblower Act that he introduced in the Legislature in November 2007. He advised that the bill died on the floor and so will have to be re-introduced if there is a fall session. That is a big IF to me. Why in the hell would the Liberals go back into OUR house (which they have long forgotten) with the insanity and mayhem they have going on all over the place?
I'm sure some of the Liberal MLA's aren't hightailing it out. I wonder how many have said they're out, didn't they all have to get their answer in?

I understand Carole Taylor packed up her office and it's ready for the cabinet shuffle that's coming. If I were her I'd turn the lights off and not look back once, breathing a sigh of relief, even though she still has to hang around until the election. I imagine it would be great not to have to deal with the kind of crap she had to put up with as the Minister of Finance with a micromanager/ powermonger/ control freak and his Merry Men telling me and my staff how to do my job. I bet that is one lady who knows STUFF. She is smarter than all of them put together, so she will put a WHOLE LOT of pieces together and seen a bunch I'm sure. Maybe that's what should happen, maybe Carole Taylor should consider running for Premier as an Independent. I think she would stand a better chance than Campbell, or James. It seems the writing is on the wall and it's going to be difficult for anyone to support either of them next go round. Wouldn't that be interesting and spice things up for May 2009?
***
It's too bad Corky Evans is out, but not entirely unexpected. I hope they throw him a great retirement bash. He's been a real asset to BC. I agree with what he says about how political life has been so diminished and it is actually a great career. Not everyone who is in politics is a crook, or dishonourable, but many think that's the case. Politics is a complicated business, with many unexpected thorns and roses.
****
Did people catch Sean Holman's story about Patrick Kinsella & Mark Jiles, more alleged unregistered Campbell insiders and lobbyists:

"Progressive Group that the firm has helped win major government contracts and benefits on behalf of powerful foreign and business interests. Progressive's chairman is Patrick Kinsella, who headed the provincial Liberal's election campaigns in 2001 and 2005. And it's president is Mark Jiles, Premier Gordon Campbell's former constituency campaign manager."

You know, I think that the "plead guilty to a lesser evil, pay a fine and walk away with a conditional charge thing" is NOT actually acting as a deterent" from other clever and amoral business folks who are taking us to the cleaners.
********
Hey, here's another blog. BC Liberals Suck.

Vancouver City Politics: Ladner is In, Sullivan is Out

2008-06-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

This is from a comment we did on the Tyee from Monte Paulsen's article:

Ladner Seizes NPA Crown: After 15 years on council, Mayor Sullivan turns out fewer than a thousand supporters.By Monte Paulsen Published: June 9, 2008

Vision has nothing to be scared of, unless Gregor Robertson doesn't win the nomination, which I think he will quite easily.

It's the NPA who should be very, very scared and I think they are, especially now. When I talk my dear old mum, a lifetime small c conservative voter and she says she will vote for Gregor over the NPA, that speaks volumes. He appeals to a wide cross section of voters on many levels.

And both Vision & COPE are right, Ladner, while maybe having a "softer" image than Sullivan, does not differ policy wise and has voted onside with him. And, Sam's cheerleaders on council made the biggest rookie mistakes you can, they put all their eggs in one basket and it turned out it had a false bottom. It's easy to understand though, you're either on Sullivan's side, or you're the enemy, that's why the NPA have created such bad party: Sullivan is a poor leader. Diversify people, be friends and supporters of everyone, at least publically. Politics 101.

It seems so very tedious that the political folks seem always doomed to fail to learn their lessons... when you become so insular and arrogant, you alienate many, including some of your supporters and as Sullivan found out, your own party. And voters. This happened when they pulled the nastiness to oust Phillip Owen & that backfired big time.

Ladner's win is a good thing for the NPA, but it will make the race for the next mayor a bit more of a challenge. But, one thing Roberts has that no-one else does, is the political might and machine of the NDP and some of the big unions. The NPA and COPE can't even begin to compete with that
kind of organizing and campaigning strategy and experience.

I know those in Roberts camp are reading this and as a small time observer in this drama, it's my suggestion that it's time for Vision to bury the hatchet with COPE and bring a progressive majority back to city hall in time for the circus that will be 2010 and the fallout that will be sure to follow.

If the Liberals get in for a 3rd term, the carnage that we all see in this city now will look like a walk in the park compared to everything that is coming and Vancouver needs a progressive, united and strong team to work together. It is inevitable with food security issues becoming more prevalent, ever-increasing utilities, a real estate bubble that will burst and the many other socio-economic realities that will continue to arise because the Liberals have destroyed the social safety net and are selling BC's resources and services off lock, stock & barrel. Our province is in serious trouble, only people don't know how bad yet.

The consequences of globalization and the false world economies are coming home to roost faster than many are aware and it's going to get ugly. We need a solid and progressive government and leadership to help bring us all together to work for the common good.

Advertisement: Seeking Legal Counsel & Law Students

2008-06-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

Seeking Exceptional, Brilliant & Idealistic Young Lawyers & Legal Students

Your talents, skills and knowledge will be put to good use working with ethical resisters, advocates and social justice entrepreneurs working in the areas of labour and employment law, human rights and civil cases in BC. You will have an opportunity to cut your teeth on some of the most cutting edge strategic work being done to bring back civility and justice for citizens and join a growing network of progressive leaders in change in BC. Ideally you will also bring mentors and experienced members of the Bar as advisors and allies. Join your fellow citizens in maintaining democracy and justice in BC.

If you are interested, or have questions about what this work might look like, contact us @ whistleblowersbc@gmail.com

Whistleblowers Get Some Protection at Vancouver City Hall

2008-05-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

Any day ethical resisters (aka whistleblowers) are offered amnesty for doing the right thing is a great day. Too often moral, concerned employees who speak up about possible malfeasance or other potential misdeeds, or even criminal acts are targeted, bullied and harassed by employers, sometimes right out of the workplace. It’s time for the grownups to admit that this happens a lot more than any of us want to
admit. It just gives me hives thinking about how we all talk about bullying at school and amongst young people, yet adults can be even more brutal and sometimes downright psychologically abusive to each other at work.

Or, just as with children, there are all the adult bystanders who know bullying is happening, but turn a blind eye, just happy it’s not them that is being targeted. Or there are those who actually collude with the employer against co-workers. Those ones are an especially nasty bunch, because they are usually doing this to benefit themselves and their career. And as many of us will know, there are some organizations where these kind of tactics are successful and people receive benefits and promotions.

Well drafted Whistleblower legislation should also clearly outline the penalties to those who might engage in bullying and harassment of workers who are suspected, or known to have brought information forward. There should be thorough investigations of allegations internally and by any other organizations that need to be involved. It isn't enough for the City to say "may report the matter to appropriate police agency" (Section 6.3 - Criminal Activity and Other Illegal Conduct). Although, there are interesting implications to that, as Vancouver City Police fall under the jurisdiction of the municipal government. It would be preferable for an outside police agency, complete any criminal investigation. I also agree there should be some clear language about those who would use these policies for vexacious, or malicious reasons against supervisors, managers, or other employees, including elected officials. But there should also be very clear language and penalties laid out for retaliation against employees who report in good faith (which will be the majority). As Faoro mentions, it's a starting point, the details will be hammered out for years now. I like how the report to Vancouver City council outlines best practices in whistleblowing policies in the corporate environment:

1. reporting of serious misconduct
2. investigation of reports of serious misconduct
3. whistleblower protection for employees reporting serious misconduct

It's interesting that within the business community, some businesses are actually taking a strong leadership role in embracing the idea of introducing whistleblowing as part of their organizational culture. Some companies are hiring outside contractors to set up whistleblower lines. To me that is an example of real leadership & a commitment to corporate and social responsibility.

Now what would be nice is if the BC Liberals, in their zeal to push through a bunch of bills before the end of this sitting, would pass Bill M233- Whistleblowers Protection Act for workers in the BC public service.
I’m quite sure it won’t make it there is WAY too much at stake there. Open amnesty for BC government workers, why there would be LOTS of skeletons falling out of closets there. It doesn’t really matter though, the rocks are being lifted up anyways and people are wising up to what this government is all about.
***********************************
Vancouver whistleblowers get some protection
Last Updated: Friday, May 16, 2008 | 10:16 AM ET
CBC News

The City of Vancouver has responded to the demands of civic workers with a policy designed to let them report perceived misconduct without fear of retaliation.
The new whistleblower policy settles an issue that figured prominently in last summer's strike by civic workers.

Paul Faoro, president of Local 15 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, said the union had been calling for such a policy for years. And while the new process isn't perfect, Faoro said Thursday, it's a start.

"It's a step in the right direction. It's certainly a work in progress, but I think it gives our members some protection if, in fact, they see a wrongdoing. They can feel safe that they can report it without being retaliated [against] by their manager."

City councillor Raymond Louie said the process is still not without risk.
If an allegation is "not proven out or they [complainants] can't prove it fully, then they themselves are in trouble," Louie said. "That's something we should think carefully about."

Louie said that while there is a need to prevent frivolous claims, workers who believe something wrong is going on should not fear coming forward simply because they don't have all of the information.

Faoro said he will ask for changes to the policy if a complainant is harassed.
Council will review the policy in a year.
************************************

Administrative Report: Whistleblowing Policy.
Standing Committee on Planning & Environment
Vancouver City Council, May 15th, 2008

************************************
Hansard. Official report of the Debates of the Legislative Assembly.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2007. Afternoon Sitting, Volume 25, Number 7.

Introduction and
First Reading of Bills
WHISTLEBLOWERS PROTECTION ACT, 2007 - Bill M233

S. Simpson presented a bill entitled Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2007.
S. Simpson: I move a bill entitled the Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2007, and ask that it be introduced and read for a first time now.
Motion approved.
[1335]
S. Simpson: The Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2007, will facilitate the disclosure and investigation of significant and serious matters in or relating to the public service that are potentially unlawful, dangerous or injurious to the public or that demonstrate a gross mismanagement of public funds or assets or an impact on the environment. The bill will protect those persons who disclose that information from retribution.
The bill calls for a structure to be created within each ministry to facilitate those disclosures and requires an annual public reporting of all issues raised under the legislation. It empowers the Ombudsman to both provide oversight to this legislation and be a source for disclosures of complaints under the act as well. Further, the bill lays out a process to protect against malicious complaints that are not founded.
**
News Release from Shane Simpson, who brought this bill forward:

“Far too often we hear about government decisions and conduct that is not in the public interest,” said Simpson, MLA for Vancouver-Hastings. “But British Columbia does not have any legislation on the books to protect public service workers, who may have information about government wrongdoing.

“Our dedicated and professional public service should be empowered to come forward with this critical information without fear of retribution from their employer,” said Simpson.

The Whistle Blower Protection Act provides both government workers and service providers the protection they need to report irregularities in government operations without fear of discipline or job loss.

Democracy for Everyone in BC

2008-05-12T18:00:00.000-07:00

This post is a comment written (with some tweaks) for the following article on the Tyee.

Hot Button Bill: Libs Rush to Change Election Laws
Diverse foes say Bill 42 would crimp free speech, hurt poor voters.
By Andrew MacLeod and Monte Paulsen. Monday, May 12, 2008.
********

Most people on here would not understand what a serious and structural attack on democracy this is for those who live (and die) in the lower socio-economic classes.

The BC government, as a matter of policy and practice, denies income assistance clients the human right to obtain identification. If welfare has copies on file, they will not fund replacement ID. That in itself is a violation of people's human rights. With the pittance people receive on income assistance, or disability, there are thousands and thousands of citizens who are marginalized by the BC Liberals already. To use this structurally embedded circumstance and to now push through this legislation, which will disenfranchise (even more) of these citizens is a Charter of Rights violation, as well as quite likely a violation of Canada's commitment to several United Nations Charters.

This exclusion and barrier to full participation in society will now disproportionally disadvantage and disenfranchise individuals with disabilities. There is a new UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, I suggest all of these clever lawyers around consider working to put together a case to present at the new UN Committee about democracy, inclusion and justice for marginalized citizens BC Liberal-style. I'm sure the UN would be quite interested to hear about Mr. Campbell's (and his backroom masters')plans and they might even have some feedback for him and his ilk.

Mr. Oppal, if you allow this legislation to be passed, as a learned jurist and now as the Attorney General, you have ceased to have any relevancy as a man of justice, democracy and as a representative of the public good in BC. You will also go down in history as the man who excluded generations of BC citizens from their right to participate in democracy and be included in the province of BC. How is that for a legacy? You should resign if they push it through in spite of your disagreement as the AG. And then, you should write a great "tell-all,"because now, you know where A LOT of the bodies are buried and that will be helpful when the next election rolls around in May 2009.

If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in the government to the utmost.
- Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC), Politics.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
- Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 - 1968), Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963.

Ensure your MLA knows that if they vote for this Bill, they are history next election, no matter what their political "stripe."

America Moves Ever Closer to Martial Law & a Totalitarian State

2008-05-03T21:34:00.000-07:00

If these things don’t scare the crap out of you… you have ice in your veins:

Check this video clip out from You Tube. It is an interview from Amy Goodman from Democracy Now, interviewing Matt Rothschild, the editor of The Progressive, who broke the story of InfraGard, described on it’s own website as “a collaboration for infrastructure protection.”

VIDEO: FBI Authorizing US Corporations (InfraGard) Shoot 2 Kill under Looming Martial Law

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDX0CuuRYDI#>Less%20info">

Who is InfraGard:

InfraGard is a P3 partnership between the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and US Corporations, with 36 chapters in USA since 1996. This organization involves more than 23,000 business executives in USA, which means it is also world wide, because US corporations have branches all over the world. Members are NOT allowed to talk to the news media.
*******

Matthew Rothschild in The Progressive

The FBI Deputizes Business
By Matthew Rothschild, March 2008 Issue
http://www.progressive.org/mag_rothschild0308

One business owner in the United States tells me that InfraGard members are being advised on how to prepare for a martial law situation and what their role might be. He showed me his InfraGard card, with his name and e-mail address on the front, along with the InfraGard logo and its slogan, “Partnership for Protection.” On the back of the card were the emergency numbers that Schneck mentioned. This business owner says he attended a small InfraGard meeting where agents of the FBI and Homeland Security discussed in astonishing detail what InfraGard members may be called upon to do.“The meeting started off innocuously enough, with the speakers talking about corporate espionage,” he says. “From there, it just progressed. All of a sudden we were knee deep in what was expected of us when martial law is declared. We were expected to share all our resources, but in return we’d be given specific benefits.” These included, he says, the ability to travel in restricted areas and to get people out...

But that’s not all...

“Then they said when not if martial law is declared, it was our responsibility to protect our portion of the infrastructure, and if we had to use deadly force to protect it, we couldn’t be prosecuted,” he says...

I was able to confirm that the meeting took place where he said it had, and that the FBI and Homeland Security did make presentations there. One InfraGard member who attended that meeting denies that the subject of lethal force came up. But the whistleblower is 100 percent certain of it. “I have nothing to gain by telling you this, and everything to lose,” he adds. “I’m so nervous about this, and I’m not someone who gets nervous...

The way InfraGard has been set up reads like the development of the Mafia including its “made men” and code of Omerta (silence) especially when it comes to speaking to the media. Rothschild is to be complimented for committing great public journalism in writing this article. I’m sure when martial law is declared in this country, he’s on the A list...

Of course, several such scenarios for a possible declaration of martial law have been discussed here and elsewhere. Anything from another ‘terrorist’ attack to gasoline shortages or financial meltdown could trigger a few strokes of the President’s pen which is all that is needed to place the entire nation under martial law, thanks to several executive orders going back to JFK’s time...

In such a scenario, the government doesn’t have enough soldiers or cops to secure all this vast nation’s infrastructure. You might be thinking of obvious choices like power plants but the story tells us there’s far more included under the rubric of infrastructure...

In any case, this secret Mafia (or Corporate Gestapo, take your pick or make up your own term) of more than 23,000 business executives comes in pretty handy, especially when you let them into the super-secret information channels, make them feel like James Bond and give them ‘license to kill’ authority...

Mussolini may not have actually said ‘fascism should more properly be called corporatism,’ but in practice, the terminology is correct: what we are seeing is the fusion of corporate and government power in an authoritarian state where the average person is automatically suspect...

From their own website:

InfraGard is an association of businesses, academic institutions, state and local law enforcement agencies, and other participants dedicated to sharing information and intelligence to prevent hostile acts against the United States. InfraGard Chapters are geographically linked with FBI Field Office territories… “350 of our nation’s Fortune 500 have a representative in InfraGard.”

*********
National “DNA warehouse” bill passes

Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, Inc.

Passing the House of Representatives on a voice vote, S. 1858 has been sent to President Bush for signature. The Newborn Genetic Screening bill was passed by the Senate last December. The bill violates the U.S. Constitution and the Nuremberg Code, writes Twila Brase, president of the Citizen’s Council on Health Care (CCHC). “The DNA taken at birth from every citizen is essentially owned by the government, and every citizen becomes a potential subject of government-sponsored genetic research,” she states. “It does not require consent and there are no requirements to inform parents about the warehousing of their child’s DNA for the purpose of genetic research.

***************
Military Preparing for Martial Law

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71Jux68F_AQ

Three States Subjected To "Martial Law Sweeps" Local, state police and sheriff's office join feds for "terror" sweeps that result in hundreds of citations for traffic violations.

Steve Watson (Friday, April 18, 2008). Infowars.net

Federal law enforcement agencies co-opted sheriffs offices as well state and local police forces in three states last weekend for a vast round up operation that one sheriff's deputy has described as "martial law training".

http://infowars.net/articles/april2008/180408impact.htm

********
Not in Canada you Say:

Homeland Security Canada-style:

From Wikipedia:

In 2003 Canada created a Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness led by Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan. Now of course led by the mental giant, Stockwell (Doris) Day. I’m not sure about all of you, but I sure don’t feel a lot safer with Mr. Day at the helm of our national security.

BC Experiences a Boomtime for Threats & Lawsuits

2008-04-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

Interesting comments about what's happening over the ICBC scandal. It's totally dropped off the radar of the mainstream media. There are no less than 5 investigations into conduct. These comments from BC Mary's Legislature Raids are quite informative. One might speculate about whether individuals involved in Organized Crime have been able to get in on some of the ICBC stuff, since high end SUV's & trucks are the vehicles of choice for a lot of them. You see them driving around. It's pretty noticeable in certain areas. Organized crime is everywhere in BC, most people have no idea how extensive their reach us and how "legit" many of them present.

Express Collision Shop Said,

Speaking of organized crime. Whistleblowers have it tough in BC. I just got off the phone with a friend and lawsuits and threats are rampant in the past few weeks. It seems that these threats are all being made to the whistleblowers and trade association that are helping expose this ICBC mess. The RCMP, media, lawyer's and the Competition Bureau have been notified of all threats.

The investigation has found that this mess is getting larger by the day. Many of the vehicles that were talked about being high end SUV's and trucks and sports cars maybe the tip of the iceberg. There are some really nice vintage, antique, classic cars under investigation now. Were not talking about $40-$70 thousand dollar vehicles here, these are worth a hell of a lot more than that. "Zero Tolerance For Fraud.
****
Another interesting thing is I know of other lawsuits being filed against folks for blowing the whistle on various bad things happening in other sectors. Also a lot of intimidation, coercion and other nasty stuff. I know some of the media involved are also having legal action taken against them, but that may be karma, since some of them have allegedly violated sources who came forward in good faith. It also might be the case that the police authorities are advising the media to stop reporting on certain cases, there is a lot of information making it into the public domain these days when citizens are making comments, things that often should be getting reported to the investigating police.

At this stage of the game, I would advise anyone of thinking of going to the media not to do it, there is absolutely no certainty over who is trustworthy these days and I include anyone related to the NDP in that. They know a lot of stuff they are not bringing forward, they pick & choose what fits their agenda. If people have any direct involvement, or evidence about anything, go to the police investigating complaints, or in some cases, initiate your own police complaint.

As many whistleblowers learn the hard way, when they start making waves internally, asking questions, or have too much knowledge about what's happening within certain organizations, they're in for a rough ride and character assassination & defamation of character are part of the offenders' modus operandi (m.o.). This reinforces silence and fear amongst other staff. Those are the simplest reasons why so many of these corrupt organizations continue with these heinous and often illegal practices for so many years. Workers who know, or stumble on the truth, are afraid to speak up and when they do, they and their families are the ones who suffer, while the "bad guys" continue on their merry way, often being promoted and continuing to prosper and take advantage of insider privilege. This in itself also convinces some "good" people that its the path of least resistance to start getting in on the action, thus continuing to reinforce the organizational dysfunction and sometimes criminal activities taking place within. Most people aren't in a position where they can be fired and out of a job with one day's notice. And that happens more than most people know. And the employers' often just get away with it all. If you're a unionized worker in BC, Employment Standards are not in force for you. Many people don't know that. It's part of the Liberal changes. CCPA wrote a great report on that, called Negotiating Without a Floor.
And, the Labour Relations Board contains Liberal appointees from both employer and labour sides. The LRB will use their authority to get around taking direct complaints from unionized workers as well. And, its' really unclear how successful harassment complaints are at arbitration, many unions won't even let those get to that point, some won't even let their own workers file harassment and discrimination complaints.
****
But, How Bad Is the Record has some other thoughts on his blog:

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Whistleblower Threats

There is a very interesting developement on BC Marys' blogsite The Legislature Raids about how whistleblowers from some quarters in the ICBC Scandal have been threatened. A person who calls themself Express Collision Shop has reported the threats. He goes on to say that the police have been made aware of these threats.

Now I don't know about the rest of you folks, but I know that threats to anyone for any reason is a criminal offense. And if the RCMP are aware of this, and it is true, it should be reported to the public. I personally have no doubt that what this person says is true. They have been reporting on this case from the get-go and have been quite accurate in what they are reporting. Get the mainstream media on it NOW. This is outrageous.

Fallout from 2006 Canadian Census

2008-04-21T20:04:00.000-07:00

This was some news to me. I didn't know that the Canadian government privatized and "outsourced" the handling of the 2006 Canadian census to Lockheed Martin, the transnational aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology corporation and the the largest arms manufacturer in the world. They are also the world's largest defense contract holders and strategically linked to the American government. As of 2005, 95% of Lockheed Martin's revenues came from the United States Department of Defense, other U.S. federal government agencies, and foreign military customers.

Now, what is the fallout... well, our good old Canadian government is now in the process of charging and prosecuting 63 Canadian citizens for refusing to participate in the 2006 Census on grounds that this information is being collected by Lockheed Martin, brought into the United States and now fully subject to the Patriot Act. If this doesn't curl your hair, it should. It continues to rapid and increasing pace in which Canada is being gobbled up by the despots to the South.

Just today, April 21st Stephen Harper, George Bush and Mexican President Calderon are meeting for the fourth leaders' summit of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), the biggest threat to Canadian sovereignty that exists today, unless you count Stephen Harper, George Bush, Dick Cheney in there too.

One cannot fail to see the links to what is happening here in BC as well. As scandal after scandal unfolds: ICBC, Ministry of Children & Family Development, Ministry of Employment & Income Assistance contracts to American corporations to the Legislature Raids & "sale" of BC Rail, the sale of our power & rivers. The corruption that seeps out of Victoria reeks of American influence and a diminished regard for our citizens. Gordon Campbell spends a fair amount of time in the States & meeting with American leaders around the world. All of these public policy decisions are not a coincidence. People like Campbell don't do anything for anyone without having a BIG reward somewhere, where is his? It's time for a vote of non-confidence in Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberal government. If they aren't out soon, like the Conservatives, there will be nothing left to call home, whether that is Canada, or BC.

See Murray Dobbin's excellent latest article, Americanize Me? No Thanks in the Tyee for more about it all.

Here's a little excerpt:

Most recently it was a secretively signed agreement called the Civil Assistance Plan, which "allows the military from one nation to support the armed forces of the other nation during a civil emergency."

Good government. There is much, much more dire data about where the U.S. ranks on many social and economic scales. The cause of most of it is the catastrophic decline in democratic governance, the virtual abandonment of any serious social or regulatory role for government under George Bush and the Republicans. At no other time in the past century has the U.S. had people in power so dedicated to the dismantling of democratic governance.

When governance is hijacked by the likes of Bush and Brown there is only one possible outcome: massive, intractable, endemic corruption permeates the whole system. Stories following up on the Katrina catastrophe show that nothing has changed. Billions have been wasted, stolen or remain unaccounted for. The tragedy has been used as a useful crisis to dispossess thousands of New Orleans' poorest residents, privatize the education system and ensure that the wealthy get the benefit of public money.

Canadian Health News

2008-04-21T20:01:00.000-07:00

Canadian Government & the Marijuana Game

Health Canada is on the hot seat over its’ handling of medical marijuana, which became available in 2003. It’s reported that individuals with medical prescriptions owe over $500,000 for marijuana received. There are 739 registered users in Canada, who have a variety of health issues, including cancer, Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS. Health Canada provides licenses to certified users, who've been prescribed cannabis by their doctors, and allows them to grow their own, have someone grow it for them, or buy directly from the department. Although people can receive prescriptions from their doctors, and receive the drug from the grower of choice of the Canadian government, Prairie Plant Systems Inc. (based in Flin Flon, Manitoba) marijuana is not covered under medical services plans as a prescription drug.

Health Canada is reported to have paid their producer over $10 million since 2003 and said it plans to stop providing licenses to individuals who can grow their own medicine at home, thus forcing all medical users to buy their supplies directly from the government. Recipients, who are often impoverished, unable to work, on disability and cannot afford to pay the high price charged by Health Canada, which apparently applies a 1500 percent mark up on the product provided by Prairie Plant Systems. Complaints have also been made about the quality of the product grown by the government’s grower, with THC content at 12.5, which is below street sold marijuana. Many of these ill citizens have had to return to the black market for their medication, while Health Canada turns their names over to collection agencies. Some are able to obtain medical marijuana products from Compassion Clubs with the support of their doctors.

Whistleblowers at ICBC: Can you say 'Tip of the Iceberg'

2008-04-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

ICBC concerns never reached the top: report
Management unaware of repaired vehicles sold without disclosing history

Jeff Rud and Lindsay Kines, Times Colonist
Published: Thursday, April 17, 2008

Concerns about activities at an ICBC research and training facility in Burnaby were raised as far back as 2006 but never reached the company's CEO or senior management, according to a document tabled yesterday in the legislature.

A letter from ICBC chairman T. Richard Turner to Solicitor General John van Dongen, tabled yesterday, reveals that "concerns about activities at the Research and Training facility were raised on three separate occasions in 2006 and 2007.

"At the time the issues were identified, they were not escalated to the CEO or to a member of the executive committee," Turner wrote.

The six-page letter provides a summary of the investigation into the ICBC centre, including a detailed chronology. That investigation began after employees presented concerns about the facility's operations to an ICBC Special Investigations Unit officer.
**
Hmmm, I have to call BS on this one. Several managers bought cars and the CEO has hightailed it out at the first hint of problems. The investigators might want to find out if the employees who “presented concerns” are still employed by ICBC, or whether they later ended up receiving disciplinary letters for trumped up charges, were harassed, were fired, or quit. It’s kind of funny, managers and others who cheat and swindle to get sweet deals on cars don’t like it when peon’s start yapping about things like that. And, CEO’s and executives don’t like peons who blow the whistle on their “superiors” either. Maybe the RCMP should go back, hmm, like 7 years.
One of the key things the BC Liberals did was get rid of the CEO of ICBC, Nick Geer
& install their own guy, Paul Taylor. A post from another blog:

#11. In 2004, Nick Geer, former President and CEO, left
ICBC. Supposedly a mutual thing. Uh huh. Why on earth
would we want this guy in charge of our public car insurance?
He only turned ICBC around and had it in the black. He also
thought the citizens of B.C. should be protected by low rates
for car insurance, good service and coverage. He was also
skeptical about a little thing called privatization. Man, we
wouldn’t want to get used to that kind of fore thought in
our government officials, it gets in the way of the money to
be made by the Liberals buddies, the private insurance companies.
Hmm, wonder how much it cost them to get rid of Geer?

***
RCMP to start ICBC investigation

CBC News. April 17th 2008.

George Hancock, spokesperson of the United Auto Trades Association, a group representing auto body and glass shops in B.C., hopes the RCMP investigation will have a broad scope.

"We believe that some of the relationships that ICBC enjoys with organizations in the industry are a little bit too cozy and probably not in the best interests of the people of British Columbia."

Trial by Media: When Speculation Turns to Libel

2008-04-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

Lots of Support for Merritt Mom
CKNW. 4/15/2008

Friends in Merritt say support is strong for a local woman grieving the loss of her three young children.
The hunt for the killer continues.
The prime suspect is their father, 40 year old Allan Schoenborn.
Friends who set up a trust fund at a Merritt bank for Darcie Clark won't say how much money has been collected.
But they say donations have been coming in from all over BC, and from places like Winnipeg and Yellowknife as well.
**********
Unless I missed a whole lot, such as the completed RCMP investigation, charge assessment, Crown recommending criminal charges, a trial and conviction, media outlets have vastly overstepped themselves & committed libel by openly publishing and broadcasting that Mr. Schoenborn is a “killer.”

It is a hallmark of our criminal justice system and a defendant’s rights (once charged by the Crown) that they are innocent until proven and judged guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. In this case, Mr. Schoenborn is known to suffer from mental illness, it is not a fait accomplait that he actually committed the crime, that he is guilty of anything, or that he would meet the test for being criminally responsible, if he were to have committed any crime. Things are very often not what they seem and because of the shocking and horrifying nature of the deaths of these children, it is easy to understand the thirst for justice, but it cannot include libelous actions on the part of anyone.

Ask yourself, what would you feel like if you were accused, tarred & feathered & found guilty in the court of public opinion and the media before your side could ever be learned. What if you weren't guilty? What if someone else did this to your children? One only has to pick up true crime stories to see that sometimes the most unexpected people do the most unexpected things. Facts and evidence are what count and what matter.

As we can see from the statements made by law enforcement officials below, the media has done a disservice from the start and misinformation has been published, distributed and transmitted about several facts of importance in this case from the very beginning. That should concern everyone, because someday it could be you, or someone you love. How many people's lives have been torn apart by false accusations of abuse? Many.
***
Suspected killer of 3 children in B.C. has violent past: documents
RCMP warn suspect could have reached Alberta already
Last Updated: Monday, April 7, 2008 | CBC News

Police on Monday said earlier media reports that Schoenborn had been found dead in the trailer home along with his three children were wrong.

**
Police release new photos of father of slain Merritt children
Last Updated: Friday, April 11, 2008 |CBC News

Excerpt:

Timeline still uncertain
It's still not clear how long the children were dead before their mother called police.

Linteau said the "time and cause of death" is not something police are willing to release at this time.

"We've never actually released that information. The only thing we have been saying is that contrary to some media reports that she was only gone a few minutes or 10 minutes, we can confirm that information is false," said Linteau.

Linteau did confirm the children's mother, Darcie Clarke, left the home, and Allan Schoenborn was in the trailer alone with his children for a period of time before police were called on Sunday.

Linteau would not reveal how long the children had been dead before their bodies were found, but at a news conference Thursday, RCMP Asst. Commissioner Al Macintyre said it was "considerably earlier" than was reported by Clarke just after 2 p.m. Sunday when Merritt RCMP were called to the mobile home.

At the same news conference, Macintyre would not comment on whether Clarke has been ruled out as a suspect, but later said, "Personally in my heart, I don't see the mother as a suspect. I could be proven wrong afterwards because something else will have been learned or determined."

Police said Clarke is in a safe location "undergoing care," but they will not reveal if she is still at the local hospital or somewhere else, or if she is under police guard.

Information & Privacy Rights in BC

2008-04-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

One thing citizens need to know is that they do have rights where their privacy is concerned when information is collected against them. BC is governed by the
Freedom of Information & Protection of Privacy Act. First step, go to the Information & Privacy website, if you want info about yourself from the BC government, choose public Each Ministry has an Information & Privacy division.

Find the form, identify the information you require. It's a good idea to ask for "any and all" case notes, communications, which includes e-mails and name the actual parties involved. In the case of child protection complaints, or third party information, that will be severed from what is issued. However the files can form part of a civil action against whomever, in addition to the document disclosure (discovery) you can request from the other side. The same all holds true of private businesses, who you apply for information under the:
Personal Information Privacy Act

If information is held by the BC government, citizens can request a correction of the information held on themselves.

Right to request correction of personal information

29 (1) An applicant who believes there is an error or omission in his or her personal information may request the head of the public body that has the information in its custody or under its control to correct the information.

(2) If no correction is made in response to a request under subsection (1), the head of the public body must annotate the information with the correction that was requested but not made.

(3) On correcting or annotating personal information under this section, the head of the public body must notify any other public body or any third party to whom that information has been disclosed during the one year period before the correction was requested.

(4) On being notified under subsection (3) of a correction or annotation of personal information, a public body must make the correction or annotation on any record of that information in its custody or under its control.

Process

First step in doing that is to the parties involved, CC-ing the information & privacy managers of that Ministry. If that does not rectify the situation, you can proceed with a formal complaint to the Office of the Information & Privacy Commissioner. It's important to follow the process, as these parties really don't like taking complaints (or sometimes releasing information that is in the individuals, or public's good).
It's also important to be able to have some evidence as to why the information is incorrect.

Accountability

There are vast breaches of information & privacy rights in this province, this article even points out how the government is breaching it's own legislation and sending a "hit list" of people (mostly journalists) who have requested information which is deemed "sensitive" or potentially "embarassing" for the government. As many know, this government is accountable to no-one and there are mistakes made concerning the rights of the public in dealing with governmental organizations all of the time, then they are hidden, covered up, documents also go missing.

This is the Whistleblower piece of the Act, I'm not sure it has any relevance, but it is included. Almost all legislation concerning employment is not really in force in BC these days. As has been demonstrated, the Campbell government aren't big fans of these little things called contracts, as Bill 29 proved.
An interesting FOI request would be how much taxpayers money has been spent in legal fees for cases, such as fighting Bill 29 all the way to the Supreme Court, or even all the civil cases that have been filed against the BC government. Let's just say they've spent A LOT of OUR $$$.

Whistle-blower protection

30.3 An employer, whether or not a public body, must not dismiss, suspend, demote, discipline, harass or otherwise disadvantage an employee of the employer, or deny that employee a benefit, because

(a) the employee, acting in good faith and on the basis of reasonable belief, has notified the minister responsible for this Act under section 30.2,

(b) the employee, acting in good faith and on the basis of reasonable belief, has disclosed to the commissioner that the employer or any other person has contravened or is about to contravene this Act,

(c) the employee, acting in good faith and on the basis of reasonable belief, has done or stated an intention of doing anything that is required to be done in order to avoid having any person contravene this Act,

(d) the employee, acting in good faith and on the basis of reasonable belief, has refused to do or stated an intention of refusing to do anything that is in contravention of this Act, or

(e) the employer believes that an employee will do anything described in paragraph (a), (b), (c) or (d).

Yah, That's showing Her, er, um...

2008-04-10T17:27:00.000-07:00

Senior Mountie found in contempt of Parliament
Jack Aubry, Canwest News Service
Published: Thursday, April 10, 2008

OTTAWA - The RCMP's deputy commissioner, who has been found in contempt of Parliament, will not face any penalties such as jail time or financial fines, even though MPs believe she deliberately misled a parliamentary committee, the chairman of the all-party public accounts committee says.

Liberal MP Shawn Murphy, who received unanimous support Thursday from the House of Commons for a motion of concurrence on a recent committee report that found George in contempt, said MPs are satisfied with the "public rebuke" of the high-level officer even though harsher penalties are allowed under the legislature's arcane rules.

"It is now up to the commissioner to decide how to deal with the matter. We didn't want to over-dramatize it but we did want to send a message that this was not acceptable," said Murphy.

RCMP's deputy commissioner, Barbara George.

The parliamentary procedure began in February when the 12-member public accounts committee voted unanimously to recommend George be cited for contempt, asserting she deliberately misled MPs. The committee members had taken issue with George's testimony, in which she told MPs with "absolute finality" she did not have "anything whatsoever to do" with allegations a Mountie investigating the misappropriation of RCMP pension funds was removed from the file.

George was given the opportunity to explain during a two-hour appearance before the committee in December after e-mails and other testimony later contradicted her. George, however, has vehemently denied she misled the committee.

In line with the committee's recommendations, Murphy's motion stated: "no further action" should be taken against George since being found in contempt by the House of Commons "is in itself a very serious sanction."

Meanwhile, in a statement released shortly after the motion was passed, the RCMP said it was aware of the motion and "takes this very seriously." Noting the contempt finding is "unprecedented in recent history," the force said it is considering the matter "to determine any appropriate action on the part of the RCMP."

An RCMP spokesperson said the force did not expect to make any further statements on the matter on Thursday.

MPs have commented George's mistake was in her refusal to apologize once the committee had ruled.

George is currently on leave but is still an RCMP_employee.

Involving mismanagement, nepotism, questionable expense claims and contracts, the RCMP_pension scandal has tarnished the reputation of the police force ever since the story broke in 2003. A federal investigation concluded last year that former RCMP_Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli harmed the public trust by allowing the controversy to drag out over the years.

Zaccardelli denied there was any cover-up while George was the only senior Mountie suspended in connection with the scandal.

The 200 edition of "House of Commons Procedure and Practice", as edited by Robert Marleau and Camille Montpetit, said the "Canadian approach" to such contempt cases features a "reluctance to invoke the House's authority to reprimand, admonish or imprison anyone found to have trampled its dignity or authority."

The book said there have been "very few cases" in Canadian practice where the House has recommended a punishment.

© Canwest News Service 2008
******************
Yet another high level bureaucrat who gets off "scot free" from any meaningful consequences, what a message it sends, we told her... and everyone else that pesky little things like ethics, policies and procedures and speaking to the Parliament of your country don’t mean a thing to those of us who are “above” anyone else. Or, is she the mark for someone else? Hmmm. In any event, this is all just foolish. Now I wonder what happened to people who stepped up & blew the whistle, Mr. Lewis being the primary? Oh yah, one got FIRED. Isn’t there something really wrong with this picture? Oh and by the way, what exactly was done with the RCMP pension plan? If it was the rest of us, we’d be out the door, but not in our fair Canada, she’s back. So I guess a a case couldn't be made so … back to the trenches. Or, just took her lumps for brass like a good girl, or to make life easier.
*********************
The Commons public accounts committee is holding an emergency in-camera session today after testimony yesterday on Parliament Hill about corruption, cronyism and cover-ups at the force’s highest levels concerning the RCMP pension plan.
Five RCMP officers and a whistle-blower who lost her job accused the force’s senior management, led by former commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli, of corruption, and of derailing an investigation into the misappropriation of funds from the Mounties’ pension plan. One MP, Liberal Borys Wrzesnewskyj, said in an interview that the Liberals will be calling for a public inquiry into the allegations.
Last night, officials said the Mounties’ acting commissioner, Beverley Busson, announced deputy commissioner Barbara George had stepped down as head of RCMP human resources, as well as the senior executive committee. At the same time, an RCMP deputy commissioner has resigned her post as head of the forces’ human resources department.

http://totalrecoil.wordpress.com/category/rcmp/

Boohoo. Can you hear my violin.

Mountie felt ‘condemned’ before hearings

Jessica Leeder, Ottawa (Globe and Mail) - A high-ranking Mountie who could be cited for contempt of Parliament says she has been misunderstood by a parliamentary committee that has been misled by RCMP whistleblowers.
Deputy Commissioner Barbara George testified under oath before the House of Commons public accounts committee three times last year in an effort to counter allegations she tried to block an investigator looking into the force’s pension scandal from probing her department and exploring whether she herself was involved.
Ms. George said once she learned of the close relationship between the Mounties who blew the whistle and committee members (Staff Sergeant Ron Lewis, for example, told The Globe and Mail he wrote the questions Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj used to grill Ms. George at committee hearings) she began to feel attempts to clear her name at subsequent hearings would be futile.

CLBC funded Group Home investigation & oversight?

2008-04-08T16:43:00.000-07:00

This is the tip of the iceberg, the public and even family members of people placed in homes would be shocked at the kind of things taking place in group homes for the developmentally disabled, including abuse. And, who exactly is supposed to have oversight you might be asking.... well, Licensing? Community Living BC? MCFD? The Representative? Like this mother found out, not really anyone, unless you can provide evidence a crime has committed you are SOL to get an investigation of any sort. Well this whole thing goes a way towards meeting Campbell's great goals for enhancing the lives of special needs people. It's like a dog chasing it's tail, try making a quality of care complaint about treatment of residents in CLBC funded homes?

Ultimately though, the BC government is responsible, the buck stops there. They can "devolve" and privatize as much as they want, when the United Nations is knocking on the door, it will be the door of the BC government they are knocking on for answers. And when the world's media is here in 2010, this will all make great coverage, the billions spent on a 10 day party when the entire social safety net has been torn apart and this is but one example of many.

Complaints Resolution Process
The CLBC Complaints Resolution Process clarifies what recourse individuals and families have when they are dissatisfied with a service provided by CLBC or disagree with a decision made by a CLBC staff member.

*****************

Maybe some of the media can talk about some of the other issues in group homes in the sector... residents being given wrong medications, unsafe vehicles, the hiring of untrained, sometimes unskilled workers. How about physical, financial and even sexual abuse that goes unreported. Inadequate staffing, warehousing and parking residents in front of TV's for hours. Anyone who's worked in the sector has seen something awry at some point in time, but, who do you report it to so that conditions are investigated? To the agency? Who needs the funding. Notice the article reported "his funding is "attached" to his current group home." This agency is paid BIG money for an individual, such as in this story. These houses are big business and they need to protect their funding (profits) and their source of funding (CLBC). I'm sure this agency got a good deal on their lease. At the very least, a full environmental assessment should be made prior to placing anyone there, or having staff work in the environment. But I guess the real story is whether the agency incurs any liability IF and this important, IF they knew about the possible environment damage, signed the lease anyway and then moved people in without doing due diligence in placing vulnerable and people with compromised health issues in there. Anyone who has involvement with people placed in these types of homes might consider doing Freedom of Information requests for things like environmental assessments, dated prior to residency. How about Worksafe & Licensing investigations? These are all available and should be free to families who might want to ensure their loved ones are getting the best care possible.

Community Care Facilities

Adult Care Regulations

The adult care regulations protect seniors and people with disabilities in licensed group homes and residential care facilities by ensuring operators meet operating, management and health and safety requirements. The current regulations can be viewed at:

http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/reg/C/CommuCareAssisted/536_80.htm

Community Care and Assisted Living Act [SBC 2002]

Assisted living registrar

24 (1) The minister must designate a person to be the assisted living registrar.

(2) The registrar may delegate, in writing, any power or duty of the registrar under this Act to a person who, in the opinion of the registrar, possesses the experience and qualifications suitable to carry out the tasks as delegated.

(3) A delegation under subsection (2) may include any terms or conditions the registrar considers advisable.

http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/C/02075_01.htm#section24

I think it's the Registrar who you are supposed to make quality of care complaints to about care problems in group homes funded by CLBC, which qualify as assisted living residences, or community care facilities:

"assisted living residence" means a premises or part of a premises, other than a community care facility,

(a) in which housing, hospitality services and at least one but not more than 2 prescribed services are provided by or through the operator to 3 or more adults who are not related by blood or marriage to the operator of the premises, or

(b) designated by the Lieutenant Governor in Council to be an assisted living residence;

"community care facility" means a premises or part of a premises

(a) in which a person provides care to 3 or more persons who are not related by blood or marriage to the person and includes any other premises or part of a premises that, in the opinion of the medical health officer, is used in conjunction with the community care facility for the purpose of providing care, or

(b) designated by the Lieutenant Governor in Council to be a community care facility;

http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/C/02075_01.htm#section1

****************
Read the MAPCL 2006 - 2007 Annual Report for details about their financial statements.

Interesting to read the Auditor’s report too, it sounds as though they aren't entirely sure about some of the paperwork, but nothing is untoward.

MAPCL received quite a boost for revenue from MCFD/CLBC from 2006 to 2007: $25,719,126, but their entire revenue was $27,830,208.
Wonder where the “Other” revenue comes from?

Pg 27 Under Operations Activities it notes that MAPCL had a surplus of revenue after expenses in the amount of $551, 118 in the 2007 fiscal statement. I thought non-profits to make profits? Wonder if there were any performance bonuses for managers?

http://www.mapcl.org/MAPCL-download/Annual-Report-2007/MAPCL%20Annual%20Report%2006-07.pdf

**********************
Group home's past use as grow-op alarms mother
Blind, autistic man's family fights to get him moved for his health and safety

Tuesday, April 8, 2008 | CBC News

Excerpts:

The mother of a legally blind, autistic man is worried about his health and wants him out of the B.C. group home he lives in, partly because the house was previously used as a marijuana grow-operation.

Not tested for grow-op damage

Fournier said MAPCL did not get an environmental assessment done, even after it learned of the home's history in November 2007.

"In this case, we are happy that you brought it to our attention," Fournier said. "We are going to remedy the situation. As far as inspections are concerned — that hasn't been as successful as we would have hoped."

Mancinelli said she has found another suitable home for Jeffrey, where he can have his outdoor trampoline, but the Crown corporation that holds the purse strings has refused to move him. She said Community Living B.C. (CLBC) told her Jeffrey could not be moved, despite her concerns, because his funding is "attached" to his current group home.

The Plot Thickens...

2008-04-04T10:02:00.000-07:00

Prosecutor right to keep Les investigation quiet: former ombudsman
03/04/2008 5:19:17 PM
MSN News: BC, With files from the Canadian Press.

Excerpts:

Former B.C. ombudsman Stephen Owen says justice authorities did the right thing by not informing the public that then solicitor general John Les was under investigation since June 2007.

Questions remain over land deal

Meanwhile, neither the RCMP nor the special prosecutor have revealed any more details about the investigation.

There is still no official word on what Les is under investigation for, but local residents and real estate agents have confirmed to CBC that they were questioned about the Rosebank subdivision that Les developed when he was mayor of Chilliwack.

What remains unclear is how the former mayor was able to subdivide the plot of agricultural land in the Fraser Valley municipality when its previous owners had repeatedly failed to do so.

The CBC has learned the decision was left to a single bureaucrat who was under no obligation to answer to Chilliwack city council or anyone else.

Willy Rasmussen told CBC his parents wanted to move a boundary line on their Chilliwack farm in the late 1980s so they could retire on two acres and sell off the rest, but the provincial Agricultural Land Commission repeatedly told them they couldn't.

A few years later, Les bought part of the same land and subdivided it almost immediately and sold it off as developable lots.

But CBC news has learned that rather than trying to pull the land out of the Agricultural Land Reserve, a provincial zone in which agriculture is recognized as the priority use, Les, the mayor of Chilliwack at the time, took his application to city hall instead.

That application ended up in front of Grant Sanborn, the city's approving officer, who had the discretion to approve boundary adjustments while leaving the land inside the Agricultural Land Reserve.

Current Chilliwack mayor Clint Hames won't comment on the Les investigation, but he said the approving officer is kept at arm's length from the mayor and council to steer clear of political interference.

At the same time, Hames said, " the approving officer is not accountable to ... essentially, anyone."

The CBC has also learned Sanborn has since been "separated from his employment" with the City of Chilliwack. Sanborn refused to comment on any of the issues when contacted by the CBC.
*****************************
The RCMP would have to find direct evidence of some sort of criminal wrongdoing (such as a bribe, or some material benefit) to lead to any sort of recommendation of charges against anyone. I think this will be a difficult case to find such evidence. Regular folks often experience the barriers of their own applications to councils and such, but then local business and political elites turn around and obtain approval for the same applications (such as in this case), but unless there is some sort of "smoking gun" (ie. paper trails and witnesses) it's really difficult to prove allegations of influence peddling and wrongdoing. This is where whistleblowers prove an important mechanism for truth and justice for all of us. I'm willing to bet that there are a few people in Chilliwack who have evidence of wrongdoing and I hope they do the right thing and stand up for all of us. Also, the Criminal Justice Branch would have to decide if proceeding with charges is in the interests of the public (why & how) and if there is a substantial likelihood of conviction based on the evidence gathered. Should be an interesting case to follow, although I suspect it will drop off the radar soon as the investigation continues.

I think the general public would be surprised how common it is for people in different levels of government to be completely without accountability mechanisms governing their authority and decision-making. Also, a lack of regulatory bodies, or oversight. Gotta love neo-conservatives ideology of globalization. Hey, it works for those who can line their pockets, but not the rest of us,
but who cares about us anyways.

Welcome to the Club: Disappointed Whistleblowers Anonymous

2008-04-03T12:29:00.000-07:00

Whistle blower in Frank Paul inquiry feels disappointed

Vancouver/CKNW(AM980) 4/2/2008

Disappointed. That's how the man who blew the whistle on the alleged cover-up of Frank Paul’s death says he feels after learning Vancouver police accused him of being a liar.

Dana Urban was the former counsel for the office of the police complaint commission who helped investigate the 1998 freezing death of the aboriginal man in a Vancouver alley. He denies VPD claims he 'manufactured' evidence to ensure a public inquiry would go ahead. "

At the very least...disappointed to hear that they've said that. I've been at this business for 33 years and I’ve been called many things, but one thing that I’ve never been called is dishonest or has it ever been suggested that I’ve manufactured evidence."

Urban --who currently works as an international prosecutor against war criminals-- says he was surprised by a lack of interest in the file from former OPCC commissioner Don Morrison...who told him he didn't want to ruin the career of constable David Instant...the young officer who left Paul in the alley.

He also claims the police version of events do not match up with forensic evidence collected by the coroner's office.
*******************************
Yes, it makes so much sense to protect the career of a young White cop versus find the truth in the death of a disabled, homeless Native man. At least it makes sense if you are White powerful men, who gives a rat's about anyone else but your homeys. Institutionalized racism at it's best.

Mr. Urban, you are to be applauded for standing up for what's right, as disappointing and ugly as the backlash is. It just reinforces what so many know, the Vancouver Police Department is a joke, as are so many of the other police forces. The leadership of these organizations would be very smart if they stopped the insularity, the secrecy and did fair investigations into misconduct & then took swift action to remove these elements from your organizations. You cannot afford to continue to turn a blind eye, nor walk away from justice to protect employees who will cause nothing but problems & bad optics for your police organizations. You also end up paying the price by allowing internal bullying from staff to staff. All of it continues to give police organizations a bad image & name, because its the actions of those in power in dealing with the most vulnerable and marginalized citizens in our society that speak so much louder than any of the other stuff cops do to gain positive media attention these days.
*****************
Police complaint commissioner protected officer, inquiry hears

Gerry Bellett, Vancouver Sun
Published: Wednesday, April 02, 2008

VANCOUVER - Former police complaint commissioner Don Morrison refused to order a public hearing into the death of Frank Paul because he wanted to save the career of the young police officer who had dumped Paul in a cold and wet alley where he died of exposure, former commission counsel Dana Urban testified today.

Urban was testifying at the public inquiry into Paul's death after flying in to Vancouver from Sri Lanka where he is Canada's representative on an international body attempting to persuade the Sri Lankan government to comply with international standards for the investigation and prosecution of persons responsible for the murders of 78,000 civilians during the past 18 years.
Paul, an Aboriginal from New Brunswick, was arrested for being drunk in December, 1998, but he was refused entry in the Vancouver police jail.

A video taken at the cells shows him being dragged in and out of jail in an insensible state. He was then driven by Const. David Instant, a young and inexperienced officer, to an alley where he found dead some hours later.

Urban's testimony had been eagerly awaited by Paul's family.

Paul's cousin Peggy Clement made the journey from New Brunswick to Vancouver to be present for Urban's testimony.

She credited Urban's dogged efforts to get to the truth of what had happened to her cousin and how he was treated by the Vancouver police the night of his death, as being the main reason behind the public inquiry being held.

"Dana's testimony is so important for the family because for two years we believed what we were told [by a Vancouver police officer] that Frank had died as the result of a hit and run. He [Urban] contacted us and told us what happened. If it had not been for Dana we would never get to the truth," she said.

© Vancouver Sun

Football Pool: How many RCMP Investigations & Special Prosecutors will be appointed to investigate the BC Liberals while they are in power in BC?

2008-04-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

Of all the backbenchers & caucas members Gordon Campbell & his BC Liberal backroomers could appoint as Solicitor General to replace John Les, who is now currently under investigation by the RCMP, they chose John van Dongen??? Has the world gone mad? Or at least the BC Liberals?

I'm quite sure Mr. van Dongen was found innocent of any allegations of wrongdoing, or, we at the very least we haven't heard anything further from the RCMP, or the Special Prosecuter appointed in his case, but C'MON!!!!! What is wrong with these people? Here is a link to the entire BC Liberal caucas, many of whom have never been investigated by the RCMP for interference in a RCMP investigation, or perhaps for any other reason. Can anyone keep count of all of the special investigations, Special Prosecutors appointed, how many BC Liberal Ministers have resigned under this government, some to be resurrected a little while later by the party (Hogg, Clark, Ferrell-Collins, van Dongen, Les). This appointment defies logic and reason and is continuing a long fact pattern of why Gordon Campbell & his BC Liberals are done in this province. The citizens of BC will not tolerate this malignant blight on our beautiful province any longer.
************************
Police investigate B.C. cabinet minister
Last Updated: Tuesday, January 28, 2003 4:13 AM ET CBC News

B.C. Fisheries Minister John van Dongen is out of the cabinet and being investigated by police. He said he was told the investigation involves his handling of an aquaculture file.
Van Dongen called reporters to his office Monday afternoon to make the announcement.
"I am stepping aside as minister due to a police investigation now under way. I was advised last night by the premier, who was informed by the attorney general that a special prosecutor will be appointed."

The former minister said, "I feel it is incumbent on me to step aside from my cabinet portfolio until this matter is resolved."

He said the police investigation involves an aquaculture file he handled in the fall of 2001, but said he cannot comment further.

"I was generally aware of a police investigation within the ministry. I was not aware until last night that I was personally under investigation," he said.

Van Dongen was first elected for the Liberals in a byelection in 1995. He since won re-election in the 1996 and 2001 general elections.

He was appointed to his present job as minister of agriculture, food and fisheries when the Liberals formed a government in June 2001.

The low-key van Dongen's most controversial file was his decision last year to lift the provincial moratorium on new salmon farm licences.
*****************
CBC request for documents prompted RCMP investigation into B.C. cabinet ministerLast Updated: Tuesday, February 4, 2003 6:39 AM ET CBC News

Excerpt:

New details have emerged about the British Columbia fisheries minister who was forced to step down last week because of an RCMP investigation.

The police became involved in the case after CBC News: Disclosure requested government documents detailing John van Dongen's handling of a controversial fish farm file. It started two summers ago, when 30,000 Atlantic salmon escaped from a fish farm owned by the powerful Stolt Sea Farms. Van Dongen's department looked into the escape and cleared the company of any wrongdoing.

But B.C. Environment officials didn't let it drop. They opened their own investigation to see whether Stolt could be punished under the tougher federal Fisheries Act, claiming Atlantic salmon pose a threat to the fragile Pacific salmon stocks. That triggered a conflict with the B.C. Fisheries Department, and its minister.
The lead investigator into the escape wrote in an e-mail: "a great deal of discussion is continuing at John van Dongen's level regarding the follow-up investigation..." He adds "criticism of our action" is coming from Stolt (Sea Farms) and B.C. Fisheries (Department)."
In spite of criticism B.C. Environment officials recommended charges be laid.
Stolt's vice-president phoned the lead investigator and made it clear he knew the details of the confidential case. Sources have told CBC News it was van Dongen who tipped off Stolt.
While the environment officials considered their next move, a top official in van Dongen's department wrote a confidential memo noting the salmon farms were "a key ministerial priority" and that laying charges would be "sending conflicting messages to the industry," creating "negative impacts."

Van Dongen suggested this memo be forwarded to the premier's office. So did Stan Hagen, who has since replaced van Dongen as fisheries minister.

But B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell denies he ever saw the memo.
The investigation against Stolt Sea Farms was then quietly closed. The lead investigator wrote that the investigation has been significantly compromised, and justice has not been served. However the RCMP investigation into van Dongen continues.

Reform of BC's Criminal Justice System

2008-04-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

More laughable comments from the Right Honourable Wally Oppal (or is that "Stonewally) from
this CBC Story:

Former B.C. solicitor general's brothers deny misconduct allegations
Opposition hammers government on why senior officials weren't told of RCMP probe into land transactions

Last Updated: Tuesday, April 1, 2008 1:40 AM ET
CBC News

But Attorney General Wally Oppal, who's assuming the duties of the solicitor general, said Monday that by law the justice branch had no obligation to reveal such information earlier or it could have compromised the integrity of the investigation.

'Our system … separates the political arm and political considerations from the independence that is required to investigate and prosecute cases.'— B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal

"Our system is regarded as one of the best in the world in that it separates the political arm and political considerations from the independence that is required to investigate and prosecute cases," Oppal said.
************************************
Well, if one examines the kind of shenanigans and outright deception & poor practices of the province's legal team in the Legislature Raids (aka Basi-Virk trial), Mr. Oppal's statement flies in
the face of reasonability & reality. Also, sufficient concern about decision-making of the Vancouver Crown Prosecuter's office/ Criminal Justice Branch has been made in the Frank Paul inquiry that the the sitting commissioner is ordering those responsible for the decisions to appear before the inquiry, which they are fighting tooth & nail. There is very, very little, if any accountability & transparency built into the entire decision-making process of the Criminal Justice Branch. One need only look at Ken Dobell's situation as well. To recap, a government appointed Special Prosecuter advised that although it was the Crown's supposition that Dobell's actions would likely meet the grounds for a substantial likelihood of conviction for influence peddling (the gate post for criminal charges going ahead), instead, with no explanation, transparency, or accountability, instead, Mr. Dobell (don't forget Gordon Campbell's right-hand man) gets to plead guilty under the Lobby Registry Act & pay back the $$$ he was paid by our tax money and receives an Absolute Discharge & some comments by the presiding judge about the triviality of the case and how it might impact the public. If these are the attitudes of those in the Criminal Justice Branch (from the Special Prosecuter, Crown & Judiciary) in this one case, then clearly our justice system has significant enough problems when viewed in their entirety that there should be some sort of inquiry into the practice, conduct & accountability of the entire justice system in BC. These aren't trivial matters and people on the street (AKA the electorate) get it... there is a different sort of justice & applications of the law for rich, white political insiders & friends of Gordon Campbell, than for everyone else. The irony of Mr. Oppal, a man called to the bar, a former Judge of good standing & respected by many and a man of colour to now be called on to make excuses for the abject failure & disingenuous (& perhaps negligent) nature of justice in BC cannot be ignored. What price to maintain political power & clout? What price infamy & a loss of respect & dignity & democracy in a province & for the people? In a fair & civil society, justice is meted out to all. I would think that this would be the worldview shared by someone as esteemed as Mr. Oppal. One only hopes he wakes up, smells the rancid coffee & starts to do the right thing.
Believe me, if the top Judge & now Cop in the province stands up for all of us, Campbell would be helpless in the face of that. Do the right thing while you can, Mr. Oppal. Since you now hold an immense level of power & control, we call on you to introduce reforms & offer an amnesty to all who will come forward to blow the whistle on corruption, mismanagement & a lack of accountability in BC's Criminal Justice system.
*************************************
Oppal says BC's special prosecutor system is working as it should
Mar, 31 2008 - 3:20 PM

VANCOUVER/CKNW(AM980) - Attorney-general Wally Oppal says BC's special prosecutor system is working as it should, even though John Les continued in his job as solicitor-general for nine months after a special prosecutor was appointed to look into his activities.

"I recognize the concerns that all of you have, and that is the spectre of the solicitor-general being under investigation but keep in mind the solicitor-general does not, cannot and must not get involved in any investigation, he has no role to play in any particular investigation and I think the public needs to understand that."

Oppal defends the policy of the criminal justice branch to only disclose information about special prosecutors when the media starts asking questions.
***********************************
More unbelievable statements from the Honourable Mr. Oppal. The Frank Paul inquiry has heard allegations that Rich Coleman, in his role as Minister of Soliciter-General refused to authorize an inquiry into the actions of members of the Vancouver Police Department & whether they contributed to the untimely death of a citizen, namely Mr. Frank Paul. One wonders how alleged Ministerial decision-making and using one's role as Soliciter General to deny an inquiry could be viewed as anything but interference & use of Ministerial power to influence justice for a citizen of BC, as Mr. Paul was?

From Hansard:

BC Legislature - TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2004

CALL FOR PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO CASE OF FRANK PAUL

J. Kwan: On December 20, 2001, the Solicitor General rejected a request from the independent police complaint commissioner to hold a coroner's inquest into the death of Frank Paul. Why? Because he was worried that it might bring up charges of racial discrimination. God forbid that we discuss racial discrimination in the case of an aboriginal man left to die on the streets of Vancouver by the Vancouver police.

At the time it was the Attorney General, not the Solicitor General, who had the power to act on the police complaint commissioner's recommendation. But the Solicitor General blocked the recommendation, saying that he was concerned that the issues "of racial discrimination are likely to become the central features." Did the Attorney General agree with his colleague's rationale for blocking the coroner's request?

Hon. G. Plant: The Solicitor General is the minister responsible for the Police Act and for any of the provisions under that act that are of interest to the member.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Vancouver “Mount Pleasant has a supplementary question.

J. Kwan: This is a serious matter. A man was left to die in the streets of Vancouver, and the Attorney General was in charge at the time, when the recommendation was made to him. He passed the buck then, and he's passing the buck now.
Since the Solicitor General denied this request, a new independent police complaint commissioner has now asked that a public inquiry be held based on new evidence and new witnesses. The new commissioner points out that the case of Frank Paul is not an isolated incident, citing the Stonechild inquiry in Saskatoon.

"Not my problems anymore," says the Attorney General. "I handed over responsibilities for this to the Solicitor General two weeks ago in cabinet through an OIC."

Read much more about this case:

http://www.turtleisland.org/news/frankpaul.htm

One more down, a few more to go...

2008-03-31T11:44:00.000-07:00

Aftermath of Minister's resignation
Mar, 31 2008 - 1:10 AM

VICTORIA/CKNW(AM980) - BC's interim Solicitor-General says it's only fair the public wasn't told about the investigation into John Les. Speaking on CKNW's Sean Leslie Show, Attorney General Wally Oppal says its standard practice for police to investigate without informing the public, especially when it comes to the political realm, "Under our system the police are free to operate independently of any political interference or political input and that's the way it should be in any democracy."

Oppal says the potential for an investigation to be prejudiced or compromised becomes a real possibility once it becomes public knowledge.

Les stepped aside as Solicitor-General Friday after learning a special prosecutor had been appointed to look into whether he benefited from land deals while he was Mayor of Chilliwack.
*******************************
This has just reached a point of insanity. The Honourable Mr. Oppal was a member of the bar & judiciary. How dare he become chief apologist & spin doctor for the unethical, immoral actions of this government? Mr. Oppal, you are rapidly losing the respect of the electorate as a person of great influence and as a representative of your community. I'm quite sure when you laid down with those old dogs you had no idea that you would end up doing Public Relations for these clowns, or cleaning up their messes, but the time is quickly coming when you are going to have to make some decisions or you are going down with the ship and everything you've built your life & reputation for is going to be smeared & tarnished by all those fleas jumping off the dogs & onto you.
********************************
'I have never been questioned by the RCMP,' says B.C. solicitor general Les
Cabinet minister who is under investigation has stepped down as solicitor general
Last Updated: Saturday, March 29, 2008 2:14 AM ET
CBC News

Excerpt:

After stepping down as B.C.'s solicitor general, John Les said he did not know he was the subject of an RCMP investigation involving allegations of improper conduct during his time as mayor of Chilliwack.

After stepping aside as B.C.'s solicitor general, John Les said Friday night he has no knowledge of any investigative activity targeted at him or anyone connected to him.(CBC)

Les held a press conference in his Chilliwack constituency office Friday night after announcing that he had stepped down as the province's solicitor general while under investigation.

"I'm not sure what the allegations are," he said. "I learned this afternoon that I'm apparently part of an investigation into issues in Chilliwack City Hall apparently dating back to the time when I was mayor." ...

Can We Handle the Truth?

2008-03-23T20:06:00.000-07:00

Globalization is Killing Canada: Fight for Your Freedom

by Paul Hellyer. The Canadian.

Is Canada worth saving? Is democracy worth saving? These are the two fundamental questions we must address now - before it is too late. Canadian values are disappearing rapidly as we lose our independence and our sovereignty. The country is being dismantled after more than a century of nation building. We are losing control of our most important industries. As we give up domestic ownership of our assets, we lose the most exciting and challenging jobs, which too often move to the new corporate headquarters outside Canada - and young people who want those jobs must follow. It's part of the brain drain.

In effect, Canada has become a victim of "Globalization". We are told this process is both inevitable and good. It is only inevitable if we let it happen. It is only good for two to five percent of the world's richest and most powerful people. It is bad for the vast majority.

Read the entire article here.

******************************
It's a long read, but one of the best articles I've seen on how globalization is impacting our sovereign nation. As a Canadian patriot, I have long been alarmed and frightened of where we are going. I believe in Canada and what we used to stand for. Our collective beliefs made us a leader on the world stage, not some parboiled spotty younger brother of the bully next door, whose tarnished and truly despised standing around the globe impacts us all.
*****************************
Another one of interest:

New clandestine Civil Assistance Plan opens up Canada to a future legitimated U.S. occupation and endless military entanglements in the Middle EastThe Civil Assistance Plan (CAP) is another example of the subversion of the national independence... Read More
****************************
FRONTLINE http://www.pbs.org/frontline/ - This Week: "Bush's War" (270 minutes),
March 24th and 25th at 9pm on PBS (Check local listings)

Live Discussion: Chat with producer Michael Kirk March. 26, 11am ET

In the Fall of 2001, with the campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in full swing in Afghanistan, veteran producer Michael Kirk walked into FRONTLINE's Boston office with a stunning piece of news: In Washington, he'd learned, a small group of policy insiders had quietly begun planning for what they called "Phase 2" -- the invasion of Iraq and the toppling of Saddam Hussein. Over the next six years, Kirk and a handful of other FRONTLINE production teams would pursue every major aspect of the Bush administration's "war on terror."

On the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, inside Pakistan's lawless tribal areas and the radical mosques of Europe, and behind closed doors in Washington, FRONTLINE has conducted some four hundred interviews on the war, often with administration insiders who reveal the anguished decisions, the bitter policy battles and the almost Shakespearean dramas that played out among the conflict's chief actors: Powell and Rumsfeld, Cheney, Rice, and Bush.

Now, on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion, FRONTLINE presents "Bush's War," airing Monday and Tuesday night. Drawing on some forty hours of FRONTLINE films and incorporating significant new interviews, this two-part series may well become the definitive documentary analysis of one of the most challenging periods in our country's history.

Tent Cities in BC: Real Estate of the Future?

2008-03-18T16:10:00.000-07:00

Is this where BC might be heading? Think about it. Since the BC Liberal elites and their friends, the developers etc. have been able to drive ever-increasing prices for real estate. Even modest, older homes are going for almost a million dollars in Vancouver now. Some news reports tell us that some families are spending up to 70% of their income earnings on mortgages. I think most people really underestimate how fast the slide to the bottom can be. Many of us are literally one bad accident, or illness away from defaulting on a mortgage payment, or not being able to pay our rent.

Many of us also know that the strategic destruction of the social safety net and barriers to accessing income assistance, Employment Insurance, medical services and a lack of affordable housing mean that all of us are sitting on an epidemic of homelessness. This is impacting multiple generations now, including Generation X and Y. One of the largest unknown poor populations is that of senior women. I feel a great deal of concern about where these Elders are once they get evicted so landlords can boost their rents. Who is taking care of them, especially those who can't afford to pay upwards of $5000 a month to live in a retirement home, even a crappy one where they might be at-risk. These days, through privatizing services to the developmentally disabled the province isn't even providing respite, or residential care for many who need it. What are the numbers? Community Living BC doesn't keep waitlists for those awaiting any service, so we don't know.

If it does not give you chills and a very bad feeling of foreboding in your belly to read that the state will now be requiring homeless to wear armbands then you have not read up on your World War II history enough. This is what it brings to mind for me:

First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out-- because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the communists and I did not speak out-- because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out-- because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me-- and there was no one left to speak out for me.
~ A poem by Pastor Martin Niemoller, Berlin, 1939. He spent 8 1/2 years in a concentration camp.

We are in serious trouble as a society, as a province and a country. I don't know what kind of a wake up call people need that the oligarchy in charge does not recognize, let alone act in our collective best interests. You're not alright Jack, get off your back. We are all connected and we better start realizing that and start getting involved in our communities and as citizens or we're going to be putting on coloured wrist bands and raising children in tent cities, having people with disabilities and our Elders spend their dying days there as well.

Our province and country used to offer something so much better to our citizens than the Americans and it was part of our pride. Can we say that now? Usually the trends hit the States before us. We've already had tent cities in Vancouver. The state removed them. Where did those people go? As far as I'm concerned, governments, certain corporate interests and transnationals are committing collusion in the interests of genocide right here in our own cities, province and country. Think that's far fetched, take a walk in the Downtown Eastside and prove me wrong. Denying all citizens their human rights is a condition of genocide. Wholesale negligence and destruction of the social safety net is a condition of genocide. Exclusion from participation in society and access to the basic conditions necessary for life is a condition of genocide. That is what the BC and Canadian governments are providing to our most vulnerable citizens. And they have more plans for the future.

************************
Tent city highlights US homes crisis
BBC News. March 14, 2008.
By Rajesh Mirchandani.

The meltdown in the US mortgage market has led to record foreclosures and forced thousands from their homes. In few places is it worse than southern California, where the BBC's Rajesh Mirchandani reports on an extreme consequence of the downturn, but one that some observers fear could grow.

The population of Tent City has grown rapidly in less than a year
Forty miles east of Los Angeles, on a patch of waste ground, is the place they call Tent City.
Sandwiched between the local airport and the railway line, this really is the wrong side of the tracks.
We are on the outskirts of Ontario, a functionally pleasant commuter-city in southern California.
Last summer, local officials established this camp as a temporary base for the city's homeless population, then around two dozen.
But word spread and now some 300 people live here. It has an air of scruffy permanence, and indeed, city officials say there are no current plans to close it down.

****************************
Tent City evicting homeless who are not from Ontario: In an effort to limit the size of the refuge and improve conditions, officials will force out residents who can't prove they once lived in the city.

By David Kelly, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer March 14, 2008

Citing health and safety concerns, the city of Ontario next week will dramatically reduce the size of a homeless encampment known as Tent City by expelling those residents who cannot prove clear ties to the city.Starting Monday, anyone who can't provide documents showing they once lived in Ontario will be given a bus or taxi ride back to where they came from.

The homeless will be fitted with color-coded bands around their arms or wrists that will designate their status....

Under the new regulations, Tent City will hold no more than 170 people. Anyone entering will be processed and given a permit to stay up to 90 days. No pets will be allowed and police will be permanently stationed inside. The area will also be fenced.

Translink/BC Liberal cronies aim to pillage more $$$ from Citizens & Businesses

2008-03-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

Here is my post to this CBC news story:

TransLink eyes $18M tax hike for Metro Vancouver residents
Last Updated: Monday, March 17, 2008 12:24 PM ET
CBC News

Have any of these clowns heard of a little thing called taxation without representation? So, let's review: the BC Liberal appointed the board of Translink, friends and insiders, none who actually has any experience in transportation. This is eerily similar to the appointment of Doug Hahm as chair of BC Ferries and we see how well that's gone for us all. Then, the Translink Board votes themselves cushy BIG raises, behind closed doors. Wonder what other perks they've set for themselves? Now, they plan to introduce a scheme to tax businesses and citizens when they have no legal right to do so. When did BC become a fascist, anti-democratic oligarchy where unelected, unaccountable elites can tax us throughout the entire Lower Mainland. I presume communities in outlining areas who receive little to no adequate public transportation will also be on the hook here.

Enough is enough. City councils and other organizations must look at passing a vote of non-confidence in the BC Liberal government & Translink, or there won't be much left of our communities once these greedy folks are done pillaging all they can.

Another Legal Precedent in Protection for Whistleblowers

2008-03-17T10:32:00.000-07:00

Court overturns Hamilton reporter's contempt charge

Last Updated: Monday, March 17, 2008 12:40 PM ET
CBC News

The Ontario Court of Appeal has overturned a charge of contempt against a journalist for refusing to reveal a source during testimony in a 2004 lawsuit.

In the ruling issued Monday in Toronto, the three-judge panel ruled that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms applies to journalist-informant confidentiality and, as a result, the contempt charge and fine against Hamilton Spectator reporter Ken Peters should be set aside.

In 2004, Peters refused to provide information that could identify a confidential source during a civil trial that stemmed from a series of articles he wrote.

Peters's stories, written in April 1995, focused on issues at a Hamilton nursing home. The allegations prompted the nursing home operators, St. Elizabeth Home Society, to file a lawsuit against the City of Hamilton and Halton Region.

In addition to the contempt charge, Peters was fined $31,600 to cover costs "thrown away" during the proceedings relating to his refusal to answer. The source, former city alderman Henry Merling, eventually came forward.

The Court of Appeal ruled that courts should do their best to obtain evidence from other sources before compelling a journalist to reveal a source. The ruling said that due to the freedom-of-speech rights in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms "every effort should be made to minimize the impact upon those rights and values."

The ruling also found that the charge of contempt was premature.

"I agree with the appellant's submission that even after it has been determined that the rights of the litigants trump a journalist's claim of confidentiality, it is a mistake to cite the journalist for contempt immediately," the ruling read, adding that contempt power is to be used cautiously and only as a last resort.

"The court should first explore other means of proceeding that would be less intrusive to the journalist-informant relationship of confidentiality."

The ruling also said the judges "can see no justification" for having continued with contempt proceedings after the confidential source had been revealed.With files from the Canadian Press

No Justice for Anyone in BC

2008-03-13T13:32:00.000-07:00

I'd like someone to tell me when our province got hijacked, and some sort of banana republic was set up? How many other complaints made have been turned down by MLA's and sitting bureaucrats because they might involve human rights violations of citizens. I know of quite a few myself and a look at the decisions on the Human Rights Tribunal website make it clear that human rights are not taken as seriously as they should be in this province as they were in the past, as Mr. Coleman is alleged by Mr. Morrison (no wallflower) provided a clear example to his constituents and every other citizen in the province. And Mr. Paul and many of the marginalized citizens like him are citizens, as are the rest of us, which our elected officials don't seem to be aware of anymore. And the Ken Dobell's of the world don't get that either. The day a judge sitting on the bench in BC remarks that a violation of the law is trivial, especially when influence peddling was also a part of the allegations, is the day justice is dead in BC.
*******************************

Former Commissioner frustrated in Paul case
Mar, 12 2008 - 10:30 PM

VANCOUVER/CKNW(AM980) - A former Police Complaints Commissioner says his request for an Inquest into the 1998 death of Frank Paul, a native man, was rejected by the BC Government and he didn't think a public hearing would be an effective option.

Don Morrison says an Inquest was the best way to go because he didn't believe that the two Vancouver Police officers who ended up being disciplined for their roles in the homeless man's death, would agree to testify at an informal public hearing, "I felt that if there would be an Inquest, the evidence of the officers could be tested under cross-examination. I agree it's not to determine fault, but out of that, possibly, truth."

Morrison says then Solicitor-General Rich Coleman said no to an Inquest because he was worried that would raise issues of racial discrimination.
*********************
Dobell gets absolute discharge for lobbying violations

Last Updated: Thursday, March 13, 2008 2:36 PM ET
CBC News
Ken Dobell has been given an absolute discharge in a court case stemming from lobbying work the former deputy minister did for the city of Vancouver.

The former deputy minister to the premier had pleaded guilty of violating the Lobbyist Registration Act, but Judge Joe Galatti said Dobell's violation of the act was trivial.

"I'm very pleased that the judge reached the conclusion that he reached. It's very important to me. I did not want to end my career with a conviction in a related kind of area," said Dobell after the verdict was announced on Thursday morning in Vancouver.

Dobell had already agreed to refund nearly $7,000 in fees he collected for his work on a downtown Eastside housing project, which included lobbying the provincial government for funding.

The former senior adviser to Premier Gordon Campbell decided to plead guilty after a special prosecutor determined he failed to register as a lobbyist within 10 days as required by the provincial Lobbyists Act.

Union Whistleblowing

2008-03-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

Mounties to investigate union books
Mar, 05 2008 - 10:10 PM

VANCOUVER/CKNW(AM980) - The RCMP's Commercial Crimes Section has been asked to investigate the union representing 75-hundred Vancouver-area hotel workers. This, after an internal audit of Unite Here-Local 40 determined financial records were never filed for both 2006 and 2007.

Katherine Wunderlich, who's been a member of the union since 1976, says she suspected something was wrong more than four years ago and she feels betrayed by union leaders, "People in the hotel industry, we clean toilets for a living. We serve coffee to people. We are the lowest-paid industry in this Province. If somebody has taken money illegally from the union, the police should get involved."

In a report released to union officers last month, the Chief Auditor for Local 40, Chester S. Modzelewski says the missing financial records should have been reported every month.

Union President Jim Pearson has not returned calls from CKNW.

http://www.cknw.com/news/news_local.cfm?cat=7428218912&rem=87267&red=80121823aPBIny&wids=242&gi=1&gm=news_local.cfm

Courageous Acts and Justice

2008-03-05T09:36:00.000-08:00

Some of us can imagine what Mr. Dunlop, this brave soul and his family have gone through.
As many of us know, power, privilege and money trump human rights, justice and accountability
for the heinous and criminal actions of certain individuals in our communities.

BC had Judge Ramsey, who I'm told was known in the professional, legal and law enforcement community to be sexually abusing young women in Prince George for some time before he was ever caught, only by virtue of the courage of the young women who blew the whistle. They were not only violated and abused by him, but some who also were forced to appear in front of him as a sitting judge in child protection matters.

Ex-officer gets 6 months for refusal to testify at sex-abuse inquiry

Last Updated: Wednesday, March 5, 2008 11:24 AM ET Comments1 Recommend16
The Canadian Press

A former police officer has been handed a six-month jail sentence for his refusal to testify at a public inquiry largely of his making.

Perry Dunlop has said he will not appear before the inquiry, which is probing institutional response to allegations of systemic sexual abuse in Cornwall, Ont.

A Toronto court heard Wednesday the 46-year-old father of three can 'purge' his contempt conviction at any time by testifying before the inquiry, and could then apply for immediate release from jail.

Dunlop was a police officer in the eastern Ontario city when he began an off-hours investigation of an alleged pedophile ring.

A provincial police investigation, dubbed Project Truth, laid about 115 charges against 15 men, but failed to uncover any evidence of a ring. Only one person was convicted.

Dunlop, who now lives in Duncan, B.C., has said he doesn't have the heart to face the "barrage" of lawyers at the inquiry.

*********************

Ex-cop Dunlop says he doesn't have the heart to face grilling at sex abuse inquiry
IN DEPTH: Cornwall public inquiry Sorting fact from fiction in the sex abuse scandal

Last Updated Nov. 6, 2007
CBC News
On Feb. 13, 2006, a public inquiry opened in Cornwall, Ont., into a case that has dogged the region for decades. It involved allegations that a ring of pedophiles had operated in the eastern Ontario community since the late 1950s.

There had been sordid tales that the ring passed its victims among its members, which allegedly included members of the region's Roman Catholic clergy, police and probation officers, and other professionals in the community.

Justice Normand Glaude of Sudbury, Ont., is shown in this undated handout photo.

Police investigations, including the high-profile Ontario Provincial Police probe Project Truth, yielded more than 100 charges against more than two dozen men. Only a handful of them were convicted, and police found no evidence of an organized ring of pedophiles.

Serious Implications for Whistleblowers

2008-03-01T17:06:00.000-08:00

Court ruling a major setback for public's right to know, CAJ says

Excerpt:

OTTAWA, Feb. 29 /CNW/ - The Canadian Association of Journalists is gravely dismayed by a regressive appeal court ruling that requires the National Post to surrender leaked secret documents in the Shawinigate affair to police.

Today's Ontario Court of Appeal ruling that the right to protect confidential sources is superseded by the police need to investigate alleged crimes overturns a landmark Ontario Superior Court decision that struck down an RCMP warrant against the National Post and reporter Andrew McIntosh in September 2002. Police allege leaked documents detailing a controversial loan to a Quebec hotelier in former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's riding are
forged and seek to analyze them for fingerprints and DNA to identify the
source.

"Today's decision is a major setback for press freedom and the public's right to know," said CAJ president Mary Agnes Welch. "It would effectively require journalists to become agents of the state, which will put a chill on whistleblowers and other people of conscience who would bring matters of profound public importance to light." The ruling is the latest in a series of attacks on the use of confidential sources in Canada, Welch said.

"The legal standard in Canada should allow any journalist to protect the identity of their confidential sources, period. This is woefully absent from our laws and jurisprudence, which is what can lead to rulings like this one," Welch said....

"The physical materials in this case go to the core principle ofprotecting confidential sources," Welch said. "Police are on a witch-hunt to root out a whistleblower who exposed important and embarrassing information, and they are trying to use forensic tests to do it. If that isn't an attemptto subvert the relationship between journalists and confidential sources, Idon't know what is."

Welch noted that whistleblowers who do reveal information often do so at great personal and professional risk.

Could this happen in BC's Basi/Virk trial & the Raid of the BC Legislature?

2008-02-01T17:46:00.000-08:00

Liberal negligence caused case to be thrown out against Toronto cops: NDP

January 31, 2008. Canoe News.

THE CANADIAN PRESS TORONTO -- Opposition parties say the Liberal government's incompetence has led to the staying of corruption charges against six Toronto police officers.

NDP justice critic Peter Kormos says its "despicable" that what he calls government negligence has led to the decision, which was based on unreasonable delay.

The Ontario judge who stayed the charges criticized Crown prosecutors for taking almost six years to get the case to trial.

The former drug-squad officers were facing charges of extortion, assault and perjury. Those charges stemmed from a lengthy RCMP-led investigation that concluded in 2004. The Crown had alleged that from 1995 to 2002, the officers forged notes and police records, gave false testimony and affidavits to obtain search warrants, and failed to account for seized evidence.

http://www.canoe.ca/OntQueTicker/CANOE-wire.Police-Corruption.html

************************
Charges stayed against drug squad cops

Last Updated: Thursday, January 31, 2008 6:47 PM ET
CBC News

Charges against a group of Toronto drug squad officers have been thrown out.
The charges against the six were stayed after the judge agreed trial had been unduly delayed, violating the officers' right to a speedy hearing.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Ian Nordheimer said the pace in which the charges made it to court was "glacial," and as a result, the five officers and one former officer will not face 30 counts of corruption stemming from an investigation dating back to 2004.

The officers all pleaded not guilty.

John Rosen, one of the defence lawyers, said the men are "relieved.

"These officers are pleased that the matter has come to an end. They're saddened by the fact that they weren't able to face their accusers and be vindicated in the courtroom. But the main thing is they have suffered and suffered enough, and that what the court has found," Rosen told reporters outside the courthouse.

The policemen, all former members of the Toronto drug squad, had faced a slew of charges, including extortion, theft, assault, perjury, and obstruction of justice.

An internal investigation by a 25-member special task force was headed by then Chief Supt. John Neily of the RCMP and was assigned to look into corruption allegations against the officers in the now-defunct Central Field Command drug squad Team 3.

Neily referred a total of 218 charges against 12 officers to the Crown Law Office, but prosecutors recommended charging only six officers with 22 counts because only those had a "reasonable prospect of conviction."

It was said to be the biggest corruption investigation in the history of Canadian policing.
The task force cost the Toronto Police Service about $4 million and the RCMP about $1.2 million as of 2005, according to reports. An estimated $2 million more was spent in preparation for the trial.

Two previous internal probes had unearthed allegations of criminal activity in Toronto drug squads dating back to the early 1990s, but fell short of pursuing charges because of a lack of resources and limited scope, according to Neily's final report.

The investigation started after more than 200 drug cases were dropped by provincial prosecutors. A number of people accused in those cases had filed civil lawsuits. They alleged they had been been beaten and robbed by drug squad officers.

Ontario Attorney General Chris Bentley says his ministry is reviewing the judge's decision.

Organizational Culture & The Legal Conduct of the BC Government in Handling the Basi/Virk Trial

2008-01-29T12:19:00.000-08:00

This is in response to a story and comments on the excellent blog by BC Mary, The Legislature Raids.

To start off, the reporting and commitment of professional & citizen journalists is commendable and of the highest order to the rights and justice of the citizens of BC. Contrary to what Robin Matthews says, I think "onlookers" and little things like democracy and justice are very much relevant when the mainstream, corporate media abrogates its' role and responsibility of reporting on issues of importance to the public in a democracy. In saying that though, part of what seems to be missing is an analysis of the organizational culture of the BC government and how these strategies of deflection and unethical conduct are being played out in this case.

Over the past 7 years now, within the BC government, the people who've done the best, moved up the ranks, achieved higher levels of power and authority are often those with more than a bit of "moral and ethical flexibility" and a keen sense of self-interest, of an opportunitistic and an almost predatory nature in finding ways to exploit relationships with others towards personal gain, career advancement and salary increases. Within the world of the BC provincial government, the days of the discourse and service for and in the interests of the public good are truly over.

Now, in saying that though, there are still many ethical, intelligent & committed bureaucrats, at both senior & junior levels. However, it's the other ones that rise much faster and higher as we've seen they often make very bad, or stupid choices and arrogant decisions and are often quite sloppy in how they do things (ie. sending e-mails etc.). They also don't understand things like FOIPPA. Some players are actually told what they are going to do and promises and plans are made to reward those who will "adapt" their own moral and ethical stances.

When the inevitable sloppiness blows up, or when some parties find out what's happened, or can no longer tolerate what's happened, OR pre-emptive efforts are made on the part of the employer to get rid of people who know too much, that's when people often blow the whistle.
Most of the time it's self- protective, because there are no rewards for going there and most people still need their jobs, income and health. There are classic ways the wrongdoers go after people, often well before they have blown any whistles, or at least publically. The BC government now has numerous ethical resisters/ whistleblowers, some who are no longer in the ranks, many who still are. And they have lots of people placed to try to keep a lid on things too. On this blog we have some examples of those courageous and ethical people who took a stand and paid the cost.

So, this case is HUGE and so very important, but it is actually only one example of how seriously damaged the BC public service and government are and how deeply this kind of entrenched dysfunction goes. I think at some point, it is going to be necessary for a complaint to be made about the government lawyers' conduct in the case and perhaps an inquiry into how the entire justice system has been perverted in the province, as this case makes abundantly clear. Blaming Copely, Berardino or the rest of the legal branch is not really the solution, but they do take Oaths to pass the bar and they should upheld their oaths no matter what. Believe me, everyone involved in this and all the many other legal actions involving, or against the BC government right now are running around putting out fires created by Campbell and his other "morally flexible" cronies and their underlings. I don't imagine it's a very fun time to be a senior bureuacrat, or government lawyer these days, or MLA's for that matter. Have you seen how old, haggard and weary some of them are looking these days. That isn't a natural aging process, it's the weight of being part of something you know is wrong, covering things up, living in fear and having to make morally indefensible positions publically. It's the weight of your spouse, children, parents questioning what you are doing and where and why you changed from the person who knew better and got into politics for the right reasons: to help people and be part of making things better for All.

Another fixture of this situation is the arrogance of those involved at the higher levels. Campbell
has often been referred to as the Teflon premier, nothing sticks to him. That kind of arrogance and ignorance is often the downfall of his ilk, because they don't understand process and stick to a losing position. It's quite possible if this case was handled differently, the whole matter could be over by now, with Virk & Basi not even charged, or with lesser charges, pled out. A done deal. However, as we inch ever closer to the Olympics and these kind of shenanigans continue, the world could quite possibly come to see the Gordon Campbell Liberal government for the corrupt, unethical and criminal bunch of thugs they are alleged to be. I'm quite sure the international media who will be in BC during the Olympics would like that kind of spicy story to report on. It will make this Olympics quite a bit more interesting, especially when you add on things like homelessness, the Downtown Eastside, being the tops in Canada for child poverty for half a decade, convention centre over-runs, lobbyist friends etc.

I'd like to see some brave journalist conduct some sort of in-depth investigation of some of what's been touched on here. I don't think the mainstream media will touch it (they have their marching orders too) but as we can see, when forced to, they do step up at least a little bit.

Get Ready for your new job at the Call Centre

2008-01-25T20:46:00.000-08:00

The softer side of income assistance

Sean Holman, January 24, 2008.
The Public Eye Online.

The provincial employment and income assistance ministry has budgeted around $100,000 to improve the telephone communication skills of its 800 frontline staff. In an interview with Public Eye, communications director Richard Chambers, explained the training program is meant to improve the staff's ability to deliver ministry services over the phone. "We're committed to this service delivery model. We think we can make it work. And we think there will be two winners if we can deliver our services well by phone," said Mr. Chambers.

"If clients are happy with the service they receive and it works for them, then it's going to be a lot more convenient for hem and less evasive. For us, in the ministry, it means we will have fewer people coming into our offices - fewer waits, fewer backups and fewer people around the buildings. And, ultimately, telephone delivery service could result in significant savings." Earlier today, the government quietly announced that the British Columbia Institute of Technology will be delivering the training program. The following is a complete copy of that announcement, which was posted on BC Bid.

*****************************************
But hey, at least the jobs haven't been shipped to Bangalore... yet.

Once the whole privatization is done the Liberals don't even have to pretend to care about all those welfare bums hanging around "the buildings" or the jobs and bodies that will no longer be the concern of the BC government. And hey, all of you welfare folks will have no-one to complain to, or get even marginal support, or gods forbid, income assistance, since you won't ever be able to reach anyone again. And then the Liberals and their cronies (who will be paid bonuses for cutting the ranks of welfare even more) will pat themselves on the back about what a good job they've done. God help us all, but mostly those who really need it. Has the world really gone insane with greed? Where does it all stop?

Connecting the Dots

2008-01-25T20:21:00.000-08:00

Lack of policy explained

Sean Holman. January 25, 2008.

Lack of policy explained

Last year, Ian Reid replaced David Perry as provincial New Democrat leader Carole James's chief of staff, leaving the post of caucus policy director vacant. But, next month, Public Eye has learned British Columbia Government and Service Employees Union staff representative Vanessa Geary will be filling the vacancy. Ms. Geary, who has been an executive assistant to union president George Heyman and Vancouver mayor Larry Campbell, was recently elected to Vision Vancouver's board of directors.
Posted by Sean Holman at 01:05 PM

*******************************************
BCGEU President announces he will not seek re-election
January 24th 2008. BCGEU.

George Heyman has announced he is not going to run again as president of BCGEU, not sure why he felt the need to issue a self-congratulatory memo to union members when he doesn't step until June, when the next BCGEU convention happens?

One might wonder if Mr. Heyman and his trusty executive assistant Anita Zaenker, former co-chair of COPE are still members of the old team, or have they traded in their memberships for Vision? They were in the thick of the split between COPE & Vision. Sounds like some things are being lined up quite neatly.

And of course, Jeff Fox, president of the BC NDP is Director of Organizing & Field Services of the BCGEU, so he would have worked with Ms. Geary when she was with BCGEU.

http://www.bcgeu.ca/Provincial_Executive

One thing that's for sure, Ms. Geary is a woman to watch and will hopefully add something entirely different and valuable to the old boys club (aka the Silverbacks), which sure needs a breath of fresh air.

What's that sound, oh it's the balls being neatly racked up and put in their proper places.

**********************************
Centre for Civic Governance. Columbia Institute.
Board of Directors, hmmm, more dots.

CREATING A SUSTAINABLE LEGACY
Forum for Progressive GovernanceHarrison Hot Springs March 25th/26th 2006
Keynote and Plenary Speakers

VANESSA GEARY has been involved in progressive locally based action for over 15 years, serving on the boards of a number of neighborhood organizations. She 'has worked directly in government at BC Housing, as the coordinator of the Tenants' Rights Action Coalition and as Executive Aassistant to Mayor Larry Campbell. Vanessa is currently Executive Assistant to George Heyman, President of the BCGEU. Vanessa has a Master's degree in planning.

**********************************
Notes on the making of a disaster
by Reed Eurchuk. The Republic of East Vancouver.
May 25 to June 7, 2006 Issue 139

Excerpt:

Power lines
Vanessa Geary’s career trajectory neatly illustrates the institutional basis sustaining the so-called “left” side of the political spectrum. Geary worked for the NGO “Tenant’s Rights Action Coalition” [TRAC]. She went from there to work in ex-mayor Larry Campbell’s office. Following Vision Vancouver’s loss of the mayor’s office, she found herself a new gig covering Anita Zanker’s maternity leave at BCGEU headquarters. From NGO to government to union headquarters, such is the path available for the professional “left.”

*****************************************
Vision seeks members
By Matthew Burrows. (December 29, 2005).
The Georgia Straight.

Before the November 19 municipal election, NPA Mayor Sam Sullivan made considerable political hay by criticizing the "undemocratic" structure of then-fledgling Vision Vancouver. At one point, Sullivan told former Vision councillor Jim Green that Green's party, mostly created out of the split with the Coalition of Progressive Electors, had been hand-picked with no membership list.
Vision Coun. Heather Deal recently told the Straight that this is rapidly changing. "We've got a very strong caucus," Deal said. "Our executive is in place and we're meeting on a regular basis. Josh Coles is president, as he was throughout the campaign. We don't currently have staff, but we have a strong group of volunteers."

Both Deal and Vision Coun. Tim Stevenson-formerly a COPE park-board commissioner and a COPE councillor, respectively-told the Straight that Vision was making a steady transition to a membership-driven party. "We've had a couple of executive board meetings since the election," Stevenson said. "We have between 500 and 700 members signed up. We're registered in Victoria, we have a board, and we'll be having an AGM like other parties do, of course."

Geoff Meggs and Vanessa Geary, both executive assistants to former mayor Larry Campbell, are on the new Vision board, according to Stevenson. The two-term councillor and former NDP MLA added that Vision has "not been able to go beyond planning" yet, due to the holiday break, but that a party "retreat" is planned for January.

Deal could not confirm that members of Vision are excluded from being members of COPE. "I don't know how that's going to work out," she said. "We are separate parties. That's going to be one of the issues that we have to work through. At this point we are very distinctly two separate entities."

Canada's own Nuclear Whistleblower?

2008-01-16T09:26:00.000-08:00

Nuclear safety watchdog head fired for 'lack of leadership': minister
Last Updated: Wednesday, January 16, 2008 5:26 AM ET
CBC News

Excerpts:

Federal Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn said Wednesday that he fired the head of the nuclear safety watchdog for her "lack of leadership" in handling the shutdown of a medical isotope-producing nuclear reactor late last year.

Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission president Linda Keen was fired hours before she and Lunn were set to appear before a natural resources committee meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday.

Keen was fired days after she publicly accused Lunn of interfering with the independence of the arm's-length watchdog.

In a Dec. 27 letter to Keen leaked to the Ottawa Citizen, Lunn questioned her judgment for recommending the reactor be shut down and informed her he was considering having her removed from the post.

Keen responded with an eight-page letter accusing Lunn of improper interference and threatening to fight in court any attempt to remove her from her job. She also said she had asked the privacy commissioner and the RCMP to investigate how Lunn's letter was leaked to the media.

The Chalk River reactor generates two-thirds of the radioisotopes used around the world in medical procedures and tests. It was shut down on Nov. 18 because of safety concerns.

A ministerial directive on Dec. 10 ordered the CNSC to reopen the site. The agency refused, insisting a backup safety system be installed to prevent the risk of a meltdown during an earthquake or other disaster.

On Dec. 11, an emergency measure passed through the House of Commons overturning the watchdog's decision, and the reactor was restarted for a 120-day run on Dec. 16.
The Conservative government has blamed the commission's intransigence for creating the crisis. And Prime Minister Stephen Harper pointed a finger directly at Keen, a career bureaucrat whom he referred to as a Liberal appointee.

*****************
Classic bullying tactics against whistleblowers. Do what you're told or we will destroy you and your personal and professional reputation and we'll do it publically. I'm quite okay with someone erring on the side of caution where the potential exists for NUCLEAR MELTDOWNS related to safety and emergency concerns and I like to think most Canadians would be too.

Whistleblower Goes Global About US Insiders & Nuclear Secrets Sold on the International Black Market

2008-01-10T17:45:00.000-08:00

Hmmm, BC has the shamelessly stalled Legislature Raid & inside jobs for Campbell and "friends" about the sale of BC Rail, maybe something wonky with BC Hydro, but nothing like a little global destruction.

NDP alleges Basi-Virk trial will be delayed by BC Liberal government blocking disclosure of evidence sought by defence
Bill Tieleman. January 10, 2008. http://billtieleman.blogspot.com/

..........................

For Sale: West's Deadly Nuclear Secrets
London Times Online. January 6, 2008.

Excerpt:

A WHISTLEBLOWER has made a series of extraordinary claims about how corrupt government officials allowed Pakistan and other states to steal nuclear weapons secrets.

Sibel Edmonds, a 37-year-old former Turkish language translator for the FBI, listened into hundreds of sensitive intercepted conversations while based at the agency’s Washington field office.

Edmonds described how foreign intelligence agents had enlisted the support of US officials to acquire a network of moles in sensitive military and nuclear institutions. ...

She claims that the FBI was also gathering evidence against senior Pentagon officials – including household names – who were aiding foreign agents.

“If you made public all the information that the FBI have on this case, you will see very high-level people going through criminal trials,” she said.

Her story shows just how much the West was infiltrated by foreign states seeking nuclear secrets. It illustrates how western government officials turned a blind eye to, or were even helping, countries such as Pakistan acquire bomb technology.

.........................................
From Rumour Mill News

SIBEL EDMONDS-ONE LOVELY LADY THAT COULD BRING DOWN THE WHOLE HOUSE OF CARDS
Posted By: tangodog. Date: Thursday, 10 January 2008, 2:14 p.m.

Excerpt:

From one side of the globe to the other, as expected, the explosive whistleblower allegations concerning highly-placed, well-known U.S. officials in the Departments of State and Defense involved in an illicit, for-profit scheme to develop and protect a network of spies, who then stole and sold American nuclear secrets to the international black markets via Turkey, Israel and Pakistan, is now worldwide news!

That, even though the Times only covered "about 20%" of the story she has to tell, according to Edmonds, with whom we spoke late last night.

Sunday's British blockbuster, detailing how nuclear secrets were then proliferated to Iran, Libya, North Korea, and potentially even al-Qaeda, was picked up on Monday and reported by international mainstream outlets such as The Times of India, Pakistan's Daily Times, Iran's PressTV, Israel's Haaretz and even the Turkish Daily News.

Here in the United States, the mainstream media coverage included:
That's right. Nobody. None of them. Zilch. Not a one.

......................
FBI Whistleblower Sibel Edmonds 'Names' Names 21 Photos Placed Onto a 'States Secrets Privilege Gallery' Page at the 'Gagged' Former Translator's Website, Said to Identify the High-Ranking 'Guilty People in Her Case'

From Bradblog
BLOGGED BY Brad Friedman ON 1/8/2008.

Good news! The bombshell report on the front page of London's Sunday Times on charges made by former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds, has finally led to press coverage by the mainstream media!

From one side of the globe to the other, as expected, the explosive whistleblower allegations concerning highly-placed, well-known U.S. officials in the Departments of State and Defense involved in an illicit, for-profit scheme to develop and protect a network of spies, who then stole and sold American nuclear secrets to the international black markets via Turkey, Israel and Pakistan, is now worldwide news!

Whistleblower of the Year 2007

2007-12-14T17:50:00.000-08:00

He stuck out his neck and was fired

Larry Pynn, Vancouver Sun. Published: Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Gord McAdams, a career civil servant fired for turning whistleblower, said Tuesday he learned something along the way from rare painted turtles he helped to save near Nelson.
"What have I learned from the turtles?" McAdams said after receiving a 2007 whistleblower award in Vancouver. "To move forward, you have to stick your neck out, but it's nice to have a hard shell."

McAdams was fired as a resource officer in the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management in April 2005 after 34 years with the B.C. government, much of that in park planning.

WHISTLEBLOWER OF THE YEAR: Gord McAdams was fired as a B.C. resource officer after 34 years with the government. Ian Lindsay, Vancouver Sun.

"I had my retirement party that afternoon," he said in an interview. "They changed the locks, and told people not to associate with me. But most everybody came to my retirement party, anyways."

He caught the government's ire for providing confidential documents to the West Kootenay Community Ecosociety, which was trying to thwart plans by Bill Barisoff, then Liberal minister of Water, Land, and Air Protection, to move a road in Grohman Narrows Provincial Park.
The new road would have allowed developer Dan Bayoff to access his property for the purpose of developing a truck service maintenance yard, but it was also regarded as a threat to the painted turtles.

McAdams's documents were instrumental in B.C. Supreme Court Justice Janet Sinclair-Prowse ruling in May 2005 that the minister had made an "unauthorized exercise of his statutory power."

McAdams said his pension was not affected by the firing, but that other benefits such as sick leave and holidays totalling about five months salary were affected. With the help of the
B.C. Government Employees' Union, he subsequently reached a settlement with the B.C. government. Details are confidential.

Barisoff, who became Speaker of the House in September 2005, said in response Tuesday he has no regrets, arguing his decision to move the road was done in collaboration with transportation ministry officials to provide the safest vehicle access. He added the plan also involved enhancement of the park to benefit the turtles.

"Purely from a parks [legislative] perspective, we probably overstepped our bounds," he said.
"But for the travelling public and the enhancement of the turtles, we made the right decision."
Barisoff said he couldn't comment on the need for whistleblower legislation, given his position as Speaker.

McAdams, who is a Nelson councillor, received the award from the Freedom of Information and Privacy Association and the Campaign for Open Government, which are urging the province to whistleblower legislation.

Such disparate groups as the Western Canada Wilderness Committee and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, both present at the news conference, are in favour of such legislation.
"Corruption thrives in an environment of secrecy," said federation director Maureen Bader. "Whistleblowers are the last line of defence for the taxpayer and those acting in the public interest where the government isn't."

In the absence of such legislation, McAdams urged other civil servants who might consider following his lead to be "very careful" but that "if you look inside your soul, I think you'll know."

NDP MLA Shane Simpson has introduced a private member's bill, the Whistleblowers Protection Act. He admits it won't be passed by government, but hopes it at least increases public pressure for such legislation.

lpynn@png.canwest.com
The Vancouver Sun DIGITAL

© The Vancouver Sun 2007

Whistleblowers Courage Lead to Changes in RCMP

2007-12-14T08:41:00.000-08:00

RCMP report expected to shake up force

Last Updated: Friday, December 14, 2007 6:29 AM ET
CBC News

Excerpts:

A report expected to recommend sweeping changes to the RCMP will be released in Ottawa on Friday in response to sliding public confidence in the national police force and low morale within its ranks. ...

Expected recommendations include an arm's-length ombudsman, to whom front-line officers could raise concerns without fear of reprisals. ...

Chief Supt. Fraser MacAuley blew the whistle on the Mounties' pension fund scandal, which led to Brown's first investigation. He was among those Mounties who said he came forward when he saw wrongdoing within the force, only to be punished for his efforts.

"We know what is going on," MacAulay said in April during his appearance at a parliamentary committee. "I was removed because I came forward, that is all."

Introduction of Bill M233, Whistleblower Protection Act - BC

2007-11-28T15:05:00.000-08:00

Introduction and First Reading of Bills

WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION ACT, 2007

S. Simpson presented a bill entitled Whistleblower Protection Act, 2007.

S. Simpson: I move a bill entitled the Whistleblower Protection Act, 2007, and ask that it be introduced and read for a first time now.

Motion approved.

S. Simpson: The Whistleblower Protection Act, 2007, will facilitate the disclosure and investigation of significant and serious matters in or relating to the public service that are potentially unlawful, dangerous or injurious to the public or that demonstrate a gross mismanagement of public funds or assets or an impact on the environment. The bill will protect those persons who disclose that information from retribution.

The bill calls for a structure to be created within each ministry to facilitate those disclosures and requires an annual public reporting of all issues raised under the legislation. It empowers the Ombudsman to both provide oversight to this legislation and be a source for disclosures of complaints under the act as well. Further, the bill lays out a process to protect against malicious complaints that are not founded.

The growing secrecy of this government and its methodical and unforgiving approach to shutting down transparency have compelled the introduction of this bill. Far too often we hear in the areas of the environment, children, seniors and health care, among others, about government decisions, actions or conduct that are not in the public interest.

There are situations where government employees or employees of organizations that are contracted with government would come forward to disclose those concerns and bring them to light, but they feel intimidated or concerned about the security of their jobs, so they stay silent.

If we truly want open government, we need to remove that risk and encourage dedicated civil servants and service providers to come forward when they feel compelled to shine a light on government irregularities or unacceptable conduct. The Whistleblower Protection Act, 2007, is intended to provide government workers and service providers that opportunity and the necessary protections to be able to come forward with confidence that they will not face retribution from the government.

I move this bill be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Bill M233, Whistleblower Protection Act, 2007, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

BC Coroners Service and Medical Mistakes

2007-10-29T20:08:00.000-07:00

<>News and Views

Whistleblower urges more medical inquests

News and Views By Charlie Smith

Publish Date: August 18, 2005

An ex-coroner has claimed that the public is being denied information about deaths caused by medical mistakes. Kathleen Stephany, formerly the coroner in charge of special investigations, told the Georgia Straight that this is because the office of the chief coroner won't order inquests into medical-related deaths.

Stephany said that she was fired and her former department of medical investigations, which once had 12 employees, was eliminated in 2003 with "no real justification". Since then, the Coroners Service of British Columbia hasn't ordered a single inquest into a death linked to negligence by a physician or hospital.

...

In 2004, the Canadian Medical Association Journal published a report that suggested medical errors are quite commonplace. It estimated that 7.5 percent of people admitted to Canadian hospitals in 2000 suffered an "adverse event", which was defined as anything causing death, disability, or an extended hospital stay; almost 40 percent of these were preventable. The study also estimated that there were between 9,250 and 23,750 "preventable deaths" in Canadian hospitals that year.

Whistleblowers in the News

2007-10-29T19:21:00.000-07:00

PrimeTime Crime
Leo Knight,

Whistleblowers: Canada is not a good place to be for whistleblowers.
Media stories and reports on ethical resisters from around North America.

*************
Labour Environmental Alliance Society

The public needs whistleblowers

To stay informed, the public needs whistle blowers — and whistle blowers need protection in their collective agreements.

Why do they need protection?

Many employees who become aware of wrongdoing try to right the wrong by going through channels within the organization. That means they often end up reporting to the alleged wrongdoers themselves and nothing happens. If anything, the employee is cautioned not to get involved.

If, out of deep ethical or professional concern, they do “go public,” employees face the prospect of being fired or demoted. Even if they’re not fired, they can be made to feel cornered or isolated — victims of a poisoned work environment.

Unions have already provided a valuable service to society by working hard to win provisions in collective agreement that protect people from sexual and racial harassment. Now we need the same kind of protection for whistleblowers.

When an employee has gone through all the internal channels without resolution, the collective agreement should provide for a third party process, such as arbitration.

Whistle-blower protection in BC

2007-10-21T16:28:00.000-07:00

Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act of BC

[RSBC 1996] CHAPTER 165

Part 3 — Protection of Privacy

Division 1 — Collection, Protection and Retention of Personal Information by Public Bodies

Whistle-blower protection

30.3 An employer, whether or not a public body, must not dismiss, suspend, demote, discipline, harass or otherwise disadvantage an employee of the employer, or deny that employee a benefit, because

(a) the employee, acting in good faith and on the basis of reasonable belief, has notified the minister responsible for this Act under section 30.2,

(b) the employee, acting in good faith and on the basis of reasonable belief, has disclosed to the commissioner that the employer or any other person has contravened or is about to contravene this Act,

(c) the employee, acting in good faith and on the basis of reasonable belief, has done or stated an intention of doing anything that is required to be done in order to avoid having any person contravene this Act,

(d) the employee, acting in good faith and on the basis of reasonable belief, has refused to do or stated an intention of refusing to do anything that is in contravention of this Act, or

(e) the employer believes that an employee will do anything described in paragraph (a), (b), (c) or (d).

Whistleblower Articles

2007-10-21T16:27:00.001-07:00

Coroner Whistleblowers Rebuffed by Les: Solicitor General rejects concerns by Committee for Competent Death Reviews.

Quentin Dodd and David Beers, (February 10, 2006). Tyee.ca

Don't Shoot the Whistleblower: Our early warning system for scandals fails because sounding alarms is too risky. Let's change that.

By Mitchell Anderson, (March 1, 2004). Tyee.ca

Whistleblower legislation Bill C-25, Disclosure Protection

Wednesday, March 31 2004 @ 06:00 AM PST

The Liberal government introduced Bill C-25 - the Disclosure Protection legislation commonly known as "whistleblower" legislation - in March 2004. The bill was introduced in response to the sponsorship scandal in which the auditor general accused the government of squandering $100 million in bogus payments to several Quebec advertising firms that allegedly did little or no work for the money.

The proposed law, introduced by Privy Council President Denis Coderre, is intended to protect people who speak out about problems in the government's bureaucracy. The proposed legislation says that it is "part of the government's broader commitment to ensure transparency, accountability, financial responsibility and ethical conduct." It's the first time bureaucrats have been offered legal protection against reprisals for reporting government wrongdoing.

Complaints will be investigated by the public service integrity commissioner, who in turn will report to a cabinet minister and not directly to Parliament. The commissioner will also make recommendations on corrective measures.

Bill C-25, which covers all federal public sector workers and Crown corporation employees, requires heads of federal organizations to establish an internal disclosure mechanism. It calls for a code of conduct and is intended to provide protections in law from reprisals.

Whistleblower legislation is not extended to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the Communications Security Establishment and uniformed members of the RCMP or the Armed Forces. These agencies are required to create a similar code of conduct and reprisal protection for employees.

Whistleblower Quotes

2007-10-21T16:26:00.001-07:00

We need whistleblowers. They keep our institutions honest. From Enron, to Walkerton, to the intelligence failures around 9-11, whistleblowers have made a huge contribution to informing the public and fighting corruption and incompetence. It is time the Canada joined other developed nations of the world and gave whistleblowers the strong legal protection they deserve.

Mitchell Anderson, Published: March 1, 2004, Tyee.ca

******************************

"Accounting scandals, interference in scientific research, environmental cover-ups... From Enron to BC's fish farm, whistleblower protections are needed to keep governments and corporations accountable. Why are there so few protections for people who find the courage to speak out in the public interest?"
From promotional material for the March 27, 2003 Whistleblower Public Forum at the Vancouver Public Library sponsored by the BC Office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Welcome

2007-10-06T13:59:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our new blog, Whistleblowers BC. We are looking forward to providing resources, media reports and opportunities for those in the Whistleblower community in BC and Canada. Yes, that's right, there are many individuals and groups that make up this community and network of courageous, dedicated ethical resisters and iconoclasts (aka Whistleblowers) out there.

It is our goal to create this blog to help and support those of us who are committed to exposing injustice, corruption and mismanagement wherever it can be found, no matter the cost to ourselves, and we know there are costs to being the ones in the White hats. This is a citizen driven organization. We are not lawyers, nor can we represent people., or give people legal advice. However we can offer grassroots advice and support based on personal experience, knowledge of labor relations, government, private sector and community involvement, and information gained from research and literature on Whistleblowing, or ethical resistance.

Should you be interested, or in need of help, or have information you would like to disclose, but are unsure of how to go about this, or whether to do so, we may be able to help. For more information, you can e-mail us at: whistleblowersBC@gmail.com

We hold confidentiality sacred, as well as anonymonity as we recognize the harm that can befall those who do the right thing and disclose information of wrongdoing.

Keep the Faith and Trust Yourself.