Wednesday 29 January 2014

Lonsdale Energy Corporation and Kerry Morris


When archiving some old articles I found this article from 2012. Having been a victim of Ben's brand of biased "journalism" I wonder if it is true.   He describes Kerry as a "energy consultant" who was hired during last election to attack the LEC.  A surprise to me.  His attack was fundamental to the defeat of Bob Fearnley but was it all paid (and not reported to the Chief Electoral Officer) by energy companies?  

His appearance at Council over the last six months has been a typhoon of large reports, printed and delivered in fancy binders for the media and Council, mostly concerning the LEC.  He claims to have spent over $1000 fighting the pro-LEC Lower Lonsdale Business Association over their Business Improvement Association initiative.

Has this been the actions of a zealous citizen, an election candidate with money to burn  or an initiative funded by energy companies concerned with the LEC's market share, achieved by their monopoly status?  

Kerry looked to me as a wannabe candidate trolling for attention on the media stroll but is there more to it? It did appear to me that he was doing a lot of pre-election spending to get media attention since incumbents get media coverage that would cost other candidates tens of thousands of dollars and he was just trying to balance the playing field. 

Or is it just Ben repeating what was told to him by Councillor Keating and not applying rigorous journalistic standards to info given to him by an obvious partisan source?  Maybe time will tell?  I know I will be studying the disclosure filing when and if Kerry runs and noting all activity to check on the reporting.

Saturday 18 January 2014

The "Save the Stern" rally



Today at 11am, a small band of protesters rallied to save the last piece of a Victory Ship made in North Van, well, not actually made in North Van but it looks like the ones that were made here and I guess that's good enough to the heritage buffs. 

The lamp post signs predicted a huge event with lots of media.  At 11:22 when I popped  by for pictures, I was the only media, a local blogger and there was only 49 people there.



What really pissed the protesters, it seemed, was the Council taking the decision in secret.  More and more, our Council conducts the public's business in-camera (secret), not because there is a sensitive personnel matter but to inhibit public knowledge and opposition.  Is this one of these situations?  The following, from the minutes is the motion they passed to scrap the stern.

"11. Security of City Properties – File: 6740-20-S-01 

 Report: Chief Administrative Officer and Director, Special Projects, 
September 3, 2013 

Moved by Councillor Clark, seconded by Councillor Keating 

PURSUANT to the report of the Chief Administrative Officer and Director of Special Projects, dated September 3, 2013, entitled "Disposition of the Flamborough Head": 

THAT Council direct staff to proceed with disposing of the stern and the 
engine of the Flamborough Head and to proceed with the removal of the 
hazardous materials; 

THAT funding of up to $250,000 (Funding Appropriation #1327) be 
appropriated from the "Lower Lonsdale Amenity Reserve Fund" to 
complete the disposal process; 

THAT staff be directed to contact the Artificial Reef Society to investigate 
the removal of the stern and engine and the associated costs, and if there 
is no interest from the Artificial Reef Society, that staff proceed with the 
removal and report back to Council; 

AND THAT the report remain In Camera. 

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY  "

So the motion was in public only the staff report as to the reasoning remained secret and the Mayor made clear why it was being done.  So despite the pontifications of protesters, there is nothing illegal or inappropriate happening here.  Those who disagree have an election to voice their displeasure but since no councillor noted their opposition and the camera did a close up of the City Clerk to hide how the Councillors voted, all we know is it was a 4-3 or 5-2 or 6-1 vote as the minutes read "carried unanimously".  On the tape the Mayor says animously but the Clerk's minutes are probably right. Since he moved the motion and can't vote against it, we know Councillor Clark wanted to scrap the stern. Councillor Keating seconded the motion, Mayor spoke for it in the press and its likely Councillor Buchanan voted with her NDP comrades.

There is another point that comes up with this, all should note the Lower Lonsdale Amenity Reserve Fund being used again as a slush fund.  Are there terms of reference for this reserve fund?  If not, why not and why does it get used in this way?  Is temp volleyball courts an amenity?  The fund is created to alleviate the high density created by the neverending high level of development and should only be used for something that really reduces the feeling one gets living in a sea of tall buildings, not to buy votes from volleyball players.

Thursday 9 January 2014

Can North Van turn GREEN?

Prior to the last election, I noticed that the Green Party was actively seeking people to run in BC municipalities, it makes sense after all, act locally, think globally is one of their catch phrases.  They ran candidates in Burnaby and Vancouver electing Adrienne Carr as a Vancouver Councillor.

Of course, they will be trying to build on this and North Van may be an area where they will establish a legally registered elector organization. We will have Unite North Van registering with 4 candidates and perhaps a mayoral candidate.  COPE will register also with at least one candidate.  Mayor Mussatto will run his unregistered slate of NDP candidates and VOICES will register as "third-party advertising group" and pretend to endorse from the list of candidates but will endorse a pre-determined group of candidates running as a slate.  Ripe ground for the Green Party to grow, an elector organization gets their party name on the ballot and one with the name that is both their message and the name of the provincial/federal party. With a list of probably 25 candidates for Councillor, a voter that comes in to vote for the one or two candidates they actually know, may just vote for candidates running for an electoral organization (Party) whose "brand" they are friendly to.  Well, who among us isn't at least a little bit green friendly?

With the electoral experience of a provincial candidate, Ryan Conroy would be a good organizer for this movement and candidate if he makes that jump. Favourable to amalgamation as well.  An NDP friend of mine told me "Mussatto will stop the Greens from running as they would reveal him to not be as Green as he likes people to think."  I don't think he is right, the NDP/Green split is very tangible and Ryan doesn't seem to me like someone who can be bullied.

It looks like our low voter turnout that results from a lack of choice for the voters is going to change in 2014. 



COPE North Van

Most Council weeks, one can see former candidate Ron Sostad speaking about the glory days of C.O.P.E (Committee of Progressive Electors) in Vancouver.  After winning a majority on Council and the Mayor's seat, developers and American activist groups funded Vision Vancouver and stole the prize from the not so ardently communist members of COPE. The recruitment of a horde of left leaning Liberals sealed COPE's fate.


Tim Louis has been attempting a counter revolution (http://www.straight.com/news/550071/cope-verge-civil-war#comments) and looks like he has seized back his home from the interlopers but can he seize back the council?



It looks like Tim may have company as Ron Sostad has committed to establishing a COPE North Van as a branch of the Vancouver elector organization.  Why not? North Van had a Communist Party candidate in the last provincial election.  Perhaps he will start a lower mainland trend, you can't start a world wide revolution and restrict yourself to Vancouver.



It will be interesting to see if Ron can recruit more candidates, after all he needs 4 seats to present the possibility of winning a majority of Council, perhaps he should start with Kimball Cariou since he has run provincially.  Perhaps Ron will run for Mayor?