HST referendum irregularities?

If the B.C. Liberal-allied Harmonized Sales Tax fan club, otherwise known as the Smart Tax Alliance, celebrates a victory for the "No" side when all the HST referendum ballots are counted, you can bet your dime and two pennies (or three nickels) that the Fight HST "Yes" camp will contest the result over irregularities. Especially if it's a close call.

Maybe the pro-business lobby that trumpets the economic advantages of a single value-added tax (instead of two) will win fair and square?

But it could just end up being a victory for democracy, with a decisive "Yes" vote to tell the government that any major taxation changes should be mentioned to voters before or during an election, not imposed upon them afterward. Such is the reason why Gordon Campbell was forced to retire from the Premiership and British Columbians have been subject to the divisive pre- and post-Olympic value-added tax debate.



I experienced one of those irregularities when I went to the Elections BC temporary storefront at Capilano Mall on B.C. Day. The mall was open Aug. 1 and the Elections BC location was supposed to be. I arrived five minutes before the advertised 6 p.m. closing time to find the sliding door closed and lights off.

Strange. Elections BC is the same independent agency that so professionally conducts provincial elections. If a polling place closed five minutes before (or five minutes after) the advertised time on election day, there would be accusations of irregularities from all parties.

I asked deputy chief Elections BC officer Anton Boegman what happened. He replied on Aug. 2:

"The location was open on B.C. Day but the referendum official did close 5 minutes early that day because of a personal issue."

On Aug. 5, I returned to the same location and mentioned to the solo clerk that I had been there before 6 p.m. on B.C. Day and was wondering about the early closure. He admitted that he closed five minutes early because mall traffic was low and that he wanted to buy some groceries. He said I could have thrown my ballot envelope under the crack in the door, but I told him that was not satisfactory.

I questioned Boegman about whether this reason constituted a "personal issue" and why only one person normally staffed these storefront ballot collection centres.

"You are correct, collection centres should remain open for the hours that have been posted. Indeed all officials staffing these offices had been instructed to do so.
 
"Numbers of staff are determined based on the work requirements. During shift change-over times there are often two staff members present, as well as at other times when necessary. It was not considered a security risk to have solo staff.
 
"Please remember, these are not polling stations where voters go to receive and cast their ballot.  The collection centres are locations that provide another option for voters to return their mail-in ballot package to Elections BC."

Of course, we may never truly learn why Premier Christy Clark and cabinet opted for the mail-in referendum over the election-style system. They are keeping secret whatever report that justified the mail-in referendum. If it really is saving $18 million, show us the report!

Tell me about your experience with Elections BC, ServiceBC or Canada Post. Were you able to get an HST referendum ballot (if you didn't automatically receive one)? What was your in-person ballot delivery experience like?


 

Canadian Olympic Committee: hacked?

On Aug. 3, I posed the question: was the Montreal-based World Anti-Doping Agency hacked during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver? Here is the post.

That was the same day McAfee published its Revealed: Operation Shady RAT white paper showing numerous governments, corporations and non-profit agencies had been hacked, including the World Anti-Doping Agency, the International Olympic Committee and an unnamed "Olympic Committee of Western Country".

McAfee hasn't assigned blame, but the source of the hacker attacks is widely believed to be in China. The report is called Operation Shady RAT -- the Beijing Olympics happened during the Chinese zodiac's year of the rat -- and it included this veiled reference to the Middle Kingdom.

"The interest in the information held at the Asian and Western national Olympic Committees, as well as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Anti-Doping Agency in the lead-up and immediate follow-up to the 2008 Olympics was particularly intriguing and potentially pointed a finger at a state actor behind the intrusions, because there is likely no commercial benefit to be earned from such hacks."

Two Canadian government agencies were hacked, one in October 2009 for six months, the other for one month in January 2010. On page 7 of the report, there is that reference to the unnamed "Olympic Committee of Western Country" being infiltrated in August 2007 for a seven-month period.

The victim appears to have been the Canadian Olympic Committee.

I asked spokesperson Riley Denver whether the COC was that mysterious "Olympic Committee of Western Country" and, if so, what was the nature of the attack and how did it impact operations?

The response from Denver? "The COC isn't going to comment on this issue."

On April 6, 2005, the Canadian Olympic Committee's executive director Chris Rudge was in Beijing and signed a "Sino-Canadian" memorandum of agreement with Chinese government and Olympic committee officials. You can still find that news release on the Chinese Olympic Committee website, but the parallel news release from the Canadian perspective no longer appears in the April 2005 section on the Canadian Olympic Committee website.

Draw your own conclusions.

I say, the Canadian Olympic Committee owes athletes, sponsors, media and sports fans in Canada an explanation.

Were its systems hacked and was any personal information stolen?

Offcial Website of the Chinese Olympic Committee

Canadian Olympic Committee - News April 2005

When open doesn't necessarily mean open

If you read this blog after July 25, you'd know that A) the British Columbia government is heralding a new "open government" policy and B) it's just a superficial, smoke and mirrors public relations campaign. Premier Christy Clark's staff manipulated the release of records (and the records themselves) about the Harmonized Sales Tax referendum. See for yourself.

Clark is banging the open government drum because she wants you to vote for her B.C. Liberal Party in the next election. If Clark was serious about increasing transparency, her government would change the laws to put the power (and information) in the hands of the citizens. For inspiration, she need look no further than the State of Washington.

So here is the latest absurdity. The government is delaying disclosure of documents about the July 19 open government announcement. It invoked its power to delay disclosure from Aug. 31 to Oct. 14.

Is this another sign pointing to a late September or early October provincial election?

Open Government? Hahaha!

WADA surprise: McAfee claims sports watchdog hacked

Was the World Anti-Doping Agency hacked during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver?

The Montreal-based, International Olympic Committee spinoff responsible for stamping out drug use and abuse in sports was involved in collecting urine and blood samples from athletes before and during the Games. WADA accredited a temporary laboratory at the Richmond Olympic Oval and its key executives and staff stayed at the Renaissance Pinnacle Hotel in downtown Vancouver. Here is the WADA independent observer report on the Vancouver Games.

On Aug. 3, McAfee published its Revealed: Operation Shady RAT white paper showing numerous governments, corporations and non-profit agencies had been hacked, including WADA and the IOC. In WADA's case, its systems were infiltrated for 14 months, beginning in August 2009. That period included WADA's Vancouver 2010 responsibilities.

McAfee hasn't assigned blame, but the source of the hacker attacks is widely believed to be in China.

In a statement provided 2010 Gold Rush from WADA Director General David Howman, the organization admitted it has been hacked before but claimed the system used to keep track of athlete records is safe and secure.

More from Howman:

"Following the release of the McAfee white paper on Operation Shady Rat, WADA can confirm that it has been in communication with McAfee and is investigating thoroughly the reported cyber intrusions.

"WADA has a highly-sophisticated security system in place which is managed by ISS (IBM), and with the information available to it ISS has to-date found no evidence of this corruption.

"In February 2008 WADA experienced a security breach of its email system and consequently filed a complaint with the Quebec State Police and co-operated with an FBI investigation.

"Nothing was compromised and following the intrusion WADA's security experts upgraded the Agency's firewalls.

"WADA's Anti-Doping Administration & Management System (ADAMS), which is on a completely different server to WADA's emails, has never been compromised and remains a highly-secure system for the retention of athlete data.

"At this stage, WADA has no evidence from its security experts of the intrusions as listed by McAfee and the Agency has yet to be convinced that they took place."

Cypress silver medalist dead

Jeret "Speedy" Peterson died of suicide on July 25 in Lambs Canyon, Utah, just three days after being arrested for allegedly drinking and driving. Peterson was born in 1981 in Boise, Idaho.

A report by KTVB said Peterson called police before the incident and told them where they could eventually find his body.

Peterson won silver in freestyle skiing's aerials competition at Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver on Feb. 25, 2010. Vancouver was Peterson's third Olympics. He almost never made it there after a battle with depression, drugs and drink.

On Feb. 24, 2006, four years and one day before his silver on Cypress, Peterson was sent home from the Turin Olympics after being involved in a drunken fight with his best friend in front of Italian police.

Here's what he had to say after earning second spot on the podium at the Vancouver Games:

On performing his signature move, the Hurricane, to take the silver:
"I'm ecstatic. I've had trouble landing it this year. This is the best day of my life. I can't tell you - to finally land the Hurricane in competition, especially in the Olympics. I'm not going to pick it apart."

On how much courage it took to get back to the Olympics after personal problems:
"I don't know if it takes any courage. It's knowing that there's a light at the end of the tunnel and you just have to keep trying different ways to find the light."
"I can't talk about it. It's been that bad. I'm lucky to be here."

UPDATE: More about Peterson's final days and how, no matter how much he tried, he could not overcome a series of ugly, disturbing incidents since his childhood in this story. See the Associated Press video report here.

Christy Clark's "open" government? Don't believe the hype

On March 25, 2011, Attorney General Barry Penner announced British Columbians would vote on whether to keep the Harmonized Sales Tax before the planned Sept. 24, 2011 single-day, election-style poll. This referendum would be done by mail. He said it would save taxpayers $18 million and reduce voter fatigue.

Great. I wanted to see the reports that would justify that decision. So I filed a Freedom of Information request. (It's free and you can do it, too: just click here to start the process.)

Just three days letter, on March 28, 2011, I was sent a letter of acknowledgement with a deadline for response of May 10, 2011.

Intake 032811

The Premier's Office had no records, but Penner's ministry did. It sought a unilateral delay in this May 3, 2011 letter. I was supposed to receive a response no later than June 22, 2011.

AGT-2011-00073 extension 050311

June 22, 2011 came and went. Then came this June 28, 2011 letter, which said I would get a response no later than July 13, 2011 because someone at the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner allegedly granted the government two weeks to consult an unidentified public body and/or third-party.

AGT-2011-00073 extension 062811

Lo and behold, July 13, 2011 came and went. On July 22 -- at 19 minutes after 9 a.m., precisely -- I received a letter dated July 21 that included heavily censored documents.

July 22 was also the last day for British Columbians to request an HST referendum ballot. A coincidence? I think not.

Exclusive: Campbell crony helped craft HST referendum

Why so much secrecy around the Harmonized Sales Tax? If HST is such a smart tax for B.C. and the mail-in referendum such an efficient method of democracy, why not show us the report?

Or is the government embarrassed that Tom Syer, a key aide to ex-Premier Gordon Campbell (who co-fathered the HST with ex-Finance Minister Colin Hansen) has had a direct hand in the HST referendum? (Read that story here).

Earlier in the same week -- on July 19 -- Premier Christy Clark announced a new "open government" policy. Based on what was supplied and how it was supplied to me on July 22, 2011, one four-letter word comes to mind to describe Clark and co.

Sham.

Exclusive: Hansen wanted a run for the border

How did the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics torch relay take a detour into the United States?

On Feb. 9, 2010, Sarajevo 1984 skiing champion Phil Mahre carried the flame through the Peace Arch from Blaine, Wash., to Surrey, B.C.

A March 6, 2008 letter (obtained via Freedom of Information) from Olympics minister Colin Hansen to VANOC CEO John Furlong proposed "the spirit of the Games be spread even further" by including the State of Washington in the Olympic torch relay.

Exclusive: B.C. government wanted Olympic torch to go south

Talk of the Olympic torch going below the 49th parallel had been ongoing for more than a year between key Liberal insiders and the government of Washington. Here's a brief timeline of how it developed.

A May 29, 2007 memo by Mark Jiles of the Progressive Group to Mary Rose, director of 2010 Programs for the Washington government, said "We have had a number of conversations with the 2010 Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) around the idea of having the torch relay enter the State of Washington on its way to Vancouver… Jim Richard (sic), director of the 2010 Torch Relay is prepared to recommend that Washington State be included in the plan that he is preparing to bring to the Board of Directors in mid-2007."

A news release by B.C. and Washington after a June 8, 2007 joint cabinet meeting said: "The jurisdictions have also pursued shared economic, Olympic and tourism opportunities, seeking ways for Washington to participate in events leading up to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games."

The Progressive Group is the consultancy run by Liberal insider Patrick Kinsella. In its dealings with the Washington government, Progressive pledged to "facilitate opportunities for Washington State to develop important relationships" with Olympic decision-makers, including the arrangement of meetings with Hansen and his top staffers, plus Furlong and VANOC chairman Jack Poole. Kinsella ran the Liberals' 2005 election win. Jiles was Premier Gordon Campbell's constituency campaign manager. Kinsella also ran Christy Clark's successful Liberal leadership win in 2011.

The company's proposal to Washington said: "Progressive Group is located in the heart of downtown Vancouver, while at the same time has a presence in the Provincial capital of Victoria and a foot into the Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee."

Exclusive: Campbell crony helped craft vote-by-snail mail concept

What is the real reason that the British Columbia Liberal government scrapped the planned Sept. 24, 2011 election-style referendum on the Harmonized Sales Tax and employ a mail-in ballot system?

Attorney General Barry Penner said on March 25, 2011 that moving the referendum ahead and employing a mail-in ballot "was expected to" save taxpayers $18 million and reduce voter fatigue.

Who could argue with saving taxpayers money or making democracy swift and fair?

My curiosity was piqued. I wanted to see proof. I wanted answers.

What was the methodology for the alleged $18 million savings? What proof was there that voter fatigue would hinder citizen participation in the HST referendum? Did politicians and staff do their homework and know about the potential impact of a Canada Post strike or lockout on a mail-in ballot?

The same day it was announced, I filed a Freedom of Information request with the Office of the Premier, Ministry of Attorney General and Public Affairs Bureau for the communications plan announcement of the HST referendum process, including the briefing notes for Attorney General Barry Penner and Premier Christy Clark; cost-benefit analysis or business case for a mail-in ballot vs. general election-style balloting.

After several delays by the government, I finally received the documents on July 22, 2011 -- which just so happens to be the last day for citizens to request a ballot to either vote yes to extinguish the HST or no to keep it. A coincidence? I think not.

See the documents below.

Whatever Deputy Attorney General David Loukidelis recommended was censored.

However, the documents do show that a key aide to the father of the HST, Gordon Campbell, had a hand in crafting the mail-in referendum. This suggests that the government is engineering the process to reach the outcome it wants: to keep the HST.

An email sent March 9, 2011 by Loukidelis to Penner said the report to the March 16, 2011 cabinet meeting "has been developed with commentary from Tom Syer along the way."

Who is Tom Syer and who did Syer call sire?

Syer was Campbell's Deputy Chief of Staff who, after a stint as a lobbyist, returned to government to head the HST Information Office that was announced October 25, 2010 -- two days before Campbell spent $240,000 of taxpayers funds to buy TV airtime on October 27, 2010 for a televised speech intended to boost the HST.

The HST Information Office was supposed to inform, not persuade. Its website includes news releases with headlines such as: "Harmonized Sales Tax To Boost Investment, Job Creation," "HST, The Right Move at the Right Time," and "Look Who's Backing the HST." It's spending $5 million on the famous stick-man TV ads.

I ask again: Is the mail-in ballot system engineered by the government to convince you to agree to keep the HST?

Is this exercise in democracy really just an expensive sham?

Why the secrecy, Mr. Penner? Why the secrecy, Ms. Clark?

(NOTE: If you want information on the HST Referendum, go to the Elections BC website here. If you don't have it already, you have until midnight July 22, 2011 to ask Elections BC for your ballot. Call 1-800-661-8683 as soon as possible.)

Exclusive: Campbell crony helped craft HST referendum

Exclusive: serious injury at B.C. Place Stadium

The signs in B.C. Place Stadium's end zones say "Close the Roof Safely!"

The goal of any workplace is zero injuries/zero fatalities.

A reliable source has told me that a worker at the $563 million renovation of the 2010 Olympic stadium was very seriously injured by falling glass on the afternoon of July 18.

UPDATE 2:58 p.m. 7/19:

According to his employer, the worker injured is okay.

Warren Elmer, co-owner of Glastech, told me in an interview that he estimated 2,500 pounds of glass shifted when a safety apparatus became uncoupled. "The other one still held, so it twisted and knocked him into a wall or a column. It could've been worse."

"We were thankful last night, we got the word back from the hospital there was no broken bones, no real concussion to speak of," Elmer said. "He just was knocked pretty hard and got some lacerations on his leg and scared for his life."

How long will the worker be off the job? Elmer said it's too early to determine.

"It could be based on his ability to overcome the psychological nature of it and more or less the stitches and the healing will probably govern how long he'll be away," he said.

Port Coquitlam-based Glastech is the subcontractor replacing the glass that surrounds B.C. Place Stadium's concourses and installing new windows. Out is the original bronze tint. In is a green/blue hue.

UPDATE 2:15 p.m. 7/19:

WorkSafeBC has responded with some details of the July 18 construction accident at B.C. Place Stadium. According to the Crown corporation's Megan Johnston:

- The incident occurred just after noon on Monday, July 18.
- A forklift with a boom-style attachment was lifting a load of plate glass at the worksite when the load fell off the forks, striking a worker.
- The worker was transported to hospital and treated for his injuries - bruising, concussion, some lacerations.
- WorkSafeBC responded and was onsite yesterday afternoon, and continues to look into this incident.
- No orders have been written at this time.
- Worker was an employee of Glastech Glazing Contractors based in Port Coquitlam.

UPDATE 12:48 p.m., 7/19: Finally, official word from B.C. Pavilion Corporation. This is the full statement emailed from Duncan Blomfield, marketing and communications manager for B.C. Place.

"A worker was treated and released from hospital after being injured on site on July 18, 2011.

"Details of the incident are still to be confirmed, and are currently being investigated by WorkSafeBC, the general contractor and worker’s employer. A piece of equipment being used to lift a pallet of packaged glass released, causing the load to drop to the ground.

"The worker that was guiding the load is understood to have been pushed aside, resulting in minor cuts, bruising and a mild concussion. The worker was taken to hospital and released the same day.

"The equipment involved in the incident has been withdrawn from use on site until the cause of the incident is determined.

"PCL and BC Place are cooperating with WorkSafeBC to investigate the circumstances of the incident, and to prevent any future recurrence, ensuring the workplace remains safe for all workers on site.

"To date, the safety record for the BC Place roof project has been exemplary.

"Both PCL and BC Place take workplace safety seriously. PCL is a construction industry leader in providing rigorous safety training for each and every one of its workers.

"Although no one was seriously injured, such an incident reminds all of us that safety is something we cannot take for granted, and we need to act on it every minute of every day."

UPDATE 12:38 p.m. 7/19: The latest information from my source is that the worker suffered a fractured leg and the incident took place outside Gate A.

UPDATE 10:05 a.m. 7/19: The incident involved glass falling from a forklift. Still no word on the condition of the worker.

UPDATE 8:50 a.m. 7/19: I have confirmed that the incident did take place, but am trying to find out more about the worker and his or her condition. B.C. Pavilion Corporation, the taxpayer-owned operator of the stadium, is putting together a statement via its public relations agency Pace Group. PavCo CEO Warren Buckley has not yet responded to my email or phone calls.

PavCo is likely to trumpet a historically low record of workplace injuries. That is debatable. I have proof that B.C. Place management covered-up a 2006 incident involving a janitor who collapsed on the job, but later died in hospital. WorkSafeBC slapped PavCo with a hefty $68,970.57 fine on Nov. 6, 2009 after an electrician was nearly electrocuted on March 10, 2009.

B.C. Place is scheduled to reopen Sept. 30 with a Canadian Football League game between the B.C. Lions and Edmonton Eskimos. Sources also tell me that the schedule and budget are both in jeopardy. Construction crews are frantically working, around the clock, as they race to finish the most-expensive and complex renovation of a public building in this province's history.

Riot 2011: Clueless in Victoria (and Vancouver-Point Grey)?

Premier Christy Clark has been called many things.

"Cluck-Cluck" for avoiding all-candidates meetings and a debate with NDP challenger David Eby during the campaign for the May 11 by-election. She even turned down an offer of airtime on CKNW, her former employer, to question and be questioned by her Vancouver-Point Grey competitors.

"Choo-Choo" for her undeniable connections to the biggest case of government corruption in British Columbia history, BC Railscam. (Her husband-at-the-time and brother were both involved, although not criminally, and there is evidence that appears to show she leaked confidential cabinet information about the sale of major taxpayer-owned assets while she was a member of cabinet!)

"Jersey Girl" because of that famous Province front page of her in a Canucks' jersey and her appearances while wearing the blue, white and green of the National Hockey League franchise owned by campaign donor Francesco Aquilini (who gave her free tickets to Game 7 of the final).

Now she can be called "Clueless Clark."

I thought it would be reasonable for the top elected official in the province to have some immediate curiosity about the worst case of public disorder in the province she governs since 1994. Surely her staff would have provided her an urgent report about implications of the riot to the provincial government, which regulates policing and liquor distribution. Surely she would have been provided information about what went on that night from a public safety standpoint. Evidently not, according to the reply below from her office.

This may answer why she ordered the Doug Keefe/John Furlong riot review.

Riot 2011: Clueless in Victoria (and Vancouver-Point Grey)?