Wednesday, November 21, 2007

November 19, 2007 5:57 PM And then lynx said... absolutely wrong, anonymous 5:57. Not according to an internal memo released by BC Rail in 2003. BTW... think land deal, think "real estate" deal, think how that rail line snakes through "prime", previously inaccessible BC real estate, when you think of the sale of BC Rail. This was never about a rail deal....kinda reminds you of how our FN treaty process is being used to access previously inaccessible land as well. Anyway, here's the 2003 news item ....and heeeere's Joy: Internal memo shows BC Rail is earning a profit for BC taxpayers Opposition leader Joy MacPhail yesterday blasted Premier Gordon Campbell in the legislature for breaking his promise to keep BC Rail public. MacPhail released an internal BC Rail memo showing the company is earning a profit and exceeding its financial performance targets. "Gordon Campbell has been saying that BC Rail is a losing enterprise and needs to be sold to provide service to the North," said MacPhail. "But BCRail's books tell a very different story." According to a confidential memo released by MacPhail, BC Rail made so much money this year that bonuses were paid to all managers at the railway. The memo clearly points out that the bonus was a direct result of an increase in the net operating income of the railway. As well, said MacPhail, the three-year strategic plan of BC Rail states that it expects to make a further profit over the next three years. MacPhail also said that the Premier, in his February televised address, said that BC Rail was being subsidized by taxpayers to the tune of nearly a billion dollars. However, according to BC Rail's strategic plan, the Crown corporation has not received a subsidy since 1993."What is notable is that the BC Liberal Party has received $158,000 in donations since 1996 from CN and CP-- the two main competitors vying for BCRail. Now Gordon Campbell is breaking his promise, and selling of a profitable public enterprise to pay off his political bankrollers." """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" It's all there in Hansard. Many, many thanks to "Lynx" who has a way of knowing where to look for these historic insights. And we desperately need to look for the answers. Big CanWest media in B.C. won't willingly tell the whole story. If reports on the B.C. Opposition are published, they're tailored to create a certain impression. And we must never forget that there were 185 new spin doctors added to the government payroll in Sept. 2006 by Order in Council. Some have suggested (were they kidding?) that "Anonymous 5:57" (above) may in fact have been one of those "Media Monitors" like Dave Basi was, hired to keep on tweaking the news to suit a political purpose. So thanks again, Lynx. - BC Mary

Note: http://bctrialofbasi-vi...