The Vice-Chair of the Translink Mayor's Council says he thinks Translink has lived up to its responsibility as best as it can, of acting to find efficiencies. This after the release of a report from Translink commissioner Martin Crilly on the progress made in finding between 40 and 60 million dollars in cost savings over the next three years. "We … [Read more...]
Translink on track to save millions despite corporate costs forecast to increase
February 2, 2013 by
RCMP and province still wrangling over new HQ costs
January 25, 2013 by
There is still no progress to report on the negotiations over the cost sharing of the RMCP's new Surrey headquarters. Justice Minister Shirley Bond is repeating the province will only pay what is fair. "The issue of Green Timbers continues to be a priority for us and again in my recent meetings in Ottawa this was a topic of discussion with … [Read more...]
BC NDP Tourism Critic wants Auditor General to investigate BC Place renovation costs
January 14, 2013 by
The BC NDP Tourism Critic is taking his fight to find out the actual costs of BC Place renovations to the Province's Auditor General. Spencer Chandra-Herbert has written a letter to John Doyle, filing an official complaint to have him investigate. Chandra-Herbert says it's not just about the original estimate coming in more than five times over … [Read more...]
Feds consider downloading emergency costs
January 10, 2013 by
It hasn't happened yet, but the federal government is looking at making provinces and municipalities foot the bill for services provided by national troops during a natural disaster. "Let's hope it doesn't happen." Longtime Vancouver City councillor Raymond Louie says whether it's floods, fires or earthquakes, canadians expect national … [Read more...]
Sharing policing costs on the North Shore not a done deal
November 29, 2012 by
An idea to share West Vancouver Police along all three municipalities on the North Shore seems to have hit a roadblock. Langley City Mayor Peter Fassbender says at a regional symposium, the Mayor of West Vancouver poured cold water on the idea, "Well, Mayor Smith from West Vancouver said that at the moment that is not seen as a priority by his … [Read more...]
Policing costs: it’s in the book
November 15, 2012 by
The RCMP are pitching themselves as the better, cheaper policing option as Richmond looks at alternatives. Inspector Ted De Jager says the RCMP cost 34-percent less per capita, and six-percent less per member than a municipal force. While Mayors have concerns like cost containment, De Jager says the new RCMP deal has a Contract Management … [Read more...]
Anti-bullying costs to be downloaded
November 15, 2012 by
The Chair of the Vancouver School Board supports the goal of the Provincial anti-bullying campaign but not the unexpected cost. Patti Bacchus says to cover-off teachers taking the Erase Bullying training, it will cost the District between 25 to 30 thousand dollars. Bacchus says the bill was not budgeted for this year, "So, we will have to … [Read more...]
Aakash 2 Android tablet materializes, costs around $21 for Indian students
November 11, 2012 by
It's a few months late, but at least it's hitting the streets for a few less dollars than expected. The Datawind-built Aakash 2 is finally a reality, launching in India on the nation's National Education Day. It's the second iteration of what amounts to a barebones, affordable Android slate, packing a 7-inch touch panel, 1GHz Cortex-A8 processor, … [Read more...]
BC’s Justice Minister draws a line in the sand over RCMP HQ costs
October 30, 2012 by
BC's Justice Minister says the province is sending a message to Ottawa we will only pay our fair share and nothing more when it comes to the new RCMP headquarters. Shirley Bond says she isn't worried about rushing negotiations and is focused on taking the time needed to get the right deal. "The bottom line in the discussions remains the same the … [Read more...]
New deadline for Missing Women Inquiry results.. and costs still rising
October 25, 2012 by
Costs linked to BC's Missing Women Inquiry continue to rise. The deadline for completing a government-ordered review has been extended to November 30th. The Ministry of Justice has confirmed total money spent on the Commission headed up by former Attorney General Wally Oppal has topped $ 8.6-million. Hearings examining why serial killer … [Read more...]
