An all-party committee of the legislature wants to hear from the public and experts about the use of taser stun guns this month. New Democrat MLA Kathy Corrigan is the deputy chair of the group, she says the review was mandated by the 2009 Braidwood report on tasers following the death of polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski. "Braidwood said that he … [Read more...]
A legislative committee’s bid to be more transparent and accountable hits a small snag
As the Legislative Assembly Management Committee moves to end decades of secrecy and be more fiscally accountable, it has hit a snag. NDP MLA Shane Simpson who sits on the committee says the move to suddenly become more open has raised some privacy concerns. "The Privacy Commissioner has some issues about releasing of information … [Read more...]
Secretive legislative committee to meet after damning audit
The B.C. legislative committee that looks after the House's fiscal governance has spoken out after a damning report by the Auditor General. The committee, known as LAM-C, says it will meet next Tuesday to address the audit that found its records in a complete and utter mess. Committee chair and Speaker of the House Bill Barisoff says John … [Read more...]
Legislative session ends in Victoria
A four month session of the Legislature has come to an end in Victoria with the last-minute passage of several major bills. "Motion carried." A unanimous vote for the bill that will transform the HST back to the PST next April. Several other bills were pushed through today after the Lberal government used time allocation to limit … [Read more...]
A lot of new bills may mean the legislative session could be extended
The spring session of the legislature may be extended to deal with a raft of new government bills. The Liberals have introduced 14 new bills in the past nine days, with more to come this week and only 11 debating days left on the calendar. The NDP worries the government will cut off debate to get the bills through. Liberal … [Read more...]
The Premier nixes extending the legislative session even as the HST bill looms
It hasn't even been tabled yet, but the bill to eliminate the HST and restore the PST is already looming in Victoria. Staff are working overtime on the bill which has been described as phone-book sized, although Finance minister Kevin Falcon quibbles with that. He said "certainly we're talking about a bill in excess of 150 … [Read more...]
Legislative crack down on Translink fare cheats welcomed by Mayors council
The vice chair of the mayors council on regional transportation is hoping a crack down on fare evasion will get transit expansion back on track. Langley city Mayor Peter Fassbender says transit expansion south of the Fraser has been paused as Translink battles with a $ 30-million shortfall. He says "My view of that is it is not a … [Read more...]
Fall legislative session ends
The provincial legislature is now shut down until the New Year. Here's a shock: the NDP and Liberals have a dramatically different take on the fall session. Opposition leader Adrian Dix says his party highlighted problems like cuts at Community Living BC, pointing that’s "in contrast to a government at the end of its mandate that seems … [Read more...]