An all-party committee of the B.C. Legislature took one step closer to splitting for good with the man who bought the infamous wood splitter with public money.
The wood splitter trailer at Craig James’s house in Saanich (Speaker’s Office)
Speaker Darryl Plecas’s second report on waste and corruption at the seat of government was published Feb. 21 by the Legislative Assembly Management Committee, two weeks after suspended clerk Craig James and sergeant-at-arms Gary Lenz replied to Plecas’s bombshell January report.
The new report points to discrepancies and errors in James and Lenz’s submissions, introduces new evidence and cites theBreaker.news reporting on the August 2017 whale watching junket and Seattle Mariners game disguised as an emergency preparation conference. It also includes a photograph of the wood splitter’s trailer parked beside James’s Saanich house last October.
Host Bob Mackin interviewed Plecas’s chief of staff, Alan Mullen, about next steps.
“Whether these individuals should ultimately have their employment terminated, I think British Columbians are pretty clear in their views,” Mullen said. “But ultimately that is a decision of the House. They are appointed at the pleasure of the House and they must be removed at the pleasure of the House.”
LAMC voted for Plecas to stand back and let a retired judge come in and review the Legislature’s relationship with James and Lenz, who were suspended with pay on Nov. 20. Meanwhile, Plecas and Mullen are continuing to gather evidence for more reports, while the RCMP and two special prosecutors continue their criminal investigation.
Keala Kennelly (She is the Ocean)
“We have a responsibility to British Columbians to continue to peel back the layers of this onion,” Mullen said.
Also on this edition:
The Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival is on until March 3. It includes the Feb. 24 Canadian premiere of She is the Ocean, a documentary on what unites nine women from around the world. Listen to Mackin’s interview with one of those women, Keala Kennelly, a pro surfer, actress and DJ from Hawaii.
She is the Ocean also screens March 1 in Tofino and March 8 in Vancouver.
Plus Pacific Northwest and Pacific Rim headlines and commentaries.
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