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Bob Mackin

B.C.’s Site C dam is going to cost $16 billion and take an extra year to complete, Premier John Horgan announced Feb. 26. 

The NDP is blaming the massive cost overruns on the coronavirus pandemic for slowing construction in early 2020, needed reinforcement to the foundation, “and other cost and schedule pressures.” It is now expected to be finished in 2025.

John Horgan (B.C.
Broadcast Consortium)

When Horgan green-lit the project in December 2017, after a post-election reconsideration by the B.C. Utilities Commission, the cost was pegged at $10.7 billion — $2.4 billion more than when it was announced in December 2014 by then-Premier Christy Clark.

The government has spent $6 billion so far and estimates it would cost $10 billion in sunk costs and remediation in order to cancel the project, plus the need to find alternate energy inventory.

“I did not want to saddle people at that time [in 2017] with a $4 billion hole in the ground, it’s now up to $10 billion of what would be foregone costs,” Horgan said. “But as Minister Ralston says, the project is half-completed, river diversion has taken place. The costs going forward are going to be less than the costs that we’ve had behind us.”

The biggest infrastructure project in B.C. history is now expected to cost twice as much as the estimated all-in price of Vancouver’s building and hosting of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

But it appears the ruling party has no appetite to get to the bottom of the cost overruns. Energy minister Bruce Ralston said he has asked BC Hydro to bring its quarterly financial reports up to date and answer questions from the B.C. Utilities Commission. “They have fallen behind,” Ralston said. Ralston was asked whether he had considered a public inquiry, similar to those for troubled dam projects in Manitoba and Labrador. “No we haven’t.” 

Horgan’s immediate solution is replacing Ken Peterson as chair of BC Hydro with Doug Allen, who spent 15 years in the B.C. government as a deputy in five ministries and was CEO of BC Ferries.

Allen was the CEO of  InTransitBC, the SNC-Lavalin company that operates the Canada Line, before joining TransLink as CEO during the failed expansion funding plebiscite of 2015.

When the NDP returned to power in 2017, Horgan installed Allen to the board of ICBC.

Peter Milburn, a former Deputy Minister who chairs B.C.’s public sector pension fund, was hired in August to report by October, after the NDP government claimed the new cost and schedule were unknown.

Horgan called a snap election in September — more than year ahead of the legally required October 2021 date — and won a majority on Oct. 24. 

In Milburn’s $500,000 report, dated Oct. 10, he found “the cost and risk systems have not been effective on this project.”

Site C goes ahead: Heyman (left), Horgan and Mungall, on Dec. 11, 2017.

“Most of the opportunities for improvement relate to the [Samsung and Acciona] main civil works contract and the geotechnical challenges. BC Hydro would likely benefit from the addition of more personnel with a background in large civil projects at all levels in the project structure including the project assurance board,” Milburn concluded.

The review recommends installing large concrete filed pipes to anchor the foundation, to improve stability and limit possible future movements. It also recommends enhancing drainage within the right bank and improve access to the approach channel for drainage.

Engineers John France of the U.S. and Kaare Hoege of Norway were hired after Milburn reported to conduct a geotechnical safety overview report. France and Hoege found “the right bank foundation enhancement solutions are appropriate and sound, and will make the right bank structures safe and serviceable over the long operating life of Site C.”

France and Hoege also concluded that the earthfill dam “can be safely constructed, meeting all Canadian Dam Association dam safety and reliability guidelines.”

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Bob Mackin B.C.’s Site C dam is going

Bob Mackin

The health board that includes the B.C. Centre for Disease Control held a maskless meeting inside its head office on Feb. 18, despite the rules published on its own website.

Provincial Health Services Authority directors met in three boardrooms at the 1333 West Broadway headquarters for the first webcast meeting since the Feb. 8 firing of CEO Benoit Morin over a bulk mask spending scandal.

Feb. 18 PHSA board meeting

Those at the meeting included director Dr. Ken Bassett of the University of B.C. Therapeutics Initiative and executive vice-president Dr. Maureen O’Donnell. Bassett did not respond to interview requests and O’Donnell refused to comment, instead referring theBreaker.news to the PHSA media relations department.

theBreaker.news wanted to know why the two doctors, who have backgrounds in epidemiology, were not wearing masks while the public was watching.

At one point in the meeting, unmasked Bassett coughed and wheezed audibly, at the same time O’Donnell was speaking.

SCROLL DOWN AND WATCH THE VIDEO

Chair Tim Manning also introduced interim CEO David Byres, who also went unmasked.

Spokesman Ben Hadaway refused to arrange an interview with Manning.

In a prepared statement, Hadaway claimed that board members “took care” to follow pandemic protocols.

PHSA leaders and staff “are asked to operate in compliance with public health orders on masking in workplaces, WorkSafe BC guidelines, and PHSA’s Workplace Health & Safety guidelines. Collectively, we use all of this guidance to employ a ‘layers of protection’ approach that balances effectiveness and practicality to achieve the optimal level of protection.”

PHSA changed its meeting rooms mask mandate after theBreaker.news noticed the board meeting (PHSA)

“This was a safe approach, balanced with the practicality of not wearing masks when seated and trying to communicate with members of the public via Zoom,” Hadaway claimed.

When theBreaker.news pointed out that the PHSA website said masks were required in meeting rooms, even when physical distancing is possible, PHSA changed its website to say that masks were required when moving in or out of meeting rooms.

Meanwhile, when the Vancouver School Board met Feb. 22, officials in the chamber wore masks.

Research in the British Medical Journal in August 2020 supported findings of airborne transmission of the coronavirus and said that the two metre rule distancing may not be enough, especially in confined spaces where people spend extended periods of time together. Some studies cited in the BMJ article showed that sneeze droplets could travel as far as eight metres.

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Bob Mackin The health board that includes the

Bob Mackin

When will the big ships come? They’re costing a mighty sum. The auditor general report is done, it reads like a tale of woe.

Federal Auditor General Karen Hogan said Feb. 25 that the shipbuilding contract with Vancouver Shipyards Co. is treading water because of the “sustainability of shipbuilding operations” at the North Vancouver company.

PM’s May 22, 2019 announcement in Vancouver (Twitter)

As a result of a firm-price contract combined with underestimating the time and effort to build the offshore fisheries science vessels, the shipbuilder had sustained significant financial losses,” said Horgan’s report. “This not only threatened the strategy’s overall objective of creating a sustainable marine industry, but also put the renewal of the federal fleet in peril.”

The government entered umbrella agreements in 2012 with Vancouver Shipyards for non-combat vessels and Irving Shipbuilding of Halifax for combat vessels. In December 2019, after a competitive process, the government chose Chantier Davie Canada Inc. of Levis, Quebec to build six icebreakers.

The cost of the program, formally known as the National Shipbuilding Strategy, has ballooned over the years, from $14 billion to $70 billion. Four Coast Guard ships and two Royal Canadian Navy joint support ships were assigned to Vancouver Shipyards, part of American billionaire Dennis Washington’s empire.

The Seaspan-built John Franklin (Seaspan)

Two of four Coast Guard ships were delivered in 2019, eight and 10 months late, respectively. Another that was originally scheduled for July 2019 was 13 months late. A fourth, expected later this year, is now scheduled for April 2024. It is under detailed design and the build contract has yet to be awarded.

The navy vessels, for 2023 and 2025 delivery, are under detailed design and the hull components are under construction.

Before the 2019 federal election, Vancouver Shipyards was assigned another 16 multipurpose vessels for delivery between 2027 and 2042.

The auditor general’s report said the government and shipyard agreed to change the order in which the joint support ships and offshore oceanographic science vessel would be built. In 2019, Public Services and Procurement Canada began looking for a third shipyard to build the icebreakers, after initially assuming Irving and Vancouver could stay on time.

Overall, we found that during the audit period, the National Shipbuilding Strategy was slow to deliver the combat and non-combat ships that Canada needs to meet its domestic and international obligations,” said the report.

“The delivery of many ships was significantly delayed, and further delays could result in several vessels being retired before new vessels are operational. National Defence and the Canadian Coast Guard have implemented measures to maintain their operational capabilities until new ships are delivered, but interim capabilities are limited and cannot be extended indefinitely.”

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Bob Mackin When will the big ships come?

Bob Mackin

The top medical doctor for the health authority that includes the B.C. Centre for Disease Control told a public meeting that the province’s coronavirus vaccination campaign will take longer than advertised.

PHSA executive vice-president Maureen O’Donnell (LinkedIn)

During the Provincial Health Services Authority board meeting on Feb. 18, executive vice-president Dr. Maureen O’Donnell fielded a question from a member of the public about what is being done to reduce infections among children.

The vaccine program reference in the script that O’Donnell read contradicted the Ministry of Health website.

“We’re continuing to roll out B.C.’s immunization planning and program, and the majority of the adult population is expected to be vaccinated by the end of the fall,” said O’Donnell, who is also an epidemiologist and pediatrician.

CLICK AND LISTEN: excerpt of Provincial Health Services Authority official Dr. Maureen O’Donnell from the Feb. 18 board meeting

The Ministry of Health website outlines B.C.’s Jan. 22-released, four-phase program from April to September. The fourth and final phase, for the general population aged 18 to 59, runs July to September — ending in early fall.

When theBreaker.news contacted O’Donnell to ask for more details, she refused to comment. “If you can please reach out to our media relations folks,” O’Donnell said. “They will be sure to get a response to you.”

Penny Ballem (VCH)

An official update on B.C.’s troubled vaccine program, with a focus on people aged 80 and over, is expected on March 1 from Dr. Penny Ballem, the chair of Vancouver Coastal Health Authority and former Deputy Minister of Health.

Ballem suddenly took over the program in mid-January from Dr. Ross Brown, who was originally appointed in December. The vaccine rollout has suffered from the Canada-wide shortage in supplies from manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna. 

As of Feb. 23, B.C. said it had delivered only 224,354 jabs into arms, including 58,896 second doses. The B.C. numbers are comparable with Montana, which has administered 219,830 doses, including 70,309 fully immunized. Montana, however, has one-fifth of B.C.’s population.

Meanwhile, Washington state says it has given 1.379 million doses.

The public question read by PHSA chair Tim Manning cited B.C. statistics from Feb. 16 showing 10,233 children and teens up to age 19 had tested positive for the virus, and that up to one in seven are at risk of long-haul syndrome.

The script O’Donnell read said immunizing the adult population will help to reduce transmission to children. She also said it is not possible to achieve a zero infection rate, so B.C.’s goal is to prevent transmissions and minimize serious illnesses, death and societal disruption.

O’Donnell said unstructured gatherings without safety plans and households are a higher risk of transmission than schools.

“What we know is that transmission in schools and in the extra curricular activities that happen after school are very rare when safety plans are in place,” she said.

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Bob Mackin The top medical doctor for the

Bob Mackin (Updated Feb. 27)

It’s official, hackers know where TransLink workers live.

A Feb. 22 memo to TransLink staff confirmed what had been suspected for the last two months: the restricted network drives accessed and copied by hackers contained social insurance numbers, birthdates, bank accounts and home addresses.

TransLink interim CEO Gigi Chen-Kuo

TransLink recognizes the seriousness of the situation,” said the memo from interim CEO Gigi Chen-Kuo. “I want to reassure you that at this point TransLink is not aware of misuse of the personal information that was taken during this incident.”

In December, TransLink was slow to admit publicly that it had been targeted by ransomware cybercriminals, who took control of the company’s computer network and used TransLink’s own equipment to remotely print ransom notes that threatened to begin data publication within three days.

“Your network has been ATTACKED, your computers and servers were LOCKED, your private data was DOWNLOADED,” read the ransom note.

Chen-Kuo’s memo said TransLink is now reviewing its overall security and privacy protection requirements. All employees are offered two-year subscriptions to a TransUnion credit monitoring and fraud protection service.

On Jan. 6, lawyers in Vancouver and Toronto took the first step in a class action lawsuit against TransLink, on behalf of a former worker identified by the initials G.D.

The B.C. Supreme Court claim said the plaintiff is extremely concerned about the loss of his personal information and lack of meaningful communication on TransLink’s part.

TransLink’s Compass card (TransLink)

The hack was kept secret until news reports on Dec. 3, after the fare payment system broke down at SkyTrain stations.

It took until Dec. 30 for TransLink to confirm that social insurance and banking information had been compromised.

The claim, filed by Diamond and Diamond and KND Complex Litigation, claims TransLink violated its duty to safeguard information and violated workers’ privacy.

“TransLink‘s focus now is to help mitigate against future breaches of this nature and any potential misuse of your personal information,” Chen-Kuo wrote.

“In these types of incidents cyber criminals may try to profit from the personal information they steal through fraud or other means. These criminals aim to misrepresent you in order to obtain new credit or bank accounts under your name or use your identity to make purchases.”

In a Feb. 26 memo, Chen-Kuo revealed she’s among the victims. 

“As a current employee, I received the same letter in the mail, advising that my social insurance number, date of birth, bank account number, and home address were unlawfully accessed,” said the memo, obtained by theBreaker.news. Chen-Kuo announced two, hour-long cyber incident information webcasts at 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.

We will have experts on hand to help answer as many of your questions that you submit as time allows.”

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Bob Mackin (Updated Feb. 27) It's official, hackers

Bob Mackin

A government accountability advocate says B.C.’s auditor general and conflict of interest commissioner should both investigate Premier John Horgan for giving a no-bid contract to the NDP’s executive director.

Horgan and Sihota in 2016 (Asian Journal)

Raj Sihota was hired for $15,080 to work on Horgan’s post-election transition team in November. Sihota left party headquarters in December and joined the Vancouver office of Seattle-headquartered lobbying firm Strategies 360 as a vice-president in January.

DemocracyWatch co-founder Duff Conacher called the contract for Sihota and her subsequent registration to lobby the Office of the Premier “unethical.” Sihota represents the Vancouver Art Gallery Association’s campaign to convince NDP cabinet ministers to subsidize the proposed $355 million new gallery.

“She’s lobbying for a very specific interest and because she worked on the transition team, I don’t think Horgan or anyone in his cabinet can deal with the request that her client is making,” Conacher told theBreaker.news.

Sihota did not respond to email and phone requests for comment.

B.C. has a two-year ban on lobbying by former public office holders, but it does not cover contractors. Sihota has reported meeting Jan. 29 with Melanie Mark, the new Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. Her other target is the Ministry of Finance.

Democracy Watch’s Duff Conacher

Sihota wasn’t the only party worker on the transition team: Emily Rose White was contracted for $13,008.

Lawyer Roshan Danesh ($8,500) and former federal NDP candidate Bob Chamberlin ($2,500) rounded out the list of almost $40,000 in direct-awarded contracts on a list obtained by theBreaker.news. Chamberlin is the chief of the Alert Bay-based Kwikwasutinuxw Haxwa’mis First Nation and lobbies against salmon farms with the First Nations Wild Salmon Alliance.

Conacher said Horgan handing a contract to the party executive director so soon after the election appears to further his own private interest. Even if special favours for a campaigner and fundraiser aren’t ruled out of bounds, Conacher says the transition team was “a waste of the public’s money.”

Chamberlin, Danesh and White did not respond.

theBreaker.news wanted to know about the contractors’ roles and responsibilities and what they were required to deliver under their contracts.

Instead of providing details, the Office of the Premier sent a statement.

“After every election, regardless of the party that forms government, there is a transition from the caretaker mode to a new cabinet appointed with new mandate letters. Those hired for the transition period provide support in preparations for the new government,” said a prepared statement sent by Horgan’s deputy communications director George Smith.

A transition team is generally hired when there is a change of party holding power or a change of leader. Horgan led the NDP to a 57-seat majority in the snap election, despite amending the fixed elections date law for a fixed October 2021 voting date.

The NDP spent more than $295,000 in the summer of 2017 on 30 contractors when the Horgan administration took over from Christy Clark’s BC Liberals.

Bob Chamberlin (left) and Premier Horgan (Twitter)

After the spring 2017 election, Clark remained in power, albeit with a minority government. No transition team was hired, but Clark spent $12,000 on an advisor and a speechwriter for what came to be known as the ill-fated “clone speech.”

Elections BC filings show Chamberlin donated $888 in 2020 to the NDP, while a Raj Trina Sihota donated $100-a-month from January to October 2020.

Since winning the election, which was not required by law until October 2021, B.C. experienced a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The NDP government has faced criticism for not delivering small business relief and pandemic pay to frontline workers. The NDP delayed the next provincial budget by two months until April 20, because of the snap election.

In May 2020, theBreaker.news revealed that Horgan’s former speechwriter, Danielle Dalzell, had joined Earnscliffe Strategy Group and used a loophole in the NDP-amended lobbying laws to become a registered lobbyist. 

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Bob Mackin A government accountability advocate says B.C.’s

For the week of Feb. 21, 2021:

Host Bob Mackin welcomes people from both sides of the lens of adventure sports documentaries featured at this year’s Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival.

Beyond the Break director Missy McIntosh (left) and Eastbound filmmaker Thomas Hogben.

Hear Beyond the Break filmmaker Missy McIntosh discuss what drew her to the story of Vancouver 2010 Paralympian Sam Danniels and learn why Danniels built his own surfboard.  

Also, hear Scotland’s Jenny Graham, the Guinness world record holder for cycling around the world in 124 days. Graham’s epic 2018 journey, which included a cross-Canada ride, is the subject of filmmaker Thomas Hogben’s Eastbound.

The 24th edition of VIMFF is online-only in 2021, due to the pandemic.

Also on this edition, headlines from the Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest.

CLICK BELOW to listen or go to TuneIn or Apple Podcasts.

Now on Spotify!

Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive.

Support theBreaker.news for as low as $2 a month on Patreon. Find out how. Click here.

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For the week of Feb. 21, 2021: Host

Bob Mackin

It was a case of once bitten, twice shy.

B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Chris Hinkson refused on Feb. 17 to grant Dr. Bonnie Henry and the B.C. NDP government an order to shut down three evangelical churches and arrest their pastors and parishioners. For more than three months, the Fraser Valley Christians have flouted pandemic bans on public gatherings. Hinkson threw out Henry’s application because those who broke a port blockade injunction a year ago were not held accountable and he feared a repeat.

B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson (B.C. Courts)

“I am left to wonder what would be achieved by the issuance of an injunction in this case,” Hinkson wrote. “If it were granted and not adhered to, would the administration of justice yet again be brought into disrepute because the B.C. Prosecution Service considers that it would not be in the public interest to prosecute those who refused to adhere to the orders sought from this Court?”

Hinkson’s written judgement, which followed a Feb. 12 hearing, cited the arrest of six people for defying a court order to ban blockades at Vancouver Fraser Port Authority entrances in Vancouver and Delta. The protesters were part of the nationwide Shut Down Canada anti-pipeline campaign in February 2020.

The B.C. Prosecution Service had ample evidence to charge the protesters and even determined there was substantial likelihood of conviction. Yet, it did an about-face.

Notwithstanding these conclusions, the B.C. Prosecution Service declined to initiate criminal prosecutions on the basis that it was not required in the public interest ‘given the nature of the offences and the passage of time during the COVID pandemic’,” Hinkson wrote.

“Despite the finding of [Justice Michael Tammen] that the blockade he had dealt with constituted a direct attack on the rule of law by an organized group voicing disapproval of a court order, the reputation of administration of justice was brought into disrepute because no consequences were pursued.”

Lack of charges for port blockaders led was behind Hinkson’s Feb. 17 ruling (Twitter)

When it came to the three evangelical churches in the Fraser Valley, Hinkson was blunt.

“To be clear, I am not condoning the petitioners’ conduct in contravention of the orders that they challenge, but find that the injunctive relief sought by the respondents should not be granted.”

Hinkson acknowledged the terrible pandemic and how the government and Henry are doing their best to “protect us from the ravages of the pandemic.

“Many are finding solace and comfort in these troubled times in their religious views and practices, and gathering together with others who share their views and practices.”

Riverside Calvary Chapel of Langley, Immanuel Covenant Reformed Church of Abbotsford and Free Reformed Church of Chilliwack, with the support of the Alberta-based Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, had already scheduled a March 1 court hearing. They want a judge to overturn the violation tickets they have received because they say the public health order banning church services violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees on freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of religion.

The province’s application conceded the pandemic rules take away fundamental freedoms, but should be allowed because they are subject to reasonable limits in a democratic society. Public health trumps individual liberties, the government contends.

Yet, the churches’ lawyer, Paul Jaffe, noted the contradiction. Pubs and gyms remain open, despite those activities not being mentioned in the Charter. After the Justice Centre’s legal challenge, Henry amended the public health order to allow public protests.

The government said the services generally occur indoors with a large number of people from different households, lasting longer than 15 minutes, causing a higher risk of spread and infection of the disease among high risk groups, such as the elderly, and involve talking and singing, which help spread the virus.

Dr. Bonnie Henry shrugs after admitting a major Fraser Health data error in November (CPAC)

Hinkson said affidavits from the churches include evidence of safety plans, including physical distancing, limiting numbers of parishioners use of hand sanitizer and provision of masks. The Chilliwack RCMP has already forwarded a report to the B.C. Prosecution Service to determine whether there should be charges.

A statement attributed to Henry, and released by the Ministry of Health, said she respects the decision.

“Based on the science and evidence, I put public health orders in place to protect faith leaders, their congregations and the communities in which they worship. These are legal orders that apply to everyone in our province, and most churches are following them. I thank each of them,” Henry said.

“Three churches have filed a charter challenge of the provincial events and gatherings order. While this legal challenge is heard, everyone must continue to follow the orders to protect themselves and their communities.”

Justice Centre staff lawyer Marty Moore said the churches were relieved with Hinkson’s decision.

“The B.C. government was seeking a court order for police to scrutinize the intentions of individuals and detain them if police believed they intended to attend a prohibited worship service,” Moore said.

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Bob Mackin It was a case of once

For the week of Feb. 14, 2021:

Walter Soo, a vice-president of Great Canadian Gaming until 2019, testified Feb. 9 at the Cullen Commission public inquiry into money laundering in B.C.

Ex-Great Canadian Gaming VP Walter Soo (Cullen Commission)

Soo was the key executive who turned River Rock Casino Resort into a destination for high-rollers from China. He had worked his way up from Great Canadian’s Pacific National Exhibition Fair table games in the early 1980s.

Under cross-examination by commission lawyer Kyle McCleery, Soo described how River Rock’s business benefitted from geopolitical shifts across the Pacific Ocean, where Macau became China’s answer to Las Vegas, and Canada’s hunger to attract millionaire migrants with fast-track visas and passports.

“For years overlapping, from 2005-2012, these people just kept flowing in,” Soo said. “It may sound crude, but they washed up on shore.”

Ultimately, River Rock boomed in the wake of Xi Jinping’s struggle to purge the Chinese Communist Party of foes. Gamblers who frequented Macau made their way to Richmond.

Some of them raised the eyebrows of police and regulators in B.C. But the commission is hearing how the BC Liberal government of the day turned a blind eye to widespread money laundering in favour of profits.

Listen to highlights of Soo’s testimony on this edition. 

Plus headlines from the Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest.

CLICK BELOW to listen or go to TuneIn or Apple Podcasts.

Now on Spotify!

Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive.

Support theBreaker.news for as low as $2 a month on Patreon. Find out how. Click here.

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For the week of Feb. 14, 2021: Walter

Bob Mackin

A South Asian community political organizer and former general secretary of Vancouver’s Ross Street Sikh Temple died after falling down stairs at a Richmond party.

While Richmond RCMP believe the death of Rajinder Singh Bhela was an accident, they are still appealing for clues.

Raj Bhela (left) and then-Conservative leader Andrew Scheer (Facebook)

Bhela, 50, suffered a serious head injury on Jan. 30 in a building at 11732 River Road in Richmond. Sources tell theBreaker.news that Bhela was attending a booze-filled party that was held contrary to public health orders. Paramedics rushed Bhela to a trauma centre, but he died four days later in hospital. 

As per its policy, the B.C. Coroners Service would not confirm Bhela’s identity when contacted by theBreaker.news. The agency did say it was notified of a death on Feb. 3 and is investigating. “It would be a bit too early and speculative to provide any details until the coroner has completed the investigation,” said the service in an anonymous statement.

Richmond RCMP issued a news release on Feb. 10 that did not name Bhela. The Mounties said they were unaware of the incident until Feb. 5 — two days after Bhela died — when the B.C. Coroners Service “requested clarification on the circumstances.”

“While the investigation is still ongoing, evidence obtained so far suggests this was indeed an accidental fall. At this time, police do not suspect foul play,” said the statement from Cpl. Ian Henderson. He appealed for witnesses to call 604-278-1212 and quote file number 21-3371.

Bhela was a South Asian community organizer for Andrew Scheer’s successful Conservative leadership campaign, but Scheer distanced himself from Bhela in spring 2018 when Bhela was accused of defrauding the Toronto Dominion Bank.

Raj Bhela and Hector Bremner (right)

By summer 2018, brothers Pal and Gurdyal Sahota, best known as owners of the notorious Balmoral Hotel, sued Bhela and developer Tarsem Singh Gill, claiming they owed $4 million in loans.

Bhela was also on the inner-circle of Hector Bremner’s by-election win for an NPA city council seat in 2017 and Bremner’s failed 2018 mayoral bid with Mark Marissen’s Yes Vancouver party. 

Bhela quit the federal Liberal Party in 2014 when he claimed Sikh extremists were manipulating Justin Trudeau, after Harjit Sajjan was appointed the party’s candidate in Vancouver South. In 2013, Bhela was on the guest list for BC Liberal Premier Christy Clark’s cabinet unveiling event in Vancouver for party donors, lobbyists and campaign staff.

In a Feb. 4 Facebook post, fellow Conservative operative Mani Deol-Fallon wrote: “He worked hard for things he cared about and enjoyed helping people. He never asked for anything in return. He spoke of the love for his parents and children often.”

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Bob Mackin A South Asian community political organizer