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Bob Mackin

Premier John Horgan’s pandemic election — held one year before legally required — cost $51.6 million, according to Elections BC.

John Horgan on election night (BC NDP/Flickr)

In the July 27-released report, chief electoral officer Anton Boegman, said that works out to $14.64 per registered voter. That was more than $12 million higher than 2017, when the cost-per-vote was $12.15.

Horgan won a 57-seat majority in the election, as 1.9 million voted. The 53.9% turnout rate was a record low, worse than 2009’s 55.14%.

“Expenses for this election included unique costs associated with the pandemic, such as face masks and shields, gloves, transparent barriers, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant wipes,” the report said.

Other cost pressures contributed, such as rent for district electoral offices and voting places, postal services, staffing, transportation, advertising and drop-off locations to collect ballots.

The cost of PPE totalled $2.2 million, including the purchase of  617,000 disposable masks, 36,000 bottles of hand sanitizer, 16,000 containers of disinfectant wipes, 11,000 face shields and 9,000 acrylic barriers.

Modification to voting procedures meant almost 18,000 election officials were hired to staff voting places, compared to more than 23,000 in 2017. There were only six fewer advance voting places and 60 fewer general voting places.

More than 604,000 vote-by-mail packages were returned on-time, of which 505,000 came through Canada Post. The remaining 100,000 were returned at Elections BC district offices or voting places. There was also a spike in phone voting, almost 3,500 in 2020, compared to nearly 1,100 in 2017.

NDP newcomer Susie Chant upset incumbent BC Liberal Jane Thornthwaite on election night (Mackin)

Horgan’s decision to fight for votes instead of fight the virus unleashed $15.4 million of spending by B.C.’s big three political parties.

Almost half that was by Horgan’s NDP, which reported to Elections BC that its campaign cost $7.64 million. The NDP finished with a party record 57 seats. The BC Liberals had their worst result since 1991 and spent $6.36 million while the BC Greens were third with $1.41 million, according to the spending returns released Feb. 1.

The campaigns were directly subsidized for the first time after the NDP government banned corporate and union donations in 2017. The BC Liberals and NDP got roughly $1.59 million each in 2020 allowance payments, under a per vote formula based on the results of the 2017 election.

Boegman’s report said the new funding formula meant reimbursements of election expenses to the three main parties and 240 candidates. The NDP received $2.15 million, BC Liberals $1.5 million and Greens $301,000.

Parties needed at least 5% of votes province wide to qualify. For candidates, it was 10% in their riding.

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Bob Mackin Premier John Horgan’s pandemic election

Business, News, Opinion, Sports

For the week of July 25, 2021:

The Tokyo Olympics are on, albeit a year late. Will they finish on schedule, Aug. 8?

The global coronavirus pandemic hangs over the biggest, riskiest sport event in history.

On this edition, hear from mega-events critic/author Jules Boykoff, IOC president Thomas Bach, Canadian Olympic team Dr. Michael Wilkinson, chef de mission Marnie McBean and IOC vice-president John Coates. 

Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines and commentary.

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

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For the week of July 25, 2021:

Business, Miscellany, News

Bob Mackin

The co-founder of Democracy Watch is disappointed, but not surprised, that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau disobeyed rules and regulations for restaurants and film and TV productions during his July 8, campaign-style trip to Metro Vancouver.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau July 8 in Coquitlam (PMO)

“Trudeau has shown again and again that he doesn’t think laws apply to him,” said Duff Conacher. “So it’s not surprising to see this kind of action by him, now in the lead-up to what many think will be a snap election call, which will also violate the federal fixed election date law.”

Before lunching on one of the famous burgers with Premier John Horgan outside a White Spot in Coquitlam, Trudeau made the rounds inside the dining room, hopping between at least three tables. He was accompanied by Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam Liberal MP Ron McKinnon.

Even with the mask, he ran afoul of one of Dr. Bonnie Henry’s ongoing rules.

“Socializing between tables at restaurants and bars remains prohibited under the provincial health officer’s orders until further notice,” Fraser Health Authority spokesman Curtis Harling told theBreaker.news.

“Everyone must follow these orders,” Harling said. But he refused to say whether Fraser Health had received any complaints about Trudeau or White Spot, or whether it was investigating on its own.

The B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association’s COVID-19 Best Front of House Service Practices brochure recommends open pathways to enable clear access for both servers and bussers.  

White Spot marketing vice-president Cathy Tostenson did not respond for comment.

“The Prime Minister stopped in at White Spot to pick up a takeout lunch order. He was not dining at the location,” Trudeau press secretary Alex Wellstead told theBreaker.news. “While there, he had a few brief conversations with other restaurant-goers and staff. Following local public health guidelines, he had his mask on the entire time.”

Later that afternoon, Trudeau created a buzz in North Vancouver’s Deep Cove village, where witnesses on social media reported he appeared to be starring in a campaign ad shoot at the waterfront park.

Trudeau is expected to call an election in mid-August, more than two years sooner than the October 2023 legislated date. He is aiming to turn the Liberal minority in the House of Commons into a Liberal majority. 

theBreaker.news sought a copy of the production application and permit, but the freedom of information office at District of North Vancouver hall said those do not exist.

“Our film department was not made aware of the visit/production and we did not receive an application for a filming permit for this event,” said FOI clerk Kim Wasson.

The only record provided was a single-page, handwritten note in the communications department about the 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. “PM visit.”

The note said RCMP Protective Services and District park rangers were on-site at 2 p.m. for a private event for “25 Liberal supporters, shooting video.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in North Vancouver’s Deep Cove on July 8 (Twitter/@sdeedeeduke)

A 27-second Twitter video shot by a kayaker shows a masked man who appears to be directing the shoot, running back and forth clutching a clipboard or pad of paper in his left hand. Party senior director of communications Braeden Caley is visible near Prime Minister’s Office staff photographer Adam Scotti, who captured images of Trudeau presenting a trophy to Burnaby-North Seymour MP Terry Beech.

Neither the PMO nor Beech’s office would comment. Both referred theBreaker.news to Liberal Party headquarters.

Liberal Party spokesman Matteo Rossi would not explain the lack of permit or give any details about the production.

“As a party leader, it is also not uncommon for Mr. Trudeau to have photos or video taken by the Liberal Party or others while he is in outdoor public spaces,” Rossi said by email.

District of North Vancouver requires film, TV, commercial and photography productions to apply for a permit five or more working days before filming dates and notify area merchants and residents at least three business days before the shoot. District of North Vancouver also requires a $2,500 security deposit for a commercial or photo shoot and proof of liability insurance. Additional costs apply under the Fees and Charges Bylaw.

Democracy Watch’s Duff Conacher

Based on District of North Vancouver filming policy and guidelines, Trudeau and his entourage would likely have been denied a permit for the location had they applied. Filming is not allowed in Deep Cove, Panorama Park and Quarry Rock between Victoria Day and Labour Day long weekends due to a high volume of tourists.

“Trudeau keeps violating the law: federal ethics laws, he has been a rampant violator of the federal Access to Information Act and his own conflict of interest — Open and Accountable Government code is what it’s called — he’s violated several times, and several of his cabinet ministers,” Conacher said. “It’s just part of the same ongoing attitude, that his belief that he gets to do whatever he wants no matter what the laws say.”

During his last pre-election trip to Metro Vancouver in 2019, Trudeau followed a meal at White Spot with a trip to Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to shoot a campaign ad. The next day, he shot another campaign ad on the Grouse Grind in North Vancouver, which did have a permit. Trudeau dinged taxpayers $54,000 for the round trip cost of a military jet, less than two weeks before the 2019 campaign officially began.

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Bob Mackin The co-founder of Democracy Watch

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Bob Mackin

The former Clerk of the British Columbia Legislature will stand beginning Jan. 24, 2022 at the Law Courts in Vancouver trial on charges that he committed fraud and breach of trust.

Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes of the B.C. Supreme Court.

Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes set the trial to run through March 4, 2022 during a telephone hearing on July 22 with the special prosecutors and James’s defence lawyers.

Gavin Cameron and Kevin Westell appeared on behalf of James. They entered a not guilty plea and elected for trial by judge alone. 

James was charged last December in Victoria, where he spent 2011 to 2018 as Clerk. Cameron and Westell were successful in the choice of Vancouver. Special prosecutors Brock Martland and David Butcher took no position on the venue. The two sides had already agreed they needed six weeks in the first quarter of 2022.

Cameron said Vancouver would be the best venue because both legal duos are based in Vancouver and it would be more costly for the case to be tried in Victoria.

“Taxpayers of B.C., generally, have an interest in the matter,” Cameron said. “Obviously a substantial amount of media and public interest in this matter and the centre of the national and provincial press is in Vancouver. Of course, there are some legislative branches in Victoria, but the centre of gravity is Vancouver.”

When it was Butcher’s turn, he sought to correct Cameron on one point.

“Taxpayers of B.C. have generally been a victim of crime,” Butcher said. 

Holmes agreed that Vancouver is best because the Victoria courthouse already has several trials scheduled next January and may not be flexible if the pandemic continues into 2022.

Gary Lenz (left), ex-speaker Linda Reid and Craig James (Commonwealth Parliamentary Association)

Martland said the provisional list of 70 witnesses would be reduced to fewer than 20 by submitting sworn statements admitting certain facts and evidence.

The case management conference happened three days after Holmes decided July 19 to quash the first of the six counts against James.

James’s lawyers applied May 27 to drop the first, so-called “global count” that alleged James committed breach of trust by using his position to advance personal interests from his first day on the job, Sept. 10, 2011, to Nov. 21, 2018, the day after he was suddenly suspended by MLAs and escorted from the Parliament Buildings by a police officer.

Holmes agreed with James’s lawyers, that count 1 was too broad.  

“The allegation may apply to an almost infinite range of acts or omissions over more than seven years, Mr. James’s entire career in the position of Clerk,” she wrote.

“Count 2 alleges improperly obtaining and keeping a long service award in the amount of $257,988.38. Count 3 alleges obtaining benefit from the purchase and use of a trailer and wood splitter paid for with public funds. Count 5 alleges submitting claims and receiving reimbursement for personal (not job-related) travel expenses. Each of these types of conduct is alleged to have taken place during a specified period, the longest of these being the period in count 5, which spans almost five years. Count 1, by contrast, makes the general allegation that Mr. James used his position to advance his own personal interests over the public good, and that count does not specify the type of conduct by which he is alleged to have done so.”

Speaker Darryl Plecas (left) and chief of staff Alan Mullen (Mackin)

Holmes was not satisfied that count 1 would mean a smooth or fair trial, “in the sense of presenting the jury with a clear and manageable task.”

That point was proven moot when Cameron began the July 22 case management hearing by instructing Holmes that James was choosing trial by judge alone.

The judge and lawyers will confer again on Oct. 6 for a pre-trial hearing.

James and Sergeant-at-Arms Gary Lenz were immediately suspended and escorted out of the Legislature on Nov. 20, 2018. On that day, British Columbians learned that Speaker Darryl Plecas had called the RCMP after he and his Chief of Staff Alan Mullen found corruption in the offices of the two most-senior permanent officers at the seat of government.

Plecas, who was speaker from 2017 to 2020, released details and evidence of the spending scandal in early 2019.

James and Lenz both retired in disgrace in 2019 after separate reports found they committed wrongdoing. They kept their pension entitlements, but they were not forced to repay taxpayers.

No charges were announced for Lenz last December, but the investigation continues.

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Bob Mackin The former Clerk of the British

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Bob Mackin

One hundred and fifty years ago, on July 20, 1871, British Columbia became Canada’s sixth province.

There is no pomp and circumstance in the capital Victoria, or elsewhere, on July 20, 2021.

The pandemic has put a damper on public events of any size. So has the prevailing political mood, which revolves around recognition of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the unmet goals of Canada’s 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission Final Report.

The name of the first Lieutenant Governor, Joseph Trutch, is being removed from a street on Vancouver’s Westside, for his hostile views towards aboriginals. The Mayor of Vancouver, Kennedy Stewart, branded Trutch a racist.

April 12, 1970 Victoria Colonist newspaper

Today’s discourse also includes talk of decolonization, which was also part of the discourse 150 years ago.

The July 20, 1871 edition of the ironically named British Colonist and Victoria Chronicle newspaper proudly proclaimed that day “British Columbia ceased to be a colony of the British Crown by becoming a Province of the Dominion of Canada.”

Many vestiges of the British empire remain. In June 1960, under then Premier W.A.C. Bennett, British Columbia adopted a new flag to replace the colonial one. Since then, it has featured a Union Jack over blue and white waves and a golden sunset.

A decade later, and a year before 1971’s centennial of B.C. joining Confederation, a subversive display of decolonization in a most unlikely place.

A photograph and story in the April 12, 1970 edition of Victoria’s Daily Colonist newspaper about first nations student pride at the Kamloops Indian Student Residence, which was the Kamloops Indian Residential School until 1969.

The same place that has prompted an outpouring of national grief in 2021. Where ground-penetrating radar detected 200 anomalies under an apple orchard on Victoria Day weekend that the Tk’emlups believe are the remains of children from the brutal, government-mandated, Catholic-operated boarding school that opened in 1893. 

In the photograph, five smiling students surrounding their proposed redesign of the flag of British Columbia.

They replaced the Union Jack with a thunderbird, the supernatural protector that figures so prominently in aboriginal culture.

British Columbia wasn’t then and isn’t now all British. Neither were they.

The photograph under the page 38 headline “Designs on Recognition,” shows student flag-designers Rose Marie Sampson, Sonia Edmonds, Gerry Denault, Johnny Jules and Delphine Ned.

Students at Kamloops Indian Student Residence aim to put Indians in the history books by getting a thunderbird on B.C.’s flag.

Brother J.J. Heysel, a teacher at the residence, said Thursday in Victoria that the students will submit a flag design to Premier Bennett next week that shows a thunderbird over the B.C. flag’s setting sun.

The students feel it is time the Indian’s place in the history of B.C., and of Canada, was recognized. “Even on the centennial flag,” Heysel said,” The Indian wasn’t mentioned.”

About Canada’s flag Heysel said, “Most people don’t realize that the maple leaf is an Indian symbol. The Indians were the first ones to give us maple syrup, weren’t they, and this is where the symbol originated.”

The students are currently working on a flag design for Alberta, which will include Indian symbols — perhaps a silhouette of a famous chief — and Heysel said by summer the students should be ready to submit a series of four Indian-oriented stamps to the federal government.

Kamloops Indian Residence students’ B.C. flag concept in 1970 (Daily Colonist)

Last year, Heysel said Czechoslovakia issued postage stamps with totem pols and Indian dancers on them, “and there isn’t an Indian within 3,000 miles of there. And we don’t have an Indian stamp in Canada yet.”

Kamloops Indian Student Residence is a hostel for 239 students, Grades one to 12, who attend integrated schools in Kamloops. At the residence, Heysel gives extracurricular classes on Indian culture.

Sometimes the students visit white schools and lecture on Indian culture.

“It’s the Indian student’s time to say, ‘See we had heroes too’,” Heysel said. “You can see it in their faces.”

How was it received by Bennett? I contacted the B.C. Archives and was told the files from Bennett’s office are not easily searchable, in-person or online. Some are still restricted. The Oblates of Mary Immaculate said Heysel died in January 2015.

In 2021, the flag remains the same as the 1960 version. 

Maybe it’s time in 2021 to take another look at the Kamloops students’ 1970 concept for a decolonized B.C. flag.

  • If you can help shed more light on the 1970 students’ flag project, please contact me.

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Bob Mackin One hundred and fifty years ago,

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Bob Mackin

A Vancouver city councillor will keep his seat for the remainder of his term, after a B.C. Supreme Court judge dismissed a conflict of interest petition.

Justice John Steeves ruled July 19 that Vancouver Green Party Coun. Michael Wiebe committed conflict of interest when he lobbied for and voted on a temporary measure to expand patio licences to restaurants, including his Eight 1/2 bistro in Mount Pleasant, early in the pandemic.

Coun. Michael Wiebe (Twitter)

But, since Wiebe’s pecuniary interest was the same as more than 3,000 competitors, the case was thrown out after four days of hearings in February and June.

“I find that the petitioners have established that, at the material times, the respondent had a pecuniary interest in the opening/expansion of patio use via the temporary patio program,” Steeves wrote. “That pecuniary interest was his ownership stake in a restaurant and pub that potentially stood to benefit from the program. Despite having this interest, there is no evidence that the respondent disclosed it at the meetings on May 13 and May 27, 2020 (his business interests were disclosed as required by legislation and were a matter of public record).”

Instead, Wiebe stayed and participated in meetings, contrary to the conflict of interest sections in the Vancouver Charter.  However, Wiebe successfully argued he was among 3,127 restaurateurs and bar owners licenced in 2019. The fact that Wiebe was among the first 14 licences announced under the program did not harm his case.

“Overall, I conclude that the respondent did have a pecuniary interest in common with the owners of restaurants and bars in Vancouver in May 2020. This included during the meetings on May 13, 2020 and May 27, 2020. All members of this group benefitted from the decision of council to expand patio seating.”

Mayor Kennedy Stewart and Vancouver’s new city council on Nov. 5 (Mackin)

Since Wiebe is “entitled to an exception from the restrictions on conflicts of interest” under the Vancouver Charter, Steeves wrote, “that is the end of the matter and there is no need to proceed to consider whether the respondent acted inadvertently or made an error in judgment in good faith.”

The 14 petitioners were represented by lawyer and NPA board member Wes Mussio.

“While my clients are disappointed in the final outcome, the Judge did make some key findings against Councillor Wiebe,” Mussio said by email.

The petitioners argued that Wiebe’s interest was in common with the wider pool of voters from the 2018 election, not the smaller pool of liquor licence holders that figured in the judge’s reasons.

“That interpretation of the law seems to widen the ability of City Councillors in the future to participate and vote on Motions even where they will see an economic benefit personally. As a result, my clients are reviewing this broad interpretation of the Charter to determine if an Appeal of the decision is warranted.”  

Michael Redmond, one of the petitioners, originally filed a conflict of interest complaint under the city’s code of conduct. Lawyer Raymond Young was retained by the mayor’s office to investigate.

Vancouver city hall (Mackin)

Young found in September 2020 that Wiebe had direct and pecuniary interest in the motion and bylaw and violated the Vancouver Charter. Young recommended Wiebe be disqualified from office and resign his seat.

“His conflict of interest actions cannot be viewed as an error in judgment made in good faith,” Young wrote.

Since the October 2020 filing of the case against Wiebe, three of the four remaining NPA councillors went independent in protest of the board’s closed-doors naming of Park Board Commissioner John Coupar as the party’s mayoral candidate in 2022.

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Bob Mackin A Vancouver city councillor will keep

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For the week of July 18, 2021:

Despite the law saying the next election is in October 2023, the Trudeau Liberals are planning to head to the polls more than two years early.

Research Co. pollster Mario Canseco (Mackin)

In between Coquitlam and Surrey spending photo ops, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in North Vancouver shooting a campaign video.

Pollster Mario Canseco says the Liberals will try to turn a campaign into a referendum on the pandemic, in which they unleashed billions of dollars on social and economic spending. They are also hoping to capitalize on Conservative Erin O’Toole’s lack of profile. Could O’Toole’s only hope be a campaign prosecuting the litany of Liberal scandals?

In B.C. ridings, can NDP leader Jagmeet Singh overcome a softening of support for B.C. NDP Premier John Horgan? Where will Green votes go while the party implodes?

Hear Mario’s thoughts on the above issues as the clock ticks toward a snap election.

Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines and commentary.

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Now on Google Podcasts!

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For the week of July 18, 2021:

Business, News

Bob Mackin

An injured indigenous woman was forced to wait almost an hour and 20 minutes on a SkyTrain for an ambulance to arrive, theBreaker.news has learned.

Clockwise, from upper left, SkyTrain surveillance images of a woman injured June 1 (TransLink/FOI)

An accident/incident report obtained from TransLink under freedom of information by theBreaker.news shows that SkyTrain attendants were alerted to trouble aboard car 340 at 3:25 p.m. on June 1.

When the train entered Metrotown station, an attendant found “an indigenous female was laying on her side crying.”

A medical emergency was declared at 3:29 p.m., the train offloaded and routed into a pocket area at the station with the injured passenger remaining on board. An ambulance was dispatched at 3:33 p.m. but SkyTrain staff were “unable to get an ETA.”

Burnaby Fire Department crews arrived at 4:12 p.m. They believed the woman had a broken hip from falling out of her mobility scooter and decided to wait for the B.C. Emergency Health Services paramedics to arrive and remove her.

SkyTrain attendant Sue-Ann Cameron’s incident report said the passenger had fallen off the scooter, hit her head and body on the plexiglas divider by a door, and ended up under the scooter. Surveillance images released to theBreaker.news by TransLink show the passenger on her scooter near a door, tipping over on her left side and then another passenger coming to her aid.

“Passenger complained of pain in her head, cervical, spine, ribs, hips, collar bone and left arm,” said the incident report.

By 4:30 p.m., the ambulance had still not arrived, so another call was made to 9-1-1 “to see if the ambulance could move this incident up in priority.”

Finally, paramedics were on-scene at 4:44 p.m and took the passenger off the train at 4:55 p.m.

Paramedics stretcher a woman out of Metrotown SkyTrain station on June 1 (TransLink/FOI)

A fourth image shows the passenger on a stretcher being led away by two paramedics through the station fare gates at 4:57 p.m., en route to Burnaby General Hospital.

In June, theBreaker.news exclusively reported on a Dec. 5, 2020 fall by a man on a mobility scooter into the tracks at Rupert SkyTrain station. The man was found bleeding heavily from the nose by the edge of the platform and his scooter in the guideway. He had also been electrocuted after contacting the power rail upon his fall.

On July 14, after record ambulance waits contributed to mass-deaths in the late June heat wave, Health Minister Adrian Dix said chief operating officer Darlene MacKinnon would keep her job. But, Providence Health COO Leanne Heppell would become “chief ambulance officer” on an interim basis.

Dix named former Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu, now an executive with Aquilini Investment Group, as the new BCEHS chair, with Telus CEO Darren Entwistle becoming a special advisor.

Dix also announced 85 more paramedics and 35 dispatchers would be hired full-time and another 22 ambulances would be purchased. 

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Bob Mackin An injured indigenous woman was forced

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An executive with British Columbia’s ambulance service joked on the eve of B.C.’s deadly heat wave that people complaining of sunburn could overwhelm the non-emergency 8-1-1 health advice hotline.

Neil Lilley (BCEHS)

At the June 24 B.C. Emergency Health Services board meeting, Neil Lilley, the senior provincial director of patient care, communications and planning, gave a presentation about the 2017-introduced clinical response model that assigns colour codes to different categories of injury or illness.

“Whereby a purple is an immediately life-threatening, for a cardiac arrest, for example, right the way down through a blue call, which is not urgent, we downstream those calls to 8-1-1. They could be somebody who stubbed their toe or has some severe sunburn, which probably is going to happen quite a bit this weekend,” Lilley laughed. “8-1-1 might be busy, but hopefully not.”

LAUGHING MATTER? SCROLL DOWN AND WATCH THE VIDEO 

Environment Canada warned early June 24 of dangerous, record-breaking heat that “will increase the potential for heat-related illnesses” with daytime highs of 38 Celsius in Metro Vancouver between June 25 and 29.

Later in the June 24 meeting, chair Tim Manning asked about call volume trends. Lilley said the reopening from the spring’s pandemic circuit breaker and heat were driving more 9-1-1 calls to ambulance dispatchers.

“It’s the downstream of people finally getting out and letting their hair down,” Lilley said.

“This extreme weather that you’re going to see this weekend is going to have a further boom, so it’s very challenging at the moment. Our staff are doing remarkable considering the excessive work they’ve had for such a long period of time as well, it’s quite worrisome for the summer.”

Manning did not acknowledge the imminent heat wave.

June 28, 2021 (NOAA)

It turned into a record weekend for 9-1-1 call volumes, with hours-long backlogs and ambulance wait times.

BCEHS did not activate its dedicated emergency operations centre until June 29. As many as 719 people could have died from the heat. The B.C. Coroners Service is investigating each sudden and unexpected death, three times the average for the period.

On July 14, Health Minister Adrian Dix said chief operating officer Darlene MacKinnon would keep her job, despite the paramedics’ union campaigning for her firing. Instead, Providence Health COO Leanne Heppell has become the chief ambulance officer on an interim basis.

Former Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu, now an executive with Aquilini Investment Group, is the new BCEHS chair, with Telus CEO Darren Entwistle acting as an advisor.

Another 85 full-time paramedics and 30 full-time dispatchers will be hired and 22 new ambulances bought.

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Bob Mackin An executive with British Columbia’s ambulance

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Bob Mackin

A complaint to the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal alleges the general manager and president of the Cloverdale Rodeo and Exhibition Association were complicit in a toxic work environment for seven years.

Ex-Cloverdale Rodeo general manager Mike MacSorely (Facebook)

The filing, from an anonymous complainant representing a group, alleges the non-profit association behind the annual Cloverdale Rodeo employed Mike MacSorely as general manager “despite knowing of Mr. MacSorely’s blatantly racist view of South Asian people and ongoing egregious conduct towards female staff and volunteers. The association, through its executive board, continuously dismissed concerns about Mr. MacSorely for years.”

The board includes Surrey city councillor Doug Elford and City of Surrey managers Swanson Kelsey and Farhad Alizadeh.

MacSorely resigned in March for what was officially described as “personal reasons.”

The association has no harassment policy or training for staff or volunteers and no complaint mechanism. Instead, it delegates authority to the general manager — who was the subject of complaints. When an investigation was finally launched early this year, the complaint said it was undermined by dismissive and sexist comments from MacSorely and the association’s four executive directors. MacSorely eventually resigned, but the association has not apologized or acknowledged any harm caused. 

The document, filed by lawyer Rachel Roy, said the association has continuously committed discrimination in employment, “by upholding a hostile and poisoned work environment and by failing to respond to race- and sex-based harassment.”

None of the allegations has been tested and MacSorely has not filed a statement of defence.

MacSorely is accused “of continuously physically and psychologically” abusing and harassing the only woman working in the association office for four years. It also alleges MacSorely refused to interview or hire anyone with an Indo-Canadian name and referred to South Asians as “carpet riders” and Hindu food as “baby diarrhea.”

The complaint also claims association president Shannon Claypool condoned MacSorely’s conduct, allegedly made unwelcome sexual advances to female volunteers and complained that the #MeToo movement was out of control.

Coun. Doug Elford (Safe Surrey Coalition)

“In January 2021, the executive directors received a letter from a former employee setting out a series of examples of Mr. MacSorely’s inappropriate conduct. This included incidents of Mr. MacSorely hitting female staff and making racist comments about racialized staff. The executive directors ignored the letter until the letter was brought to the attention of City of Surrey officials. After City officials directed the board of directors to deal with the allegations, the Board determined it would hire an external investigator.”

The other three executive directors are rodeo chair Rich Kitos, publicity chair Dale Saip and treasurer/human resources chair Gerry Spielmacher.

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Bob Mackin A complaint to the B.C. Human

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