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Business, News

Bob Mackin

B.C. NDP cabinet ministers are getting a bonus, but it won’t be as big as it could’ve been.

Under provincial law, 20% of ministerial salaries is held back until the fiscal year’s Public Accounts are released. Half the holdback is for balancing the government’s overall budget target, the other half for balancing ministerial budgets. Because the pandemic turned the government’s finances upside down, NDP cabinet members qualify only for the latter 10%.

Finance Minister Carole James (BC Gov)

Cabinet ministers will receive $5,551 each and Premier John Horgan $9,992.

The NDP government had eliminated the bonus system for Crown corporation executives, but not for politicians. It decided not to amend the law during an emergency March 23 sitting of the Legislature, just eight days before the books closed for the fiscal year.

“We hadn’t made changes to the ministers holdbacks, that we felt that was just additional time and energy that we wanted to spend on providing supports to the public,” Finance Minister Carole James told reporters on Aug. 31. “Minister budgets were balanced, but in fact the revenue did not come in, so ministers will receive half of their holdbacks.”

In late-March, the Legislative Assembly Management Committee unanimously voted to free MLAs’ base $111,024.19 annual pay. The Premier is paid $99,921.77 extra and cabinet ministers $55,512.10.

James revealed on Aug. 31 that the sudden impact of the pandemic meant a $321 million deficit for the fiscal year that ended March 31.

In July, James said B.C.’s 2020-2021 deficit was projected to hit $13.5 billion. 

Meanwhile, public sector salaries remain relatively high and unchanged by the pandemic.

The biggest pay packets for 2019-2020 in the B.C. public service include BC Hydro Powerex CEO Thomas Bechard ($937,845), UBC president Santa Ono ($605,225), BC Hydro president Chris O’Riley ($566,084), Vancouver Island University CFO Shelley Legin ($521,556), B.C. Securities Commission CEO Brenda Leong ($515,203) and ICBC CEO Nicolas Jimenez ($474,680).

The NDP government held onto the public accounts until the last day allowed under the law. But the Crown corporations and agencies financial reports include disclaimers about the uncertainty due to COVID-19. The pandemic was declared March 11 by the World Health Organization and followed the next week by the B.C. government’s public health emergency and state of emergency declarations.

BC Hydro COO Chris O’Riley (BC Hydro)

“Although the economic influence from the virus is expected to be temporary, the impact to PavCo’s event operations and related financial results is expected to be significant, but cannot be reasonably estimated at this time,” said the year-end report for B.C. Pavilion Corporation.

PavCo has not hosted a public event since March’s Canada Sevens rugby tournament at B.C. Place Stadium and the Pacific Dental Conference at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The latter was the scene of a virus outbreak that sickened more than 80 people and led to at least one death.

BC Hydro blamed the pandemic for late filing of Site C quarterly reports with the B.C. Utilities Commission and the July revelation that the $10.7 billion budget and 2024 completion date are no longer. Both are officially listed as TBD.

B.C. Lottery Corporation relies on casinos for three quarters of its revenue, but casinos have been closed since mid-March. It is unlikely to match this year’s $1.35 billion net income next year.

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Bob Mackin B.C. NDP cabinet ministers are

Business, Miscellany, News, Opinion, Sports

For the week of Aug. 30, 2020.

After a spring without pro sports and the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics to 2021, Canadian Alphonso Davies hoisted the Champions League trophy with his Bayern Munich teammates in an empty stadium after the biggest game of the year in the sports business. 

A few days later, the Milwaukee Bucks led a wildcat strike that spread across the NBA, Major League Baseball, NHL and Major League Soccer after the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin. Meanwhile, NFL training camps continue and some college football conferences are planning on fall seasons.

The Canadian Football League has 2021 on its mind, after the first cancellation in 101 years. Minor league baseball and minor league hockey face uncertain futures.

On this edition of theBreaker.news Podcast, Massachusetts sports economist Victor Matheson ponders the last four months and looks ahead to the fall and beyond, as the coronavirus pandemic has caused so much chaos in the business of sport.

“What happens if people are able to kick the habit?” Matheson told host Bob Mackin. “Will they come back in full? Whether our psyche has changed, whether we want to be in public with lots of people. One of the great draws of sports in the old days is the electricity of the crowd, you go and you become part of that shared experience. We may be losing our taste for shared experiences.”

Plus, hear from B.C. seniors advocate Isobel MacKenzie, Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines and commentaries.

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For the week of Aug. 30, 2020.

News

Bob Mackin

During a legislative assembly management committee meeting earlier this month, the NDP government’s designated enforcer of party discipline wondered why the coronavirus pandemic posters in the Parliament Buildings didn’t specifically use the two-metre measurement.

“It just seems inconsistent,” Garry Begg, the Surrey-Guildford MLA, said on Aug. 6. “It seems that just when we get used to, or I get used to, metric, we have to do the conversion backwards now to figure out what six feet means.”

NDP MLA Garry Begg, centre, on Aug. 25 (Twitter)

Now Begg is facing questions about his proximity to unmasked hotel workers that appeared Aug. 25 at his constituency office, which officially closed to the public in March because of the pandemic. A photograph published by Unite Here Local 40 on Twitter appears to show Begg standing less than arm’s length from two of the visitors.

“I actually thought that we had achieved socially distancing because I distinctly recall mentioning that and separating myself from the two ladies,” Begg told theBreaker.news on Aug. 28, when the province recorded its highest single-day infection total of 124. “It’s probably more the way the picture is taken we appear to be closer than we actually are.”

Caucus whip Begg, a retired RCMP inspector, said he allowed eight people to sign-in and enter the office and boardroom for an unscheduled 2:15 p.m. meeting. Unite Here Local 40 members are lobbying NDP MLAs for job protection and a tourism industry bailout.

“I think this was an unusual circumstance, this was a hot sunny day and they were all women outside, and I probably could be accused of being too courteous to them, I was concerned that they should have a glass of water and sit down and relax out of the sun,” Begg said. “It was a fairly quick transaction, actually it was a very quick transaction. I don’t see any harm in the way it was conducted.”

Unite Here Local 40 spokeswoman Michelle Travis and Stephanie Fung did not respond for comment. One of the people in the photograph appears to be the Local 40 executive director, Robert Demand. He also did not respond.

Between 2005 and 2017, when unions and companies were allowed to fund political parties, the B.C. NDP reported almost $115,000 in donations from Unite Here Local 40.

While it does not appear that Begg or his guests broke any law, the optics of the situation are another matter.

Fraser Health, the health authority that includes Begg’s constituency, recommends that: “Even when we are not sick, we should still keep two metres (six feet) from one another when we are outside our homes. Two metres is the approximate length of a queen-sized bed.”

It also recommends wearing a non-medical mask when physical distancing is difficult, to protect those nearby from sneezing, coughing or talking-related droplets.

NDP MLA Garry Begg, centre, on Aug. 25 (Twitter)

“I certainly wouldn’t want to set a bad example for anyone to infer that I don’t agree with any of the guidelines, because I’m strictly observant of them, as are my staff and as is the office,” Begg said. “In this particular case this was an unplanned event.”

Begg said his office has a WorkSafeBC COVID-19 safety plan, but he did not provide a copy after theBreaker.news asked to see one.

Had the meeting been held in an Airbnb house instead of an office, Begg could have been fined.

On Aug. 21, Solicitor General Mike Farnworth authorized $2,000 fines against owners, operators and organizers of gatherings and events, including parties and events of more than 50 people and those hosting more than five guests in a vacation accommodation.

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms in Calgary has challenged the pandemic-related compliance and enforcement moves by various governments across the country. Staff lawyer James Kitchen told theBreaker.news that hypocrisy and inconsistency abound.

“Doug Ford says you’re not allowed to go to your cabin and he goes to his cabin,” Kitchen said, referring to the Ontario Premier’s Easter Sunday Muskoka cottage trip. “This is happening all over the country. Politicians say do this, do that, do this, do that, and then they do something different. Because — and I’m not saying this is, but I have to ask the question — is it more about government control? I don’t see a public health crisis, I see a civil liberties crisis, I see an economic crisis.”

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Bob Mackin During a legislative assembly management committee

Business, News

Bob Mackin (Updated Aug. 30 and Sept. 3)

British Columbians could be going to the polls Oct. 17 or 24.

theBreaker.news exclusively reported that Elections BC staff were told to be ready to begin work as early as Sept. 1. Now, a source connected to Elections BC, but not authorized to comment publicly, has told theBreaker.news that there is a window from Sept. 12-22 in which Premier John Horgan could ask Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin to dissolve the Legislature.

B.C. Premier John Horgan, Nov. 21, 2019 (Mackin)

NDP backroomers are eager to use favourable polling and exploit the weak BC Liberal opposition to transform the NDP minority into a majority. By next week, the NDP and BC Liberals will be tied at 41 seats apiece when BC Liberal Tracy Redies formally resigns her Surrey-White Rock seat to become the new CEO of Science World. A by-election to fill the vacancy must be held no later than March 29, 2021 or held in conjunction with a general election.

The two-seat BC Greens are scheduled to vote Sept. 5-13 for a new leader, with the announcement of the winner on Sept. 14. An election could be triggered if the new leader opts out of the confidence and supply agreement that helped Horgan form government in July 2017. The remaining two seats in the Legislature are held by independents, ex-Green leader Andrew Weaver and Speaker Darryl Plecas.

Under Elections BC’s provisional schedule, which is known by top officials, a writ day of Sept. 14 or 15 would mean an Oct. 17 general voting day.

If the writ day is between Sept. 16 and 22, general voting day would be Oct. 24.

It is believed the NDP would rather delay the election until spring instead of go to the polls on Hallowe’en or in November, the beginning of coastal storm season, flu season and an expected second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Horgan acknowledged to reporters in July and August that an election is possible this fall, despite the Oct. 16, 2021 fixed election date. On Sept. 3, Horgan refused to rule out an election this fall, despite the worsening coronavirus pandemic in B.C.

Elections BC spokesman Andrew Watson confirmed in a written statement to theBreaker.news that the agency is actively searching for offices in each of the province’s 87 ridings.

“We will be securing space for district electoral offices throughout the province in September, in case an early election is called this fall. If it becomes clear that an early election won’t be called this fall, we will end these leases. In a scheduled election, offices are rented about a month before the election is called,” Watson said.

“If an election is called having space available is critically important to meet legislated requirements and timelines. A key consideration currently is that the pandemic makes it more challenging to secure space on short notice, as site visits must be scheduled well in advance and public health protocols must be followed. Securing space before a potential election call is an election management practice that has been done in other jurisdictions with minority governments.”

NDP caucus Facebook ad touting Horgan’s managing of the pandemic. (Facebook)

From June 25 to July 16, Government Communications and Public Engagement ran six telephone town halls to showcase swing riding NDP incumbents Bob D’Eith (Maple Ridge-Mission), Lisa Beare (Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows), Ravi Kahlon (Delta North), George Heyman (Vancouver-Fairview), Bowinn Ma (North Vancouver-Lonsdale) and Jinny Sims (Surrey-Panorama). The key contractor for the taxpayer-funded project was telephone town hall specialist and NDP pollster and data miner Stratcom.

Elections BC has already said that a pandemic-time election would include increased advanced voting, vote-by-mail and phone voting.

Elections BC Tweeted Aug. 24 that it was taking applications for district electoral office staff, including office managers, technical officers, trainers, recruitment officers and office support. “Apply by August 28!”

Three days later, on Aug. 27, it announced the deadline for temporary employment had been extended to Aug. 30 for clerical and administrative support jobs.

The B.C. New Democrat Caucus launched a Facebook ad campaign on Aug. 25, hyping a Globe and Mail headline that reads: “B.C. among the provinces best positioned to rebound.” Facebook ad library shows that the New Democrat Caucus has bought four ads on Facebook and two on Instagram.

Meanwhile, a former NDP aide is seeking the BC Liberal nod in Cariboo-Chilcotin. Mike Geoghegan, a Victoria lobbyist who relocated to Williams Lake, is hoping to contest the seat being vacated by the retiring Donna Barnett. Geoghan was a ministerial assistant in the Mike Harcourt NDP administration from 1991 to 1996.

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Bob Mackin (Updated Aug. 30 and Sept.

Business, Miscellany, News

Bob Mackin

“Code Red,” we hardly knew ye.

theBreaker.news exclusively reported that TransLink’s SkyTrain and West Coast Express division announced an immediate change on Aug. 14 to the code word used when a train slams into a human.

A staffer had complained that “India” was offensive, so “Code Red” became the new phrase to radio for help when someone jumps or falls in front of a train.

Canada Line car promoting SkyTrain. (TransLink)

Not so fast.

On Aug. 25, a new bulletin from B.C. Rapid Transit Co.

“Code Red” was immediately rescinded, after receiving feedback from several employees.

The bulletin does not explain what staff said and it does not explicitly state that “India” is back. Previously, “Red” meant “confirmed” in TransLink lingo. “Code Red” is used in hospitals to denote fire. 

“We have referred the matter over to the Joint Health and Safety Committee to determine a new emergency code word for human contact with train,” the bulletin states. “Once they have reached a decision, we will share that information with you. Thank-you to all those that took the time to voice your concerns on this matter. Your passion is welcomed and appreciated.”

The Aug. 14 bulletin said that the company originally dropped “India” so as not to associate such incidents with a specific country or group of people.

“India” was on the list of emergency codes used by TransLink attendants, including “Charlie” for collision and “Delta” for derailment. The codes are derived from the International Civil Aviation Authority’s “alfa to zulu” phonetic alphabet.

“Alpha Codes are used by SkyTrain attendants to communicate matters under investigation with control room staff when in a public setting and to engage automatic responses,” said a July affidavit by TransLink FOI manager Sabina Kunkel in an Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner appeal case. “The purpose of Alpha Codes are to minimize the risk of causing panic to the public, particularly as many situations reported to TransLink staff turn out to be false alarms.”

The immediate replacement of India with Code Red came 10 days after a “track issue” was elevated to “medical emergency” status at Stadium-Chinatown station on Aug. 4. Service was disrupted for three hours. Medical emergency is the euphemism TransLink Tweets when a train has struck a human.

On July 23, a similar incident at Columbia station. A woman was wheeled out on a stretcher after being pushed in front of a train. A male was arrested and released. It is believed that he intervened between two women fighting on the platform.

A May 2015 story in the Georgia Straight quoted B.C. Coroners Service statistics showing 75 deaths since 1985 on SkyTrain tracks; at least 10 were accidental.

From 2008 to 2018, the Coroner counted 32 suicides by SkyTrain.

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Bob Mackin “Code Red,” we hardly knew ye.

Business, Miscellany, News

In British Columbia, gatherings of more than 50 people are banned during the coronavirus pandemic.

But the Pacific National Exhibition is welcoming “crowds” of as many as 50 vehicles at a time to experience a Fair like no other in its 110-year history.

They say it’s more expedition than exhibition this year, with a $25-per-carload admission to enjoy the Super Dogs and agriculture exhibits outdoors and a reverse parade. Admission includes one free souvenir PNE facemask and two tickets to opening day of the 2021 PNE Fair. Mini donuts and other fair food offerings are extra.

PNE is taking reservations for Aug. 22-30 (closed Monday), 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. 

Click below and watch theBreaker.news at the PNE’s Drive-Thru Fair Experience. 

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In British Columbia, gatherings of more than

Miscellany, News, Opinion, Sports

For the week of Aug. 23, 2020.

One tradition is interrupted. Another continues, in this pandemic year.

For the first time since 1919, there will be no Grey Cup awarded. The Canadian Football League season was cancelled after the league failed to secure a $30 million loan from the federal government.

Football Canada president and TSN Krown Gridiron Nation host Jim Mullin joins theBreaker.news Podcast host Bob Mackin on this edition. 

Mullin said it’s time for a virtual summit to plot the future of the game in Canada, which is second only to hockey. But he worries that consumption patterns for sports fans may be changed forever by the disruption of the pandemic.

“2021 is anything but guaranteed when it comes to a potential for spectator sports and I think there will be a bit of a chill actually in terms of going back to stadiums and arenas and facilities,” Mullin said from his home on idyllic Bowen Island.

Meanwhile, the Pacific National Exhibition Fair is back, in drive-thru form. Hear from spokeswoman Laura Ballance about keeping the tradition going in East Vancouver after many counted the PNE out.

Plus headlines and commentary.

Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines and commentaries on British Columbia Day.

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For the week of Aug. 23, 2020. One

Business, News

Bob Mackin

From now on, when a SkyTrain car slams into a human, staff will no longer use the code word “India” to radio for help.

Instead, they will say “Code Red.”

That is according to a TransLink internal bulletin after an employee complained “India” was offensive.

Nanaimo SkyTrain Station (Google)

“The company is making this change to recognize that incidents of this nature should not be associated with a specific country or a group of people as it has unintentional consequence, and also recognize that it may be offensive to our staff,” said the Aug. 14 bulletin, which was leaked to theBreaker.news.

“This was brought to the company’s attention from an employee. We want to take this opportunity to thank them for bringing it forward and keeping us accountable. Having a negative work environment for staff does not reflect the company’s values and this change is supported without reservation.”

“India” was on the list of emergency codes used by TransLink attendants, including “Charlie” for collision and “Delta” for derailment. The codes are derived from the International Civil Aviation Authority’s “alfa to zulu” phonetic alphabet.

“Alpha Codes are used by SkyTrain attendants to communicate matters under investigation with control room staff when in a public setting and to engage automatic responses,” said a July affidavit by TransLink FOI manager Sabina Kunkel in an Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner appeal case. “The purpose of Alpha Codes are to minimize the risk of causing panic to the public, particularly as many situations reported to TransLink staff turn out to be false alarms.”

The immediate replacement of India with Code Red came 10 days after a “track issue” was elevated to “medical emergency” status at Stadium-Chinatown station on Aug. 4. Service was disrupted for three hours. Medical emergency is the euphemism TransLink Tweets when a train has struck a human.

On July 23, a similar incident at Columbia station. A woman was wheeled out on a stretcher after being pushed in front of a train. A male was arrested and released. It is believed that he intervened between two women fighting on the platform.

A May 2015 story in the Georgia Straight quoted B.C. Coroners Service statistics showing 75 deaths since 1985 on SkyTrain tracks; at least 10 were accidental.

From 2008 to 2018, the Coroner counted 32 suicides by SkyTrain.

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Bob Mackin From now on, when a SkyTrain

Business, News, Opinion

For the week of Aug. 16, 2020.

The fifth session of the 41st Parliament of British Columbia is history. It closed before 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 14, with Speaker Darryl Plecas declaring “this house stands adjourned until further notice.”

Parliament Buildings, Victoria, on Aug. 13, 2020 (Mackin)

After a three-month break due to the coronavirus emergency, the province’s lawmakers met in a hybrid physical-virtual session beginning late June; most were involved via web conference, while a handful actually sat in the chamber. Reporters were banned from attending news conferences and could only call-in.

theBreaker.news Podcast host Bob Mackin was the only reporter in the press gallery for the final Question Period on Aug. 13. Was it the last before a fall election? Hear what Premier John Horgan had to say about that.

Also hear from Attorney General David Eby, Finance Minister Carole James, Energy Minister Bruce Ralston and Plecas. 

Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines and commentaries on British Columbia Day.

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For the week of Aug. 16, 2020.

Business, News, Sports

Bob Mackin (Updated Aug. 18)

The attorney general’s ministry is asking B.C. Supreme Court to seize Paul King Jin’s World Champion Club, almost a year after theBreaker.news photographed a B.C. NDP cabinet minister at the Richmond gym with the man the government had already accused of laundering millions of dollars.

But the court application comes the month after another ministry licensed a security company part-owned by Jin’s son at the same address on the south foot of No. 5 Road.

Paul King Jin (second from right) and Tourism Minister Lisa Beare (second from left) on Aug. 27, 2019 at World Champion Gym in Richmond (Mackin)

In the Aug. 7 B.C. Supreme Court filing, the director of civil forfeiture alleges boxing and mixed martial arts gym manager Jin is the true owner and directing mind of Warrior Fighting Dream Ltd., which bought the $7.7 million property at No. 5 and Dyke roads in June 2016.

Warrior Fighting Dream’s corporate secretary is Jin’s wife Xiaoqi Wei and one of the directors is Jin’s son Jesse Xin Jia.

“The No. 5 Road property is proceeds of unlawful activities because some or all the funds used to purchase and/or maintain the No. 5 Road property were acquired, directly or indirectly, as a result of unlawful activities,” the court filing alleges.

None of the allegations has been proven in court. Jin has not filed a statement of defence. His lawyer, Bibhas Vaze, did not respond for comment on Aug. 13.

In the claim, Jin is accused of laundering $23.5 million at licensed casinos from 2012 to 2015, generating $32 million in profits at two illegal gambling houses over four months in 2015 and laundering the proceeds through the Silver International underground bank. (A criminal case against Silver International’s principals collapsed in November 2018 and the charges were stayed when federal prosecutors errantly exposed the name of an informant.)

The government also claims Jin and his wife reported an average combined income of just under $30,000 per year between 2011 and 2014.

The World Champion Club is the North American training base for China’s Olympic boxing team and has hosted events attended by allies of Vancouver’s Chinese consulate, including Canadian Alliance of Chinese Associations chair Yongtao Chen and People’s Liberation Army veteran Rongxiang “Tiger” Yuan.

Tourism Minister Lisa Beare at World Champion Club

Meanwhile, Jin’s son incorporated Blackcore Security and Investigations on May 11 with two other directors, Battlefield Fight League COO Trevor Carroll and Jamie Flynn, a former British Special Forces paratrooper who is now a Squamish BASE jumper and mixed martial arts athlete. Flynn did not respond for comment on Aug. 13.

The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General gave the new company its first one-year licence on July 3. 

But, in a statement sent to theBreaker.news on Aug. 18, the Ministry said it is now exercising a clause of the Security Services Act that enables a review of a security business licence at any time.

“This security business has been notified that a review has been commenced. We are not able to provide further information regarding the details of the licence.”

Blackcore’s 30-second YouTube promotional video was shot inside and outside the gym, with personnel from World Champion Club and Blackcore, and contains a voice over by a Mandarin-speaking narrator. Despite being new on the scene, Blackcore markets itself as “#1 Security Company in Canada.” 

theBreaker.news was told Solicitor General Mike Farnworth was too busy on Aug. 13 for an interview. The division of Farnworth’s ministry that licences private security companies is ultimately overseen by Assistant Deputy Minister Brenda Butterworth-Carr, the former commander of the RCMP in B.C.

A prepared statement from the Solicitor General’s office on Aug. 13 said it was “unable to comment specifically on licensed businesses and their members.”

“In the licensing process under the Security Services Act, business applicants undergo a suitability assessment prior to the issuance of a licence and, as part of that suitability assessment, assessment of the suitability of the business’ controlling members is undertaken,” the statement read. “Under section 4 of the Security Services Act, the deputy registrar can conduct suitability reviews at any time if a situation changes.”

According to a defence statement from an earlier case in July 2019, Jin had been a Canadian citizen for over 25 years and combat sports are his passion.

Paul King Jin (World Champion Club/Facebook)

“He has been engaged in the sports of boxing and martial arts for most of his life, and has been a participant and coach in these sports at the international and national levels, both in Canada and abroad,” said Jin’s defence statement. “Mr. Jin has engaged in numerous forms of lawful employment over the course of his life, including while in Canada, and has been successful in lawfully producing income for himself and his family in the process.”

When Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Lisa Beare used the gym for a photo op about the legalization of professional kickboxing on Aug. 27, 2019, Beare posed for a group photo with Jin, his wife and Carroll.

Beare later told theBreaker.news she was unaware of Jin’s connection to the gym or that Jin was there. She said the venue had been chosen by the athletic commissioner’s office. Donna Evans, the deputy minister of Government Communications and Public Engagement, did not respond to queries from theBreaker.news last August. 

Past and present government officials contacted by theBreaker.news said on background that a basic security and reputation assessment of a private venue for a government event would have been as simple as open source research and consulting with local police or the RCMP officers assigned to Premier’s protective detail. 

Jin has denied the government’s allegations in the previous civil forfeiture actions. He has also accused the RCMP of violating his constitutional rights.

After Beare’s photo op, theBreaker.news asked Jin to comment on the allegations against him. Jin said he loves Canada and wants to help children fulfil their Olympic dreams.

“Nobody who charged me, nothing, four years already,” Jin said. “I work hard and teach young people to work hard in Canada.”

Jin’s most-recent court date was Aug. 11 at the temporary court in Kitsilano Secondary School on a charge of using an electronic device while driving.

The government’s latest civil action against Jin was filed during a lull between phases of the Cullen Commission on money laundering in B.C. The public inquiry will resume by video conference on Oct. 13 instead of Sept. 8, because of document production delays related to the coronavirus pandemic. Premier John Horgan has not ruled out a snap fall election, a year ahead of schedule. 

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Bob Mackin (Updated Aug. 18) The attorney general’s

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