It’s Friday, and I could write three or four different blog posts on interesting things happening in this Province… but instead, I’ll offer three or four quick hits.

1. He’s Totally Boessenkool

Yesterday, Premier Christy Clark announced yet another hiring in her office, adding Alberta Conservative Ken Boessenkool (the reporters are just going to love spelling that name regularly) as her new chief of staff. Old chief of staff Mike McDonald became Principal Secretary, while old principal secretary Dimitri Pantazopoulos becomes some sort of intergovernmental czar. Fear not, taxpayers: old favourite Pamela Martin still makes $130,000 a year for her difficult outreach work (sarcasm, friends).

I’m with Adrian Dix on this one: please stop spending our tax dollars on adding more people to the Premier’s Office. It’s already too expensive.

2. TransLink Needs To Recognize What Taxpayers Are Feeling—Pinched

TransLink wants 12.5% more fare revenue (on top of the gas and property taxes they’ve already increased this year), but bless the transit commissioner for doing what the mayors didn’t: sending in a team to see if we’re getting value for the $1.35 billion TransLink already spends every year.

By the way, love these letters in the Province:

- Translink should announce a five-per-cent fare reduction and be forced to trim the fat and find internal cost savings. It’s a big fat bureaucracy with little-to-no accountability.

- Enough of subsidies from vehicle owners in the rural areas. We already pay enough for the vehicles that we use to get to and fro.

- TransLink has long had the reputation of showing up with its hand out for more money. The problem isn’t that there isn’t enough money; the problem is TransLink’s mismanagement of the funds. It’s time for TransLink to do what the rest of us are doing — cutting back on expenses to survive in these tough financial times.

3. What is Going On at BC Place?

Investigative reporter Bob Mackin has been digging like mad to find out what is going on at BC Place Stadium, the beneficiary of a $563 million taxpayer-funded facelift. His latest piece in the Vancouver Courier reveals that Telus may own the giant video boards outside of the stadium, and that a long-rumoured Telus sponsorship deal may have soured. And there seems to be some legal action over the steel masts holding up the roof.

You know when you have a loose thread on a sweater, and you start to pull it, and it begins to unravel? That’s what Mackin is on to here.

4. Good News!

If you missed this piece by the CTF’s Prairie Director Colin Craig, take a moment to read it, as it marks a significant success for the CTF, democracy and Canada’s aboriginals:

The news really struck a chord with Janette Peterson, a member of the Annapolis Valley Reserve in Nova Scotia. It was revealed that the chief of her tiny community of 112 people had been pulling in approximately $152,167 annually; tax-free. 

For someone living off reserve and paying income taxes, that was the equivalent of about $261,000. Not surprisingly, the band’s elected councillors were also loading up with public funds; one pulled in $172,325 while the other made $120,060; again, both figures are income tax free. 

According to Peterson, band members had no idea what was going on. She told one media outlet “we as band members didn’t know what their salaries were until the [Canadian Taxpayers Federation] released all their information.”

Fortunately, instead of sitting around and complaining about the news, Janette Peterson channelled her anger into action; she decided to run for chief.

She addressed the pay issue straight on and promised to let band members decide how much she would make as chief. Talk about refreshing news. After all, taxpayers have been burned many times in the past by politicians on and off reserve who take advantage of the ability to set their own pay levels.

Well, Peterson's promise must have been a hit with voters as she went on to win with 71 per cent of the vote.

Even better, she doesn't appear to be one of those politicians that says one thing to get elected and then does another once in office. In multiple interviews since her recent election victory, Peterson has stuck to her guns –continuing to promise that “the right thing to do is to have band members vote on my wages.”

When the Canadian Taxpayers Federation started exposing reserve politicians’ wild salaries a couple years ago, Ms. Peterson’s story was exactly the type of change we were hoping to accomplish.

By: Jordan Bateman
Posted: January 13, 2012
Topic: British Columbia

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