Burnaby Politics

Worse than Point Grey

2010-05-11T21:56:00.000-07:00

This week's figures on HST petition signatures are out.

Burnaby-Deer Lake, an NDP held riding, has the lowest rate of petition signatures per capita of any riding in the province with only 1.7% of the registered voters in the riding. It is trailed by Vancouver-Point Grey which has 1.8% of the signatures in the riding.

In order for the petition to be approved, 10% of the registered voters in each of the 85 ridings need to sign the petition. With eight weeks to go, Fight HST claims it has hit its target in 56 ridings. As the days wind down, the focus will shift to about a dozen urban ridings, likely including at least Burnaby-Deer Lake and Burnaby-Lougheed which have some of the lowest response rates in the province. The high number of apartment buildings and the large English-as-a-second-language populations in many of these ridings appear to be significant hurdles to the Fight HST campaigners who have found incredible success in many other parts of B.C.

Canada at 150: Liberals in Montreal, Vancouver, not Burnaby

2010-03-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

The Canada at 150 Liberal "thinkers conference" is on this weekend in Montreal. Liberals and Liberal-minded thinkers have gathered to hash out ideas for the future of Canada, or at least the future of the Liberal Party.

The exclusive event has 300 invited participants. For the many Liberal activists not involved, several ridings have scheduled local gatherings to look at the future.

While three Vancouver ridings have made the effort to put on events, neither Burnaby-Douglas nor Burnaby-New Westminster are putting on local gatherings to draw out Liberals interested in the party's future under the leadership of Michael Ignatieff and beyond.

Iggy comes to Burnaby

2010-03-13T21:27:00.000-08:00

Burried in Barbara Yaffe's column is news that Michael Ignatieff is coming to Burnaby next Friday.

Ignatieff is in the process of redefining what it means to be a Liberal in Canada. His 150 conference later this month in Montreal hopes to follow in the footsteps of Pearson and Chretien. After their conferences they found their way to government within three years.

The Liberals have nominated Ken Lee in Burnaby-Douglas. They have yet to nominate a candidate in Burnaby-New Westminster.

Peacocks!

2010-02-11T07:33:00.001-08:00

CKNW is reporting NBC's Matt Lauer and Bob Costas will be carrying the Olympic flame in Burnaby today.

Our Olympic moment

2010-02-10T23:28:00.000-08:00

With one day to go, Burnaby will get its Olympic moment.

Instead of hosting the world for two weeks at the Speed Skating Oval on Burnaby Mountain, Burnaby will get two hours with the Olympic flame. The torch will be run for three stages across Burnaby Thursday morning.

As the torch relay descends into Gordon Campbell's personal photo op, Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan must be smiling at the decision to cut the International Olympic Committee out of Burnaby. On the other hand, Burnaby has also passed up a one time opportunity to shine in front of a worldwide audience of a billion or more people.

Let's enjoy our moment in the spotlight, cause like a flame it will go out too quickly.

Mr. Davies goes to Burnaby

2010-01-12T20:10:00.000-08:00

Vancouver Kingsway MP Don Davies is coming to Burnaby. Davies is having a fundraiser with Jack Layton on Saturday, January 23 at the Firefighters Banquet and Conference Centre.

Why is he holding an event in Peter Julian's riding with all the venues available in Vancouver Kingsway? Are the brothers at the firehall that big a part of the NDP coalition?

Politicial story of the year

2009-12-30T00:20:00.000-08:00

The city's dominant political issue of the year was also the city's dominant politician. Mayor Derek Corrigan was everywhere.

According to Maclean's, he leads the best run city in Canada. That feat alone should be the top story, but Corrigan did other things this year.

He laid the groundwork in past years by standing up to VANOC and the province. He continued to build this year, overseeing a council that brought a new library to town and changed the way garbage pickup worked. He also continued to fight with the province and was a non-joiner as far as the Olympic love-in went.

With the NDP in solid control of the two federal seats, city hall and school board, Corrigan and the NDP team built on the city's left-wing dominance by electing the mayor's wife Kathy Corrigan as MLA for Burnaby-Deer Lake, the city's safest Liberal seat on paper.

With the NDP-linked Burnaby Citizens in firm control, Corrigan has dominated the city in a way few politicians have. For that the mayor, despite the city's faults, is the political story of the year.

Not everyone has turned their mind away from school

2009-12-27T00:58:00.001-08:00

As the kids enjoy another week before a return to class, former District PAC head Brian Joe laments the lack of attention paid to school trustees.

Would giving power over schools to city councils make a difference? Would having a more engaged school board help?

A Christmas miracle!

2009-12-21T17:33:00.000-08:00

(We found this gem over at Public Eye Online.)

For those of you who care a little too much, former one-term BC Liberal MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds Patty Sahota is now on the board of the Industry Training Authority.

Sahota lost her seat in 2005 to NDPer Raj Chouhan, who is currently serving his second term.

Poison ivy rather than missletoe

2009-12-05T11:12:00.000-08:00

Conservative Burnaby-New Westminster candidate Paul Forseth hosted a Christmas breakfast fundraiser in New Westminster this morning. Critical of the opposition, Forseth spoke to a crowd of approximately 50 supporters about the need to be ready for an election now.

Forseth will challenge three-term NDP incumbent Peter Julian whenever an election is called.

What a month

2009-12-02T16:20:00.000-08:00

What a month for Burnaby. November brought automated garbage and yard waste collection began a little over a week ago. Burnaby also now has the new Tommy Douglas Library branch.

Which one will have a bigger impact on the city?

2/12

2009-11-07T01:30:00.000-08:00

MLA Harry Bloy seems to give off the vibe 2/12 could be the next 9/11. Bloy called Olympic protestors "terrorists" with "limited intellect."

This is not going over so well. Bloggers, chat boards, and former municipal hall allies are not taking kindly to the remarks.

Bloy's focus is on the "economic benefits" and does not see anything wrong with his comments.

Comments like these may goad anti-Olympic activists into more aggressive behaviour. Premier Campbell and his team should keep an eye on rogue MLAs so that they do not further embarass B.C. when the world is watching in three months.

Cheering for gold (on CTV)

2009-11-05T11:46:00.000-08:00

Peter Julian has taken the lead for the NDP about MP Olympic tickets. The NDP are not accepting their share of Parliamentarian tickets to the Olympics that they are entitled to given the federal government's key role in hosting the Olympics next February.

Man in motion

2009-10-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

Prime Minister Stephen Harper dropped into Burnaby today to highlight the Registered Disability Savings Plan. Harper was joined by Man in Motion Rick Hansen, who is a leading advocate of the RDSP.

Will 24 thank us next?

2009-10-16T10:53:00.001-07:00

Our new library branch, named for the "Greatest Canadian" T.C. Douglas opens soon. His daughter Shirley Douglas sent a note of thanks to the city recently.

Will Kiefer thank us next for our appreciation of his grandfather?

Iggy to Burnaby

2009-10-10T06:12:00.000-07:00

Michael Ignatieff is coming to Burnaby on Tuesday to visit Day4 Energy's Solar Plant.

So it wasn't just Burnaby

2009-10-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

Surrey is getting the new pre-trial centre that was supposed to go to Burnaby - right near the school, remember? - and now local residents are upset.

One would expect the Surrey equivalent of Kathy Corrigan to organize against it any day now.

Pipeline to court

2009-10-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some stories on the charges that have been laid in the 2007 North Burnaby pipeline spill:

From the horse's mouth

2009-09-29T21:44:00.000-07:00

Paul Forseth is the Tory candidate against Peter Julian.

According to Forseth's own Facebook post, "I have been nominated as the Conservative Party candidate inthe district of Burnaby-New Westminster. I am offering myself for service,as our community needs a Conservative voice at the national level. I trust that voters will see the wisdom of choosing a Conservative government,and that there will be a local determination to become a significant partof the answer for a hope-filled future." A more lengthy case for Forseth can be found on his blog.

It appears Andy Radia, the other expected Conservative nomination contestant, failed to complete the application process.

Goodbye Peter, hello Paul

2009-09-15T20:26:00.000-07:00

Former four-term Reform/Alliance/Conservative MP Paul Forseth is seeking the Conservative nomination in Burnaby-New Westminster in the pending election.

He wishes to take on NDP incumbent Peter Julian. Forseth and Julian sat in Parliament together representing both sides of New Westminster between 2004 and 2006 when Forseth was one of only three Conservative incumbents defeated in the election of the first government of Stephen Harper.

Forseth's nomination opponent is expected to be Andy Radia, a young businessman and columnist. Radia, a first generation Canadian, ran with Coquitlam First in the 2005 municipal election, finishing in 19th place.

Billy Cunningham, take four

2009-09-08T20:50:00.000-07:00

The Burnaby-Douglas Liberals are picking their candidate on Saturday.

Bill Cunningham, who stood for the Liberals in 2004, 2006 and 2008, is not expected to be in the running.

Forseth VI

2009-09-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

Paul Forseth appears to be gearing up for a bid for the Conservative nomination in Burnaby-New Westminster. The Conservative nomination opened late last week and the filing deadline is on September 25.

Forseth could be acclaimed, which would put him up against three-term NDP MP Peter Julian. Forseth was elected to four terms between 1993 and 2006 when he lost to Dawn Black of the NDP. Forseth was one of only three Conservatives to lose their seat in the election that brought Stephen Harper to power.

Forseth considered running for the by-election nomination in neighbouring New Westminster-Coquitlam but due to his personal travel did not seek the nomination there earlier this summer. (Black's resignation to become an MLA vacated the seat.) This will be Forseth's sixth election.

Forseth was a probation officer and family court councillor before entering politics.

Sam Rakhra, the 2008 Conservative candidate, is not expected to run. There are no declared Green or Liberal candidates yet.

Throne speech, August 2009 edition

2009-08-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

The Throne Speech was delivered today in Victoria.

This is likely the last one before the Olympics as the province gears up for the world spotlight in February. Is this Campbell's last stand before bowing out after the games, or will he stay to hit the 10 year mark and beyond?

HST or bust

2009-08-19T15:48:00.000-07:00

The BC Liberal government's campaign in support of the highly unpopular HST continues today with an e-mail blast from Finance Minister Colin Hansen. In an e-mail to party loyalists, Hansen explains what the HST is and why it's a good thing, defends the urgency in moving to the HST, tells how the HST affects the average taxpayer, gives an explanation of the revenue generated by the HST vs. the current PST, lists supportive organizations, defends the sudden rush to the HST, justifies covering up the HST during the May election, and counterpunches against the NDP attack.

The BC Liberals have come under fire since throwing the plan on voters in mid-summer. Since then outrage from food and building groups, camp administrators, and former Premier Bill Vander Zalm have filled the news.

With a year to go until the tax is implemented and nearly four years until the next election, the government hopes the rage will subside. If the critics have their way, they will successfully brand it as a tax grab and punish the Gordon Campbell Liberals for as long as they can.

NDP ideas

2009-08-09T17:37:00.000-07:00

The NDP convention kicks off later this week in Halifax. The party does not want the focus to be on policy, but since New Democrats go to convention to discuss policy they cannot help it. Here are the policies that are being proposed by the two Burnaby ridings:

1-17-09 Protection of Wild Salmon (Burnaby-Douglas and two other ridings)
1-39-09 Support for 'Buy Canada' Provisions (Burnaby-New Westminster)
2-02-09 Transferring Subsidies from Tar Sands to Renewable Energy Sources (Burnaby-Douglas)
2-25-09 Opposing Offshore Drilling of BC Coast (Burnaby-Douglas)
3-20-09 Non-Criminal Alternatives to Prohibition of Psychoactive Substances (Burnaby-Douglas, 6 other ridings, and the NDP Disability Rights Committee)
4-12-09 Establishing a Department of Peace in the Government of Canada (Burnaby-Douglas)
4-16-09 Support to Streamline Access to Medicines (Burnaby-Douglas)
4-21-09 Conditions for Proceeding with Trade with European Union (Burnaby-New Westminster)
4-24-09 Supporting International Efforts to Bring Peace in Middle East (Burnaby-Douglas)
5-04-09 Modernizing the Privacy Act and Access to Information Act (Burnaby-Douglas)
6-37-09 Establishing a Collections Access Program for Canadian Museums (Burnaby-New Westminster)

World Police and Fire Games underway

2009-08-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

Get out and enjoy the games. They run through next weekend.

From Burnaby to Coquitlam

2009-07-30T20:04:00.000-07:00

Former Burnaby-New Westminster Liberal candidate Gerry Lenoski is going to take a run at being the New Westminster-Coquitlam by-election candidate for the Ignatieff Liberals. Lenoski squares off against Ken Beck Lee at the Executive Plaza Hotel in Coquitlam on August 4.

Lenoski, who was communications chair of Michael Ignatieff's 2006 B.C. leadership campaign, rode the Liberal collapse in B.C. to just 15.4% of the vote in Burnaby-New Westminster last October. Even during the last election Lenoski was hoping Ignatieff would take charge of the party.

Lenoski, a veteran Liberal who worked for Liberal governments in the late 1960s, ran now MP Joyce Murray's New Westminster-Coquitlam campaign during the 2006 election. If he wins the nomination, Lenoski will be the last major party candidate into the by-election race. The other candidates are Conservative Diana Dilworth, NDPer Fin Donnelly, and Green Rebecca Helps.

Simply the best

2009-07-16T18:57:00.000-07:00

In a Maclean's-Institute for Market Studies survey of the best and worst run cities in Canada, Burnaby was number one.

The survey rated the cities on a variety of factors - governance and finance, taxation, safety and protection, transportation, environmental health, economic development and recreation and culutre. Burnaby also ranked number one in recreation and culture.

Remember him?

2009-07-12T21:13:00.001-07:00

Paul Forseth, the former Reform-Canadian Alliance-Conservative MP, who lost just as the Conservatives came to government in 2006, is again being rumoured as a potential Tory candidate in Burnaby-New Westminster.

Forseth had been rumoured as a potential candidate in Burnaby-New Westminster during the potential coalition in November-December 2008 but quickly played his hand for New Westminstet-Coquitlam after 2008 New Westminster-Coquitlam Conservative Yonah Martin was named to the Senate in mid-December.

Last month the Conservatives in New Westminster-Coquitlam opened their nomination for later this month. Forseth jetted off on a European holiday and was unable to file the paperwork necessary to run for the by-election nomination. The retired former MP made a lot of noise but carefully managed to not blame anyone for the inconvenient meeting date.

Prior to the current redistribution, Forseth represented a sizable part of Burnaby-New Westminster. There is no word yet on potential Liberal candidates to challenge MP Peter Julian.

Learn from Carr

2009-06-24T20:31:00.000-07:00

The Green Party ridings in the Burnaby and New West area are going to learn about campaigning from former B.C. Green leader and current federal Green 2010 Olympics critic Adriane Carr later this week.

Last election the Greens won 3,067 votes in Burnaby-New Westminster and 2,822 votes in Burnaby-Douglas. Maybe with a little training they might be able to win a few hundred more votes.

Low and behold

2009-06-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

It has been 35 years since a Liberal has been elected MP in north Burnaby. Ken Low, the Liberal candidate in Vancouver East last time, may be the candidate who will end that losing streak.

Low, a civil engineer who immigrated from Hong Kong, is being talked up in Liberal circles as their next candidate in Burnaby-Douglas. Low finished a distant second to the NDP's Libby Davies last October. Bill Cunningham lost as the Burnaby-Douglas Liberal candidate in 2004, 2006 and 2008 to New Democrat Bill Siksay.

The Liberals dropped into third place in Burnaby-Douglas last election, in part due to the unpopularity of then leader Stephane Dion with B.C. voters. Michael Ignatieff, who has already made several visits to the west coast, will likely strengthen the Liberal brand in the province. Last time, less than one in five British Columbian voters cast their ballot for the local Liberal candidate.

Yet again

2009-06-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

To no one's surprise Burnaby remains shut out of the provincial Cabinet.

Despite the elevation of nine first time members of the executive council, Burnaby BC Liberal MLAs Richard Lee and Harry Bloy remain on the side. Of the nine new Ministers, two - John Yap and Randy Hawes - are veteran MLAs. The twenty five member cabinet has seven women, including four first term female MLAs.

Despite the lack of a cabinet post, Lee will play a key role in the government's outreach to the Chinese-language community. This role may lead him to Cabinet before the end of the current term if he continues to work at getting the government's accomplishments noticed in the Chinese media.

There is no solid word yet if Bloy plans to seek the Speaker's chair.

What the cabinet will hold

2009-06-09T15:31:00.001-07:00

There has been plenty of cabinet speculation today over who is in and who is out of Gordon Campbell's cabinet as he begins his third term as Premier.

Burnaby will likely remain on the outside despite the need to shore up BC Liberal support in Burnaby after losing another seat to the NDP. If Burnaby is to sneak into cabinet, Richard T. Lee is the likely bet for a junior portfolio. In a long shot prediction, the Georgia Straight suggested Lee might be one to watch tomorrow.

Thusfar, Harry Bloy has not been the subject of any speculation.

Decimated

2009-06-02T21:52:00.000-07:00

Only 31 of 308 members of Parliament have made every recorded vote so far this Parliament. In their ranks is Burnaby-Douglas NDP MP Bill Siksay. Congratulations, Mr. Bill!

Third time's a charm

2009-05-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

NDP leader Carole James wants to take a third run at becoming Premier in 2013.

What does Derek Corrigan think about her trying a third time?

It’s a man’s legislature

2009-05-16T19:13:00.000-07:00

A record number of women were elected on Tuesday. Twenty-three out of 85 is not a great record. Just over a quarter of the seats are now held by women. Except for a brief stretch from December 1999 to April 2001 this is the highest percentage of women ever.
This effort was hard fought. The NDP made a particular effort to run female candidates, running over 40 women. The BC Liberals ran two dozen women. Fourteen ridings had women for both the Liberals and NDP. That means only nine women won in the other 71 seats. Although both parties went out of their way to run female candidates in some of the safer seats, many female candidates were thrown to the wolves to drive up each party’s respective number of women. The BC Liberals ran several women in East Vancouver while the NDP did the same in the Okanagan.
That’s not to say there has not been progress. In 1986 there were only nine women elected to the then 69 seat legislature. Two more were elected in by-elections while another, Kim Campbell, resigned to seek federal office. In 1991 the NDP win saw 19 women elected across 75 ridings. Five years later 20 women were elected and two more won by-elections that term. In 2001, 19 women were elected in 79 seats. In 2005, 16 women were elected. One more was elected in a by-election. Carole Taylor resigned with less than five months left in her term.
We are also doing better than most other parts of the country. As a percentage of seats, B.C. has more women than all provinces except Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. Quebec Premier Jean Charest also has the distinction of having a cabinet whose membership is 50% women.
Electing more women than ever before is a good sign. B.C. has come a long way since making Mary Ellen Smith the first woman cabinet minister in the British Empire. There is still much more progress that is needed. The NDP’s quota system for running more women has now been tried. There was a slight improvement.
As the parties work towards the next election they should seek out women candidates not just for safe ridings and no hopers but do what the NDP did in Burnaby where three women were recruited in battleground ridings. A bit of support and a lot of hard work can lead to women winning close seats, much like how men win safe seats. Equality of opportunity might be all we need.

Little change

2009-05-14T21:03:00.000-07:00

After the preliminary count, three incumbents and Kathy Corrigan are headed to Victoria to represent us.

Raj Chouhan, Harry Bloy and Richard Lee were re-elected while Corrigan of the NDP narrowly defeated two-term BC Liberal John Nuraney.

Since the creation of Burnaby-Willingdon, the predecessor of what is now Burnaby-Deer Lake, no MLA has served three full terms in a row. In 1966, Frederick Vulliamy was elected as the riding's MLA. New Democrat Vulliamy died in office and was succeeded by Jim Lorimer. Lorimer won three elections in a row, following up the by-election with wins in 1969 and 1972. After serving in the Dave Barrett government, Lormier lost the seat to Socred Elwood Veitch in 1975. Veitch and Lormier traded the seat in 1975, 1979 and 1983 before Veitch was able to win two conesecutive elections with his victory over the NDP's Joan Sawicki in 1986. Sawicki retired Veitch from provincial politics in 1991 and held off challenger John Nuraney of the Liberals in 1996. Nuraney picked up the seat in 2001's landslide BC Liberal win and held it by a narrow margin in 2005.

Corrigan won the seat this week in one of the NDP's narrowest wins in the province. Not since Veitch in 1975 has a first time provincial candidate won this seat. Given the riding's history, Corrigan will likely have her hands full when it comes time for re-election in 2013.

Go earn your right to complain

2009-05-11T22:07:00.000-07:00

If you're looking where to vote: Elections BC has your answer.

Predictions for Tuesday night: Burnaby-Deer Lake is the last riding called. Burnaby will remain without a full cabinet minister after the election no matter who wins government.

If there was a coalition

2009-05-10T17:20:00.000-07:00

It looks like Peter Julian could have been minister of international trade (or would that be minister of fair trade).

Payment wants Answers... Period

2009-05-09T23:27:00.000-07:00

Surrey-Cloverdale NDP candidate Deborah Payment has little to no chance of beating Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon on Tuesday. Payment sent an e-mail to Robert Burnaby Tips on April 1 after visiting the legislature. She was not happy with Question Period or the general behaviour of the government while in the chamber. Although it is a bit of a rant, she does touch on the troubles the NDP has had getting a response from the BC Liberal government and on the government's neglect of what is going on in the chamber:

On March 31, I had the privilege of sitting in the gallery of the B.C. legislature during Question Period.
Well, I heard a lot of questions, but no answers. I was astonished to see Wally Oppal repeatedly refuse to answer questions. Having followed recent news coverage, I expected to hear the statement “it is before the courts”. But I didn’t expect that would be used for questions which didn’t appear to be related to the legal case at all.
Then came the submission of a petition that was very important to me, and many other British Columbians. Thousands of working people are asking the government to repeal changes to the WCB laws that have drastically affected benefits and pensions for permanently disabled workers. The Minister responsible, Iain Black, didn’t even listen. He cleaned his desk, used his Blackberry, and left the house before the presentation was completed. That speaks volumes to me.
Those who refuse to talk to, or listen to, the people of this province do not deserve the seats they hold in that honoured hall.
Deborah Payment
Coordinator, Public Compensation Coalition

As the BC Liberals are likely to be returned for a third term next week, this behaviour is likely to continue. The government should pay more attention to their surroundings but little is likely to change until Gordon Campbell retires.

One more time, Carole?

2009-05-08T21:56:00.000-07:00

Carole James made a mad dash across the Lower Mainland today. She started at 6:00AM this morning. She continues through midnight. She has been all over Vancouver and Surrey, mainstreeting, dropping in at diners, and even singing karaoke.

During this mad dash the NDP bus made a stop for Kathy Corrigan and company in Burnaby. The NDP team has made Burnaby-Deer Lake a top target from day one of the campaign.

With four days to go, and the central BC Liberal campaign trying to overcome Gordon Campbell talking down to his opponents, one can expect the NDP tour to pop up again in Burnaby. If the NDP sees Carole James coming out of this campaign as Premier the NDP's focus could shift to Burnaby North and Burnaby-Lougheed.

On the defensive

2009-05-05T17:48:00.000-07:00

Gordon Campbell popped by the Burnaby battleground ridings today.

Campbell has spent much of the campaign on the offensive in NDP held ridings but today Campbell played defense by focusing on Burnaby where he already holds three of four seats.

The NDP has made the Burnaby BC Liberal held seats top targets for this election. Carole James has spent parts of seven days in Burnaby so far this campaign.

From bad to worse

2009-05-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

Enough is Enough, a tough in crime third party group, has rated the BC Liberals and BC NDP on crime. The Liberals rate poorly. The NDP is even worse, according to the group.

They appear to be planning on endorsing several Lower Mainland candidates for the May 12 vote. Given the outbreak of gang-related violence, this group has the potential to seize on a timely issue.

Moving too far forward

2009-04-29T21:03:00.000-07:00

MoveForwardBC.ca, a third party group run by a COPE union local, is trying to make its impact through humour about Gordon Campbell.

Although the BC Liberal government is no laughing matter to hardline union activists, their videos such as Gordon Campbell Hates You and Gordo Five-o are making an impact. The Gordo Five-o one may hit Campbell a bit too hard but the pro-BC Liberal VoteSmartBC site is firing away just as hard at the NDP.

The latest MoveForwardBC video focuses on the privatization of BC Hydro. VoteSmartBC has a daily All in the Family profile of a key NDP figure that highlights their various union ties and links to previous NDP governments.

Rafe

2009-04-27T21:31:00.000-07:00

Word from the Deer Lake Pavillion was new NDP voter Rafe Mair was out in force today with Burnaby NDP candidates. The four NDPer were more than happy to have the attention and support for the former Socred cabinet minister and radio talk show host for the day.

Sign of development

2009-04-25T19:52:00.001-07:00

There are a couple of property developers in Burnaby, both of whom fall into BC Liberal camp, who are fearful of putting up BC Liberal signs on the chain link fences enclosing their properties under development.

Spray panting, cutting and knocking over signs is a far to common problem in political campaigns, both from political opponents and local teens. Fear of putting signs up on properties under development due to retribution by the city seems overblown.

Former Burnaby Citizens school trustees Kathy Corrigan and Mondee Redman may have deep roots with the ruling party over on Canada Way but it is doubtful that property developers would be punished by the city bureaucrats for supporting the opponents of the BCA/NDP-affiliated politicians.

It seems surprising that developers are concerned of such actions. Does anything like this actually happen in 21st century B.C.? This is not ante bellum New York City.

Left of centre politicians are successful enough in Burnaby holding 19 of 22 public offices at the three levels of government. City hall interfering in development permits over support for the BC Liberals seems a bit over the top.

The developers should take the risk and put their signs up for the candidate of their choice.

"Hateful and homophobic" Dalton doesn't condone "violence towards these people"

2009-04-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

The NDP are calling for Marc Dalton, the BC Liberal candidate in Maple Ridge-Mission who once ran in Burnaby, to step down.

Dalton, an elementary school French-immersion teacher, made hateful remarks in an e-mail to a colleague:

I've been somewhat torn about making a response to your note to Bruce. I value maintaining a good relationship with you and all the staff and don't really enjoy jumping into a contentious issue.
As a parent of three school-aged children in public schools and as a teacher, I am very much concerned about the motions before the BCTF (B.C. Teachers Federation) presently being petitioned against.
I am not against homosexuals as people, but I do not support their lifestyle choices. I believe homosexuality is a moral issue. Most of us agree on many morals: respect, honesty, kindness. There are also many behaviours and acts that most of us would not condone: rape, robbery, assault, drunken driving, pedophilia, incest and so on.
There are other moral issues that large segments of our society do not see eye to eye: gambling, abortion, adultery, pornography. I believe that homosexuality fits in this category.
I became aware of the motions this weekend when a concerned mother of school children approached me and asked if I would get involved in some small way to see the proposals defeated. She handed me a clipping of the Vancouver Sun and some people to write.
There are many, many people who hold homosexuality to be an improper and high-risk behaviour. Though I oppose violence towards these people as well as towards all people, I am against the BCTF ram-rodding the homosexual motion against the wishes of great numbers of parents (and teachers) in this district and in this province.
Thank you for bearing with me.

NDP MLA Spencer Herbert called for Dalton's resignation and for Gordon Campbell to condemn the remarks.

Dalton has since apologized but has not resigned yet. Campbell has accepted the apology.

Word out of Liberal central headquarters is suggesting that Dalton will not be appearing at any further BC Liberal campaign events or attending all-candidates' debates.*

Dalton ran in the 2006 federal election and sought a second federal nomination in Burnaby for the most recent election but was disqualified for undisclosed reasons.

* Typo corrected - 7:51PM, April 25, 2009.

Burnaby's not B.C.'s NDP

2009-04-21T21:47:00.000-07:00

One week into the campaign, NDP leader Carole James has spent part of nearly everyday in a Burnaby riding. Burnaby events have included visits to a school, a seniors' home, a gas station and a pub.

Given this pace, James has already spent more time in Burnaby than she will in her home riding in Victoria. Given Burnaby's location, it allows the NDP campaign to be on the ground in one of the province's main battlegrounds while remaining in the middle of the major media market. This strategy may help win the four Burnaby seats, but neglecting the Interior, north and Vancouver Island battlegrounds will make it very tough for the NDP to inch up to 43 seats.

There is talk circulating amongst NDP activists that a third consecutive defeat could give critics in caucus an opportunity to push James out shortly after May 12. This would give the NDP its seventh leader in the last 15 years.

Better get on the ballot

2009-04-20T20:55:00.001-07:00

Given B.C.'s strong tradition of political parties for all tastes, this election does not look too exciting yet. As of this evening, candidates have less than four days to file with Elections BC to get on the ballot. At this point, 13 ridings still have just one candidate on the ballot. This will soon change, but there is no reason to cut it close now that B.C. has had fixed election dates for two elections. Of the registered parties, 25 have zero candidates registered.

In Burnaby, one eight candidates have completed the paperwork and been approved. They are:

Burnaby-Deer Lake: Bruce Friesen of the Greens and John Nuraney of the Liberals;
Burnaby-Edmonds: Carrie McLaren of the Greens and Lee Rankin of the Liberals;
Burnaby-Lougheed: Harry Bloy of the Liberals, Helen Chang of the Greens, and Jaynie Clark of the NDP; and
Burnaby North: Richard T. Lee of the Liberals.

NDP candidates Kathy Corrigan in Burnaby-Deer Lake, Raj Chouhan in Burnaby-Edmonds, and Mondee Redman in Burnaby North, Green Doug Perry in North, and Refederation BC candidate Jarelle Hepburn in Edmonds are expected to find their way onto the ballot by Friday afternoon.

If this develops as expected, Edmonds with four will have the most candidates in Burnaby. Delta South, Kelowna-Mission, North Vancouver-Lonsdale, Peace River North and Penticton already have five candidates each at this point.

A battleground? No kidding

2009-04-18T00:06:00.000-07:00

Carole James's handlers certainly see Burnaby as a battleground. Four days in James has been in Burnaby on three of the days.

James may eventually start trying to fight for the other 81 seats but so far Raj Chouhan and the three Burnaby ladies are getting plenty of face time with James and her media pack.

The first debate

2009-04-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

CKNW is holding a series of all-candidates' debates on the Christy Clark Show. They begin this afternoon with Burnaby-Deer Lake, one of the hotly contested battlegrounds where incumbent BC Liberal John Nuraney squares off against ex-school trustee from the NDP Kathy Corrigan.

The other three Burnaby debates on CKNW are expected next week.

So what do you know about STV?

2009-04-16T14:45:00.000-07:00

STV info sessions in Burnaby kick off tonight at McGill Library at 7:30PM. Other sessions are 7:30PM on May 4 at the Metrotown branch, 8:00PM on May 5 at the Cameron branch, and 2:00PM on May 9 at Eastburn Centre.

Chevron

2009-04-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

Carole James has been campaigning in Burnaby two out of the first three days.

Today she is at the Chevron on Canada Way at Willingdon. Plenty of reasons to do a campaign stop there - carbon tax, remand centre or the refinery.

Sign of the times

2009-04-15T22:46:00.001-07:00

NDP MLA Raj Chouhan appears to be fast out of the gate getting his signs up. It's as if someone told them there'd be an election. It seems the second time around B.C. politicos have yet to figure out how to prepare for scheduled elections.

Chouhan's people have already been out at Edmonds SkyTrain station hyping the NDP's public transit plan. This is a good move given the BC Liberals' attempt to win students' votes today with their campaign promise of a universal UPass transit pass.

Don't know; don't care

2009-04-14T23:59:00.000-07:00

ElectionPrediction.org is at it again. The riding of Burnaby-Edmonds was called long ago for the NDP. The other three Burnaby ridings are still too close to call according to the website, yet no one seems willing to throw their two cents in on the ridings. There are only nine comments between the three ridings and only two of them have been contributed since the end of February.

Is Election Prediction a throwback to early 21st century campaigns or are people too busy with other websites to bother?

Any faster and it would be a Tweet

2009-04-14T12:07:00.001-07:00

Carole James is done her event down at Byrne Creek school. The message is boilerplate NDP - the people vs. the powerful.

With a 17-point deficit, the money is on the powerful right now but as the next four weeks pass the James Gang, as the BC Liberals like to call them, will pick away at that with student, senior and worker issues. Many are expecting the NDP to throw out a major attack on Gordon Campbell, likely relating to his office's role in the BC Rail deal, to close the gap within the last week to ten days.

But as for today, Kamloops and Burnaby were one. James, her four Burnaby candidates, MP Peter Julian and three Burnaby councillors rallied the troops on the Burnaby end while the Kamloops crowd watched via videoconference. This was the first display of new technology during the campaign. The NDP will have NDP radio broadcasting from most of James's events and will have live streaming video from major rallies.

Burnaby mayor Derek Corrigan was not in attendance but it appears that the NDP has shipped their veteran campaigners into Burnaby, particularly Deer Lake, to take down some Liberal MLAs.

James's next stop is in Vancouver tonight. Gordon Campbell goes to the Lieutenant Governor today to have the writ issued.

Campaigns are war

2009-04-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

BC Liberal MLA John Nuraney and NDP challenger Kathy Corrigan are going at it tooth and nail on day one. Corrigan has been the subject of major media profiles and The Province today highlights it as one of the top battlegrounds.

Both factions were out in force today waving signs to morning commuters. Carole James's bus is in Burnaby for a provincewide teleconference to launch the campaign.

Retreads with a shade of green

2009-04-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

The Greens have recycled one more candidate in Burnaby. Helen Chang will be running in Burnaby-Lougheed.

Chang was elected as a TEAM Burnaby school trustee in 2005. She lost her school board seat last fall.

Carrie McLaren ran for MP in Burnaby-New Westminster and Doug Perry ran in Burnaby-Douglas last fall. Civic political activist and frequent letter to the editor scribe G. Bruce Friesen has not run for office previously but has long been involved politically in the city.

Busy season

2009-04-08T17:02:00.000-07:00

Before New Democrats head off to the Italian Cultural Centre to cheer on Carole James and her team next Tuesday night, they will be getting together on Saturday of the long weekend to launch the Kathy Corrigan campaign for Burnaby-Deer Lake.

Corrigan headquarters is on Imperial at Central Boulevard near Metrotown. The launch is Saturday afternoon from 2 to 4PM.

Remand unpopular elsewhere too

2009-04-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

The list of potential sites for the remand centre is long and unpopular.

The BC Liberals have managed to make this issue a problem outside of Burnaby with just over five weeks to go until election day. Not the best of moves, unless you happen to be a BC Liberal candidate in Burnaby.

Crack a couple open at the mall

2009-04-02T17:28:00.000-07:00

Two-term BC Liberal Richard T. Lee opens his campaign office this Sunday afternoon. Over in the southwest corner of the city, John Nuraney is also expected open his office this weekend.

Lee's office is across the street from Brentwood Mall. Nuraney's office is at Old Orchard.

Cabinet ministers are expected to put in appearances at all the Burnaby Liberal campaign office openings as winning Burnaby seats will be key to the Liberals retaining a sizable majority.

Testing twice for STV

2009-03-31T20:59:00.000-07:00

In case you have forgotten, the referendum on our electoral system will be occurring alongside the provincial election. For those who need more information, here are the YES and NO campaigns.

No one is missing the plaid and guitar days

2009-03-27T21:31:00.000-07:00

As the days tick down to the provincial campaign, and the expected third term of Gordon Campbell, the BC Liberal machine is taking steps to engage its activists. As busloads were shipped in from across the Lower Mainland tonight, the Liberals orchestrated the pre-writ period launch with the nomination of their Vancouver-Point Grey candidate and leader.

If the Liberals can draw a good fraction of these supporters out on a regular basis over the next six weeks to help the party out, Carole James and the NDP will continue to look across the aisle at the government for the coming four years. The Burnaby Liberal candidates are also in a decent position, particularly John Nuraney who managed to find himself front and centre on stage.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel for the BC Liberals. Unless that light happens to the BC Rail issue seizing the imagination of the media and voters, there appears to be nothing standing in the way of Gordon Campbell becoming the first Premier since Bill Bennett to claim three consecutive terms in office.

Iggy and the mayors

2009-03-26T16:10:00.000-07:00

As Michael Ignatieff continues to work on rehabilitating the badly bruised Liberal brand he finds himself in Burnaby tomorrow. Instead of meeting with area Liberals, however he is focusing his attention on Lower Mainland mayors. Several municipal leaders are expected to join Ignatieff at the Hilton at Metrotown midday tomorrow.

Ignatieff will likely be getting an earful on crime issues as he tries to build a platform for B.C. If all goes according to plan, this strategy may help the Liberals find a potential future candidate or two.

Ignatieff is in the province for a big dollar Liberal fundraiser tonight in downtown Vancouver.

Stay of execution

2009-03-25T21:53:00.000-07:00

The decision about the controversial remand centre has been delayed by the province and has been farmed out to regional mayors.

After numerous public complaints, letters to the editor, and at least two major town hall meetings, the provincial government got the hint. Farming out bad decisions and delaying them until after the provincial election make for good politics and buck passing. Actions like these should help keep ridings such as Burnaby-Deer Lake in the Liberal column come the morning of May 13.

Seven by seven

2009-03-24T21:08:00.000-07:00

With seven weeks to go to election day, the BC Liberals have an 11-point lead in the polls, Gordon Campbell is on the Rick Mercer Report, and Carole James has a candidate who hates "Zionists."

All signs are pointing to the re-election of the Campbell government, but will that include zero, one, two, three or four Burnaby Liberal MLAs?

50 to go

2009-03-23T17:15:00.000-07:00

Lee Rankin is going to face off with NDP MLA Raj Chouhan.

Rankin will be nominated by acclaimation tomorrow night at the Nikkei Centre at 7:00pm.

Recycled Greens

2009-03-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

As reported earlier Bruce Friesen will be running for the BC Greens in Burnaby-Deer Lake, but elsewhere in Burnaby the party will be practicing the green idea of recycling. Carrie McLaren in Burnaby-Edmonds and Doug Perry in Burnaby North both recently ran in the Burnaby ridings federally.

McLaren and Perry are not the only former federal candidates with Burnaby connections running for the BC Greens. Rev Warkentin, running in Vancouver-Kingsway, was the federal Green candidate in 2004 in Burnaby-New Westminster. At the time of the 2004 campaign she was on the ballot as Revel Kunz. Also running is Matthew Laird, who is contesting New Westminster. Laird ran for DRBC in Burnaby North in the last provincial election.

All the Raj in Edmonds

2009-03-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

They're not quite to the point of searching on Craigslist like the Refederation Party, but the BC Liberals are seeking a candidate to stand against NDP MLA Raj Chouhan in the fast-approaching election.

Word in the community is, despite a hard sell on the part of the Gordon Campbell organizers, no one has said yes to stand for the government in the left-leaning stronghold. The seat known as Burnaby-Edmonds has gone NDP eight of the past ten times since 1969.

We all await the first reference to the Majority Group or Resort Development.

A Black mark

2009-03-12T18:35:00.000-07:00

NDP MP Dawn Black, formerly an MP for Burnaby from 1988 through 1993, has announced she is giving up Ottawa for Victoria on May 12. Black was elected to the current term five months ago.

Black will be running for the NDP in New Westminster. Her acclaimation as a candidate is expected at the end of this month and after that the token Liberal opponent will be dispatched with great ease by Black and the labour unions. If the NDP manages to pull out a win, Black will be going to the cabinet likely at health or children and family development. In addition to being and MLA and possibly a cabinet minister, Black is eligible to collect a federal pension.

Another ex-Burnaby MP wants the job Black is giving up. Paul Forseth, who was expected to take a run to run in Burnaby-New Westminster, is out in the community looking for support for a potential candidacy in New Westminster-Coquitlam. Forseth represented communities in Burnaby, New Westminster and the Tri-Cities between his 1993 defeat of Black and his 2006 loss to Black. Forseth did not run last year in the federal election.

Zero Giro

2009-03-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

The Giro di Burnaby will not occur in 2009 due to economic circumstances.

The Gastown cycling race will also take the year off. Races will take place in Delta and White Rock during B.C.'s big cycling race week.

Jaynie, Don't Take Your Love to Lougheed?

2009-03-02T19:01:00.000-08:00

Jaynie Clark will be taking on Harry Bloy in the provincial election in Burnaby-Lougheed.

NDPer Clark failed to win the Burnaby North nomination in the last election. Deputy speaker Harry Bloy of the BC Liberals is seeking his third term in Victoria.

War of words

2009-02-18T19:30:00.000-08:00

The fighting in the letters to the editor section is underway. Kathy Corrigan weighs in today on the proposed Willingdon prison. Corrigan highlights the negative aspects of the government plan to put the facility near several schools. To Corrigan's credit, this issue seems to be rallying the community against government decision makers

This issue may cause John Nuraney some trouble in his re-election bid but alone, it is only a small bump on the road to returning the Liberals to government in May.

Three-quarter of a billion deficit

2009-02-17T21:56:00.000-08:00

Finance Minister Colin Hansen tabled the election budget in Victoria this afternoon. In addition to cutting government advertising and an increased focus on health spending, the Liberals delivered a two-year $740 million budget deficit.

To no surprise, the unions were generally critical and the business groups were generally positive. Now the mad dash to the finish with less than a dozen weeks to go till election day.

Bloy Oh Bloy!

2009-02-11T20:43:00.000-08:00

As both local papers have reported, the NDP is having a nomination battle to pick Harry Bloy's centre-left opponent for the spring election. The papers correctly report Jaynie Clark and Michael Walton are running. After that it's not too much detail or accuracy from either paper.

The Now website misreported the nomination meeting as March 9 at 1pm. According to the notice it appears to be March 1 not March 9, and local MP Peter Julian will be the guest speaker.

The Newsleader highlights Clark's work history and Walton's origins but neglects their NDP pedigrees. Clark ran for the NDP nomination in Burnaby North last election. Pietro Calendino was nominated against Richard Lee of the Liberals. Walton has been active with the Burnaby Citizens at the civic level and has been NDP president in Burnaby-Douglas.

Burnaby's Next Top Candidate

2009-02-07T19:27:00.000-08:00

Mike Summers of the Refederation Party is looking for a few good candidates in Burnaby, on Craigslist.

The Refederation Party, with its Less Ottawa - More BC slogan, wants to give more power to the west in general and British Columbia in particular. They want direct democracy and a B.C. constitution. Last election they ran four candidates. This time the fringe party want at least three candidates in Burnaby.

Nuraney nominated

2009-02-03T17:52:00.000-08:00

It was a mere formality for the BC Liberals' Incumbent Acclaimation Tour '09 when John Nuraney was named as the candidate in Burnaby-Deer Lake.

This is Nuraney's fourth time seeking provincial office. After a defeat in 1996 to Joan Sawicki in Burnaby-Willingdon, Nuraney won the seat both in 2001 and 2005. Nuraney also ran for Burnaby council in 1996 as part of the Burnaby Voters Association.

Nuraney will face NDP candidate Kathy Corrigan and Green candidate G. Bruce Friesen in May 12's election.

2-year deficit

2009-02-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

With under 100 days to go until this year's election will be all over, the BC Liberals have announced that there will be a two-year deficit.

Could this possibly the un-Fudge-It-budget?

The charities of Raj

2009-02-01T19:51:00.000-08:00

The NDP MLAs decided to give their pay increase to charity after flip-flopping on whether they supported or opposed the raise. The Vancouver Sun's Capital Diary listed the following charities for Raj Chouhan's $14,825 in donations:

Burnaby Association of Community Inclusion; Burnaby Progressive Housing Society; Cops for Cancer (Canadian Cancer Society); Four school scholarships; Langley Farmworker’s Fund; New Vista Care Home; Norm Lasage for Children Shoes; Normana Care Home Foundation; Progressive Inter Cultural Society; Richmond/India Cultural Centre; South Burnaby Neighbourhood House; St. Thomas More Secondary; Tzu Chi Foundation; United Way.

Pietro, Pietro, Pietro... Mondee?

2009-01-22T14:55:00.000-08:00

It looks like Mondee Redman is going to be taking on Richard T. Lee in Burnaby North this May.

Until her narrow 300-odd vote loss in 2005, Redman was a Burnaby Citizens' school trustee. For the past three elections Lee has faced off against Pietro Calendino, losing in 1996 before winning in 2001 and 2005.

Provincial pols begin to Twitter

2009-01-20T20:45:00.000-08:00

Last month, the Vancouver Sun got on the case of Gordon Campbell for starting a Twitter page and then losing interest. The Premier seems to be getting back into it over the last week. Now Carole James has joined up. The provincial Green Party seems to be the one suffering from Campbell's old problem of having nothing to text.

The federal election started to see the development of the use of Twitter by political parties and the fight over the federal economic update between the Conservatives and the opposition coalition got the Canadian public texting on Twitter in large numbers, but work still needs to be done by Canada politicians and political parties to break through on Twitter in large numbers. Until then, Twitter in Canada will be dominated by the tech savvy, heavy cell phone texters, and journalists.

Shuffling the deck

2009-01-20T20:41:00.000-08:00

The Campbell cabinet was downsized earlier this week.

Unlike Premier Campbell's first term, the last minute shuffle did not see a Burnaby MLA get bumped up to cabinet. Last time Patty Sahota was promoted to cabinet but the increased profile did not save her from defeat.

With a slim majority, the Liberals either feel safe in their three Burnaby seats or have chosen to write a Burnaby riding or two off in an effort to get the 43 they need to retain their majority.

It ain't easy voting Green

2009-01-17T15:46:00.000-08:00

The Burnaby Now is reporting G. Bruce Friesen is going to be running in Burnaby-Deer Lake, the riding formerly known as Burnaby-Willingdon.

Friesen will be up against tw0-term incumbent BC Liberal John Nuraney and former Burnaby Citizens' Association school board chair Kathy Corrigan. This should be a tight race between the Liberals and NDP as the Campbell government will want to hold onto everything it has and the NDP see the seat as a big win in what tends to be a bellwether riding.

The Green Party has likely gotten it wrong again. The party that is now led by the extremely low profile Jane Sterk needs to focus on a few key issues - being the voice of the environment, progressive change, and an alternative to politics as usual.

Instead, they have a candidate who is best known for writing partisan letters to the local paper. For years, Friesen has railed against the BCA at city hall. Maybe the new politics for the Green Party is to be like the old parties that are able to win seats. Divisive partisan politics should make the next few months interesting in the newly named district.

Public Safety for Burnaby Tories

2009-01-11T10:30:00.000-08:00

The Burnaby-Douglas Conservatives are out of the gate quick in 2009 raising money.

This week they have Minister of Public Safety and new Senator Yonah Martin joining "candidate of record" Ronald Leung for a fundraiser at the Burnaby Mountain Golf Course.

Maybe we will be getting another trip to the polls sooner rather than later.

Snow

2009-01-10T21:33:00.001-08:00

We've had it for the better part of a month and we seem to be dealing with it as well if not better than most other municipalities.

This is an open thread for your comments on winter conditions in Burnaby.

Story of the Year: Begin and Evans and Rankin, oh my!

2008-12-31T11:36:00.000-08:00

Two-thousand-and-eight was a busy year for politics in Burnaby, B.C., and Canada, and many arguments could be made for Burnaby's political story of the year. The strongest argument for story of the year is the meltdown of the political partnership of Lee Rankin, Gary Begin, and Garth Evans.

Other stories such as the third terms of Bill Siksay and Peter Julian, the computer system issue at City Hall, the carbon tax causing trouble for BC Liberal MLAs, and the complete sweep by the Burnaby Citizens in the municipal vote pale in comparison. The year long skirmish that destroyed TEAM Burnaby and its electoral fortunes was a sight to see.

In 2007 there were already divisions over Begin siding in some votes with the BCA. This was followed up by rumours of Rankin and Evans squaring off for the mayoral nomination. Evans and some TEAM supporters walked away, continuing rumours of an independent run for mayor. Then Begin left and Independent Voices was created so Begin, Evans, and Barb Spitz could share resources and campaign as a new party. School trustee Richard Lee did not seek re-election in Burnaby and Helen Chang chose to run as an independent.

In the meantime, rumours of Rankin running for mayor continued but began to fade as the writing on the wall appeared to support the re-election of Derek Corrigan. Eventually Rankin joined Evans and Begin in running for re-election as a member of council and TEAM put up a former independent candidate for mayor. TEAM's one accomplishment in this year of crushing defeat was the ethnic diversity of its candidates for council and school board.

When voting day arrived, Begin, Evans, and Rankin were defeated. The BCA swept the city council and the school district board. Perhaps this would have resulted anyway due to the strong campaign run by Corrigan and the civic left, but if the year long fight by former TEAM Burnaby councillors had not taken place things might have been different.

For that reason, the political feud that demolished a "team" was the biggest political story of the year in Burnaby.

Senate

2008-12-18T19:43:00.000-08:00

The Tyee made reference to a Burnaby name, Ronald Leung, for the Senate.

Leung ran second behind Bill Siksay for the Conservatives in October's election. Like most names being thrown about online and in print, he is likely a longshot as only three British Columbians will find their way to the upper house to join Senators Campbell, Jaffer and St. Germain in the B.C. delegation.

After last night, most British Columbians could be persuaded that Trevor Linden might not be a bad addition.

Blast from the past

2008-12-10T18:16:00.000-08:00

Rumours are circulating in Conservative circles that former four-term Reform/Alliance/Conservative MP Paul Forseth is interested in taking on Peter Julian for the Burnaby-New Westminster riding in the next federal election.

Forseth was defeated by a 3000-vote margin in the 2006 election in New Westminster-Coquitlam by Dawn Black, who made a successful return to Parliament after two previous losses to Forseth in 1993 and 1997.

Forseth did not run in October's election. Prior to public life Forseth was a probation officer.

Deal

2008-12-01T22:36:00.000-08:00

It's not quite as shocking in French.

What will you trade for power?

2008-11-30T15:01:00.001-08:00

The Bloc, NDP and Liberals could be the government in a week's time if enough horse trading occurs. Burnaby MPs seem to have a bit of a trade policy divide with their soon to be Liberal friends.

Peter Julian and Bill Siksay have both been critical of the Liberal position on trade. This spring, Siksay said of trade with China, an issue that Liberals including former Prime Minister Jean Chretien have championed for years, "We can’t fall into the trap of holding back our concerns about human rights because we worry that it might have economic ramifications, given China’s growing economic and political power. We must be prepared to call China to account for its human rights record." Peter Julian has been critical of NAFTA and the FTAA, deals which Liberal governments helped implement and encouraged.

The Liberals have something to say about the NDP's economic record as well. In the Burnaby Now on September 24th, Stephane Dion dismissed the possibility of an alliance with the NDP saying, "We cannot have a coalition with a party that has a platform that would be damaging to the economy."

This should make for an interesting week in Parliament.

R.I.P. Ray Perrault

2008-11-25T17:27:00.000-08:00

Former one-term Burnaby MP Ray Perrault passed away at 82.

Perrault spent three decades in the Senate and at one point was B.C.'s voice at the cabinet table. His early political career put him in the role of BC Liberal Party leader.

Perrault represented Burnaby-Seymour from 1968 to 1972, defeating Tommy Douglas in the Trudeaumania election.

Torched

2008-11-22T11:37:00.001-08:00

Burnaby, which will not play host to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, will host the Olympic torch relay one day before the cauldron at BC Place Stadium is lit for the world.

The original Olympic plan was to put the speedskating oval, now in Richmond, on Burnaby Mountain at Simon Fraser University. With the relocation of that venue, Burnaby will be an observer rather than a participant, likely at huge cost savings to the city. However, Burnaby will have its day on February 11, 2010, as one of the last stops on the 45,000km journey that will visit communities across the country in the lead up to the Olympics.

Sweep

2008-11-15T21:54:00.001-08:00

It wasn't even close. Burnaby Citizens everywhere.

Remember

2008-11-11T08:41:00.000-08:00

Today is the 90th anniversary of the Great War Armistice.

Vote Early

2008-11-09T11:10:00.000-08:00

Early voting is popular in this year's civic race. Through the first two days of voting, the Now reports turnout being nearly as high as the entire advance voting period in 2005. There was also advanced polling on Thursday. Voters wishing to beat the rush or unavailable on November 15 can vote on Wednesday at the Shadbolt Centre.

Even advance voting has caused some conflict between TEAM's Lee Rankin and the BCA's Richard Chang who was accused of campaigning too close to a voting location.

Don't get no respect

2008-11-02T21:31:00.000-08:00

TEAM Burnaby cannot catch a break.

They have been through numerous campaign managers. They have had Stanley Jung quit on them and then withdraw entirely. The greatest slight, however, may be the Vancouver Sun saying Derek Corrigan has a cake-walk back to the mayor's chair.

In an article profiling four cities, the Sun groups Mayor Corrigan with two North Vancouver mayors who are being acclaimed and Richmond's Malcolm Brodie who has two fringe upstarts to defeat. Andrew Chisholm may be the mayoral candidate of a dysfunctional political slate and have run a hopeless council campaign in 2005 but he is not to be entirely discounted. Chisholm has made some valid arguments on crime during the campaign and has learned much about running for office since his 2005 council run.

The main point against Chisholm is TEAM. A sixteen-person slate is a challenge on its own. TEAM is more than just a challenge. A candidate dropping from the slate, several campaign manager changes, a lawsuit from a past candidate, and no success in finding a campaign theme have hurt TEAM but Chisholm being brave enough to run as an independent and only winning a handful of votes last time is not the reason Derek Corrigan is headed back into office.

A tale of two cities

2008-10-30T15:51:00.000-07:00

Last night Raj Chouhan and his fellow NDPers were out in Vancouver helping Jenn McGinn and Spencer Herbert deliver large wins for their party. Both NDP candidates defeated BC Liberal stars, Margaret MacDiarmid and Art Griffiths. Despite governments having lost every by-election for nearly three decades, the McGinn win by only seven percent was a clear sign that the NDP's message that Gordon Campbell only cares about his fat-cat friends may be reasonating with British Columbians. Campbell could have a problem on his hands next May.
Meanwhile in Burnaby, John Nuraney and Wally Oppal were raising money for the Liberals. On hand were a sizable number of Nuraney supporters, including former North Vancouver politician Don Bell. Today the Liberals head to Whistler to celebrate their government and rally the troops for the election.

Money and pep talks may be what the Campbell team thrives upon but the hard work of the NDP may be enough for Carole James to be our Olympian Premier.

The bigger problem

2008-10-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

If it's election season there must be problems in TEAM Burnaby. This time it's Stanley Jung quitting because he has come out in favour of taxing people. It is also regular Burnaby office seeker Gary Eyre suing the group over unpaid debts.

On the other hand, the BCA is having its own problems with James Wang, a choice in education advocate. Wang was the only BCA member not endorsed recently by the New Westminster and District Labour Council. Wang is vice president of Canadian Overseas Holdings, which runs Pattison High School. Pattison High is a private Vancouver school catering to the needs of ESL students. Earlier this year Ron Burton condemned Wang's private education ties.

Could the missing endorsement hurt BCA unity when people split their school board vote? Does the lawsuit or the candidate quitting matter to TEAM? How does this impact the Independent Voices?

Who will Billy back?

2008-10-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Stephane Dion has been forced out after a poor showing in last week's election. Now the Liberals look to pick the party's 12th leader.

As per usual the field will be wide and full of politicians from Ontario and Quebec. Michael Ignatieff, Bob Rae, Gerard Kennedy, and Martha Hall Findlay are all expected to be back from Ontario joined by potentially John Manley or David McGuinty. Quebec candidates could include Justin Trudeau, Denis Coderre, or Martin Cauchon.

From the rest of the country, Frank McKenna's name is floating around as is that of Vancouver MP Ujjal Dosanjh. It is unlikely all of these enter the race, but the field should be large and competitive between Gerry Lenoski's favourite, Michael Ignatieff, Bob Rae, and a third candidate. Who that third candidate is will be known in the coming months. Whatever happens, the race should be a nasty one as this is likely the last chance for many of the old guard.

No word yet on which of the many leadership hopefuls that passed through Burnaby will get the Bill Cunningham seal of approval.

Results

2008-10-14T23:02:00.000-07:00

Bill and Peter are back for their third terms.

Peter Julian destroyed his competition with a strong showing by the Conservative Sam Rakhra and a disappointing finish from Liberal Gerry Lenoski, which was typical of the region.

Bill Siksay had a closer battle against Conservative Ronald Leung. Bill Cunningham finished a disappointing third.

The NDP is stronger in Ontario and did not make the progress that was expected in B.C. Perhaps if Jack Layton leaves, one of the Burnaby MPs may take a run in a race that would likely feature Thomas Mulcair, Peter Stoffer and Joe Comartin.