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By Norm Farrell, on January 4, 2013, at 8:46 am Heading to Vancouver Island January 4, I noted something while checking BC Ferries schedules. Here are the vessels in service today on major routes to the island:
Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo
Queen of Oak Bay (built 1981) Queen of Coquitlam (1976)
Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay
Spirit of British Columbia (1993) Spirit of Vancouver Island (1994)
Tsawwassen to Duke Point
Queen of Alberni (1976) Coastal Inspiration (2008)
Ships not in service
Coastal Renaissance (2008) Coastal Celebration (2008)
When the NDP formed government, media kept the $450 million ($568m in 2012 dollars) “fast ferry fiasco” in constant play. For some, it’s
. . . → Read More: Northern Insight: BC’s slow ferry fiasco
By Norman Farrell, on November 14, 2012, at 6:28 am A few days ago, Mary Polak’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure announced the “B.C. coastal ferries consultation and engagement process”. They invited, “input on considerations to achieve $26 million in savings to 2016 and input on establish… . . . → Read More: Northern Insight: Wazzup, ferry riders?
By Richard Hughes, on September 19, 2012, at 5:05 pm Richard ‘Hub’ Hughes-Political Blogger
BC NDP Leader Adrian Dix is offering BC Voters, including the business community, a thoughtful and measured approach to governing after years of a troubled and polarized BC under the control of the BC Liberal government.
Give him credit for showing up and speaking truth to those who have been told to be afraid of him and the NDP policies he espouses.
One of these days the MSM will actually report the truth about the economic performance of the BC NDP when last in office rather than glibly re-tell the established misinformation campaign line of NDP mismanagement that has been contradicted
. . . → Read More: Cowichan Conversations: BC NDP Leader Adrian Dix Speaks Truth To Vancouver Board of Trade
By Norman Farrell, on June 28, 2012, at 6:03 pm The BC Liberal policy is firmly established. Reward your important friends and give the rest – teachers, paramedics, etc. – a firm kick in the ass. Of course, agency directors and senior bureaucrats, especially ones who know where skeletons are buried, are prime beneficiaries.
Remember when David Hahn “resigned” in 2011 and it was announced that he would gain no severance package? Well, turns out he doesn’t need one. He did get a healthy raise in fiscal 2012, including a huge increase to his supplementary pension, even though he departed three months before the fiscal year ended. Also, we were
. . . → Read More: Northern Insight: Thumb in the eye of BC taxpayers
By Norman Farrell, on June 23, 2012, at 1:34 am British Columbia has established significant domestic production of natural gas and there are enormous reserves of recoverable gas newly discovered.
Western Europe has identified major new gas fields and North America has vast reserves of natural gas. So has Russia and, using technology developed in the last decade, China is beginning to exploit vast stores of gas.
In other words, the best markets for BC gas are domestic markets. Like automobiles, trucks and marine services.
BC Ferries claims it is being crushed by diesel fuel costs that have almost tripled in the last decade. Fuel accounts for more than one
. . . → Read More: Northern Insight: Reinventing the wheel, timidly
By Norman Farrell, on June 22, 2012, at 4:07 pm Friday morning on BC Liberal radio, one of the trio assured us that BC Ferries has been cutting administration costs and its overheads had little or nothing to do with financial problems.
Shall we test the accuracy of the comment?
Combined passenger and vehicle traffic in 2012 is down by 4.4% over 2010. According to BCF audited financial statements, administration costs are up by 2.1% in the same time period.
By Norman Farrell, on June 18, 2012, at 7:56 pm Perhaps the largest barrier making re-election of Christy Clark’s government unlikely is its lack of credibility.
The Liberal brain trust decided long ago that veracity should always rank behind expediency. The infamous 2001 platform document A New Era for British Columbia demonstrates that deceit was a Liberal strategy from the start. It was there they promised to “Not sell or privatize BC Rail” even though the mechanics of the sale were already being planned.
Throughout Christy Clark’s government, the standard for reporting is not truth, it’s political convenience. Too often, senior bureaucrat are appointed for PR skills rather than management
. . . → Read More: Northern Insight: Lying like a cheap rug
By Norman Farrell, on June 18, 2012, at 4:24 am With the first quarter of British Columbia’s current fiscal year ending, public agencies and crown corporations will soon release annual reports and audited financials for the year ended March 31, 2012.
A vast quantity of money is wasted, filling these PR publications with purple prose and graphics that few persons read, beyond the creators. Serious analysts pay attention to audited financial statements but rather little else is of interest in these documents of management self-justification.
After the Fukushima nuclear disaster, I bet the annual report of the Tokyo Electric Power Company talked not of disaster but of unprecedented opportunities to
. . . → Read More: Northern Insight: No news is likely bad news
By Norman Farrell, on May 13, 2012, at 7:44 am Before being elected government in 2001, BC Liberals promised to appoint an independent inquiry into the “mismanagement of BC Ferries.” That promise, like many others made by Gordon Campbell, fell by the wayside. The primary reason was that the claim of mismanagement was myth not reality. The corporation had been less than perfect but it became the main prop of political theatre playing in British Columbia in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
The NDP government’s commitment to aluminum ferry construction might have worked had it been executed more skillfully. British Columbia had a successful record of
. . . → Read More: Northern Insight: Coastal discouragement
By Norman Farrell, on May 10, 2012, at 6:30 am Considering amounts extracted from taxpayers for BC Ferries brilliant management team, imagine the tab if they’d been competent and successful.
David Hahn departed to enjoy one of the most costly pensions ever given a public servant in British Columbia. Behind, he left a faltering operation with declining ridership, mounting financial losses, a deteriorating fleet and zero progress in converting ships to LNG fuel.
Natural gas is in plentiful supply here and use of this relatively clean fuel is being implemented around the world. However, BC Ferries, despite self-proclaimed business savvy, has not been a leader in seeking economic efficiency. Instead,
. . . → Read More: Northern Insight: Record of lethargic indifference
By Norman Farrell, on April 23, 2012, at 6:55 pm Adrian Raeside has been drawing cartoons portraying the ferry fleet for over thirty years. From breakdowns, groundings, the Fast Ferry Fiasco, the Sunshine Breakfast, German-built ferries, the Million Dollar Man (David Hahn) and fuel surcharges, Raeside has covered it all in his unique style. The best of these hilarious and sometimes poignant cartoons are for the first time compiled into a book, a unique chronicle of our ferry fleet and a must-read for anyone who has ever endured a two-sailing wait at a ferry terminal.
Check out Raeside’s new books.
Adrian Raeside has created a magical tale of adventure for
. . . → Read More: Northern Insight: Raeside scores
By Norman Farrell, on February 10, 2012, at 4:27 am How CEOs Jack Up their Pay, Kimberly Weisul, Editor & Founder of One Thing New:
“(MoneyWatch) Poor, downtrodden, underpaid CEOs finally have someone they can turn to in their hour of need: compensation consultants.
“… research … suggests there’s a simple way to boost their pay. Just call in the compensation consultants–the more, the merrier.
“On average, when a firm adds a compensation consultant, CEO pay rises by 8.5%. “Companies with larger boards pay CEOs more. “Firms with larger compensation committees tend to employ more consultants.
“Cutting the CEO’s paycheck, the researchers note, doesn’t seem like a very
. . . → Read More: Northern Insights / Perceptivity: Bring on the consultants, part 1
By Norman Farrell, on February 3, 2012, at 5:10 am Is there anything more laughable than a politician trained in nothing providing direction to executives of the province’s $14-billion dollar monopoly insurer. Speaking to ICBC, British Columbia’s chief law officer “delivered a firm reminder that there has been a public backlash to recent revelations about compensation for Crown executives.”
In the past, we’ve seen that words fall easily from the mouth of Shirley Bond. Her main qualifications for government was service as a small city School Trustee and the backing of mentor Doug Walls, then a troubled Prince George car dealer who was also a relative, friend and
. . . → Read More: Northern Insights / Perceptivity: Talking tough with empty words and an empty head
By Norman Farrell, on December 22, 2011, at 7:45 pm har·bin·ger
[hahr-bin-jer] Show IPA
noun
1.
a person who goes ahead and makes known theapproach of another; herald.
2.
anything that foreshadows a future event; omen; sign:Frost is a harbinger of winter.
Control system failed ahead of BC Ferry crash, Andrew MacLeod, The Tyee, Dec. 21, 2011
A problem with the Coastal Inspiration’s control system may have led to yesterday’s crash
By Norman Farrell, on December 1, 2011, at 12:19 am How we spend our money reflects our values, particularly for conscious choices, the ones we make after full consideration.
That occurred to me when reader Lew linked to a Jonathan Fowlie blog, B.C.’s government watchdog working among the rodents. Lew’s comment came in response to my article about David Hahn’s luxurious new offices, where the BC Ferries management team is presently conducting an
By Norman Farrell, on November 30, 2011, at 7:49 pm News item: BC Ferries hiking fuel surcharges, Andrew MacLeod, The Tyee
“Ferry fares will rise by 2.5 percent on Dec. 12 on the major routes as B.C. Ferry Services Inc. adds to the fuel surcharge.
“A press release attributes the hike to the rising cost of marine diesel fuel…”
I leave readers to draw their own conclusions about ferry fares and fuel oil prices. In the meantime, consider
By Norman Farrell, on November 27, 2011, at 3:01 pm Paraphrasing Benjamin Disraeli’s words to the British Parliament in 1845, “The BC Liberal government is an organized hypocrisy.”I visited the BC Liberal website today and found this homepage. The frame from the lower right corner is extracted.
“Our Ship Building Contract” This Liberal government was not so enthused about shipbuilding in 2005 after David Hahn placed his order for new ships in
By Norman Farrell, on October 25, 2011, at 6:11 am I have been reviewing amounts paid senior officers of BC Ferry Services Inc. and also the amounts paid to directors. In 2009, the Comptroller General of British Columbia reviewed governance of the organization and made strong observations: “BCFS exe… . . . → Read More: Northern Insights / Perceptivity: BCFS costly but not innovative
By Norman Farrell, on October 19, 2011, at 11:26 pm British Columbia’s shipbuilding industry is happy today, gearing up to work on an $8-billion piece of the largest marine construction program in Canadian history. The federal government takes pride in what they claim has been a painstakingly fair, non… . . . → Read More: Northern Insights / Perceptivity: Will Hahnless BCF now build major ships here?
By Norman Farrell, on October 13, 2011, at 5:57 am Gulf Islands bi-weekly newspaper Island Tides promises an eclectic mix of local, regional, national and international topics — serious and light-hearted — to give readers a “relaxed, informed ‘West Coast’ feeling.” One of the contributors to Is… . . . → Read More: Northern Insights / Perceptivity: Lost vision: efficient, affordable, customer focused
By Norman Farrell, on September 19, 2011, at 6:37 pm More worthwhile reading today at The Tyee, from investigative reporter Andrew MacLeod, a fine journalist who does not work in an echo chamber rewriting background papers issued by flacks working for government or industry. “In 2007, after British Co… . . . → Read More: Northern Insights / Perceptivity: David Hahn skippers the M.V. Deficiencies
By Kim, on September 4, 2011, at 6:27 pm A message from BC. Last Friday in BC, Christy Clark announced that there will be no fall election. This amounts to a bloodless Coup of our fair province. Clark has no mandate. She is unelected. She sailed into power by the grace and deep pockets of the same group of suspects that may . . . → Read More: An Unprecedented Friday Afternoon Document Dump, cont… . . . → Read More: An Unprecedented Friday Afternoon Document Dump, cont…
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