Important Message to Readers: I am publishing the following letter to the editor on B.C. Rail which has been sent to all papers (local media especially), I can only hope they will print it but I doubt it very much. After all, the whole issue isn’t very comfortable for our local Fort Langley MLA Rich Coleman. This letter is well done and presents the argument well.
Now, I can hear the comments already, we are still talking about B.C. Rail after 10 years? Remember this and don’t forget it, the B.C. Liberal Government lied to the people of B.C. and that includes Rich Coleman and Christy Clark who were in cabinet and agreed with that deal. They had to of agreed or they would have parted company publicly with their government. It is as simple as that despite what some would suggest.
B.C. Rail was just the start of the lies (remember the HST) that have been perpetrated on the people of B.C. by this government and all of it’s members – Mary Polak and Rich Coleman are you listening!
“An Election is a Referendum, a vote for the B.C. Liberals is accepting of their performance.”
March 9, 2013
Dear Editor
Selling Off the Peoples Assets…
Beware of governments selling or privatizing public owned crown assets based on their political philosophy.
BC Rail $1 Billion Sellout to CN Rail.
From 1918-1972 it was the PGE, a Crown Corporation then in 1972 became BC Rail, 3rd largest railway in Canada.
We lost a viable BC Railroad that in the late 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s had 23 consecutive years of ‘operating profits’ and 18 years with net income, sending $138 million dividend dollars to the provincial treasury. ‘Operating profits’ are separate from ‘capital expansion’.
BC Rail had ‘operating profits’ every year but the Socred and NDP gov’ts. interfered and used that equity to incur more debt by borrowing money from BC Rail to fund other projects. That and capital expansion, rail extension lines further into the BC north/interior for the forest, mining and coal industry, increased the long term debt on the books, but it was still a viable railroad owned by us, the people of BC.
The BC Liberals prior to being elected promised they would not sell BC Rail but since forming a majority gov’t. in 2001, fabricated complete (gov’t. math lies) about BC Rail’s finances, to suit their privatization ideology so they could sell it. http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2010/03/29/GordonBCRail/
They sold it in 2004 then fairy-tailed us that a 990 year lease to CN Rail was not a sale. (13 average human lifespans constitutes a de-facto sale).
This became a scandal known as ‘Railgate,’ turned the Legislature into a crime scene with an unprecedented RCMP raid in Dec. 2003, resulting in the political corruption trial of David Basi and Bob Virk.
It’s not conceivable that the gov’t hierarchy, instigators premier Gordon Campbell and deputy premier Christy Clark would not be fully apprised of the details in a $1 billion deal where the gov’t. negotiated with their chosen preferred bidder, CN Rail… It’s just not believable that the top decision makers can plead ignorance.
Basi/Virk/Christy Clark scandal ongoing to this day. Basi and Virk were both so called ‘aids’ to gov’t ministers, aka slang- ‘bag men’ or Party campaign $ solicitors.
Even though Basi/Virk plead guilty, (2 years house arrest) the government paid their defense legal fees of $6 million in Oct. 2010. Why? Was the negotiated $6 million indemnity deal paid to buy their silence, so as not to implicate any politicians?
Highly suspicious mysteries fester for 8 years while costs to the public could be $20 million says Attorney General Mike de Jong.
The ‘Auditor Generals’ attempt to get documents on the $6 million payment, have been strongly opposed and ‘stonewalled’ by the Liberal gov’t. The BC Supreme Court ruled that it is solicitor/client privilege and denied the Auditor Gen. access to this government information.
The government’s lawyer Richard Butler misleads Supreme Court with affidavit stating he did not have missing documents then later admitted the gov’t. did have them.
Political ideology can be a dangerous thing when you can’t respect the peoples assets. We need what’s good for BC, not what’s good for their ego’s, philosophy, political career, political party, or personal gain.
Roland Seguin
Langley, BC
langleywatchdog.... and more! 
As a result of the purchase of BC Rail by CN Railways, that railway company has now outstripped the other major railway company in Canada. The thought came to me a long time ago if the major project that we have seen since that time, the Roberts Bank Rail Corridor (RBRC) project – with its grade separations,some of which do not make sense except that they favour the operation of Canadian Pacific Limited (CP Rail) – was not conceived as a “second prize” or “consolation prize”, so that a supposed form of competition can be maintained. I cannot substantiate that possibility, but if so, it is interesting to note that CN Railways withdrew from the multi-party funding agreement for these grade separations. You see, there is no net benefit in it for them.