VICTORIA (NEWS1130) – Heated words in the legislature over a move by PavCo, which runs BC Place, to ignore Freedom of Information requests from the media.
PavCo has sent a request to BC’s Privacy Commissioner asking for permission to choose whether it responds to request from a Vancouver investigative reporter, saying the journalist accounts for 89 per cent of the FOI requests it receives.
Energy Mines Minister Rich Coleman stood up in the legislature and told MLAs that some of the requests being made are “ridiculously frivolous.”
NDP MLA Spencer Chandra-Herbert has questioned the government’s commitment to being ‘open and transparent.’
“Mr. Speaker, the premier claims that open government was one of her top priorities. Will she stand today and demonstrate that she actually puts actions behind her words,” he asked.
PavCo Chair Peter Fassbender, who is running as a Liberal in the election coming up in May, made the request to the privacy commissioner, and is awaiting a ruling on the matter.
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How does Rich Coleman know there are “ridiculously frivolous” FOI requests? The Office of Information & Privacy Commissioner has nothing on their website about this. Maybe frivolous that embarrasses his government is also annoying and inconvenient. Desperation in power corrupts desperately.
While were at it why don’t we get a 3rd party audit of BC Hydro spending $1 billion on smart meters that have internal electronics with MTBF of 100,000hrs (11yrs) so guess what… $500 per household for replacement meters in 10+yrs. This makes fast ferries look like peanuts. Thank you Christie Clark for NEVER even sending a “we received your correspondence” to everything I sent you. A gov’t with zero responsibilities to it’s voters. Where’s the BC Utilities Commission??
It still burns me up that taxpayers were on the hook for a new roof on BC Place, yet formerly BC Stadium Corp or now Pavco reap financial benefits. When it comes time for more upgrades the citizens of BC will again be “on the hook” while Pavco walks off with the cash. The organization running the stadium should pay for upgrades, if they can’t afford it then shut it down.
Any organization or person that spends one dime of taxpayer money should have to post monthly financials. No ifs ands or buts. It’s OUR money and we have every right to see where it is going.
It’s Peter Fassbender making the request and he just announced his run for the Liberals (while still keeping his mayoral seat in Langley). This from the guy who wants Road pricing and regional tolling.
Something stinks…
Readers should judge for themselves. Bob Mackin’s last FOI request, which took 4 months to fulfill, sought the details of a legal settlement between PAVCO, Harbour Air, and Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre.
http://2010goldrush.blogspot.ca/2013/02/pavco-seeks-to-blacklist-inconvenient.html
He outlines other requests he’s made, none of which seem frivolous or vexatious. That legal settlement involved public money…our money.