Things that make you go “Hmmmmm…”

Posted on by Laila

I’m very busy in a side project right now that is incredibly intensive and time consuming, but I saw something recently on Global news that I think needs clarification, from either former Minister of Social Development Don McRae ,Pebble in the Pond,or  Judi Tyabji herself. Because as we know, the truth matters and when ‘it is twisted it makes things look bad.’

On Global BC last week Tyabji appeared with Steve Darling on the morning show to promote her new book. Darling asked her about the controversy over the grant with Pebble in the Pond and the Wild and Woolly partnership, and made reference to her in some manner benefiting from provincial funding.( her wages were paid out of the grant funds to oversee the project)

She replied – and I cannot find tape for this online unfortunately – that this was all federal funding and not provincial, that it was just administered out of an office in Nanaimo. This came under examination in the legislature: http://thetyee.ca/News/2016/03/11/Former-Liberal-MLA-Grant/
Tyabji also recently posted to Facebook again, that the funding came from the federal government in her response to the erroneous Macleans book review:

tyabjifacebook

And she said the same thing about this grant when questioned again on CBC here at about the six minute mark: http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/british-columbia/programs/ontheisland/judi-tyabji-on-her-new-book-christy-clark-behind-the-smile-1.3612756

But there remains a need for confirmation of this, since both the press release from government at the time the grant was awarded as well as the application for an extension of the grant from Pebble in the Pond, both credit the initiative as having been funded jointly by the province of British Columbia and the federal government…

https://archive.news.gov.bc.ca/releases/news_releases_2013-2017/2014sdsi0037-000882.htm

pressrelease

” In 2014/2015, the ministry has committed to investing $331 million in employment and labour market programs under the Employment Program of BC”

Which to the reader, infers that the $$$ committed in that fiscal year funded this initiative. In fact, it is also listed on the extension documents from Pebble in the Pond that this is funded by this partnership:

wildnwooly

Further to these examples, the facebook page of Wild and Woolly stills states the project is *(was?) funded by both the provincial and federal governments:

wildandwoollly

Now, we know how important it is not to have the truth twisted. And despite my efforts, I cannot confirm Tyabji’s statements to several different press outlets,nor can I  locate a breakdown on how much of  the funding Pebble in the Pond received was provincial, and how much was federal. I wondered when the story came out by the NDP earlier this year, and I still wonder considering the recent statement of Tyabji online and in the press.

Government states the press release is accurate, but is not able to provide a breakdown and Tyabji blocked the new Facebook account I had to start earlier this year following my cyber attack, much like she blocked the first after I wrote this: https://lailayuile.com/2013/10/29/a-note-on-political-patronage-and-chronyism/ , a story that did not end as hoped for growers in the Comox Valley and of which many unanswered questions remain there as well.

So, I am asking again: Who is correct in where the funds came from to fund this Wild and Woolly grant? Is the BC government press release correct in that it is a partnership they have committed money to, or is Tyabji correct in stating the grant was all federal funds?

Because again, someone isn’t correct here when you look at the government statement of how much was allegedly committed to funding these job creation initiatives….

Much like someone is not correct when it comes to the this story: http://www.bcveritas.com/index.php/2016/06/06/again-on-the-old-massett-150k-grant-new-information/

Clarification anyone?

confused

25 thoughts on “Things that make you go “Hmmmmm…””

  1. Hmmmm indeed.
    You would think a Freedom of Info request would help but those seem to take forever and arrive heavily redacted( I should have invested money in black ink factories back in the day).
    Anywho.
    If Ezra Levant is any indication of how the “twitterverse” is going to stop expanding….
    http://www.google.ca/url?url=http://www.thebeaverton.com/national/item/2724-ezra-levant-sues-self-for-defamation&rct=j&frm=1&q=&esrc=s&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwjExtjTuZjNAhVfImMKHeSfCO8QFggoMAQ&usg=AFQjCNHKthoVOFSBUS214LOygMcQgCR30g

    Judy should sue MacLeans Mag……? Or just stop talking about it?

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    1. And the wild and woolly application did come from a Freedom of Information request,I have the full application along with the press rlease for the archived link above, which states the initiative behind the grant is jointly funded.

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  2. Macleans has changed the article on her book to reflect the fact that the grants they said Tyabji received actually went to the publisher. I cant imagine why they would have printed that without checking first.

    In this case though, I am very curious because she is clearly saying that there was no provincial funding for this project , yet government says it is jointly funded. So who is right? Yet no one seems to be able to break that down or answer the question which really should be simple to address. If the BC government did not put money to this grant as they claim, then we should be able to clarify that.

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  4. There’s more things that make you go hmmm here:
    1) The conflict of interest was flagged by Ministry staff when Tyabji is Board member, project applicant, Supervisor, and financial beneficiary to the tune of over $60K . That concern was over-ruled, and we don’t know by whom.

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    1. Great find Lew, thank you.

      So here is the next question. We know the money came out of public accounts now from that ministry. But what portion of those funds were federal funding and what part of those funds came from the province? I can’t get a breakdown or percentage. I even had a source contact the ministry by phone asking and they were told it was jointly funded. Tyabji insists it was all federal funds .

      Listen here at about the six minute mark: http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/british-columbia/programs/ontheisland/judi-tyabji-on-her-new-book-christy-clark-behind-the-smile-1.3612756

      Why is such a simple question, so hard to confirm? If the ministry simply administers federal funds, why is it repeatedly referred to as a jointly funded initiative? Why did the press release state how much was committed?

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  6. Dang . I was reading too quickly. The Jackson Triggs in kind donation was for 82 decommissioned Oak Barrels, valued at $32k. Not sure what they have to do with hide tanning but presume they have a use. Also wonder at the value.

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    1. I guess the barrels were for the sheep skin tanning at a sand pit as there was issues of using her farm.i wonder where the barrels are now. Maybe with missing (lost track) students of program. I find shutting down pebble in the pond society seems suspicious if everything was above board. Too many hmmmmmmmmmm.

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  7. Our governments don’t even seem concerned about appearing to be right any more. And their supporters are as just corrupt as their leaders so morals and principles don’t seem to concern supporters either. I’d expect opposition partiesexpose and correct this if they also weren’t so happy about the moral bar being lowered for them.
    All governments are only as good as their opposition… but greed is running our province until a REAL and PROPER opposition party attracts a grassroots silent majority.

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  8. Ms. Tyabji may be factually correct to say that the money was from the federal Employment Insurance fund, but I would say the key question is who administered the program giving out the money. Over the last five to ten years, the federal government has devolved the administration of job-training and other employment programs to the provinces while continuing to provide cost-shared funding for them. I myself worked in the administration of one of these programs for the BC provincial government. The federal government provided most of the $5 million a year budget we had, but we at the provincial government were the ones making the day-to-day decisions about who got the funding.

    Warren White
    Gordon Head, Victoria

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    1. I understand. But the project papers states, press release and even the facebook page for Wild and Wooly states jointly funded by the province and Canada. This does present a conundrum since Tyabji has stated in several interviews with the press the money was all federal. I really want to know who is correct. If the program were only administered by the province then it shouldn’t read jointly funded. But it does. So we need some clarity here on the matter.

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      1. Sooooo, if the money came from the Feds and was handed to the Province t “dish out”…..essentially the Provice gets to decide “Who gets the grant” and “How much”.
        Gee no conflict there…..
        I want to start an art school in Haida Gwaii and I need $1,000,000.00 and I’d like Christy to attend the opening….should I contact her ex to work out the details?

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      2. Great post Laila – lots to question, lots of dots to connect, excellent comments.

        I still have an over the barrel hmmm? on legitimacy of the ~$400/ barrel tax deduction of $32,000. The Jackson Triggs in kind donation is a tax deduction that will reduce what they pay in taxes. Ultimately their tax savings must be made up by more tax collected elsewhere (not the Liberal corporate family and one percenters).

        My question… is the fair ‘donation value’ claimed actually a legitimate one? If these are used barrels I think as G. Barry Stewart questions in his post that they appear to be over valued – valued for a larger tax write off than entitled which would not be legitimate. The over valued in kind donation has been a common tax scam, one that can still fall through the CRA cracks (if not audited). Did this happen here?

        Given the history of the players in this fleece project – all connected Liberals/supporters and the non transparency of the funding I think that potentially this donation could be a another ‘scratch my back…get some extra scratch back’ quid pro quo between ‘family’. I would not dismiss this as nickel-dime nit picking. This to me just looks like more of the same questionable brazen BC Liberal family action plan. The Liberals have in the past steamrolled over past BC Auditor Generals and citizens in their own self interests. I do not give them the benefit of doubt here, they have not earned any leeway.

        If they will not show proof that this did not happen then I can fairly continue to suspect that they are not above board once again.

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  10. Well, I broke down and filed an FOI asking specifically for the amount that was funded by the Province of BC for this fiasco. Certainly not the most expeditious method, but nonetheless I am interested to see what they come back with. Complete waste of taxpayer money any way you slice it.

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  11. The source of the funding is in reality a red herring. This type of program is funded jointly by the government of Canada and the provinces through various agreements such as the Labour Market Development Program and Job Creation Partnerships, etc. Bulk funding is provided a couple of times a year to each province by the feds in accordance with a formula derived from employment statistics. The province administers and disperses the funds, and provides an audited report on its general activities.

    The point is that no matter what kitty the money in this case came from, the provincial government was in charge of approving and administering the grant, not the feds. That would be the provincial government headed by the subject of the “biography”, and the provincial government that employs the author’s hubby at the whim of the same subject.

    The fact that ordinary citizens are routinely and deliberately kept in the dark and forced to jump through hoops and worse to find out (if they ever do) how public money is being spent and who is really benefitting should concern us all. The disdain shown for our concern by those with access to our money and our records should enrage us.

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  12. It used to be you could buy a half barrel at the garden centre for $50. So, $100 a barrel sounds about right. I haven’t priced them lately.

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  13. I am duly enraged Lew. So what. I’m enraged about Site C, the continuing blather about the benefits of LNG, the ‘sale’ of BC Rail, the ‘sale’ of the Burke Mountain asset and on and on. All it does if give me heartburn, indigestion and a shitty outlook on life.
    Incidentally, I see a number of heavy trucks bearing the sign “Powered by CNG”. Wouldn’t that be a more realistic goal? All vehicles (including ferries and railroad locomotives) powered by our abundance of natural gas. Hell, we have such an abundance of the stuff we could give it away (like we’re trying to do with Petronas).

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  14. If I were a betting person, I’d say the money was originally ours, the taxpayers. the federal government then gave it to the province and some one in the provincial government or an appendage there of gave it to the group and from there into Judy’s pocket. With no real answers, it is reasonable to conclude what some of us have. it went from the “Christy pocket to the Judy pocket” while Judy’s husband el gordo 2 worked for Christy and cabal. How very lovely. The disabled living on less than $930 per month while Judy and el gordo 2 are making a lot more. Can hardly wait for el gordo 1 to return to BC.

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