Polling questions offer glimpse into BC Election 2017 issues..and raise eyebrows on future of Site C

Posted on by Laila

A quick post this morning, thanks to some interesting questions a reader sent on as part of an Angus Reid polling questionnaire currently out.

In my opinion, most questions were push polling and several forced answers. But the Site C questions had my full attention…

Take a look at some of the questions raising eyebrows :

Is the idea of building Site C, a new hydroelectric dam, to help meet the rising demand for electricity in BC, an idea you strongly support, support, can accept under certain circumstances,oppose, or strongly oppose?

Please select one response only.

Strongly support

Support

Can accept under certain circumstances

Oppose

Strongly oppose

Not sure

BC Hydro is building the $9 billion Site C hydroelectric dam project in the Peace River area.  Regardless of your opinion about Site C, do you agree or disagree that Premier Christy Clark and the BC Liberal government are doing all they can to make sure BC workers and businesses have the first chance at construction jobs on Site C?

Please select one response only.

Strongly agree

Moderately agree

Moderately disagree

Strongly disagree

Not sure

The BC government has committed $4 billion to constructing BC Hydro’s Site C dam out of a total $9 billion budget. Would you say at that point the project should continue – with a focus on ensuring jobs for BC workers, environmental protection and agreements with First Nations – or that the project should be cancelled as soon as possible, regardless of the money invested being wasted?

Please select one response only.

Strongly agree

Moderately agree

Moderately disagree

Strongly disagree

Not sure

BC Hydro’s Site C dam is employing up to 35% or more of its construction workers from outside British Columbia. Regardless of your opinion about Site C, do you agree or disagree that using out of province workers to build this project is unacceptable?

Please select one response only.

Strongly agree

Moderately agree

Moderately disagree

Strongly disagree

Not sure

Premier Christy Clark has stated that BC Building Trades union organizers must have the right to approach workers represented by an employee association at the BC Hydro Site C construction project and ask them if they want to switch representation. But BC Hydro – which is owned by the province – is fighting to ban BC Building Trades organizers from setting foot on the Site C workplace. The construction company building Site C and the employee association are also trying to ban BC Building Trades organizers from the site. Regardless of your opinion about Site C, do you agree or disagree that BC Building Trades union organizers must have the right to approach workers at the BC Hydro Site C construction project, so long as they respect privacy laws?

Please select one response only.

Strongly agree

Moderately agree

Moderately disagree

Strongly disagree

Not sure

The BC government plans to replace the George Massey Deas Island Tunnel between Delta and Richmond with a new $3 billion, 10-lane bridge. Do you agree or disagree with that decision?

Please select one response only.

Strongly agree

Moderately agree

Can accept under certain circumstances

Moderately disagree

Strongly disagree

Not sure

The new $3 billion George Massey Bridge between Delta and Richmond to replace the current tunnel could be built with up to $1 billion in steel fabricated in British Columbia instead of steel from China, Korea or another country.  Regardless of your position on the bridge, do you agree or disagree that fabricated steel for the bridge should come from BC?

Please select one response only.

Strongly agree

Moderately agree

Moderately disagree

Strongly disagree

Not sure

Do you agree or disagree with the construction of an $8 billion dollar Liquefied Natural Gas or LNG plant near Prince Rupert BC by private company Petronas to export BC LNG to world markets?

Please select one response only.

Strongly support

Support

Can accept under certain circumstances

Oppose

Strongly oppose

Not sure

The proposed Kinder Morgan Trans Canada pipeline to transport oil sands bitumen from Alberta to Vancouver for shipping to Asian markets by tankers has been approved for construction by the federal and BC governments. Do you agree or disagree with proceeding with the Kinder Morgan pipeline?

Please select one response only.

Strongly agree

Moderately agree

Moderately disagree

Strongly disagree

Not sure

Regardless of your position against or in favour of the Kinder Morgan pipeline to transport Alberta oil through Vancouver by tankers to Asian markets, do you agree or disagree that the BC government should insist that that BC workers and businesses have the first chance at construction jobs and services to build the pipeline?

Please select one response only.

Strongly agree

Moderately agree

Moderately disagree

Strongly disagree

Not sure

British Columbia does not license companies that remove deadly asbestos from buildings being demolished or renovated. That means even if an asbestos removal company has been fined for violating WorkSafeBC health and safety laws, it can still continue to do business in BC. Other places like Washington State, Australia and the United Kingdom all license asbestos removal companies and can stop them from doing business if they violate health and safety laws. Would you agree or disagree that BC should bring in licensing for asbestos removal companies to ensure they comply with laws protecting workers and communities form exposure to asbestos?

Please select one response only.

Strongly agree

Moderately agree

Moderately disagree

Strongly disagree

Not sure

WorkSafeBC has fined dozens of companies in the past few years for violating health and safety laws meant to protect workers involved in removing deadly asbestos being demolished or renovated and residents in nearby homes or offices.Would you agree or disagree that if companies continue to violate asbestos removal health and safety laws that fines should be significantly increased to stop such behaviour?

Please select one response only.

Strongly agree

Moderately agree

Moderately disagree

Strongly disagree

Not sure

There are tolls that must be paid to cross the Port Mann Bridge in Coquitlam and the Golden Ears Bridge in Maple Ridge but not tolls on other bridges or the Sea-To- Sky highway from Vancouver to Whistler.  And the existing Port Mann Bridge and Golden Ears Bridge tolls have already lost hundreds of millions of dollars due to lack of traffic as drivers find alternative routes to avoid the toll fee and are expected to lose more money for many years before breaking even. Would you agree or disagree that it would be more fair to eliminate existing bridge tolls and not impose tolls on new bridges and instead pay for bridges through the provincial budget?

Please select one response only.

Strongly agree

Moderately agree

Moderately disagree

Strongly disagree

Not sure

And now a question about social programs.

Drug and alcohol addiction devastates lives and families and causes some addicts to lose their jobs and resort to crime to pay for their addiction. Would you agree or disagree that the BC government should make a guarantee that any drug or alcohol addict who wanted to become clean and sober would get into a rehabilitation program within 48 hours of asking for help?

Please select one response only.

Strongly agree

Moderately agree

Moderately disagree

Strongly disagree

Not sure

A company which operates waste management and recycling stations in Metro Vancouver and other BC locations pays most of its workers significantly less than what is called a “living wage” of about $20 an hour –what experts agree is a reasonable amount needed to live on. Would you agree or disagree that not paying workers a living wage is a good reason to cancel the contract with that company and find another that will pay workers a living wage?

Please select one response only.

Strongly agree

Moderately agree

Moderately disagree

Strongly disagree

Not sure

The federal government is establishing marine protected areas off the British Columbia coast for endangered species, like the glass sponge.  Such areas would prohibit any fishing whatsoever. But locally-based fishermen say ecosystem protection can go hand in hand with food security – that sustainable, environmentally safe fishing can take place within a marine protected area and maintain both food supply and community jobs. Do you agree or disagree?

Please select one response only.

Strongly agree

Moderately agree

Moderately disagree

Strongly disagree

Not sure

The federal government intends to allow Temporary Foreign Workers to be the crew on ships sailing in Canada’s inland coast waters – something that has always been banned – instead of insisting on Canadian crews. Do you agree or disagree with the federal government plan?

Please select one response only.

Strongly agree

Moderately agree

Moderately disagree

Strongly disagree

Not sure

The federal government plans to privatize Canada’s sea ports,which are currently publicly owned and operated. Under the federal plan, corporations would run the ports for profit. Do you agree or disagree with the federal government plan?

Please select one response only.

Strongly agree

Moderately agree

Moderately disagree

Strongly disagree

Not sure

The BC New Democrats propose to totally eliminate Medical Services Plan premiums in their first term of office if elected. The BC Liberals propose to cut Medical Services Plan premiums in half for 2 million British Columbians if reelected, with the possibility of eventually eliminating the MSP at a future undetermined date, depending on the province’s finances. Which of these two proposals do you prefer?

Please select one response only.

BC NDP plan to eliminate MSP premiums in first term or

BC Liberal plan to cut MSP premiums in half for 2 million British Columbians with possible elimination of MSP premiums at some later date

Don’t know

 

I’m curious as to who is doing this kind of issue polling so late in the game… and why?

Particularly concerning are the questions on Site C , a project already heading down a path eerily similar to the ill fated Muskrat Falls dam project in Newfoundland.   From the nature of the questions I would guess someone is trying to iron out their platform,  or perhaps building trades trying to bolster the case for proceeding, but I think it’s vitally important for everyone in BC to take note..and to start asking questions of the parties running on these issues.

I worry that the way they framed the questions, someone is trying to get to ‘yes’ on the massive projects, even if people were opposed to the projects, by using the local jobs and materials angle. What do you think?  If you have any info on who commissioned this poll, please get in touch. The timing is interesting as well considering the BC Liberals are in full swing with their JOBS JOBS JOBS campaign well underway.

Don’t expect too much between now and the end of the month, but I’ll be in full election mode come April.

 

 

55 thoughts on “Polling questions offer glimpse into BC Election 2017 issues..and raise eyebrows on future of Site C”

  1. Answering polling questions is manipulated consent. Many, many years ago I was called to answer YVR Airport questions. It was around the time when Richmond residents were outraged over noise with respect to the new runway. It finally dawned on me half way through the questions what the polling was all about. I interrupted the caller and said, this is about the new runway and it’s associated noise, do you realise you called a Langley resident?
    From that moment on I committed myself to never ever answer another polling again.

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    1. All pollsters should be forced to watch Sir Humphrey explain to Bernard, in YES, PRIME MINISTER, how polls are taken and how to get opposite answers by rigging the question..

      Reid is the worst of a bad lot.

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Look at the questions carefully Ken. All of them. Does this sound like a BC Lib sell? Or someone else trying to find a way to move forward with Site C and the other projects?

      Liked by 1 person

  3. The first question is straight out of the BC Hydro sponsored poll that was taken just before the Joint Review Panel hearings into Site C. The obvious and intentional bias with respect to ‘rising demand’ has been pointed out many times. I have to think that Angus Reid understands the importance of the formation of the question and is therefore selling themselves as a service to Hydro and the Liberals who are the only group I know, other than say the Fraser Institute, who would make use of such blatant misrepresentation of demand in BC to get the answer they want.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. But the rest of the questions don’t really seem geared towards the Libs in my opinion…Read them. It could be,but something is a bit off here.

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      1. I suggest the rest of the questions are there to downplay push polling aspects of the first items. Placement and bias of the SiteC question suggest they want a particular answer on that issue and don’t care much about the others. The remainder is wordy enough that few people would complete the whole survey.

        Who stands to gain from getting particular answers about Site C? CBTU, ICBA, BC Hydro and its contractors, BC LIberals. Whoever it is doesn’t matter much because the result would not be seen as valid by any thinking person.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. There was more to this poll… the first part was on personal and political attributes of Christy Clark and John Horgan… I only posted the Site C and down portion. Angus Reid forum poll members appear to get points so yes, everyone who got it would have finished it.

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        2. If the pollster, Abacus Data, was asking questions on personal and political attributes of Clark and Horgan, should BC Hydro’s ratepayers be paying for political ammunition helpful to Liberals?

          Or, perhaps more than one survey is involved if Angus Reid forum is also involved.

          BTW, regular participation in online surveys is questionable. Opinion companies build profiles of participants, ostensibly to ensure representative groups are selected for each survey. However, unethical firms can influence results by selecting certain participants to complete an assignment. In this situation, Abacus shows its willingness to sacrifice ethics for business.

          In addition, if we allow online surveyors to know all about us and sell our opinions, can we trust that they are not also selling our individual personal data to banks, insurance companies etc.

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        3. These polling questions specifically came from Angus Reid. An NDP friend on facebook who is an Angus Reid forum member got the same poll today, and he said: “The first part of the poll was asking about which issue is the most important to you, then it asked you to agree or disagree with statements about Christy Clark, and then asked the same questions about Horgan. Thinking the poll questions were paid for by a Left leaning organization.”

          He’s worked and volunteered with the NDP for years, for what it’s worth. My thought having seen most of it is similar.
          The NDP still do not show Site C on their website as an issue. This concerns me. I keep in mind Horgan saying he would still need to see the contracts….

          Liked by 2 people

        4. I understand Horgan’s position is to immediately provide for an independent and expert review. Personally, I’ve not looked at BCUC sufficiently to know if it is worthy of citizens’ trust. If it is, it would be one the few agencies not shaped specifically to meet Liberal goals.

          However, when qualified people are tasked with an evaluation and are allowed independence, they generally choose a reasonable course. If the cost of halting Site C is $6 billion, it ought to be a political decision, but one that is influenced by experts and careful considerations.

          We must treat BC Hydro with care after the political hacks are removed from the executive suites and the board rooms. People like the Boons, Hadlands and other affected locals ought to be given every opportunity to be heard by the reviewers. So should people who’ve analyzed demand in BC and looked at BC Hydro’s distortions by trying to include out of province sales in the “domestic demand” figures they report.

          The consumption numbers for the last quarter of 2016 by residential, commercial and industrial customers show the year ranks tenth of the last 12 years. Instead of saying that the BC Hydro’s sales electricity to BC customers has flatlined, we may soon be saying it is reducing.

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        5. There was an article out last year where a representative from the BCUC said it did not currently have the manpower or resources to even do a review of Site C now because of its magnitude – trying to locate that and damn, should have bookmarked it.

          My two big concerns have never changed and remain.

          1. That the BCUC is incapable of doing even an expedited review, and that both funding resources and staff would have to be allocated to do the review he is promising.

          2. That because the review is taking place AFTER the project has been started, the perspective in reviewing now may involve different considerations than it would have before the work was started. Sunk costs have already been mentioned. No one has pursued this deeper with Horgan in the press. What exactly will he order the BCUC to look at?

          3. That if the BCUC does say no…will Horgan absolutely cancel those contracts? Or does he still need to review them before making that decision?

          I know everyone would prefer me to just shut up. But wanting a change in government does not preclude accountability at any cost and these questions need answers. Because using the sunk costs argument to continue a project we do not need is a distinct possibility and was used by Dwight Ball…who blamed it on the previous government ” Don’t look at me, I didn’t do this, I am the guy stuck with it.”

          Frankly, I don’t trust anyone running for politics. And that isn’t cynicism speaking, it’s the voice of someone who has seen hypocritical actions and statements made by the NDP on issues they would prefer not to take a stand on, or have been backed into a corner on.

          Kinda like bashing the LNG tax regime… and then voting in favour of it so the Libs can’t say they are against business,but failing to see the Libs will use that flip flop on them anyways.

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  4. The polling companies should be required to disclose who their client is in these types of surveys.

    And while these are all important questions that affect BCers I dare say they are too complex to be answered by most in such a simple manner. That said I would love to know the real level of support or opposition to these major projects and think a rating scale (1=strongly oppose and 10=strongly support) would give us a better indicator or overall public support.
    As someone who has worked in market research and primary data collection for 30 years it is obvious this survey is biased and intentionally designed to generate government propaganda favouring these projects.

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    1. A reader, who sent it on to me. They were concerned it was perhaps NDP or building trades considering the focus on BC and in the last questions, temp workers and privatized ports

      Liked by 1 person

      1. doubt it would be the ndp – they aren’t this sneaky. I still think it’s Chrusty – figuring if she added a bunch of supposedly unrelated questions, ppl would answer honestly b/c they wouldn’t think it was her! Will read this again later when i have more time – but honestly, i put nothing past this woman …….. and you think she’d settle for 1 named after her?? You can’t be that naive after following her over the past years!

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        1. You forget that often polls commissioned to refine policy aren’t released to the general public in news releases after. Internal polling on ratings and issues is rarely released. Someone is pushing an idea and testing waters. I want to know who.

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  6. While I had not seen all these questions before, the ones on Site C first appeared about a month ago (to the best of my recollection). I particularly find the reference to the “employers association” particularly offensive, that is why I remember them. For your readers unfamiliar with the term it is a bastardized form of union, controlled by the employer rather than the employees. They tend to write the contract before they hire the workers so that the pay, benefits, and working conditions are set by the employer rather than being negotiated under the framework of provincial or federal labour laws.

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      1. A Google search for one of the questions has this post by Laila on top; then BC Hydro Site C survey authored by David Coletto aka ‘Abacus data’; third hit Abacus Data on June 2016

        “Is the idea of building Site C, a new hydroelectric dam, to help meet the rising demand for electricity in BC, an idea you strongly support, support, can accept under certain circumstances,oppose, or strongly oppose?”

        https://www.google.ca/search?q=Is+the+idea+of+building+Site+C,+a+new+hydroelectric+dam,+to+help+meet+the+rising+demand+for+electricity+in+BC,+an+idea+you+strongly+support,+support,+can+accept+under+certain+circumstances,oppose,+or+strongly+oppose%3F&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=71vLWIKQLoyyjwPQ-6vYBg

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  7. polls and surveys get answers that the sponsors want. The questions are often unintelligible with few options so when you answer, the survey takes the results they want… usual pile of crap

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    1. Skewed questioning. Predetermined answers. Assumptions when creating the poll.

      I remember years ago a teacher mentioning the “reliability” of polls with this example.

      “Whats the safest color of car to drive due to its low incidence of being involved in a crash?
      “Pink!”

      So.
      Unless you’re in a Mary Kay Cosmetic Cadillac or Areatha Franklin drivin’ on the Freeway of Love….avoid pink cars and polls.

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  8. Interesting. I joined Angus Reid a few years ago wanting to participate. All I get asked is consumer product questions.. boring. Never anything political which was the reason for joining it.
    And here is another poll I’ve never seen. Been questioning for a while how legit Angus Reid is. A push- poll company indeed.
    Another excellent blog post .. Thank You!

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    1. Interesting………..I too was an Angus Reid member for a few years and received only surveys regarding consumer products. I finally got disgusted with them and quit. I figure if you’re a certain demographic, they’re never going to ask you anything important, certainly nothing of a political nature. I suppose the best thing to do is not answer any of the personal questions they ask when you sign up. That way they can’t do any of the profiling that I’m sure they normally do.

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  9. they’re looking for a way to sell some of there shit, things people object to, but they might be able to take another approach to get it by people. It maybe late in the game, but if its the B.C. lieberals and they need a strategy which is going to work, they might be the ones who are doing it. They don’t want to find out the NDP is running ads on these topics and they might loose.

    On the other hand, it could be the NDP because their platform is all over the place. Both parties know Site C is a disaster, so how to get out of it. Now it could be a third party is running this survey such as a corporation or MSM organization.

    The NDP need to be able to strengthen their position with labour, hence some of those questions. then of course getting back into office and ordering the steel for China, well if they know now what the impact will be, they won’t have so much blow back. this may not be about the election but after the election and what they can get away with.

    Interesting there was nothing about education or health on the survey. who knows perhaps Christy wants the answers so if her financial supporters want a campaign run a specific way, she can tell them, we polled and we’ll loose if we come out in favour of this or that, so we win and then we do what we want. That way if she asks for more money they will fork it over.

    Bringing workers in from over seas, you can bet some of those projects will have foreign workers to remain on budget and increase profits, so they may want these corporations to pay the B.C. Lieberals more money because they will take more flack.

    Some of these questions have money attached to them, so if people are really insistent that certain things be done or not done, they will know. flushing $4B down the toilet, well that is a lot of money, but not as much as could be made being relected but if you’re going to be re elected anyhow then you might be able to get away with not flushing it down the toilet because people will think its a waste of money. The voters will care more about the money than the environment which will mean the b.c. lieberals can do more than they thought they could.

    This survey may also be a way of figuring out how much difference the Green party will make and how the Greens ought to run their campaign to ensure a vote split, letting the b.c. lieberals back into office.

    It could be the NDP having an about face. They have to present something to the public but it needs to be something people will buy into.

    Lets keep up dated on this one. would be really interested in knowing who had this commissioned.

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  10. BTW Laila. You and your many readers should read Eoin Finn’s well structured arguments in the Vancouver Sun. Proponents of Site C prefer to engage in biased push polls rather than have meaningful discussions based on economics. If the facts are examined fairly, the route is clear. Site C should be immediately suspended and the same group of workers tasked with restoring the lands to what it was.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Yes was just going to link it actually but you beat me to it..lol. Thanks Norm. Just catching up with Arlenes photos. Good grief. Every politician on board with this should have to sign something taking responsibility for it, acknowledging they know the full financial risks and what it means for future generations in BC.

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  12. I think that someone is desperate in having the damn built, for reasons other than producing electricity.

    The real problem as i write this is that the BC Liberal party is in a shambles, with an RCMP investigation and according to Integrity BC, as much as $1.5 million maybe involved in illegal donations.

    The government has to pay for the now $5 billion Massey Tunnel replacement Bridge, but the polling is not going well for them as well.

    It is not the project anymore, it is who builds it; who gets the money.

    As about 20% of the BC Liberal supporters are “Trump” like and will vote regardless,a groundswell of anti-Liberal sentiment is gaining and if this is the case, those massive mega projects maybe deferred, scaled back or stopped altogether. This is bad news for a few corporations who have already spent money, they don’t have working on a dubious dam or bridge project.

    This poll is trying to persuade people to support the dam and the BC Liberals, the question is: have the electorate had enough of Photo-op and her motley crew.

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  13. So why does it even have to be about the questions and not just about the dialogue that follows…like here? It may have been no accident you got it, Laila.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Interesting how Hydro says there will be a rising demand for electricity, but it shut down Burrard Thermal, a 900 MW standby plant, saying that it wasn’t needed. This was to save ratepayers $10 to $15 million a year. What Hydro DIDN’T say is that billions of dollars would be required for additional generators, transmission lines and substations to replace the lost 900 MW.

    Burrard would have made the ideal backup for the power BC is entitled to under the Columbia River Treaty (about 4,500 GWh/yr), negating the need for Site C. Presently this power is sold on the open market for 1/3rd the cost of Site C’s power.

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    1. Burrard Thermal is not about power, well, I guess maybe in a way it is, if you consider it is all about developers. I would wager less than a couple thousand people in this province know where or what Burrard Thermal is and that suits the shroud crowd just fine.

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  17. I don’t think we do any more, so it is interesting about the question. the Johnson st. bridge got their steel out of China and that didn’t turn out so well. there may still be steel plants back east and that is where we ought to buy steel if its still being made in Canada However the question may simply be to find out how voters feel about buying abroad and they are just using this question as a more neutral way of asking it, given we don’t make steel in B.C. anymore. There used to be a company called Western Steel, but it went out of business decades ago, I recall.

    I’ve always been of the opinion Site C has never been about the power. Its about the water and the distribution of money to b.C. Lieberal supporters by way of contracts and having a project c.c. can say is providing jobs because all those lng jobs just didn’t happen. so she can at least say there are jobs on Site C. Ending Site C. is the best way to go. Although the province looses the money already invested, we save the rest which would be a waste of money anyhow. Its only the selling of water which will provide long term benefits. The problem is once we turn on the tape it can’t ever be turned off, even if we have a drought. Its so much easier to run a pipeline to the U.S.A for water than an oil pipe line and given the province will be even deeper in debt once that dam is built, voters/taxpayers will do anything, sell anything, to get out from under that debt. Add a couple of point of interest increase and this province will not only be selling water but anything it can get its hands on. $100 Billion in debt and say 5% interest or 10% interest, etc. Detroit North, with out the art collection Detroit has.

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  18. Bruce Allen, a very bright, well read young man, said today, the controversial donations “flow into the Provincial Government coffers.” Whaaa???

    Good grief, if he doesn’t know or grasp what the deal is, how the hell can we expect ordinary folk to?

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  19. perhaps the survey is about Site C. today’s Sun is reporting the government/B.C. Hydro’s contractor has “pumped sediment laden water from a flooded work area to a ditch that connects directly to a fish-bearing watercourse….” The article on pg. A6 goes on to discuss, “Hydro’s failure to heed multiple warnings about the situation….”

    At the rate things are going perhaps it may come to pass the work is stopped period, dead in its tracks because B.C. Hydro/the b.c. lieberals can’t or won’t comply with environmental standards. It might be better for the government to say they’ve decided to cancel it for some other reason because if its for environmental reasons, well its going to be a case of “we told you so” but you decided to waste billions anyhow.

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  20. Hi everyone! First of all , hats off to you Laila for the work you do. Lots of respect!(happy for you to have made the move to the Island
    All of you who pay attention and take time to share opinions, thank you too. The big question is “does any of this this ever make a difference?”
    Hopefully … but I believe it is more in the trying than the outcome …
    Anyways, this shit is outright scary, who is asking the questions, who pays for it, who answers and who profits … connecting the dots. The very sorry and sad state of affairs, as they are.
    I don’t want to sound discouraged, but the truth is this has been going on for a very long time in various forms and disguises all over the world. Greed, hunger for power, exploiting of fear … and general indifference and overall ignorance of masses being kept in their place by means of money control.
    This particular case reminds me a lot of the whole Northern Gateway affair, which strangely brings some hope – maybe this gang of thieves running the racket called “Government of British Columbia” is running out of breath…
    In memory of people like this : https://www.blogger.com/profile/16597928683019021273
    https://thetyee.ca/News/2015/08/01/We-Miss-You-Ed-Deak/
    keep on the good work 😉

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    1. Geez you made me cry. You don’t think about someone and then it all comes back in a rush and the missing is so overwhelming.What would Mary say now? Thank you for this. ❤

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  22. Any chance this poll is a complete red herring? The questions are useless for research and IMHO are poorly crafted if this is meant as a push poll. I’m not a polling (or push-polling) expert, but the questions (and even some answers) seem awfully long and convoluted, and if these are only a portion of the questions, it strikes me as too long for an effective push-poll.

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    1. No clue what the norm is as I don’t belong to any polling forums or groups. Seems consistent with other polls the recipients has gotten in terms of length though, according to what they told me

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  24. some polls which have short questions don’t supply the source of the questions with a proper answer, hence the longer questions. Some of these questions are meant to weed out those who oppose the “item” they are being asked about, or at least their objections. It may in fact be testing an ad which might be based on the question. i.e. you may not like abc however……..

    This is an election and the stakes are very high for the B.C. Lieberals and their financial supporters, $12M worth and if the B.C. Lieberals don’t deliver, there are many who will suffer. You know all those who got those nice big long laundry contracts, those who don’t have to pay their electricity bills, getting roads improved or built for their business only type use, etc. In terms of tax breaks etc. those who support the B.C. Lieberals and rely on them, a change in government could cost them hundreds of millions of lost corporate welfare. it could mean a rise in corporate taxes, etc.

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    1. On the other hand, even though the Liberal puppet masters would like to just carry on with the pillaging, I think they are smart enough to know that sooner or later the jig will be up.

      To that end, maybe they are all prepared to sit out one term, keep filling the bag, hoping they can make any investigation disappear, then, with the huge dollars they have amassed, hit the road running on May 10…if they lose.

      They will not be idle if the NDP or a minority wins. It will be 4 years of brutality, they will get back in and then it’s another round of cancelled contracts, cutbacks and business as usual.

      If you think not, should Horgan be elected, offer him a new deck.

      On another other hand; Laila commented that some RCMP members were “embarrassed” there are ex-members among the liberals.

      Embarrassed is not good enough.
      No Serpico’s among you?

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  26. On the polling question: Some polling firms have what is called an omnibus poll in which a number of clients questions are combined in one poll which saves costs for clients. Some questions on labour go beyond the building trades and look more universal or coming from the BC Fed.

    On BC Hydro contracts: $4 billion has not been spent but has been contracted and not yet delivered. These costs could be part of the clearing of land and shoring up the banks of a new reservoir and other costs could be associated with the equipment needed for the dam and generating purposes. So there could be room to negotiate with current contractors to stop production of equipment etc.

    What I would like to know is how much of the $9 billion of public money is outsourced to other provinces and other countries for labour, services and materials? Since the initial capital cost, all borrowed, of $9 billion will cost ratepayers over $14 billion in debt service costs over the loan’s amortization period I would hope 100% of the labour, services and materials are coming from the province of BC. If not, then this project leaks wealth out of BC for a long time.

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    1. there will be foreign labour or outside province labour on this project. when they were posting for some office positions the job description stated clearly they would be preparing reports for agencies on foreign labour they would be hiring. They will always use foreign labour. its cheaper because they can pay less and its also cheaper because they don’t have to train B.C. or Canadian citizens for jobs which require higher qualifications. why educate your own people at some expense when you can import the labour from elsewhere?

      We see it in the tech industry where companies don’t have enough employees so they import them, but has Canadian education kept up with educating our children for these jobs? not so much. Its the same with these types of construction jobs.

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