December 9, 2003
Kamloops Daily News



"This is a real education in politics," committee member
Patty Sahota told me during the break.  I had to agree.  The
MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds was in Kamloops as part of the
Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services.

They came to Kamloops to hear what was on our minds and
Kamloopsians didn't disappoint.  We scolded, enlightened,
lectured, and occasionally bored committee members.  My
presentation probably fell into the last category.

The proceedings were not only educational, they were often
theatrical.  One presenter, Christina Mader, got everyone's
attention when she began to tear pages a book that she had
written.  "The very people elected to protect our province
are ravaging it. They tear away at who we British Columbians
are."  Rip, there goes a page from her book.  "Our young
people - - their education has been shredded."  Rip. "The
fabric of their physical and emotional well-being is
ripped." Rip.

Vern Short knew how wake everyone up.  Before starting his
presentation, he asked members of the Standing Committee to
stand.  I thought maybe he was playing with words since the
standing committee had been sitting all morning.  The chair
of the committee just wanted to get on with it. "We're fine.
We're awake," she said.  But he persisted.  When committee
member Joy MacPhail rose, others slowly followed.  So did I,
happy to stretch my legs, smiling at the visual pun as I
stood before the reluctantly standing standing committee.

After the pause, Short continued "Disability is the one
minority that anyone can join at any time as a result of a
sudden automobile accident, a fall down a flight of stairs,
cancer or disease."  Then Short revealed that he was legally
blind.  "The single biggest barrier facing persons with
disabilities is societal attitude,"  he said in his
presentation about the lack of opportunities for disabled
persons.

My mind wandered as I thought about  what I was going to
say.  What were those government newspaper and TV
advertisements about?  They featured people climbing stairs. 
Everyone is climbing - - infants, school children,
teenagers, workers, seniors.  What did it all mean?

It turns out that the ads are for a new government website
called Achieve B.C. (www.achievebc.ca).  The ads and the
website looks expensive but the contents are not new. 
There's a picture of a family climbing (what else?) stairs. 
I watched an inspiring video in which Premier Campbell told
me that he wants me the to the best that I can be. 
Inspiration aside, I wondered what we taxpayers were paying
for it.

I hoped that a quote would be a good start to my bit.  I
found one from Gary Collins before he became Minister of
Finance.  Ironically, he is critical of the then NDP
government for the very thing his government is guilty of. 
"It is the height of hypocrisy and deception for government
to bring in a $5 million tax cut for small businesses and
then to run ads and send out mail and run radio
advertisements telling young people that the government is
listening to them and is creating opportunity for them,"
Collins told the B.C. legislature in1998

I wonder if that's where Premier Campbell got the
inspiration  for Achieve B.C.?

I wanted to know the cost of Achieve B.C.  It all started as
a pet project of  Premier Campbell but as the cost
skyrocketed, the premier shifted it out of his office to the
Ministry of Management Services.  The cost is buried there,
safe from scrutiny.

I told the committee "I'd like a clear and transparent
accounting of the cost of Achieve B.C. I'd rather not see it
buried in this line item under Management Services, which
has a budget of $63 million for the year and is now $11
million over what's targeted."

Committee member Mike Hunter, MLA for Nanaimo, thought it
was a reasonable request.  He approached me later and said
that he would find the actual cost of Achieve B.C. and get
back to me. 

That was two months ago.  A few weeks, I received an email
from him, assuring me that he hadn't forgotten my request
but that he hadn't been able to find an answer yet.

I appreciate Mr. Hunter's efforts and I'm patiently waiting
to hear what inspiration is costing us.  In a future column:
the true meaning of Achieve B.C.

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