A big story broke this morning in the Vancouver civic campaign via the Globe and Mail. Gary Mason reported that the city had agreed to provide loans of up to $100 million to the Millennium Development Corporation in order to shore up the floundering construction of the Olympic Village.The city's Director of Finance has apparently resigned over the issue, and NPA mayoral candidate (and the current chair of the city finance committee) Peter Ladner has been silent since being confronted with the story at this morning's mayoral debate.
In addition to local media, the CBC, The Canadian Press, The Calgary Herald and The UK Guardian have all picked up the story, dealing a potentially a devastating blow to Ladner and the NPA with just 9 day's left in the campaign. It was the top story on the Global TV, and to be frank, the sight of Ladner publicly shocked when confronted with the news that the city's Director of Finance had resigned was not good for his cause.
More from Vision here and here.
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3 comments:
If you watched the news coverage you mentioned in your post, you would have noted that Peter Ladner has not been silent on the matter. He discussed it this morning during a debate with Gregor Robertson and posted a statement on his blog at peterladner.ca.
The negotiations regarding the Olympic Village were conducted “in-camera” by Council - a time-honored practice to deal with sensitive personnel and legal issues, as well as a practice to protect city investments/tax payer dollars.
Gregor Robertson's call for a public meeting and "transparency" to discuss this situation is irresponsible and shows a lack of understanding of how city government works - the city is in the middle of sensitive negotiations with the Olympic Village developer.
There's no money for the homeless, but lots for a construction company. Don't you just love that corporate welfare! (Also called " state socialism of the rich."
The term 'silence' is metaphorical. Words might have been coming out of Peter's mouth but he wasn't saying anything of substance.
As for secrecy, procedures, and "sensitive negotiations", this is the difference between hiding behind rules and representing the public.
Elected officials make decisions on behalf of the public in trust. It's the citizen's money, not the city's, and it's the citizens who ultimately deserve, and need, answers in order to decide who to vote for. This is what Ladner is failing to grasp.
ps - ladner's blog post says nothing about the issue at hand which is a closed door meeting and a potential $100 million dollar liability for the city.
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