'Tourism' becomes a local issue

Backrooms column by Dan Hilborn
Published April 30, 2005


Former Liberal riding association president Shayne Gordon has stopped beating on his old friends and is turning his vitriol against a familiar foe this week, with a press release that takes aim at a local NDP candidate.

Gordon, who now works for Democratic Reform B.C., issued a press release this week that calls local TV commentator and Burnaby- Willingdon NDP hopeful Gabriel Yiu a "tourist" in his own riding.

Written on behalf of DRBC candidate Tony Kuo, the release says the NDP has nominated a "tourist who has never lived in Burnaby."

Yiu admits that he and his wife are still discussing their plans should he win the election, and the deciding factor will likely revolve around their children's schooling.

"My main concern is about our kids," said Yiu, whose daughter attends public school in the next door riding of Vancouver- Fraserview. "My eldest child is in Grade 5 and she's got a lot of friends. To move her completely to a new school is a major concern."

And speaking of moving around, a little birdie called last week to let me know that Gordon did not take the most direct route from the B.C. Liberals to DRBC. Apparently, Gordon had a brief fling with the Conservative Party of Canada in the Burnaby-Douglas riding during last year's federal election.

NEW MUSEUM COMING TO CITY?

Could a new Asia-Pacific Museum of Trade and Culture, announced by B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell on Sunday, actually be built in Burnaby?

It will if Burnaby-Edmonds MLA Patty Sahota has her way.

Sahota, whose family operates the Aspen Group lumber business in the interior of the province, said the proposed museum would celebrate, strengthen and unleash the power of B.C.'s rich cultural diversity.

"I'm going to make a friendly suggestion and I'll advocate for that to be located in Burnaby," said the newly appointed Minister of State for Resort Development. "The selling point is that we have so much dioversity here. If you walk around Burnaby you'll find people from all around the world. Fifty per cent of the population are immigrants."

In a press release applauding the museum proposal, Sahota quotes local forestry pioneers Jack Uppal of Goldwood Industries and Jim Gillis of Haida Forest Products as being favour of the idea.

Gillis' family has been involved in the B.C. forest industry for over 100 years and has been partners with the Ghog family, owners of Aspen Group, since 1989, said the press release.

DOA ENTERS THE FRAY

Former Green party candidate Joey Keithley, best known as Joey Shithead of the punk rock band DOA, has returned to the fray with a new 20-song compilation CD that takes aim at the current government.

Citizens Rule is an independent disc featuring recordings by DOA, Geoff Burner, Betty Cracker, Joey Only and others that, according to the CD's liner notes, offers "No party line, no special interest, no media spin, one loud and simple message: Screw Campbell."

Distributed by Track records, the CD costs only $10, and its formal release party will be May 12 at the Anza Club in Vancouver. Download the songs and make a donation to the food bank at the CD's website, www.bcfiberals.com.

TRAC WANTS TO KNOW

The Tenant's Rights Coalition is hoping somebody will stand up and ask the candidates a couple of questions about affordable housing during the ongoing provincial election campaign.

And seeing as how it's impossible for this newspaper to attend every single all-candidate's meeting during the next two weeks, we're providing those questions here, so you, the public can have the opportunity to grill the candidates.

The coalition, which speaks up on behalf of low income renters throughout the province, is particularly dismayed about cutbacks to the residential tenancy branch over the past four years. They note that Burnaby is now home to the only residential tenancy office in the entire Lower Mainland, and that 1,900 Burnaby residents are on waiting lists to get into subsidized housing.

So their questions are as follows:

1. Will your government reopen some offices and provide proper staffing so that Lower Mainland renters and landlords in other areas will have the proper access to information, dispute resolution and arbitration? and;

2. What will your government do to provide more subsidized housing for low-income people?

HE'S A COSTUMED CRUSADER

Brock Stephenson, the Burnaby-Willingdon resident who is president of the B.C. Young Liberals, was forced to fess up after he attempted to describe himself as a simple volunteer during the first week of the election campaign.

Stephenson was dressed in the costume of a McDonald's Hamburglar when he showed up to heckle NDP leader Carole James at her first campaign stop of the election, at Burger Heaven in New Westminster.

When he inadvertently told the NDP his name, his opponents did a quick check and found out the young man has a long history of supporting the Liberals.

In fact, Stephenson and a long list of other Young Liberals, including occasional Burnaby NOW letter writers Woosang Lee and Miles Lunn, were formally introduced in the legislature by Burquitlam MLA Harry Bloy on April 28, 2003.

"They represent the people of Simon Fraser University," Bloy said. "They supported the tuition increase, because they know it created more classes and more professors."

MAD COW COVERUP?

Is it time to close the Canadian border to American beef imports?

That's the question from Burnaby-New Westminster MP Peter Julian, after the Washington D.C.-based Environment News Service found several former U.S. Department of Agriculture employees who question whether their employee has adequately investigated claims of mad cow disease in American cattle herds.

An April 15 story from ENS quotes retired USDA veterinarian Dr. Masuo Doi as saying at least two 1997 investigations into suspected mad cow disease were not performed properly and the disease may have gotten into the food chain. The allegations are supported by a chief scientist at a USDA laboratory in Georgia, and a former veterinarian and USDA inspector who was fired in 1995.

"Dr. Doi was a veterinarian who said he was haunted by fears the right tests were not done," Julian said. "We've also heard from another inspector who said of there was ever a case of BSE, don't tell anybody."

"This is from insiders who are more familiar with these things than anybody. What I'm saying is we need to close the Canadian border to U.S. beef imports and start an investigation to make sure the beef that comes into Canada is safe.

"I believe the Canadian government has to stand up strongly for Canadian interests, and if there are questions, we need to close our border."

A GAME OF HIDE AND SEEK

What's happening with the billions of dollars that are tied up in government foundations?

That's the $9 billion question coming from Burnaby-New Westminster MP Peter Julian this month, after Auditor General Sheila Fraser's annual report pointed to the lack of scrutiny for government foundations as a major oversight.

"In essence, they're playing hide and seek with these funds," Julian said last month.

In her annual report, Fraser said that most of the 11 government foundations in question have never had a compliance audit, while others have contracts that don't even allow the government to inspect their books.

"Even if they've deliberately misused the funds there's no provision to terminate the agreement," said Julian, the NDP critic for the treasury branch. "This is a huge, huge danger here. ... The public interest is not being respected."

Julian noted that he believes there is a need for foundation, such as the Canada Millennium Scholarship Fund, however, he wants them to fall under the purview of the AG office.