The BC Liberals and their multiple ongoing scandals - Updated.

[TOMapleLaughs]

Looks like trouble is brewing. 

 

VICTORIA — Senior B.C. government officials are deliberately frustrating public requests for information and wiping away emails with a "triple delete" procedure so no one can follow their tracks, says B.C.'s privacy commissioner.

Elizabeth Denham released a scathing report Thursday that identified abuses and disregard of freedom-of-information legislation that results in keeping sensitive records away from the prying eyes of the public, media and its critics.

"In the course of this investigation, we uncovered negligent searches for records, a failure to keep adequate email records, a failure to document searches, and the wilful destruction of records responsive to an access request," said Denham.

"Taken together, these practices threaten the integrity of access to information in British Columbia."

She highlighted problems reaching as high as Premier Christy Clark's office, involving the premier's deputy chief of staff.

But she mainly zeroed in on George Gretes, a young political aide to Transportation Minister Todd Stone, who deliberately deleted emails related to safety consultations on the Highway of Tears, and then lied at least six times about it under oath to Denham's investigators.

Gretes resigned Thursday, but not before Denham referred his case to the RCMP. Perjury, the act of lying under oath, is a criminal offence. The RCMP said it's reviewing the case.

Denham's report drew attention to the practice of "triple-deleting" emails by government officials, in which a person can permanently scrub a record from a government server by deleting it from their email inbox, trash folder and then from a special "recover deleted items folder" before it's captured by the automatic monthly backup on the provincial system.

Stone admitted to reporters he too triple-deletes certain emails, but downplayed Denham's report as an "interpretation" of the law.

"She certainly has her interpretation of the act, and we certainly respect her views," said Stone.

"We respect the findings that are detailed in her report and respect the recommendations she's made.

"I adhere 100 per cent to the act," he added. "Some emails are deleted, some emails are kept. That is I think how all British Columbians manage their email."

The Denham report validated complaints of whistleblower Tim Duncan, a former staffer in Stone's office, who in May publicly accused Gretes of deleting emails from his computer before they could be captured by a freedom-of-information request made by the Opposition NDP.

Duncan said Thursday he feels vindicated by the report, but warned Gretes is being made a scapegoat for a widespread practice among political staff who wipe clean their email records to prevent them from ever becoming public.

"It's not just young 22-year-old staffers doing this," said Duncan. "It's senior experienced people conducting themselves in this way, clearly against the law."

B.C.'s information law makes it mandatory for government officials to keep records related to decisions, advice and policies on the job. But it also allows them to delete their own "transitory" records, which they define as being on routine or unimportant matters.

But Gretes and others are triple-deleting emails they should be keeping, Denham found.

Denham recommended employees no longer be able to access their recover deleted items folder, and that those deleted items be held long enough to be automatically captured in monthly archives so they can be later requested by the public through FOI.

Clark appointed former privacy commissioner David Loukidelis to review the report and its recommendations.

But Denham's report also flagged problems in Clark's office, involving deputy chief of staff Michele Cadario and her practice of erasing virtually all of her emails. Cadario, one of Clark's top advisers, wasn't disciplined.

Denham also complained about how FOI requests are processed in the premier's office, involving oral discussions with few records kept of the discussions, and messages left on sticky notes.

She also pointed to problems in the Advanced Education Ministry, where chief of staff Nick Facey was criticized for an inadequate search of records in response to another request. And she all-but-mocked the Transportation Ministry for saying it had no records on another request after it "unreasonably" narrowed the search wording to exclude records it knew the applicant wanted.

Opposition NDP leader John Horgan mocked Clark's past election promise to have the most transparent government in Canada.

Instead, she's provided "a culture of deception, a culture of deceit, a culture of delete, delete, delete," he said.

Horgan called the government response to the report "pathetic."

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/highway+tears+internal+records+deliberately+deleted+says+privacy+commissioner/11459612/story.html#ixzz3pQ794OHk

 

Email scandal uncovered a culture of 'delete, delete, delete' in B.C. government

John Horgan says issue is not about politics, it's about accountability

 

The B.C. government is coming under heavy fire following the release of a report that revealed a culture of deleting emails in order to skirt freedom of information laws.

Speaking on CB.C.'s B.C. Almanac Thursday, NDP leader John Horgan expressed disbelief at the level of suppression of information B.C.'s Privacy Officer, Elizabeth Denham's report uncovered.

"[Cadario has] been cited as having no records," Horgan said. "Working in a location for two years and not one single email? You, the second most powerful person in the premier's office and you don't use email? That's hard to get your head around."

Denham's report, Access Denied,  found that Michele Cadario, deputy chief of staff in the premier's office, routinely deleted emails in contravention of laws protecting the public's right to hold politicians accountable for their actions.

• Highway of Tears email deletion referred to RCMP by B.C. privacy watchdog
• Access Denied: Elizabeth Denham's full report

Denham also found that a staffer in the transportation ministry, George Gretes, could face charges after he lied under oath when he denied that he intentionally deleted emails and records connected to the Highway of Tears.

Delete, delete, delete

"People need to understand that it's not just about politics," Horgan said. "We're supposed to have freedom of information so the public understands why their government was making decisions on their behalf.

"Instead what the B.C. Liberals have done is make a culture of delete, delete, delete. They're scouring their computers at the end of the day so the public doesn't know what they're up to."

Also speaking on B.C. Almanac, freelance investigative journalist and FOI expert, Bob Mackin, said he believed today's revelations would prove to be "just the tip of the iceberg".

He also questioned the appointment of former B.C. Privacy Officer David Loukadelis as an advisor to help the government get back on track.

"He's been brought in at the expense of the taxpayer when they already have Elizabeth Denham who's already made so many recommendations that have fallen on deaf ears," he said.

"Why don't they just adopt everything she's already said?"

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/email-scandal-1.3284856 

[VanIsleNuckFan]

I for one am getting sick and tired of unintelligent self indulgent leaders such as CC and her cronies.. We need to adopt more of a take charge attitude as British Columbians because a stance of apathy just makes it easier for politicians to get away with this crap. Talk is cheap, it's time to arm yourselves with rotten veggies and let your actions speak for themselves... Or just become more involved. =) 

[Lockout Casualty]

 

 

[TOMapleLaughs]

Not the only BC Lib ongoing scandal :

8 health researchers fired by gov't for mysterious reasons.  One committed suicide.  His suicide note was deleted.  RCMP involved.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-health-researcher-firing-scandal-timeline-1.3109898

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/fired-b-c-health-researchers-pen-letter-demanding-inquiry-1.3125804

http://www.theprovince.com/news/suicide+note+deleted+from+computer+fired+health+researcher+sister+says+coroners+service/11195456/story.html 

 

CC just wants to sweep it under the rug and move on.

Um, maybe not.

[Warhippy]

Clark made a statement that the deleting of emails is common place.  Even went so far as to say the BC NDP did it while in power.

 

Just happened to laugh at that.  Anyone remember the last time the NDP were in power?  E-Mail didn't exist.

 

It's inexcusable that she is now telling her cronies to stop it.

 

even more inexcusable that she is trying to pass some of the blame elsewhere when it is chronologically impossible to do so.  The worst though is how we simply allow it.  Grumble online and moan at work but we do NOTHING as a population to solve it

[TOMapleLaughs]

The election is in 2017.  Hopefully an electable alternative pops up by then.

[etsen3]

Quick Christy, have someone take a photo of yourself smiling and doing yoga with Drake in front of the Olympic torch while wearing a Jose Bautista Canucks jersey and a hard hat! That'll distract everyone!

[etsen3]

Clark made a statement that the deleting of emails is common place.  Even went so far as to say the BC NDP did it while in power.

 

Just happened to laugh at that.  Anyone remember the last time the NDP were in power?  E-Mail didn't exist.

 

It's inexcusable that she is now telling her cronies to stop it.

 

even more inexcusable that she is trying to pass some of the blame elsewhere when it is chronologically impossible to do so.  The worst though is how we simply allow it.  Grumble online and moan at work but we do NOTHING as a population to solve it

Her comments about the issue are ridiculous. She's saying she didn't know about, but she also says that it's been happening for 10 years.  But she also says she thinks everyone was trying to operate lawfully, but she also said she had no idea what was happening at all.  She keeps contradicting herself and makes no sense.  Is she lying?  Did she turn a blind eye?  Did she allow this to happen, simply being ignorant of the law (just as unacceptable)?

[TOMapleLaughs]

Update:

Apparently our provincial government isn't big on retaining any information.  At least when it makes them look bad.

imho When this kind of scale of information is disappeared, that means somebody up top was directly responsible.  Does this go all the way to Glen Clark? er, Christy Clark?

http://www.vancouversun.com/health/government+claims+records+related+health+firings/11472670/story.html

 

Government claims it has no records related to health firings

 

Dearth of documents ‘a bit hard to swallow,’ NDP critic says

VICTORIA — The B.C. government claims to have virtually no records from senior officials who oversaw the botched firings of health researchers, in response to multiple freedom of information requests by the B.C. NDP and The Vancouver Sun.

The government said it was unable find a single email, memo, briefing note or other correspondence from top officials in the Health Ministry and premier’s office during two years in which it was rocked by the scandal, forced to apologize and launched an outside review.

Those top officials include the deputy minister of health and the deputy minister to the premier, who is also the head of the public service, from mid-2012 to late 2014.

During that time, the province dealt with intense public backlash to the botched termination of eight researchers, including the subsequent suicide of one of those fired. The health minister publicly apologized for being too heavy-handed with the workers. The government rehired some employees and settled lawsuits with several others. It also hired a Victoria lawyer to do an independent review.

And yet, the government said it has no records from its most senior officials who oversaw those actions.

“So the head of the public service didn’t have a single record over two years about the biggest human resources scandal in B.C. history,” NDP critic Katrine Conroy said in the legislature Tuesday.

“Forgive us if we find that a bit hard to swallow.”

As well, the government claims its former lead investigator into the botched firings, Wendy Taylor, didn’t send a single email about the case earlier this year after The Sun published a story that revealed the RCMP had never conducted an investigation into the terminations because Taylor’s team had never sent the Mounties any evidence.

The revelations caught government off guard and put the premier on the defensive. Yet there’s no email from Taylor about the subject during the days after the story ran.

The lack of records is further evidence of the Liberal government’s dismal record on transparency and FOI, the Opposition New Democrats charged Tuesday.

A recent report by the privacy commissioner concluded political staff and employees in the premier’s office are inappropriately deleting emails, frustrating FOI requests and breaking the FOI law.

The lack of documentation has plagued the health firings case for years.

There are no records of a supposed review into the firings by deputy health minister Stephen Brown, who was asked by deputy minister to the premier John Dyble to re-examine the case, said NDP critic Adrian Dix.

“There’s no paper evidence it ever took place,” said Dix.

Victoria lawyer Marcia McNeil had also noted the lack of proper reports, briefing notes and other government records during her independent review of the firings in late 2014.

“This dearth of documents has granted the decision-makers (whoever he/she or they may have been) an opportunity to avoid taking ownership of the decision,” wrote McNeil.

Health Ministry spokeswoman Sarah Plank said Tuesday the government hopes Ombudsperson Jay Chalke will answer any outstanding questions about the firings as part of a broad review he’s undertaking.

“We recognize the public’s desire to fully understand what took place in regard to the issue of the health firings,” Plank said in a statement. “That’s why the matter was referred to the Ombudsperson for investigation.”

 

Meanwhile, our fearless leader is putting it on her party:

http://www.cknw.com/2015/10/23/draft-clark-letter/ 

"Please guys, don't delete emails from now on.  (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)"

[aGENT]

The election is in 2017.  Hopefully an electable alternative pops up by then.

The real problem ^^^

The BC Liberals or the BC NDP...

'Sir, would you prefer to die by killer bees or by fire ants both of which we start at your crotch?'

'

[Ryan Strome]

Clark made a statement that the deleting of emails is common place.  Even went so far as to say the BC NDP did it while in power.

 

Just happened to laugh at that.  Anyone remember the last time the NDP were in power?  E-Mail didn't exist.

 

It's inexcusable that she is now telling her cronies to stop it.

 

even more inexcusable that she is trying to pass some of the blame elsewhere when it is chronologically impossible to do so.  The worst though is how we simply allow it.  Grumble online and moan at work but we do NOTHING as a population to solve it

unfortunately we don't have an adequate alternative in British Columbia.

[Ryan Strome]

The real problem ^^^

The BC Liberals or the BC NDP...

'Sir, would you prefer to die by killer bees or by fire ants both of which we start at your crotch?'

'

+1 this!

[Whale Tail]

The election is in 2017.  Hopefully an electable alternative pops up by then.

 

Green?

[Twilight Sparkle]

 

 

Green?

if the green party can win at a game of scrabble, then they'll have a chance!

[etsen3]

 

 

Damn, Horgan went destroyed the Liberals. Even dropped some bars.

[Green Building]

 

 

Wow. No I know many sessions, and politicians, sound the same, meaning deflective. That was ridiculous though. Borderline pathetic to be honest. Does Horgan have what it takes to unseat the Liberals in a few years? Or is it all just "opposition banter"? 

The ministries are weak, but who would strengthen them? I still think we should vote for those positions, but maybe that would just leave the position as a figure head one and government would then remove any power to enact changes from them.

 

[Warhippy]

 

 

Even Paul Callandra would have had a hard time trying to deflect and spin that.

 

This guy was a cop once...damn

 

The ONLY thing more surprising than that pathetic response to a charge against the government and Virks' specific office is thef act that the legislature is actually sitting.

 

What are they at now?  Just over or just under 70 days over the past 2 and 1/2 years?

 

The record under Clark is so far beyond dismal as to be laughably sad.

[aGENT]

 

 

Green?

I voted for them the last couple elections provincially. Now if we can get five or ten more people to do so, we could throw a party! I'll bring the guacamole!

[TOMapleLaughs]

Is this Horgan guy electable?

[Ryan Strome]

Is this Horgan guy electable?

both B.C parties should be considered unelectable.