Tell                It  
TO
the COPS

Those of you old enough to remember the sixties might remember the line used by those who weren't necessarily on my side of the issues that went something like:

If you don't like the cops, then the next time you are in trouble, "Call a Hippie."

StoneWall(y) Oppal proved he could say something other than "it's before the courts, therefore, it would not be appropriate for me to comment" when he told NDP Leader Carole James that if she felt Ken Dobell, the Soup Nazi's man of many hats, was in a conflict of interest, "she should take her concerns to the police." He repeated this view on CBC this morning on Early Edition saying that "an investigation into a possible conflict is not warranted at this time and the New Democrats should take their complaints to the police." Of course he didn't say that as the top Law Enforcement official in the Province that he would "advise" the police to assign a "special investigator," to look into the allegations and that Mr. Dobell's mom would be the ideal person to choose to lead the investigation.

For Mr. Dobell it seems that there can never be too many different groups to collect money from to lobby for in the best interests of Mr. Dobell's mother's son. As presented in yesterday's Vancouver Sun:

The NDP released meeting minutes showing Dobell told the Vancouver civic theatres board in April 2005 that money for the redevelopment of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre might be available from the budget surplus in early 2006.

"Sure enough," James said, "one year later, $5 million flowed from the province to the city, and Ken Dobell got his contract."

James pointed to other documents showing that in March 2006 -- after Dobell had left government, but while he was still a special government adviser -- he was involved in a series of meetings with the premier, the Vancouver city manager and the Ministry of Tourism.

The following month, on April 5, 2006, Campbell announced the Tourism Ministry would give the City of Vancouver $5 million to start planning a downtown "cultural precinct" that would include the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, the Vancouver Art Galley and the public library.

Dobell is paid $250 an hour to a maximum of $150,000, according to a contract obtained by the NDP.

Vancouver city council minutes show the money for the contract comes from the province's $5-million contribution.

(my bolding -kc)

While you are coloring me green with envy, let me see if I've got this right. Mr. Dobell managed to snag a second part time job (only paying up to $150,000) at $250 per hour to go to his $250-$350 per hour day job and whisper in his boss' ear about the needs and wants of the City of Vancouver. His boss is happy to toss $5,000,000 the city's way, out of which $150,000 is Mr. Dobell's cut. Did I miss something? Nice work if you can get it I guess. I know if I could find that kind of work, I wouldn't feel the need to work fulltime, much less take on a second job. Of course I never really understood greed, or else I would be a Republican, Conservative or BC Lieberal.

Update: According to the Province:

The Crown has referred to the RCMP a possible infraction of lobbyist regulations by the premier's special adviser, Ken Dobell.

Dobell registered as a lobbyist six months after he began a contract for the City of Vancouver. The regulations say registration must be done within 10 days.

Privacy commissioner David Loukidelis is reviewing Dobell's tardiness in registering as a lobbyist.

So the big question now is - whose mom or in-law will be leading this investigation?

I should point out that Canned West, even though they are at least paying some attention to the BC Rail trial, prove their complicitness in the ongoing conspiracy with the following headline for an editorial I won't even dignify with a link.

LIBERALS, NDP MUST ASSURE VOTERS THEY DON'T CONDONE DIRTY TRICKS

It may just be me, but I think this headline makes it seem like it is the NDP that are being accused of "DIRTY TRICKS." I guess really they just feel compelled to point out that if new tightened conflict of interest legislation introduced by NDP Member John Horgan becomes law, the NDP would be expected to obey the law also. Well, DUH!

Sometimes I'm amazed that the Lieberals didn't manage to convince the public, with the eager assistance of Canned West/GlowBall that the premier's DUI in Maui was the result of Joy and Jenny plying him with alcohol against his will, but I guess they were somewhere else at the time, and they couldn't blame Moe, Glen or Bob Skelly either.