...not a creature is stirring,
Not in This House!

Thanks to a tip from BC Mary, I disovered an article about the BC Legislature in yesterday's Vernon Morning Star by Tom Fletcher titled Legislature session shortened. The Morning Star is one of the Black chain of mediocre media, no not Lord Black the Felon, but the as yet unindicted David Black, ultimate honcho of Black Press which....

"....has grown and prospered in Western Canada through the development of quality community newspapers and we will continue to do so. "

Rick O'Connor,
Chief Operating Officer,
Black Press

Just to be clear, I'm not suggesting that David Black should be indicted since publishing fluff, BC LIEberal spin, and as Elmer Fudd would delicately say, just publishing cwap, though questionable, have not been defined as criminal acts under existing statutes.

According to Mr. Fletcher, who is the legislative reporter and columnist for Black Press newspapers.

Premier Gordon Campbell won’t scrap the fall session of the legislature this year, but look for it to be shortened somewhat as things get even more presidential around the B.C. Legislature’s west wing.

/.....snip

The government’s got some pressing legislation to get passed, such as one and probably two aboriginal treaties, enabling legislation for the trade deal with Alberta, and a new top-down structure for Metro Vancouver transportation. Nothing that can’t be run through by the B.C. Liberals’ comfortable majority in a month, thus denying the NDP a daily stage for embarrassing the government through November.

Sometimes I have to wonder why these guys even try to get elected. It isn't as if they actually like to go to Victoria, hang out at the Ledge and do stuff. Of course those 15 minutes per day devoted to "QUESTION PERIOD" are pretty scary to a bunch that really don't want to supply any answers to anything like TILMA, IPPs, BC Rail, BC Ferries, Inferior Health etc. Of course it ain't like the so-called Opposition likes to really ask substantive questions, or on the rare occasion when they do, follow up on them. Save yer comments, I know I used the contraction AIN'T, cuz it all AIN'T right, really!

Court House Happenings?

The old Court House (well it isn't that old) down at Smithe and Robson should be a happening place on Monday, September 17. The word is that Justice Bennett and the gang are actually, really, cross my heart, going to convene and consider the issues related to HMTQ v. Basi et. al. It is likely that no Canned Westies media will even mention this, no matter what takes place, indeed, Mr. Kirk LaPointe, Managing Editor of the Vancouver Excuse Sun has virtually promised Mary and I to not breathe a word about it, because we are rude and don't have no manners, (again, I know I used a double negative). So my question is, if a major legal matter is dealt with in BC Supreme Court and GlowBall, the Victoria T-C, the Province and the Stun all don't mention it, did anything really happen?

Perusing the sometimes feisty and sometimes tame Tyee yesterday I came across an interesting article - Tsawwassen Treaty 'Fraud' Say Gulf Island First Nations It appears that in Gordo's goody bag for the Tsawwassen Band he's giving away land that belongs to the Salt Water People. IANAL, but it would seem to me that a "signed" treaty from 1851 would have legal precedence over something Gordo thought up recently to free up some farmland for "development." According to Colleen Kimmett....

First Nations calling themselves "salt water people" want the B.C. Supreme Court to stall the Tsawwassen final agreement, which they say violates their "exclusive rights to Pender, Mayne, Saturna, and Boundary Bay."

/.....snip

On Monday, the Sencot'en will appear before a B.C. Supreme Court judge to request an order preventing Aborginal Relations and Reconciliation Minster Michael de Jong from signing the agreement.

The deal is likened to "title fraud" in a press release issued by the Sencot'en C'A,I,Newel. "First Nations that used southern Gulf Islands in the past did so with our permission. We find it odd that the Crown is willing to implement a Treaty with Tsawwassen that includes harvesting rights in the Gulf Islands when the Crown must first negotiate with us. Sort of having someone make a deal to sell your house and then tell you about it afterwards -- in real estate law this is called title fraud."

Ms. Kimmett's article isn't clear about just where this application will be made, but since it is Supreme Court, it could be the same building that MAY be dealing with the BC Rail Trial. It will be interesting to follow up on this. It wouldn't be the first time that the old White Eyes Guys failed to honor treaties made with First Nations if indeed it turns out the Gulf Islands natives don't actually have the rights they thought they had for over 150 years. For the new guys (European Canadian Immigrants) to actually honour agreements made with First Nations is more like the exception than the rule.

Well I can hardly wait for Monday morning to go to the Attorney General's website and see what may or may not be happening in the Halls of in Justice in what was once the "Best Place on Earth."