Citizen Journalist 54
LOCKED OUT of Club 54

BC Voters - kept in the dark and fed HORSE CRAP!


Memories fade when the details are made clear about selling BC Rail

CJ54 ---

I travelled to the courthouse today to find out that the doors of
Courtroom 54 were locked. No reasons posted. The events of the last
week highlighted by more "I don't recall" and "I can't remember any
events seven years ago" from Brian Kenning forced me to travel to the
BC Supreme Court to see for myself what the reactions were in the
courtroom to the inability of witnesses to remember anything about the
sale of BC Rail. It appears to me that the strategy is for witnesses
to avoid perjury charges at all cost and they are following the
pattern of select memories set by Martyn Brown. No doubt, this will
be a pattern that continues.

We have heard that a so called "money losing railway" was using scarce
dollars to fund Vancouver Canuck tickets and BC Lions tickets. We
have heard that the management of BC Rail travel to Hong Kong and
Dubai to learn about ports. We have heard that Kevin Mahoney Vice
President at BC Rail was eligible to receive bonuses equal to 28
months of salary for only 10 months of work if BC Rail was sold. We
have heard how Brian Kenning was close friends with Peter Armstrong of
Rocky Mountaineer Railtours and a strategic partner with CN. We have
heard how BC Rail paid BC Liberal insiders Randy Wood, Patrick
Kinsella, Nancy Spooner and Judy Kirk hundreds of thousands of
dollars. We have heard that the BC Government approved huge salary
increases for the members of the BC Rail board. All evidence that
points to a railway run as a political tool for the friends of Gordon
Campbell to play with.

The most outrageous example of the gross abuse of taxpayer monies was
the notion that BC Rail management received threefold bonuses for
retention, severance, and change of operator that was signed in
January of 2002! If the decision to sell the Railway wasn't made
publicly until May 2003, why did the BC Rail Board of Directors
approve these extravagant bonuses in 2002? Why aren't these questions
being asked of our elected officials? After BC Rail was sold, Kevin
Mahoney was paid $797,104 in 2004 plus $46,000 in expenses.

The other important fact that was made in evidence was the number of
people involved in the sale of BC Rail. The process to sell BC Rail
involved many people and many politicians. You have the support
staff. You have the people of BC Rail. You have the lawyers. You
have other consultants. You have the bankers at CIBC World Markets.
And then you have the BC Government. The government had many people
involved in the sale of BC Rail and many elected officials including
Pat Bell - a key person who was referred to by Mr. Brian Kenning in
his evidence on Tuesday morning.

According to Mr. Kenning, John McLernon (chairman of BC Rail and chair
of the evaluation committee), advised Kenning that he had information
from Pat Bell, (MLA for Prince George and current Minister of Forests)
that Mr. Bell heard from a source that Mr. Kenning said that "CN is
going to get BC Rail" sometime in March 2003. John McLernon asked
Brian Kenning if he made the comment and Mr. Kenning denied it. Brian
Kenning testified that John McLernon would handle the allegation.
McLernon is scheduled to be a witness in this case.

Unfortunately, the mainstream media ignore some of the more important
facts that are given in evidence during the trial. Everyday new
details emerge around the sale of BC Rail. Unfortunately, the whole
truth is not emerging given the inability of witnesses to remember.

Citizen Journalist from outside 54

Amnesiac of the Week!


Brian Kenning - another man without a memory!

Brian Kenning is a very important man, and somehow, in spite of having no ability to recall anything, has held numerous IMPORTANT postions - namely:

Mr. Kenning is a Corporate Director and a Director of Brookfield Asset Management Advisory Board.

Until January 1, 2005, Mr. Kenning was a Managing Partner of Brookfield Asset Management, a position he held since May 1995. Brookfield’s operations are in the real estate, asset management and power generation sectors.

From 1988 to 1995, Mr. Kenning was Chairman and Managing Partner of B.C. Pacific Capital Corporation, a Brookfield affiliate active in merchant banking and investing.

Prior to Brookfield, Mr. Kenning held several senior positions in Versatile Corporation, a large diversified industrial manufacturing company, including President from 1987 to 1988.

Mr. Kenning is currently a Director of the British Columbia Railway Company, British Columbia Ferry Authority, British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., and Royal Oak Ventures Inc.

Mr. Kenning is also past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the B.C. Cancer Foundation.

Over the past ten years, Mr. Kenning has served as Director of a number of public and private corporations, including Canadian Hunter Explorations, Ltd., Canadian Northstar Corporation, Northgate Exploration Limited, Great Lakes Power Inc., International Utility Structures Inc., Catalyst Paper Corporation and several private corporations.

In addition, Mr. Kenning is a past Governor of the B.C. Business Council, a past Director of the B.C. chapter of the Institute of Corporate Directors, and has served as Board Chairman of St. George’s School (1998-2000) and Board Chairman of Brentwood College School (1990-1995).

Mr. Kenning graduated from Queen's University with an MBA in 1973.

Can a stint at BC Gaming and Lotteries be in this member of the in crowd's future (or does that depend on how much he can forget)? I wonder who helped Mr.Kenning remember all the boards he has sat on and positions he has held - it is difficult to imagine he could have remembered these all himself!