The New Bar and RCMP HQ in Green Timbers

Speaking of flipping protected land into urban development, let’s not forget the Green Timbers Forest clear cut. First it started with an extended care facility for the hospital. Who can argue with building a new hospital? Then all of a sudden they sneak inside and build this huge RCMP headquarters in another Green Timbers clear cut.

We need to remember what Green Timbers is. Green Timbers is a protected forest that residents are as passionate about in protecting as Vancouverites are about protecting Stanley Park. Going in the middle of Stanley Park and clear cutting a section for a new RCMP HQ and bar, would be outrageous. Just as it is in Green Timbers. Tax payers are not allowed to see how far into the forest they have clear cut because this is now conveniently a restricted area.

I know protected land is unprotected by the sweep of a politicians hand, but I personally am more inclined to vote for a politician who pays more than lip service to sustainability and has some desire to honour protected forests than the dirty politicians accepting campaign contributions from dirty developers to clear cut protected land.

The Casino project is still very much on the table. Diane Watts flipped to save her own ass not because she has a moral conscience. She thought the proposal was a good idea. She accepted campaign contributions from the developers. When she saw the opposition to the vote she knew it would be political suicide if she voted for it. Yes voting against it out of fear of not being reelected is better than voting for it knowing the democratic will of the people. Yet let’s not pretend Diane Watts has a moral conscience. She is a bully and we have seen that in action.

Rich Coleman is just a flaming idiot Kevin Falcon, the Gordon Campbell clone, can’t even control. They all feel the same way. He’s the only one being honest about it in the media. Yes they are on a sinking ship and will likely run off to further infect Stephen Harper’s NeoCon federally. I just didn’t want them infecting John Cummings provincial conservatives because he’s the only one in the lot who really is a conservative.

Gateway Casinos lost $1.5 billion. Before we let them build anywhere in the lower mainland we have to answer the question where did that money go because it did not disappear in a sluggish economy. In economic hard times people still gamble if not more desperately. Before we let them do the same thing all over again, we need to find out where that money went and what steps have been taken to make sure it doesn’t disappear again.

The RCMP bar in this new mega HQ is very offensive. The RCMP and the government’s response to the class action sexual harassment suit is to deny everything as always. So much of this sexual harassment has involved alcohol. Having a bar on site is a huge slap in the face of the public and all those who have been harassed at that workplace illegally.

Surrey says no when it gets public but they pass the buck and let the province decide. One source claims they just withdrew their application and did it anyways. Whether they did that or got a deal from the province, having a bar in that tax paid facility is insanely offensive. Does that mean the HAs are allowed to have unlicensed bars in their clubhouses too? What’s the difference?

Look at what we’ve done. We’ve brought a criminal with a history of sexual harassment and drinking at the workplace who in any other industry would have been fired to BC and given him a great big new billion dollar facility and a giant bar for him to dance the night way and mock the judicial system he was supposed to represent. This is corrupt. There is nothing good or right about it. It is a stain on all of us not just law enforcement.

When I look at all this political corruption and law enforcement corruption I’m forced to draw a parallel with Chicago back in the day. Only we have no Eliot Ness to preserve the integrity of the rule of law. Bob Paulson is doing a good job but his hands are so clearly tied by this glaring corruption it makes me wonder if there is any hope at all. Right now, I’m not seeing it. Other than the wonderful job the integrated units did on the Kelowna busts this summer. When you add that to a clear cut protected forest with a brand new bar and a drunken pig from Alberta, once again we seem to take one step forward and three steps back.

Rich Coleman can rot in Hell

Rich Coleman can rot in Hell. It’s the Gordon Campbell way to steam roll over the democratic will of the people. He should be ashamed of himself but he’s not. That says it all. Others have also said how both in Langley and believe it or not Richmond as well, local residents opposed a casino, were promised no casino only to have it quietly slipped in after everything died down. There is big money in organized crime buying off politicians.

Before it was disbanded in 2009, the RCMP's Integrated Illegal Gaming Enforcement Team (IIGET) gave a number of warnings about the presence of organized crime at casinos in the Province. Now, as Vancouver prepares for public hearings on the BC Place casino - set to be the province's largest - the now-defunct unit's warnings are spurring questions about a potential rise in criminal activity and the ability of police to cope.

In a 2009 report obtained by The Vancouver Sun through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, the IIGET warned of casinos' "extreme vulnerability" to money laundering. Many investigations across Canada have found that members of organized crime use casinos for criminal purposes, the report states. A separate internal assessment, obtained by the Globe and Mail through a FOI, advised that Hells Angels members had, in some cases, succeeded in infiltrating the province’s “legitimate gaming operations."

The 12-member IIGET was dissolved on April 1, 2009 by then-Housing Minister Rich Coleman. He said the the team, which cost $1 million a year, was not cost effective.

The Campbellism of Agricultural Reserves

Speaking of dirty politicians and dirty developers, the Georgia Straight is highlighting that exact kind of scam on the cover of their January 17 edition. Yesterday I was speaking with a friend from Langley about the Mega Casino proposal in south Surrey. He said when he saw the proposal he was shocked it was slated for agricultural land that was protected. He said there had to have been something fishy going on getting that land converted from Agricultural to Industrial. Indeed there was and we can clearly see who was involved.

The Georgia Straight article mentions Ron Emerson, one of the Campbell Heights developers getting a sweetheart deal on agricultural land that was magically flipped into industrial zoning just like it was at Campbell Heights. This scam is legal but dishonest. It is worse than the corruption trial now under way in Montreal where developers are being accused of letting organized crime remove the biding process in a free market.

The article first expresses the valid concern of the destruction of all protected agricultural land. Many of the youth who spoke at the Surrey city council hearing on the Mega Casino project used the S word – Sustainability. Obviously, it’s hard to make massive profits in agriculture these days. Yet logic dictates where we will be if we don’t set aside some land for agriculture.

It’s not just a matter of feeding ourselves. It’s also a matter of protecting the ecosystem we live in. When you clear cut a hillside, that creates problems with flooding and mudslides. When you pave over salmon spawning streams, you eliminate another renewable resource someone else can make money off of and it sets the whole system out of balance. We all need air to breath and water to drink no matter how much money we have sitting in our bank account.

The article raises the concern about protecting one of the largest migratory bird refuges on the West coast. They mention Snow Geese and Sandpipers. We have talked about the Alaskan snowy owl in Landner and Tsawwassen. Somone else mentioned nesting Eagles. Since they are migratory and we don’t see them all year round it’s easy to forget about what the consequences are for all this natural wildlife if we remove their resting places in their migratory journey.

Aside from saving the planet, there still remains the gluttonous dirty deeds of dirty politicians working under the table with dirty developers. Sweetheart deals where special developers who contribute to specific political parties get special privileges on agricultural land and special help converting it into industrial or urban development so they can maximize their return. Why Ron Emerson even boasts on his web site that “The ability to deal with relevant issues and present them in a manner that allows the issues to receive positive recognition is a key to the success in achieving zoning and use changes.” Imagine that.

We still haven’t finished our three part series on investment fraud stealing from the public purse but this story definitely ties in with it. On page three of the online article in the Georgia Straight it goes on to explain:

“Little could Gordon Campbell have known back in 2006—when the Asia-Pacific Gateway project was conceived—that Vancouver’s Ron Emerson, president of Emerson Real Estate, would, beginning in 2010, discreetly acquire $100 million in options on 226 hectares of ALR farmland in Delta, all located in the fertile triangle between Highway 17, Deltaport Way, and the ocean.”

“The 65-hectare Felix Farms, for example, accepted Emerson’s $30-million option to sell. And he optioned sections of the 134-year-old Guichon Farm—owned, in part, by Kelly Guichon, a megamall supporter and Delta’s likely B.C. Liberal opponent to Huntington in the May 2013 provincial election—for $15 million. Offering farmers $180,000 a hectare—almost double the land’s current assessed value—Emerson intends to flip the land when pressures increase for more residential or port-related development there.”

“Little could Campbell have also known that to bring massive post-Panamax ships up the Fraser River to the impending enlarged port facilities …the Massey tunnel, the link between Richmond and Delta, would have to go.”

“Premier Christy Clark, in fact, announced the tunnel’s demise last September. But what she didn’t explain is that the tunnel is not merely an impediment to traffic along Highway 99. It is, equally, an impediment to ships.”

“So expedited engineering work is now under way to replace the old tunnel with an eight-lane, $3-billion bridge (with tolls inevitable). Once the new bridge, with all of its required land acquisitions, is built, Delta’s remaining ALR farmland will face an assault by speculators and developers who have been waiting for the chance to open up the cheap agricultural properties south of Richmond.”

This is the Campbellism of Agricultural Reserves. Just like the sweetheart deal at Campbell Heights that will eventually see the theft of $2 billion from the public purse. The BC Liberals are the largest organized crime group in the province.

Surrey rejects Mega Casino

This young woman and her many stalwart friends represent the heart and soul of Surrey. She spoke in opposition to the mega casino proposal and submitted a petition on behalf of her fellow students at a nearby high school. In her speech, she nailed it. She touched many issues and in a calm sincere and heartfelt plea presented a very compelling case.

Many other youth also stood up and spoke out. One young man quoted Leonardo da Vinci who said "Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence.” He then said he was standing up to break the silence. Good for him.

I was moved and motivated by seeing so many young people make a stand for moral principles. The young lady spoke about one woman who had a $150,000 gambling debt and was found in Lynn Canyon. She had committed suicide. She raised the concern about people who commit suicide because of gambling debts and how that number is growing.

There were many young people who spoke from many different ethnic backgrounds. It was heartwarming. One activist said today is a great day to be from Surrey and you don’t hear that very often. How true. This was democracy in action. Everyone thought it was a lost cause yet so many participated and fought the good fight because they knew in their heart it was the right thing to do. I am shocked and humbled by this success. For me, it is a good day to be from Surrey.

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The next question is what to do with the Bingo and the temporary slot machines in Newton. The answer is simple. There are a lot of seniors in Newton who enjoy playing bingo. It gets them out of the house and gives them something to do. That is entertainment. It’s not something that’s so addictive they are going to squander their life savings on.

Years ago I used to be involved with a group that took teenagers to volunteer at Riverview and ran a free bingo night for patients who would win chocolate bars. I remember the look of joy on one patients face when he proudfully said to me look I won a chocolate bar. It was simple and moving. It was a good thing. My own mother is in a home and volunteers come in to run a bingo night there. They chip in a couple of dollars and can win a couple of dollars in return. It is a simple form of entertainment that is not addictive and doesn’t squander huge amounts of money.

Slot machines are different. I cannot comprehend how someone can sit in front of a slot machine all day and squander their entire pay cheque yet many do. It’s hard for me to comprehend since I would find it so boring and such a waste of money. It happens because of addiction. I know a woman who lost her house and her marriage because her husband blew it on slot machines.

What’s worse is a statistic someone from SFU presented who spoke at the city hall meeting. He claimed that seniors are very vulnerable to slot machine addictions. He said they have a 30% chance of becoming addicted to slot machines. That’s more addictive than heroin. That is a huge concern in Newton. Bringing seniors in with bingo then getting them addicted to slot machines is predatory. The bingo in Newton should stay but the slot machines should go. It’s that simple. There are slot machines at Fraser Downs, River rock, New Westminster and Langley. Exploiting seniors in Newton is wrong.

Rich Coleman can rot in Hell

This bullsh*t is the prime example. CEO Michael Graydon in a recent Globe and Mail article stated he’s “dumbfounded” by the decision and says, “if she truthfully had issues, I would have thought she had enough respect for Gateway to raise those issues then.” That is a very valid point and shows you clearly what was going on behind the scenes.

Diane Watts supported the project all the way until the final hour. She sat as chair which meant she didn’t have to vote. Some of her constituents flipped when they saw the overwhelming opposition to the mega casino. That made it a tie and forced her to cast a vote. If her continuants hadn’t flipped she wouldn’t of had to vote and the proposal would have been approved while she played innocent saying don’t blame me I didn’t even vote.

Dianne Watts did lead Gateway along all the way and accepted large campaign contributions from them. Michael Graydon is simply saying if she had concerns with the project out of respect for Gateway she should have raised those concerns earlier. Which is a fair comment. Voting against the democratic will of the people in Surrey is not the right solution. Yet when we look at the special deal that went on at Campbell Heights Industrial Park we see Dianne Watts true colours. Don’t fool yourself into thinking Dianne Watts is any different than Gordon Campbell or Christy Clark. They’re all one and the same.

The Outlaws are Coming

The Redcoats are coming is a famous warning attributed to Paul Revere. I think Sarah Palin got that one a bit mixed up. Yet today we have author Alex Caine sounding the warning that the Outlaws are coming to BC.

Alex Caine has spent 30 years doing under cover work infiltrating the Bandidos, the Hells Angels and the KKK. He’s just released the second book in his three part series on bikers called Charlie and the Angels. Charlie refers to the patch of the Outlaws MC and the angels refers to the Hells Angels. Caine talks about the long standing war that has existed between the two organizations and how in the United States the Outlaws are winning that war.

The Calgary Herald recently wrote about his new book and he just did an interview in Vancouver for thecommentary.ca. Realizing how powerful the Hells Angels have become in BC some will scoff at the idea of the Outlaws coming here. Yet logistically, that is the natural consequence of their pride and betrayal. You can’t keep screwing your own people over and over again and toss them aside when you are finished with them. Sooner or later that is going to come back and bite you in the ass. Just like it did in Winnipeg.

The new gang war in Winnipeg started because the Hells Angels killed one of their own guys from one of their own support groups called LHS – Loyalty Honour Silence, to let the Ontario Hells Angels take over the Thompson drug trade. After they just murdered his friend, they told Billy Bowden to suck it up or become a target. That is bad business. Clearly the Hells Angels are setting themselves up for this kind of violence in BC. If the Outlaws are multicultural, they will clean house in BC against the Hells Angels white supremacists and their Whiteboys Posse.

Alex became the accountant for the Washington Bandidos and wrote the first of his three part series called. 'The Fat Mexican: The Bloody Rise of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club. He talks about the Bandido massacre in Ontario and presents an interesting alternative theory on why things went down. He claims it was connected to a drug rip tied to the Hells Angels. This news article claims the victims in the Bandido massacre had 200 kilos of cocaine with them before they were murdered. I always thought the Ontario Hells Angels denied involvement in that awfully fast.

Alex Caine has a third book in the biker trilogy due to be released this Fall called Angel Dust which is more specifically about the Hells Angels. In one chapter called Silence of the Lambs he discusses the Margo Compton murder as well as another child killed named Dallas Grondalski . I wasn’t aware of that one. Hells Angel Charles Anthony Diaz was convicted of her murder in 2004.

Alex Caine even asked me to write a bit about the Vancouver gang war for his new book Angel Dust in the Regional wars chapter which I gladly did. That should be out this fall.

Here's a recent interview with Alex Caine on youtube about his new book.

Seymour Third Peak

Just a pause for a brief reality check. Made it up to Seymour Third Peak today. This is a picture of First pump from Second pump or peak as they say. Trail was hard packed. Trace of ice and a trace of a rain crust. Could have used the crampons instead of the snowshoes.



The trail around second pump to third pump:



The Indian arm from third Pump:



First Pump and Second Pump from third Pump:



The back country panorama from 3rd Pump.



Now that is what I’m talking about.



Sunset from Brockton Point. The first peninsula is Stanley Park. The second peninsula is UBC. The mountain range in the background is Vancouver Island with a touch of low lying clouds at their base. Driving down the mountain the mountains on Vancouver Island were clear and the sky was red and purple. Looks like we’re still livin under a blood red sky in Vancouver.

4 people shot at Richmond banquet hall

CTV is reporting that four people have been hospitalized with unconfirmed injuries after a shooting at a Richmond, B.C. banquet hall. Witnesses say a lone gunman opened fire just before 9 p.m. at the Riverside Banquet Hall on River Road, sending a crowd of people running for the exits.

The Vancouver Sun is reporting that it was at the Riverside Banquet Hall located at 14500 River Road. It is the same banquet hall where gangster Kuljit (Kelly) Buttar was gunned down on Dec. 22, 2001. That was back when all the old leaders of the Independent Soldiers were killed off and the IS became a puppet club for the Hells Angels. We remember the picture of Randy Naicker with Larry Amero. The IS leaders who were executed didn't worship Larry like Randy did.

Global coverage of Richmond Shooting. Longshoreman's Union? We know who that involves. Missing funds? Big surprise. Larry Amero's father was a longshoreman.

BC Bud in the Big Apple

The New York Post is reporting that Jimmy “Cosmo” Cournoyer supplied New York with BC Bud through the Hells Angels. One of Cournoyer’s biggest customers in New York City was reputed Bonanno crime-family associate John “Big Man” Venizelos.

The pot supply under his domain was transported in motor homes and trucks across Canada with the help of the Hells Angels, officials said. The motorcycle gang and the Montreal mob then smuggled the pot from Quebec into upstate New York, then into a Brooklyn warehouse.

Millions of dollars generated by the marijuana sales were eventually used to buy cocaine from Joaquin Guzmán Loera, the leader of the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel - with the sale of the coke further financing the marijuana operation in Canada. That coke was smuggled north into Canada where it was resold - with part of the profits underwriting the massive marijuana pipeline supplying New York City. Get off the crack! It's in the Vancouver Province as well.

When they say the Montreal Mafia do they mean the Rizzutos or the Calabrians? Please advise.

More local shootings

Meanwhile back on the ranch, Sunday saw three dead after two shootings in Surrey, a double murder in Hope and two dead bodies in Vanderhoof. So much for a peaceful Sabbath. There was also a man shot in downtown Vancouver Saturday morning. What do you think the odds are that these weren’t all cases of domestic violence and had something to do with using or selling drugs? Looks like we're still under a blood red sky from New Years day. The Vancouver Province is refering to yesterday as bloody Sunday. Names. We need some names people. If it's a fatality, they're supposed to release the name.

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Kim bolan is reporting that the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team confirmed Monday that one of the victims, Manjot Singh Dhillon, 27, was a gangster who died in a targeted shooting.

The Vancouver Sun has learned that Dhillon once worked for the late Sukh Dhak in the Surrey drug trade, but more recently was aligned to several different crews No doubt, since the Hells Agnels are wiping the Dhure Dhak group off the face of the earth.

Freddy was also right about another shooting in Surrey on Monday night / Tuesday morning. Twenty-nine-year-old Manjinder "Manny" Hairan was shot and killed in the area of 112B Avenue and 127 Street at around 2:00 a.m., police said.

Two men charged in Lloydminster homicide

December 20th a Winnipeg man named Dustin Anthony Ferrante was found dead at a Lloydminster motel. The RCMP have charged two men in connection with that homicide. Damien James Mercer, 27, is facing a second degree murder charge and Jeremy James Fensom forcible confinement and intimidating a justice system participant. Now we just need to find out what case the witness they murdered was involved with.

A warrant has been issued for both men and police are asking anyone with information to contact the Lloydminster detachment, 306-825-6350. Tipsters can also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. There is a cash reward of up to $2,000 if the information leads to an arrest. Rat out a rat and make this world a better place to live.