East Vancouver Drug Den Seized

The Vancouver Province and the Tyee are reporting that a Downtown Eastside “drug den” has been shut down and sold for $820,000 under the auspices of B.C.’s Civil Forfeiture Office. The building seized was the former Backpacker Inn in the 600-block Alexander Street.

The police claim they went after the building following complaints from the public and because of “victimization” of people in the DTES. “There were people that were being preyed upon by the drug dealers,” said Fincham. “This was a violent group of drug dealers that were resorting to extreme measures to enforce drug debts and encourage people to sell drugs for them.” Among those measures were shaving people’s heads. I'm glad they shut it down but this is nothing new.

The drug dealers selling outside the Carnegie centre are just as predatory. Strange how they would bust one but not the other. Strange how they have a chain link fence blocking the public from accessing the police station on Main Street right beside the Carnegie open air Drug Market. Perhaps this drug den was seized because it was outside the tolerance zone and the neighbors across the street were complaining about it. God knows the police won't touch the Black Door.

Can Mike Farnworth fix the BC Hydro Fraud?

Well this is exciting. After Arian Dix resigned as the leader of the BC NDP Mike Farnwerth is the first to announce his candidacy. Mike Farnworth is a good guy. He is very competent. I was surprised he lost against Adrian Dix but realized Adrian was very competent as well. The stereotype was that Adrian was a little more left wing and Mike was a little more right wing. I do hate stereotypes but that is what people were saying.

My beef with stereotypes is that the right claims the left will tax and spend when that is exactly what the right is doing. However, it is quite possible that Adrian's reputation for being a little more left might have been what scared voters at the last minute when the BC Liberals were nose diving in the polls for all their endless corruption. Mike's reputation for being a little more right just might be enough to appease voters fears about the NDP long enough to get him elected.

I really think we need a balance between the left and the right and we really need to shun extremism. Supporting corporate monopolies does not stimulate the economy nor does it promote a free market. Corporate monopolies simply gouge consumers. Like BC Hydro.

Gordon Campbell's BC Hydro fraud is in my opinion the most pressing issue for this election. That fraud created a massive ballooning debt that the taxpayers are going to have to cover. Cristy Crunch just kept lying her face off with fraudulent budgets claiming they are going to one day balance their budget by extracting a dividend from BC Hydro. That claim was fraud knowing they turned BC Hydro into another Enron and kept deferring it's ballooning defect.

The deficit was created by privatizing part of BC Hydro. The power brokers that sell power to BC Hydro at an inflated rate. That was a criminal act. A private company is mandated to make a profit. It then sells power to the public company at above market rates which in turn gouges taxpayers and consumers. The privatization of the power brokers that are ripping off BC Hydro and all of British Columbia must be reversed.



Mike Farnsworth cares about crime in the community. The BC Liberals do not. Don't get me wrong. I don't support everything the NDP stand for. I rather see a BC Conservative party rise up that is free and independent of Stephen Harper's hypocrisy. Something like Ron Paul without the legalization of all drugs. John Cummins had the right idea but that idiot troll from Gordon Campbell's caucus planted the seeds of dissension and killed the party. Mike Farnworth is a good balance for British Columbia. God save the people from the BC Liberals endless corruption.

Another Senior assaulted in Newton

The Surrey Leader is reporting that a South Asian senior was taken to hospital after a brazen midday beating to his face and hands in Newton last week. Surrey Mounties are asking for public assistance after a 72-year-old man was beaten and robbed at 1 p.m. on Thursday at Newton Athletic Park.The attack occurred just over three kilometers from where hockey mom Julie Paskall was fatally beaten in December outside Newton Arena, near 72 Avenue and 136B Street.

The Surrey RCMP is counseling citizens to protect themselves and claims that "Personal and public safety is everyone's responsibility – play an active role in crime reduction!" Perhaps Bill Fordy and Laura Balance are handing out permits to conceal. I'm not sure how a 72 year old man is supposed to protect himself from being mugged in the middle of the afternoon. Personally I think an increased police presence in that area to address the public drug dealing would be a more appropriate allocation of tax dollars than Dianne Watts ivory tower but that's just me.

Crimean Secession - Update

This one's kind of hard to follow but is clearly contentious. We have been hearing quite a bit about unrest in the Ukraine. We heard news of protests in the Ukraine over the government's bid to go back to Russia and protesters getting shot at. It would seem that clearly the majority of people in the Ukraine do not want to be a part of Russia again. Fair enough.

Then Russia invades Crimea, a peninsula off of the Ukraine but separate from it. They say they went there to protect the Russians living there. Yeah right. Then they say they're going to hold a referendum on who wants to break off of the Ukraine and join with mother Russia. Nothing like holding an election with a gun held to your head.

I will say this. The results of the referendum are suspect. Over 90% voted to return to Russia? I cry bullshit on that one. Especially when they announced the results before 50% of the ballots were counted. However, it does appear that there are some citizens there that would rather be part of Russia than the EU. The question is just how many.

There was a protest in Toronto calling for Russia to pull out of Crimea. Signs said Hands off Ukraine. However, Russia invaded Crimea not the Ukraine. The most violent anti Russia protests were held in Kiev not Crimea. To me it would seem that letting Crimea succeed and letting the Ukraine remain free is kind of a peaceful solution to the conflict.

I have a hard time understanding why the EU would ban Crimean citizens from traveling in Europe and freeze their assets. It kinda just looks like sour grapes and theft. They are going to slap travel bans on elected Crimean officials who voted to have a referendum on sovereignty and seize their assets? What right to they have to seize an elected officials assets for passing a law they objected to which simply put the question to a vote of the people?

The biggest protest against the invasion was in Moscow - 50,000 people. That is a huge protest but I'm having a hard time interpreting that. It's hard to know the will of the people in Crimea when you're not actually there. Evidently, Russian in the predominate language spoken in Crimea and they did vote over 70% in favor of Yanukovych in 2010. Logic would imply that 70% would elect to return to Russia as opposed to the EU. If Putin leaves the Ukraine alone and just takes Crimea, that seems like a decent compromise to me. Just saying.



Update: Russia has now seized two Ukrainian naval bases. I was already to go ballistic on this one and call for economic sanctions until I discovered that the naval bases they are referring to are in Crimea not the Ukraine. If Russia seized naval bases on Ukrainian soil that would be an act of war and I would totally support economic sanctions against them. However, it appears that the naval base in question is in the port of Sevastopol which is in Crimea not the Ukraine. In response the Ukraine plans on withdrawing their troops From Russia-Occupied Crimea so it doesn't appear that the sky is ready to fall just yet. If Russian troops seize naval bases off the coast of the Ukraine that would be an entirely different matter.

Pickton's victims' families to get $50K each

Good news and bad news at the same time. CBC is reporting that an agreement has been reached with the City of Vancouver and the provincial and federal governments to pay $50,000 to each of 11 families whose relatives were victimized by serial killer Robert Pickton, says lawyer Jason Gratl. Gratl is representing the children of Pickton's victims. Good that the families of the victims receive some compensation but bad that the truth is being buried under the carpet again in a settlement.

Shootings in Surrey and Langley

The Vancouver Sun is reporting that there was a targeted shooting in Surrey this morning at 6:30 AM. No it wasn't my house. Witnesses report seeing a brown van as well as a black pickup leaving the scene after the shooting. One of these vehicles is believed to have a broken window. News 1130 is reporting that neighbours reported hearing a loud argument and then hearing a number of shots. When officers arrived they found a 30-year-old man who had been shot. He was taken to hospital and is in stable condition.

Shootings in Langley as well. Scan BC is reporting that #Langley #RCMP are on scene with 2 males shot in a house in Walnut Grove. Suspect outstanding with a weapon, area on lockdown. K9 searching. Global is reporting that two people have been injured and another has been arrested after an incident at a Langley home Sunday afternoon, RCMP confirm.

Update: Evidently the Langley shooting was at a licensed medicinal grow op. The Vancouver Province is reporting that two people have been charged after the armed robbery - Christopher Carl Agin, 29, and Rosemary Souriyavong, 23. Kim Bolan is reporting that they are from Surrey.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! OK Saint Paddy's Day is on Monday but the parade is Sunday and the Celtic Festival has been running all week. I went for a pint at the Irish Heather today and I noticed they're getting ready for some live music at the Blarney Stone tonight. I've kissed the real Blarney Stone in Cork so I have but I usually shy away from that pub. It's a younger crowd so it is. They don't drink green beer in Ireland they drink black beer. In Dublin you can smell the roasting hops in the air from the Guinness brewery at Saint James' Gate.

Saint Paddy's day is supposed to be fun but it isn't supposed to be a crazy drink up. Just a time to remember your heritage or experience some Irish heritage even if you aren't Irish. Time for some Irish dancing and some good music like A Nation Once Again, the Fields Of Athenry or the Town I loved so well. Three Row Barley is a nice local band I heard once at the Rusty Gull a few years back. Traditional Irish dancing is done with the hands at the side symbolizing dancing while being in bondage to a foreign nation. The song Lord of the Dance was an old hymn referring to Christ.

The harp is a magical instrument so it is. David's harp soothed the soul so it did. Ya have to be able to play it right though. Often the harp sounds like elevator music. Loreena McKennitt can sure play it right and sing too. She has the majesty of the ancestral harp so she does. Her music is very moving. It's found on Quinlan road so it is. So enjoy some heritage. Speaking of which, did ya know the Guinness family built the Lions Gate bridge so they did. Top of the morning to ya.

Enbridge seeks 40% natural gas price increase

MSN News is reporting that Enbridge Gas Distribution plans to increase the price of natural gas by 40 per cent. Enbridge applied to Ontario regulators for the price increase in the energy rates it charges millions of natural gas customers in the province. The increase needs to be reviewed by the Ontario Energy Board before being implemented on April 1.

Enbridge Enbridge Enbridge. Why is it we keep hearing about Enbridge? Isn't there any other companies that sell gas? Evidently not. That's because we let them obtain a corporate monopoly on the market at the tax payers expense so they can now raise the prices to whatever they want. We have destroyed the free market. If there was a free market with more than one company selling oil, this increase would not happen.

It's on the table because we let the politicians who claimed to be right wing destroy a free market because the corporate monopolies gave them campaign contributions. This is corporate Communism in real life. In New Brunswick the Enbridge monopoly opposed rate cuts for consumers. If there wasn't a monopoly we wouldn't be getting shafted.

Oh Happy Day

The Vancouver Sun is fueling speculation that Diannne Watts might be joining Stephen Harpers glutton all stars and enter federal politics. Oh Happy day! Get her the hell out of Surrey city Hall before she does any more irreparable damage to the city. At first I was skeptical wondering why on earth would she turn tail and run? Barinder isn't a real threat. I don't support her because she wants to bring in the mega casino all the citizens opposed.

Dianne Watts getting in the bad books with the BC Liberals might be the reason. However, I just heard that Bruce Ralston might run for Surrey Mayor. Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty we are free at last! That would certainly explain why she's running scared. Getting dumped by the BC Liberals and having to square off against Bruce Ralston. That is one election she would lose. Finally Godzilla returns to the ocean depths.

Canada needs to know how Dianne Watts screwed Surrey. Alex Tsakumis made several references to lower taxes and fiscal responsibility. I totally support that. However, that is the exact opposite of Dianne Wattts. Dianne Watts has been the most fiscally irresponsible tax and spend glutton this city has ever seen. Just think, if Bruce Ralston gets elected we could lease out Dianne Watts Ivory tower of self indulgence and all that revenue can go towards hiring more police officers. That would be fiscally responsible.

The policing budget in Surrey is in critical state. The other day I drove over to the main police station for all of Surrey and it was closed at 8:30 PM. I kid you not. That is disgusting. Spending $138 million tax dollars on a new ivory tower then claiming there's no more for police in Surrey is criminal negligence. Bruce Ralston would be much more fiscally responsible and hire more police.

Kevin Diakiw from the Surrey Leader is reporting that the conservative riding President is denying it and that Bruce Ralsotn has just said he has been approached to run but hasn't announced his candidacy. We can only hope and pray. However, Watts won't comment on why her campaign manager recently joined the federal riding executive. Maybe she's gong to actually wait to be nominated unlike her pal Fassbender who bullied his way past the nomination process.

Boo Who

Speaking of retractions and redemption there's one more I have to set the record straight on and that is Alia Pierini also known as Boo. I realize a small town can be very unforgiving. Alia was a drug dealer in Prince George that went on a reality TV show called Redemption where she talked about her past and turned her life around starting a snow removal and landscaping business.

Under normal circumstances this is the exact kind of thing I would support. However, many locals were skeptical and shared those concerns with me. I jumped when I heard she had another drug trafficking charge and said a lot of things that weren't very nice. Turns out the new drug trafficking charge was a bogus pot charge when she had a prescription for medicinal marijuana. I don't care about pot I care about crack and it turned out she hadn't gone back to dealing.

So let's start over. Hey did you hear a hard core drug dealer in Prince George saw the light like Paul on the road to Damascus and was on a cool TV reality show called Redemption? It's an awesome success story. She is a beautiful young woman and a wonderful mother that has totally turned her life around and now speaks to at risk youth. God knows they need it in Prince George. She's the only person those kids will listen to. I fully endorse her. Turns out she just came back from giving a presentation to the 4 life Foundation in Toronto. Well done. Arise and shine sister, your day has come.

This girl needs a business loan to buy some snow blowers and a big ass street snowplow. I can see her hire Glen Louie to teach those little delinquents to use a snow blower while he drives around in a big snowplow that Boo does contract work for the city. If you want to get kids out of the gangs you've got to put some cheddar on the table to make it worth their while. No offense but after hearing that kid rap he needs a new day job. God knows the ministry has let him down.

If Boo can help get Mercedes off the crack maybe Mercedes could get her child back. That would be very healing. Kitt Alwood has got to stop buying booze and dope for under age kids though.