We'll play it again. MLA Sultan was dead set against BC Hydro oligopolists before he became an MLA

From our 2014 posting on bc hydro

An oligopoly is a market form in which a market or industry is dominated by a small number of sellers (oligopolists). Oligopolies can result from various forms of collusion which reduce competition and lead to higher prices for consumers.

 Once upon W. A. C. Bennett-time, Father of BC Hydro, invented his version of the game of monopoly.  No competition, no price wars, no artificial tinkering by introducing wind, micro damming, requirement to pay higher prices to independent power producers, no collusion, no heritage funding, no debt.


It seems, now, that BC Hydro's Octopus head is fighting against the will of it's eight tentacle supplemental suppliers, IPP, required sources of cleaner energy.


Is Site C the route go even though a new turbine Mica #6 could be added to the existing dam for far less money?

Should the BC Liberal Government stick with the number 6 or go for the alphabet rating system of C?

Are the prices that BC Hydro is paying for the components that go into either Site C or Mica #6 fixed?   Is there collusion? ......  etc.,,,,

  http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/3113150?sid=21105524785393&uid=4&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70

 Sultan, Ralph G. M., Pricing in the Electrical Oligopoly, Vol. I: Competition or Collusion, Boston: Harvard University Press, 1974.

 https://www.google.ca/search?q=Sultan,+Ralph+G.+M.,+Pricing+in+the+Electrical+Oligopoly,+Vol.+I:+Competition+or+Collusion,+Boston:+Harvard+University+Press,+1974.&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=AoChVLWgLcqpogSLg4KIDg

BC Hydro Study 1976. Dams on the Peace River @ Site C, E (at border) and D for Donvegan (Alberta)

Albertans have been trying to wean themselves off of coal fired generations of electricity for years and they had the chance when Site C first came on the horizon in 1976.  Albertans were offered the Dunvegan Site.  British Columbians were offered C, no D, but there was an E on the BC/Alberta border.

2015 Alaskan Highway News edition has their take on the benefits of the Dunvegan Site

Let's put Fort St. John's Site C on the back burner and shift the workforce downstream to Dawson City which has a much smaller footprint to match our current and future needs without costing 9.99999 Billion (includes modest cost over runs).

BC Legislative Library:

B.C. Hydro Sites C & E Hydroelectric Development Proposals : Lower Peace River Environmental Study / Thurber Consultants Ltd

Volume I  Page 24 of 563

Volume I	Development Proposals and Resource Inventories
Volume Ia	Appendices to Volume I
Volume II	Impact Assessment of Basic Alternatives
Volume III	Supplementary Assessments

Not all BC communities are serviced by BC Hydro eg. Kelowna electricity comes from Fortis. BC Hydro head cheese Brad Bennett lives in Kelowna

BC HYDRO COMMUNITY RELATIONS REGIONS

 

 Fortis Electricity Drop Box: Castlegar, Creston, Grand Forks, Kelowna, Oliver, Penticton, Princeton, Trail

Why is BC Hydro donating funds to the community of Kelowna when Fortis is their service supplier?

Does BC Hydro donate to the others, or NO?

Google Search Criteria: bc hydro donates to Kelowna

BC Liberal safe riding?  Made safer by using the power of BC Liberal Governments Executive Councils run by Premiers Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark as a natural resource?

Made even safer by having the head cheese, Brad Bennett, running BC Hydro when he was never a ratepayer to BC Hydro?



Google Search Criteria: bc hydro donates to Kelowna

Fortis Service Areas

 BC Hydro concurs with Fortis as to who has jurisdiction when it come to electricity:

Schedule 1 – Map of BC Hydro Service Areas

BC Hydro purchases electricity from Independent Power Producers outside of its jurisdiction

 

This is what started us thinking about how money has been squeezed out of BC Hydro for political gains of the BC Liberal Party.

Why is BC Hydro donating money to anyone?   Is it the billions, or in the millions?


FortisBC buys their electricity from BC Hydro.

Would that be the same electricity that BC Hydro buys from the IPP guys at an outrageous price and then sells it at a loss? Norman Farrell has the answers and its a YES!!!!!

FOOTNOTE:

BC Hydro Application for Approval of New PPA with FortisBC

Page 7 of 372

Executive Summary

BC Hydro currently supplies electricity to FortisBC pursuant to a Power Purchase Agreement dated October 1, 1993 and a the EMBEDDED rates set out in Rate Schedule (RS) 3808.  The 1993 PPA expires on September 30, 2013.

In 2005, BC Hydro and FortisBC began preliminary negotiations for a new power purchase agreement to replace the 1993 PPA upon its expiry.  The Parties re-launched negotiations in 2009, and have reached agreement on a new power purchase agreement dated May 21, 2013 (Just after Christy Clark won her first and last government) and associated agreements to replace the expiring 1993 PPA.

The New PPA does not change the basic parameters of the service BC Hydro has been providing to FortisBC for 20 years under the 1993 PPA.  The New PPA continues to provide for up to 200 MW of capacity and 1,752 GWh/year of associated energy for FortisBC to meet a portion of its load service obligations.

The New PPA and associated agreements modernize the terms and conditions of this service by introducing improvement for current industry practices and current circumstances including the development of the Waneta Expansion (WAX) Project as a new capacity resource available to FortisBC.  The energy price for the service provided under the New PPA will be a two-step price with the first tranche set at an embedded cost price and the second tranche set as a proxy for BC Hydro's LONG-RUN MARGINAL COST aka (LRMC) of new supply.

Footnote:  FortisBC Inc. was first known as West Kootenay Power and Light Company, Limited.  The company subsequently changed its name to West Kootenay Power Ltd., then to UtiliCorp Networks Canada (British Columbia) Ltd., then to Aquila Networks Canada (British Columbia) Ltd. and, finally, to FortisBC Inc.   Irrespective of its actual name at any time, the company is referred to throughout this application as "FortisBC"

 SNIP

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Historical info from the WayBack Machine:

Why are BC Hydro ratepayers donating money to anyone?

The Vancouver 2010 Bid

BC Hydro has a history of giving back to BC's communities through various sponsorships and community initiatives. Working together with the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation is just another example of that. Over the last two years, more than 30 Bid work groups have been planning and preparing for every aspect of the games, and BC Hydro will continue to be an integral part of this planning process.
Read more on the 2010 Bid web site.

Current News Releases

• May 16, 2003 - BC Hydro contributes $2,000 to the Revelstoke Family Literacy Group
• May 15, 2003 - Stave Falls Visitor Centre celebrates first anniversary
• May 9, 2003 - BC Hydro begins second phase of rock slope maintenance work at Revelstoke Dam
• May 9, 2003 - BC Hydro contributes $5000 to the Okanagan Science Centre
• May 7, 2003 - BC Hydro Power Smart exceeds fiscal year targets
• May 6, 2003 - BC Hydro donates $850 to the Golden Wildlife Festival of Birds & Bears
• May 6, 2003 - BC Hydro contributes $2,000 to the Golden Literacy Centre
• May 1, 2003 - BC Hydro donates $2,500 to the Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance Initiatives
• May 1, 2003 - Heritage Contract preserves value of flexible, low-cost electricity for British Columbians
• May 1, 2003 - BC Hydro contributes $2,000 to the Valemount Learning Centre

Is there a correlation between Fraser Institute's academic performance vs Vancouver Sun's Lead in drinking water?

 The Vancouver Sun's page A 12/13 "Schools taking action on lead in drinking water"caught our attention and we immediately thought of the Fraser Institute.   Has the institute's yearly report on where to enroll your child been skewed because of 'other factors' not taken into consideration?

Fraser Institute's:  Compare the academic performance of your child's school

British Columbia: Elementary  

British Columbia: Secondary

  &

Vancouver Sun's:  More than half of B.C.'s school districts had unsafe lead levels in drinking water sources in 2016

 

 School Boundaries Wall Map

Google Search Criteria:  bc ministry of education metal lead in drinking water

Google Search Criteria:  Districts with fountains and sinks that exceed the maximum acceptable lead concentration in 2016/17 tests

Google Search Criteria:  “Report for Testing Lead Content in Drinking Water of School Facilities” 

 

#79 School District:  Report for Lead Testing March 2017(1) - SD79

 

Cowichan

 

Example of tests done at Discovery Elementary

 

School District boundaries of BC

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We are not suggesting that Discovery Elementary students / teachers / support staff are at risk.  The above information is only for guidance of finding more information on the subject regarding your school catchment basin.  The Ministry of Education under the guidance of the BC Liberal government offered no direct links to the reports.  Tthe Vancouver Sun offered no direct links to their sources either, except for "Ministry of Education"

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BC Liberals need to show respect to British Columbia's Speaker of the Legislative Assembly or be bannished by him

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly

The Speaker is a key figure in the Legislative Assembly.
The Speaker is an MLA elected in a secret ballot by all Members of the Legislative Assembly to preside over debates and ensure that the Assembly's established rules of behaviour and procedure are followed.
The election of the Speaker is the first item of business for a new parliament and is open to all MLAs except cabinet ministers. It takes place on the first sitting day after each general election or when a Speaker resigns, retires or dies. If there is not a Speaker in place, the Legislative Assembly cannot proceed with its business until one is elected. The election of the Speaker is presided over by the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly.
The Speaker is neutral, responsible for making sure that all MLAs, no matter what party they belong to, are treated fairly and impartially. He or she votes only to break a tie.

The Speaker as MLA

The Speaker, when elected, does not stop being an MLA. That means that while remaining neutral and avoiding taking public positions on politically controversial matters before the Legislative Assembly, the Speaker must still continue to listen to the people of his or her constituency and to effectively represent their interests. The Speaker does this by making private recommendations to government and organizations on issues affecting his or her constituents. The Speaker, however, does not attend caucus meetings.

The Speaker as Presiding Officer

Balancing the right of the majority to conduct business with the right of the minority to be heard is one of the Speaker's most important responsibilities.
The primary role of the opposition is to question government actions and present alternatives to government positions. While this kind of adversarial system is a cornerstone of democracy, debates can, like a hockey game, sometimes get heated. The Speaker serves as a very necessary referee, ensuring fair play by all MLAs.
It is the Speaker's job to enforce the Standing Orders — the rules of parliamentary procedure adopted by the Legislative Assembly, which are designed to make sure that debates in the Chamber are properly carried out and that all MLAs have the opportunity to participate.
These rules require all MLAs to show respect for the Speaker and for each other. For example, members must not speak unless "recognized" (allowed to speak) by the Speaker and must not interrupt when the Speaker is speaking.
In addition, to discourage personal attacks, MLAs must address the Legislative Assembly through the Speaker at all times, rather than addressing each other directly. When referring to one another, they must use the name of an MLA's constituency (e.g., "the honourable member for Victoria–Beacon Hill") rather than the MLA's actual name.
This helps maintain order and decorum in the Legislative Assembly. In a spirited debate, the Speaker can act as a buffer between members, and heated words may be less inflammatory when directed through the Speaker. The Legislative Assembly is a forum for robust debate, not merely a polite debating society.
If an MLA does not obey the rules and makes inappropriate or discourteous remarks, the Speaker will ask the member to withdraw those remarks. If the member does not comply with the Speaker's instructions, the Speaker has the power to order the MLA to withdraw from the Chamber for the day. For more serious offences, the Speaker "names" the MLA, which means the MLA may be suspended from the Legislative Assembly without pay for anywhere from one to 15 days.
If the MLA refuses to leave the Chamber as requested, the Speaker may ask the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove the member. In such a case, the offending member may be suspended for the balance of the session.

Rich Coleman's secret swearing words dictionary reserved for BC Liberal Caucus: Loudly #2: Traitor!!! Silently #1: Quisling

I was born in the early 1940's where 'traitor' was used extensively; 'quisling' less so.

To now hear BC Liberal Temp Leader Rich Coleman using the word 'Traitor' to describe Darryl Plecas, a fellow caucus member, simply because he put his name forward to be the Speaker of the Legislature begs the question:

"Has the 'Temp Leader' silently used the word Quisling to label his former Leader/Premier who assisted the opposition with a First, Made in BC, Clone Throne Speech by stealing election planks from the British Columbia New Democrat Party and the British Columbia Green Party?"

quisling: a person who helps an enemy that has taken control of his or her province

With Climate change, rising tide height, why build either a bridge or a tunnel in a flood plain protected by dikes?

Traffic lines coded in green lines mixed with amber lines mixed with red lines is from 2015.  Things have changed since.  There is MORE traffic.

Nothing like commanding the high ground, a bridge over a tunnel option, but when the whole area that the traffic is flowing through is protected by a single line of defense, a dike, all hell can break loose in Richmond and Delta .....  good name that flood plain delta.

Every route leading up to Deas Island Tunnel, and a proposed replacement bridge, will face the same consequence if the BIG ONE hits Metro Vancouver.  The corridors will be awash in water, water everywhere.

Flood Plains can be a pain

 $3 billion debt in the Red for a bridge, to replace an aging tunnel?

 The new Pattullo Bridge takes off from the high ground of New Westminster and touches down on Surrey soil that is protected by a dike.

Port Mann Bridge?  Low ground to the north, high ground to the south.

Second Narrows Ironworkers Memorial Bridge?  High ground to the South, low ground to the north.

Suggestion:  Get out of the cars and use public transit built like Skytrain, and Canada Line, which are raised well above the flood plains.

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BC Liberal Laurie Throness demands for his new leader:  Fraser Basin Council Lower Mainland Flood Management Strategy

Suggestion: Environment Item # 5 of 65 total topics
 

The birth of the George Massey Tunnel replacement bridge came from novice engineers following political instructions ...