Trans-Talk

The Globe and Mail’s recently introduced “Globe BC” section carries four transportation stories in today’s three-pager:

1. Mark Hume again raises the issue of the Basi - Virk scandal that apparently involved influence peddling around last year’s sale of BC Rail. Basi was aide to the BC Finance Minister and Virk was an aid to the Transportation Minister, and both were Liberal Party organizers who hoped to land positions with the Martin government in Ottawa. Very conveniently for the BC Liberal Party, most of the information relating to criminal charges against the two is sealed by the court until after the current provincial election campaign. Hume says, “If the slow, secretive judicial process in British Columbia doesn’t provide these answers, a public inquiry must.” Premier Gordon Campbell has “disingenuously” avoided any mention of such an inquiry.
2. Smaller, independent ship chandlers, mostly Filipinos, complain that new security measures at the Port of Vancouver are hurting their business of selling personal electronics, hygiene, specialty food items and other goods to visiting sailors, many of whom are also Filipino. Ships’ agents, who allow the larger chandlers that supply fuel, groceries, and standard ship supplies access to the ships are nervous about giving the same freedom to smaller suppliers. The independents can gain access at Cascadia, Agircore United, Pacific Elevators and Annacis Auto Terminal but must get ship-by-ship permission for other areas.
3. Truckers represented by the Teamsters Union held a meeting to complain about fuel prices on the weekend. Some claim extra out-of-pocket expenses of $1,200 per month and there was talk of road blockades and other tactics to draw attention to the issue. Most local TV and radio stations covered this story.
4. The TSB (Transportation Safety Board) is now examining the reasons for the fatal crash of a Nav Air Charters flight that was working as a mail courier. The fiery crash-landing at CFB Comox was widely reported last week.

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