Methinks its High time to create another blog about CBC's obvious malice. N'esy Pas Hubby Lacroix and Minister Joly?

I must say CBC plays strange games that a child can see through. It certainly appears that the Crown Corp needs a major overhaul ASAP EH? Today for instance I proved once again just how mindless their malicious moderators are. For awhile I could post comments without delay because there appeared to be no moderation at all. Then when there was CBC began blocking me again as per their MO. However once I wait until they change shift or whatever clearly I can post the same comments they blocked earlier without moderation. 

 

Go Figure who is crazy. Its either your minions within CBC or Mean Old Me N'esy Pas Hubby Lacroix and Minister Joly?

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New comments have been made at "cbc.ca" in the conversation Opportunities NB boss defends response to Atcon fiasco

Donald Bowser said:

Lund failed and lied about it in NS as well as benefiting his former Bermudan Bank with NS money. Slinks off in disgrace and goes to Bermuda and in 6 months they sent him packing. Where does a known charlatan end up - in NB of course. How is it possible that anybody with that bad of a track record…

 

Shawn McShane said:

$1 Billion in 10 years to industry and what did NBers get? Highest taxes in Canada Lowest wages in Canada Highest number of children living in poverty. Thank the PCs the Libs and the myopic NBers who voted in the Atcon 6 aka Shawn Graham cabinet. Go to comment

Shawn McShane said:

@David Raymond Amos Roger Melanson taps into contingency reserve as NB Power revenue falls..Just wondering how much money is taken by government from NB Power. I recall when NB Power was for sale numbers were that PC/Lib governments had taken $3 Billion + from NB Power over the years to balance the books, pay interest on debt etc. Hence the… Go to comment

stephen blunston said:

@David Raymond Amos yeah the meters work so well other juristrictions that have put them in are removing them Go to comment

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/atcon-stephen-lund-auditor-general-report-1.4319620

Opportunities NB boss defends response to Atcon fiasco

118 Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.



Shawn McShane

$1 Billion in 10 years to industry and what did NBers get?

Highest taxes in Canada
Lowest wages in Canada
Highest number of children living in poverty.

Thank the PCs the Libs and the myopic NBers who voted in the Atcon 6 aka Shawn Graham cabinet.

Content disabled.

David Raymond Amos

@Shawn McShane There are many other issues that have been swept under the carpet. Does anyone recall that Madame MacPherson mentioned her concerns with the Caisse Populaire de Shippagan nonsense nearly two years ago?

Furthermore Does anyone recalll her former boss Ferguson and his report and that of the KPMG in 2010?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/auditor-general-atcon-audit-1.3365673

Kim MacPherson vows to investigate Atcon a second time
Auditor general wants to try and find out where $70M in taxpayers' money went

By Jacques Poitras, CBC News Posted: Dec 15, 2015 10:50 AM AT

"Now she says she will do the work even if the Liberals vote down the funding at the legislative administration committee.

"I will be informing LAC, the committee that approves my budget, of my plan to do this work," she said. "I will require staff and funds beyond my current budget … I am not asking permission."

MacPherson made the comments while delivering her audits to a joint meeting of the Crown Corporations and Public Accounts committees at the Legislature.

MacPherson didn't have an estimate of what the audit might cost, but she said a similarly complex special audit of a bailout of the Caisse Populaire de Shippagan cost about $1 million."

Content disabled.

David Raymond Amos

@David Raymond Amos

More Deja Vu for you all N'esy Pas?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/shippagan-caisse-bailout-could-have-been-avoided-ag-1.941042

Shippagan caisse bailout could have been avoided: AG
CBC News Posted: Jan 19, 2010 1:24 PM AT

"Auditor General Mike Ferguson released the 53-page report on Tuesday that also said a handful of senior managers at the caisse populaire covered up financial problems. The Liberal government bailed out the northern caisse populaire in 2007 with a $37-million grant and another $16.5-million in guarantees."

http://www.680news.com/2010/01/19/n-b-auditor-general-releases-report-on-financial-woes-at-credit-union/

N.B. auditor general releases report on financial woes at credit union by News Staff Posted Jan 19, 2010 10:36 pm EDT

“Failure … of the former senior management team … failure of the board of directors at the time to provide effective oversight … and failure of the auditors,” Ferguson states in the report. But New Brunswick’s former Conservative government also shoulders some of the blame, the report states, for failing to ensure adequate regulation and supervision of the credit union."

"A copy of the report has been given to the RCMP, Ferguson told the committee.The investigation of the credit union brought in KPMG Forensic, a division of the financial services firm that specializes in white-collar crime, to perform field work. KPMG noted “in general an adversarial tone to the correspondence coming from” the credit union, and management showed “contempt for the regulatory process,” Ferguson’s report states. The KPMG report reveals that management at the credit union covered up financial problems to make the institution look profitable."

Content disabled.

David Raymond Amos

@Shawn McShane Oh my my CBC just blocked a rather important response to you in which I merely offer links to their articles.

Methinks its High time to create another blog about CBC's obvious malice. N'esy Pas Hubby Lacroix and Minister Joly?

 

David Raymond Amos

@Shawn McShane Methinks it was High time to create another blog about CBC's obvious malice. N'esy Pas Hubby Lacroix and Minister Joly?

Please enjoy

http://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.ca/2017/10/methinks-its-high-time-to-create.html

Jason Inness
Remember the last organization created to hand out government money? It was called Invest NB, and the head of it was Robert MacLeod, who ran for the PC Party Leadership. Both of these parties play politics with our money. We need to end corporate welfare, and there are only two parties with this in their platform: the People's Alliance and the Green party.

We have the lowest wages in the country, and still our governments (PC and Liberal) keep raising taxes and keep adding to the provincial debt. They both have shown little respect for taxpayers hard earned dollars, and have demonstrated that the have no control over the constant increasing cost of government services (which also continue to get worse).

If we don't change the way we vote, we cannot expect any improvement. Stephen Wood is right. People's Alliance in 2018

 
Shawn McShane

@Jason Inness David Coon predicts his party, People's Alliance ... - 2018 Telegraph-Journal

I don't subscribe so could only read some of the headline

I voted Green last time as People's Alliance didn't have a candidate.

Content disabled.
David Raymond Amos
@Jason Inness I remember Robert MacLeod quite well In fact in 2006 CBC and many political pundits know I called him the Peanut Butter Man while I was running against the not so good Dr Doherty in Saint John Harbour and the dude local guys call "Bructer" was running against our old aquintance Leroy Armstrong in the Sussex area. Years later old Leroy ran for the PANB and the mean old Speaker who barred from Legislative properties in 2004 whom I call Bevy Baby turned coat too and ran for the NDP.

That said

In my humble opinion I proved long ago that the Greens the NDP and the PANB were no better than the LIEbranos or the CONs. However there is one new political party in New Brunswick (I am not a member) that nobody will talk about. I find that simple fact to be a very telling thing.

David Raymond Amos

@Shawn McShane I know these politcal dudes quite well In fact in 2006 CBC and many political pundits know I called Robert MacLeod the Peanut Butter Man while I was running against the not so good Dr Doherty in Saint John Harbour and the dude local guys call "Bruster" was running against our old acquaintance Leroy Armstrong in the Sussex area. Years later old Leroy ran for the PANB and the mean old Speaker who barred from Legislative properties in 2004 whom I call Bevy Baby turned coat too and ran for the NDP.

That said

In my humble opinion I proved long ago that the Greens the NDP and the PANB were no better than the LIEbranos or the CONs. However there is one new political party in New Brunswick (I am not a member) that nobody will talk about. I find that simple fact to be a very telling thing

Shawn McShane

On CBC Radio this morning MacPherson said the province has given industry $300 Million since her last report and we don't know how many jobs were created.

She also said in the last 10 years the province has given away $1 Billion and what have we to show for it? We have no tracking of this taxpayer funded money sweepstakes giveaway. This was under Liberal and PC governments.

David Raymond Amos

@Shawn McShane There are many other issues that have been swept under the carpet. Does anyone recall that Madame MacPherson mentioned her concerns with the Caisse Populaire de Shippagan nonsense nearly two years ago?

Furthermore Does anyone recall her former boss Ferguson and his report and that of the KPMG in 2010?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/auditor-general-atcon-audit-1.3365673

Kim MacPherson vows to investigate Atcon a second time
Auditor general wants to try and find out where $70M in taxpayers' money went
By Jacques Poitras, CBC News Posted: Dec 15, 2015

"Now she says she will do the work even if the Liberals vote down the funding at the legislative administration committee.

"I will be informing LAC, the committee that approves my budget, of my plan to do this work," she said. "I will require staff and funds beyond my current budget … I am not asking permission."

MacPherson made the comments while delivering her audits to a joint meeting of the Crown Corporations and Public Accounts committees at the Legislature.

MacPherson didn't have an estimate of what the audit might cost, but she said a similarly complex special audit of a bailout of the Caisse Populaire de Shippagan cost about $1 million."

David Raymond Amos 

@Shawn McShane More Deja Vu for you N'esy Pas?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/shippagan-caisse-bailout-could-have-been-avoided-ag-1.941042

Shippagan caisse bailout could have been avoided: AG
CBC News Posted: Jan 19, 2010

"Auditor General Mike Ferguson released the 53-page report on Tuesday that also said a handful of senior managers at the caisse populaire covered up financial problems. The Liberal government bailed out the northern caisse populaire in 2007 with a $37-million grant and another $16.5-million in guarantees."

http://www.680news.com/2010/01/19/n-b-auditor-general-releases-report-on-financial-woes-at-credit-union/

N.B. auditor general releases report on financial woes at credit union by News Staff Posted Jan 19, 2010

“Failure … of the former senior management team … failure of the board of directors at the time to provide effective oversight … and failure of the auditors,” Ferguson states in the report. But New Brunswick’s former Conservative government also shoulders some of the blame, the report states, for failing to ensure adequate regulation and supervision of the credit union."

"A copy of the report has been given to the RCMP, Ferguson told the committee.The investigation of the credit union brought in KPMG Forensic, a division of the financial services firm that specializes in white-collar crime, to perform field work. KPMG noted “in general an adversarial tone to the correspondence coming from” the credit union, and management showed “contempt for the regulatory process,” Ferguson’s report states. The KPMG report reveals that management at the credit union covered up financial problems to make the institution look profitable."

 
John Jones

To the layman, of which I are one, this Atcon affair smells like a dead rat. Then to listen to Opportunities NB defend their inaction on AG recommendations reeks of individiuals defending their actions basically so they can keep what i assume are high paying positions. i can't blame them, if I was in their place I would defend the indefensible if my paycheck was in jeopardy. Little wonder our province is in financial difficulty.

David Raymond Amos @John Jones What you say is true. However methinks too many people share your reasoning. Therefore that is why we are in the fix we are in

 

Daniel Rawlins

We have allowed our governments to become more secretive over the years. Every time a company or individual receives taxpayer funding for whatever; the deal(contractual details) should be available to the public. Proprietary protection is often cited as the reason the public cannot access an un-redacted agreement between 'Our Government representatives' and those entities we provide financial aid to. I say BS! If I want a loan the lender definitely knows everything I plan to with the money and how and when I plan to repay my loan. Lending money to businesses that cannot secure financial funding through private sector lenders is a red flag and at best a gamble (with our tax dollars) and at worst political negligence. However we (the people) seem content to simply nod our heads accept the politically motivated rhetoric of the jobs, opportunities and prosperity that always accompanies announcements of financial aid to private sector companies. The truth is Taxpayers lose far more than we ever get back to deals brokered behind closed doors and shrouded in the 'privacy issue' cloak of impenetrability. There can be no open, responsible or accountable government if the citizens are treated like mushrooms by their elected officials.

In short, if it is not a matter of national security then the agreements between our governments and private sector companies seeking our financial aid through taxpayer funding need to be made public knowledge ... before the supreme leader signs on the dotted line....for us!

David Raymond Amos

@Daniel Rawlins Well put sir

  

Geoff Estabrooks

If these are the kind of people that the Liberal Party of New Brunswick holds up as the best to serve the people of New Brunswick, then there is an opportunity for another political party other than the Liberals or Conservatives to put themselves forward to serve the people of New Brunswick. I have never seen so many incompetent politicians and politically appointed stupidity in all my life. Where do they find these people?

David Raymond Amos

@Geoff Estabrooks FYI There is a new political party in New Brunswick but nobody will talk about it.

  

Geoff Estabrooks

Change the privacy law and you will not have politicians hiding behind it as they are all doing now. They make decisions that don't benefit the majority of taxpayers and then hide behind some flawed law.

David Raymond Amos

@Geoff Estabrooks Obviously they are the dudes who make the laws for their benefit not ours.

 

Doug Leblanc

They should transfer Paul "Fudge" to the Parlee Beach Water Quality department asap.

David Raymond Amos

@Doug Leblanc Tut Tut Tut mind your manners. After all this is Crown Corp website overseen by her Majesty the Queen and her many minions.Methinks they should not appreciate your humour about the name of one of her employees. However it did cause me to giggle a little.

 
Dave Lane

Where did the 63 million go exactly?

David Raymond Amos

@Dave Lane Good question I for one would like to know where every one of Her Majesty's red cents went (Which is now worthless currency I might add)

Dave Lane

@David Raymond Amos Winchell knows it all, but won't tell. Hmmm interesting.

 Rosco holt

And the taxpayer funded Circus continues.

David Raymond Amos

@Rosco holt Sit back and enjoy the show. After all we already paid for the tickets to watch it.

  

Harold Fitzgerald

Why havent these crooked MLAs been fired? Their salaries and pensions seized and suspended until NBers get their money back

David Raymond Amos

@Harold Fitzgerald Methinks that they think they are untouchable. However we can always sue them personally in a civil action correct?

  

Harold Fitzgerald

Arvin is not a fiasco. Arvin is a crime. Theft of tax dollars.

David Raymond Amos

@Harold Fitzgerald Who or what is Arvin?

John Conrad

It would seem that that which makes New Brunswick unique among the provinces is that its trees are better served than its electorate.

David Raymond Amos

@John Conrad Which trees are you referring to?

 

John Conrad

@David Raymond Amos
The choppable down ones not protected by the Bermuda Nordic Conifer Preservation Society.

David Raymond Amos

@John Conrad That sounds like very rare tree The esquires and squirrels are no doubt wondering if its nuts are edible. What say you?

  

Mack Leigh

It is quite evident that Lund should be fired and his complete department be audited and investigated.. Seems that there is no end to Liberal deceit and corruption in this province.

David Raymond Amos

@Mack Leigh Methinks Mr. Lund is just the latest fall guy for the "Powers That Be" in the "Place to Be"

 

David Raymond Amos

I appears to me that politicians had already picked their fall guys before the latest AG Report hit the news. Methinks CEO Stephen Lund and CFO Paul Fudge smell a golden handshake coming with their right to privacy intact kinda like what the conservatives and the liberals gave to David Nicholson and David Hay in order to make them clam up about over the wicked political games played within NB Power. Methinks the AG should check the books of NB Power ASAP before they borrow much more money than what lost with the ATCON fiasco in order to buy "Smart Meters" for no logical reason whatsoever.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/former-utilities-board-chairman-cut-off-at-hearing-1.1072403

Former utilities board chairman cut off at hearing
CBC News Posted: Feb 17, 2011 9:40 PM AT

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/nb-power-irving-1.4000571

NB Power faces searing critique from J.D. Irving Ltd., as rate hearing ends
Utility is under direction from the province to pay down $1B in debt
By Robert Jones, CBC News Posted: Feb 27, 2017 8:23 AM AT

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/nb-power-release-former-president-david-hay-severance-package-1.4198479

NB Power stays silent on severance pay for ex-president
Details of David Hay's payout never revealed because of signed secrecy agreements with province By Robert Jones, CBC News Posted: Jul 11, 2017

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/eub-hearing-nb-power-rate-design-smart-meters-1.4305685

EUB punts rate hearing as NB Power studies $122M smart meter plan
EUB agrees to suspend hearing so it can deal first with NB Power's proposed $122M purchase of smart meters By Robert Jones, Posted: Sep 26, 2017 6:00 AM AT

David Raymond Amos

@David Raymond Amos Talk of Freedom of information check how secretive NB Power is with Mr Todd's report on on how increase our power bill bigtime. Now that the so called "Smart Meter " deal may be coming to fruition at our expense and for our benefit we have cause to celebrate correct? Yea Right. Heres hoping I will be allowed to have a little something to say about that topic tomorrow at a EUB Motion Hearing.

In the "mean" time perhaps CBC should ask David Campbell and his Fed friends to tell us another one about we can sell clean electricity to the USA cheaper than what NB Power bills the taxpayers it purportedly serve.

Lets see if New Brunswick Chief Economist has anything wise to say instead of merely quoting the sign on Billy Clinton's desk in the oval office many moons ago. After all Mr Campbell cannot deny that it is our Economy that is in a nosedive hence he has a fancy new job. N'esy Pas Stupid?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/david-campbell-economist-jobs-energy-solutions-1.4119963

N.B. economist David Campbell to head new Energy Solutions Corp.
New company will be eligible for federal infrastructure funding that NB Power doesn't qualify for By Jacques Poitras, CBC News Posted: May 17, 2017 3:43 PM AT

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/david-campbell-new-brunswick-s-new-chief-economist-1.2964693

David Campbell New Brunswick's new chief economist Campbell says without growth New Brunswick is at risk of becoming "one big retirement home" CBC News Posted: Feb 20, 2015 2:00 PM AT

Shawn McShane

@David Raymond Amos Roger Melanson taps into contingency reserve as NB Power revenue falls..Just wondering how much money is taken by government from NB Power. I recall when NB Power was for sale numbers were that PC/Lib governments had taken $3 Billion + from NB Power over the years to balance the books, pay interest on debt etc. Hence the smart meter program? Another money grab...

stephen blunston

@David Raymond Amos yeah the meters work so well other juristrictions that have put them in are removing them

David Raymond Amos

@stephen blunston That is what is one of the issues I will be drawing attention to during the EUB Hearing tomoorow

David Raymond Amos

@Shawn McShane FYI CBC blocked 3 of my responses to you thus far today

David Raymond Amos 

@Shawn McShane Absolutely Hence I filed a motion about the smart meter program etc with the EUB (Matter 357) Trust that CBC did not tell the whole story

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/eub-hearing-nb-power-rate-design-smart-meters-1.4305685

EUB punts rate hearing as NB Power studies $122M smart meter plan EUB agrees to suspend hearing so it can deal first with NB Power's proposed $122M purchase of smart meters
By Robert Jones, Posted: Sep 26, 2017 6:00 AM AT

The aforementioned motion will be heard tomorrow over the telephone instead of in person. Go Figure when it is a properly scheduled motion day in light of the fact that the EUB accommodated NB Power's sneaky attempt to have the matter dismissed "sine die" with a full blown hearing organized in less than a week. September 21, 2017 was an interesting day for me with all the Interveners and the lawyers and bureaucrts etc who were present. I got to say a little bit then listened for all the bells and whistles to go off to stop the obvious nonsense but as usual the show went on. At least there was lots of coffee, tea and crumpets to partake of as we sat in the Queen's fancy 14th floor boardroom overlooking Saint John Harbour. .

Methinks I am persona non grata hence the use of only the phone with me. What say you?

Whereas CBC keeps blocking my responses to you I have no doubt you would agree if you could only read this. N'esy Pas Hubby Lacroix and Minister Joly?

Fred Brewer

How many times has our government given away tens of millions of dollars to large corporations who then go bankrupt? Instead of doing this over and over again hoping for different results, I would propose that we take say ten million and hand it out to NB start-ups in allocations of $100,000 per start-up. That means for our ten million we get 100 new companies that are owned by New Brunswickers. Even if half of them go bankrupt we would still have 50 new companies. The backbone of our economy is small business so why don't we support and encourage small business?

David Raymond Amos

@Fred Brewer I said exactly those things during my debates in the last Federal election. Just Google Fundy Royal Debate and listen to the one hosted by Rogers TV

 

Marc LeBlanc

Steve,you forgot rule # 4 of the Public Service guide book
"NEVER try to defend that which cannot be defended"

David Raymond Amos @Marc LeBlanc Methinks you forgot Peter Principal as it certainly applies to public service in spades.

The Peter principle is a concept in management theory formulated by educator Laurence J. Peter and published in 1969. It states that the selection of a candidate for a position is based on the candidate's performance in their current role, rather than on abilities relevant to the intended role. Thus, employees only stop being promoted once they can no longer perform effectively, and "managers rise to the level of their incompetence"

 

Donald Bowser

Lund failed and lied about it in NS as well as benefiting his former Bermudan Bank with NS money. Slinks off in disgrace and goes to Bermuda and in 6 months they sent him packing. Where does a known charlatan end up - in NB of course. How is it possible that anybody with that bad of a track record have the gall to stand before the Legislature and refuse to account for his public funding? Time to end the corruption in NB politics but first fire Lund.

David Raymond Amos

@Donald Bowser I must ask you the obvious question if you know oh so much the banksters' involved with public corruption then why have you never called or wrote back to me?

 

Joseph Vacher

Are you NOT Entertained?!?!

David Raymond Amos

@Joseph Vacher I for one am thoroughly enjoying the circus unfold its tent again in Fat Fred City particularly while I am arguing Her Majesty's many minions in Federal Court at the other end of Queen St.

   

Su McCauley

Privacy concerns?? Not when you are asking for money from us taxpayers!! This whole thing still stinks and will never smell better. It still depends who your friends are. And lying about implementing procedures would GET YOU FIRED in a real business!

Total disgust.

David Raymond Amos

@Su McCauley Very True but what are you doing about your total disgust?

Su McCauley

@David Raymond Amos i have never voted PC or LIB in NB.

Su McCauley

and emailing my government rep! LOL! Like that will matter but always worth a shot!

David Raymond Amos

@Su McCauley I have NEVER voted in my life. However check history to verify that I did run for public office five times thus far as an Independent. Although I had no false illusions about ever being elected at least I did get to debate the political parties byway of their fellow candidates in front of many Maritimers since 2004.

Go figure why I would do such a thing.


 
Shawn McShane

Privacy concerns? Opportunities NB Providing Payroll Rebate To Nordia

A payroll rebate agreement includes: Number of new positions created, Average annual salary... I don't understand the privacy dilemma...no disclosure no taxpayer funded money sweepstakes giveaway.

David Raymond Amos

@Shawn McShane Why should portions of Mr Todd's report to NB Power and the EUB be confidential?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/atcon-funding-auditor-general-report-1.4317029

Atcon was so badly managed, taxpayers' $63M was never going to save it, AG finds

326 Comments

Commenting is now closed for this story.


 
Brian Robertson

Basically, politicians in New Brunswick are not accountable for their actions.
They can steal and misuse public money with impunity.

They are above the law and really don't care that we know that they are.

The only difference between New Brunswick and your typical Banana Republic is that it's too bloody cold here to grow bananas.

David Raymond Amos

@Brian Robertson Methinks the same words can be said of every politician in every jurisdiction of this wonderful old world whether they can grow bananas or not. In my humble opinion it has been that way long before the Greeks dreamed up a thing called democracy or the dreamer Plato wrote a Socratic dialogue concerning republics and justice. Trump proves what a tragic comedy that is on a daily basis correct?

 

Mario Doucet

The NB taxpayers require the resignations of all involved including Brian Gallant.

David Raymond Amos

@Mario Doucet Anyone recall all the Hell I raised about Victor Boudreau's budget in 2009?

  

john bourque

NBers already know what happened, we were robed and no one was held accountable.

 

David Raymond Amos

@john bourque Methinks Madame MacPherson needs to review all the documents I sent her office since 2006

 
James Johnstone

I am a New Brunswick taxpayer who lives hand to mouth while struggling to pay increasing taxes to the government of this province. When I am told my taxes paid for luxury car leases, jewelry, and payments on a vacation property in Aruba, wages paid to people who did not work for Atcon, Scotia Bank given priority over the province, $13.4 million given to the government of the Northwest Territories for work on the Deh Cho Bridge when we are closing unsafe bridges at home. These are just some of the things that are being released and I am extremely upset. There are seven Liberal MLA's who made these decisions, or should it be called theft, that are in today's Brian Gallant's caucus. Mr. Gallant, I ask that you remove these people immediately from your Liberal Party. I you refuse then it indicates that you are in agreement with their decisions and your resignation is in order immediately. The taxpayers of this province are only hearing bits and pieces of this waste of money as I am sure that there are many other people involved. It is time to have people be held accountable for this and other government waste.

David Raymond Amos

@James Johnstone Speaking of New Brunswick taxpayers footing the the bill of question government actions, does anyone recall our Little Lord "the lawyer" deciding all by himself to refurbish Lepreau 3 years after the PUB (whom he later fired and replaced with the EUB) had already judged it not wise to do so?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/n-b-to-refurbish-aging-nuclear-plant-1.527883

N.B. to refurbish aging nuclear plant
CBC News Posted: Jul 29, 2005 7:10 AM ET

"New Brunswick said Friday it is going ahead with a $1.4-billion refurbishment of its Point Lepreau nuclear plant, and said Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. will be the general contractor. The decision from Premier Bernard Lord's government ends months of speculation over the fate of the aging power generating facility near"

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/energy-critic-questions-cost-of-lepreau-refit-1.311259

Energy critic questions cost of Lepreau refit
CBC News Posted: Jun 18, 2002 5:43 PM AT

"A nuclear power critic told a Public Utilities Board hearing that NB Power is underestimating the cost of refurbishing Point Lepreau Tom Adams of Energy Probe was the final witness in the three week hearing. The PUB is examining NB Power's proposal to refit the aging plant."

"A lawyer for Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. questioned Adams' credibility and accused him of having an anti-nuclear bias.Bernie Miller challenged Adams claim that AECL didn't pay a debt owed to Ontario Hydro."

"However, Adams says NB power is using accounting procedures to camouflage the real cost of nuclear power."


 
Lou Bell

Perhaps AG should do audit on waste in D'Entremonts Dept.. !

David Raymond Amos

@Lou Bell I second that emotion

 

• Shawn McShane

Why did Victor Boudreau give up the province's security on the loan guarantees AFTER he was told by senior civil servants that the province would incur a loss in the $50 million-$70 million range if the company were to fail? MacPherson already said Boudreau broke regulations in releasing the province’s security and then he gets named Minister of Health overseeing the Parle water quality fiasco where he had an investment. Then put in charge of the Strategic Program Review to solve a large gap, between $485 million and $600 million in the account books of the province.

David Raymond Amos 

@Shawn McShane I wonder if Victor Boudreau or Madame MacPherson recall why the Conservatives sued these beancounters over 3 years ago on the 10th anniversary of them barring me from the legislative properties.

Kevin Bissett, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Published Tuesday, June 24, 2014 3:04PM ADT

FREDERICTON -- The New Brunswick government has launched a lawsuit against an accounting firm in an effort to recover $50 million provided as loan guarantees to the Miramichi-based Atcon group of companies.

The lawsuit filed with the Court of Queen's Bench in Saint John alleges that Grant Thornton was in breach of its duties to the province in an inspection of the financial books of the Atcon group of companies.

 
Maurice Olsen

Why are Denis Landry, Brian Kenny and Rick Doucet still in the cabinet? They approved the Atcon fiasco just as much as Victor Boudreau, Ed Doherty and Donald Arsenault who were booted out. Who received payment for no work: names please! Who got the jewelry, luxury car lease and payments on a vacation lot in Aruba: names please. As a taxpayer, I want to know who got my money for no reason at all. Names! I want names. Furthermore there should be serious consequences for the politicos involved.

David Raymond Amos

@Travis McIntyre It worked for Shawn Graham so it should work for the rest.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/atcon-stephen-lund-auditor-general-report-1.4319620

Opportunities NB boss defends response to Atcon fiasco

Stephen Lund blames privacy laws for failure to act on all of auditor-general's recommendations

By Jacques Poitras, CBC News Posted: Oct 04, 2017 6:30 AM AT 

Opportunities New Brunswick CEO Stephen Lund (on right) and chief financial officer Paul Fudge spoke to reporters in Fredericton about the auditor general's report on Atcon Tuesday afternoon. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)


The head of Opportunities New Brunswick says he's doing his best to be transparent but privacy laws are preventing him from meeting all of the auditor general's recommendations to avoid another Atcon fiasco.

Stephen Lund also says the systems in place at the relatively new Crown corporation would have prevented the fiasco from happening in the first place.

"I believe if ONB had been in place back in 2009, we wouldn't have had an Atcon," Lund told reporters. "We have the ability to say, 'No.'"

Lund was responding to calls from Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs that he be fired by Premier Brian Gallant for telling the legislature most of the recommendations were in place.​
 
Lund was hired as the first CEO of Opportunities New Brunswick, which the Liberals created after they took office in 2014.

In 2015, Auditor General Kim MacPherson issued 19 recommendations that she said would help avoid another case like Atcon.

In 2009, the then-Liberal government of Shawn Graham overruled the advice of civil servants and approved $50 million in loan guarantees to save the Miramichi company, which was sinking in debt.

With an earlier $13.3 million in loan guarantees, the total assistance came to $63.4 million. Taxpayers lost all but $2.8 million after Atcon went bankrupt the following year.

Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs called for Premier Brian Gallant to fire ONB CEO Stephen Lund Tuesday for what he contends amounted to lying to the legislature about the Atcon recommendations. (Catherine Harrop/CBC)

MacPherson's 2015 recommendations included a more rigorous application process for government funding, a clear assessment of risks and rewards by the province, and a valuation of a company's assets.

Opportunities New Brunswick has said that it put in place 15 of MacPherson's 19 recommendations. But MacPherson said Tuesday only four of 19 were in place.

'What I said is the policies were in place. … We are now in the process of implementing all of these policies.' - Stephen Lund, ONB

"We find it unfortunate that after all this time, these recommendations — it appears there [is] very little effort to implement them," she said.

Another of her recommendations was that Opportunities New Brunswick report not just on how many jobs were expected from its subsidies to businesses, but how many are actually created.

"It's not enough to say, 'Expected jobs,'" MacPherson said Tuesday. "What about 'actual jobs?'"
At a legislature committee hearing last year, Lund refused to tell MLAs how many jobs had been created at several individual companies the corporation had subsidized.

Will provide aggregate job numbers

He said Tuesday that privacy laws made it difficult to provide numbers for individual firms, but that corporation would start providing aggregate numbers of actual jobs created.

He also said he was looking at requiring companies to waive their privacy protection as a condition of receiving money.

Higgs told reporters Tuesday that Lund's claims of having put in place 15 of 19 recommendations amounted to lying to the legislature.

 http://www.cbc.ca/listen/shows/information-morning-fredericton/segment/14261055

Oct 4, 2017

Terry Seguin talks to the province's Auditor General about Atcon, and where her search for answers to the missing millions is leading.

"You look under the hood and you find that number is more like four and they're not being followed at all," Higgs said. "That's the sad part.

"Stephen Lund should take accountability for this, the premier should take accountability for this, and Stephen Lund should lose his job over this. He should be fired."

Lund said he wouldn't comment on that, calling it "politics."

Unimplemented recommendations minor

 

Auditor General Kim MacPherson's report found Atcon was poorly managed and used questionable accounting when the former Shawn Graham government gave the company $63.4 million in loan guarantees. (Maria Burgos/CBC)

He acknowledged that his definition of putting MacPherson's recommendations in place wasn't the same as the auditor general's.

"What I said is the policies were in place," he said. "We are now in the process of implementing all of these policies."

Paul Fudge, the chief financial officer for Opportunities New Brunswick, said other cases of what MacPherson considered non-implementation were minor.

"In a lot of the cases where we were offside, one of five, or one of two, files were missing a piece of paperwork. The wrong form was used, it wasn't signed, or it wasn't in the file when she asked for it."

Lund said the Crown corporation was committed to transparency and understood the importance of making sure tax dollars are spent wisely.


 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/atcon-funding-auditor-general-report-1.4317029

Atcon was so badly managed, taxpayers' $63M was never going to save it, AG finds

Kim MacPherson says spending practices included salaries for some managers' relatives who didn't work there

By Jacques Poitras, CBC News Posted: Oct 03, 2017 7:30 AM AT 

New Brunswick Auditor General Kim MacPherson presented her Atcon findings to the public accounts and Crown corporations committee in Fredericton on Tuesday morning. (Maria Burgos/CBC)

The Atcon group of companies was poorly managed and used questionable accounting when the Liberal government of Shawn Graham gave it $63.4 million in loan guarantees, says New Brunswick's auditor general.

Kim MacPherson says in a new audit, her second on the Miramichi-based construction company, that the money was "largely used for business-related activities," as it was intended.

But Atcon was so bad at managing money that Atcon's bank, Scotiabank, was "the primary beneficiary of government financial assistance" after the company went bankrupt in 2010.

Things were so bad at the company that the provincial loan guarantees were "never going to have been enough to 'save' Atcon," MacPherson writes.

Even though civil servants warned the Graham cabinet that helping Atcon was a risk, she says, the cabinet was not told the assistance was too small to save the company.

• Brian Gallant promises auditor general more money for Atcon probe
• Auditor General Kim MacPherson seeks more money needed for Atcon audit

Atcon collapsed in 2010 despite $63.4 million in loan guarantees approved by the Liberals, one of the most controversial political decisions of their 2006-10 term in office.
The audit is MacPherson's second investigation into the fiasco.

'In my view, public expectation justifiably remains for these elected officials to be transparent and give rationale for this inexplicable multi-million dollar decision.' - Kim MacPherson, auditor general

Seven former ministers who were part of the Atcon decisions are still in the legislature: current cabinet ministers Rick Doucet, Denis Landry and Brian Kenney, and former ministers Victor Boudreau, Ed Doherty and Donald Arseneault.

None of those MLAs attended the committee hearing Tuesday where MacPherson presented her report.

MacPherson's first audit, in 2015, examined the government decision-making process on the loan guarantees.

But after releasing that report, the auditor general said she wanted to investigate further because many members of the public were asking where the money had gone once it was handed over.

In the new audit, MacPherson says $13.4 million went to the government of the Northwest Territories for work on the Deh Cho Bridge, because New Brunswick had also guaranteed that work.

The rest of the money was used as follows:

MacPherson said despite those findings, she was unable to see all the Atcon records she had hoped to examine in the second audit.

Still, she identified some of the company's poor spending practices, including salaries paid to "some family of key senior management," despite little evidence they worked for the company.

Atcon, a Miramichi-based construction company, went bankrupt in 2010.

A company account also paid $700,000 of "personal expenses of a shareholder," including a luxury car lease, jewelry, and payments on a vacation property in Aruba.

MacPherson also questioned Atcon's decision to lease a corporate jet for $124,000 month, a lease the province knew about in March 2009 before it approved the $50 million in loan guarantees.

The company paid a total of $8 million for the jet before sub-leasing it to a Quebec company in September 2009.

Only 4 of 19 recommendations implemented

MacPhersons says only four of the 19 recommendations from her first audit in 2015 have been implemented, despite claims by Opportunities New Brunswick that implemented 15 of them.

The recommendations included requiring companies looking for money to provide more documentation of their financial status, and having Opportunities New Brunswick investigate whether it is valid.

That first audit said Premier Shawn Graham's Liberal cabinet had rejected advice by civil servants to reject Atcon's request for help.

She said at the time that showed "a very troubling disregard for taxpayers' money."

In 2009, Victor Boudreau, as the Business New Brunswick minister, signed off on removing the province's position as primary creditor, despite warnings. (CBC)

The Liberal cabinet approved $50 million in loan guarantees, despite warnings from officials that Atcon's profitability was "marginal," that its ability to pay its debt was "very questionable," and that its track record of repaying government was "dismal."

A key moment later in 2009 was the decision to remove the province's position as primary creditor, which would have given it the first right to collect money owed if the company went bankrupt.

• Brian Gallant drops 3 senior ministers in cabinet shuffle
• Brian Gallant stands by 6 ministers from Atcon loan fiasco

Despite warnings that the change "could result in a large loss to the province" if Atcon went bankrupt, then-Business New Brunswick minister Victor Boudreau signed off on the removal of security in October 2009.

MacPherson said if not for that decision, the province might have recouped $12 million to $19 million of the Atcon loan guarantees, not the $2.8 million it has recovered.

"In my view, public expectation justifiably remains for these elected officials to be transparent and give rationale for this inexplicable multi-million dollar decision," MacPherson said.

A separate investigation by New Brunswick's conflict-of-interest commissioner ruled Graham was in a conflict when he took part in the decisions, because his father Allan was a director of an Atcon subsidiary.

MacPherson catalogued provincial assistance to Atcon companies dating back to the 1993-94 fiscal year. As of April 2014, the province had lost $69.6 million, of which $63.4 million was a result of decisions by the Graham Liberals.