In an earlier post I mentioned that, despite a $1 billion reduction in the province's deficit, the BC Liberals were still far from being able to congratulate themselves on their management of the province's finances.
Well, I hold to that analysis, especially in light of news like this, via The Hook:
British Columbia's government spent $325 million more on the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics than originally promised.
The $925.2 million bill to taxpayers was disclosed in an unaudited Friday report and included a $50 million bailout for the recession-rocked Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee.
The province stepped in to help VANOC pay costs of transportation and accommodation and to truck snow into Cypress Mountain after El Nino-related warmth melted snow at the snowboarding and freestyle skiing venue.
"We faced incredible challenges in the year leading up to the Games," said Colin Hansen, finance and Olympics minister, in a teleconference. "Certainly the global economic climate that we went through over those months going back to September 2008 was really unprecedented."
The B.C. government promised the International Olympic Committee that it would cover any Games losses. The $925.2 million figure does not include costs borne by Crown corporations or government agencies that were VANOC sponsors or service providers.
Read the rest.
Well that's certainly encouraging, isn't it? Let's continue. Here's Vaughn Palmer, in his Sun blog: Public accounts: contractual obligations about the same as last year:
The B.C. Liberals have put the province on the hook for about $53 billion worth of short- to long-term contractual obligations, according to the public accounts released Thursday.
Last year's tally was $52 billion.
Contractual obligations include everything from long term supply contracts (those valued over $50 million) to the controversial public private partnerships. Together they represent obligations that will, in many cases, stretch well beyond the current term of government.
They are not regarded as being the same as debt under public sector accounting rules, an interpretation that is supported by the independent auditor general. But they are reported in the public accounts.
Read the rest. While you're at it, check out this column by Vaughn Palmer in the Sun: Evergreen Line promise comes with funding gap.
Meanwhile, via Sean Holman at Public Eye Online: Liberals aren't lining up to join auditor general's fan club:
Some Liberal legislators don't have a favourable opinion of how the provincial government's top financial watchdog John Doyle is doing his job. This, according to a survey of MLAs exclusively obtained by Public Eye via a freedom of information request. The survey was completed between February 1 and March 19, representing a snapshot of opinion during that period. Around the same time, the speaker of the legislative assembly launched a controversial review of British Columbia's statutory officers - including the auditor general.
The survey was conducted by Victoria-based market research firm R.A. Malatest and Associates Ltd. as part of three-year-old annual effort by the auditor general office to determine MLAs "knowledge of, and satisfaction with" his services.
In 2009 and 2010, that included recent reports highlighting the need for a comprehensive homelessness action plan, increased oversight of oil and gas sites and improvements in the handling of electronic health records among other issues.
The good news in the survey is 83 percent of Liberals who completed it agreed or strongly agreed the auditor general "provides value to the public" - a 16 point increase over last year. And 65 percent think Mr. Doyle's office has "promoted efficient and actionable government."
But the bad news begins with the fact just 25 of the Liberals' 48 MLAs who were sent that questionnaire filled it out - a 52 percent participation rate. By comparison, 81 percent of opposition MLAs did so, as well as giving the auditor general considerably higher satisfaction marks.
Read the rest. Also see Vaughn Palmer ( yes, him again ) in his Sun blog: Public accounts: Auditor-General has reservations.
Make of these stories what you may. I remain convinced that, while the BC Liberals might have a solid claim to respectable fiscal management in the past, they've strayed a bit far off the beaten path of fiscal respectability in recent years.
But then, I'm a harsh critic.
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