Interesting Times Colonist story on former solicitor general John Les and liquor agents - small-town stores that sell gin along with groceries and hardware.
Worth a column, but two points now. First, many groups are silenced by a cabinet minister who says, 'play nice, and I might be able to help you. Raise a fuss, and you're toast.' They buy it, even though, like the liquor agencies, they get nothing in return foir silence.
Second, it is interesting that private liquor stores, with much tighter ties to the Liberals - former minister Gary Collins is a director of one major player - have succeeded in winning big cash windfalls from the government.
The gifts to private liquor stores have added up to about $50 million a year in extra profits. And, of course, that is $50 million less in revenue for government, that taxpayers have to come up with.
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John Les seems to get into a bit of trouble now and again. It will be interesting to see his court case completed. But emails by another Minister gets that fellow in hot water as well. Don't they understand that some folks actually keep copies of such utterances, or maybe the fact they have some power has gone straight to their heads
You raise an interesting point. However the private liquor store operators didn’t go whining to the NDP like the rural store operators did. The private liquor store operators had their discount increased whereas the rural guys are not getting anything. To me maybe John Les was actually being truthful with them
My question for you Paul. Is it true that the NDP opposed the creation of rural liquor stores like Coleman claimed they did in Hansard ?
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