Thursday, October 20, 2011

Uranium ban costs taxpayers $30 million

From the files:

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Uranium a glowing problem for government

The province's handling of uranium mining brings to mind Homer Simpson's approach to operating a nuclear power plant.
And the stumbles could get expensive for taxpayers, if a disgruntled company does well in court...

Back in 2009, I wrote about the risk to taxpayers of a uranium mining ban imposed by the government.
Unfortunately, the column was accurate. This week the government announced it's paying $30 million, plus legal costs, to Boss Power Corp. as compensation for its belated decision to ban uranium mining.Back in 2009, I noted the potential cost to taxpayers as a result of the government's mishandling of the controversial issue of uranium mining in the province.
The government issued its new release on the same day as the shipbuilding announcement, an indication it might not have wanted people to notice the payment.

The rest of the 2009 column is here.

12 comments:

North Van's Grumps said...

$40 million to help train the workers for Seaspan

$30 million PLUS legal costs to Boss Power Corp....

Where is Christy finding all this loose change?

Anonymous said...

Yesterday was a good day to bury bad news, thanks for digging and holding this newstory up high for the public to see.

Grant G said...

I wonder if China pays miners to stop digging.

Here is Christy`s high-regarded trading partner in action.

They stop mining rare earth minerals used in Solar panels, batteries and electronics in order to jack up the price.

Cheap Raw logs, volume volume volume, low value dumping, where as China...


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15382534


I wonder where where the ship steel will come from?

Good Day Mr. Willcocks

RossK said...

Well, now that the current Premier has put a price on the heads of the adult disabled that she says we cannot afford (see Mr. Willcocks' previous post), we also now know exactly what this really cost us....

$30,000,000/$50,000 = 600 adult disabled years.

.

Anonymous said...

“malfeasance of public office”
pretty much sums up the BC Liberal years in office

Vaughn Palmer has a few words

Then there's this: "With neighboring property-owner Boss Power Corp. (BPU.V) yesterday announcing a $30 million settlement against the provincial government in British Columbia, International Montoro Resources Inc. (IMK.V) also intends to now press a claim its land likewise was improperly expropriated." - NASDAQ

DPL said...

30 million and counting for a messed up deal yet no money for young adults with disabilities, clearly shows where the priorities are.

scotty on Denman said...

It would be interesting to know when these claims were first staked.

Steve Cooley said...

Echos of Carrier Lumber. Campbell and company with the help of the main stream media rubbed the NDP's nose in it when they lost in Court over a similar abuse of power.

Campbell and company must have been just 'playing the game' at that time because they didn't take the NDP's lesson to heart, however main stream media is still on their side because this story is rapidly slipping into the back pages.

Anonymous said...

Dead Woman Walking
Falcon's Flies Circle Christie's Corpse

Undermining her authority, or at least creating the impression that she doesn’t have a firm grip on her caucus, is not what the Liberals need right now. Unless, of course, they want to ensure the party goes down in flames in the next election. In that case, caucus members should continue planting seeds of dissent.

It may well be that the biggest trouble makers in caucus could care less because they’re not planning to run again anyway.

Gary Mason, The Globe & Mail

Anonymous said...

This story seems to have some traction...

Boss Power uranium mine timeline
The Vancouver Sun

Uranium mine lawsuit costs B.C. $30M (with map)
CBC News

Ex-B.C. chief mines inspector wants reputation restored after $30-million government uranium fiasco
Larry Pynn, The Vancouver Sun

Former BC Liberal mines minister Kevin Krueger brushing aside NDP criticism over uranium mine
CKNW(AM980)

Uranium project a radioactive blizzard for B.C. Liberals
Vaughn Palmer, The Vancouver Sun

Anonymous said...

Vaughn Palmer again takes the BC Liberals to task - apparently hanging senior civil servants out to dry is the new BC Liberal way.

Who decided to ignore the law in this matter? “Nobody,” heckled Krueger. “That never happened.”

Those things that the government admitted to the court? They never happened. Incredible as it seems, that would appear to be the revised B.C. Liberal position.

As to how Krueger and his colleagues groped their way to this state of denial, I gather it originated with an angry response from senior public servants who were given no advance warning that they were being hung out to dry when the statement was first filed in court late last year.


The Hansard Blues have the appalling transcript from question period starting around [1355].

Anonymous said...

The Province's Michael Smith sums it up neatly: "The question here is whether B.C. taxpayers were burned for an extraordinarily large amount because the government broke the law in dealing with the company, and the government didn’t want its dirty-laundry hamper being tipped over in court."