15 years ago … (Jan. 16-22, 1996)
Charbonneau sacks North Van school board
Education Minister Art Charbonneau fired the entire North Vancouver school board this week for failing to deal with the district's $5-million budget deficit.
The board "appears to be in breach of its general obligations to the electors and is putting the district in a fiscally dangerous position," Mr. Charbonneau said, calling the purge a "drastic measure."
Last year, the board told the province it had a $1.7-million deficit and then later revised it to $2.6-million.
Mr. Charbonneau directed the board to cut $500,000 this year. Instead, the deficit ballooned to about $5-million, the board announced in a press release last week.
Fired board member Pat Heal blamed rising costs and provincial cutbacks, saying: "Our district is not getting its fair share of the funding."
Eleven of B.C.'s 75 school districts overspent their budgets in 1994-1995, but North Vancouver was the only district that failed to come up with a plan to balance its books by the end of the current school year, Mr. Charbonneau said.
Flash forward: Five of the seven fired North Vancouver school trustees ran in school board elections the following November. Four were re-elected.
25 years ago … (Jan. 16-22, 1986)
Ministers under fire over personal investments
Two Bennett government cabinet ministers found themselves in hot water this week over allegations they failed to disclose personal investments in a government-owned pulp-mill firm with logging interests in the Queen Charlotte Islands.
Forests Minister Tom Waterland resigned on Friday after a financial-disclosure statement filled annually by all members of the legislature revealed he has a $20,000 stake in the Western Pulp Partnership, which owns mills in Port Alice and Squamish.
Energy Minister Stephen Rogers admitted Friday he has a $100,000 investment in the same company. However, instead of listing that information on the financial disclosure forms, Mr. Rogers listed the investment under his personal holding company, prompting the Attorney-General's ministry to launch a conflict of interest probe.
Premier Bill Bennett defended Mr. Rogers, saying the pulp-mill investment has nothing to do with his responsibilities as Energy Minister.
Western Pulp Partnership has a timber-supply agreement with Western Forest Products, which holds cutting rights in the disputed South Moresby area of the Queen Charlottes.
First Nations and environmentalists are actively opposing logging in the area.
Flash forward: Mr. Rogers resigned from cabinet in April, 1986, and pleaded guilty to charges of failing to disclose all of his investments.
Special to the Globe and Mail
