BC Hydro put high-priced $100,000+ managers to work on 2010 Vancouver Olympics - as ticket sellers, drivers and other "joe jobs"
Friday July 16, 2010
24 hours exclusive
By Bill Tieleman, 24 hours columnist
Would you pay an employee $140,000 a year to sell event tickets?
That’s what BC Hydro did for the 2010 Olympic Games when they seconded a senior manager to be a “Ticketing Representative” for $11,637 per month for three months, according to documents obtained exclusively by 24 hours through a Freedom Of Information request.
Another seconded BC Hydro employee making $137,916 a year worked as a “Supervisor, Event Services” for the Vancouver Olympics and a third making $127,296 annually was “Manager, Transportation Facilities”.
In total BC Hydro seconded 67 employees making between $21.64 an hour and $12,084 a month for up to five months at a cost of at least $2,487,000. Sixteen of the 67 make over $100,000 each at BC Hydro.
NDP MLA John Horgan called the high-priced Hydro help “outrageous”.
“It’s outrageous that they would be paying $12,000 a month for a ticket representative,” Horgan, NDP energy critic. “It seems to be a misuse of BC Hydro expertise.”
Horgan also questioned how well paid BC Hydro senior managers could be seconded for extended periods of time.
“If they were expendable then, what are they doing now?” Horgan asked.
The highest paid seconded employee – at $145,000 a year – was a “Principal Engineer” who served as VANOC “Energy Director” – for nearly five years, from September 2005 to April 2010.
The value of that donated time alone exceeds $675,000.
Other senior managers also appeared to be doing “joe jobs” well below their expertise, according to the FOI.
A BC Hydro “Project Manager” paid $119,000 a year was seconded to VANOC to be a “Fleet Coordinator”, as was an “Energy Manager” making $115,000 a year and a “Senior Environmental Coordinator” making $89,000 annually.
Details of FOI request obtained by 24 hours of BC Hydro staff seconded to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic GamesA BC Hydro representative declined comment, instead referring 24 hours to the provincial government. Calls to the ministry of finance and BC Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Secretariat were not returned by deadline.
Some of the seconded BC Hydro employees doing what appears to be the same job had widely varying rates of pay. In addition to the $140,000 a year manager there were other employees working as “Ticketing Representatives” who were paid $56,556 and $53,352 a year.
Other BC Hydro seconded managers appear to have been doing Olympic jobs similar to their own, with “Project Manager 2” serving as “Venue Energy Manager” for the games at $111,000 a year – but for two and a half years.
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35 comments:
Well...I'm absolutely flummoxed! Seems to me those are good places to start cutting. If BC Hydro (and the other Crown Corps I'm sure) didn't miss these people while they were doing their Owelympic jobs, they won't miss them if they lay them off now, will they
Although not as HIGH on the pay scale, I am aware of one Ministry that cried desperately for volunteers. In the end a handful took advantage of the "paid time off" to help out at the Olympics. HOWEVER, when the Ministry in question realized it was short staffed and getting behind, it offered weekend overtime at 3X the pay. Go figure
Guy in Victoria
After reading about the MLa's drawing a per diem if they went even close to the Ledg. nothing suprises me any more.The actual costs of the circus must be huge and no doubt we will never find out. I figure as my costs keep going up, I'll start to hang around the Ledg. and maybe my MLA will take me to lunch now and again. some two faced folks are on the government nipple.
I reported on this almost two years ago to you and a number of others!
In 2008 dozens of public servants, many in Victoria, in a variety of departments, for example, Motor Vehicle Branch were "volunteered" with full pay and special expense accounts to "work" for VANOC as part of the Gordon Campbell 2010 EGO GAMES.
Likely millions of dollars of ministry expenditures . . . mis-represented in the House have been scammed since 2006.
Where was Carole James and the NDP when this criminal behavior was going on?!
The answer is . . . she and her white-wine-socialists were pandering to ethnic special interest groups and gender based political hacks.
And this "_ITCH" wants to be Premier!!
The GREAT SATAN
Satan,
You really had to bend over double, to find a way to blame the NDP for this one.
I'm not defending the Do-Nothing Opposition,
but it's infuriating when the Campbell Gang can't take the well-deserved lumps coming to them, without trying to share the shame.
Sorry to potential posters but comparing the BC Liberals to the Nazis in Germany is simply offensive and inappropriate - and it won't be published here.
My father and his family lived through the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands - do not try and minimize the terrible impact of that odious regime with current day British Columbia.
I feel sick to hear this Bill. I knew that all of these government employed volunteers were going to cost us big time, but I never imagined the degree of waste they would incur and all to hide the true cost of the games. That ticketing representative could have paid Ida Chong's meal allowance for almost 2 years! Or fed an average family for the same period of time.
"but it's infuriating when the Campbell Gang can't take the well-deserved lumps coming to them, without trying to share the shame."
Seems to many that the Opposition can't take the lumps either.
Also have to remember when VanderZalm packed more expenses in government with his Regional Secretaries who also got more money for doing nothing.
"Sorry to potential posters but comparing the BC Liberals to the Nazis in Germany is simply offensive and inappropriate - and it won't be published here."
So why do you keep allowing posts with that sort of thing in it?
Many think including myself that Campbell should be out the door by the end of the year, comparing him to Kim Il in North Korea is way over the top.
My father and his family lived through the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands - do not try and minimize the terrible impact of that odious regime with current day British Columbia
Agree and dump any posts that have that crap written into it. The BC Liberals are bad, but a person is absolutely insane to equate them with the Nazi regime.
and think about this.
If people who continually think we live in a police state, if those people actually lived in a police state and railed against the government like they do, they would be shot.
Their families would be next.
Followed by their known friends.
In short, in the contxt of a fictional police state existing in B.C., if that were true, Bill you would have either been sent to a labour camp 200 miles east of Dease Lake, or shot.
Who's the worst Premier in BC? Hint: the one in charge in this and other stories on Bill's site. And you get the chance to vote in the Globe poll at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/you-tell-us/article1405166/
To Anon 5:37 p.m. - the post I did not allow was quite offensive - but I generally don't publish Nazi references - if I have missed some let me know.
On Kim Il Jong - I didn't compare Gordon Campbell to him except as an egomaniac, which I think is fair comment and was meant humorously.
"Where was Carole James and the NDP when this criminal behavior was going on?!"
So what makes you think this is criminal? Cite Criminal Code of Canada violation.
It wasn't the smartest thing to do, but it is not criminal.
"The answer is . . . she and her white-wine-socialists were pandering to ethnic special interest groups and gender based political hacks."
Nice answer there. Just as the federal Liberals have always thought of themselves as the Party for New Immigrants?
"On Kim Il Jong - I didn't compare Gordon Campbell to him except as an egomaniac, which I think is fair comment and was meant humorously."
Kim Il Jong is also a dictator and has ruined North Korea. I don't see any humor in equating leader such as him to any leader in Canada, no matter how bad our Premier is.
You wouldn't want your Mike Harcourt compared to Stalin, since both have mustaches and both governed from the left side of the political house.
To BC MARY
What are we paying money to NDP MLAs for if they as an OPPOSITION PARTY can't even cover this matter and Bill and I have to?!
Where was Carole James on this matter in 2008, 2009 and up to today?
But regarding the Gordo Olympics the NDP were as bad as the GRITS and our beautiful BC media for sticking their noses into the 2010 TROUGH.
So yes Mary, the NDP have as much poop on their boots as the GRITS do when it comes to the _OD DAMN Olympic Games.
And let's not forget the hundreds of "public-servants" who took the ill-gotten cash and perks for 18 months and kept quiet about their big golden-win.
The only "honest people" in this mess were those opposed to all things 2010, and sadly that means some of our hooded vandals from February.
ALL OF OUR GOVERNMENT IS THE ENEMY!
The GREAT SATAN
Damn, if there ever was a reason to privatize BC Hydro this is it. A privatized BC Hydro would drop this deadwood and never engage in this kind of idiotic activity.
A privatized BC Hydro would always look at the bottom line. The current "public" BC Hydro just has everyone feeding at the taxpayer's trough.
Oink oink.
Trying to be positive here. Possibly, this experience was a real learning curve for those high paid volunteer's from hydro-crown corporations.
This may have been their first opportunity at doing real meaningful work,now having experienced what real work is, they will return to their comfortable positions with more zeal and zest, knowing now, if they fail , whats in store for them out there in the real world.
Anonymous 8:25 - Oh, you mean like the privatized BC Ferries dropped their deadwood? They participated as well, if you remember. And Hahn is the perfect example of deadwood. Only we're stuck with him all the time.
That would be a win-win for British Columbians, wouldn't it? Deadwood and concern for the bottom line from two formerly lucrative Crown Corps.
"What are we paying money to NDP MLAs for if they as an OPPOSITION PARTY can't even cover this matter and Bill and I have to?!"
Niether Bill or you *have to* cover anything. Bill is doing it out of political interest. No one has stated that he *has* to. He is doing it out of interest, his profile building and is very good at it.
What's your excuse?
"Where was Carole James on this matter in 2008, 2009 and up to today?"
Ask her. Her office number is on the government website.
Better yet go and see her.
"But regarding the Gordo Olympics the NDP were as bad as the GRITS and our beautiful BC media for sticking their noses into the 2010 TROUGH."
No one could be as bad as the federal Liberals though.
"So yes Mary, the NDP have as much poop on their boots as the GRITS do when it comes to the _OD DAMN Olympic Games."
So what would you have done? Nothing obviously.
"And let's not forget the hundreds of "public-servants" who took the ill-gotten cash and perks for 18 months and kept quiet about their big golden-win."
It was public knowledge that the public service was asked to get involved.
"The only "honest people" in this mess were those opposed to all things 2010, and sadly that means some of our hooded vandals from February. "
Well that statement speaks volumes about where you stand. I suppose you're all for disrupting and damging businesses because the freeks can't get their way and rail against the so-called large corporations?
ALL OF OUR GOVERNMENT IS THE ENEMY!
Well that includes the federal Libeals run by Pierre Trudeau, Jean Chretien and Paul Martin.
More so in regards to Trudeau.
The GREAT SATAN
BC's best quality devilled ham
The Great Satan,
Now you're scaring me.
You say that Trudeau, Chretien, and Martin are bad men ...
which looks to me as if you think S Harper is a good man? Say it isn't so, Satan. I thought you were the expert in matters of Good and Bad.
800 businesses created through Games spending – or were they?
More than 800 new businesses were created Canada-wide as a result of the incremental economic growth stimulated by the 2010 Winter Games. – government report on B.C. spending on the 2010 Olympics
The statement comes from a report that Finance Minister Colin Hansen released earlier this month on the financial commitments and benefits of the Olympics. It sounds unequivocal.
However, the provincial government could not produce the names of 800 new business in Canada that owe their existence to the 2010 Olympics. Or even 100. Also, the government could not say whether any of the companies are still in business. So did the businesses really exist?
Robert Matas, The Globe and Mail
The Vancouver Province paper has an advertisement on page A26 (Sunday July 18, 2010) without the information of who paid for the ad included boasting "HST will save you money".
Secondly, the last line in the ad says:
"This is especially beneficial for all of our Canadian-made furniture manufacturers."
Is there any furniture manufactured in Canada, or BC? From a report done by CBC television, four or five years ago, products can be deemed to have been made in Canada simply by adding the sticker that says MADE IN CANADA or assembling a few, the fewest of parts supplied by a foreign manufacturer.
How is the HST beneficial to furniture manufacturers here in British Columbia, forget about being manufactured here in Canada where not all provinces have jumped on the band wagon of the HST?
Oh, and by the way, online readers of the Province won't find the hard copy of the advertisement
Well, the LIEberals are still running that misleading, if not flat out dishonest, tax payer funding HST advertisement on CKNW, that says "if you did not pay PST on it, you will not pay HST on it."
This kind of dishonesty is all too symptomatic of Campbell and Hansen. BC Rail, BC Hydro, the HST, the cost of the Olympics and the "jobs" it created, these sleaze bags lie about everything, anytime, all the time.
From Anonymous 5:37
"If people who continually think we live in a police state, if those people actually lived in a police state and railed against the government like they do, they would be shot."
"Their families would be next."
"Followed by their known friends."
- - - - - - - -
We've had this discussion before. If by "police state" you are referring to a country where people, and their friends sometimes, are routinely shot or harshly imprisoned for demonstrating dissent then I would agree that we do not live in a police state.
However, our so-called civilized approach to dissent is not to eliminate it but merely to manage it. That is what the state has learned. The law is distorted to the point where it is not applied equally or even legally at times and that form of social INjustice is applied by the police at the behest of the state. Thus it is still a police state.
By the way, I invite you (and everybody for that matter) to invent a cute moniker for easier reference rather than sorting through Anonymous posts from days past. Just a thought.
"We've had this discussion before. If by "police state" you are referring to a country where people, and their friends sometimes, are routinely shot or harshly imprisoned for demonstrating dissent then I would agree that we do not live in a police state."
Good.
"However, our so-called civilized approach to dissent is not to eliminate it but merely to manage it. That is what the state has learned. The law is distorted to the point where it is not applied equally or even legally at times and that form of social INjustice is applied by the police at the behest of the state. Thus it is still a police state."
Wrong. That is not what a police state is defined as.
I would also balance out your remarks by stating where does exactly do the rights of protestors to inflict damage on property and disrupt others who are not involved with such protests go above the rights of the public in general?
In other words you yourself have the right to peaceful protest, but your mechanics of protest does not give you the right to disrupt my property or interfere with my rights as a private citizen.
"By the way, I invite you (and everybody for that matter) to invent a cute moniker for easier reference rather than sorting through Anonymous posts from days past. Just a thought."
Sorry not going to happen. This blog is not that important to spend time working on one to assist the readers.
Cute monikers are just for the benift of those who need to use them.
Sorting through posts refines your research skills.
I'll leave your silly take on the police state concept to you to further reseach at will.
To BC MARY
Harper, Iggy and Layton, like Campbell and James are all "enemies of the people" but each uses their own special-methods to prey upon Canadian society.
The ballot box, the courts and the media have all failed Canada.
Democracy, the judicial system and the press only work when they each act as a deterrent to excess by the other.
But in the 21st Century that deterrence has failed due to public apathy and a bloated-society, in many cases counter-productive to its own existence.
Thomas Malthus recognized this 250 years ago when he wrote on "Die Back"
The answer for BC in 2010 is the same as it was for England in 1649 . . . ROUNDHEADS AND COLD STEEL!
The GREAT SATAN
"Harper, Iggy and Layton, like Campbell and James are all "enemies of the people" but each uses their own special-methods to prey upon Canadian society."
Only to you they are "enemies of the people" and who are you to say who are? Did you get elected? Did the NDP nominate you?
"The ballot box, the courts and the media have all failed Canada."
According to you and you only.
"Democracy, the judicial system and the press only work when they each act as a deterrent to excess by the other."
Well they do, but not to your liking.
"But in the 21st Century that deterrence has failed due to public apathy and a bloated-society, in many cases counter-productive to its own existence."
So now you're an ideaologue?
"Thomas Malthus recognized this 250 years ago when he wrote on "Die Back""
BC Mary and the rest of us recongized your silliness a few days back.
"The answer for BC in 2010 is the same as it was for England in 1649 . . . ROUNDHEADS AND COLD STEEL!"
Sure, and let's go back to the days when few lived beyond 40, the stinky people, no flush toilets, dysentry, horse drawn carts, women were slaves to the husband, no lights except candles, it was hard work and labour to get anything made.
Seems you're living in a fantasy world. Might as well add a Welsh Red Dragon to the picture too, eh?
And since you'll need an honourific to be compatible for those days, we'll remove "The Great Satan" and make you a knight.
We'll dub ye..
Sir Loin of Beef.
Well SIR LOIN,
You could be part of the solution.
As Cromwell said "by a shortening of 12 off the top".
The GREAT SATAN
Well SIR LOIN,
You could be part of the solution.
As Cromwell said "by a shortening of 12 off the top".
The GREAT SATAN"
Someone quite rightly dubbed this Great Satan as "Sir Loin of Beef"
If Satan did want things to return to his fantasy days of knights and dragons, and keep his label, he would be accused and found guilty of sorcery and witchcraft.
He would be burned at the stake.
So how do people want him? Medium rare or extra crispy?
Back to the story please.
So who exactly are these folks that joined the Olympic party and got months and years of paid time off?
Cynically I am thinking that anyone could be encouraged to sign up if at their pay rates for the jobs. No need to take the highest paid ones.
Who are these chosen people? What are their politics and loyalties? What besides their willingness to selflessly serve got them chosen for the jobs. If not expertise, what then at such a cost to their donor public employers?
I do not buy the premise that there were so few volunteers that they had to bend so far over backwards at such great hidden cost.
Will we get their names?
Puzzled.
Anon above (who finds it too difficult or time consuming to pick a "cute monicker" for a blog that isn't important enough, but is important enough for him to challenge his minimal literacy commenting on - I guess we're fortunate that it is important enough to be used as a channel for his wisdom though, eh?) repeats the idea below in his response to the Great Satan:
"According to you and you only." Or somethiing isn't really important to the populace as a whole but only "not to your liking"
I guess its different for you as you either speak as an elected representative of ? "Did you get elected" or nominated.
So since you've spoken so authoritatively I will venture the guess that you are either an elected or nominated BC liaR or you speak for a "group" namely the Public Affairs Bureau - because otherwise, you are only speaking for yo-self and who cares?
Then, I guess you could make a case with facts or logic, good luck with that - you don't seem to have the weapons or the ammunition!
Thank you Kootkoot, I was thinking the same thing. Great Satan has a very good point. I agree with him that there may not be a political "Party" that has the integrity to balance the scales of justice.
It would be interesting to have the names of the "volunteers", but I think this is a diversion from the bigger problems we face as a nation. As Sean Holman uncovered last week, managers being sought based on their ability to "creat crisis to manage change". We should be sharpening our pitchforks.
"Who are these chosen people? What are their politics and loyalties? What besides their willingness to selflessly serve got them chosen for the jobs."
Thanks for answering the burning questions in your column today Bill!
"Anon above (who finds it too difficult or time consuming to pick a "cute monicker" for a blog that isn't important enough, but is important enough for him to challenge his minimal literacy commenting on - I guess we're fortunate that it is important enough to be used as a channel for his wisdom though, eh?) repeats the idea below in his response to the Great Satan:
"According to you and you only." Or somethiing isn't really important to the populace as a whole but only "not to your liking"
I guess its different for you as you either speak as an elected representative of ? "Did you get elected" or nominated."
Well Satan figured he is a representative of everyone, which he obviously is not.
He is just stating an opinion of speaking for one person, not many,
and no I am not like you elected or nominated.
"So since you've spoken so authoritatively I will venture the guess that you are either an elected or nominated BC liaR or you speak for a "group" namely the Public Affairs Bureau - because otherwise, you are only speaking for yo-self and who cares?"
Sorry I work in finance in the private sector, not working for what ever this hated Public Affairs Bureau is. And who cares?
Obviously you do.
Then, I guess you could make a case with facts or logic, good luck with that - you don't seem to have the weapons or the ammunition!
Well you obviously haven't the easy to understand manual on weaponry either.
Come back when you've graduated from using paper clip slingshots.
and try not to be so frowned out serious. This blog is just a hobby and entertainment.
you caught me!
campbell is the best premier we have ever had! i love the olympics! i love how cute campbell is in his red sweater! i shook his hand once, have not washed it since. one day we will be together my love.
THE GREAT SATAN
Thank you Great Satan for helping the nameless. I dub our Anonymous friend SIR LOIN and give The Great Satan all the credit until such time as SIR LOIN can be bothered to use his limited capacity for original thought for more than:
"Cut and Paste"
Wrong
So SIR LOIN, let me point out that I do not say that protest rights go above those not involved with the protest. Indeed there is frequently a balance dictated by the police how large or inconvenient a protest is permitted to be. That this should be solely determined by the police is indicative that much of what we are told and believe are our rights should actually be referred to as privileges. We actually have no real rights.
I don't know what to make of your assertion that a peaceful protest is disrupting your property when you are an uninvolved third party, if I understand you correctly. Peaceful protests are a waste of time and if your property is being targeted then you are complicit in the criminal activities of the government/corporations.
By the way, my "research" shows a wide variance of what may be considered a police state. I wonder if you could assist me with the source of your narrow "definition". I trust it is more reliable than your narrow mind.
By the way, my "research" shows a wide variance of what may be considered a police state. I wonder if you could assist me with the source of your narrow "definition". I trust it is more reliable than your narrow mind.
My friend if you need assistance to correct your so-called "research", you are in worse intellectual shape than someone who barly made it out of Grade 10.
Not worth my time to assist. The Remedial School is just down the street.
Report to the Principal's Office and ask for a seat in the next class in September.
And so, keep to this point. I am all for peaceful protest, but that peaceful protest does NOT include destruction of private property or interfering with the rights of others (such as blocking streets,
and causing mayhem). Your rights to protest in any way do NOT in any any supercede my rights should your means of protest interfere with my wanting to go somehere, or cause destruction of my property.
Also consider if some group did not like yours, can that group cause damage to your business??
Absolutely not.
Enjoy the summer and be sure to be ready for Remedial School on the first day.
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