Gary Coons's News
August 25, 2011
VANCOUVER –Wednesday’s announcement by B.C. Ferries that service cuts are on their way adds to the mounting evidence that the Liberal policy of operating our ferries like a private cruise line has failed, say the New Democrats.
“Skyrocketing fares, a serious drop in ridership, sending ship-building jobs to Germany, and wasteful spending on executive salaries, a tourism centre and expensive ads paint a picture of a ship adrift at sea,” said New Democrat ferries critic...
July 20, 2011
VANCOUVER -New Democrat leader Adrian Dix and MLA Gary Coons are urging Premier Christy Clark to disclose, as part of her commitment to open government, the bonus pension agreements for B.C. Ferries executives, and the consultants' report that guided the board of directors.
Ms Clark's open data portal does not provide access to these reports or agreement.
Disclosing the agreements will allow the official opposition and others to test the Premier's claim that a...
March 22, 2011
VICTORIA –In the wake of ongoing mismanagement at B.C. Ferries, including a despicable cash grab and threats of doubling ferry fares over the next four years, New Democrats are calling on Premier Christy Clark to take action and restore accountability at B.C. Ferries.
"The government can no longer sit back and say they are not responsible for the way B.C. Ferries is being run. British Columbians have spoken and they're demanding the pieces of the puzzle be put back together,...
March 17, 2011
VICTORIA – Arecent WorkSafe BC review of safety violations at BC Ferries gives the B.C. Liberal transportation minister an opportunity to prove he is not just more of the same and step in and ensure our ferries are safe. Passengers and workers on board our ferries can’t afford more of the same neglect from the B.C. Liberals, say the New Democrats.
“Since the B.C. Liberals privatized B.C. Ferries in 2003, we have seen tragedies and heard countless concerns about safety,...
February 4, 2011
VANCOUVER – The B.C. Liberals continue to leave families to fend for themselves as B.C. Ferries CEO David Hahn threatens fare hikes of up to 100 per cent over the next four years, say the New Democrats.Gary Coons “The fact of the matter is, fares have skyrocketed out of control since the B.C. Liberals privatized our ferries in 2003,” said New Democrat ferry critic Gary Coons , “and now B.C. Ferries is saying there is no relief, and things are about to get a whole lot worse.” B.C....
January 27, 2011
VICTORIA— The B.C. Liberal government’s failure to properly resource rural healthcare is forcing expectant mothers in small communities across the province to leave home, and in some cases pay out of pocket to live in another city for up to a month before giving birth, say New Democrats.Scott Fraser
“Kevin Falcon and George Abbott are both trying to claim that if they were premier things would improve for rural British Columbians, but the sad truth is neither improved the...
January 13, 2011
VICTORIA— In the wake of a report detailing how a single spill stemming from the Enbridge tarsands pipeline could cost taxpayers billions of dollars to clean up, New Democrats are calling on B.C. Liberal leadership hopefuls to tell British Columbians where they stand on this dirty and destructive proposal.Gary Coons The report, released by the Living Oceans Society, shows that Enbridge doesn’t have to pay to clean up a spill caused by an oil tanker loaded with crude from their pipeline,...
