B.C. transportation minister ticketed $196 for speeding, says it was 'unacceptable'

[Sheba]

B.C.'s Minister of Transportation Todd Stone admitted on Friday to recently being pulled over by police and fined $196 for speeding, an incident he described as unacceptable but in no way a reflection of his ability to serve in cabinet.

Stone, the MLA for Kamloops-South Thompson, said he was pulled over three weeks ago while speeding along the Patricia Bay Highway en route to the Swartz Bay ferry terminal. He said he was going 29 km/h over the posted 80 km/h speed zone.

http://www.theprovince.com/transport...162/story.html

[queetz@home]

I don't like Todd Stone but I dunno why people make a big deal of things like these. It only makes them seem more important than everyone else, and even if it comes to politics, they are never effective in loosing votes.

[WarrenC12]

They should certainly be held to a higher standard. Just like police.

I don't care too much about one speeding ticket, but finding out he had 5 around 2000 and has his license suspended was interesting. He's one of the weaker cabinet members IMO, but Clark didn't have a lot to choose from when all the party members bailed thinking the NDP was a lock.

[AverageJoe]

Perhaps it'll make Mr. Minister a little more aware of some of the unreasonably low speed limits we have in this province... despite the limit increases.

[djmk]

This is the #1 reason why I think people who enter politics are nuts.

A minor traffic infraction where nobody gets hurt and his name is plastered throughout the media and people are calling for his head.

you can't get paid enough for that type of risk.

[Kisai]

Originally Posted by djmk

This is the #1 reason why I think people who enter politics are nuts.

A minor traffic infraction where nobody gets hurt and his name is plastered throughout the media and people are calling for his head.

you can't get paid enough for that type of risk.

People get into politics because they want to make a difference, and they then end up staying in politics because it gives unfettered access to the public purse. Sure you can make a difference but you have to prioritize certain things, and some things are just a money hole... no amount of money thrown at it will solve a problem.

You can throw as much money as you want at Transit projects, but it will never reduce congestion unless you actually make driving expensive. This can be easily done by making the gas taxes extortionately high so that the gas price can't drop below 2$/L, causing fuel smuggling. But that doesn't win votes.

Then you get people in government who should never, EVER, have been put there (eg Glen Clark) because their reality is so far removed from how the world works. Someone who's only experience was being a "Union guy" running the province.

Clark studied politics at Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia and worked as a union organizer in the Lower Mainland before seeking elected office.

So what about Todd Stone?

He is the founder and CEO of a Kamloops-based software company. He serves on the board of the Thompson-Nicola-Cariboo United Way (though currently on leave), and served for over six years as vice-chair of the board of governors of Thompson Rivers University.

He also served on the boards of the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce, Kamloops Ventures Fund (VCC) Inc., ACETECH, and the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC). In addition, he was an active contributor to the Friends of UCC University Society and the Friends of the Kamloops Airport.

Someone who served on the boards of Transportation-related organizations.

[Stingray2004]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

They should certainly be held to a higher standard. Just like police.

I don't care too much about one speeding ticket, but finding out he had 5 around 2000 and has his license suspended was interesting. He's one of the weaker cabinet members IMO, but Clark didn't have a lot to choose from when all the party members bailed thinking the NDP was a lock.

Gotta disagree. Todd Stone seems to have quite a successful background. But that does not make a good poli. Have seen Stone speak in the media and comes across as quite eloquent. Also comes across very knowledgable on his transportation files. And I am saying this from a purely objective basis. Will give him credit for that.

As for provincial riding recruiting during 2013, I was actually taken aback at the quality of candidates that the BC Libs recruited. Probably the best slate since they took power back in 2001. Didn't make any sense to me when everyone thought that they were going down. OTOH, the BC NDP candidate recruitment seemed to be quite lacklustre in comparison considering they were on the verge of gov't. Vancouver Sun poli columnist Vaughn Palmer previously wrote considerably at length regarding same.

And Stone's recent speeding ticket? Doing 29 km/hr over the posted 80 km/hr on the Pat Bay Highway - on the freeway standard section? That section should be posted at 100 km/hr IMHO.

Hell, I grew up and used to live in Tsawwassen where Hwy 17 from Hwy 99 used to be posted at 80 km/hr and was later upgraded 90 km/hr. It can be classified as expressway standard. The same highway, when it was just a 2-lane highway during the 1960's, was posted at 70 miles/hr (113 km/hr).

Even today, traffic flows at ~120 km/hr in the left-lane on that section - 30 km/hr over the 90 km/hr posted speed limit. And Hwy 99 south to White Rock sees 120+ operate in the left lane, which is posted at 100 km/hr.

And the City of Surrey proper has many 60 - 70 km/hr posted speeds along city arterials, which would only be 50 km/hr in the City of Vancouver.

As an aside, Stone was in his mid-20's when he had his license suspended for too many speeding tickets. Myself, as well as many friends, were also in the same boat when we were all in our early 20's as well. Nothing new there. Just human nature.

PS. A BC Socred cabinet minister from the 1960's, Phil Gaglardi, was known as "Flying Phil" for his numerous speeding tickets. And he was also then BC Highways minister. Stone is the MLA from Kamloops and MOTI minister. And the legend lives on.

[casper]

Originally Posted by Kisai

People get into politics because they want to make a difference, and they then end up staying in politics because it gives unfettered access to the public purse. Sure you can make a difference but you have to prioritize certain things, and some things are just a money hole... no amount of money thrown at it will solve a problem.

.....
Then you get people in government who should never, EVER, have been put there (eg Glen Clark) because their reality is so far removed from how the world works. Someone who's only experience was being a "Union guy" running the province.
.....

For public transit you have to look at it from both a short term and long-term perspective. More money spent operating buss services has a short term impact. Money spent building infrastructure (e.g. Skytrain) has a long-term progressive impact over time. I don't think we always get the balance between the two correct.

As for Glen Clark I don't know. I don't know him well enough to say. I do find it interesting that after he left politics the only person who was willing to hire him was Jimmy Pattison. He become president of Sun Rype and now is the President of the Jm Pattison Group. One of the largest Privately controlled enterprises in the province. Clearly someone thought he know what he was doing.

[Jebby]

$196 for a victimless "crime". Sounds more like police acting as revenue agents for the state than actually going after criminals.

[Procrastinational]

Originally Posted by Kisai

You can throw as much money as you want at Transit projects, but it will never reduce congestion unless you actually make driving expensive. This can be easily done by making the gas taxes extortionately high so that the gas price can't drop below 2$/L, causing fuel smuggling. But that doesn't win votes.

Funny thing is, getting that drastic in the Lower Mainland isn't possible because everyone will just start going south of the border to fill up.
Every city is congested. We just have to accept that this is inevitable, and improve our infrastructure regardless (all infrastructure, not just transit), not to reduce congestion, but to make commutes safer and more convenient.

[SOSS]

I see no big deal. He is human. Nuff said.

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

this really shouldn't be news unless something happened. an example would be a bad car crash of some sort.

some of the stories these news agencies report on, holy crap.

[Kisai]

Originally Posted by casper

For public transit you have to look at it from both a short term and long-term perspective. More money spent operating buss services has a short term impact. Money spent building infrastructure (e.g. Skytrain) has a long-term progressive impact over time. I don't think we always get the balance between the two correct.

If we were really smart, we would be mandating that every property within 2000 meters of a Skytrain station increase it's density to a minimum of 50 stories. That includes above retail/commercial spaces. But that's not happening, what we're getting are one large condo building in the middle of a property surrounded by a dozen or so closet-sized townhomes. Then there is Broadway where nobody wants to build anything taller than a firetruck ladder.

Originally Posted by casper

As for Glen Clark I don't know. I don't know him well enough to say. I do find it interesting that after he left politics the only person who was willing to hire him was Jimmy Pattison. He become president of Sun Rype and now is the President of the Jm Pattison Group. One of the largest Privately controlled enterprises in the province. Clearly someone thought he know what he was doing.

I think it's the other way around. I think Jimmy Pattison saw that Glen Clark was thinking long term, so someone like that is probably the right person to make long-term choices in which companies to buy and manage. Had Glen Clark probably been an engineer, we probably wouldn't have had the Fast Ferry Fiasco (eg the right ferries would have been built in the first place.) Instead he probably just saw an opportunity to bring jobs to BC, but was sold some terrible ideas.

The NDP is only left in a unwinnable position even now because nobody wants to see a return to the NDP's style of chasing business and investment away from BC on purpose. Things could very well end up like Alberta who has had the same conservative government for 40 consecutive years and only now looks like it's going to lose because of the oil revenue is in peril. The kind of thing that would make BC voters change their minds would be if Site C ends up falling through. The LNG projects are already as good as dead.

And this is why the Plebiscite may still end up surprising us, even if it looks like the No side is going to win, it may still be the Yes side squeeking out a win.

[casper]

Originally Posted by Kisai

If we were really smart, we would be mandating that every property within 2000 meters of a Skytrain station increase it's density to a minimum of 50 stories. That includes above retail/commercial spaces. But that's not happening, what we're getting are one large condo building in the middle of a property surrounded by a dozen or so closet-sized townhomes. Then there is Broadway where nobody wants to build anything taller than a firetruck ladder.

I think it's the other way around. I think Jimmy Pattison saw that Glen Clark was thinking long term, so someone like that is probably the right person to make long-term choices in which companies to buy and manage. Had Glen Clark probably been an engineer, we probably wouldn't have had the Fast Ferry Fiasco (eg the right ferries would have been built in the first place.) Instead he probably just saw an opportunity to bring jobs to BC, but was sold some terrible ideas.

The NDP is only left in a unwinnable position even now because nobody wants to see a return to the NDP's style of chasing business and investment away from BC on purpose. Things could very well end up like Alberta who has had the same conservative government for 40 consecutive years and only now looks like it's going to lose because of the oil revenue is in peril. The kind of thing that would make BC voters change their minds would be if Site C ends up falling through. The LNG projects are already as good as dead.

And this is why the Plebiscite may still end up surprising us, even if it looks like the No side is going to win, it may still be the Yes side squeeking out a win.

You would hope the army of people in each of the ministers office has the correct mix of skills and expertise to make the correct recommendations and some for sight. Site C is at the stage of having shovels in the ground so it will likely go ahead. On the LNG front, I don't know. There is a lot of prep work going in the north. Our of the 15 projects we might see one or two go ahead. Earlier in the year I attended a presentation by a senior Chevron executive showing off the logging road that rebuilt (at $150M) to provide proper access to their site and were about to hand back to the province.

On the positive side, in some countries a senior government official would never be given a speeding ticket. The officer that pulls him/her over would be intimidated to not issue it or once the politician got back to his office one or two phone calls would be made and magically it would disappear. The fact it happens and the minister is taking responsibility is good. That road also needs its limit increased in a few places.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by casper

You would hope the army of people in each of the ministers office has the correct mix of skills and expertise to make the correct recommendations and some for sight. Site C is at the stage of having shovels in the ground so it will likely go ahead. On the LNG front, I don't know. There is a lot of prep work going in the north. Our of the 15 projects we might see one or two go ahead. Earlier in the year I attended a presentation by a senior Chevron executive showing off the logging road that rebuilt (at $150M) to provide proper access to their site and were about to hand back to the province.

I guess you've never worked in a big company and seen how they make decisions. Large corporations and governments make horrendously poor decisions all the time. History is littered with examples.

The process and the institutional politics have a large role to play as well. There are always smart, well meaning, hard working individuals in every level of government. What gets executed on the front lines can be a real mess though.

[casper]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

I guess you've never worked in a big company and seen how they make decisions. Large corporations and governments make horrendously poor decisions all the time. History is littered with examples.

The process and the institutional politics have a large role to play as well. There are always smart, well meaning, hard working individuals in every level of government. What gets executed on the front lines can be a real mess though.

I have worked in a few large organizations (thankfully I work with much smaller organizations now). The point I was making is I hope it is not the situation where "The minister has a bright idea, therefore we spend millions. I would hope this is some analysis that happens. Thought I agree politics do play a role.

[Jebby]

Originally Posted by SOSS

I see no big deal. He is human. Nuff said.

Yeah, it's not like he sexually took advantage of a 22 year old intern a la Bill Clinton.

What he did was what pretty much everyone here has done and he hurt absolutely no one.

[SOSS]

Originally Posted by Jebby

Yeah, it's not like he sexually took advantage of a 22 year old intern a la Bill Clinton.

What he did was what pretty much everyone here has done and he hurt absolutely no one.

yup, or lied about it under oath... I find it so interesting how you can impeach a president for lying about sex but not about lying about the reasons to go to war in Iraq. Sorry, discussion for a different forum.