Thoughts on BC Politics and More

USED WITH PERMISSION -- The following letter was recently sent by Peter Ladner to Rick Peterson of Suits and Boots. Peter Ladner is a retired entrepreneur, journalist, politician, author and grandfather .   Peter Ladner: Retired entrepreneur, journalist, author & grandfather Thanks for hosting and organizing the  Suits and Boots  “Face-to-Face Resource Sector Tour” event (held) in Vancouver. It is so good to get those with opposing views in the same room, instead of fanning the flames in our protected echo chambers. I wish I had added two things when you gave me the opportunity to talk. The first is can we just shut up about the foreign-funded radical conspiracy, and shut down the war room that ennobles it? It has been thoroughly debunked by Sandy Garossino and Markham Hislop — not because Vivian Krause’s facts are wrong, but because they are carefully selected to weave a fraudulent narrative that elevates her by demonizing organiza...

The Vancouver Observer, and in particular Sandy Garossino, have / has sparked a little controversy recently.   For me it was an article she wrote entitled, “ Taxes are for the little people - Withpermanent tax exemption, Christy Clark takes care of the beleaguered 1% .”      For me, I found the story extremely slanted, and I believed it to be more of an opinion, or editorial piece, rather than a news story. Thankfully, and to give her credit, it was however posted to the opinion section of the paper.    That said, in posting an opinion piece, one would expect that it should be accurate – I do not believe it was as it simply parroted the long held mantra of the BCTF that those in the private education system come from elitist families … private schools take away valuable resources from the public education system, and of course that it’s only the ‘little people’ that pay their fair share of taxes (more of a socialist opinion).    All ...

Sandy Garossino, the editor-in-chief of the Vancouver Observer, is the latest in a long line of individuals who appear to take delight in bashing the private school system, because of the alleged, and totally miss-placed insinuation that private schools don’t pay their fair share into the system, AND that they take valuable resources from the public school system. (http://www.vancouverobserver.com/contributors/sandy-garossino)   Neither of these assertions is true.   She starts her piece by stating, “ Christy Clark never met a millionaire she didn’t like. And that goes double for their little darlings .”   Even the subtitle to her piece, “With permanent tax exemption, Christy Clark takes care of the beleaguered 1%” is in fact a slap in the face to the thousands of parents in BC – who are in large part in the middle class – that make financial sacrifices to have their children in the private school system for a variety of reasons.   And in large part, th...