Showing posts with label Siohban Coady. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Siohban Coady. Show all posts
Friday, June 3, 2016
UPDATED Nalcor Has Sold Bull Arm
UPDATE:
Both Nalcor and Irving Oil (just answered inquiry today) have stated there is no deal on Bull Arm sort of. Irving Oil's response was "Hi Brad, thanx for asking, but we have no involvement at Bull Arm". There you have it.
Insiders report the buyer of the Bull Arm site is Irving Oil. This, as the rest of the story, has yet to be confirmed or denied by the Government or Nalcor despite requests for the same.
In the latest of now a long list of insider info being leaked to this blog, apparently Nalcor has sold (privatized) the Bull Arm site. Details are still coming in and I will update this post as those details come in. The leak is that Nalcor and the government have sold Bull Arm to a ship building company. The news of the sale has been held back from the public due to the scandal involving Nalcor, Natural Resources Minister Siobhan Coady, and Premier Ball.
Saturday, May 28, 2016
The NL Liberals Vietnam
There are no good options within the Liberal Party in this province. That is the basic truth. Now that is becoming more and more obvious by the day. Newfoundland and Labrador was sick and tired of the secrecy and shady dealings of the PC Party, and in the last election the people turned to the Liberals to put an end to that kind of politics. Just like the Liberal leadership process that saw a lackluster, even boring, Dwight Ball selected as the party leader, so the electorate settled for a lackluster but seemingly less dangerous option when they voted in the Liberals. Surely the Liberal would have gotten the message that the sleazy, corrupt, secret type of politics practised by the PCs would no longer be accepted here. Now, it is very obvious they didn't get the memo.
The truth is that behind the scenes within the Liberal Party powerful elements of the old guard and backroom boys were not supporting Dwight Ball as leader, but rather their sweetheart was Cathy Bennett. In fact, she was not even considered a Liberal until she threw her name in the race claiming to have always been there, and that her "coming out of the closet" was simply a coincidence as it coincided with the leadership race. A strange place to be for a woman who wrote cheques every year to the PC Party, and not the Liberals. An odd place for a woman running in a party that was at that time anti-Muskrat Falls considering her Chairmanship of the Board of Nalcor Energy. The woman who hired Nancy O'Connor to come to Newfoundland from Nova Scotia to set up the pro-business lobby group for Muskrat Falls - including paying for the websites etc of that group.
As Bennett money poured into her leadership campaign instant Bennett fans started appearing out of the wood work. Many "young Liberals" suddenly appeared lobbying for her on social media, and organizing for her on the ground. Yes, the darling of the likes of Danny Williams was about to take the party by storm. Just one problem: older Liberals didn't trust her. They didn't accept her pro-Muskrat Falls business position. So despite her money, Bennett lost to the compromise candidate Dwight Ball. Bennett and her powerful friends in the business community weren't prepared to accept that, and a covert movement began to overthrow Ball from the leadership. They had a problem though. The election was too close at hand, so the plan was scheduled for once the Liberals were in power - sort of. In reality Bennett and her minions became very involved in district association nomination meetings trying to get pro-Bennett/business types in as Liberal candidates and thus Liberal MHAs.
I was approached myself by such a person a month and a half before the election, and during a nomination race in one district. This old time Liberal had a serious issue in over throwing a Liberal candidate who had managed to get nominated, but wasn't marching to Bennett's pro-fracking band wagon. A local wealthy businessman was putting up the funds to beat the candidate during the election. As part of their approach to me the person emphasized that Bennett was going to take over the leadership after the election. That she had all the cards already in place. He also mentioned that Paul Antle and Siobhan Coady may be involved as well. If this person hadn't been a long time Liberal with deep roots I may have dismissed it out of hand, However, they were. They also had invested in shares of Shoal Point and the goal was to get Bennett in so that fracking would be approved in the province, and of course those shares would become very valuable. So, as you can see, the sleaze and secrecy was oozing from the seams of the Liberal Party even before the election had officially begun.
Fast forward to today, and it becomes even more obvious - albeit much more public. Ball struck a deal for Martin to leave Nalcor, and put in place Stan Marshall. Marshall's plan will be to privatise NL Hydro - which includes the 65% of CFLCo that NL Hydro owns (and that also necessarily means the Upper Churchill which CFLCo owns). Bennett and her St. John's business boys are all for selling it too, but they want it to go to Emera. That's what the big business boys bet on, and that's what they want. Those are the dividing lines within the Liberal Party today. I say Liberal Party, but it's more like the Chameleon Party - elements of the old Liberal party controlled by the boys and girls of the St. John's business community that are suddenly Liberals having just been PCs.
In any case, that is the war. Not whether or not to sell NL Hydro, but to who. The peoples' interest in all this... you're kidding right? So now Ball has put forward his plan. He gave Ed Martin an "offer he couldn't refuse": leave or be fired. He also promised to give Martin his full severance and $160,000 in bonuses - or just under $1.6 million dollars. Designated fall guy in all this? The Nalcor board. Pass the resolution to fire him without cause so he can get his bonus and severance, and then resign yourself. No loose ends. Nice and tidy for Marshall to come in. Emera is out, Fortis is in. Not surprisingly, just days after Marshall was named as President of Nalcor he returned to his home in Belize with a number of senior officials of Fortis who stayed with him at his house for a week. Then came the nuke from David Vardy's access to information request that saw Ed Martin's employment contract released - which in itself is bizarre - and "highly suspect". An employment contract is a privileged document. Those kind of documents aren't released ever. Go figure, this time it was. It just so happened to prove Ball was lying. In other words, the ambush of Ball was on.
Despite the roll that Finance and Justice would have to play in these contracts, and severance negotiations, suddenly Cathy Bennett has disappeared from the scene. Ditto Siobhan Coady. Their two Deputy Ministers sit on the newly appointed Board of Nalcor. Both Bennett and Andrew Parsons have a direct ear into the Nalcor transition and on what happened with the severance negotiations, etc. Yet they've two stepped back from the limelight on this affair, just as Coady has. Coady was in the US until May 5 and claimed she knew nothing. Apparently she can't be reached by telephone or email or skype or what have you. Apparently Texas is now the third world without any such services. The lies are palpable, disingenuous, but meant to do one thing - leave Ball on the gallows by himself. Just as the plan before the election promised to do - get rid of him. That doesn't mean Ball didn't lie. It just means he thought everyone had his back in the deal, and found out that they were gunning for his back instead. As Minister Gamble-Walsh said to me two days ago: "Ball will very likely fall, but caucus is united". United for what you may ask? Good question. She never filled in that blank, but given the moves before the election was even called, it could well be said that the caucus is united in knifing their own leader, falling into line with Bennett, Coady, and possibly Antle, and all those business boys and girls sitting in the shadows and watching the game unfold.
As the Russian army found out in Afghanistan, and the US army found in Vietnam, it's easy to get into a war, but hard to get out. In the last 5 years Newfoundland and Labrador has had 5 Premiers or Premier designates fall. Soon to be 6. The place has become a frenzied feeding zone. It's become a guerrilla war here in a sense. The establishment vs. the people. Social media vs main stream media (sometimes holding hands when it suits the backroom boys). In this frenzy, for the lust and race for power and wealth, very few bases have been covered well. Political and business bodies keep piling up everywhere you look. Social media has morphed into the people's voice. The political "establishment" finds itself largely talking to ... well itself. Nobody else is believing or listening. Easy to get in, hard to get out. Welcome to the jungle baby.
The truth is that behind the scenes within the Liberal Party powerful elements of the old guard and backroom boys were not supporting Dwight Ball as leader, but rather their sweetheart was Cathy Bennett. In fact, she was not even considered a Liberal until she threw her name in the race claiming to have always been there, and that her "coming out of the closet" was simply a coincidence as it coincided with the leadership race. A strange place to be for a woman who wrote cheques every year to the PC Party, and not the Liberals. An odd place for a woman running in a party that was at that time anti-Muskrat Falls considering her Chairmanship of the Board of Nalcor Energy. The woman who hired Nancy O'Connor to come to Newfoundland from Nova Scotia to set up the pro-business lobby group for Muskrat Falls - including paying for the websites etc of that group.
As Bennett money poured into her leadership campaign instant Bennett fans started appearing out of the wood work. Many "young Liberals" suddenly appeared lobbying for her on social media, and organizing for her on the ground. Yes, the darling of the likes of Danny Williams was about to take the party by storm. Just one problem: older Liberals didn't trust her. They didn't accept her pro-Muskrat Falls business position. So despite her money, Bennett lost to the compromise candidate Dwight Ball. Bennett and her powerful friends in the business community weren't prepared to accept that, and a covert movement began to overthrow Ball from the leadership. They had a problem though. The election was too close at hand, so the plan was scheduled for once the Liberals were in power - sort of. In reality Bennett and her minions became very involved in district association nomination meetings trying to get pro-Bennett/business types in as Liberal candidates and thus Liberal MHAs.
I was approached myself by such a person a month and a half before the election, and during a nomination race in one district. This old time Liberal had a serious issue in over throwing a Liberal candidate who had managed to get nominated, but wasn't marching to Bennett's pro-fracking band wagon. A local wealthy businessman was putting up the funds to beat the candidate during the election. As part of their approach to me the person emphasized that Bennett was going to take over the leadership after the election. That she had all the cards already in place. He also mentioned that Paul Antle and Siobhan Coady may be involved as well. If this person hadn't been a long time Liberal with deep roots I may have dismissed it out of hand, However, they were. They also had invested in shares of Shoal Point and the goal was to get Bennett in so that fracking would be approved in the province, and of course those shares would become very valuable. So, as you can see, the sleaze and secrecy was oozing from the seams of the Liberal Party even before the election had officially begun.
Fast forward to today, and it becomes even more obvious - albeit much more public. Ball struck a deal for Martin to leave Nalcor, and put in place Stan Marshall. Marshall's plan will be to privatise NL Hydro - which includes the 65% of CFLCo that NL Hydro owns (and that also necessarily means the Upper Churchill which CFLCo owns). Bennett and her St. John's business boys are all for selling it too, but they want it to go to Emera. That's what the big business boys bet on, and that's what they want. Those are the dividing lines within the Liberal Party today. I say Liberal Party, but it's more like the Chameleon Party - elements of the old Liberal party controlled by the boys and girls of the St. John's business community that are suddenly Liberals having just been PCs.
In any case, that is the war. Not whether or not to sell NL Hydro, but to who. The peoples' interest in all this... you're kidding right? So now Ball has put forward his plan. He gave Ed Martin an "offer he couldn't refuse": leave or be fired. He also promised to give Martin his full severance and $160,000 in bonuses - or just under $1.6 million dollars. Designated fall guy in all this? The Nalcor board. Pass the resolution to fire him without cause so he can get his bonus and severance, and then resign yourself. No loose ends. Nice and tidy for Marshall to come in. Emera is out, Fortis is in. Not surprisingly, just days after Marshall was named as President of Nalcor he returned to his home in Belize with a number of senior officials of Fortis who stayed with him at his house for a week. Then came the nuke from David Vardy's access to information request that saw Ed Martin's employment contract released - which in itself is bizarre - and "highly suspect". An employment contract is a privileged document. Those kind of documents aren't released ever. Go figure, this time it was. It just so happened to prove Ball was lying. In other words, the ambush of Ball was on.
Despite the roll that Finance and Justice would have to play in these contracts, and severance negotiations, suddenly Cathy Bennett has disappeared from the scene. Ditto Siobhan Coady. Their two Deputy Ministers sit on the newly appointed Board of Nalcor. Both Bennett and Andrew Parsons have a direct ear into the Nalcor transition and on what happened with the severance negotiations, etc. Yet they've two stepped back from the limelight on this affair, just as Coady has. Coady was in the US until May 5 and claimed she knew nothing. Apparently she can't be reached by telephone or email or skype or what have you. Apparently Texas is now the third world without any such services. The lies are palpable, disingenuous, but meant to do one thing - leave Ball on the gallows by himself. Just as the plan before the election promised to do - get rid of him. That doesn't mean Ball didn't lie. It just means he thought everyone had his back in the deal, and found out that they were gunning for his back instead. As Minister Gamble-Walsh said to me two days ago: "Ball will very likely fall, but caucus is united". United for what you may ask? Good question. She never filled in that blank, but given the moves before the election was even called, it could well be said that the caucus is united in knifing their own leader, falling into line with Bennett, Coady, and possibly Antle, and all those business boys and girls sitting in the shadows and watching the game unfold.
As the Russian army found out in Afghanistan, and the US army found in Vietnam, it's easy to get into a war, but hard to get out. In the last 5 years Newfoundland and Labrador has had 5 Premiers or Premier designates fall. Soon to be 6. The place has become a frenzied feeding zone. It's become a guerrilla war here in a sense. The establishment vs. the people. Social media vs main stream media (sometimes holding hands when it suits the backroom boys). In this frenzy, for the lust and race for power and wealth, very few bases have been covered well. Political and business bodies keep piling up everywhere you look. Social media has morphed into the people's voice. The political "establishment" finds itself largely talking to ... well itself. Nobody else is believing or listening. Easy to get in, hard to get out. Welcome to the jungle baby.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Part 3 All the King's Men - Shawn Skinner & Trevor Taylor
The Department of Innovation, Trade, and Innovation is essentially a department set up to dole out tax dollars to companies looking to expand or develop their businesses here in the province. Within the department is a program called the "Commercialization Program". The role of the program is:
The Commercialization Program bridges an identified funding and
investment gap between product research and product marketing. It
provides financial assistance to private sector enterprises for activities
leading to the development of innovative, market-ready products and
services, including support for technology transfer activities. The
program will assist companies in Newfoundland and Labrador that have
difficulty securing investment or loans to develop innovative products
or services.
In other words, it doles out taxpayers money to companies that can't get bank loans. It gives "qualified" companies up to 75% of the cost of developing their product to a maximum of $500,000.00.
In late December, 2007, Minister responsible Trevor Taylor approved a $500,000.00 loan for NewLab Clinical Research - the maximum amount allowed. The Minister allowed the funds released to the company using future profit projections as the equity investment required by the company under the program. In other words, the company didn't have to put a cent upfront for the loan. Then, in late 2008, new Minister Shawn Skinner approved another loan. This time to Newfound Genomics for $500,000.00. Instead of using possible future profits as it's down payment (equity) investment, the company transferred $200,000.00 of government money already lent to NewLab Clinical Reaearch into the account of Newfound Genomics. The result? Dr. Wayne Gulliver, the owner of both companies, received $1 million from the taxpayers without putting up a cent.
During this time, Mr. Gulliver and his company NewLab Clinical Research were donating to the PC Party. Their donations were as follows:
2007 - NewLab Clinical Research $1,450.00
2008 - Wayne Gulliver $2,000.00
NewLab Clinical Research $ 900.00
2009 - NewLab Clinical Research $4,500.00
2010 - NewLab Clinical Research $5,000.00
2011 - NewLab Clinical Research $4,500.00
2011 was the last year that Gulliver or his companies made political donations according to the records. Also happening in 2011 was an investigation by the Auditor General into the awarding of the $1 million worth of loans to these two companies. The Auditor General found a number of problems, including: No equity investment made by the companies as was required by the loan agreement; taking on additional debt in contravention of the loan agreement ( $460,000.00 bank mortgage - a total of $961,763.00); $33,200.00 paid out to a director of the companies, which contravened the loan agreement; and no remedies included in the loan contract if the company broke the terms of it. The Auditor General also found that additional monies were paid out to the two companies by the government: $21,000.00 in wage subsidies; and $5,000.00 in trade mission subsidies.
In fact, the Auditor General stated:
" The terms and conditions of funding indicated the applicant must use the funds for the items outlined in the Commercialization Program."
That essentially refers to wages, equipment, etc. So the question that comes to mind is how do political donations fit into that description? Almost $16,500.00 was paid out by the company to the PC Party during the period in political donations.Another, far more troubling question is how can the PC Party accept money from a company it is negotiating development loans with? As part of that loan agreement the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador also became a shareholder. That is a question for Taylor, Skinner and the PC Party to answer.
In April, 2011, Newfound Genomics sold its equipment an closed shop. Finance reports from the province indicate the full $500,000.00 from Newfound Genomics was still outstanding, and that money is still being recorded as a viable investment on the books. The same financial reports indicate that NewLab Clinical Research has paid back a gran total of $16,000.00 of its $500,000.00 loan since 2007 - that's slightly less than it contributed to the PC Party during the same time.
Meanwhile, then President and CEO of Newfound Genomics, Siobhan Coady, seems to have said little on the issue. Coady is currently listed as President of Bonaventure Capital (which doesn't exist according to provincial and federal corporate registries), and seeking the provincial Liberal nomination in St. John's West. Coady was also involved with Gulliver in The Clinical Trials Centre, which was involuntarily dissolved in 2013.
Just another incidence of the PC Party profiting off government business. In this case a company partly owned by the government paid off the PC Party rather than the taxpayer. It's also another case of the King's men taking care of business.
Related links to this story:
Telegram story 2011:
file:///C:/Users/Cabana/Desktop/NL%20%20AG%20investigating%20Newfound%20Genomics%20loan%20-%20Provincial%20News%20-%20Daily%20Business%20Buzz%20-%20Newfoundland%20&%20Labrador.htm
Ministry of Finance, Public Accounts, Volume 1, (page 63)
http://www.fin.gov.nl.ca/fin/publications/volumeI_2012-13.pdf
Report of Auditor General 2011 (Page 417)
http://www.ag.gov.nl.ca/ag/annualReports/2010AnnualReport/AR2010.pdf
Siobhan Coady makes play for provincial seat (CBC)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/siobhan-coady-makes-play-for-provincial-seat-1.2512216
Genomics lab quality questioned (CBC)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/genomics-lab-quality-questioned-1.1027319
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