Premier mismanaging the Convention Centre
November 2007

As the Critic for Tourism, Sport and the Arts it has been my responsibility to demand answers from the premier about his mismanagement of the expansion of the Vancouver Convention Centre. With the recent release of the Auditor General’s report on the project it has become apparent that the situation is even worse than we feared.

It may seem that a big construction project in the Lower Mainland has nothing to do with people in this area, but it is the tax dollars of British Columbians that are spent to fund this project, whether they live in Vancouver or here in Columbia River – Revelstoke.

All British Columbians should be concerned about the mismanagement of this project. The Auditor General’s report indicates that the Campbell government has failed to show even a minimal standard of management, and that incompetence has resulted in a massive cost over-run.

But there are other aspects of this story that are also cause for concern. The Auditor General’s report confirms that the Campbell government actively worked to keep the true cost of this project from the people of British Columbia. Campbell knew from his first announcements that the figure he was giving to British Columbians was not accurate; he knew that no business plan had been developed and the estimates of costs used in the calculations were already three years old.

From the announcement of the project in 2003 to today, the estimated cost has risen from the original false figure of $495 million to the $883 million figure that is currently being touted by the government. The Auditor General says even that figure is likely too low.

With this level of mismanagement you would think that someone would have lost their job. You would think someone would be held accountable.

Prior to becoming Premier, Gordon Campbell had one standard for accountability. He said very clearly that if this sort of mismanagement happened in the private sector someone would be fired, and that is the way it should be.

But Campbell has a different standard now that he is in government. Campbell’s incompetence will cost you at least $388 million and nobody has been held accountable, and people in my area tell me that is completely unacceptable.