This page contains annotated news stories and press releases with commentary about land reform and the democratic process in British Columbia. Our comments are shown in red.
It is shocking the way that the province and new Forest Minister responded to the Auditor Generals report. We expected more from Pat Bell, the new Forest Minister.
Thank goodness that Auditor General is fearless, he will not back down, and that is just what we need.
Doyle 'surprised' by attacks over report
Liberal anger over review unfounded: auditor general
Jul 18, 2008
By Judith Lavoie
<jlavoie@tc.canwest.com>
The furious response of Forests Minister Pat Bell to a report on private forest lands was auditor general John Doyle's welcome-home greeting.
Doyle, who took up the auditor general's position last October, arrived back in B.C. Tuesday from Perth, Australia, where he underwent major heart surgery.
"I went back to Australia to attend a conference and have some leave and, while I was in Australia, it was determined I had this problem and, with very short notice, I was told I needed surgery," he said in an interview yesterday.
Auditor general John Doyle says in his years of performing accountability audits, he has "never, ever seen anything" like Forests Minister Pat Bell's outburst Wednesday over his forest-land report.View Larger Image View Larger Image
Auditor general John Doyle says in his years of performing accountability audits, he has "never, ever seen anything" like Forests Minister Pat Bell's outburst Wednesday over his forest-land report.
As Doyle prepared the hard-hitting report on a decision by former forests minister Rich Coleman to allow Western Forest Products to withdraw private forest land from three Vancouver Island tree farm licences, much of the work was done by e-mail, teleconferencing and phone calls.
Also, an "excellent" staff of assistant auditors general was working on it in Victoria, said Doyle, former deputy auditor general of Western Australia.
Doyle, who released the report Wednesday, said that shortly after the operation he felt completely healthy, but doctors would not let him take the 28-hour flight from Perth to Victoria until this week.
The welcome mat was not out -- at least as far as the Forests Ministry was concerned.
As reporters were given the report, they were also handed a response from Forests Minister Pat Bell, which Doyle had not seen.
Doyle's speed-read of the first page appeared to support the findings of his report, which said Coleman's decision was made without sufficient information, consultation or attention paid to the public interest.
However, in subsequent pages, Bell took exception to most of the report's major findings.
Bell followed up by slamming Doyle in a media scrum, calling the report unprofessional and lacking in integrity.
"I was a bit surprised," said Doyle.
After decades of doing accountability audits, it is the first time Doyle has seen such a response.
"I have never, ever seen anything like the performance of the minister before," Doyle replied.
Also, the ministry appears to have had some "lapses of corporate memory" over issues such as the definition of public interest and mandate, Doyle said.
Bell lashed out at the auditor general's office for not providing a copy of the report until the day before the release, but Doyle said the draft report was provided to the ministry three and a half weeks ago.
"The report has not changed substantially from that date to this -- maybe some of the typos and grammar have been corrected," he said.
Before accepting the job, Doyle was assured he would have independence and support from both sides of the house and he does not expect recent tensions to affect that.
"I will continue to operate in a fearless way," he said.
Doyle, who took up the auditor general's position last October, arrived back in B.C. Tuesday from Perth, Australia, where he underwent major heart surgery.
"I went back to Australia to attend a conference and have some leave and, while I was in Australia, it was determined I had this problem and, with very short notice, I was told I needed surgery," he said in an interview yesterday.
Auditor general John Doyle says in his years of performing accountability audits, he has "never, ever seen anything" like Forests Minister Pat Bell's outburst Wednesday over his forest-land report.View Larger Image View Larger Image
Auditor general John Doyle says in his years of performing accountability audits, he has "never, ever seen anything" like Forests Minister Pat Bell's outburst Wednesday over his forest-land report.
As Doyle prepared the hard-hitting report on a decision by former forests minister Rich Coleman to allow Western Forest Products to withdraw private forest land from three Vancouver Island tree farm licences, much of the work was done by e-mail, teleconferencing and phone calls.
Also, an "excellent" staff of assistant auditors general was working on it in Victoria, said Doyle, former deputy auditor general of Western Australia.
Doyle, who released the report Wednesday, said that shortly after the operation he felt completely healthy, but doctors would not let him take the 28-hour flight from Perth to Victoria until this week.
The welcome mat was not out -- at least as far as the Forests Ministry was concerned.
As reporters were given the report, they were also handed a response from Forests Minister Pat Bell, which Doyle had not seen.
Doyle's speed-read of the first page appeared to support the findings of his report, which said Coleman's decision was made without sufficient information, consultation or attention paid to the public interest.
However, in subsequent pages, Bell took exception to most of the report's major findings.
Bell followed up by slamming Doyle in a media scrum, calling the report unprofessional and lacking in integrity.
"I was a bit surprised," said Doyle.
After decades of doing accountability audits, it is the first time Doyle has seen such a response.
"I have never, ever seen anything like the performance of the minister before," Doyle replied.
Also, the ministry appears to have had some "lapses of corporate memory" over issues such as the definition of public interest and mandate, Doyle said.
Bell lashed out at the auditor general's office for not providing a copy of the report until the day before the release, but Doyle said the draft report was provided to the ministry three and a half weeks ago.
"The report has not changed substantially from that date to this -- maybe some of the typos and grammar have been corrected," he said.
Before accepting the job, Doyle was assured he would have independence and support from both sides of the house and he does not expect recent tensions to affect that.
"I will continue to operate in a fearless way," he said.
