The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says the BC Government has dropped the ball at ICBC leaving taxpayers on the hook for millions.

bc spokesperson jordan bateman says problem number one is "We need better negotiators in government we need people who are there standing up for taxpayers who are grinding down executive compensation deals at the very beginning when we sign on the Auditor General made reference to this a few years back in a report maybe moving to fixed term contracts finding different ways in order to save us this severance money in the long run."

Bateman says on the BC Government's watch iICBC grew too quickly and became top heavy.

"You know there is no doubth long term money will be saved but again it is money we shouldn't have spent in the first place. the worst part of this whole story is the ICBC managers looked us in the eye and said we are going to make all these cuts and the public won't notice, and service levels won't be reduced, well if the public doesn't notice if you are cutting these jobs why did we hire them in the first place."

Bateman says people are angry over the golden handshake especially as they pay insurance premiums.

"Our basic rates went up this year you know government takes more and more money out of ICBC so away from the ratepayers and putting it into general funds. I mean ICBC has been a problem for a long time media outlets, watchdogs like us, we kept red flagging it and trying to get the governments attention it finally took that provincial review to get the full story and now we are paying the consequences."

While the Premier says the ICBC severance payouts are "ridiculous" but her government's hands are tied, theNDP are saying the buck stops with Christy Clark.

ICBC critic Mable Elmore says it isn't just ICBC.

"We have heard this in Community Living BC, in BC Ferries,  and many other crown corporations. The final responsibility rests with the Premier and it is her responsibility to oversee these areas and I think that is where we have seen quite frankly a lack of leadership and a lack of taking responsibility."

When asked if insurance rates could have been reduced if millions in severance wasn't being paid out, Elmore says..

"That is a good question and a fair question given that the Liberals didn't seem to have an idea what was going on for five years at ICBC and I have other questions as well in terms of not only severance and executive compensation. The lack of plans around payments due to bodily injury claims."

Elmore says the province has been operating ICBC for years with no plan, oversight, or accountability.

Severance payments could cost 26 million dollars for ICBC job cuts to create 29 million in savings through 2013.

The NDP have more leaked emails from a committee examining the future of the aging Burnaby hospital that seem to show the group's members are not focused on health care but are instead playing politics. 

 Health critic Mike Farnworth says the title of the email, from a committee stacked with BC Liberal MLA's, party members, and insiders, says it all. 

 'The issue we can win Burnaby-Deer Lake on, Re-win Burnaby North, and Lougheed. - Will also help in Fairview and Fraser view'

 Farnworth says the shine is now off the so called citizens committee who are supposed to looking at improvements to the hospital.

He reads from the email "This is the really telling part. This would keep the issue ours without committing dollars and buy us time to do some polling and confirm that this is a winning issue."

 The leaked email has three themes. 

 One, it is the hospital Premier Christy Clark grew up in. This is mentioned several times including in large bold font underlined for emphasis. 

 Two, Burnaby hospital can be used as an issue to win Burnaby North and several adjacent or nearby ridings. 

 Three, how to stay ahead of the NDP and keep the hospital as an issue out of the hands of Burnaby mayor Derek Corrigan and his wife NDP MLA Kathy Corrigan. 

 Farnworth says it is dirty pool.

 "And the whole series of this email outlines what the situation is, what their challenge is in terms of a timeline, and how they are going to put it together, and how they are even going to put two potential Liberal candidates for that riding in the next election on the committee to give them exposure it really is unbelievably cynical."

 Farnworth says it shows decisions are not being made with health care and the needs of the people as a top priority but instead are being done by putting political interests first. 

 Farnworth reads more from the email "PCC, which is Premier Christy Clark, Richard Lee, Harry Bloy,  to tour the Burnaby hospital ASAP and do press conference after to announce that PCC will rebuild Burnaby hospital or look into what the community wants."

 For her part BC's Health Minister seems to be saying never mind the emails, focus on the process, when she was asked about the latest leaked email from the committee studying Burnaby hospital.

 MacDiarmid admits there are BC Liberal supporters on the committee. 

 "But they are also really strong supporters of the Burnaby hospital I think it cuts across politcal party's these people happen to be BC Liberals."

 When the line "This would keep the issue ours without committing dollars and buy us time to do some polling and confirm that this is a winning issue." was read to her MacDiarmid admitted "You know that it is tough for me to hear that because it is not at all the way that I think."

 But MacDiarmid says it still doesn't taint the process. 

 "No question about it, it was very partisan but if you look at the actual process the people that got together in this citizens sort of engagement it was the people it was the community of Burnaby. It was open to everyone. I haven't seen the report that will come from this process I expect to get it fairly soon. I have said before I absolutely will make it public."

 MacDiarmid says she is also unwilling to throw the report out or discount it outright. 

 "I want to read that report. Once it is out and it is public I mean people can decide for themselves but I certainly would never want to dismiss that report when I literally I haven't read one word of it yet."

 She says politics should not be top priority in making decisions. 

 "If your listeners would say hospitals, and schools, and other capital investments should not be decided based on politics, I 100% agree with that."

 The email was written by three committee members all with ties to the BC Liberals. 

 Mark Robertson is the party's director of field operations. 

 Pamela Gardner is a former riding president for the Liberals. 

 While Brian Bonney is a current communications director within government and has in the past worked for the Liberals. 

Surrey RCMP were called to a home in the Fleetwood neighbourhood whereupon they found a woman's body in a basement suite.
 
The home, in the 84 hundred block of 148-A Street at Spencer Drive, was secured and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team was called in to assume control.
 
Currently, they say the homicide is not gang related.

Corporal Adam MacIntosh says the investigation is in the early stages and they don't have a lot of information to share.
 
RCMP are hoping neighbours may be able to shed some light on the case.

Premier Christy Clark will face off against David Eby in the riding of Vancouver-Point Grey next May.

As expected, the BC Civil Liberties Association's outgoing executive director is running for the NDP, acclaimed at a meeting last night.  

Clark barely won against Eby during last year's by-election.

Eby says voters may have given Clark a chance then to see what she was made of, but now it's clear where she stands – and that's to his advantage.

"Before, there was a certain amount of – well, lack of clarity, I think, about the direction in which the Liberals were going to go, and I think the NDP has set out a very clear plan. And that is to my advantage. We're very clear on Enbridge, and for people who are concerned about that issue will have a very stark choice between the Liberals and the NDP."

He will stay on with the BCCLA to do only administrative work, and help bring in a new executive director in January.

A North Vancouver father has won his fight against the school district over his son, who has learning disabilities, not getting proper education.

Rick Moore won a human rights complaint against the North Vancouver School District back in 2005.

He claimed his son, Jeffrey, had been discriminated against because of his dyslexia, and has been denied adequate education when the district shut down a special learning centre.

But three years later, the BC Supreme Court overturned that finding.

Now, the highest court in the country has ruled the tribunal's decision should stand, as well as its order that the district reimburse the Moores for the cost of private schooling and award them damages. 

The court says Jeffrey was denied meaningful access to general education available to all children in B.C.             

Another twist in the BC Rail saga this afternoon.

Independent MLA John van Dongen is asking conflict of interest commissioner Paul Fraser to step aside from an investigation into Premier Christy Clark.

This after learning that Fraser's son, John-Paul Fraser,  works for the government's communications branch.

"The public is entitled to have confidence in the integrity of the conflict of interest complaint process, so is the legislature, and so am I entitled to have that confidence. Accordingly I will be asking Paul Fraser, the conflict of interest commissioner, to remove himself from dealing with my request for an investigation." 

Van Dongen had asked Fraser to investigate whether Clark was in a conflict of interest by attending cabinet meetings where the BC Rail sale was discussed in 2003.

He says he was stunned to learn yesterday that Fraser's son is a government employee.

Paul Fraser has not been available for comment. 

BC Hydro is trying to make sure line contractors aren't leaving the province high and dry during storm season.

In letter BC Hydro warns contractors of fines, and quote 'difficulty in obtaining future work", if they don't meet deadlines and responsibilities here in order to leave to help with Superstorm Sandy clean up efforts in the U.S.

Hydro spokesperson Simi Heer says they support the sandy clean up effort but want to make sure contractors  have enough staff on hand to deal with B.C's storm season.

"We are just simply asking them to ensure they have contingencies in place in case a major storm does strike here in BC of course we rely on these companies during storm season to ensure the lights are kept on here in BC so they are a big part of how we do business so it is just a reminder to ask them to have contingencies in place

As far as fines and other tough talk in the letter Heer says "Well we are obviously hoping it doesn't get to that point and that is kind of one of the reasons that we did send this letter is that we want to work with these companies ahead of time and plan with them."

Heer says it is about communication.

"We are asking these companies to work with us and plan with us so if we know that certain crews won't be available for a certain period of time we are able to reallocate our resources to make sure our storm plan is in place and effective we are able to respond quickly."

Faculty and staff at BCIT are the latest employees of a Post Secondary institution to give their union a strike mandate.

Six hundred and eighty nine members voted 78 percent in favor of job action.

Paul Reniers with the union says it isn't yet clear what strike action could look like or when it could happen.

"We feel right now our message is to the government and the members have told the bargaining team and our board they're behind us."

Reniers says the focus for the next week will be getting that message to the government before students are significantly inconvenienced.

He says the union is disappointed the government hasn't given BCIT a fair mandate to settle a contract.

"We see bargaining units across the public sector settling for two and two percent for 2012/2013, even bargaining units in the universities, our sector.  And BCIT has not got the authority to put that on the table for us, so we can move ahead and settle other outstanding issues as well."

Higher salaries and working conditions are among the issues the union has been negotiating with BCIT for more than two years.

Union members include faculty, assistant instructors, technical staff, and researchers.

A second appeal of Jarrod Bacon's prison sentence for conspiracy to traffic cocaine.

The notorious member of the red scorpion gang was sentenced to 12 years back in may.  But he received credit for time already served -- bringing it down to 7 years, two months.

Crown Counsel said that wasn't not enough.

They had been seeking 21 years, so they appealed.

Now, Bacon wants to appeal too, saying the sentence is too much.

A hearing had been set for later this month, but his defense lawyer has asked for more time to prepare.

He did not provide further details in court.

A new date has been set for mid-January.

The Chair of the Vancouver School Board says a Supreme Court of Canada ruling Friday will have implications for school boards--particularly when it comes to budgets.

The court found the North Vancouver school district discriminated against Jeffrey more, who has dyslexia, by not teaching him to read.

Moore had been attending a centre for kids with learning disabilities in the 1990s, when it was shut down to save money.

The court criticized the Board's decision to cut the centre, when they could have cut something else.

"And that's part of the decisions every year that we have to make budget cuts, that's always part of the decision is what do we cut, and how do we prioritize and how do we do that fairly,” said Vancouver Board Chair Patti Bacchus.

Bacchus says boards will have to be aware of the issue when looking at budgets, especially if heading into budgetary shortfalls.

The union representing BC Transit employees in Greater Victoria is heading to the Labour Relations Board on Tuesday in an attempt to stop BC Transit from contracting out of bus maintenance work.

Employees are in the middle of a ban on overtime in their labour dispute with the transit authority.

"We do believe that they're in violation of the labour code by contracting this out to replacement workers,” says President of CAW local 333, Ben Williams.

But Meribeth Burton with BC Transit says there is a contracting out clause in their collective agreement that allows the company to contract out when they don't have the resources, including staff, to do the work in a timely fashion.

She says the Mechanics Department has seven vacancies.  She says right now, if there is no workers available for overtime, they can't keep up with demand.

The installation of BC Hydro’s Smart Meters is wrapping up, but it seems people who keep refusing a meter may not have to face consequences for continually saying no.

Cindy Verschoor with the Smart Metering Program says Hydro will to work with customers who refuse meter installation by answering their questions and addressing concerns.

The program is set to wrap up at the end of the year, but Vershoor says they haven’t decided on consequences if customers still refuse to make the switch.

"There's no decision that's been made on sort of what will happen after that date so I can't really provide any details on that."

Verschoor says right now, about 4 percent of the Province’s  1.85 million customers are on a delay list for installation -- some because they don't want a meter, others for reasons like difficult access to their existing meter.

BC Teachers' Federation President Susan Lambert says she's worried about school districts in the province being able to set their own school calendars.

Lambert says it's difficult for families to organize family time if everyone is on a different calendar.  She says family time is something kids need in addition to school time.

"I don't think everything needs to be flowing from a market place calendar.  I think that the whole notion of children being part of families is something we should honour as well."

With regulations now in place, boards of education can set their own calendars starting with the 2013-2014 year.

The Mayor of Vancouver says when it comes to responding to a major catastrophe like an earthquake the Federal Government has it wrong.

The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans says it is a local issue.

Gregor Robertson says not so much:

"The Coast Guard is responsible on the waters, there is no doubt about that.  And that is why we are so concerned they want to close Kits Coast Guard base.  You know we rely on the Federal Government to deal with major disasters and support us.  And they have supported us on heavy urban search and rescue, but that funding is drying up. That is a big concern when you see earthquakes in the region."

Robertson says kits base is part of the city's emergency response infrastructure.

The Conservative Government will close the Kits Base this spring.  

Saturday marks a month since 15-year-old Amanda Todd committed suicide and her video plea for help made headlines around the world.

Officials with the Coquitlam and Maple Ridge school districts, where Amanda was a student, say a lot of work has been done since her death.

They’ve reviewed their programs and response plans, held events on teen suicide and social media responsibility, and met with Mayors to discuss how the community can help stop bullying. 

"It's brought everyone to a point now where people now appreciate that they need to keep working at this. We need to keep finding more and more effective programs that will be preventative by nature.

Cheryl Quinton in Coquitlam adds what's been missing is more mental health supports, as more teens in all districts are having problems.

Meanwhile, the Province continues with its 'erase' bullying strategy, including an website to report problems anonymously, and will hold a summit on bullying next week.

But while the districts say they are working hard, have kids at Amanda’s former schools noticed any difference?

"Not really, just for a short period of time."

"It was, like, very hyped after it happened. But now I guess people forgot about it."

"The same teachers have always had their opinion and said 'don't do that, don't do this,' but no matter what, it's going to happen."

One girl at Westview Secondary in maple ridge even said some boys had held a party to 'celebrate' Amanda’s death.  

Police have arrested three people after an incident near the intersection of Commercial Drive and East Broadway.

Police aren't saying much at this stage, but two police vehicles pinned a black Honda Accord around noon.

Witnesses say they saw officers with guns drawn arrest three people.

The car was left with its hood smashed in.

Police say nobody was hurt during the arrest.

It's unclear at this stage which police agency made the arrest, with a Vancouver Police Department officer telling CKNW his department was assisting another agency.

A man is in hospital after an altercation at Royal Oak and Imperial Street.

Staff Sergeant Steve Crawford says Burnaby RCMP arrived around 1:00 to find an injured man.

"Burnaby RCMP located a victim who was bleeding, suffering from injuries. He was ultimately transported to hospital for treatment. And through immediate further investigation we located the person we believe to be the suspect. He's been arrested. He's been brought back to the Burnaby RCMP detachment."

Police say a weapon was involved.

They are not identifying the victim or the assailant, only saying the men ranged in age from mid 20s to mid 30s.

No word yet on the condition of the injured man.

A body has been recovered from the Fraser River at the west tip of Annacis Island.

Delta Police are investigating along with the Coroner.

The person's gender is not being released, but police say the body is that of an adult.

They were called out about 1:30 this afternoon.

Work is being done to identify the person.

The Canada Border Services Agency says a woman was caught at Vancouver International Airport on Tuesday, trying to smuggle in suspected heroin.

The woman was questioned, arrested and taken to hospital as she tried to return to Canada.

She had to undergo emergency surgery to remove 51 pellets packaged in condoms.

This is the third person in since last weekend to be caught carrying drugs internally at the airport.

A fatal collision shut down roads in Surrey for most of Saturday night and into Sunday morning.

Investigators are still looking into what happened at 128th street and 68th avenue at 10:30.

RCMP Staff Sergeant Warren Tyson says one of the vehicles was severely damaged.

"One person was pronounced dead at the scene.  A second person was taken to local hospital with serious injuries."

Tyson says speed is believed to be a factor.