249 replies to this topic

[Holden West]

I didn't know where to put this crazy-ass opinion piece. I think I'll put it here!

Not nearly the news

By BrennanCLARKE
Sep 29 2006

Good evening and welcome to CTV NewsNot, the network where we not only report the news, we sex it up with cheap wisecracks, dubious assertions and wildly embellished facts.

In the news this week, the BC Experience has applied for creditor protection after just three months in business. A 40-year contract and they didn't even last 40 weeks. That's shorter than Britney Spears' first marriage and twice as long as the City of Victoria is taking to hire a new city manager.

Proponents of the multimillion-dollar flop are vowing to forge ahead, but inside sources say the operation is suffering from the fiscal equivalent of a sucking chest wound. Now the question is which investors will get their money back and which will be left holding the bag. Our money's on the banks.

Not to tell the owners how to run their business, but perhaps "lemur-on-a-stick" was a poor menu choice for the BC Experience snack bar.

In related news, activists who protested the closure of Crystal Garden Conservation Centre now claim the heritage building is destined to become a casino. Hey, why not? It can't be a bigger gamble than the BC Experience.

Provincial Capital Commission CEO Ray Parks, the de facto landlord of Crystal Garden, declined to speculate on who his new tenant might be. However, he admitted upgrades to the glass ceiling have made the building much more marketable. Translation: At least the rain won't leak all over the slot machines.

As the Capital Regional District inches toward actually making a decision on sewage treatment, cost-conscious business leaders are looking at alternate ways to pay for the new system.

Instead of using tax dollars, the business community is touting a user-pay model in which all households would be issued an electronic "munch card" requiring residents to "swipe before they wipe."

Asked about the concept behind the idea, one local entrepreneur called it a "pay-as-you-go" system.

To the West Shore now, where politicians are planning a 10,000-seat stadium and field house next to Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre.

In keeping with recent development patterns in the area, it will be the world's first highrise stadium, with 52 floors of balcony seating overlooking the playing surface.

In keeping with the breakneck pace of development, pundits are predicting the facility will be open for business before the next big-name music act plays Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.

However critics have questioned plans to replace the current outdoor velodrome with a brand new indoor velodrome, arguing that there's not much demand for a wood-floored bicycle-racing oval.

Leftover from the 1994 Commonwealth Games, the velodrome has raised concerns in the provincial legislature that facilities being built for the 2010 Olympics in Whistler will one day lie vacant and unused. In response, the province is considering tax incentives to encourage high schools to offer intramural bobsled and luge programs.

Elsewhere in the news, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce is backing the idea of redeveloping Belleville Ferry terminal after hearing a pitch from Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce representatives at the organization's annual general meeting in Saskatoon last week.

The Greater Victoria chamber is hoping the newfound support will convince the province to move on the long-awaited project. Provincial officials confirmed that the project is indeed moving forward, and said the start of work is timed to coincide with the first-ever "cold day in hell."

Police chief Paul Battershill's stint doubling as Victoria's city manager comes to a close later this month. Among the achievements of Battershill's tenure is a plan to streamline the pace of decision making in council chambers.

"We can't make a decision unless 100 per cent of the people are happy, which basically means we can't make any decisions at all," lamented one staffer in an anonymous e-mail.

However, it's unlikely Victoria city council will ever match the lightning-fast decision making process in Langford, where elected officials recently set a new world record by plowing through a 250-page agenda in less than 20 minutes.

Turning to business, former Telus customers are accusing the company of slapping hidden fees on customers who disconnect their phone lines and switch to competitors such as Shaw Cable. Telus officials rejected the allegations but were unable to explain the widespread dissatisfaction with the company's customer service.

However one industry analyst offered the following clue: "I think they blew their entire marketing budget on those cute TV ads."

To Ottawa now where Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government is under fire for cutting close to $1 billion in spending despite a near-record surplus of $13.2 billion.

Among the biggest cuts was a $78-million reduction in funding for literacy programs. Treasury Board President John Baird told newspapers literacy programs aren't providing good value for money.

Unfortunately, the people affected were unable to read his comments.

The cuts also targeted medical marijuana research ($4 million), adult literacy programs ($12 million), youth employment programs ($66 million), Status of Women funding ($5 million) and funding for volunteer initiatives ($9.7 million).

One Tory insider admitted off the record that the savings will be used to prop up our military mission in Afghanistan.

"We don't care about education and culture," she said. "We need more money for bullets."

That's the news as we saw it. Thanks for watching CTV NewsNot and don't forget to tune into tonight's town hall forum live from the Alix Goolden performance hall, where a panel of right-wing tree-huggers will debate the merits of local oxymorons such as regional co-operation, affordable housing and responsible government.

Brennan Clarke is a Victoria News reporter

mailto:bclarke@vicnews.com

[Mike K.]

AChannel is reporting live that the Experience is now officially closed and is in the hands of a trustee. All peeps have been laid off and a re-opening date is not known.

[Holden West]

Coming soon:

The EI Experience.

[VicHockeyFan]

Coming soon:

The EI Experience.

I nominate this for post of the month.

Directors flee B.C. Experience
Eight-member board down to four as indebted attraction battles for life
Mel Cooper.
Photograph by : File Photo
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Font: * * * * Andrew A. Duffy, Times Colonist
Published: Friday, September 29, 2006
B.C. Experience, the beleaguered downtown tourist attraction that has filed for creditor protection in the face of $8.5 million in debt, has now lost half of its board of directors.

Four directors resigned in the last two weeks -- three of them just days before the multimillion-dollar tourism attraction filed for creditor protection on Sept. 19, and one two days after.

That leaves just president Mel Cooper, executive director John Thomson, Gary McCartie and Brian Piwek on the board for the attraction, which has been open three months.

On Sept. 14, five days before the company filed for protection, Dale Boniface, principal of Spectrum Marketing, and Peter Ufford, the former principal of Spectrum, left the board.

Spectrum Marketing is a creditor owed $936, and Ufford is personally owed $404.

Their departure was followed Sept. 18 by David Hoole, and on Sept. 21 by Margaret McCartie, wife of director Gary McCartie.

There had been rumours the board was divided over the need for more investment in the $20-million attraction, but no board members, past or present, would return calls Wednesday or yesterday to explain what precipitated the resignations.

According to University of Victoria business professor Elango Elangovan, the reason may be as benign as a change in direction or as divisive and volatile as a violation of trust.

"When one person leaves a board, one could argue it is because the board member felt very strongly about the direction in which the rest of the board, and hence the company, was going," he said.

But when a group of directors resign, Elangovan said, it can mean they're protesting against the direction management has taken the company or they feel management hasn't provided the board with adequate information.

While they are tight-lipped about the resignations and their implications, the directors of the B.C. Experience do expect to make an announcement today on the future of the business.

Relaying a message from the directors, spokesman Alan Perry said there will be a staff meeting today and an announcement to follow.

The attraction has until midnight tonight to file with the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy a cash-flow estimate outlining the expectations of revenue and liabilities over the next few months.

The attraction then has another two weeks, unless it obtains an extension from the courts, to file a proposal of repayment to its 227 unsecured creditors, who are owed $3 million, and its lone secured creditor, the Royal Bank, owed $5.5 million.

Once that happens, the creditors will vote either to accept the terms or vote the company into bankruptcy. Trustee Gene Drennan said that vote will take place this fall.

Perry, whose company Outside the Box is a creditor owed $31,453, said he was told the executive team continued to work intensively seeking solutions, and there were meetings scheduled well into last night.

[Holden West]

Flashback: One year ago...

"I tell you, pal, this BC Experience will be the swellest attraction since Jayne Mansfield or my name's not Mel Cooper!"

"Gee, Mel--are you sure? Some guys on an internet forum are saying a big map and some TV screens are lame."

"What? Those whippersnappers! Ne'er Do Wells! No ruffian tells Mel Cooper what's popular with guys and dames. My best friend and I have been in radio for over half a century and we know what folks like! They like the television! And the computer! They're the bee's knees! I didn't get to where I am today without knowing how to find an audience. Now all we need is a theme song. We can get that some new kid--you know, the one the teens today really go ape for--Billy Joel or Cat Stevens to sing it for us.

It'll be a huge success!"

[G-Man]

Too true. I watched a news conference on A Channel. I have to say part of me felt really bad for the guy. Also they have not been working there long enough to qualify for EI have they?

Anyways I predict 6 months to a year of nothing happening. Then some some night club in Prince George will buy the map for 600 bucks and then we will see the place turn into the new display suite for Bear Mountain.

[aastra]

Tourist traps just won't fly in this town anymore. If they ever did.

[Holden West]

I knew the BCX was doomed as soon as I learned the main attraction would be a giant relief map.

I knew that the RBCM also had a big relief map, but it was hardly the main attraction--it was merely a warm up, mounted in the lobby that you scrutinized for a minute or two before moving upstairs to the real neat stuff.

[Scaper]

I miss the animals...

many died in the move!!!

[Jarrod]

I was watching AChannel this evening and they had all the employees up front while the guy was talking. Most of them looked like they were going to breakdown. Do I blame them? No. Here they are being shown on tv and they just lost their jobs. It was really sad.

[VicHockeyFan]

^ Oh, for Gods sake. Unemployment levels in this town is at record-lows. They'll find other jobs.

[Lover Fighter]

Kind of glad I didn't get the job I applied for at the BCX now.

[Scaper]

At least they can get they jobs again...the poor animals that died can't get their lives back

[Holden West]

One of my best friends from elementary school was an animal keeper there. He was pretty upset at the closure of the Garden and the welfare of the animals.

[zoomer]

/\ enough with the animal love you wussy kitten loving bleading heart cry baby of a real man!!! :evil:

animals are only good for eating, or displayed in circus type freak shows for our entertainment, kinda like the Crystal Gardens, man I miss that place.

edit..Holden jumped in there..that was meant for the man called Scaper..but perhaps still applicable..!?

[Holden West]

Well, I admit to having a craving for some Kentucky Fried Lemur right now.

[Scaper]

hmmmm now that would be interesting!!!

I do really miss that zoo!!! I hope they can reopen somewhere.

[Holden West]

Some good pictures of the BCX map.

http://www.stm-usa.com/bc.htm

[G-Man]

Huh... Some how I thought it would be bigger.

[Holden West]

Letters to the editor Oct 4 2006 (Copyright Times Colonist (Victoria) 2006)

Let's set the record straight: No swimming pool can ever go back into the Crystal Garden.

The building is supported by a 1925 concrete raft that is prone to excess settlement if undue weight is placed on it. A 2004 engineering report states "the swimming pool should not be put back into commission." To do so would risk major structural damage over time or through an earthquake.

Susan Creviston,

Brentwood Bay.

==================

It is time to tell my story about the closure of Crystal Garden's former attraction. As a keeper with the animals I had a duty to prepare them for shipment. Because I was committed to those animals I stuck it out.

One of those sad days at 4 a.m. I quietly tiptoed into the enclosure of Tommy, the engaging golden lion tamarin, because I was told I had to. I put towels on either side of his cosy sleeping house and moved him into another enclosure, so his could be destroyed.

Sadly his home was collapsing around him.

Work in the building had made glass fall, frightening all the animals still left in the building. He never came out of that tiny little house again. We got Tommy out as fast as we could, seeing that he was very stressed, but the traumatic event killed him.

I feel for the animals, who were so hastily moved from the comfort of the only home they knew to make way for something we all knew would never fly.

Is this what we do to wildlife? I would protect wildlife anywhere before I would protect the interests of a few rich men who only want our tax dollars.

I hope the Provincial Capital Commission takes public input this time, because maybe then we will have something successful and the animals will not have died in vain.

The beauty of the old Crystal Garden building deserves greatness. Remember it is a greenhouse and some kind of garden belongs there.

Shawna Liddicoat,

Victoria.

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This is not the one that was here but here's what they look like: