Head On!: Collisions of Egos, Ethics, and Politics in B.C.'s Transportation History

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Heritage House Publishing Co, 2004 - History - 192 pages

In a province where mountain ranges are at odds with road and rail builders, and its capital city and a large portion of its population are on an island, it's no surprise that provision of an effective transportation system has been a challenging undertaking—or that mistakes have been made. In many cases, BC's political leaders not only didn't solve problems, they added to them. And many of the mistakes made resulted from premiers exploiting their time in office to further their own political preferences, theories and agendas. This insider's examination looks at premiers' errors and exploitations, along with their triumphs and achievements, from the first days of the provincial government. Whether it be trouble with bridges (premiers Prior and Pattulo), railways (McBride and Bennett) or ferries (Clark), R.G. Harvey calls it like he sees it.

 

Contents

Preface
9
The Railway Builders and the Debt
37
Partisan Politics Finally Coalesce
59
The Bond Burner and the Dreamer
85
MiniWac and the Restraint Revolution
105
A Fantastic Adversary
121
The Nanaimo and FastFerries
137
Final Report 1999 to 2004
161
Premiers and Times of Service
176
Copyright

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About the author (2004)

Robert G. (Bob) Harvey (1922-2014) immigrated to British Columbia from Scotland in 1948 and joined the Department of Public Works as a professional engineer. After several years in Nelson and Nanaimo, he held Regional Maintenance Engineer positions at New Westminster, where he was responsible for all provincial roads in the Skeena, Prince Rupert, Atlin, Vancouver Island and Lower Mainland districts, and later at Prince George. He moved to Victoria in 1967 and in 1976 became Deputy Minister of Highways and Public Works. Following his retirement in 1983, he began a second career as an author, publishing five books on the topic of transportation and politics in BC.

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