BC Politics with Hubert Beyer

By HUBERT BEYER

VICTORIA – Condominium owners in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island, on the hook for an estimated $1 billion to fix their leaky condos, are looking to the government for help, and what does the NDP do? Launch what they hope will be a political witch hunt.

There is no other way to interpret the appointment of former New Democrat premier Dave Barrett as one-man commissioner of inquiry to look into the leaky-condo mess.

The opposition, meanwhile, isn’t offering anything better. Liberal leader Gordon Campbell suggests the government sink Skeena Cellulose, take its money and reimburse the folks who got ripped off by fly-by-night condo developers.

All of which makes me suspect that the combined intelligence quotient of government and opposition equals that of a tadpole.

First, allow me to tear a strip or two off the government. Does Premier Glen Clark really want to make us believe Barrett’s appointment stems from a genuine desire to find a solution to the leaky-condo question?

The appointment has "get-Campbell" written all over it. Most of the Lower Mainland condos in question were built when Campbell was mayor of Vancouver. It is also no secret that a lot of developers are friends of Campbell who have contributed to his election campaign.

That, however, should not be at the centre of the government’s attempts to find a solution for the condo purchasers who got burned. But it is, as can easily be seen from a response last week in the legislature by Municipal Affairs Minister Jenny Kwan to a question by Campbell, who blasted the government for not having dealt with the matter earlier.

"I think it’s very curious that the Liberal opposition leader points the finger everybody else, excepting the people who him (financial) support," the minister said.

In his role as inquiry commissioner, Barrett has quasi-judicial powers. He can call witnesses, subpoena them is necessary, and attach blame. And if he feels like it, hue could call Campbell as a witness.

Now to the Liberals. Where were they all these years? The leaky-condo scandal didn’t just surface last week. The fact is that they avoided the issue like the plague, because of the potential harm it could do to their leader, if the government wanted to exploit it.

Only when they could no longer look the other way, did the Liberals unfurled the banner in support of the beleaguered condo owners. And their fears were confirmed: the government is, indeed, determined to use the issue for crass political purposes.

What about the central question: should the owners of leaky condos, whose repair bills range from $15,000 to $150,000, be entitled to government help?

I don’t want to appear uncharitable, but I’d say that under no circumstances should the taxpayer foot the bill for what is basically a question of buyer-beware.

You can clamor for tighter regulations and stricter inspections, but when all is said and done, when you buy something and there’s no guarantee, you’re on the hook.

Most frame-construction condos are built by non-union outfits with cheap labor. Maybe the construction trade unions have a point when they warn consumers to make sure that a development is union-built. It’s more expensive, but has a better chance of not being built shoddily.

So what could Barrett possibly recommend when he brings down his report? Low-interest, government-guaranteed loans might be one possibility. A fund into which all builders have to pay and from which homeowners, who got ripped off, would be reimbursed, is another, although that wouldn’t work retroactively.

Considering the mean-spirited manner in which the government launched the initiative, and the reluctance of the opposition to touch this hot potato until they could, no longer ignore it, however, I wouldn’t hold my breath for a practical solution if it rained into my condo.