Thanks to minister, folk-festival patrons shall overcome towing fines

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Thanks to minister, folk-festival patrons shall overcome towing fines

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Ha, the Government is picking up the tab for the towing cost- so says the Globe and Mail; I hope I helped to instigate this! Thanks Mike for letting me know! Nonetheless, we' re indirectly paying for it; and so it goes in the land greedy bureaucrats and mayoral candidates who attended the Folkfest to campaign- I saw Peter Ladner with his hat on- and he probably would have done nothing anyway to stop the tow (maybe Gregor Robertson might have said something, hint, hint...)! The BC Labour Minister from Coquitlam instigated it (Coquitlam!!!) This might lead one to believe what type of new Mayors the city might acquire- they were at the folkfest and had nothing to say about this... typical. Speak up guys now is your chance to prove me wrong!

ares-feedback@gov.bc.ca. that's the email address to be reimbursed- I suggest you put this in the papers up and down the Westcoast even for our American friends who got ripped off, because our tourist dollars are down and this ain't gonna help it; Hey Pete and Gregor, "Now's your chance!" Take out some ads in the Seattle Newspapers, full page ones- the Olympics are coming- and letting them know we are prepared to go out of our way for them will just make them want to spend more money in Canada!

LL.

Thanks to minister, folk-festival patrons shall overcome towing fines

ROD MICKLEBURGH

rmickleburgh@globeandmail.com

July 25, 2008

Quick, who is B.C.'s Labour Minister? No, it's not Attila the Hun. Be nice. Step forward, Iain Black, who garnered few headlines when he was promoted to that cabinet post a month ago.

We don't know much about the single-term MLA from Port Moody-Westwood, other than his ability to hector the province's no-nonsense children's representative, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, when she asked for a budget increase.

And he seems to really like the word "really." Upon his promotion, he told Coquitlam Now: "The assignments I've had as an MLA ... have given me a chance to really learn the job really well." Mr. Black added that representing his riding was "really, really attractive. It's really interesting work." Really!

Now it turns out that Mr. Black may really be a folkie at heart.

Print Edition - Section Front

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The suburban minister has charged to the rescue of dozens of aggrieved attendees at the weekend's Vancouver Folk Music Festival, who fell victim to the burly towing vultures forever circling the city in search of poorly parked prey.

The folk-festers had left their vegetarian vehicles on a provincially owned grassy patch across the street from the site, where cars have traditionally been allowed to park. This year, however, some bureaucrat decided that "this land is not your land" and called in the tow trucks. Reclaiming their cars from the friendly folks at Busters cost the folkies about $110 each.

Perhaps imbued by the spirit of the legendary anti-authoritarian folk singer Utah Phillips, who departed to the great hootenanny in the sky last month, the Labour Minister was not amused. Declaring the mass tow-away "obviously unacceptable," Mr. Black apologized "unreservedly on behalf of the province to the affected patrons. I assure everyone this will not happen again."

Even more amazingly, he announced that the province will reach into its coffers and reimburse those who had their cars towed, if they apply by e-mail to ares-feedback@gov.bc.ca.

Maybe we shall overcome, after all.

FOLKIE NOTES

A few further folk-fest notes. Mayoral candidates Peter Ladner and Gregor Robertson were both prominently peddling their electoral wares to the thousands of blissed-out music lovers.

And for those who missed the sublime gospel workshop on Sunday morning ... too bad.

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