The goofiness — and here I am trying to restrain myself — of Christy Clark’s Liberal government is making itself increasingly apparent. Let me refer you to the latest examples.

First: As you well know, all of Metro Vancouver is currently tearing itself apart over a transportation plebiscite, the result of an election campaign whim by our premier. Clark has refused to pay for the planned multi-billion dollar infrastructure improvements out of the provincial treasury. The plan would rebuild a bridge, add bike lanes and improve public transit and the movement of goods.

article continues below

The region’s mayors have refused to raise property tax to cover the cost. The compromise, allowing for a 0.5 per cent increase in the provincial sales tax which would apply just in Metro, is only possible under Clark’s view of how the world should work, if the majority of voters vote in favour.

This week, the same week that ballots for that plebiscite are being mailed out, Clark’s transportation minister, Todd Stone, announced yet another multi-billion-dollar transportation plan. This plan will build a bridge, add bike lanes and improve public transit and the movement of goods. One difference is the inordinate focus of widening major highways for the benefit of motor vehicles in the Fraser Valley airshed.

There will, however, be no plebiscite. The province will simply foot the bill.

And if that makes sense to you, what Clark’s minister of education is going on about with the Vancouver School Board may be more problematic.

So second: As you well know, the balance of power at the Vancouver School Board (VSB) shifted to the right as a result of the last municipal election. The board chair is NPA trustee Christopher Richardson. He promised a more conciliatory approach when dealing with Victoria than we saw when Vision Vancouver held the majority and Patti Bacchus was chair.

Even so, two issues have put the VSB at odds with Clark and her education minister Peter Fassbender.

The first is the board’s long-standing commitment to seismically upgrade a number of schools. Vancouver has more schools and children at risk of damage caused by earthquakes than other districts. In spite of that, Fassbender announced the seismic upgrading would be deferred for more than a decade and then tried to pin the blame on the VSB.

In an op-ed piece in last Monday’s Vancouver Sun, Richardson disputed the claim and rather pointed to actions by the ministry, including withdrawing funding for portables to allow upgrading of main buildings to go ahead.

Then there is the issue of the VSB operating budget.

While the minister was being battered by critics for delaying upgrades, another story surfaced tied to the budget made headlines and reflected poorly on a parsimonious provincial government: “2,000 children go hungry in Vancouver schools every day.” Richardson called the situation “a crisis we have to face.”

In spite of all that, Richardson told Fassbender’s ministry that he fully intended to balance the budget although it would mean making some difficult choices.

The matter was made even more problematic with a demand from Fassbender that boards across the province cut $29 million in administration costs this year and $25 million next year.

In their first take on the budget in February VSB staff ended up with a deficit but had proposals that would eliminate it.

Richardson, who happens to be a chartered accountant, also informed the ministry at the beginning of March that the board had contracted with independent accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers to assist VSB staff to seek out efficiencies.

But last week Fassbender went on the offensive. After giving Richardson a 15-minute warning, he called a press conference to announce he had appointed a second accounting firm, Ernst & Young, to act as an independent adviser to the VSB. He also accused the board of having an unrestricted surplus of $28 million.

“Unfortunately,” Richardson noted, “the minister has incorrectly mentioned this surplus a number of times.” The money was already committed.

And noting the ministry already knew the VSB had an external firm of accountants under contract, Richardson said he was “surprised” by the minister’s announcement and said “we’re not sure what this second third party adviser will be able to add.”

Patti Bacchus couldn’t have said it better herself.

twitter.com/allengarr