Latest news with #Milburn
Vancouver Sun
20 hours ago
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
David Eby threatens to step in if Metro Vancouver ducks external probe of huge sewage plant cost overrun
VICTORIA — Metro Vancouver's decision to delay a review of the $3-billion-overbudget North Shore wastewater treatment plant does not let the regional district off the hook on accountability to taxpayers, Premier David Eby said Monday. 'We're reviewing the decision of Metro Vancouver to delay doing a full review … that Metro had committed and promised to us that they would deliver,' the premier told reporters. 'We'll have a look at the justification for the (delay) decision. But the bottom line is that Metro Vancouver needs to ensure accountability for taxpayers and we'll make sure that happens.' A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The Metro board's rationale, announced Friday, was that it wanted first to resolve a lawsuit with the former contractor on the troubled project, which is now expected to cost nearly $4 billion. 'There are two obviously crucial values for taxpayers,' Eby conceded. 'One is to know that Metro Vancouver has the tools and the capacity to do and deal with big infrastructure projects and do it responsibly and in a way that minimizes costs for people at home. 'The other is that Metro Vancouver, if they were wronged by contracting companies, that they're able to recover in court and offset losses the taxpayers and all of us are facing as a result.' Metro chair Mike Hurley cited the latter consideration in explaining the board's decision, taken in private on Friday, to suspend the independent review. 'The board has decided the public interest is best served by resolving the legal dispute with the previous contractor before undertaking the review,' Hurley said by news release. Hurley had launched the independent review just five months ago, citing it as evidence of his commitment to transparency and accountability since he took over as Metro chair in July of last year. 'When I came in as the chair, I committed to bringing in an independent party to review the North Shore wastewater treatment plant,' said Hurley. 'We look forward to sharing the results of this work with the public once complete.' The lead reviewer was Peter Milburn, former deputy minister of finance in the B.C. government. Milburn reported on the overrun on the Site C project, which led to the budget being increased from $10.7 billion to $16 billion. Hurley announced the appointment of Milburn and his associates on Feb. 28. Then in April, Metro went to court to try to delay its two-way legal battle with Acciona, which the region's sewerage and drainage district terminated as contractor on the wastewater treatment plant three years ago. Acciona is claiming $250 million in damages over the termination. The regional district's counterclaim 'exceeds $1 billion,' court was told. The two sides were set to square off in B.C. Supreme Court starting on March 1, 2027. But Metro asked for the proceedings to be delayed to September 2028, a request that raised a judicial eyebrow with the presiding B.C. Supreme Court judge, Bruce Elwood. 'The district says in effect it cannot be ready for a trial in the one year and 10 months that remain before the trial date and that an adjournment of one and a half years is necessary to ensure that it receives a fair trial,' the judge observed. 'Three years have already passed since the termination of the project agreement, four to five and a half years since the events leading to the termination, six years since the project agreement was negotiated and 10 years since the procurement period commenced. 'If the trial is adjourned there will be a further 3½ delay before the witnesses can start to provide their testimony.' Though Metro asked for more time to process some four million documents produced by Acciona, the judge said the case is also dependent on the memories of dozens of witnesses whose testimony will be heard over an estimated 130 days of court time. Some key witnesses have moved away, others have retired and one has died. Instead of granting the lengthy delay, the judge urged Metro to put more staff to work on preparing for trial. The case is still set to go ahead March 1, 2027, well after next year's civic elections. But rumours persist that Metro is exploring an out-of-court settlement, probably including non-disclosure agreements for both sides. The Metro politicians have already gagged themselves by making decisions in private on this fiasco. Last year, they were sworn to secrecy on what their own internal reports said about the overrun. On Friday, they refused to disclose how individual board members voted on the decision to suspend the review. This week, a quartet of local political leaders — New Westminster Coun. Daniel Fontaine, Richmond's Kash Heed, Surrey's Linda Annis and Burnaby's Richard Lee — called on Eby to intervene with a review of his own. Eby hasn't ruled out the possibility. 'There's no question that work has to be done at Metro to get things under control and in hand,' he said last week. 'We're counting on the chair and the Metro Vancouver council to deliver that — and if they can't, the province is prepared to step in.' He should do just that, if Metro's pattern of delay and coverup persists. vpalmer@
Vancouver Sun
04-07-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Far from a relic, Hastings Racecourse can thrive with proper support
There have been horses racing since two people each owned a horse and decided to see which one was the fastest. That human need to know will continue until there are no more horses, or humans. At Hastings Park, racing goes back 133 years, but the sport faces an uncertain future in its current location with — depending on who you're asking — plenty of opinions on what it might become if the racetrack wasn't there. It has been a frustrating few months for Hastings' backstretch community, with talk of the track being replaced by a new soccer stadium, or the casino rights, which currently help fund racing, being sold off without the need for racing to continue. But ask any of the bumper crowd in attendance to celebrate Canada Day — and let's remember the contribution of the horse in the creation of our great nation — this week, and they might be amused to learn the sport was supposedly in peril in Vancouver. 'Hastings is not a relic, it's a thriving, historic venue that generated over $21.5 million in wagers last season and supports hundreds of working-class jobs tied to racing, training, and backstretch operations,' David Milburn, president of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association of B.C., explained this week. 'Displacing it would dismantle an entire economic and cultural ecosystem that has existed for more than a century.' The racing community feels its future is in danger of being decided by parties who either don't understand what is at stake or simply don't care that a sport and industry employing hundreds locally, and province-wide, is being left to wither on the vine. A breeder, owner and trainer for many years, Milburn is adamant that the casino, which currently funds about 45 per cent of racing, is inextricably linked to the sport, and was organized that way intentionally at a time when the government-backed expansion of the gambling sector threatened to leave racing penniless. 'Hastings was never intended to be a standalone casino,' Milburn said. 'It was meant to be a revenue stream that sustains an entire rural and urban industry. The City of Vancouver's bylaw explicitly ties the operation of slots at Hastings to the presence of live horse racing, and the original provincial authorizations were granted on that same basis.' Those ancillary jobs and industries Milburn talks about include veterinary care, blacksmiths, commercial horse breeding, hay, feed, horse transport, to name just a few, all of which would be in jeopardy should racing end. Given the current shenanigans south of the border, Milburn also questions the logic of structuring a gaming industry that benefits foreign equity groups over the needs of British Columbians. 'That original decision has shifted economic value and decision-making power out of our province and across the border. Meanwhile, B.C.'s horse racing industry has been sidelined and neglected. We need to rethink our priorities. Supporting local industries like horse racing means investing in B.C. jobs, B.C. agriculture, and B.C. heritage — not exporting opportunity to Wall Street.' First Race Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Hastings Race 1 (2:30 p.m.): Last season's leading juvenile Mount Doom tasted defeat for the first time recently and connections will be keen to see him bounce back to his best in the $50,000 Chris Loseth Stakes. Hastings Race 6 (5 p.m.): After almost lowering a 30-year track record on her debut and following up with a consummate Stakes victory, scintillating speed freak Chi Chi Time looks to preserve her unbeaten record in the $50,000 Supernatural Stakes Nigel Reid has written about international horse racing for 40 years. He is an owner at Hastings and sits on the board of t he Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association of B.C. Check out our sports section for the latest news and analysis. Care for a wager? Head to our sports betting section for news and odds.
Scoop
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Peter Robinson: Charcoal Drawing & Hye Rim Lee: Swan Lake At Christchurch Art Gallery
Saturday 2 August to 23 November Two very different exhibitions will open alongside each other at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū this August. Each has been developed by an internationally recognised contemporary artist and will offer visitors an immersive and unforgettable experience. Peter Robinson: Charcoal Drawing Don't let the title fool you – leading Aotearoa artist Peter Robinson (Kāi Tahu) is always thinking outside the square, and well beyond the limits of a sheet of paper. His upcoming exhibition Peter Robinson: Charcoal Drawing invites viewers to become part of what Lead Curator Felicity Milburn describes as 'a three-dimensional drawing in space.' 'This epically-scaled installation plays with the idea of walking through a drawing and feeling how it transforms around you as you see it from different heights and angles. 'Peter explored this way of working at Whangārei Art Museum in 2024, and this new iteration responds directly to the tall, square setting of our Sutton Gallery space,' says Milburn. Multiple six-metre-long, powder-coated aluminium beams will be bent into shape by Robinson and a small team at the Gallery during the days leading up to the opening of the exhibition. 'It's a very hands-on process where careful planning meets a playful responsiveness to space, resulting in a viewing experience that feels both precise and unpredictable,' says Milburn. 'Peter works with shapes that are deliberately open-ended. They carry echoes of koru, niho and other forms familiar from customary Māori artmaking, while also encouraging a host of other readings, such as a monumental finger curled in invitation,' Milburn explains. 'The scale is shifting and uncertain, and by choosing a surface treatment that resembles burnt or weathered wood, he transforms a sterile, industrial material into something much more organic and full of possibility.' Felicity Milburn will lead a conversation with Peter Robinson about his work in the exhibition space at 1pm on opening day, Saturday 2 August. Hye Rim Lee: Swan Lake For leading intermedia artist Hye Rim Lee (Korea, New Zealand), an upbringing immersed in music, theatre and dance instilled a love of creativity and storytelling says Curator Ken Hall. 'That passion led Lee into an international career in digital artistry. Like her late father, Jin Soon Lee, who was a prominent theatre director in South Korea, she brings stories, characters and imaginative worlds to life – only her stage is a screen. Hye Rim Lee Swan Lake (still) 2025. 3D animation. 3D generalist: Steven Stringer. Courtesy of the artist 'Lee works closely with a team of animators and sound engineers to create large-scale projected 3D animation shaped through a process of careful refinement,' says Hall. 'She brings a strong directorial vision to the animation, shaping each element from concept to final presentation.' Lee's latest major work, Swan Lake, draws inspiration from Tchaikovsky's iconic ballet and includes choreography by the acclaimed dancer Rudolf Nureyev. Lee's fascination with swans began during the 2020 Level 4 lockdown when she often encountered the graceful birds at Western Springs, near her Grey Lynn studio. Another deeply personal thread running through Lee's work is the impact of loss – her parents in the 1980s, and her sister in 2008. 'Elements of grief and darkness give way to hope and healing, echoing Lee's own journey of transformation and spiritual depth,' says Hall. 'There's an ethereal, emotive quality to Lee's Swan Lake. The two swans share a tenderness that feels almost human. While reflecting the emotional depth of the original ballet, Lee's Swan Lake reimagines the narrative in a striking way.' At 11am on opening day, Saturday 2 August, hear from Hye Rim Lee in conversation with Ken Hall in the Gallery's Philip Carter Family Auditorium. Peter Robinson: Charcoal Drawing and Hye Rim Lee: Swan Lake open on Saturday 2 August and close on 23 November 2025.
Vancouver Sun
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Friday night racing at Hastings Racecourse is the perfect way to kick-off the weekend
Friday night racing returns to Hastings Racecourse this week, signalling the start of summer in the city and offering Vancouver sports fans a chance to experience the excitement of horse racing under the floodlights. 'Friday nights at Hastings are a unique sporting event in Vancouver and very much a part of summer's social whirl,' David Milburn, president of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association of B.C., said this week. 'It's a long day for the horsemen,' he continued, 'especially when we're all back racing the following afternoon, but the horses enjoy racing in the evening and it's my favourite time of the year to have runners.' Milburn added: 'It's also a chance for us to show off our wonderful sport to a different group of people, something that's very important for us, as Friday nights tend to bring out a younger crowd of revellers, many of whom are experiencing racing for the first time. It's a more relaxed vibe, with a DJ helping things go with a swing and it's the perfect place to kick off the weekend.' Trainer Dino Condilenios, who saddles two in Friday's sixth race, agrees with Milburn that Friday nights bring a different crowd out to Hastings and he's a fan of evening racing, despite the extra workload it brings to him and his dedicated team. Condilenios said: 'I like the fact we get a younger crowd on for Friday nights. I don't love it for myself and the workers, as we have to be here late and wake up super-early the following morning, but I certainly like the cooler air and it's more comfortable for the horses in the summer.' Friday night's six-race card is the first of nine slated for this summer. The action gets underway at seven and is headlined by a $20,000 Allowance contest, which features a talented group of four-year-olds taking on the mile-and-sixteenth course. Trainer Barbara Anderson-Heads saddles two in the race, including the likely favourite Snap To It who, already this season, was a narrow runner-up in two similar contests. Her second runner, Touch The Sun, moves up to Allowance company on the back of a gate-to-wire Maiden win at the end of May, and the barn could easily have the 1-2. Hastings race selections: First race Friday 7 p.m. Race 5 (9 p.m.): Beaten less than a length in total when twice a runner-up in similar contests, Snap To It can get the job done in what looks, on paper at least, to be a slightly less onerous challenge. Race 6 (9:30 p.m.): There were plenty of sage racegoers left scratching their heads when Max Booster had his 'win' taken away by the stewards for what looked like minimal interference last time. He can strike a blow for justice and make amends under the Friday night lights
Chicago Tribune
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Crete-Monee's Bren Milburn breaks IHSA record for stolen bases and leads nation. His method? ‘It's the adrenaline.'
Crete-Monee's Bren Milburn loves the feeling he gets when he takes off to steal a base. The senior utility man really gets excited when he's not sure whether or not he's going to make it. 'It's the adrenaline,' Milburn said. 'It's kind of just a fight-or-flight type of thing. It's an opportunity to put your team in a better spot. The adrenaline really gets going when it looks like it's going to be close and you know you have to beat the tag or slide around it. 'When it's close like that, I think that's the most fun part.' This spring, however, it was rarely close. And the stolen bases were almost never in doubt for Milburn, a Morton College recruit. He piled up an Illinois High School Association record 93 for the season and was caught stealing just twice. Crete-Monee coach Brad Meyer remembers one of those two well. 'Against Eisenhower, he tried to slide around the shortstop and he had the base stolen but he slid too far, went past the bag and the kid still had the tag on,' Meyer said. Aside from that miscue, it was pretty much an automatic thing when Milburn took off. Those 93 steals also led the nation this season, according to statistics on MaxPreps. 'Catcher's indifference is a thing, but with Bren, he has the base stolen before you can decide if it was catcher's indifference or not,' Meyer said. 'By the time the ball crosses the plate, he's already standing on the base. 'We knew Bren was going to do whatever he could to get on base. Then he was going to steal second and he was going to steal third.' Milburn did that so often that he shattered the previous IHSA record for stolen bases in a season. Odin's Jeff Burton in 1988 and Lane Tech's Joe Perez in 2001 both finished with 73 steals. Milburn, who stole 48 bases last year, could never have imagined nearly doubling that number this spring. 'Honestly, the goal was to get to 60 stolen bases, so 93 is crazy,' Milburn said. 'But my team gave me a lot of opportunities. I wanted to get on base as much as I could. I took my walks. 'That gave me a lot of chances to steal.' Milburn is more than just a one-trick pony, though. He hit .439 with 53 runs and 32 RBIs and went 7-2 on the mound with a 1.37 ERA. He was named both the player of the year and the pitcher of the year in the Southland Conference. 'Before the year, he was going to pitch in relief and his goal was to get seven saves,' Meyer said. 'Then I told him I needed him to be our No. 1 starter, and he just went out and got seven wins instead.' Milburn is part of a big baseball family. His dad, Bryan, is an assistant coach at Crete-Monee and a hitting instructor at All Aspects Baseball and Softball Academy in Schererville, Indiana. Bren's older brother, Blake, played baseball at Aurora University after starring at Crete-Monee. 'Seeing my older brother play in college and seeing what it takes to get there, I feel like I've always taken baseball seriously since a young age,' Milburn said. 'I've always had that drive to get better.' He will continue to put that drive to use at Morton. And he has big future goals. 'I want to get to Division I baseball and get drafted eventually,' Milburn said. 'I felt like going the juco route was the best for me, the best way to play right away.' As for high school, Milburn finished with 188 career steals, which puts him third in IHSA history. That record is held by Waltonville's Tim Dressler, who stole 210 from 1981 to 1984. Milburn has still not gotten used to seeing his name all over the record books. 'It's awesome,' he said. 'I don't think it's really set in yet. I think it will take a couple years.'
