Councillors ready to take lie detector test over leaked loan document
Twittering online among audience during debate
Last Updated: Thursday, November 13, 2008 | 8:17 AM PT
CBC News
Vancouver mayoral candidates Peter Ladner, left, and Gregor Robertson attended a debate organized by CBC on Wednesday night. (CBC)Some Vancouver city councillors are willing to take a lie detector test if required to prove they didn't leak a confidential document from a closed-door council meeting that approved a $100-million loan for the Olympic athletes village.
Coun. Peter Ladner and former MLA Gregor Robertson, who took part in a mayoral debate organized by CBC Wednesday night, said they would be happy to take the test if that's what it takes to resolve the controversy.
"Someone called me today and said would I take a lie detector test, and I said, 'I'll happily take a lie detector test,'" said Ladner of the Non-Partisan Association. "After that, I don't know what happened. I guess they called other people."
Vision Vancouver's Robertson called the suggestion of a lie detector test an "embarrassment for the city."
"My understanding is that all four Vision Vancouver councillors have committed to doing this," he said. "It's a bit of an embarrassment for the city right now that we are now thinking at this level."
Last week, the media reported that council decided, during an in-camera meeting Oct. 14, to give a $100-million loan to Millennium Development Corp., the developer of the controversial Olympic athletes village for the 2010 Games.
The council was criticized for the secrecy that surrounded the approving of the loan, which was to be taken from the city's property endowment fund, estimated at $2.7 billion.
Mayor requests police investigation
A copy of the confidential report belonging to Ladner disappeared after the meeting. Ladner said he left it on a pile with other copies after the meeting.
Ladner's copy of the report turned up on fellow NPA councillor B.C. Lee's desk two days later, and Vancouver police are now investigating the incident at the request of Mayor Sam Sullivan.
Ladner reiterated at Wednesday night's debate that it was necessary to keep the loan decision under wraps.
"I have no hesitation about saying that we did entirely the right thing in approving a negotiating position for our staff of $100 million if necessary in confidence," he said.
With regard to the lie detector test, Ladner said it could contain a simple question such as: "Who was in city hall at the time when the stolen document was returned to Coun. B.C. Lee's desk?"
Robertson stressed the importance of transparency in council operations.
"There were clearly concerns articulated before the meeting about going down this path without the taxpayers being informed of a significant decision … We are talking about a $100-million loan," he said.
Online Twitters pan level of debate
The civic election debate was hosted by CBC News, and for the first time CBC.ca B.C. also hosted a simultaneous Twitter conversation. Twitter is a form of instant messaging that allows anyone to participate in an online conversation.
While it was apparent that the candidates both had strong supporters participating in the Twitter conversation, many of the comments posted by the participants expressed frustration with the debate they were watching.
One Twitterer, who went by the name Josiejose wrote, "It frustrates me to hear you both snipe at each other. It doesn't jive with my view of my city."
Similarly, Gislander said, "These guys don’t seem to be up for the task of running our city. Is this the best we’ve got?"
Shmish wrote, "I really wish these guys were debating to be the president of the high school grad class, not as mayor of Vancouver."
While Twitter and other internet social networking technologies have yet to have a significant impact on mainstream politics in Canada, it may just be a matter of time. In the recent U.S. presidential election, Barack Obama's victory was credited in part to his campaign's ability to mobilize youth voters by using a number of online social networking sites.
