Betty in the national media

The last time Betty Hinton got noticed by the national media it was in Maclean's magazine, in an article about how she claimed to be in Cabinet (she isn't). Now, the Globe and Mail mentions her ... for failing to keep a promise.
Joyce Carter is an 80-year-old widow who is demanding that Harper's Conservatives extend the Veterans Independence Program (VIP), a home-care system, to all widows of World War II and Korean war veterans. She is not doing this for herself -- she already receives the VIP, but widows whose husbands died before 1981 do not.
In June 2005, Harper's office as leader of the opposition wrote to Carter and told her a Conservative government would "immediately" extend the VIP to all the widows. It still has not happened.
Where does Betty come in? When she was veterans affairs critic, she also wrote to Carter and said:
"You may be interested to know that this was adopted as part of the Conservative Party of Canada's policy last March at our convention .... you are preaching to the converted. Unfortunately, until the Conservative Party forms the government, I am unable you change the regulations to extend VIP benefits to all veterans' widows."
Carter says two federal budgets later it hasn't happened yet. Betty's office directed calls to the veterans affairs department.

Cited article by Gloria Galloway
Published April 19, 2007
© Copyright 2007 CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc.

Betty and the Airport

During his visit to Kamloops a few days ago, Liberal leader Stephane Dion promised that he would act on the Kamloops Airport expansion funding.
According to Kamloops This Week, Betty says, "if it's such a good idea, why didn't the Liberal government fund this before?"
a) Dion has never been responsible for airport expansions
b) That's the past. This is the present and Betty and her party are not delivering
Why can't she take some basic responsibility instead of remembering what didn't happen years ago? The liberal record isn't the point. She hasn't delivered.

Cited article by Christopher Foulds
Published April 18, 2007
Copyright © 2007 Kamloops This Week

Betty & Gary

Mel Rothenburger's editorial in the Daily News today suggests some interesting things about Betty Hinton and her party. The editor describes his interview with minister of natural resources Gary Lunn who was visiting Kamloops this week.

"... we asked him whatever became of the City's $1.3 million application for pine beetle funding five or six months ago, the one that seemed so urgent at the time. The one MP Betty Hinton said she needed within a few days so she could take it to the minister. It was he said, a miscommunication. There was no fund to draw from, nothing to apply for, and therefore the application didn't technically exist." (bold added)

So, either the government isn't competent enough to know what does and doesn't exist, or Betty Hinton just made something up.

Cited editorial by Mel Rothenburger
Published Saturday, April 14
© Copyright The Daily News in Kamloops

Liberals re-nominate Sommerfeld

In the nomination meeting on Thursday April 12, local Liberals reelected Ken Sommerfeld to run in the next election. Sommerfeld, who got 25% of the vote in the last election, defeated Dr. Randy Patch.

Hinton's department in confusion

Veterans Affairs Canada is coming under fire over the ceremonies at the Vimy memorial in France. First a Radio-Canada reporter noticed that French language interpretive panels on the monument were full of really bad French, so VA Minister Greg Thompson (Betty Hinton's boss) promised he would have them removed.
Now David Thompson, the head organizer of a group of 3,600 students travelling from Canada to join the ceremonies, is saying Veterans Affairs backed down on an agreement to provide lunch for the students the day of the ceremony. The organizers now have to put together $33,000 dollars for lunches ... money that was going to buy souvenirs for the students. CBC says:

The students raised the money to pay for their travel and other costs on the trip. Taxpayers are paying for more than 100 government officials to attend the ceremony.

You can bet one of those officials,our very own MP, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, is Betty Hinton.

Cited article by CBC News
Published April 5, 2007
Copyright © CBC 2007

KTW picks up on copyright infringement

The local news media has finally gotten around to covering the story of David Wise, the photographer, see post below, who had his photograph of Kamloops used without permission by Betty Hinton's office. Wise, whose photos have been bought by groups including Venture Kamloops and Harvard U., is asking for "up to $2000", the cost Hinton's office would have had to pay to legitimately use the picture.
Wise is clear he will sue if he is not paid, which is his right. The photograph license was clearly posted and will obviously be accepted in court if he sues.

Cited article by Markus Ermisch
Published April 1, 2007
© Copyright 2007 Kamloops This Week