Glen Clark addresses the crowd at his party's policy convention in Vancouver, Mar.1 1997.Arlen Redekop/ The Canadian Press
15 years ago… (Jan. 9-15, 1996)
Glen Clark announces NDP leadership bid
Employment and Investment Minister Glen Clark announced his candidacy for the NDP leadership on Tuesday before a raucous crowd at a Legion hall in his home riding of Vancouver-Kingsway.
Mr. Clark, considered a front runner to replace Premier Mike Harcourt, unveiled a three-point election platform promising to create jobs, improve health care and get tough on crime.
More than a dozen members of the NDP caucus, including Labour Minister Dan Miller, Attorney-General Ujjal Dosanjh, Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Cashore, Agriculture Minister Dave Zirnhelt, Housing Minister Sue Hammell and Women's Equality Minister Penny Priddy, showed up to support Mr. Clark.
Organized labour also turned out in full-force for Tuesday's rally. B.C. Federation of Labour chief Ken Georgetti called Mr. Clark "the man for the job" and praised his ability to negotiate deals that are "fair for business and fair for the taxpayers of B.C."
Liberal ML Gary Farrell-Collins said none of the other candidates stand a chance of defeating Mr. Clark, and called the event "day one of the 1996 election campaign."
Flash forward: After coasting to an easy win in the NDP leadership race, Mr. Clark sent B.C. voters to the polls in May and won a slim majority over Gordon Campbell's Liberals.
25 years ago… (Jan. 9-15, 1986)
WCB head resigns over luxury cars
Workers Compensation Board chairman Walter Flesher tendered his resignation this week, less than 12 hours after he received a stern lecture from B.C. Labour Minister Terry Segarty about the purchase of luxury cars for senior WCB staff.
Media reports last week revealed that Mr. Flesher, and WCB commissioners Glenn Hall and Bev Korman got $25,000, German-made Audi 5000s with luxury features such as air-conditioning, cruise control and heated seats.
Moments after returning from a conference in Los Angeles on Sunday evening, Mr. Flesher was called to a meeting with Mr. Segarty, who expressed his "displeasure" with the "purchase of those vehicles."
Mr. Segarty said on Monday that, during the meeting, he accepted Mr. Flesher's offer to step down.
The minister later acknowledged that Mr. Flesher's approach to new workplace safety regulations and refusal to implement board of review decisions played a role in his departure.
Mr. Flesher and two WCB staff attended a popular business seminar in Los Angeles called "The One Minute Manager," at a cost of about $1,100 each.
Flash forward: In another example of ongoing turmoil at the top of the WCB, the board's president Kenneth Dye was fired in 1993 after failing a performance review. He received $333,000 severance package for his two years of service.
Special to The Globe and Mail