Welcome
May 16, 2012
The NDP Critic for the Ministry of Justice is not familiar with Labour Law ... but who is?
Why are the real methods used to justify opening and closing public and private facilities, including closing public schools, not of interest to government officials?
Read the email to the NDP Justice Critic
May 14, 2012
Dear Minister,
Please ensure arbitrators do not block proceedings to address dismissal grievances where the griever describes human rights violations
Read the letter to the Minister of Justice, and the Minister's reply
May 7, 2012
...and why did the Ministry of Labour and Citizens' Services not allow the disclosure of the real methods used to create population numbers to proceed?
Instead, the arbitrator, chosen from a select few on a special list made by the BCGEU and the BCPSA, agreed (October 2007) with the Ministry, the griever did not go down the proper channels by informing the Deputy Minister; therefore, the Ministry was successful in not allowing the disclosure to proceed.
Curiously, the Population Analyst was removed from two courses (September and November 2005) designed to explain the proper channels.
Read the letter to the Arbitrator, Vince Ready asking for confirmation he was not aware of the grievance submitted January 30, 2006, and the dismissal (before a ruling was made) February 15, 2006 - shorty after the respondant, the manager, returned from vacation.
May 3, 2012
Dear Minister,
Shortly after filing a grievance wherein I began to disclose to the Deputy Minister, some of the real methods (not published) used by BC Stats, disclosure was abruptly stopped when I was ordered to gather my belongings, turn in my security pass, and leave my office and the BC Stats building.
A year and a half after being fired, an Arbiter agreed with the Ministry to impose a block thereby stopping proceedings; however, the Arbitrator was not aware that a grievance was filed prior to the dismissal.
May 2, 2012
Dear MLA Ron Cantelon,
...please advocate to the Minister of Labour and Citizens’ Services to remove the block to arbitration, imposed by the Ministry; thereby, allowing a fair hearing disclosing the real methods used by BC Stats. BC Stats numbers are used by School Boards, BC Hydro, ElectionsBC etc.. Allowing arbitration to proceed addresses the goal of the public service:
"to share a desire to improve the quality of the Public Service of British Columbia
April 28, 2012
Dear Minister,
The Population Analyst for BC Stats, of the Ministry of Labour and Citizens' Services was dismissed shortly after informing the Deputy Minister about some of the non-statistical methods used to create population numbers. Instead of investigating and allowing the grievance to proceed, the Ministry accused the Population Analyst of not being able to control his behaviour (making a disclosure? The Ministry has yet to describe the specific behaviour) and that this inability was said to make co-workers feel unsafe.
The Ministry continues to refuse to allow the grievance to proceed and refuses to describe the unsafe behaviour.
Read the Open Letter Honourable Margaret MacDiarmid, Minister, Ministry of Labour, Citizens' Services and Open Government.
April 25, 2012
The emphasis on "business finesse and marketing" rather "than on down-to-earth building basics" has burdened BC citizens with an estimated $4,000,000,000 (4 billion dollars) in extra debt just from the Leaky Condos.
The costly mistakes resulting from the emphasis by the Ministry of Labour and Citizens' Services on "looks" rather than "ground truthing" - from reference to numbers created BC Stat, have yet to be calculated.
Just one example, was the recommendation to close a public school due to "declining" enrolment only 7 years after a $9,100,000 (9.1 million dollars) school expansion was opened.
Read more about how many costly mistakes can easily be avoided, as well as the letter to the Minister of Labour, Citizens' Services, and now Open Government.
ps. The only statement by the BCGEU rep, Jan O'Brian, to the Arbitrator (June 22, 2007, over one year after being fired) was something to the effect that "Mr. Munroe is a construction worker who returned to university late in life". The classist, elitism expounded by the Executive Director of BC Stats is shared with Ms. O'Brian who was the Vice Chair for the Ministry of Labour and Citizens' Services, Labour Relations Board.
Participation in Global Knowledge Economy starts Locally
April 18, 2012
Communities that encourage public consultation, scientific inquiry, the exchange of information, thoughtful discussion, and engage students, young and old, in local issues are both better informed and better able to participate, and gain high paying jobs, in the growing global knowledge economy.Read more ...
March 30, 2012
Allowing a hearing into the real methods used by BC Stats would be a step toward this, the goal of the public service. This would then allow the disclosure of information regarding the real methods used by BC Stats to create population numbers used to justify the opening and closing of public and private facilities.
March 7, 2012
After asking for assistance to deal with discrimination including aggressive yelling, the Ministry of Labour and Citizens' Service took steps to ensure the Population Analyst would be dismissed for just cause.
February 28, 2012
Rather than addressing the opportunity to improve the reliability of the population numbers (being used by Utilities, Ministries, Parents concerned about the numbers used justify closing schools etc.), the Ministry stopped the disclosure being made by the Pop Analyst by firing the Pop Analyst.
A week later, the Ministry ordered the Pop Analyst to return to work and to take counseling designed for employees whose documented work performance (the Pop Analyst had an excellent work record with no documented performance issues) and whom the Ministry "believes" the problems at work are a result of problems in the employees home.
Read the letter to the counselor, and reply regarding the misuse of the BC Employee Family Assistance Program in order to stop the disclosure of the problems in the Ministry.
February 15, 2012
Open letter to BC's MLAs,
On this day, six years ago, February 15, 2006, the recently appointed manager of BC Stats Population Section, Dave O’Neil, ordered me, BC Stats’ Population Analyst, to close my office window, leave my computer on, gather my belongings, turn in my security pass, and leave the building.
My grievance, January 30, 2006, had yet to be ruled upon when this dismissal took place. In the grievance, I had:
1) described the dysfunction in the Population Section including the use of non-statistical and substandard methods to create population numbers used to justify opening and closing public facilities including schools, (e.g. using the change in number of telephone, along with electrical, landline hookups as an indicator of population change) and
2) requested mediation to address the accusation by Mr. O’Neil (made after I requested assistance in addressing yelling directed towards me) that I made co-workers feel unsafe.
January 27, 2012
However, Statistics Canada's Demography Division says that BC Stats' did not consult with the Demography Division regarding the use of the change in telephone landlines hookups to estimate population change.
November 12, 2011
Not only did the Executive Director of BC and the Director of the Population Section not inform citizens of the real methods, and not only did they give incorrect information to clients such as BC Hydro and ElectionsBC, but they also misinformed their own colleagues. This is what can happen when a small group of people, the Population Section of BC Stats, hide their methods.
A timely and fair hearing into why the Population Analyst was abruptly fired while a grievance was before the Deputy Minister would have addressed the real problems before further decisions would be made using unreliable information, such as closing more schools than necessary. Letter to MLA Ron Cantelon, cc. Minister of Labour and Citizens’ Services, Premier of BC.
BC Stats Population Estimates used to justify opening and closing of facilities,
November 9, 2011
MLA Ron Cantelon’s office has provided the Ministry of Labour, Citizens' Services and Open Government Guide To The British Columbia Labour Relations Code wherein it states the Minister has the authority to: "Make appointments of mediators, industrial inquiry commissions, and/or special officers to assist parties in resolving their labour relations disputes."
Margaret MacDiarmid, Minister of Labour, Citizen Services and Open Government, can remove the order to not allow a resolution of the dispute between the Ministry and the Population Analyst the Ministry abruptly dismissed while a grievance was before the Deputy Minister.
The Population Analyst had raised concerns about the non-statistical and substandard methods used to create population numbers.Letter to Minister Margaret MacDiarmid, cc BC Stats and all BC MLAs.
British Columbia’s Official Population Statistics must be verifiable,
November 2, 2011
BC citizens deserve to work with reliable, verifiable well explained population numbers. Methods should be tested and results should be made available for peer review as is done with Statistics Canada.
The Ministry of Labour and Citizens' Services and Open Government and the BC Public Service Agency tell us they are working together to " transform the culture of the BC Public Service to one that offers a more positive and productive employment experience." Indeed, Analysts should be allowed to provide creative solutions and advocate openness without reprisals, including dismissal.
Will the Minister allow arbitration to proceed?
Ministers should be informed about the real methods used to create Official Population Statistics,
October 29, 2011
The Minister of Labour, Citizen Services and Open Government should be informed about the real methods used to create Official Population Statistics, disseminated by BC Stats of the Ministry of Labour, Citizen Services and Open Government.
Easily implemented improvements include peer reviews of proposed changes to the methods, publicizing new methods prior to releasing the numbers, as well as allowing verification of the numbers created. Letter to MLA Ron Cantelon, cc. Minister of Labour and Citizens’ Services, Premier of BC.
SUCCESS AT LAST:
October 12, 2011
After a decade of changes to the way population numbers are created without informing clients and the public, BC Stats finally makes public the methods to be used this year...; nonetheless, verification is necessary to ensure the numbers are no longer changed outside of the model. Read more ... .
September 2011
After 13 years of not publishing changes to the population estimation model, the BC provincial government Official Statistical agency, BC Stats, under new management, has revised the 1998 Generalized Estimation System (GES) methods paper.
During this 13 year "dark" period in BC's Statistics Agency, particularly after 2001, many changes were made to the way population numbers were created, including changing numbers outside of the models without informing clients, or the public.
Since 2001, nearly 200 public schools have been closed in BC. The testing of telephone landline hookups and other changes between 2001 and 2011 should still be published, and a review of the data used to justify closing public schools conducted.
Read more ... with link to a letter to the new Provincial Statistician & Executive Director, BC Stats, Ministry of Labour, Citizens' Services and Open Government, Angelo Cocco.
August 4, 2011.
Letter to MLA Ron Cantelon and all BC MLAs regarding BC Stats errors and coersion for providing solutions
July 4, 2011.
Letter attached to email to MLA Ron Cantelon and all BC MLAs regarding BC Stats errors and coersion for providing solutions, June 30, 2011, and ...
...reply from Mr. Cantelon's office.
June 13, 2011.
After sending an email to Citizens Concerned about the recommendation to close a school, Jeff Dean, a NDP Caucus Reseacher wrote to find out more .
In a follow up email, Mr. Dean and all MLAs were informed "Please be aware that arbitration is not being allowed because the griever drew attention to discrimination on grounds covered by the Human Right Code in a letter to the BCGEU and the Deputy Minister within 30 days of being informed of dismissal.
March 18, 2011
Letter to Ron Cantelon, MLA for Parksville/Qualicum regarding the proposal to close Kwalikum Secondary School and the real population modeling methodologies,
and Mr. Cantelon's reply.
February 26, 2011
Open letter regarding irregularities in the creation of BC’s Official Population Statistics and the firing of the BC government Population Analyst who had raised concerns.
January 30, 2011
Chart used to justify recommendation to close the only Secondary School is incorperated (grey portion) in chart that includes enrolment since 1983 and also includes 3,800 students removed from the Qualicum School District chart (below). Read more...
December, 2010
Correspondance with Ron Cantelon, MLA for Parksville/Qualicum requesting assistance with access to historical enrolment numbers
October 7, 2010.
Response to Royal Society in London "Call for Evidence" regarding population modeling methodologies and the differences between Statistics Canada and BC Stats. Curiously, Gordon Campbell suddenly resigns.
October 2, 2010
Chart used to justify recommendation to close the only Secondary School in Qualicum Beach presented October 2, 2010, also printed on the front page of a local newspaper, as well as shown on Vancouver Island TV News. Notice that the y-axis starts at 3,800, effectively removing 3,800 students from the chart. Also, the chart shows enrolment from 2004 to 2024. At the October 2 presentation I requested enrolment data prior to 2004 however, this was slow in coming and the closure was to be voted on in December 2010, so I asked the MLA Ron Cantelon to assist.
This chart was not labeled in the original report from the consultant, presented October 2, 2010, and incorrectly labeled in the final report. See the summary of the public presentation in January 2011 correcting this impression.
September 2010
Advice refused to be disclosed by a head of a public body, regarding email referring to former Statistics Canada's Chief Statistician, Ivan Fellegie's, description of Analytical Activities at Statistics Canada.
September 27, 2010
Letter to Freedom of Information Commissioner, regarding refusal to disclose advice from Michelle Charbonneau (PSA) to Don McRae, Executive Director of BC Stats, given one day prior to dismissal of Population Analyst.
September 13, 2010
Letter to BC Ministers of Labour and of Citizens' Services...Freedom of Information package highlights
1) the BCPSA reasoning for not allowing discrimination / human rights grievance to proceed is unjustifiable,
2) testimonies were documented and used against Population Analyst of which the Population Analyst was not aware; therefore, the Population Analyst was not able to offer any defense,
3) and the BCPSA was aware the Population Analyst was pursuing a grievance when he was dismissed.
July 22, 2010
Letter to Tony Clement, Federal Minister of Industry regarding BC Stats' Population Section Manager's racial profiling and racial slurs in discussions of analysis of Statistics Canada's 20% sample (long form).
June 30, 2010
Letter to BC Ministers of Labour and of Citizens' Services regarding the duplicitous ruling used to cover up human rights, public service, and labour code violations
May 14, 2010
Email to BC Ministers of Labour and of Citizens' Services regarding information contained in package from Freedom of Information
April 23, 2010
Letter to BC Ministers of Labour and of Citizens' Services highlighting Public Matters regarding ElectionsBC contract.
April 16, 2010
Reply from ElectionsBC expressing no interest in quality of work done by BCStats.
April 9, 2010
Letter to BC Ministers of Labour and of Citizens' Services regarding decision by Arbitrator to not allow arbitation for having raised Human Rights issues. The BCPSA lawyer proclaimed adamently, "THIS IS NOT A HUMAN RIGHTS CASE!" The next reply from Ministers for Labour and CS and OG arrived via email, in response to my request for clarifiction of BC Stats real methods... go to November 2011. Read more...
March 24, 2010
Email to BC Ministers of Labour and of Citizens' Services requesting investigation report. Read more...
February 10, 2010
Requests for clarification made in December 2009 are still not answered Read request ...
February 1, 2010
Letter to BC Ministers of Labour and of Citizens' Services regarding responsibilities to research and evaluate problems.
December 23, 2009
Description of how the Elections BC's $50,000 contract was done (referring to a map on the internet to guess the population for Electoral Districts in BC), and the consequences for developing a model using GIS.
The package from the FOI request reveals that the Executive Director of BC Stats, Don McRae, said the Population Analyst was not aggressive but rather intense. So that's why the Population Analyst was subjected to discrimination including dismissal ... because he was thought to be intense.
The Executive Director was the person who thought that using the change in telephone landline hookups, as an indicator of population change, was a good idea. Too bad the Executive Director didn't test that hypothesis as would be befitting of an Official Statistical Agency. Instead he chose to use the Population Analyst, who was providing solutions to the many problems, as a scape goat - to take the blame for his, Don McRae's , lack of quality. Bizarre.
November 30, 2009
BC Government falsely claims "there was no recording made of the meeting [preliminary hearing where the arbitrator decided not to allow arbitration to proceed] and therefore no transcripts." Read more ...
November 25, 2009
Email to BC Ministers of Labour and of Citizens' Services, with June 10, 2009 letter to BC Human Rights Tribunal and LRB attached...again.
October 2009
...the transcripts from the October 13th 2005 meeting with Carol Gore, the transcripts from the June 22, 2007 meeting with Vince Ready; and the book of documents from the BCPSA given to Vince Ready on June 22, 2007. Read the letter from FOI.
September 30, 2009
Hostilities increased when the Population Analyst's projects were successful including: estatsBC, Regional Index Online, Population Estimates Model, the Monthly Interprovincial Migration Estimates Model, the Liquids database for current events, etc.
These and other issues are explained in a letter to BC Ministers of Labour and of Citizens' Services requesting that arbitration, with regard to the real matters in dispute, be allowed to proceed, with a list of questions. Read more...
June 22, 2009.
Here again is another example of how the government doesn't work. The LRB pretended that the case ended in 2007; therefore, the Population Analyst did not have the right to a fair and timely hearing.
Read the letter from the LRB showing the laziness and lack of competence therein. Recall, the BCGEU representative, Jan O'Brian, was a vice-chair for the LRB prior to revolving positions. She also co-authored to Judd case, 2003, protecting the BCGEU. No wonder I was not allowed to take courses about the Master Agreement from both the BCPSA and the BCGEU. They do not want people to be informed, but rather ill informed and easily brutalized. Bizarre.
June 10, 2009
My solutions which reduced errors in the BC Stats population estimates and forecasts were considered confrontational by the long time employees one of whom was given the manager position. Subsequently, I was accused of having a behavioural problem that made a co-worker, revised in June 2007 to two female coworkers, fear for their safety.
My requests for mediation were denied and I was required to submit a grievance. While the grievance was before the Deputy Minister, I was subjected to a mock firing in another attempt to coerce, threaten, and intimidate me, because I filed a complaint, and was about to participate in proceedings covered by the Labour Code, in contravention of the Labour Code, Section 5 (1).
These and other issues are explained in a letter to the Labour Relations Board, and the BC Human Rights Tribunal, with facts and relevant acts proving violations of the Public Service Act, the Labour Code, and the Human Rights Code by the Ministry, the BCPSA, and the BCGEU. Read more...
For 3 1/2 years the BCPSA, and the BCGEU put me thru many ever changing hoops in an effort to not allow a fair hearing into the real matters in dispute, namely the use of substandard and non-statistical methods used to create Official Population Statistics, to June 2009.
A First for BC Government? Without A Submission from the Population Analyst and Without the $200 Fee, the LRB Reviews it's June 2008 Verdict and Decides Again Not to Allow Arbitration into the Real Matters in Dispute,
October 29, 2008
This advisarial process with no fundamental fairness took 3 and a half years, from the time the grievance began in March 2005 to this October 29, 2008 self interested (the LRB is overseen by the Ministry of Labour and Citizens' Services), self supporting (the MLCS and LRB claim they did everything right), decison, to not allow arbitration to proceed. Why would the Ministry not want a review of the use of substandard and non-statistical used to create Official Population Statistics?
For the next seven months between November 2008 and June 2009, I had to dedicate my time souly to learning the legal lingo in an effort to put forward my case. I made several intensive efforts contacting over one hundred lawyers in and outside of BC to represent me with only two replies by two private firms. In one phone call, I was told it would cost $50,000 and when I mentioned the issue of ancestry the lawyer said "good luck"and hung up.
The other lawyer, a kindly gentleman past retirement, suggested that I get out of working in population analysis and he would not be able to help me... but he did point me to the law library. Also, I did get some very helpful information from an advocacy group regarding the fact that I did not have to prove that I have a mental disorder to utilize the human rights procedure. During this time I read as much as I could find on the internet and in the law library in Nanaimo. This research, along with finding old emails and scanning in documents, helped me forward my case. I was able to find out that I do have a sound case and that I must prepare to ask the Supreme Court for a continuance, to allow arbitration to proceed.
I also found out that the Minister of Labour and Citizens' Services can also allow arbitration to proceed. Also, I could ask the lieutenant governor for a public inquiry. However, such an inquiry could possibly be closed to the public. After the ridiculaous efforts made by the BCPSAgency contract lawyer to discredit me and the continued unfair representation by the BCGEU advocate and former LRB Vice Chair, I see that a public inquiry will be necessary to ensure verification of the real methods and models used to create official population statistics. See the revised Data Warning webpage ...
Minister of Labour and Citizens' Services resigns suddenly
June 23, 2008
The Minister assured me that the LRB is independent (as usual .. yet the MLCS appoints the LRB ... it is obvious that the language is being manipulated to mislead) .
The day after the kanagroo court type hearing (telling, yelling ... what is it with these people?), the Minister resigned.
Request to LRB about time for decision,
January 2008 to June 2008
I was told there is no time limit February 2008. Request to MLAs March 2008 ... told by NDP Labour critic to contact the Minister. April 2008. Contact Minister of Labour and Citizens' Services. May 2008, the Minister replied saying she would not interfere with the LRB's decision. June 22, 2008, the LRB decides to not allow arbitration. See the Original Data Warning webpage ...
After having taken over 8 months to reply, the LRB representative sets a 15 day deadline to come up with substantive issues. As a long time lawyer said, "Something stinks about this case".
December 5, 2007
BC Stats' Executive Director, Don McRae describes to CBC listeners how BC is attractive to migrants, claiming that BC is "tolerant"; however, he does not explain how BC Stats is very different from Statistics Canada, both in terms of independance from outside influence and quality of work.
These and other issues are described in a letter to CBC, sent the day after the interview with Don McRae, describing the real methods; eg. telephone data with electrical; lowering numbers outside the model.
May 4, 2007
Jan O'Brian, former Vice Chair of the Labour Relations Board, had told me that I could trust her; however, she drops the case and does not address discrimination on grounds covered by human rights code. Read more...
September, 2006.
BC Stats also kicks out Analysts who provide solutions to reduce error without kicking out outliers. Email link sent to family and friends and interested folks across Canada describing Don McRae's order to kick out outliers in an effort to reduce the error in the population estimation model (GES) Read more...
Population Analyst Ordered to Leave and Take Belongings
February 15 2006.
The Population Analyst, who reduced error in the population estimation model, "Generalized Estimation System" (GES) from over 6% to less than 2%, who fixed the Interprovincial migrations estimates model, created the highly aclaimed LIQUIDS database, and initiated and championed the successful 8 person "estatBC" team,
was accused by the Population Section manager of having a psychological problem making it impossible for the Population Analyst to control his behaviour (what behaviour? this has yet to be described) that made other Population Section members fear for their (job?) safety.
The requested mediation was denied. The Population Analyst was required to submit a grievance to allow mediation to address the accusation. Before the Deputy Minister responded, the Population Section manager ordered the Population Analyst to leave on February 15, 2006.
The day after the Population Analyst was ordered to leave and take his belongings, Michelle Charbonneau, PSA:EX wrote that the Population Analyst was asked to leave. This is not what happened. The Population Analyst was ordered to leave. Read the notes made by Michelle Charbonneau.
Prior to February 15, 2006
Go to the Journal page for an insiders look at the way BC Stats' numbers are created.

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