search for new ombudsman is on! Victoria — British Columbia is looking for a new ombudsman. An all-party legislative com- mittee is busy right now, screening more than 100 applications from all over the country from people who would like to become the province’s third ombudsman. We've become fairly used to the idea of having an ombudsman to whom ordinary folks can complain about unfair treatment at the hands of the government. But it wasn’t always so. During the 1979 election campaign, then premier Bill Bennett, looking for a second mandate, promised greater government accounta- bility. If the Socreds were to be re-elected, Bennett crowed from the hustings, the government would bring in both an auditor general and an ombuds- man. The former would scrutinize the govern- ment’s fiscal habits, while the latter would protect the proverbial little guy from big brother govern- - ment. The Socreds were re-elected and kept their promise, setting up two new agencies — the auditor general’s office and the ombudsman’s office. After screening hundreds of applicants, an all-party selection committee hired Karl Fried- mann as British Columbia’s first ombudsman. Friedmann, who came to British Columbia from the University of Calgary, was an expert in ombudsmanship, having cut his academic teeth on it, but what he possessed in abundance — subject knowledge — he lacked in diplomacy. To Friedmann, the government was always the potential enemy. If he believed that someone was treated unfairly by the government, he would go for the throat rather than accept a compromise. In numerous public reports, Friedmann dumped on the Socreds, and managed to totally alienate the government. Cabinet ministers would get mad when someone mentioned Friedmann’s name. I remember asking John Reynolds one day, after he had delivered a particularly heavy broadside against Friedmann in the Legislature, whether he hated all Krauts or just Friedmann. He assured me with a grin that I was still on his Christmas list. When Friedmann’s term expired, Peter Bazowski, one of the Socreds’ favorite trouble shooters, was installed as acting ombudsman, a position he held for about a year and a half. The second ombudsman to be appointed was Stephen Owen, who was in every respect the antithesis of Friedmann. Where Friedmann ins- isted on publicly rubbing the govemment’s nose in its own foibles, Owen made his mark as a consensus seeker, a searcher for compromise. Owen achieved what eluded Friedman, he got results while alienating no one, earning the Tespect of government, opposition and bureau- crats alike. It was Owen’s reputation for being able to forge consensus where others might trigger hostilities that got him his new job as chief of the Commission on Resources and Environment, a job that may prove infinitely more difficult than that of ombudsman. Meanwhile, the ombudsman selection commit- tee, comprising MLAs from all three parties, is putting together a shortlist of 10 candidates most suitable to succeed Owen as ombudsman. David Mitchell, one of the Liberal members of the committee, told me the biggest challenges was to come up with someone of Owen’s qualifica- tions. Maybe I can be of some help. No, I don’t want to be ombudsman, but perhaps the committee doesn’t have to go far afield to find someone with all the necessary qualifications. Now, I can’t be sure that the person I’m talking about has actually applied for the job, nor would I put him on the spot by asking him, but I know if I were him, I would have applied. The person I’m taking about is Brent Parfitt, deputy ombudsman and ombudsman for children and youth. : Parfitt has been with the office of the ombuds- man since day one. He’s not only familiar with the office, but has been instrumental in its operations all these years. I wouldn’t want to denigrate Bazowski’s contri- bution to ombudsmanship, but it was really Parfitt who for those 18 months looked after the mandate of the ombudsman’s office — championing the underdog — while Bazowski acted more or less as an administrator. The tricky part of the committee’s job of finding the right candidate is that of the choice must be unanimous. We’re talking about members of the NDP. the Liberals and the Socreds here. Once the committee decides on a candidate, it will recommend him or her to the legislature. I think the committee could do a lot worse than picking Parfitt, and I can only hope that this endorsement isn’t going to be the kiss of death for him. TheReview Wednesday, May 20,1992 — A7 SSS cc cceuesenssemeesnee * DRAPERIES * ETC. *x UPHOLSTERY *xANTIQUES 6655 TRUDEAU TERRACE BRENTWOOD BAY, B.C. Tee off to help hospital foundation POLISH THOSE CLUBS and practice hitting the green in a single drive because the second annual Saanich Peninsula Hospital Foundation Golf Tournament is upcoming July 10 and July 11. Again, the format will be a four-person Texas scramble with prizes awarded to top teams. But the real winners will be successful hole-in-one drivers. Up for grabs this year is a trip for two to New York courtesy of Air Canada. There is a limit of 144 players, each paying an entry fee of $100. Proceeds from the tournament will go toward funding the cardiac stress-testing facility at the community hospital. Registration forms are available at the hospital on Mt. Newton Crossroad or from the pro shop at the host course, Glen Meadows Golf and Country Club. x x * THE TOP STUDENT SCHOOL PATROL- LERS from around the province are participating in BCAA’s sixth annual jamboree in Vancouver June 5-7, and two 10-year-old Peninsula elemen- lary students will be among them. Laura Floyd from Brentwood School and Lauren Watson from Sidney Elementary are two of the top 13 school patrollers in B.C. They will be flown to Vancouver where theyll be met by BCAA chaperones and a Vancouver police constable. From there the fun begins. Day One includes a boat cruise and a Vancouver police dog squad performance. The rest of the weekend includes a dance, a helicopter tour of the city and a visit to Science World. * x x cman +. a : GLEE eo sq eee OUTSTANDING SUPPORT FROM the Sid- ney Lions Club is making this year’s Right Riders Rodeo very attractive for Sidney and North Saanich students in Grades 1 to 6, Sidney RCMP Cst. Kim Horsman said last week. “They’re putting up $1,100 in gift certificates to be split between 36 kids,” Horsman said. The event will be held at Panorama Leisure Centre from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on May 30. Any student in Grades 1 to 6 can participate and there is a higher level of competition for those who place at the top. The event is a lot of fun, it tests student’s knowledge of the rules of the road and also encourages youngsters to mide their bicycles safely. A separate bicycle rodeo is being organized by the Central Saanich police department for the youngsters in that municipality. 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