JULY 4, 1996
PHOTO RADAR COVER-UP ?

VANCOUVER -- In announcements calculated to minimize future fallout over
the troubled photo radar program, Transportation and Highways Minister
Lois Boone said cryptically on June 21, that "an audit of the traffic
safety initiative will be undertaken by comptroller general Alan Barnard
to ensure all management, administrative, financial and systems aspects
of the program are in order."  Boone also announced some house-cleaning
on June 28 (late Friday before the long weekend) by replacing the MVB
Assistant Deputy Minister/Superintendent of Motor Vehicles and the MVB
Senior Financial Officer.

To date, the government has refused to release any photo radar
contractual information to indicate precisely what has been paid for,
what has been received, and what the terms are.  British Columbians are
being denied virtually all financial information with respect to their
obligations to American Traffic Systems (ATS).  Reform-BC has provided
SENSE with a copy of the severed 1,508 page contract.  To date, 41 of
941 pages (4%) containing the substance of the contract are available,
and these have been entirely censored.

Only figures of $11.1 million in capital costs and $12.50 per ticket
payable to ATS have been released by the government.  SENSE recently
discovered (The Phoenix Gazette, Feb. 25, 1996, p. D1) and released that
the three-year contract was worth $48 million to ATS.  It would appear
that the residents of Arizona know more about this contract than the
taxpayers of BC.

SENSE is also seeking answers to the following:

  1.  If all contracts with ATS are cancelled, will the provincial
  government be able to maintain the equipment and software it has paid
  for?  Will loss of this contract, ATS's 'biggest ever,' spell
  financial ruin for the American company which currently operates only
  about three small municipal programs, and if so, who will support the
  complex proprietary hardware and software?  ATS has also recently lost
  contracts in Sandy City and West Valley, UT.

  2.  Why did our government decide to purchase the photo radar
  equipment?  (Almost all other jurisdictions lease equipment from the
  supplier thus ensuring current, supported equipment.  The taxpayers of
  BC have essentially covered the capital cost of the equipment and
  software development, thus potentially increasing the long-term profit
  for ATS.)

  3.  Were the problematic software systems promised by ATS reasonably
  assured or 'vapor-ware'?

  4.  What contractual obligations exist with regard to contract
  cancellation?  What will be the ultimate cost to taxpayers in the
  likely situation this goes to court?  What value has the Province
  received from the $5 million paid to ATS as of the cancellation?

  5.  What has been the total costs to taxpayers to date including:
  'Speed is Killing Us' advertisements, media relations and media
  consultants, public opinion polling, the tendering process, training
  of police officers, travel to other photo radar users (Australia, New
  Zealand, etc.), photo radar demonstrations around the province,
  building renovations, MOTH/ICBC hardware and software, etc.?