Adrian Dix can take "full responsibility" for SkyTrain ride by making a $173 charitable contribution

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      Yesterday, we learned that Transit Police let NDP Leader Adrian Dix off with a warning after he was caught without proof of fare payment on the SkyTrain earlier this month.

      The fine for such an offence is $173. Dix's constituency office is directly across the street from the Joyce Street Station and he professes to be a regular SkyTrain user.

      Naturally, other transit passengers are feeling miffed that the Opposition leader and likely future premier gets off scot-free whereas most other schleps would be ticketed and fined.

      Keep in mind that Dix earns $150,000 per year. He can afford a monthly pass.

      It's pretty clear that the cop gave Dix a soft ride. It's not Dix's fault that this occurred. He was probably reasonably well-dressed at the time, offered a plausible explanation, and got off with a warning.

      Sometimes, police have a tendency to treat people differently, based on their social and economic class.

      Dix has said he took "full responsibility" for his action. It's a line we've heard before in connection with a memo he backdated for his former boss, Glen Clark, when Clark was under a police investigation involving a casino licence.

      But did Dix truly take responsibility? In the earlier case, he did. Dix left his job and went into political purgatory for years before being elected to the legislature in 2005.

      This time, Dix's definition of "responsibility" entailed admitting wrongdoing by not producing proof of a fare purchase, but not facing any penalty.

      The Transit Police didn't apply the law equally. But Dix can still make restitution.

      If he wants to end the cynicism, he should buck up and pay a $176 penalty by making a contribution of this amount to a worthy cause. He could challenge all other MLAs in his caucus to match that donation, which could raise more than $6,000 for charity.

      Then when the B.C. Liberals attack him for fare evasion, Dix can respond by saying he turned a negative situation into a positive outcome.

      Follow Charlie Smith on Twitter at twitter.com/csmithstraight.

      Comments

      23 Comments

      Mark Fornataro

      Mar 27, 2012 at 10:01am

      I hope this was an honest mistake by Mr Dix. ; ie. he lost his ticket. If it wasn't-given his 'Premier-in-waiting' status- he's playing with fire.

      Cbc

      Mar 27, 2012 at 10:35am

      Read CBC's story today on fare evasion tickets. They're burning our money anyway - $170 million to save $7 million per year?

      Busted

      Mar 27, 2012 at 10:35am

      What a dix-head.

      Couldn't care less

      Mar 27, 2012 at 10:36am

      I couldn't care less about Adrian Dix's sky train ticket. The Christy friendly media outlets are just using this to take the spotlight of John van Degons departure from the titanic.

      CPB

      Mar 27, 2012 at 10:44am

      And this is news? Two weeks or older. Come on, get to the real story. BC Rail, Basi and Virk, BCLC, leaderless Province. Media afraid to takle and do proper investigations into articles they print. Most media is after sensasionalisim than real reporting. While this Government lies and sells us down the river to line their own and friends pockets, this article makes news. Get to the real stuff. Enough said.

      Public pays politicians expenses

      Mar 27, 2012 at 10:54am

      The Public pays for trans-link and has officers ensuring every one who rides the public transportation doesn't get on without paying the exact fare because like that would be the end of the world. Hard, hard criminals may be getting to ride for free and that is why we need officers who are checking people's tickets. Even granny has forgotten to pay her ticket or fallen asleep with it in her hand, better lock her up and those young people trying to get to school don't think your going to fool British Colombians because your a nasty criminal too. Forget tickets we need to start locking those despicable criminals up and if you don't know where you put your ticket or lost it you can go directly to jail.
      It must be nice for transit to have its own police force ensuring no one short changes the public except the Liberals as court rooms are filled with people who simply just forgot or lost their fares or had to get someone where in a emergency and where willing to take the risk.
      Perhaps when Dix becomes premier he will loose the unecessary police force and put public transportation back on track and make it affordable for the masses instead of having expensive police officers on the public payroll harassing people for loose change now how insane is that?

      future is now

      Mar 27, 2012 at 11:53am

      @ PPPE - re: putting all those terrible fare-evading criminals in jail. Why do you think the govt is building all those for-profit prisons? The govt pays the prison corporation on a per person basis and must guarantee 90% occupancy. Soon we'll have more and more laws that will put more and more people in prison. All for money for our corporate overlords.

      HaySting

      Mar 27, 2012 at 12:07pm

      Whether he donates it to charity or not, it's not much of a news story. And as for treatment of people based on how they're dressed. It certainly rings as plausible. Some evidence on warnings would be welcome to take that statement as more than a small slice of moral grandstanding though. Consider it a challenge.

      whatAjoke

      Mar 27, 2012 at 12:15pm

      One fare that wasn't paid for? Um, was it a slow news day?

      Of course not...

      The Liberal loving media just wanted to run some type of "story" to take the focus off of what seems to be the Liberal Party's DISASTER DU JOUR. Yesterday, they tried to downplay the facts about John Van Dongen's defection over to the Con's thus reporting that piece of "hard hitting journalism" about Adrian Dix. And watch Keith Baldry win a broadcasting award down the road for laying out the "scandalous details" about Dix's not paying one fare on Sky Train...

      *yawn*

      I'm quite confident that Christy will continue waving her broomstick over another pot of Liberal Scandal Stew and we can watch the media try and shift the focus yet again...

      Hey guys, it's getting old...

      conservative

      Mar 27, 2012 at 12:57pm

      Dix can resign. I’m sick of losers who are too dumb to make it in life and resort to becoming a politician to get even with the engineers, doctors, nurses… lawyers who have proven themselves academically. Dix, screw you: NDP scum.