Time for another B.C. Friday Five (with transit police, FOI, Roberto Luongo, wine and more!):

1. Kudos to the Coquitlam Now for joining the chorus of people demanding that Transit Police be shut down. Check out this editorial:

Taxpayers spend $30 million a year to run the Transit Police Force, according to numbers released this week. Of 169 members, 59 earn more than six figures annually. The highest-paid earns $147,000.

According to Jordan Bateman of the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation, transit police do only a fraction of the work similarly paid Vancouver police officers do.

"The average transit police officer only works 10 serious or property crime files a year," Bateman told CTV. "That's a dream. It's like a slow week for a cop in Whalley."

We agree.

Yes, there's the odd case where a Transit Police officer is on scene to help someone in trouble or arrest someone who's wanted, but mainly, they catch fare evaders and issue tickets. As turnstiles make that role redundant, the $30 million needed to maintain this force must be shifted to other priorities.

We’re getting there, one step at a time! And a special shout out to Transit Police Chief Neil Dubord, who informed his entire force last week in an e-mail that he is personally “monitoring” our little blog! Don’t worry, Chief, my FOI request for that e-mail is in the mail now!

2. After working on my Freedom of Information Act request for Roberto Luongo’s endorsement contract with PlayNow.com for a whopping nine business days, the B.C. Lottery Corporation has already let me know they can’t possibly make the 30-day deadline and will be extending the deadline for their response to Oct. 2. Apparently, “more time is needed to consult with a third party or other public body before the head can decide whether or not to give the applicant access to a requested record.” Stay tuned.

3. Cheers to our friends at the B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association for blowing the whistle on the uber-expensive Integrated Case Management System and to the Children and Youth Advocate for picking up their cause.

4. For 25 years, Canada has been sitting on a stockpile of 12,600 cluster bombs. They cost $22.7 million to buy, and now Ottawa has banned them, which will cost another $2 million, says the National Post. Cluster, indeed.

5. B.C. residents can now bring their own wine to restaurants. Not sure I’d ever do that, but at least we can—one more archaic liquor law off the books.