This editorial in today's Vancouver Province newspaper was too good not to post here:

Editorial: TransLink audit can’t come soon enough

Jordan Bateman, B.C. director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, must feel much of the time like he’s shooting those proverbial fish in a barrel while investigating spending at TransLink.

Just weeks after revealing the ridiculously generous contract enjoyed by transit police, Bateman discovered that TransLink had spent more than half a million dollars three years ago on 13 computerized message screens that have since mostly quit working. They replaced simple, inexpensive and effective sandwich boards in providing information to transit users when stations were locked down during emergencies.

TransLink is not alone among government agencies in finding and justifying costly solutions to simple problems that private individuals or companies would never consider. But these seemingly endless examples of wasteful spending while TransLink is constantly demanding higher taxes such as the two-cent-per-litre hike on April 1 are grating.

Thankfully, the premier has ordered an audit of TransLink. It will be interesting to see how else the largely unaccountable organization is spending our money.