Hui’s announcement Tuesday marks the beginning of the final chapter of the largest land deal in the province’s history, the scandal-racked 1988 sale of 80 hectares of former rail yards, the site of Expo 86, to Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing. The $320-million deal was intended to change the face of the city and open B.C.’s economy to Asian investment, and it accomplished both goals.
The sale to Li Ka-shing began with a private dinner with then-premier Bill Bennett during Expo 86. From that point on, provincial officials drove forward to sell the lands as a single parcel, a process that nearly came undone when newly elected premier Bill Vander Zalm did all he could to help Peter Toigo, a friend and supporter, make his own bid.
Wow, that was a trip down memory lane. What a corrupt bunch of bastards the SoCreds/Liberals/Bcups/Conservatives were and still are.