menu_open Columnists
Les Leyne

Les Leyne

Times Colonist

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Les Leyne: Police chief 'appalled' at school trustees' draft policy regarding police in schools

Les Leyne: Police chief 'appalled' at school trustees' draft policy regarding police in schools

Victoria Police Chief Del Manak is “appalled” by a new draft policy from the Greater Victoria School District designed to cope with “violence,...

thursday 2

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Police chiefs tell minister they've lost confidence in school board

Four Greater Victoria police chiefs have notified Education Minister Lisa Beare that they have lost confidence in the Greater Victoria School Board....

19.01.2025 5

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Esquimalt Nation blindsided by school board on safety plan

The Esquimalt Nation was blindsided by the multiple versions of a school safety plan the Greater Victoria School Board filed this week and called the...

12.01.2025 20

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Victoria board won’t back down on keeping police out of schools

After an earlier safety plan was rejected by the education minister, the Greater Victoria School Board posted three more versions on Monday and...

08.01.2025 10

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Conservatives never seem to get along

I was among those gushing about the Conservative Party of B.C.’s astounding showing in the October election. From 1.9 per cent of the vote and...

17.12.2024 20

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Conservatives never seem to get along

I was among those gushing about the Conservative Party of B.C.’s astounding showing in the October election. From 1.9 per cent of the vote and...

15.12.2024 6

Vancouver Is Awesome

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: School board's supercilious condescension is what prompted minister's warning

First there was the decision to bar local police liaison officers from visiting Victoria district schools to build relationships — a bad call....

08.12.2024 3

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Esquimalt, Songhees chiefs condemn school board stance against police

The chiefs of the Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations are condemning the Greater Victoria School District’s shutdown of the school police...

04.12.2024 2

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Rights official endorses school police ban, teachers say safety plan directive 'outrageous'

When the Greater Victoria Board of Education issued a special invitation to B.C. Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender to speak at this...

27.11.2024 3

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Top school executive took early retirement over police liaison officer controversy

The former deputy superintendent of the Greater Victoria School District went on stress leave for months and then retired early over the board’s...

24.11.2024 4

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: School board official went on stress leave over police-liaison controversy

The former deputy superintendent of the Greater Victoria School District went on stress leave for months and then retired over the board’s...

24.11.2024 5

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Horgan was the rare politician who power changed for the better

You could feel the sorrowful news coursing through Greater Victoria on Tuesday afternoon, when the official word moved that John Horgan had died a...

13.11.2024 5

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: With slim majority, David Eby begins a balancing act

Premier David Eby took the first steps on the tightrope Tuesday, standing in front of a legislature where he now has a scant majority with no...

30.10.2024 1

Vancouver Is Awesome

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: With slim majority, David Eby begins a balancing act

Premier David Eby took the first steps on the tightrope Tuesday, standing in front of a legislature where he now has a scant majority with no...

30.10.2024 2

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Mark B.C. down as 'undecided'

The 2024 election was a major failure for B.C. and it’s got nothing to do with partisan gains or losses. It was a flop by the central measure of...

22.10.2024 2

Vancouver Is Awesome

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Mark B.C. down as 'undecided'

The 2024 election was a major failure for B.C. and it’s got nothing to do with partisan gains or losses. It was a flop by the central measure of...

22.10.2024 2

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: A dead-heat election for B.C. thanks to Conservative surge

The Conservative Party of B.C.’s stunning surge culminated in a dead-heat election that on Saturday night left them just short of the 47-seat...

20.10.2024 20

Vancouver Is Awesome

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: A dead-heat election for B.C. thanks to Conservative surge

The Conservative Party of B.C.’s stunning surge culminated in a dead-heat election that on Saturday night left them just short of the 47-seat...

20.10.2024 10

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Eby's attack-dog approach stems from lessons learned in 2013

There was a moment at the B.C. NDP convention in Victoria last November that resonates, as the election campaign concludes. David Eby had been NDP...

19.10.2024 1

Vancouver Is Awesome

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Eby's attack-dog approach stems from lessons learned in 2013

There was a moment at the B.C. NDP convention in Victoria last November that resonates, as the election campaign concludes. David Eby had been NDP...

19.10.2024 1

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Campaign sidelights that need more attention

There are some intriguing ideas coming out of the 2024 election campaign, but they get lost in the blizzard of posts from all quarters. It’s been...

17.10.2024 2

Vancouver Is Awesome

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: 'Austerity' ahead, but parties plunge forward with spending plans

Voters can now stack the three parties’ platforms side-by-side-side for comparison, following the release Tuesday of the Conservatives’...

17.10.2024 3

Vancouver Is Awesome

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Campaign sidelights that need more attention

There are some intriguing ideas coming out of the 2024 election campaign, but they get lost in the blizzard of posts from all quarters. It’s been...

17.10.2024 1

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: 'Austerity' ahead, but parties plunge forward with spending plans

Voters can now stack the three parties’ platforms side-by-side-side for comparison, following the release Tuesday of the Conservatives’...

17.10.2024 1

Vancouver Is Awesome

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: 'Austerity' ahead, but parties plunge forward with spending plans

Voters can now stack the three parties’ platforms side-by-side-side for comparison, following the release Tuesday of the Conservatives’...

16.10.2024 10

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Former Green leader now mostly on side with Conservatives

In a campaign that has had some weird moments, former B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver’s support for the B.C. Conservatives is one of the...

14.10.2024 2

Vancouver Is Awesome

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Former Green leader now mostly on side with Conservatives

In a campaign that has had some weird moments, former B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver’s support for the B.C. Conservatives is one of the...

12.10.2024 3

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Eby, Rustad duel over tax cuts

Although the leaders’ debate was dominated by depressing, expensive social problems, some of the tax talk sounded encouraging. Attention returned...

11.10.2024 2

Vancouver Is Awesome

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Nasty remark overshadows Rustad's ferry plans

John Rustad’s B.C. Conservative plan for B.C. Ferries unveiled Thursday was overshadowed by a nasty old social media post from one of his...

11.10.2024 2

Vancouver Is Awesome

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Nasty remark overshadows Rustad's ferry plans

John Rustad’s B.C. Conservative plan for B.C. Ferries unveiled Thursday was overshadowed by a nasty old social media post from one of his...

11.10.2024 3

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Eby, Rustad duel over tax cuts

Although the leaders’ debate was dominated by depressing, expensive social problems, some of the tax talk sounded encouraging. Attention returned...

11.10.2024 20

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Three leaders now wait to see if debate was a game-changer

Two party leaders tried in Tuesday’s debate to break the polling stalemate in the B.C. election campaign while the third hopes it lasts through to...

10.10.2024 3

Vancouver Is Awesome

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Eby, Rustad duel over tax cuts

Although the leaders’ debate was dominated by depressing, expensive social problems, some of the tax talk sounded encouraging. Attention returned...

10.10.2024 6

Vancouver Is Awesome

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Three leaders now wait to see if debate was a game-changer

Two party leaders tried in Tuesday’s debate to break the polling stalemate in the B.C. election campaign while the third hopes it lasts through to...

09.10.2024 2

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Three leaders now wait to see if debate was a game-changer

Two party leaders tried in Tuesday’s debate to break the polling stalemate in the B.C. election campaign while the third hopes it lasts through to...

09.10.2024 1

Vancouver Is Awesome

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: B.C. Conservatives and B.C. NDP not that far apart on law and order

B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad fell back on the tried-and-true issue of crime and punishment Monday, with promises flowing from earlier...

08.10.2024 2

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: B.C. Conservatives and B.C. NDP not that far apart on law and order

B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad fell back on the tried-and-true issue of crime and punishment Monday, with promises flowing from earlier...

08.10.2024 1

Vancouver Is Awesome

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Rhetoric escalating in election-campaign class-warfare

You can’t have an election in B.C. without a dash of class warfare, but it’s more obvious than usual this time around. The philosophical gap...

05.10.2024 2

Vancouver Is Awesome

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Rhetoric escalating in election-campaign class-warfare

You can’t have an election in B.C. without a dash of class warfare, but it’s more obvious than usual this time around. The philosophical gap...

05.10.2024 1

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Ministry stayed mute as owners scammed B.C. Housing with Victoria high-rise purchases

After many affluent owners of multiple properties scammed B.C. Housing by buying publicly subsidized units in ­Victoria that were supposedly for...

04.10.2024 2

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Ministry stayed mute as owners scammed B.C. Housing with Victoria high-rise purchases

After many affluent owners of multiple properties scammed B.C. Housing by buying publicly subsidized units in ­Victoria that were supposedly for...

04.10.2024 2

Vancouver Is Awesome

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Election campaigns may sail past B.C. Ferries' lurking problem

If campaigning politicians ever get around to discussing B.C. Ferries, it’s not going to be pretty. The ferry corporation has posted some...

03.10.2024 2

Vancouver Is Awesome

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Election campaigns may sail past B.C. Ferries' lurking problem

If campaigning politicians ever get around to discussing B.C. Ferries, it’s not going to be pretty. The ferry corporation has posted some...

03.10.2024 2

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: B.C. Conservatives' biggest supporter provided ammo to the NDP

Another day, another eyebrow-raising video clip from the past that B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad has to defend or avoid talking about....

02.10.2024 2

Vancouver Is Awesome

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: B.C. Conservatives' biggest supporter provided ammo to the NDP

Another day, another eyebrow-raising video clip from the past that B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad has to defend or avoid talking about....

02.10.2024 2

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Youth safety threats mount as help retreats

One youth safety program in the capital region is suspended because the Greater Victoria School Board believes students and staff don’t feel safe...

28.09.2024 2

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Youth-support team funding needs an immediate boost

While the provincial government waits to see how the Greater Victoria School board responds to its order to produce a safety plan, there’s...

26.09.2024 4

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Former chief coroner raps front-running parties' drug stances

Lisa Lapointe retired in February as chief coroner on a wave of frustrated disgruntlement over the NDP cabinet’s refusal to follow her...

25.09.2024 3

Times Colonist

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Rustad puts name behind rebate, but turns shy on vaccine views

I always wondered how former premier W.A.C. Bennett managed to name the legendary dam on the Peace River after himself more than a half-century...

24.09.2024 50

Vancouver Is Awesome

Les Leyne

Les Leyne: Rustad puts name behind rebate, but turns shy on vaccine views

I always wondered how former premier W.A.C. Bennett managed to name the legendary dam on the Peace River after himself more than a half-century...

24.09.2024 10

Times Colonist

Les Leyne