British Columbians may be teed off at Gordon Campbell and his government. But that won't stop the premier from teeing off at the provincial Liberals upcoming Leader's Open Golf Tournament. The tournament, which had a net income of $193,503.49 last year, will take place on September 17 at the University of British Columbia Golf Course.

We hate to say we told you so - except when we're saying it to the premier's office. A few months back, we reported the office refused to disclose the salary for one of the provincial government's top bureaucrats - energy, mines and petroleum resources deputy minister Robin Junger. It claimed that would violate the province's privacy law because such information could, in the future, be used to figure out Mr. Junger's bonus payments - providing an indication of his job performance. The office refused to back down even when provided with documents showing it was likely wrongly interpreting that law.

A former aide to provincial Liberal cabinet minister Kevin Falcon appears to have sided against the government's decision to introduce the harmonized sales tax, Public Eye has learned. Andrea Smith, who worked as a constituency assistant for Mr. Falcon, was among those who advertised in support of former premier Bill Vander Zalm successful petition to end that tax.

British Columbia Lottery Corp. is calling the private sector to help develop new ways for you to gamble. The Crown corporation made the announcement in a document posted on the government's procurement Website last week. According to the announcement, the corporation is "seeking to usher in a new era of lottery games that capture the interest and excitement of new, casual player through creative game design and clever game mechanics that reflect current and emerging gaming trends." As a result, it's building a list of companies that can develop and co-develop those games for BCLC, as well as proposing new game ideas. A spokesperson for the corporation advised Public Eye those games will be "made available through existing lottery channels" - including its controversial PlayNow.com Website. But don't expect to see any skill-based games because, "as set out in the Gaming Control Act and Criminal Code, BCLC may only provide games of chances or games of mixed skill." The corporation refused to disclose the budget for this project to "maintain the integrity of the procurement process." The following is a complete copy of the aforementioned document.

The provincial Liberals upcoming biennial convention will be shorter than those held in previous years - being a two day rather than a three day affair. But, in an interview, party communications director Chad Pederson rejected speculation that was an attempt to put a time limit on what could become a bad news event. "We, for the last two conventions, have been holding receptions on a Thursday evening for members when they come into town. But, based on feedback that we had received from them, a lot of them were finding it a challenge to take two days off of work or find two days for childcare or other accommodations that they need," he explained. "So, instead of having to come up early for a social on the Thursday evening, we're starting on the Friday afternoon and taking a little longer on the Saturday so they only need to take the one day off if that's all they're able to take."

With the party's poll numbers plummeting, there isn't much for the Liberals to party about. Nevertheless, South Island members have been invited to attend a barbecue this coming Thursday with members of the provincial cabinet. The barbecue, which is scheduled to get underway at 5:00 in the evening, is taking place at Riffington, the oceanfront estate of newspaper owner David Black. Tickets to the "A Taste of Politics" event are $35.

The office of the provincial lobbyists registrar is shedding further light on the occasionally murky world of government relations. The office will be now be regularly publishing a list reporting on who has registered to lobby whom in the past month. Lists for July and August are now available online.

Sunday morning, on Public Eye Radio, federal Green leader Elizabeth May discusses her election chances in Saanich-Gulf Islands. Drug policy research Allan Cassels shares his thoughts on the Campbell administration's controversial changes to PharmaCare. Union of British Colmbia Indian Chiefs president Stewart Phillip talks about why a proposed mine near William's Lake could seriously damage the relationship between the aboriginal community and the government. And our rabble-rousing panel - Don Anderson, David Cubberley and Allan Warnke - debate the week that was in provincial and federal politics. You can listen to Public Eye Radio outside of Victoria by logging into CFAX 1070 between 8:00 and 10:00. If you have a question for one of our guests, you can email us or leave a comment below.