The Dogwood Initiative is calling for an inquiry into big money corruption in government decision-making.
Democracy campaigner Lisa Sammartino wrote an opinion piece for the Tyee newspaper saying there is an unsettling pattern that merits further investigation:
"We started looking into some of the donations and we noticed an unusual pattern between decisions that favour big donors to the governing party, the BC Liberals at the time."
Speaking with CFAX Sammartino says a corruption inquiry would have the power to call witnesses into such companies as Kinder Morgan:
"So including shippers including stakeholders in Kinder Morgan we're looking at $771,000 given to the BC Liberals in advance of this decision."
Sammartino notes Kinder Morgan is being looked into by RCMP as one of the donors that may have given donations to the Liberals under someone else's name.
Also, Taseko Mines received last minute drilling permits in the dying hours of the provincial Liberal government for the New Prosperity Mine after the federal government turned it down twice over environmental and First Nations cultural concerns:
"We can see a series of donations from Taseko Mining company. They work up to $130,000. We don't know if that's why this was a parting gift to the mining company, we don't really know. But we think these people deserve answers. And if it was that decision needs to be sent back to the drawing board."
Sammartino says a corruption inquiry would have the power to call witnesses and demand answers - something that has worked in other jurisdictions.