Head On!: Collisions of Egos, Ethics, and Politics in BC's Transportation History

Gordon C. Shaw is professor emeritus in the Faculty of Administrative
Studies at York University.

R.G. Harvey is a former British Columbia deputy minister of highways. In
Head On!, he describes the gaffes made by B.C. premiers whose
transport-related decisions furthered political goals rather than the
best interests of the province.

The story begins in 1871 with concerns as to whether the terminus for
the first transcontinental railway should be on Burrard Inlet or on
Vancouver Island. Then, in 1884, Premier Smithe gave Canadian Pacific
Railway a substantial land grant both on the waterfront and in the town
site so that the company would extend its rails into the present
Vancouver. The story continues in the early 1900s with Premier McBride
granting land to the Grand Trunk Pacific for its terminal at Prince
Rupert and to the Canadian Northern Railway for building its line into
Vancouver; he also started Pacific Great Eastern Railway construction
from Howe Sound over the mountains into northern British Columbia. The
stories continue through the years with descriptions of the political
influencing of highway contracts and, most recently, the “Fast Ferry
Fiasco” and the Coquihalla Highway project.

Head On! is not an easy read for those unfamiliar with B.C. history and
geography. Since the author names many government officials and places,
the book would have benefited from a glossary and detailed maps. (Where,
for example, was the Alexandra Bridge?) Also, while decisions regarding
the “Fast Ferries” and the Pacific Great Eastern extensions seem
obvious blunders, many decisions, such as encouraging the
transcontinental railways, may have been reasonable given the knowledge
available at the time.