It is not news to us, but it is a great example to share with our readers.

Everyone that produces a news release wishes to present their own side of the matter in the most positive light.

The following news release, prepared by our provincial government, is one we will use to demonstrate how an event can be manipulated to make the event seem warm and cuddly rather than an event of distress and anxiety (not that we want to create anxiety). Note that it was the City that discovered the problem, and this is not a maintenance issue.

The dike referred to in this Press Release is reportedly built with sawdust. The municipality had the management and responsibility of these dikes, as well as many other infrastructure works, downloaded onto them by the Provincial Government a few years ago.

Now the Provincial Government is offering to share half the cost of repairing this Dike that was built in a manner which verges on criminal endangerment of the threatened community's.

So the provincial governments media arm produces this "release" that attempts to show how responsive, in charge and compassionate they are when all they really did was attempt to abdicte their very direct responsibility.

The municipality is arguing that they accepted responsibility of these new structures with the understanding that they were properly built.

We offer this as an analogy. You buy a new home and move in but it doesn't rain for months. Then the rain comes and your walls and basement flood because the construction company used improper materials and shoddy construction practises. Your family has to evacuate because of the health risk due to mould.

Do you have to share in the reconstruction costs? Or do you sue the contractor who built the home. Sound like the leaky condo affair?

Who built the Dikes in PoCo? Was the job tendered out? And who got the contract? Are they still building Dikes? Or are they now sitting Members of the Legislative Assembly?

Here is the News Release:

PROVINCE HELPS FUND URGENT PORT COQUITLAM DIKE WORK

VICTORIA - Critical and urgent repairs, necessary to protect surrounding communities, will be immediately made to the Pitt River Dike in Port Coquitlam, announced Public Safety Minister John Les today.

The provincial inspector of dikes has ordered the city of Port Coquitlam to repair the dike by June 4.

"This is a serious dike safety situation that poses a direct threat to public safety and so we're taking action now by offering to equally cost share with the City of Port Coquitlam on this $2-million upgrade," said Les. "The City has known about this risk for two weeks but has not acted and so the Province is stepping in."

The Inspector of Dikes issued the order against Port Coquitlam on May 18 after test pits dug by the city's consulting engineers found the dike needed to be completely reconstructed.

Municipalities and regional districts are responsible for maintaining dikes under their authority. Diking authorities do not require an order from the Inspector of Dikes in order to initiate required work.