north shore news

___MAIL Box _

Prepare now for
B.C. earthquake

Dear Editor:
. _ Taiwan was overdue for a major earthquake. So was Turkey, so
is British Columbia. ,

If it happened in the next five minutes would you be ready?

Many North Shore residents are. They have taken an emer-
gency preparedness course and learned how to prepare them-
selves, their families and their neighbourhoods.

If you have wanted to get yourself prepared for a disaster like
an earthquake and haven’t got around to it, North Shore
Continuing Education is offering a free three-evening course on
Oct. 5, 12 and 19 from 7 p.m. to 9 pm.

Call 903-3333 and quote #CE-20-1 for details. If you would
like information on getting your neighbourhood prepared call
Paulette Mossop, Neighbourhood Coordinator for the North
Shore at 984-8096. .
Paulette Mossop
Neighbourhood Coordinator for the North and West

Vancouver Emergency Program

Spinning spider
story appreciated

Dear Editor:

Thank you for the informative article in the Sept. 19 North
Shore News (Poisonous spider a dangerous newcomer).
"After reading it and sharing it with my co-workers on
Monday, we were ready and.able when today in walked a Hobo
spider impersonating a customer wanting to register.

With little hesitation, we prepared ourselves for the capture
of “Harry the Hobo.”

After comparison to the info shects we printed from the Web
site noted in your article, Harry was whisked off to the biology
lab for further identification. .

Harry is on his way to a deep freeze aow and we are grate-
ful for your aid in our preparedness. *

Although we welcome everyone to participate in continuing
education courses and events, we unanimously agree, one
Hobo spider through our door is enough.

'_ All the better informed and prepared.
Marianne Ketchen
mketchen@capcollege.bc.ca

; Corporate & Personal Taxes _
Financial Statements
Bookkeeping, Budgets & Payroll
Free initial Consuttation
DON LANE 921-3322

“The North Shore Arts Commission Presents

1999 FANS NIGHT |

A Celebration of the Arts on the North Shore
cocktail reception; art exhibition; live performances; auction
99 Fi DAMS

aster eremonies:

Céremonies:Red Robinson
y, October 16, 1999

Birch Theatre (Capilano College)
2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver

‘ An opportunity to recognize and celebrate
| the creative achievements of this internationally renowned
oe vy North Shore artist.

Tickets:$30each_ -
Tickets cari be purchased from the North Shore
Arts Commission, 148 East 2nd St, North Vancouver,
or by calling 980-3559.
SHHSHSHESESSSHASDOOSCHSHSSHESHHOEOS

"THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

S mcwmniar ied SBR Westmor __

| Satur

} #0 a

ted white, m.p.

Wednesday. September 29, 1999 — North Shore News - 9

advertorial, September 22/1999

MORE ON THE REFUGEE BOATS

September 29, 1999

Although i usually take a break from
the writing of my weekly reports for the
North Shore News during the summer
parliamentary recess, ! did write a spe-
cial report for the August 18, 1999 edi-
tion after the very public arrival of a
number of bcatloads of refugee
claimants off the coast of Vancouver
Island. With the subsequent arrival of
additional boats though, my office con-
tinues to be inundated with [fetters,
faxes, emails, and phonecails about the
situation. As a result, | decided to pub-
lish an updated version of my August
18th report.

BACKGROUND

Canada's immigration laws used to per-
mit Immigration Otticers at our ports of
entry to make decisions, based on experi-
ence and training, whether to admit, or
turn away, refugee claimants. it was the
Singh case, taken all the way to the
Supreme Court of Canada, which ruled
these provisions unconstitutional, and

= resulted in the expensive, and lengthy,

hearings and appeals process which
exists in Canada today. Unfortunately, the

| present Government has steadfastly

refused to even attempt to fix the prob-
lems, and it is now generally recognized
by immigration officials and law enforce-
meni officers alike, that Canada is often

used by bogus refugee claimants as an

entry point to @ final destination in the
USA. This is very troubling to the U.S.
Government, which last year began
threatening to introduce a requirement
that all Canadians carry passports, and
obtain visas for entry to the USA, even at
vehicle crossings.

In the case of claims by Chinese
nationals, there were approximately 600
cases dealt with in BC in 1998. Of the 600,
just over 60 received refugee status, 95
were refused (and will likely appeal),
while more than 420 claimants,
or about 2/Srds, failed to turn up
for their hearings. With this sort of
tecord, it is no wonder that the general
public feels uncomfortable with the pre-
sent situation, regardless of the soothing

- noises being made by those who say that
f the bogus claimants will eventually be

deported. (In fact, China does not
accept deportees: from Canada
who are not properly identified,
“well-schooled” bogus
vefugee claimant has the best
chance of staying if he or she
simply provides false identifica-
tion. There is then virtually noth-
ing we can do to deport the

j claimant.)

WHILE THEY WAIT

Refugee claimants are automatically
given access to social assistance, legal
aid, health care, and sometimes receive
the right to work and/or attend school in
Canada while they await a ruling on their
claim. Including appeals, the process can
last anywhere from two to ten or more
years, but if the claimant commits a crime,

the entire process stops while the sen-_
‘tence (including parole) is. served, so
B many additional years can pass before
+. deportation in such cases can even be

attempted. : :
Claimants who are rejected are given
30 days to depart the country voluntarily,
but also have 15 days to file an application
for judicial review by the Trial Division of
the Federal Court. Not all applications are
accepted, but for those that are, “the
claimant has the right to remain in Canada
pending the outcome of the judicial review.
Once a Federal Court decision has been
rendered, the claimant may appeal that
decision to the Federal Court of Appeal in
cases where the Judge who rendered the
decision “states that a serious questi

Bee,

general importance is involved.”

Canada also provides a separate clas-
sification (the Post-Determination
Refugee Claimants in Canada Class) for
individuals who were rejected for refugee
status, “yet feel they would be at risk on
return to their country of origin.” PDRCC
applications are automatically sent
to all unsuccessful inland
refugee claimants, and if the applica-
tions are successful, the once-rejected
claimant is permitted to apply for perma-
nent residence. The final option available

to unsuccessful refugee claimants is to |
apply to have their cases reviewed on |
humanitarian and compassionate grounds §

at a local immigration office. Whilst
claimants are certainly entitled

under our present laws to this |

“due process”, as mentioned
above, it is often impossible to

deport those who are turned |

down. Literally thousands disap-
pear while under deportation
order, or refusc to yrovide ade-
quate identification to enable us
to deport them. In ad2Zizion,
many simply return after they
have been deported, and begin
the process all over again.

WHAT CAN WE 00?

While virtually everyone seems to |

agree that we have a duty, and a desire, to
assist as many genuine refugees as we
can, it is now essential that we speed up
the assessment process, so that claimants
can be held in detention until a determina-
tion of status is completed. Bogus
claimants could then be deported immedi-
ately, ensuring that the message gets

back quickly to those in the refugee busi- |
ness that Canada is no longer an easy hit. |

Of course, the vast majority of refuges
claimants, often as many as 200 per day,

do not arrive on boats, but make their |

claims at our airports after arriving. on
international flights. According to the UN
Convention on Refugees, refugees are
supposed to make their clain in the
fire? safe country they reach, yet
vary few refugee producing countries have
non-stop flights to Canada, (Cuba could
be one), so it is reasonable to wonder why
the claimants at Canada’s airports did not
make their claim as they passed through
an airport in the UK or Germany, for exam-
ple. Could it be they that have chesen
Canada as a destination rather than a

place from which to escape repression? ©

Since most destroy their documents en-

route, it is difficult to know for sure, but |

there is one very simple and inexpensive
thing we could do to eliminate the bogus
airport refugees before they even arrive
here. Lo .

~ The seed for a solution could lie in
requiring airlines operating frorn refugee
producing areas to scan into a computer

all passports and travel documentation.

before travellers board the plane. This
would only take a few seconds per pas-
senger, but would ensure that everyone
arriving in Canada from those countries
has identification. .With the ability to

destroy documents en-route eliminated, ©

bogus refugees would probably abandon
the idea of claiming refugee. status in

Canada, greatly. reducing the numbers:
who claim such status, and-reducing the:

workload for immigration officials. .

You can write to the new Minister of. | .

Immigration, Hon. Elinor Capian,: by
mail at The House of Commons,
Ottawa, Onterlo, K1A OAG6, by fax” at
(613) 992-0887, or by email at
Capian.E @part.gc.ca. . 2

‘(Cam Capilano

»

>

An evening

of jazz

Whar better way is there
to unwind on a Friday
than an evening of jazz!
Don't miss Denzal
Sinclaire and Bill Coon’s
performance on Friday,
October | at 8 p.m. in
the Capilano College
Performing Arts Theatre.
Sinclaire and Coon's
Tepertoire moves from
the well-loved jazz pop
classics of Gershwin to
the more recent classics
of Lennon and
McCartney. Tickets are
$20 for adults and $15 for
students and seniors. For
tickets and information,
call 990-7810.

Coping with

stress and

mid-life changes

Bumed-out, stressed-out
and unfulfilled? Who
hasn't experienced these
feelings? Jennifer Shifrin,

- a registered clinical

Fe

counsellor, offers two
one-day workshops to
help participants cope
with daily stresses and
mid-iife changes.
Preventing Burnout rans
Sarurday, October 16.
Mid-Life Crossroad runs
Saturday, October 23.
Both workshops will be
held from 9 a.m. to

4 p.m. and cost $95 each.
To register, call
Continuing Education at
984-4901.

Career in

health care -
Give something back to.

"the community through a

career.in health care.
Capilano College's Home .j -
Support/Resident Care. %; |.
Attendant program
prepares students to work
with families and seniors
in various continuing
care settings, such as
intermediate care and

*- extended care facilities. <
’ and home support .-

agencies. To find out

more about this
rewarding career, attend a
program information —
meeting on Tuesday, -

_. October 5 at 6:30 p.m. 7

in the Fir building, =. *-.
room 204. For more ©.
information, call -”
984-4960."

“Hf yous are 55 or older, txy

“learning with a ;
difference” at Capilano. _-
College's Eldercollege, an
award-winning program’ -
-for older adults. Offerings “*
include computers for =]
beginners and advanced |"
learners as well as.

“associate, term and: «

annual memberships

©. provide access toa 202!

multitude of courses. Call