6 — Friday, Novernber 21, 1997 — North Shore T’S time to pull the plug on local adventures in genetic fish engi- eering. - Recent alarm bells rung by environ- mentalists over the goings-on in the federal fisheries research lab in West Vancouver aside, the whole program scems far more a make-work project for marine biologists than anything of value to shore up salmon stocks. _ David Ellis, who prepared Net Loss: . _ The Salmon Neteage Industry in B.C.- for the David Suzuki Foundation, has questioned the prudency of genetical- ly altering fish. ; He says they could make their way into the coastal fish farming industry, escape into the wild and pollute the gene pool.of the already endangered . West Coast salmon stocks. .. The fisheries lab in West Vancouver ~ has been dabbling in genetic engineer- News north shore news VIEWPOINT ing for years. Its mandate is to pro- _duce super salmon that grow faster and are more resistant to disease than the salmon strains nature has come up with. But the point of the whole exercise is lost on the man on the street. West Coast salmon have survived and flourished for millions of years without man’s intervention. The only reason they are threatened now is because of man’s pollution, habitat degradation and greed. Salmon need help, but they need it in the form of conservation projects, hatchery upgrades and proper fish enhancement programs. Instead of funnelling millions of dollars into artificially inflating the size of salmon in labs, use these funds to help enhance and conserve the wild stocks that are left. _ THE North Shore News Free Speech Defence - Fund keeps on growing. To press time Thursday, donations from over 2,000 '_. News readers and free speech supporters to the fund stood at $143,591. Legal fees expended thus far by the News have already exceeded $200,000. __ All funds received will help defray the legal costs faced . Py the News in its battle with the Human Rights . * Tribunal over a complaint laid against the news- . paper and: its columnist Doug Collins by the Canadian Jewish Congress. The hearing into the matter, which began on May ~ 12, concluded on June 27. ‘The decision from tribunal chairman Nitya Iyer was handed down on Nov. 12. Full coverage of the decision appeared in the Nov. 14 News. Iyer found that Collins’ column was not hateful, but also ruled that, while the legislation under which the News was prosecuted infringes upon the Charter’s guarantce of free expression, it was constitutionally valid. Extra copies of the News’ Free Speech Supplement, which was originally published in the Ang. 20 News, are available at the News offices. Another excerpt from the thousands of respon- dents to the cause: o0 “Let the libel laws take care of anyone who feels sSlandered. For such people to use the harassment tribunal system is a cop-out and a cheap methed of trying to put down another’s views.” - — Trevor Birch of Sechelt, B.C. ~*~ 900 Donations to the fund can be sent to: 1139 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver, V7M 2H4. Cheques should be made out to the North Shore News Free Speech Defence Fund. - — trenshaw@direct.ca north shore ‘Narth Soore News, founded in 1969 25 an independent suburban newspaper and quathed under Schedule 111, Paragraph 111 of the Emse Tax Act, is pubksned each Werinesday. Faday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press Ltd. and drstributed to every duor on the North Shore. Canada Post Canaan Pubkcatons Mast Sales Product Agreement to. 0087238. Maskng rates avartabie on request. SESMECTMSBREERES ines ‘Human Resources Manager Saies & Marketing Director The last temptation is the greatest treason: Ta do the right deed for the wrong reason. — T. S. Eliot: Murder in the Cathedral The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal did the right thing — dismissing the complaint against recently retired North Shore News columnist Doug Collins. But was it for the wrong reason? That’s the suspicion that follows the decision by tribunal chairman Nitya Iyer. {f you were from Mars and you read her reasons for judgment — knowing nothing of the case or how it would end — Pd wager you'd feel certain that she was gving to hang old Doug. Step by step she scems to be accepting the case of the complaint by the Canadian Jewish Congress — that the now-famous 1994 Collins column Hollywood Propaganda was likely to bring Jews into hatred or contempt, and that the News should be ordered to stop publishing such material. For example, Iyer states, with apparent approval, a basic premise of what its critics call che “victim industry.” Which is: It doesn’t matter what the intent is of a per- son who utters something that is allegedly hurtful or hateful. What matters is whether the person or group so described feels hurt, or likely to be the object of hatred or con- tempt because of what is communicated. That interpretation would seem to sup- Dratheal PETER SPE Publisher 985-2131 (177) 980-0511 (319) cK iptrolter S$85-2131 (101) © 385-2131 (193) =e port the CJC’s complaint. Yet, after thou- sands of words that seem to be flowing toward the C)C’s contention, Iyer con- cludes: “Although the publication in (sic) issuc is likely to make it more acceptable for others to express hatred or contempt against Jewish people because of their race, religion or ancestry, I find that it docs not itself express hatred or con- tempt.” Srunning. It’s like a mys- tery novel in which the Great Detective (by any name) methodically explains the evidence pointing inexorably to the guilt of the upstairs maid, then abruptly swings around and says: “The buder did it after all.” What’s going on? To sum up the theory of others, and add a frill or two of my own: The Gien Clark New Democratic government saw it coming. What did it see? That if the tri- bunal “convicted” Collins, the decision would be appealed, probably right to the Supreme Court of Canada. And B.C.’s socialist government and its legislation would lose — big time. Big, big, big time. The court, almost guaranteed, would declare the B.C. law unconstitutional — invalid. That would be a huge moral and political defeat for the NDP, adding to its string of other disasters, and maybe coming painfully close to a general election. Now, Clark’s henchpeople would never, never let their political fears filter down to tribunal chairman Iyer. Her role is quasi- judicial, so — like judges — she circum- spectly keeps herself insulated from political LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters must inclide your name, full address & telephone number. VIA e-mail: trenshaw @ direct.ca Thmotay Renshaw Com Managing Editor 855-2131 (116) Bt FERRY FARE INCREAS Right decision for wrong reason? | or other pressures and is beyond being influenced. Believe that? OK, let’s put aside cyni- cism. But look at what Iyer’s decision con- veniendy accomplished: ; @ Ic savaged Collins with the rubber trun- cheon of its legislation, and, in effect, offi- . cially pronounced him a pariah, oo U8 It kept the rubber truncheon intact. @ The NDP bully-boys and bully-girls still wield it. It stil! hangs thregreningiy over free speech and free speakers. — - @ The exercise cost his publisher, his read- ers who generously contributed to his” : detence fund, the B.C. Press Council, the. B.C. Civil Liberties Association and other: - intervenors dearly, while the Clark govern- - ment merely spent your taxpayers’ money:...; — as usual. ; . That's “justice,” Human Rights Commission-style. ; Log To repeat: I strongly sympathize with -: Jews hurt by Collins’ claims about the® - Holocaust. I have no reason to doubt that millions died in‘it. Collins thinks I’m - wrong. That’s OK. But neither do I thin the Holocaust is a closed book.that can’t be open to further historical scrutiny. The: CJC hurt its cause by trying to silence him. . QQ Sce! Hear! Dal Richards conduct the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and singer Michael Buble (pronounced Boo-blay), : who will make you remember or even for-° get Sinatra, on Wednesday at the a Orpheum. . . 900 res A chocolate Lab was hit by acarin © broad daylight in the 5400-block Marine ~ Drive on Nov, 12. The driver didn’t stop. The dog died in agony. Shame! coos 965-6982 986-6222 985-2131 986-1337 985-1435 88S-2104 985-3227 Michael Becker - News Editor seoven | fl 985-2131 (114) Andrew McCredis - Sports/Community Editor 985-2131 (147) tt Agrios Gall Sneigrove Promotions & Acting Display Manager ‘General Oftice Manager 285-2131 (218) 985-2131 (165) internet- hitpy/jwww.nsnews.com Barkara Ema Distribution Manager 986-1337 (124) 61,582 (average creugion, Weanestiay, Friday & Sunday} ‘The Worth Shore Hews is published by North Shore Free Press Ltd., Publisher Peter Speck, from 1139 Lonsdale Avenue North Vancouve;, 8.C., V7M 2N4 Photography Manager Classified Manager 985-2131 (160) 985-6222 (202) Entire contents © 1997 North Shore Free Press Ltd, All rights reserved.