6 — Wednesday, January 20, 1999 ~ North Shore News

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VIEWPOINT

Perverse ruling

HALK one up for the perverts.

They are laughing at us.

Provincial Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh must push hard for a timely appeal of last week’s ruling by a B.C. judge that strikes down a Criminal Code ban on the possession of child pornography. As matters stand, B.C. is a wide-open playground for kiddie porn junkies and pedophiles.

In a ruling released Jan. 13 by B.C. Supreme Court Justice Duncan Shaw, the judge declared a subsection of the Criminal Code void and in violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The specific section dealt narrowly with the possession of kiddie porn. It States that “every person who possess- es any child pornography is guilty of (a) an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceed-

his own.

Lions Gate Bridge solution falls short

Dear Editor:

Sensible Thinkers and Concerned Vancouverites (STACV) — Unite!

Help! I know I am not the only sane and uncorrupted one left. to stand alone in the crowd of those hoping to save the doorned First Narrows crossing.

Does no one else have a qualitied opinion on the disaster abour to embark on the Lions Gate Bridge?

Sevenry-million dolfars! I, too, am a taxpayer and as such T say “stop this madness.” J had faith in the democratic sys- tem to find a progressive and realistic solution but the events about co occur are simply unbelievable. This cost for a Band- Aid solution is down right ridiculous.

Absurd, in fact.

+ L appreciate the concerns surrounding the decision (envi- ronmenzal, possible expense ta commuters, parks board

- issues. and historian scntimentalities) but, people, ler’s be visionary here and accept the inevitability and necessity of change and progress. We can build a new bridge and we can drill a cannel through Coal Harbour bur the plan for ourting another patch on our old landmark is only a waste of time and money.

Yo all those who opposed better alternatives | address yeu as selfish. These solutions are not about your wants of today, they arc about the necds of the future for all

“..4°«Vancouverites and British Columbians alike.

24. We are a world-class city and need to provide the type of

. ~* facilities and progressive ideas that are expected of us by our

peers and. visitors. We cannot gain international respeer by continuing to manipuiate the essentials that enable us to progress. That's the job of our current provincial government, Lee’s not head inte the millennium as “a three dressed up as a nine.” STACV — Unite! Sharon Dillon onthedrive@hotmail.com

North Shore Mew: jounded 01 1369 2s an indepertent subvban newspaper and qudktad under Scheouie 195. Paragayth 111 of ne Erase Tax Act 15 pubkster) eacsi Viegnessiny. Faday ana Sunday by berth Shore Free Press, Lid and destnbuted to every door on the North Shore, Cartasa Peat Cenadkan Publeahons Mat Sales Product Agreement Hs 006 *73¢. Madang raies acailabte on request

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ing five years; or (b) an offence pun- ishable on summary conviction.” Judge Shaw, in his questionable wisdom, tossed the section out the window when he supported a child porn advocate’s argument that his sick little world is nobody's business but

Even though the judge found as fact that “the dissemination of written material which counsels or advocates sexual offences against children poses some risk or harm to children,” he concluded that the prohibition against possessing such material was a “pro- found” invasion of freedom of expres- sion and personal privacy.

What seems to have carried little weight in this disturbing decision is the profound invasion of privacy suf- fered by the children, the real victims of this sordid affair.

NOT ALLOWABLE IN “THE HALLWAYS OF B.C. SCHOOLS:

CHILDREN'S

ALLOWABLE IN THE HALLWAYS OF B.C. SCHOOLS:

FIRE RETARDANT CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

OPRICESI|

Ask who’s lied to you before?

NO issue has ever generated more confusion chan the Nisga’a Treaty — confusion being the snake-oil with which Gien Clark hopes to lubricate

its passage through

the legislature.

Costly snake-oil, too. The NDP government’s orginal budget for informing the public about the treaty through paid advertising, a househoider mailing and other publicity was set at $2.3 million.

The figure today has reached more than $7.5 million and counting — all paid by the RB. taxpaver. That's a 330% overrun and more than the NDP's entire 1996 election can aign costs (paid by party funds).

Two key items glossed over by this expensive propaganda are the findamen- tally undemocratic nature of tiny, race- based “third order” governments grafted on to 2 97% non-aboriginal province — plus the ongoing cost of such govern- ments to Canadian taxpayers.

Aithough the 2,500 reserve Nisga’a have only about 100 non-aboriginals liv- ing on their land, the situation elsewhere is very different. In five out of 10 coastal and southern B.C. regions, for example, non-aboriginals living on native reserves are ina solid majority (ranging from 66% ro 923%),

And even in Powell River, which has the highest proportion of aboriginals on reserve among the other five districts,

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Eatirs contents © 1997 North Shore Free Press Lid. Alt rights reserved.

non-aboriginals sali make up 30% of reserve residents.

None of these considerable totals of non-native reserve residents will have a vote in band council elections. According to the NDP this does- n't matter because non- natives will pay taxes to Victoria, not to the band.

This, however, ignores the facr thar the band sets property 4 ments, Morcover, a clause in the treaty pro- vides for the Nisga’a to acquire — at some unspecified point, with federal and provincial blessing, -— the power to tax “non-citi- zens” dircetiy.

Agreed, if the 89% of non-matives on one Westbank (Okanagan) reserve had the vote, the native 11% would have little say, But chat doesn’t justify disentranchis- ing the 89%. And since all are equal Canadian citizens under the Constitution, it simply points up che folly of third orders of government.

Native territories should be self-gov- erning, municipalities under the same rales as all others.

Don't, theretoze, be fooled by south- ing NDP suggestions that the Nisga’a Treaty is not, after all, necessarily a model for all other 51 treaties pending. If the Nizga’a deal passes “as is,” leaving non- native residents voteless, why would any other B.C. band settle for fess?

Meanwhile, much has been made of the provision that Nisga‘a citizens — with a current jobless rate of 70-90% — will

ENS

Lither and yon

pay sales tay after cight years and income tax ater 12, based on expected revenue from resources.

Bue if you chink this spells indepen- dence from the public purse, think again.

The new “nation” will require a $32 million annua) cash subsidy, $3. million higher than now. And the feds estimate that, even after 15 years, che taspaver will stil be footing 75% of Nisga‘a costs,

The confusion on which Glen Clark is relying to ram through the model Nisga’a Treaty arises trom the simple fact that you can't have nwo types of citizen within a single nation.

Natives and non-natives alike are equal Canadian citizens, and ample safeguards exist for preserving native culture in the same way as Canada encourages the preservation of all other cthnic cultures within the Canadian mosaic.

Fair compensation in land and money to individual natives — not band councils — for the sins of our forefathers, YES.

Tiny racist apartheid-twpe “nations” pockmarking the territary of the nation which we all share, NEVER.

So ask who's lied to you before? If Clark won't allow a referendum, rime Minister Chretien must. .

: 2000 was MANY HAPPY RETURNS of today, Jan. 20, to Properties birthday boy Dr. Lionel Funt ... And wish that again. Friday, Jan. 22, to West Van Kiwanian Lionel Lewis. :

“aaa WRIGHT OR WRONG: Much can be done in a day, always provided that day isn’t tomorrow, :

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