Circus comes to town.....................5
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Cirque du Soleil opens this weekend with a new act titled Amaluna, featuring a predominantly female cast twirling around a mysterious island
the
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produced by langara journalism students
Mayors pocket money
Check us out online at langaravoice.com This week look for special features on Bright Nights at Stanley Park and an immigrant exhibition at the Musuem of Vancouver.
November 27, 2012 • Vol. 45 no. 9 • vancouver, b.c.
LSU objects to ‘Vote No’ campaign
THE NIGHT OF FIGHTS BOXING
Aboriginal students oppose move to hold all union meetings in camera. By JANA MINOR
Some politicians keep pay while others decline
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By Richard Hodges
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he Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is taking five lower mainland mayors and councillors to task for not waiving their meeting fees at a conference two and a half months ago. At the Vancouver Convention Centre on September 16, the city of Vancouver hosted a conference on their Zero Waste Challenge. While 20 non-elected speakers took no money for their involvement, CTF director Jordan Bateman says Vancouver councillor Andrea Reimer, Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie, Delta Mayor Lois Jackson, Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan and Surrey councillor Marvin Hunt collected their usual fees. Documents obtained by Bateman through a Freedom of Information request show that Brodie was paid $692 from Metro Vancouver for his full day at the conference while the others received $346 for half day visits. “If they have a keen interest in this project and it means that much to them why are they keeping money others have declined,” asked Bateman. “Politicians should not be paid extra for doing their job just because they’re in the public sector.” Councillor Hunt strongly disagrees that he did anything wrong. “If you’re a nice guy and you donate $100 to the local food bank does it makes sense to fire off emails asking why the rest of the office isn’t doing the same?” he asked. Hunt said the paperwork for these fees are filled out by his office and he’s not responsible for personally approving each one. “It’s a part of being on the Metro and expected when you’re invited to speak on a subject you’re knowledgeable about,” he said. “The waste challenge is a good thing, I’m not sure why I’m the bad guy here.” Mayor Lois Jackson was unsure what conference Bateman was referring to initially, and seem exasperated with the challenge. “Don’t these people have anything better to do?” she asked. The Zero Waste Challenge is in its second year and focuses on reducing waste by encouraging recycling and reuse through bylaws and behavior changes. Printed on recycled paper
STEVEN CHUA photo
Langara general studies student Jerik Brown, left, on guard against Remy Laovoie during The Night of Fights at the Vancouver Italian Cultural Centre last Thursday.
Ethnic groups anti-reefer
The Conservatives’ values align with the ethic community over pot legalization as political pressure builds over the psychoactive drug By Kevin Hampson
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ecent polls suggest the Conservative government’s marijuana policy is out of sync with popular opinion, but the Tories may be right in step with the values of Canada’s ethnic communities. A recent poll conducted by Forum Research suggested that 65 per cent of Canadians, and 73 per cent of British Columbians, support either legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana. But ethnic communities in South Vancouver are staunchly against the idea. “We think marijuana is illegal for a reason,” said Pastor Yu Jian Hong of Ebenezer Baptist Church. The church’s Mandarin services have attracted about 380 parishioners. Pot is bad for society, Hong said, so the government should discourage its use. Legalization would amount to an endorsement, he added. “Why send the signal to young people that it’s OK?” Up the street, at the Fraserview Muslim Community Centre, the consensus was much the same.
“[Pot] is not good for the health or the development of the brain,” said Imam Abdul Razzaq. Pharmacist Sameh Elbably said that he supports the use of pot for medical purposes, but society should discourage its recreational use. “[Pot] has negative effects on the central nervous system, it effects the brain, cognition,” he said. Legalizing the drug would encourage its abuse and open the door to traffic accidents, he added. Politicians who support legalization just want to make money at the expense of the public good, said Sam Abouzant, a retired engineer. “Let the mayor and anybody who wants to smoke it, smoke it in private, so they don’t harm anybody else,” Abouzant said. “It’s like a ‘soma’ drug,” added Farhan Jan, a communications student at SFU. “Soma” is the drug dispensed by the totalitarian state in Aldous Huxley’s novel, Brave New World. Pot renders people apathetic and dumb, making them easier to control, Jan said.
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Let the mayor and anybody who wants to smoke it, smoke it in private, so they don’t harm anybody else.” SAM ABOUZANT
epresentatives of the Langara Students’ Union have told students behind a “Vote No” poster campaign to cease and desist their opposition to the bylaw referendum currently underway. Three students, all members of the LSU’s aboriginal issues committee, have placed a number of posters around the campus urging students to vote against a plan that would see all LSU meetings held in camera and would cancel all elections until the fall of 2013. The referendum continues until Dec. 5 But a member of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association says the LSU has no right to make such a demand. John Dixon said the initiative’s opponents have every right to express their concerns and to put up posters. Dixon urged the LSU to honour that freedom of expression. “I don’t think the government shuts down websites against the Enbridge pipelines,” wrote Dwight Kematch, who emailed Dixon about deficiencies he perceived in the process leading up to the present referendum. Kematch noted that student consultation sessions were held when most students were in class. “This is not a racial thing how they’re playing this out to be, this is about holding them accountable,” said Kematch’s colleague, Chris Cardinal. “I think that the native students actually just hit a nerve with them about why they’re not being transparent about the funds that are available for events and things.” On Monday the aboriginal committee had booked an event in the Students’ Union Building. But the LSU wanted them to cancel it because they said they had booked the space for a bylaw information session. The aboriginal students said no. “They wanted to set up tables for bylaw reasons and we said no because today is our event,” said Cardinal. “ They should realize they can’t double-book on our day. We planned this a month ago. And they planned this two days ago.” For its part, the LSU said there was a lot of misunderstanding around the proposed bylaw, and that the aboriginal students’ “Vote No” campaign was ill-informed. LSU staffer Saadia Rai said none of the aboriginal students attended meetings where the bylaw was discussed, and so don’t understand the issue. “Our intentions are well-meaning,” said Rai.
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