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Whatever Happened to the Toronto 18? Cancellation of preliminary hearings extends trial of accused
Terrorist Bomb Plot? No... Just a Car
It Ain’t Easy Being Green Jack Layton discusses what individual Canadians can do to combat climate change
By Sean Liliani & Mike Anderson
By Arsheen Devjee On June 2nd 2006, 18 Toronto residents were arrested on terrorism charges. Of the 18 men and boys who were arrested, 9 are currently in the Maplehurst Correctional Complex in Brampton, 3 in Toronto Don Jail, and 6 have had all charges against them dropped. In the 16 months since the arrest, those still in jail have gone through many incidents with the courts and correctional facilities. Having endured 23 hour bouts of isolation and physical abuse from jail guards, the latest ordeal has been the cancellation of preliminary hearings last September. Preliminary trials are held as a way to gauge if there is enough evidence to merit a trial, and for the Toronto 18 and their lawyers, the September 25th hearings would have given them a chance to see what evidence the crown has prepared. Everything raised in court, from evidence to cross examinations, is kept inside the court because of a publication ban, which makes it illegal for anyone to publish material regarding the trial’s proceedings. Despite a publication ban that restricts information from reaching the public, the Crown –after about 2 months of preliminary hearings– decided to cancel the continuation of such proceedings this September. With no exposure to the Crown’s evidence, the accused have been left in the dark concerning the future of their trail. There may have been many reasons for the cancellation of the preliminary hearings; one reason stands out above others: when investigating the Crown’s supposed “star witness”, Mubin Shaikh. In an article published on September 25th 2007 in the
November 1 2007 Vol. XXX No. VIII
On Monday, October 29th 89 Chestnut was shaken at the possibility of a potential bomb. However, there was no bomb. No one was hurt. Toronto Star, Thomas Walkom introduces Mubin Shaikh as the man that can’t be shut up. Despite the publication ban, “he’s been interviewed by the Star, the National Post, the Los Angeles Times, the CBC and most recently the BBC.” In April, Shaikh was arrested by Toronto police in an un-related matter and accused of assault after he supposedly attacked two 12 year old girls. McLean’s magazine has also not been shy of poking fun at Shaikh, when in an October 8th article printed that, “Shaikh has accused the Mounties of stiffing him out of money, told reporters that some of the 18 suspects are innocent, and admitted to Maclean's that he snorted cocaine on the taxpayers' dime.”What does this
mean for the preliminary trial? Perhaps the Crown could not stand its “star witness” turning this historic case into a laughing stock, and thus took matters into their own hands by shutting it down until trial, which will not be starting soon. What does this mean for the Toronto 18? Shaikh’s inability to respect the publication ban means that those whose charges could have been dropped in this preliminary hearing will have to wait until next year to gain their chance at freedom.
the newspaper will be publishing a series of articles which will delineate the happenings and whereabouts of the Toronto 18 since their arrest 16 months ago.
This past week the newspaper sat down with federal NDP leader Jack Layton to talk about environmental policy and the role that all Canadians can play in our planet’s current climate change crisis. With green being the new black these days, it seems that everyone from fashionistas to smart car driving CEOs are on the clean energy bandwagon. But for those of us who think that the pop culture saturation of everything green means the problem is good marketing. But it’s up to behind us, Mr. Layton’s current NGOs and governments to put university tour is here to tell us in place mechanisms so that otherwise. With some disparag- these so called ‘green efforts’ ing remarks for Canada’s cur- are exposed and the ones that rent energy policies, Mr. Layton really work are identified for spoke to UofT students earlier the consumers in a clear way this month to tell us how we are with the energy star program falling short. and things like that”. It turns out that in spite A big part of Layton’s enof an envivironmental ronmentally “...they are realizing that platform infriendlier volves taking consumer if they can wrap them- government culture, the subsidies message is selves in a green patina out of the not getting of some sort it will be oil industry through to and putting good marketing.” decision money into makers. sustainable We asked Mr. Layton what energy development. he thinks of the commercialized We asked him what kind of branding of buzz words like plans the NDP would have in ‘green’, ‘clean’, or ‘sustainabil- store for Canadians if they were ity’ and if there is any way that elected to power. those trying to make a buck off “We say create a fund that the green trend could be dilut- will pay for people to have their ing or discrediting the actual houses renovated and then it can movement. be paid back out of the energy “Everybody’s trying to saving and then that money can climb on board because the be loaned to somebody else. Pepeople are very concerned and ter Tabuns and I have built such they are realizing that if they a fund here in Toronto called can wrap themselves in a green the Toronto Atmospheric Fund patina of some sort it will be See Layton cont. pg. 7