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Volume 107, issue 08
Legality of Project LEARN challenged
London London activist calls police anti-party blitz unconstitutional budget projects $4.3M [The police] have to surplus adhere to provincial Richard Raycraft News Editor
The controversy surrounding Project LEARN has not been quelled heading into the fourth week of the initiative, with a Whitby, Ontariobased man threatening to take it to task. Gerald Parker, the executive director of the Institute of Canadian Justice, a public health and safety organization, has said that the Institute will release a report that will expose the controversial London Police Service initiative. “It’s the fact that [Project LEARN] is based on revenue and retribution,” Parker said. “My point here is that there is no education in this process, my point going forward in all of this is that there are a number of really big red flags.” Parker also expressed his belief that the method of enforcement of the bylaws — specifically focusing on students and inhibiting persons with disabilities — is unconstitutional and a form of discrimination. “[The police] have to adhere to provincial statutes and the Federal Charter, and the constitutional parameters therein, above and beyond any municipal bylaw,” he said. Project LEARN (Liquor Enforcement and Reduction of Noise) is a London police initiative that runs from August 27 to September 28. It aims to enforce bylaws related to noise, litter, and alcohol consumption, among others. These enforcement efforts are concentrated in student-populated areas around London. Constable Danielle Wright, acting media relations officer for the London police, denied the accusation. “There’s nothing that the members working for the project would do in any way to violate the constitutional rights of anyone being charged,” she said. “The people working on the project
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statutes and the Federal Charter, and the constitutional parameters therein, above and beyond any municipal bylaw.
Jeremiah Rodriguez News Editor
—Gerald Parker,
director of the Institute of Canadian Justice
are essentially doing exactly what they’re doing when they are not on the project — when they’re on patrol.” Refuting Parker’s claims, Wright said the police program benefited average London residents who put up with heavy student partying in September. “The school zones are also integrated into the regular community, so it’s been a positive impact for the regular community who are not partaking in frosh week and homecoming, or any big school celebration type of events,” she said. “The thing that’s most important is that Project LEARN was implemented to keep communities safe, to allow people to safely enjoy their neighbourhoods.” Parker said his strategy is to challenge the initiative through various legal and governmental avenues. Among those he has attempted to contact are the Ontario Ombudsman’s Office, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal and London Liberal MPP Deb Matthews. Parker also has plans to write to
Logan Ly GAZETTE
STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS. A Whitby-based health and safety organization is calling Project LEARN unconstitutional, and says they will challenge the bylaw.
Maclean’s magazine about the issue. “Going forward, first there’s going to be the report, and second is to challenge the bylaw — it will be done,” he said, outlining his strategy. “I will continue to contact and engage the municipal and provincial authorities.” Patrick Whelan, University Students’ Council president, explained that he prefers a softer, more cooperative approach to the project.
“The USC is likely going to continue with our advocacy and lobbying of the city government to look into alternatives that accomplish similar goals. We think that a priority for students is to be recognized as members of the community and as neighbours themselves,” he said. “Building communities from the neighbourhoods up and really solidifying those relationships is a great approach to solving the same problem without enforcement.”
The City of London didn’t blow through as much money as it thought it would in the last half year — a $4.3 million surplus is being projected for the end of 2013. By June of this year, the city had spent less than they were supposed to by that time. The projected surplus will be available to councillors for the last budget before the autumn 2014 municipal election. $3.7 million of the surplus stemmed from money that’s been a long time coming — reconciliation money from 2010 from the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund. “It was money that cities give to the province — basically, [the City of London] administers all [the province’s] social services locally,” Larry Palarchio, director of financial planning and policy, said. “It was unexpected and a onetime thing — we received a cheque in March or April — and the budget would have been a lot tighter without that revenue,” he added. In addition, there was $1.6 million in savings from the civic department, which stemmed from less snow maintenance as this winter had less bite than previous years. Savings were found in delays in government hiring in the first six months of the year with vacant government jobs not being filled as quickly, and more savings coming from high revenue from short-term investments. The city also saved $5 million from a restructuring of the wastewater and water treatment. According >> see an unexpected pg.3