The Week - October 1

Cops Olympic Ops

The Victoria Police Department's latest expenditure forecast for the fiscal year shows the force anticipates swinging from a $765,000 surplus to a small deficit for 2009. Part of the predicted deficit will come from the estimated $50,000 the force has had to budget for security provisions related to the Olympic torch's October 30 trip through the city.

VicPD spokesperson Grant Hamilton couldn't say how that money would be allocated, but acknowledged that the department is ramping up for a serious security operation to ensure the international symbol of greed and distraction passes unimpeded through the region. Complicating matters, he says, is that the torch's arrival falls on Halloween weekend, the VicPD's second busiest time of year after Canada Day.

"They've cancelled everybody's leave and our guys are being told that they may have to work double shifts, so it's a lot of planning," says Hamilton.

One VicPD officer has been assigned full time to torch run security planning duties, working in conjunction with the constabulary in neighbouring municipalities. "We're talking weekly about it and pretty soon it will be daily," says Hamilton. "It's a huge deal. I mean, it's the world stage."

Meanwhile, the RCMP's Integrated Security Unit continues its attempts to tighten the noose on would be anti-Olympic rabble rousers with surprise visits to the homes of those deemed persons of interest in the eyes of the state. Latest on the list of the visited was local journalist and activist Zoe Blunt who has received both phone calls and an in-person visit.

"Really, it was a silly conversation with the ISU officer where he was trying to interview me and I was trying to interview them and there was a little jostling for position and eventually I hung up on him," she says.

And just what is the ISU looking for?

"They just want to talk to us and what they want us to do is tell them what everybody is planning to do, and who they are and what groups are involved and sit down with them and just sketch out everything that's happening, that might possibly be happening—not that any crime has been committed, or if there's any investigation or specific threats that they're worried about," says Blunt. "They're worried about protecting the Olympic brand."

Green cards

With yet another federal election looming on the horizon, in Saanich-Gulf Islands the level of discourse is already descending to the depths Canadians have come to expect from our politicians.

The campaign of S-GI federal Liberal candidate Renee Hetherington sent out a press release on September 26 headlined "Jolly Green Giant—or sad Little Sprout," to lampoon the fact that at the Saanich-Gulf Islands September 19 Green Party candidate nomination meeting, only 56 votes were cast in the contest between party leader Elizabeth May (who recently relocated to the West Coast) and veteran Green activist Stuart Hertzog—hardly a ringing endorsement of the riding's Green stripes.

Hetherington's press release notes, "By contrast, one week earlier when Renee Hetherington won the federal Liberal nomination, several hundred members filled the Mary Winspear Centre and 319 votes were cast."

But May says the small voter turnout reflects only the fact the Green meeting had to compete with the beloved Salt Spring Island Fall Fair, where most of the riding's 250-or-so card-carrying party members live. Party members or not, May says she expects to carry the riding on voters' disdain of politics as usual, even if it means they must set aside what until now has been a traditionally Conservative voting record.

"The only thing that kind of breaks through the game of electoral chicken that we experience in minority parliament after minority parliament is to have a different approach that calls for a more respectful, more cooperative, House of Commons and I think that's exactly what a lot of voters are going to be absolutely desperate to vote for, regardless of where they've come from or how much their house costs or how many drive Prius's or how many have their own yacht. It doesn't really matter," May says.

Choppy waters

One day before last week's public hearing on the Victoria International Marina project, lawyer Irene Faulkner, acting on behalf of the South Island Sea Kayakers Association, submitted legal documents to federal environment minister Jim Prentice calling for environmental assessment of the project to be handed to an independent review panel.

The submission contends that an independent review is necessary because of "the significant potential adverse environmental effects of the project," and "the deep and widespread public concerns associated with this project."

A growing number of public officials have recently expressed skepticism of the mega yacht marina plan, including Esquimalt Royal Roads NDP MLA Maurine Karagianis, who says she and Victoria MLA Rob Fleming will press B.C. environment minister Barry Penner for an independent environmental assessment.

Gauging either the provincial of federal government's present level of support for the marina is difficult, but documents obtained by UVic's environmental law clinic through access to information suggest enthusiasm may not be as high as the marina's proponents insist..

For example, in a June 16, 2007 correspondence between Transport Canada Aerodromes and Air Navigation Senior Inspector Rob Ogden and Transport Canada Navigable Waters Protection Officer Jim Schellenberg, Ogden notes:

• "The location of the marina would be disruptive to both commercial marine vessels, rowers, kayakers (tourist) and commercial aircraft activities."

• "The access routes would be very disruptive to both marine vessels and aircraft taxiing, taking off and landing which may result in significant economic impact to existing operators (both marine and aviation)."

• "Although there would be benefits to the new marina operator and its users, any decision (support) to go ahead with the Marina should not be made without a benefit cost analysis, understanding the impact on tourism and existing economic activities, hence it is unclear if the "Public Interest" would be served by this project."

But the real or perceived impartiality of the bureaucrats involved could all be for naught. After all, VIM proponent Bob Evans is a Conservative Party of Canada fundraiser who has engaged the services of prominent local lawyer and Conservative party agent Bruce Hallsor to work on his behalf, and FOI documents obtained by Monday show the proponents presented their plan directly to federal transportation minister Lawrence Cannon in 2007.

Arts on the block

A small but concerned crowd of about 50 attended last week's town hall meeting on arts and culture at Open Space, helmed by the NDP’s Carole James and opposition critic for tourism, culture and the arts Spencer Herbert. While the small attendance was likely due to conflicting Thursday night arts events, the panel of speakers—including Scott Walker (ProArt Alliance), Leslie Bland (Kaleidoscope Theatre), Ian Case (Intrepid Theatre), Helen Marzolf (Open Space)—all spoke passionately about the need for a collective response to the recent provincial arts cuts. "It's important in difficult economic times to recognize what arts and culture can do for our community,” said James, noting that Ontario recently increased their investment in arts funding by some $130 million. “Think what Victoria would be like without the arts.”

Herbert pointed out how arts funding is actually a tiny percentage of the overall provincial budget. "Don't believe it's a frill," he said. "We need to fight back and fight back hard."

As such, Walker noted the emergency resolution to reinstate Direct Access Gaming Funding to all B.C. charities that will be introduced at the Union of BC Municipalities conference in Vancouver this week, which Premier Campbell and many MLAs will be attending, and called for a return to "full funding levels"—$40 million—to be controlled by the BC Arts Council. "If not, we're looking at the possibility that the next generation of artists and arts leaders may have to leave the province." Walker also called for strong public support at this week's ProArt presentation to the standing committee on finance at 10:05am Wednesday, October 7, at the legislature.

"The money is there,” James concluded. "It's a question of priorities. It's up to us to put the pressure on."

Making connections

Trying to rent an apartment or apply for a job without access to certain conventions of personal hygiene is a problem to which many folks on the street can attest.

So it's with that in mind that the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness is hosting the second annual Project Connect on October 14 at Our Place, a day where folks on the margins can access services most of us take for granted, like a hair dresser or getting their pets treated by a veterinarian or finding help obtaining some form of government-issued ID.

Organizers are putting the call out for both cash and material donations, as well as volunteers to man the various tables. Event co-organizer Jody Paterson says the biggest need is assorted hygiene products including hand sanitizer, toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap, deodorant, feminine hygiene products, as well as socks and gloves.

In addition to helping folks get some of the material necessities of a dignified life, Paterson says the day represents a chance for people on both sides of the poverty divide to get to know each other a little better. And while last year's Project Connect saw almost 600 people come through the door, Paterson is well apprised of the fact it won't solve the city's woes.

"I would never tell you for a moment that Project Connect solves homelessness. Housing solves homelessness and that is obviously the number one goal through all of this, to keep that conversation going."

Donations for the event can be dropped off at Our Place on Pandora Avenue.

Victims, on both sides

Last Sunday police officers around the province gathered at vigils to remember and honour comrades who have died in the line of duty.

And while there's no denying that our peace officers are often called upon to deal with people at their most erratic and dangerous, the 106 British Columbia police officers who have died serving their communities since 1859 is but a fraction of the number of B.C. citizens who have perished in circumstances where the cops were on the scene.

According to data compiled by the BC Coroners Service for Emergency Management BC, in the 15 years from 1992 to 2007, 240 people died in what are referred to as Custody/Police-Involved Deaths.

Of those 240 incidents, 35 people died in police shootings, 59 died in police auto pursuits, 77 people died in police cells/lockup, while the remainder are classified as "other."

Of those 240 deaths, the coroners service classified 141 of those as "accident," 38 as homicide, 41 as suicide, 23 as natural, and the remaining 24 were undetermined.

—Jason Youmans and John Threlfall