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Probe clears Victoria police chief of misconduct

Submitted by Nicole Seguin on Wed, 07/21/2010 - 8:04pm
By Katie DeRosa, timescolonist.com
 
The B.C. Civil Liberties Association is dismissing an investigation that cleared Victoria’s police chief of misconduct, after Jamie Graham joked about an undercover officer spying on a busload of anti-Olympic protesters last year.
 
The association is calling for a more thorough probe by the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner.
 
Meanwhile, the man who filed the complaint is demanding a full public hearing, saying the investigation focused on discrediting him rather than looking into whether Graham’s comments put anyone at risk.
 

Health Canada asked to relax pot distribution rules

Submitted by Nicole Seguin on Wed, 07/14/2010 - 7:17am
By Niamh Scallan, The Tyee
 
A provincial civil liberties group is calling on the federal government to relax its grip on medical marijuana distribution.
 
"It’s so critical that we take away this double bind that seriously ill patients are in, where they have to choose between breaking the law and getting their medicines," B.C. Civil Liberties Association’s policy director Micheal Vonn said. "This situation is not one that is constitutional or in keeping with human rights."
 
The rights advocacy group submitted a request to Health Canada on July 9 asking that medical marijuana pharmacies and compassion clubs be authorized under the Medical Marijuana Access Regulations.
 

Health Canada asked to adopt “compassion club” model for medical pot distribution

Submitted by Nicole Seguin on Fri, 07/09/2010 - 3:58pm
By Stephen Thomson, Georgia Straight
 
The B.C. Civil Liberties Association wants so-called compassion clubs that sell marijuana for medical use to be sanctioned under federal regulations.
 
A submission sent to Health Canada today (July 8) calls for changes to the Medical Marijuana Access Regulations.
 
At present, approved patients can purchase dried marijuana or seeds from Health Canada. A designated grower can also apply for a licence to produce pot for up to two people.
 

Cannabis pharmacy raids abusive, says BCCLA

Submitted by Nicole Seguin on Thu, 06/03/2010 - 9:40pm
BC Civil Liberties Association:
 
Quebec police shut down three medical cannabis dispensaries, also known as “compassion clubs” today, arresting all staff on site for trafficking. The Quebec closures follow a raid on a compassion club in Nunavut in February, in Toronto at the end of March, and in Guelph in May.
 
“These national raids have now sent thousands of Canadians to purchase their medicine on the street,” said Micheal Vonn, Policy Director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association. “The police by these actions have enriched organize crime, encouraged associated criminal activity, and shut down non-profit organizations dedicated to improving people’s health and wellness. By any standard these raids make no sense at all.”
 

Mounties back off request to B.C. Hydro for records

Submitted by Nicole Seguin on Mon, 05/31/2010 - 6:56pm
Canwest News Service
 
North Vancouver RCMP have backed off on a request that would have forced BC Hydro to turn over the records of more than a thousand North Vancouver homeowners using large amounts of power to police.
 
On Thursday, at a closed-door hearing in North Vancouver provincial court, the federal department of justice withdrew the request for the Hydro records after facing a court challenge by the power authority.
 
BC Hydro filed a petition in B.C. Supreme Court this month fighting the request after a North Vancouver judge ordered the power company to hand over a list of residential addresses to police of anyone in North Vancouver whose power consumption averaged more than 93 kilowatt hours per day.
 

'The Skids' comes off the wall in Downtown Eastside

Submitted by Nicole Seguin on Tue, 04/06/2010 - 4:05am

CTV News

For 15 years, firefighters in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside have faced the reality of this troubled neighbourhood in the form of a mural called "The Skids." But now, the art is coming off the wall.

In the painting at Firehall Number Two, the Grim Reaper holds a syringe filled with blood, above a banner reading, "It's not the end of the world, but we can see it from here."

Lorna Bird of the Aboriginal Harm Reduction Society told CTV News she's disturbed by the mural.

"As soon as I see it, I think of my daughter in her coffin. It's just awful," she said.

As assistant fire chief Wade Pierlot told CTV News, "I don't think anyone would argue with what that mural states -- that drugs mean death."

BCCLA complaint wants police free speech policy defined

Submitted by Nicole Seguin on Tue, 03/02/2010 - 10:10pm
An allegation that a Victoria Police Department police officer has been ordered not to discuss harm reduction at an upcoming drug policy conference has caused the BCCLA to file a policy complaint with the Victoria Police Board. The complaint asks the Board to define an off-duty speech policy for officers in line with Charter free speech values.
 
“Police officers from Vancouver speak regularly on drug policy, often contradicting official VPD policy,” said Jason Gratl, Vice-President of the BCCLA. “We’re not sure why Victoria’s policy would be different. Both departments are governed by the same Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”
 
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