B.C. BUDGET DRAWS BLACK’S REACTION
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IN PRAISE OF A WANDERING SPIRIT
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’BELLIES SQUADS CAPTURE CROWNS
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FRIDAY
FEBRUARY 22 2013 www.newwestnewsleader.com
New West’s Nancy Ebert plays the Mother Superior in Agnes of God. See Page A8
City to chase dog owners for licences Grant Granger
ggranger@newwestnewsleader.com
GRANT GRANGER/NEWSLEADER
A First Nations drum group performs during the Idle No More event held at Douglas College’s New Westminster campus on Tuesday.
Idle No More comes to Douglas College ggranger@newwestnewsleader.com
The Idle No More First Nations movement arrived at Douglas College’s New Westminster campus on Tuesday. At a rally organized by the Douglas Students’ Union, speakers called for the federal government to abandon its omnibus Bill C-45 that many First Nations leaders believe
Dangeli grew up in Metlakalta, do to First Nations rights and Alaska on Annette Island just south lands, as well as to the environment. of Ketchikan while her husband It has spread across the country Mike was raised a short distance and also received international away on land that straddled the attention with solidarity protests U.S.-Canadian border. They now supporting the cause in the United live in Burnaby. States, Stockholm, London, Berlin, “These huge (omnibus) bills bury Auckland and Cairo. the issues,” said Mique’l. “It took meticulous reading The Idle No More Movement by those four women to realize was started in Saskatoon in the implications,” Dangeli told November by Jessica Gordon, the audience of about 200 in the Sylvia McAdam, Sheelah McLean Douglas College atrium. and Nina Wilson to call attention 4x1.25_bottle_depot_ad_final.pdf 1 12-03-05 1:20 PM to the damage the legislation could see ‘THEY’RE SELLING OUR LAND’, A3
BOTTLE DEPOT
POP
Grant Granger
will pave the way for pipelines and other infringements on native land, native rights and the environment throughout the country. “This act is pretty much going to erase all of our strides as aboriginal people,” Mique’l Dangeli, a UBC doctoral student doing a PhD in First Nations studies, told the gathering. “They pretty much clear the way for Enbridge to exploit our lands without consultation with the First Nations especially on our reservations.”
POP
First Nations speakers say federal omnibus bill’s issues affect everyone
New Westminster is going to sic some extra staff on canine owners to increase dog licence revenue. City council has approved a request from its staff to hire four people from May to September to canvass residences to sell licences to those dog owners who don’t have them, as well as educating them and collecting data. Engineering manager Jim Lowrie told council during Monday’s budget discussions, the city estimates about 34 per cent of households in the city have dogs that are licensed, which is low compared to other municipalities in the region. The extra workers are budgeted to cost $51,000 and bring in $67,000 for a net gain of $16,000. In addition to the extra revenue, by canvassing the city expects it will be able to get a better handle on the actual dog population and its composition. Coun. Chuck Puchmayr thinks other less costly methods to increase dog licences could be used instead. He suggested “aggressive” signage in dog parks, putting peer pressure on dog owners and “bold” mailings sent to homes and newspaper ads. Please see THREE, A3