A good Day
Langford’s Hannah Day marks important milestone Page A3
NEWS: West Shore arts centre idea floated A4 ARTS: Young artists display their works A13 COMMUNITY: Student fights distracted driving A16
GOLDSTREAM
NEWS GAZETTE
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
www.vicnews.com
Planting for tomorrow Belmont secondary school Grade 12 students Jared George and Ryan Allard help plant palm trees near the Leigh Road Interchange. The planting, held on Monday, May 5, was part of an annual deal which sees the students doing work for the City of Langford in exchange for a donation of $10,000 to the school’s dry prom and safe grad event. Submitted photo
Langford mayor: Rodeo regulation not a political decision Kyle Wells News staff
Langford Mayor Stew Young is standing firm it’s not the city’s place to decide whether or not certain rodeo events are cruel to animals and should be banned from this weekend’s Luxton Pro Rodeo. The issue was once again brought to the mayor and council’s attention when about 10 members of Victoria Citizens Against
Rodeo Events (VCARE) protested outside of city hall during a council meeting on Monday, May 5. Its members, along with other groups such as the BC SPCA and the Vancouver Humane Society, are asking the city to create bylaws banning what they see as cruel rodeo events, such as calf roping and steer wrestling, in Langford. Young, who said he personally doesn’t like those events either, said it’s the SPCA
Some choices are hard.
and lawmakers who should be calling the shots, not politicians. “If somebody kicked a dog, that would be animal cruelty, the SPCA would give you a fine,” Young said. “Well, if roping calves is animal cruelty than what they should be doing is the same thing they do with every other animal and stop the event.” Geoff Urton, animal welfare manager with the BC SPCA, said his organization’s ability to work with law enforcement agencies to
enforce animal cruelty laws does not extend to the treatment of animals under accepted industry standards. “If somebody in a rodeo event is doing something to an animal that is considered generally accepted for that sector, then they’re exempt from prosecution,” Urton said. Please see: SPCA has no legal recourse, A5
Some are easy.
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