NEWS
metronews.ca Tuesday, October 2, 2012
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City to consider health impact of casino of the positives and negatives of the proposal,” wrote Gloucester-Southgate Coun. Diane Deans in the memo, released Monday afternoon. Deans noted the staff report covered a variety of possible repercussions, including effects on economic development and rural matters, but public-health implications aren’t dealt with to her satisfaction. Deans’ memo prompted a response from the mayor’s office indicating that Levy would indeed be present at Tuesday’s meeting. The back-and-forth betrays some division on the casino as council prepares to debate the issue next Wednesday.
Revenue stream
$45M
The Rideau Carleton Raceway has contributed $45 million to city coffers from slot machines.
Critics have argued that city hall is rushing the matter, providing only one meeting — Tuesday at 5 p.m. — for citizens to weigh in on the proposal. Watson has countered that interest is only the first stage of a two-stage process. Council can vote the whole proposal down when it comes time to talk about a location. ALEX BOUTILIER/METRO
Delay in trial hampers free speech: Pipeline activists Keystone XL. Trial against 13 environmentalists may be thrown out GRAHAM LANKTREE
graham.lanktree@metronews.ca
The case against 13 environmental activists arrested and banned from Parliament Hill last year for protesting the Keystone XL pipeline may be thrown out after a long delay, which protesters say is hurting their right to free speech. “It usually takes six to eight months for these cases to come to provincial court,” said defence attorney Mark Ertel, who represents some members of the group, saying it has now been over a year. “As their lawyer, I’m hoping for this case to be thrown out. Their ban from Parliament Hill has affected their free-expression rights.” During a protest on Sept. 26, 2011, the activists were charged with trespassing for crossing a short metal barricade. Each re-
ceived a small fine and a ban from the Hill for a year. “We wanted our day in court to explain what we were doing,” said activist Graham Saul, chair of Ecology Ottawa. He and his wife Elizabeth Bernstein were both arrested. Saul said his original court date was set for December 2011. “The delay in the trial has prevented us from getting our message out there. The longer we wait to address these issues, the larger and more dangerous the impacts will be.” In a pre-trial motion, Ertel argued the Crown has not disclosed who gave the order to arrest protesters in an area of Parliament Hill that is usually not off-limits. Waiting for this disclosure and for the notes of arresting officers led to the cancellation of a number of scheduled trial dates in early 2012. Crown prosecutor Mathieu Charron blamed the delay on scheduling conflicts amongst defendants. He said the issue of who gave the order to arrest is irrelevant. A decision on whether to proceed with the case is expected Tuesday morning.
NEWS
Dr. Isra Levy, with Ottawa Public Health, is scheduled to speak today about the health implications of a proposed casino. THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE
The city’s top public-health doctor will present the implications of a new Ottawa casino Tuesday morning. Dr. Isra Levy, the medical officer of health at Ottawa Public Health, is slated to give a presentation to the city’s finance and economic development committee as it considers the case for a new gaming centre. Levy’s attendance at the committee was confirmed after a councillor took the somewhat unusual step of releasing an “internal memo” directed to Mayor Jim Watson to the media. “Major decisions of this nature request a fulsome analysis
Mobile news
A skateboarder and a deer go head to head. Which one wins? Scan the code to see it for yourself. A man is arrested as he climbs over a barricade on Sept. 26, 2011, during a sit-in against the Keystone XL pipeline on Parliament Hill. THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE