Serving Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore and Belcarra since 1984
WEDNESDAY
September 28, 2011
13
Redgy Blackout competes to be the top band in B.C. — and help BC Children’s Hospital.
Your source for local news, sports, opinion and entertainment: www.thenownews.com
Will Coquitlam lawyer replace Iain Black? Eva Cohen editorial@thenownews.com Michael Hwang, a Tri-Cities lawyer, said he was surprised to receive a phone call from the Vancouver Sun about whether he has interest in running for the Liberals. Iain Black, the MLA for Port Moody-Coquitlam, is expected to step aside in the next couple of weeks to assume his position as CEO of the Vancouver Board of Trade. Following his conversation
with the Sun, reporters and the public are wondering if it is on Hwang’s agenda to fill the seat once it becomes vacant. “There’s no truth to the rumour the Liberal Party has approached me,” Hwang told The NOW. “I’ve only been asked by individual members of the party, and then the story took a wing of its own.” When asked if he would consider running, were the party to formally approach him, Hwang thought about how to best formulate his feel-
Michael Hwang ing on the matter. “It’s not on my everyday
thinking that I want to be a politician,” said Hwang. “My advice, if I am allowed to give advice to anyone, especially to the Liberal party, is to establish criteria for qualification to be an MLA, which will be representing the constituents, and through open process. “They should select the best candidate, who will best serve the party, and more importantly, best serve the public,” he continued. “My friends have all been calling to see if it’s true I’m running, and it’s flattering to get profiled
as a lawyer, and always helpful, but on the other side of the table from the media, it’s amazing how we can invent stories.” He pointed with humour to the Peter Sellers’ film Being There, in which “people assume things and generate reality based on assumption.” The attorney-general position for the province is currently managed by Shirley Bond, who also balances the role of solicitor-general. Bond has been working both positions since Barry Penner’s
resignation in August, and Premier Christy Clark told the Sun she doesn’t plan to keep the two positions combined, but “they will be for now.” When asked directly whether the byelection in Port Moody-Coquitlam could make room for a new attorney-general, Clark told the Sun people will have to “wait and see.” Although Hwang played down the significance of being singled out as a prime candidate for the position, or at CONT. ON PAGE 3, see MICHAEL.
PoCo councillor speaks out for animals Jennifer McFee jmcfee@thenownews.com
Potential pet owners who plan to purchase a puppy in Port Coquitlam may soon see new regulations in place. Coun. Brad West is seeking bylaw changes to improve animal welfare in the city. At a minimum, West would like animal care to be regulated in Port Coquitlam’s pet stores, particularly for dogs. “Unfortunately, when we think of dogs in pet shops we think of these really cute animals and it tugs at our heartstrings,” West said. “What we don’t always see is the lack of nutrition and care that many of them are subject to. So I think it’s appropriate to follow the lead of a number of other municipalities in providing that level of protection and care. “Specific to Port Coquitlam, some of the concerns I’ve heard are pet shops that have wire bottoms for cages. One of the regulations that the District of North Vancouver and others have put in place is requiring that cages have solid bottoms because of the strain and stress it puts on a dog’s body to have a wire mesh bottom in their cage.” At the same time, West hopes to initiate discussions about whether puppies should be sold in pet stores at all. “We’re not always aware of the history of dogs in the pet store, and the reality is that many of them are
Paul vanPeenen/NOW
PoCo Coun. Brad West, with his dog Holly, wants to change animal welfare bylaws in the city. coming from puppy mills. As long as there continues to be a demand in the market, you will continue to have them,” West said. “From my perspective, I’m clear in my intention that I’d like to put puppy mills out of business, and I believe that one way of being able to do that is by looking to the Richmond model.”
Recently, Richmond became the first municipality in Canada to ban puppy sales in pet stores through a bylaw that came into force in late April. And last week, Toronto’s city council voted unanimously to require that pet stores obtain cats and dogs from humane societies, animal shelters and rescue groups.
The Canadian pet industry, however, stands by the country’s pet stores. Susan Dankert, spokesperson for the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council of Canada (PIJAC), said the organization offers education about the best practices in animal care. “Reputable pet stores are a good place to get pets, whether it’s a cat
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or a dog, as long as the animal care is in place,” Dankert said. “Pet stores, depending on the province, are subject to inspection by bylaw and also by SPCA.” PIJAC Canada is opposed to banning the sale of pets in pet stores for several reasons. According to the organization, pet stores are accountable and they promote the benefits of responsible pet ownership. As well, the organization states, a pet store can be seen as a trusted source of pet-care information, and its success depends on positive relationships with its customers. “You can’t take the same brush and paint every business with it. You have a few bad apples in the bunch and they ruin it for everybody else. … We’ve got a ton of wonderful pet stores in Canada,” Dankert said. “But of course, there’s going to be a few that have substandard business practices and those are the folks that we don’t want around.” For Barbara Cartwright, CEO of the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, the best place to get a pet is the humane society or SPCA. “We have hundreds of thousands of unwanted animals going through humane societies and SPCAs every year in Canada,” Cartwright said. “So if you’re looking for a dog or a cat, that’s the ideal place to go so that you’re ensuring that you’re not contributing to overpopulation and you’re not contributing to puppy mills or kitten mills.” CONT. ON PAGE 3, see POCO.