Please send letters to the Georgia Straight and to parks commissioners. Info at end of e-mail.

Whale vote sought
By Charlie Smith

Publish Date: 8-Sep-2005

A COPE member has alleged that COPE park commissioners have broken a previous election promise to hold a referendum on keeping whales in captivity. Kelly Bunting, a former director of the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, told the Straight that she voted for COPE commissioners in the 2002 civic election because she believed they would honour a pledge to let citizens vote on this issue.

“I feel my vote was stolen the last time,” Bunting said.

According to the minutes of an August 15 COPE park-board policy workshop, Bunting and COPE member Bob Light urged the commissioners to endorse a whale-captivity referendum in the November civic election. COPE commissioners Lyndsay Poaps, Eva Riccius, Anita Romaniuk, and Loretta Woodcock each replied why they disagreed with the idea.

According to the minutes, Woodcock claimed that animal-rights activists couldn’t win because the Vancouver Aquarium and Marine Science Centre is “very good at putting a spin on things with their Public Relations Campaign”. Riccius, the chair, also stated that a “grassroots animal rights campaign” could not win.

In August, Bunting wrote to Riccius asking to speak at the October 17 park-board meeting. Bunting told the Straight that she wants the commissioners to recommend that city council approve a referendum on captivity in the November election. Riccius replied in an e-mail that Bunting should bring the issue forward at a board committee meeting on October 5. According to deputy city clerk Marg Coulson, the deadline is October 6 for city council to approve a referendum question.

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PLEASE WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR AND CC THE PARK BOARD!

Demand a Whale Referendum!!!

Write to:

Georgia Straight Newspaper Editor editor@straight.com

PARK BOARD COMMISSIONERS

Alan DeGenova adegenova@sutton.com
Anita Romaniuk aromaniuk@ca.inter.net
Eva Riccius riccius@sfu.ca
Heather Deal heather_deal@telus.net
Lyndsay Poaps lyndsayp@telus.net
Suzanne Anton suzanne@suzanneanton.ca
Loretta Woodcock lorettaisalways@shaw.ca
Thank you!

Annelise Sorg

COALITION FOR NO WHALES IN CAPTIVITY