Subject: Meeting time change ticks off No Whalers 15 Nov. 2006 VANCOUVER cOURIER
Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2006 07:50:54 -0800
From: Annelise Sorg <annelise@direct.ca>
To: Coalition For No Whales In Captivity <cfnwic@whaleprotection.org>
Dear All,
Have you written to the Park Board today? The more letters you send, the better!
Vancouver Park Board <pbcomment@city.vancouver.bc.ca>
Please write to the Park Commissioners and ask them:
1. To stop the proposed Aquarium expansion
2. To stop the Aquarium's plans to bring more whales and dolphins to Stanley Park
3. To give the public the democratic right to vote on this issue in a public referendum,
as we were promised!
4. To change the time of the Nov.27 Park Board meeting back to 7pm, not 5pm when people are just leaving work.
----------------------------------------------------
Please come to the Monday Nov. 27 meeting in Hastings Park Community Centre and bring friends and family.
If you would like to sign up to speak for 5 min. at the please phone the Park Board offices at 604-257-8451 before noon on the day of the meeting.
Below is a news article published in the Vancouver Courier. If you would like to send a letter to the editor, please write to the Vancouver Courier editor@vancourier.com
If you want to help: WRITE AND SPEAK OUT FOR THE WHALES!!!
Thanks,
Annelise Sorg
NO WHALES IN CAPTIVITY www.nowhalesincaptivity.org
------------------------------------------------------------
VANCOUVER cOURIER 15 Nov. 2006
Meeting time change ticks off No Whalers
By Sandra Thomas-Staff writer
The head of a group fighting against the proposed expansion of the Vancouver Aquarium worries a change in the start time of a public parks board meeting on the proposal means fewer people will attend.
Annelise Sorg, director of the Coalition for No Whales in Captivity, said the change in the scheduled start time of the Nov. 27 meeting from 7 to 5 p.m. could create scheduling problems for people working during the day.
"So the meeting will be filled with friends and volunteers from the aquarium," said Sorg. "Park board meetings are always held at seven o'clock, even special meetings like this one."
Sorg said she was told by the board the time was changed to accommodate an expected large turnout. But she believes the expectation of widespread interest backs up her argument that a referendum should be held on the expansion.
In May the NPA parks board overturned a 1995 decision requiring any aquarium expansion be put to a referendum. That decision paved the way for the proposed $80 million expansion to go to public consultation. The results of that consultation, paid for by the aquarium, were released last week.
According to the results, the proposal enjoys huge public support.
Sorg is concerned people who weren't notified about the time change will show up at 7 p.m. as planned and miss their opportunity to speak on the issue.
"The public has not been heard on this subject," said Sorg. "I would like to ask anyone else who has concerns about the timing of this special meeting to contact the park board."
NPA parks board commissioner Ian Robertson, who is chairing the meeting, told the Courier that as chair he had the right to change the time of the meeting as long as he received permission from the board's general manager Susan Mundick.
"The reason for the change is to ensure we allow as many people to speak as possible," said Robertson. "We anticipate a lot of people will be attending."
Robertson said anyone on the speaker's list who isn't at the meeting when their name is called will be allowed to speak later.
"If they do show up we'll still listen to them," said Robertson."
He called Sorg's concerns "much ado about nothing."
"As usual [the coalition] is spreading misinformation," said Robertson.
He said the board wants to make a decision about the expansion on Nov. 27, but said the following day has also been set aside in case there is not enough time to let interested participants speak in one evening.
The meeting is 5 p.m., Nov. 27, at the Hastings Community Centre, 3096 East Hastings St. To register to speak, call 604-257-8451 before noon on the day of the meeting.
published on 11/15/2006