Animal Advocates Watchdog

CKNW 980 interviews No Whales in Captivity Sunday at 5:00. Please phone in!

Dear Friends,

No Whales In Captivity will be interviewed on Vancouver's CKNW Radio AM
980 on Sunday August 15 at 5 PM --- if you are listening, please phone
in!!!

CKNW 98 AM PHONE IN NUMBER: (604) 280-9898

You can listen in on www.cknw.com

We'll be talking about the $25 million that the feds and province just
gave to the Aquarium to build larger whale and dolphin tanks.

And you know what that means... Bigger whale pools = more whales.

Let's bring up the fact that the Aquarium got that money with Harper and
Campbell posing for the media in front of the beluga tank, only days
after the Vancouver Park Board had squashed Green Party Park Commissioner
Stuart Mackinnon's motion to finally hold a Whale Referendum in November
2011 civic elections.

The Vancouver Aquarium is so incredibly powerful because it is managed by
the top echelon of corporate Vancouver. Did you know that the Aquarium is
the sweetheart of the Vancouver Board of Trade?

Why? Because the Aquarium has managed to get charitable status (imagine
that, torturing animals is considered "charitable" - ayayay!) -- so the
Aquarium pays no taxes on the millions of dollars it gets at the gate and
the gift store, restaurant, animal encounters, boardroom rentals, wedding
receptions, etc. etc.. Plus, the Aquarium gets millions of dollars in
grants from different government agencies every year (Environment Canada,
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, BC Province, the city of Vancouver, etc.
etc.).

There is no doubt in my mind that government is run by corporations.
Otherwise, why would the Aquarium get $25 millions from the government
when schools are being closed and user fees are being considered for our
health system. I find this immoral but politically consistent.

Furthermore, the Aquarium pretty much staffs and directs the Vancouver
Park Board and that's how they managed to eliminate all the bylaws and
motions passed against them in the last 10 years in one quick motion when
Heather Holden, an Aquarium employee, was Park Board Chair. Talk about
conflict of interest!!!

That's how the Aquarium has managed to squash our calls for a Whale
Referendum for the past 20 years. All we can do is expose the corruption
and keep pushing for the public to have a right to have a say on the issue
of phasing out the whale exhibits at the Aquarium.

Please help. For more information on the call for a Whale Referendum in
Vancouver, please visit www.whalefriends.org

Thanks!

Annelise Sorg
No Whales In Captivity
www.nowhalesincaptivity.org

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