Thursday September 26, 2013 (Vol. 38 No. 78)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
A N D
S O U T H
S U R R E Y
w w w. p e a c e a r c h n e w s . c o m
New dogs, old tricks: Dog trainer Sandra VanDeKinder is encouraging dog owners on the Peninsula to take the time to properly train their four-legged family members in order to create a happy, loving relationship for years to come. i see page A11
Tolls inevitable: Watts
Online posts suggest divisive attitude at U.S. border: lawyer
Bridge vote sought
‘Nothing worse than a whiny Canadian…’
Jeff Nagel Black Press
Some Metro Vancouver mayors say a new bridge announced by the premier to replace the Massey Tunnel should be subjected to a referendum like the one the province promises to give voters a say on new TransLink taxes. Metro Vancouver board chair Greg Moore said mayors will ask Transportation Minister Todd Stone at a meeting today (Thursday) if the new Highway 99 bridge will be tolled and if authority for tolls would also go to a referendum. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson has also raised the notion of a referendum on the bridge, which he warned could consume billions of dollars and bump back expanded rapid transit as the region’s top priority. It’s not yet clear if mayors are raising the issue mainly to pressure the province to change its course on the TransLink referendum – which they oppose – or if they believe it stands a better chance of passing if the Massey bridge is thrown in the mix, giving drivers more reason to vote yes. Moore said a dual-issue referendum seems logical but cautioned that voters on the North Shore or northeast sector who make little use of the Deas crossing might vote down the whole package. “Most of us are not fans of the referendum to start with, so this just, frankly, complicates it,” Moore said of the bridge announcement. He said he hopes Stone indicates what the question will be, when it will happen and “what’s the plan B if the referendum fails.” Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts said it’s a “forgone conclusion” that the new bridge will come with tolls to pay for it. i see page A5
Alex Browne
I
Staff Reporter
Spit take
Boaz Joseph photo
Tracy Pawliw walks along the beach at Blackie Spit Park last weekend during the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. Events took place across the province – this one with 35 volunteers, organized by Friends of Semiahmoo Bay Society.
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s there a culture of anti-Canadian, anti-immigrant attitudes among some U.S. Customs and Border Protection members? According to Bellingham immigration lawyer Greg Boos, there is – and, he says, it’s a factor in border inspections, including questioning about marijuana use. In late August, Boos filed a U.S. lawsuit on behalf of business leaders on both sides of the border, seeking to curb an ‘expedited removal’ process that allows CBP members to arbitrarily bar Canadians from entering the U.S. for at least five years. And he cites a job-forum website, on which apparent current CBP members post under pseudonyms, as indicative of the mindset of some. A comment ❝Our lobbies thread about his case on are full of TN the website, ‘US Customs & Border Protection (trade NAFTA) Job Forum’ (http:// applicants, forums.delphiforums. it makes me com/customsinspect), is sick!❞ posted under the message category ‘CBP & DHS in Comment at job the News’ (“Overzealous forum for guards U.S. border guards…”). “You can see people who are clearly CBP officers using pseudonyms… and they are definitely anti-immigrant,” Boos told Peace Arch News. “They shouldn’t be on the job. The one thing I regret is that you can’t figure out who these people are on chat forums.” Among postings is one from ‘Btacr’ referring to one expedited removal: “No problem at all… looks like OFO (CBP Office of Field Operations) is kicking ass.” ‘Rob S Pierre’ posts: “Canadians that assert their right to come to the US amuse me.” ‘INSI’ says: “Nothing worse than a whiny Canadian who thinks they have every right in the world to live here because they are Canadian. In the meantime any US citizen who had a DUI 20 years ago isn’t allowed into Canada, but they don’t talk about that… i see page A4
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