Wednesday January 20, 2016 (Vol. 41 No. 5)
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
Guiding light remembered: Longtime Girl Guide leader Pat Bowman is remembered as an ‘awesome, awesome lady’ who had a ‘life-changing’ impact on thousands of young girls. i see page 11
2 ' ,* , -** 0
!! * $' %- ',*3 ' + )) , + * /$,# * (,# * )*(& "-% * +$ !! * ''( ,# )-* # + (! '0 ' (1+ (,$(' % (!! * (* (-)(' , -+ $' (& $' . %$ , ,$(' /$,# !! * # 1+ -', + '( +# . %- ' $+ '0 $% *- *0 ,# ('%0
Grad student calls for Canadian political, industry attention in Western Sahara
Activist standoff focuses on Morocco Alex Browne Staff Reporter
White Rock-born graduate student Tess Espey – now a resident of Norway – is among students and activists involved in an attempt to focus international attention on a long-standing issue concerning Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara. Alleged exploitation of the west African disputed territory’s natural resources by
Morocco should be of concern to Canada, she said in an email to Peace Arch News Monday, since many Canadian companies are supporting it through trade. Espey, 25, and a friend, U.S. citizen Michael Foster, said they were among five separate sets of travellers – including residents of Norway, Poland and the Netherlands – who were forced out of the occupied territories by Moroccan authorities on Sunday.
“(We) attempted to enter Western Sahara by overnight bus from Marrakech,� the Earl Marriott Secondary grad said in the email. Espey wrote that at El Aaiun – about 60 km inside Western Sahara and within sight of the capital of Laayoune – they were stopped at a police checkpoint and detained for questioning for more than three hours. “We were then forcibly deported by police on a private taxi for the nine-hour journey
back to Agadir in Southern Morocco, along with three Norwegians and a Pole,� she added. “Many members of the 68-person delegation have also been deported.� The Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara is reporting on its website that 67 foreign visitors, also including Swedish and Lithuanian nationals, have been refused access to Western Sahara since Sunday. i see page 4
Surrey declaration
Enviro pledge lauded Alex Browne Staff Reporter
Dance dance resolution
Boaz Joseph photo
Panorama Ridge Secondary hosted a flurry of dance performances Saturday, during the Surrey Secondary Dance Teachers’ Association’s Breakout 2016 dance competition. The day-long event featured 49 hip-hop and breakdancing groups, including this student-choreographed senior hip-hop team from Queen Elizabeth Secondary.
A City of Surrey declaration enshrining a public ‘Right To a Healthy Environment’ – unanimously endorsed by council Jan. 11 – is receiving qualified praise from Terry McNeice, spokesperson of the South Surrey Ratepayers Association. But McNeice – whose association has been fighting Ebco Metal Finishing LP’s proposed galvanizing plant in the 18600-block of 24 Avenue over potential pollution from emissions – said that while the language of the declaration is commendable, its true measure will be judged by council actions. “We are anxiously awaiting to see if the city upholds many of the items covered in the declaration,� he told Peace Arch News. The document is in line with the grassroots ‘Blue Dot’ movement – led by the David Suzuki Foundation – which is encouraging municipalities across Canada to make similar declarations, with the ultimate aim of amending the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to include the right to a healthy environment. i see page 4