midweek edition WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 1, 2010
Vol. 101 No. 70 • Established 1908 • East
32
Motley DeCroo
Back to Bacchus
17
Environmental protesters aim flotilla at oil tankers Organizers linked to Greenpeace Mike Howell Staff writer
Protesters will target oil tankers in Burrard Inlet and elsewhere.
photo Dan Toulgoet
A group opposed to oil tankers navigating the waters around Vancouver is organizing a flotilla of boats to protest what they say is a dangerous way to move oil. No Tanks! is not advocating civil disobedience on the water Oct. 17 but co-founder Bill Gannon acknowledged that he won’t be able to control all protesters. “We’re not responsible for what our members do but I’d be surprised if any tankers show up,” Gannon said by telephone from his accountant’s office overlooking Coal Harbour. “I’d say they’d lay low, if they were smart.” Gannon, who was
Greenpeace’s founding accountant, didn’t have a count of boats to be involved but noted that No Tanks! has a mailing list of more than 600 members. The group, which includes Rex Weyler, former publisher and editor of the original Greenpeace Chronicles newspaper, and fisherman Ron Fowler of the Pacific Salmon Commission, is waiting until Oct. 17 to protest because the fishing season continues until then. Gannon said their plans include mooring a barge off English Bay that will feature local musicians. The barge will likely be the gathering point before the flotilla heads off around Stanley Park. See PORT on page 4
Cops watching 43 sex offenders who attacked women, children From Jan. 1 to June 30, Vancouver police investigated 246 sexual assaults Mike Howell Staff writer
A specialized unit of the Vancouver Police Department is monitoring 43 known sex offenders living in the city, including a man who committed a sexual assault last year while on parole. Four of the offenders were
released from prison this summer and the seriousness of their crimes caused the VPD to issue public warnings that they are a high risk to re-offend. The sexual assaults involved attacks on women and children. The information supplied to the Courier from the VPD comes as the department recorded a 21 per
cent increase in sexual offences this year over the same six-month period last year. From Jan. 1 to June 30, police investigated 303 sexual offences, including 246 sexual assaults and 31 cases of sexual interference. The 303 offences were an increase of 53 over the first six months of 2009, according to statistics re-
leased by the VPD Monday. Const. Jana McGuinness, a VPD media relations officer, said investigators in the High Risk Offender Unit have not linked any of the 43 offenders on the list to sexual offences this year. McGuinness said investigators and a team that includes Corrections Canada regularly meet with
the ex-convicts to ensure they abide by their release conditions, including abstaining from drugs and alcohol, staying away from parks and school grounds, not possessing weapons and meeting a curfew. “There are so many eyes on these offenders,” she said. See REPEAT on page 4
YOUR SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT! WWW.VANCOURIER.COM