N E W
SATURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2010
W E S T M I N S T E R
INSIDE FEATURE: HST blues on the menu? ◗P3
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The dog days of summer Walking
this group of pooches requires a firm hand and some alpha moves. Dawn Taylor, owner of New Dawn Doggie Daycare on Columbia Street in New Westminster, appears to be in command of her pack . Jason Lang/ THE RECORD
Vander Zalm delivers petition despite decision While Elections B.C. waits for courts, anti-HST leader decides to deliver the petition to the government BY JENNIFER MOREAU REPORTER editorial@royalcityrecord.com
The Fight HST campaign is sidestepping an Elections B.C. decision to sit on the initiative petition because of a pending court challenge. While the anti-HST petition has been validated by Elections B.C., the prov-
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ince’s acting chief electoral officer, Craig James, decided not to forward it to the government because a pro-HST alliance of six business associations launched a court challenge questioning the petition’s legality. The associations are arguing that the petition is invalid because its attached bill is a matter of federal jurisdiction – not provincial. “I will not be taking further steps under the Recall and Initiative Act with respect to your petition until a final determination has been rendered by the court,” James wrote to former premier Bill Vander Zalm, leader of the Fight HST movement.
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On Friday, Vander Zalm countered James’ move, and announced he would forward the petition to the government’s select standing committee on legislative initiatives, a group of MLAs that will determine what happens next. “If the chief electoral officer won’t do his job, we will do it for him,” he said. Vander Zalm sent a letter to the head of the committee and cc’d all of the members. In lieu of the actual 200,000 pages of signatures, Vander Zalm attached a copy of the James’ ruling, which states the petition has been validated. “The (Recall and) Initiative Act does not prohibit the initiative proponent, or
anyone else for that matter, from submitting the validated petition and draft bill to your committee,” Vander Zalm wrote. He then cited sections of the act, which state the committee has to meet within 30 days of receiving the petition. After that, they have another 90 days to decide if the issue will get voted on in the legislature or in a provincewide, non-binding public vote. Vander Zalm learned Wednesday that the petition cleared but that James would not forward it on to government. Elections B.C. had no comment, stating the matter was before the courts. ◗HST Page 5
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