May 1st, Public Forum on Vancouver’s
Project Civil City

Preparation for the Olympics is spawning a raft of civil liberties issues. With the clock now officially ticking, the BCCLA is gearing up for increased involvement in this realm. On May 1st, we will be participating in the Vancouver Public Space Network’s forum on Project Civil City (PCC).

PCC is an ambitious initiative to reduce homelessness, tackle crime, reduce open drug sales and otherwise deal with “public disorder” to get the city presentable for 2010. The PCC wish-list of “possible actions” includes “no sit no lie bylaws”, surveillance cameras and using City staff as the “eyes and ears” of the police for pro-active reporting of “street disorder issues”.

BCCLA Policy Director Micheal Vonn joins a diverse panel of experts and stakeholders to talk about how PCC would likely affect citizens’ use of public space long after the Olympics have come and gone.

Project Civil City
A Public Discussion and Debate
7:00 pm, Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Vancouver Public Library
Alice Mackay Room
350 West Georgia St., Vancouver

The BCCLA and Amnesty International are in Federal Court this week, seeking an injunction to prohibit Canadian Forces in Afghanistan from transferring prisoners to Afghan authorities. BCCLA and AI are legally challenging the transfer of detainees to Afghan authorities under a judicial review application that argues that the transfers are in breach of Canadian and International Law. But while that legal process was underway, new information surfaced that has highlighted the urgency of the situation.

Included in the revelations is a Globe and Mail report that approximately 30 Afghans detained by Canadian soldiers and transferred to Afghan authorities were “beaten, whipped, starved, frozen, choked and subjected to electric shocks during interrogation.”

These grim and disturbing accounts do not come as a surprise to the BCCLA and Amnesty, given the well-documented and widespread practice of torture by Afghan authorities. However, they do underscore the need to immediately stop these prisoner transfers.

We have urged the government to cease transfers voluntarily, and since they have refused, we are now pursuing an injunction.

The Government of the Northwest Territories is only a few steps away from passing legislation that plainly violates the due process and privacy rights of NWT residents, says the                                 BCCLA.

The proposed Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act would allow a resident to make a complaint that their neighbours are ‘adversely affecting’ their neighbourhood by engaging in one of a list of ‘specified’ activities. This list includes otherwise legal activities such as the consumption of alcohol.

On receiving such a complaint, the new “Director of Safer Communities” could decide that the residents of the property should be evicted. But the actual residents themselves need not be notified of this decision or called to court. Upset neighbours are also empowered to go to the court directly, again naming only landlords as respondents and giving ‘problem’ residents no procedural rights of any kind.

The BCCLA opposed this Bill in a letter sent to the NWT MLAs. Our sources tell us that our letter was read and made an impact, but the reaction in the rural NWT will ultimately carry the day.

Read BCCLA letter.

Recently, the BCCLA helped to convince the Court of Appeal to strike down Translink’s policy of disallowing any political advertising on the sides of busses.

We were back in Court last month defending this judgement against a motion by Translink to stay the effect of the judgement while they undergo the lengthy process of challenging it in the Supreme Court of Canada.

The motions judge dismissed the stay application, opening the door to political advertising without delay.

The political fallout of the BCCLA’s challenge to the Afghan detainee transfer agreement provided us with further opportunity to push for the passage of our draft Prevention of Torture Act. Responses from MPs range from enthusiastic support to watery assurances that the PTA is being ‘studied’ and that Canada takes its status as a signatory to the UN Convention Against Torture ‘seriously’.

For those not yet familiar with this initiative, the Prevention of Torture Act seeks to persuade the government to pass legislation that would prohibit any Canadian complicity in torture. This includes using information derived from torture and transferring individuals from Canadian custody into the custody of known torturers.

We appreciate your continued efforts at supporting this initiative through letters to Honourable Ministers Peter Mackay, Stockwell Day and Rob Nicholson detailing why you think Canada needs to act now to take a strong, international leadership stance against torture.

Revenge

Felix Culpa and the BCCLA present a special reception and fundraiser on Thursday, May 10th, followed by a performance of Felix Culpa’s exciting world premiere production of Revenge, by David Bloom at the Firehall Arts Centre, 280 East Cordova Street.

Revenge is a modern adaptation of the Jacobean classic The Revenger's Tragedy. Follow the misadventures of Vindice as he strives to enact justice and wreak vengeance on those responsible for the death of his fiancée 20 years ago. The distinguished cast, directed by award-winning director James Fagan Tait, features Alex Diakun, Bill Dow, Anna Hagan and Linda Quibell.

Tickets for this fundraiser and performance are $50 with all proceeds going to support the BCCLA and Felix Culpa. The reception will start at 7 pm, followed by the performance at 8 pm. Please enjoy a drink with the cast after the show and take the opportunity to argue the nature of justice and vengeance with the creators. Partial tax receipts will be issued.

Tickets can be purchased online and may be picked up at the the Box Office after 6 pm the night of the performance.

Call 604.251.7889 or e-mail for more info.

Racial Profiling Conference

Tickets are going fast, so please act quickly to reserve
your place at this historic conference!

A Special Invitation to a national conference on Racial Profiling to be held Saturday, May 12, 2007 at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver BC. Tickets are $25. Keynote Speaker: Professor Kent Roach (University of Toronto).

If you are interested in attending this important event, please contact Sarah at sarah@bccla.org
or call 604.630.9750..

Membership has its perks...

Become a member of the BC Civil Liberties Association and be the first to hear about events like our upcoming Racial Profiling Conference, the Maher Arar event, performances such as Revenge and the many many other exciting events planned for 2007.

For more about the benefits of membership, please e-mail Sarah Frew or call 604.630.`9750.
To become a member today click here.

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