@ www.theotherpress.ca To kill or not to kill: Assisted suicide case continues in BC courts By Allie Davison, Staff Writer ; controversial case of physician-assisted suicide, known as “euthanasia”), has been fast-tracked in BC courts due to the seriousness of one a plaintiff’s disease; the plaintiff, Gloria Taylor, LSis one of five making a plea to the BC Supreme Court to allow their doctors’ assistance in ending either their own lives, or the lives of terminally ill patients. Currently, the Canada’s Criminal Code includes laws that state that anyone who counsels, aids, or abets a person to commit suicide can face up to 14 years in prison. H, person's The plaintiffs and their choose their own fate. The opposition, supported by the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, is arguing that wrongful death would be a too prominent result of the changing of the law. There is also a concern that the law could be used negatively against elderly and disabled people. Over the next two weeks, testimonies will be heard by people with experience working in jurisdictions where physician- assisted suicide is already legal. There are 71 witnesses to support the plaintiffs. Taylor is an ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) patient from West Kelowna. ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, “Currently, Canada’s Criminal Code includes laws that state that anyone who counsels, aids, or abets a person to commit suicide can face up to 14 years in prison. The plaintiffs and their counsel are arguing that these laws are unconstitutional, and that individuals should have the right to choose their own fate.” counsel are arguing that these laws are unconstitutional, and that individuals should have the right to rapidly attacks and destroys the nerve cells that control a person’s voluntary muscles. Eventually, ALS patients’ muscles are so deteriorated they are not able to move at all—though the disease does not affect the person’s mind. The life expectancy, once diagnosed with ALS, is usually three to five years. _ The court case was originally prompted by the family of Kay Carter. Carter, then 89, suffered from chronic pain and was unable to walk. Her family paid $30,000 to fly her to Switzerland (where euthanasia is legal) where she was permitted to die legally (through a dose of sodium phenobarbital). The last appeal to the courts regarding assisted suicide occurred in 1993, when another ALS patient requested that her doctors be allowed to assist her in ending her life. Although the case was overruled, she did eventually find another anonymous doctor to carry out her request. Latest on the Evergreen Line By Maria Asselin-Roy, News Editor n October 27, BC’s Transportation Minister announced that construction for TransLink’s new Evergreen Line Rapid Transit project will begin in the summer of 2012 after the winning bid for construction is selected. Now, the Ministry has released a shortlist of three companies vying to be selected to complete the project. EL Partners, Kiewit/ Flatiron Evergreen Line, and SNC-Lavalin Inc. will have until April of 2012 to prepare detailed proposals for the Ministry—once selected, the chosen team is expected to begin work on the Evergreen Line in the summer of 2012 with a project completion goal of 2016. Ensuring effective traffic management during the proposed four-year build time is a priority, and a plan will soon be developed to maximize flow during construction. With services planed to begin in the summer of 2016, the Evergreen line is expected to accommodate 70,000 passengers per day by 2021. Originally intended to have been a part of the Millennium Line, which was completed in 2002, the Evergreen Line extension into Coquitlam has been halted over the years due to an increase in project costs. The estimated capital costs for the newly-approved 10.9 kilometre SkyTrain rapid transit line is estimated at $1.4 billion, and will be paid for in part by a two-cent-per-litre increase in the Metro Vancouver fuel tax to be implemented in the spring of 2012. Alternate funding sources have yet to be determined; however, it was announced that $400 million will be provided by TransLink, $583 million from the provincial government, and $417 million will be contributed by the federal government. The new line will connect directly with the Millennium Line, and will boast five new stations upon its opening. Extending from Lougheed Town Centre in Burnaby to Douglas Collage in Coquitlam, the five stations will be: Burquitlam Station - near Burquitlam Plaza on the east side of Clarke Road Port Moody Station - at the Port Moody transit exchange Ioco Station - on the north side of the CPR tracks, North of Barnet Highway Coquitlam Central Station - at the Coquitlam transit exchange Douglas College Station - north of Guilford Way on the East side of Pinetree Way The Evergreen Line will provide a travel time of 15 minutes from Lougheed Town Centre to Coquitlam City Centre with services running every three minutes during peak hours. Environmental concerns for the project were to be addressed by an Environmental Assessment Review under the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Act (BCEAA). The Environmental Assessment Certificate was issued in February of 2011. For more information about the Environmental Assessment process, including a copy of the complete application and comments received during the public comment period, visit www.eao.gov.bc.ca. To find out more about the Evergreen Line, you can visit the Evergreen Line Project Office located at the corner of Barnet Highway and Mariner Way, open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. -5:00 p.m., or call 604-927-4452.