New Lieutenant Governor- General of BC Appointed Judge will be first-ever aboriginal in post JJ McCullough, OP Editor Occ Point, a longtime aboriginal leader and provincial judge, was formally designated as British Columbia’s next lieutenant governor on September 4. Point was chief of the Fraser Valley-based Skowkale Nation from 1975 to 1999, as well as chair of the larger Sto:lo Nation alliance from 1994 to 1999. In these roles he was an active participant in treaty negotiations and deliberations with the provincial government. Since 2005 he had been serving as Chief Commissioner of the BC Treaty Commission. Originally trained as a lawyer at UBC, in 1999 he was appointed to the Provincial Court of British Columbia and served as a judge in Abbottsford. The Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia is a largely symbolic office meant to represent the monarchy in BC. Duties of the office traditionally consist of ceremonial tasks, such as handing out medals and meeting with visiting dignitaries. The position is formally appointed by the Prime Minister of Canada, but in recent years the decision has been made jointly with the provincial premier. Point is the first aboriginal to be appointed to the post of Lieutenant Governor and the second non-white, after Dr. David Lam, a Chinese- Canadian who served from 1998 to 1995. Wendy Case, the Douglas Student Union’s Aboriginal Liaison greeted the news with delight. “It’s great, this is totally unexpected,” she said. “I think it’s awesome.” Point will replace Iona Campagnolo, BC’s first woman lieutenant governor, who was appointed by Prime Minister Jean Chretien in 2001. Defense Portion of Pickton Trial Begins Lawyers hope to prove Pickton’s stupidity JJ McCullogh, OP Editor Lawyers defending accused serial killer Robert “Willie” Pickton began their opening arguments last week, outlining a defense that will be heavily centered around Pickton’s alleged lack of intelligence. In a 25 minute statement on September 4, lead defense attorney Adrian Brooks told jurors that in coming weeks he plans to present evidence suggesting that Pickton was simply too stupid or incompetent to have committed the elaborate string of murders he is accused of, suggesting instead that there is enough “reasonable doubt” surrounding the case to prove Pickton’s innocence. Foreshadowing his future arguments, Brooks suggested that Pickton’s mental competence has always been in doubt by those around him, noting that the accused did poorly in school and was viewed skeptically by his family well into adulthood. The defense also plans to call into question portions of the physical evidence presented by Crown witnesses, including DNA from alleged blood stains said to have belonged to certain victims. Pickten is facing multiple charges relating to the murders of 26 Vancouver prostitutes that occurred throughout the late 90s and early 2000s. The present trial is being held at the New Westminster branch of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, located directly adjacent to Douglas College.