News editor.otherpress@ gmail.com Taser Video Shocks BC, World By JJ McCullough, Editor in Chief i week’s release of the video footage depicting the shocking taser- induced death of Polish immigrant Robert Dzeikanski at Vancouver International Airport has caused worldwide attention, igniting intensive debate about police brutality and the safety of taser technology. The video, shot by 25-year-old Vancouverite Paul Pritchardon the day of Dzeikanski’s October 14 death, was released publically on November 16, and subsequently aired on news programs both across Canada and the world. Along with coverage on virtually all of Canada’s major television networks, Pritchardon’s coverage was analyzed in-depth on international outlets ranging from the BBC World Report to the FOX News O’Reilly Factor. Domestic fallout from the video has been substantial, and the impact continues to reverberate across political and law enforcement communities. BC NDP leader Carole James has blasted the taser incident as “the latest in a long line of fumblings” by the BC Ministry of Public Safety, and called for the resignation of Solicitor General John Les. In Newfound and Quebec the provincial police forces have at least temporarily suspended the use of tasers following the video’s release, citing uncertainly over the dangers posed by the technology. The federal public safety minister, Stockwell Day, has similarly called for national investigation into the safety of the devices. National Green Party leader Elizabeth May has gone the farthest of all, demanding an immediate moratorium on the use of stun guns across the country. There has even been a whiff of a diplomatic feud over the matter, with Poland’s ambassador to Canada voicing official outrage on behalf of his nation. The episode’s impact has been felt internationally as well. In New Zealand, a country which has been engaged in a fierce debate over whether or not to arm police officers with taser guns, the Pritchardon video has already been cited as enough to clinch the debate for the “no” side. Similar debates are now panning out in Europe, where many nations have only recently legalized the devices. Taser technology, which entails shooting a powerful 50,000 volt current of electricity through a body to subdue a victim, has long been controversial since its introduction in the 1970s. Last year Amnesty International, the global human rights body, formally called for taser guns to be retired, citing concerns at the high number of deaths that have resulted from taser-related causes in the United States. Others have defended tasers as a comparatively benign alternative to other, more violent methods of suppressing unruly individuals. On a FOX news interview last week, Tom Smith, the chairman of the US-based Taser International firm defended the technology. Describing the Vancouver episode as an unusual, “tragic case,” Smith argued that in most instances “our device does not kill and it is the safest tool [police] can use to do their jobs.” BC Gov't to Move TransLink Away From Politician Control By JJ McCullough, Editor in Chief The Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority, more commonly known as “TransLink” is set to undergo a massive structural overhaul. Previously a largely politician-run organization, new legislation introduced by the BC Liberals aims to “increase efficiency” by turning TransLink, which controls Skytrain and bus services in the lower mainland, towards a more corporate model of governance, as well as increasing its jurisdiction to cities outside of the GVRD region. Bill 43, as the legislation is known, was introduced by _ Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon in late October, and is expected to be passed sometime before the end of November, when this fall’s legislative session ends. Among the biggest changes, the lengthy bill formally renames the GVTA the “South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority” in anticipation of the agency’s absorption of cities such as Abbottsford, Mission,andSquamishwhicharecurrently outside of the metro-Vancouver area. More controversially, starting in 2008, the TransLink board of directors will cease to be composed of municipal 4 politicians, as it is now, and will instead become a nine-member panel of appointed individuals chosen for “skills and experience needed to oversee the operation of the authority in an efficient and cost-effective manner.” The directors will be nominated by a variety of different groups and officials, including the Minister of Transportation, the BC Institute of Chartered Accountants, and the Vancouver Board of Trade. Municipal politicians will still be present in the decision-making process, but will now be delegated to comprising a “Mayors’ Council.” Consisting of one mayor for each TransLink member city, the council will act largely as a ratification body, able to approve or deny the board’s various appointments and decisions, but otherwise with few independent powers of its own. A“Commissioner” of TransLink will also be established, creating a strong new position to serve as executive head of the entire transportation authority. Holding office for a six-year term, the commissioner’s powers will besignificant. He or she will be able to veto things such as fare increases and hold authority over many other budgetary decisions. Much of Bill 43’s reforms stem from the advice of a 2006 TransLink reform commission, appointed by Minister Falcon last year. The plan has not been without critics, however. Opponents of privatization have expressed concern that the new, non-politician board of directors will have little loyalty to TransLink’s publicly-funded nature, and will press for greater privatization of transportation services in BC in the name of ushering in greater efficiency. The NDP transportation critic has already denounced Bill 43 as “the most insidious piece of legislation” ever passed by the Liberal administration.