SFU votes to leave Federation of Students By Rachel Trujillo B, a nearly two-to-one margin students at Simon Fraser University have voted to withdrawal from the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), though the legality of the referendum remains very much in the air. During last week’s regularly-scheduled general election of the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) students also were asked to vote on a referendum question that asked whether or not they were in favor of “maintaining membership in the Canadian Federation of Students.” Despite weeks of heavy campaigning that saw CFS loyalist schools flood the SFU campus with out-of-province volunteers, stu- dents ultimately voted “no” by a margin of 66 to 32 per cent. Over 4,000 students voted in all, representing an above-average school turnout of around 18 per cent. The CFS maintains that the separation referendum was not valid, however, as it was conducted unilaterally by the SFSS without proper cooperation with the CFS, as mandated in the CFS constitution. The SFSS, in contrast, argues that the CFS has been actively trying to delay and thwart the holding of a free and fair referendum, giving the student union no choice but to go it alone. The SFSS held a similar referendum on separation last year which also passed by a wide margin, but both the CFS and SFSS ultimately agreed that it had “non binding” status. The Canadian Federation of Students is a national lobby group to which many student unions across Canada and British Columbia belong. Structuring itself similarly to that of a large labour union, the CFS engages in a number of progres- sive political initiatives on behalf of Canadian students, and provides its “member locals” with various on-campus programs. The organization has become very controversial as of late, however, due to ongoing concerns about the competence of its internal management and association with certain unpopular or scandal-prone student politicians. SFU is the third biggest CFS school in Canada, and the biggest in BC, a status that Douglas College will now assume if the SFSS does in fact suc- cessfully leave. SEER: N 1 QQ SOLOS” Say cheese to more red light cameras By Monica Carino, Associate News Editor Meerorist who run red lights may soon be watched by more automated cameras that can photograph an offending licence plate and send a $167 ticket in the mail. ICBC and the provincial government have quietly begun exploring options to expand the Intersection Safety Camera Unit and intensify their campaign against unsafe drivers. There are 120 intersections across BC—92 of them in the Lower Mainland, including four in Coquitlam and one in Port Moody—outfitted with boxes on poles trained on passing traffic. But only 30 cameras actually rotate through the approved sites. It means violators currently still have a three in four chance of sailing through even a targeted red light without being ticketed. That may soon change—ICBC is soliciting expressions of interest from suppliers to replace the nearly 10-year-old cameras with newer technology as part of an expanded program. “We still see intersections as a serious problem,” said ICBC spokesman Doug Henderson. “It has been an effective program and we think upgrading and expanding the program will make it even more effective.” Newer digital cameras are expected to bring better image quality, fewer rejected photos and an increase in automated red light ticket revenue—which was $2.6 million in 2006. Officials have yet to decide how much they’ll expand the program, which currently costs $1.9 million per year. More than 40 per cent of crashes happen at intersections, and many involve T-bone collisions and more serious injuries. Henderson said total crashes at intersections monitored by the cameras have dropped 6 per cent since the program started in 1999, and there’s been a “significant” 6 6.4 per cent decrease in deaths and injuries. Further evidence the program is working, he said, is the number of tickets issued has gradually declined, falling more than 35 per cent between 2001 and 2005. “People are getting the message,” said RCMP traffic services Const. Dave Babineau. He predicts additional cameras will target more intersections with high numbers of crashes and casualties. “Where they are, the number of serious collisions at those intersections has reduced significantly,” Babineau said. Most cities around the region have five or fewer intersection camera sites. The exceptions are Delta and Burnaby with seven each, Surrey with 13 and Vancouver with 25. “T absolutely support the program and expansion,” said Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts. “Over the last three years we have had 83 [traffic] fatalities in the city of Surrey. I think there are other intersections throughout the city they can go.” But skeptics point to new research that casts doubt on the effectiveness of red light cameras. Some North American studies suggest red light cameras may prompt drivers to either brake hard or speed through faster to avoid a ticket—leading to more rear-end crashes at some locations. “Some people are better off, some people are worse off,” said Michael Cain of the anti-photo radar group SENSE (Safety by Education Not Speed Enforcement). “The public cannot be under an illusion that these programs are going to get the really bad drivers off the road,” Cain said. He also wonders about value for money. “People think it’s automated so it must be cheap,” Cain said, but contends spending the money on more police officers might be a better bet.