DC alumni was “bright and gutsy” Eileen Velthuis News Editor On Wednesday, August 14, 2002, Douglas College and the Other Press alumni Ian Hunter passed away at Kootenay Lake, near Nelson, BC. Born in New Westminster in 1961, and educated at DC, Hunter was a well-known marijuana activist who openly challenged BC’s marijuana laws. Hunter has been referred to as a marijuana activist, Reverend of the Church of the Universe, the High Priest of Pot, and the Hemp Honcho. In 1994 Hunter helped to co-found HempBC, a hemp shop on Hastings Street in downtown Vancouver, with Marc Emery. A little while later he moved to Victoria and opened The Sacred Herb, another well-known hemp shop, and became a Reverend of The Church of the Universe. The Church of the Universe is a religion that describes marijuana as a sacrament and, as the dec- laration on their website at states, “Church members are required to use God’s Tree of Life (cannabis, marijuana) as a sacrament in their lives and worship. It is required in their search for an understanding of their spirituali- ty and connection with Almighty God.” In a speech that Hunter gave in Gastown in 1996, he spoke about the necessity for the legalization of marijuana. “Prohibition leads to harder drugs...prohibition leads to death,” he said. In 1998, Hunter sold The Sacred Herb, and according to Arthur Hanks, who met Hunter while working at the Other Press in 1997, it was “a result of city council’s pressure.” In court on drug-related charges that same year, Hunter represented himself and argued that since the Constitution recognizes God, and God created marijuana plants, that anti-marijuana laws should be considered unconstitutional. Hunter then moved to Nelson and began referring to himself as a “Former Reverend of the Church of the Universe.” Former HempBC coworker Mosse recalls how he met Hunter around 1994. “I was reading an article on industrial hemp, and Hunter was mentioned as a contact. I thought, “I have to get involved—save the planet,” so I called him up. He had me organizing his files, and the next thing I knew I was working for HempBC. He was growing these huge sideburns. He was like a jester— but there was this message underneath.” Hanks says, “Ian was a very bright and gutsy spokesperson,” and that “it was [Ian’s] kind of pub- lic pressure that helped start Canada on the road to reforming our cannabis laws.” Hanks recalls that at the hemp symposium held in 1998, he “made a comment to Ian about wanting a good stiff drink...[Ian] couldn't believe that I want- Tuition Highest in 60 Years Students paying more than ever fidam Grachnik Ottawa Bureau OTTAWA (CUP)—Even with inflation, tuition fees for Canadian students are at the highest level in 60 years, according to a new study released by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT). Access Denied: the affordability of post-secondary education in Canada states that “when fees are adjusted for inflation, undergraduate university stu- dents today are paying more than at any other time in the past century, and six times what a student was charged in 1914.” Student lobbyists believe these numbers finally prove to older generations that students are bur- dened with soaring tuition fees. “This report shows that we are facing a complete- ly different situation [than they did],” said Erin Stevenson, communications coordinator for the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA). “It shows people that we are not kidding when we say tuition fees are increasing.” According to the CAUT, which represents 30,000 academic staff, their study is extremely telling. “It was more affordable to send a child off to uni- versity in the 40s—50s than today. We are more elit- ist than we have ever been,” said Dave Robinson, CAUT associate executive director, adding that the current debate about funding for post-secondary education is the same debate that occurred in the twenties about high school, an institution at the time deemed “critical” and made free. Peter Adams, the Liberal MP and member of the government caucus on post-secondary education and research, said the report “doesn’t surprise me. [I’ve] heard all the arguments, but tuition isn’t the largest thing people face,” Adams said. “I like to think that federal government is concerned about access.” Robinson doesn’t think so. “The priorities they have are wrong. They need to put more money in core operating funds,” he said. “We are putting burden and barriers on house- holds.” “If we're not careful the only people going to law school will be sons and daughters of doctors and lawyers,” said Robinson. “(Liberal Government] policy pursued over past 10 years is a recipe for dis- aster.” Since 1993 the Liberal government has axed bil- lions of dollars from the Canadian Health and Social Transfer fund (CHST), which, among other servic- Ian Hunter ed to drink whiskey more than wanting to smoke. To each his own.” On August 14, Ian Hunter’s body was found float- ing beside a small powerboat in Kootenay Lake. The RCMP reported accidental drowning. He was 41 years old. For more insight into Ian Hunter's life and legacy, see “Ian in Memoriam” in the Features section of this issue. es, provides funds for post-secondary education. “{I] don’t want to go back to expensive strings that existed in 1993. It used to be very expensive,” said Adams, adding, however, that some funding seems to be returning to the CHST. Adams shifted the blame in the funding debate towards the provinces. “However more we support students, the more [funding] provinces will take away,” he said, explain- ing that if the federal government increases funding, the provinces will use it as a ticket to reduce their contributions. Robinson said that when he meets with the feder- al government to discuss his funding strategies, he gets a different story privately than publicly. “Privately [they] say you're absolutely right, but then tell me that the provinces will never go for it,” he said. He believes the two levels of government need to get together to find a solution. “We can’t get wrapped up in constitutional sides. We have to sit down with provinces and get it done,” he said. “Post-secondary education is absolutely critical.” page 3 ©