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Dredging of Burnaby Lake threatens endangered turtles

By Trevor Dore, Acting Opinions Editor

project to dredge Burnaby Lake has been put
A: hold because of the threat to a group of
ndangered turtles. The dredging involves the
removal of mud and vegetation that has built up in the
lake, a process that could potentially harm the turtles.
It has not been dredged since 1971, the result being a
decrease in the lake’s usable surface area. In the past,
Burnaby Lake has been host to major rowing competitions
and some worry that if the lake is left undredged it will
continue to fill to the detriment of its recreational-and
environmental assets.
Like any environmental issue, there always
seems be a controversy. The lake happens to be home
to approximately 100 western painted turtles, what
is believed to be the largest population in the Lower
Mainland. The turtles, however, are not just any old
turtles; they are at the highest level of endangerment, next
to extinction, in Canada. They are protected under the
Species at Risk Act and it is a criminal offence to “kill,
harm or harass” an endangered or threatened species.
The Ministry of Environment wanted the City to do
telemetry work before the dredging process began. The
study involves tagging the turtles and tracking them with
a radio receiver to see where they are in the lake, making
it easier to move them out of the way. The city has been

planning to dredge the lake for the last five years and the
dredging was supposed to start on Wednesday, September
23. Everything was thought to be in order when the
project was delayed until the city can acquire a wildlife-
salvaging permit from the Ministry of Environment.
Apparently the city did not apply for the permits in time to
get the research done. J
The problem now is it is too late; the turtles have
gone into hibernation. When the turtles hibernate, they
sink into the mud making their salvage very difficult.
If dredging goes ahead without proper accountability,
there is a high probability that some of the turtle will be
“chopped up” along with the mud and vegetation. While
the city and biologists try to figure out the best steps to
take, the dredging equipment waits, costing taxpayers an
estimated $20,000 a day. .
Any controversial environmental issue involves
stakeholders on both side of the argument who feel
very strongly about their position. The protection of
an endangered species is something that should never
be undermined. The western painted turtle play an
important role in the diversity of this ecosystem and
efforts should be made to maintain their populations. On
the flipside, outdoor recreation sites play an important
role in community health and environmental awareness.
Hopefully both sides can work together and find a
mutually beneficial solution.

 

 

Breathing not so easy

Canada is taking drunk-d

a

    

 

By Angela Espinoza

Canada with safer streets, would you do it?

No questions asked? You wouldn’t have to
do a thing; all the work would be done for you.
It’s a win-win situation. All you have to do is just
drive along without a care in the world... until
you reach the next checkpoint... and the one after
that...

The Canadian government has considered
passing a federal law that allows police to
administer random breathalyzer tests to drivers.
This would allow police to pull over anyone
on the suspicion of DUI. But how would the
police go about deciding whom to stop? Well,
there’s always the tried and “proven” method of
profiling.

These types of searches can lead to a total
invasion of privacy. After all, if this law were

|: you were given the opportunity to provide

iving laws to the next level

ago. Yes, the law is somewhat an invasion of
privacy. But the idea itself isn’t exactly something
terrible—so long as it’s executed properly and not
abused by our supposed “betters.”

Similar laws have been passed throughout
Europe and Australia. Unfortunately, Europe has
a reputation for abusing such laws. On a recent
trip to Europe, I found that it wasn’t uncommon
for police to stop a person who did not look
“European.” But results in Australia have been
positive: not so much that drunk drivers are
being constantly ripped off the streets, but that
the number of DUIs has decreased rapidly due to
personal decisions not to drive.

What some of you may not know is that
current drunk-driving laws require that an
officer actually have reason to suspect a motorist
of being drunk. So for those of you that have
mastered the art of masking your intoxication,
congratulations —just please don’t do it on my

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The issues of sustainability, climate change and energy conservation
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to pass, who knows what could result. Will the
profiling start when your attire is scruffier than
the driver in front of you? Who’s to say they
won't start coming door-to-door for random
house inspections? What if we can no longer
speak openly in fear that Big Brother is watching?
Will profiling turn segments of the community
into social outcast?

Well, first of all, for those actually jumping
to these conclusions, calm down. This is exactly
how people reacted-when our first federal
drinking-driving law was passed exactly 40 years

street.

With the threat to civil liberties by the
proposed law, it’s easy to understand why people
would fear such a thing. But with death counts in
the high hundreds as a result of drunk driving, the
government has a strong argument.

Like many good ideas and helpful laws, their
abuse tends to come quickly, and the negative
results can be quite severe. If the law passes, we
can only hope the results won’t be damning to our
society.

 

 

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