The Vancouver Sun has editorialized on the long-running case of R. v. Basi, Virk and Basi, suggesting that the various twists and turns in the case have not enhanced the administration of justice in the province:

Read the editorial.

Another issue troubles me; just how much has this case cost taxpayers? For some six years or so, at least three prosecutors and six defence lawyers have been working on this file…the tab must be in the many millions of dollars.

The Court of Appeal heard oral arguments from counsel on June 21 and 22, 2010 and has reserved judgment in the case of Ivan Henry, who was convicted of several sexual assault offences in 1983 and declared a dangerous offender.

Mr. Henry, who always maintained his innocence, was imprisoned for about 27 years before being released on bail by the Court of Appeal before the appeal was heard.

There has been no indication yet when the appeal judgment will be released.

March 22, 2010 update: According to a story in today’s Edmonton Journal,

“Sustainable Resource Development Minister Mel Knight says the Alberta Endangered Species Committee has again recommended that grizzly bears be listed as a threatened species.” The story quotes Mr. Hunt as saying, “Most certainly, the government of Alberta has every intention of being sure grizzly bears remain part of the landscape in Alberta.” The Alberta government has continued to suspend the spring hunt.

Here in British Columbia, no such commitment has been made. In nine days, hunters will start killing the province’s bears in the annual spring hunt.

The Province of British Columbia lets people kill grizzly bears for fun. This is an obscenity that must be stopped.

The grizzly bear is a magnificent animal, a symbol of this province’s natural beauty, yet the government lets hunters kill it for sport. Minister of Environment Barry Penner should be ashamed of himself.

Grizzlies are under pressure from habitat destruction and salmon depletion and nobody knows how many remain. They have been extirpated from much of the Pacific Northwest, yet we are fortunate to have some left here in BC. In a few short weeks, rich American hunters will start blasting grizzly bears to oblivion as they emerge hungry and bleary-eyed from their dens. Why? So these brave folks can peel off their hides and put them on their rec room walls.

Stop this abomination. Contact the David Suzuki Foundation, write your MLA, the Premier and Minister Penner. Do something, before it is too late.

Statement issued today by our clients, the Wu family:

In the early morning hours of January 21, 2010, about a month and a half ago, Vancouver resident Yao Wei Wu was awakened, dragged out of his house and brutally beaten up by two men who turned out to be police officers in plain clothes. Mr. Wu and his family are completely innocent law-abiding people who had done nothing wrong. Although the perpetrators of the assault on Mr. Wu were immediately identified, no charges have been laid against them and there is no indication that they will ever be brought to justice. Therefore, in order to attempt to achieve some measure of justice, Mr. Wu and his wife have commenced a civil action this morning in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, Court file no. S101576, Vancouver Registry.

The details of the claim are set out in the Court documents, and they speak for themselves. It is important to note that none of the allegations in the Statement of Claim have been proved in Court, and the Defendants have not yet responded to them. The Defendants are the two alleged assailants, Vancouver Police Department constables Nicholas Florkow and Bryan London, their employer the City of Vancouver as well as the Corporation of Delta. The Corporation of Delta has been named because it is responsible for the Delta Police Department investigation of the incident, which the Wu family alleges has been negligently conducted.

The Wu family is very dissatisfied with the investigation of this matter. They feel that charges should have been laid weeks ago and that the men who beat Mr. Wu up are receiving preferential treatment because they are police officers. They don’t believe the Canadian justice system should work this way.

They were asked to file a complaint with the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner, but they have no confidence with that process, because it involves police investigating police. The OPCC is staffed almost entirely with former police officers who must naturally be uncomfortable finding fault with their former colleagues.

The Wu family have full confidence that the civil court system will deal with this matter appropriately, and will have no further comment on this matter before the case comes to trial.

This from CKNW today:

“People on income assistance or with disabilities will no longer get pre-made foot orthotics, electrotherapy devices or contraception; items supplied in the past to reduce health risks. BC has safe tap water so the 20 dollar monthly bottled water supplement is also gone.

Each year, the Province spends 3.7 millions dollars on funerals for low-income residents so if you are an immigrant on income assistance and you die the person who sponsored you will have to pay up if they have the money.

More than 177-thousand people in BC are on income assistance and the number is growing.

The changes aim to save ten million dollars.”

……

Ten million dollars saved by denying contraception, bottled water and funerals to welfare recipients! That’s two-thirds of the amount we BC taxpayers spent each day on Olympic Games security. Our government certainly has its priorities straight.