In an unprecedented move, the City of Grand Forks council held a hearing on Monday night to consider the application of a business licence by Herbivore Cannabis dispensary. The hearing was performed as an aside during the regular meeting of council on Monday. It was called under Section 60-5 of the Community Charter, although according to Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Diane Heinrich, the city has never before had to hold a hearing. Couns. Colleen Ross, Julia Butler and Chris Hammett attended the meeting via teleconference. [continues 1180 words]
A report about a potential dispensary bylaw led to questions about city involvement in RCMP matters. After City of Grand Forks heard a presentation on the potential legal ramifications of having a dispensary bylaw last week, questions arose from the gallery on the city's involvement in the recent RCMP action towards dispensaries in the city. Dave Smith from Smithplan Consulting presented the report to council on the legal consequences and actions the city could take on dispensaries within city limits, which was requested at the March 13 Committee of the Whole. [continues 411 words]
Editor: I will open with a quote from Albert Einstein: "The difference between genius and stupidity is genius has its limits." This week, a number of respected Canadian scientists petitioned the federal Conservatives, asking them to ban the mining and sale of asbestos. Estimated at killing 100,000 people annually, the Conservatives, in their twisted logic, refused to even consider this demand, so the killing goes on. The irony and unlimited stupidity here is the Conservatives have refused to consider legalizing marijuana, a product that kills no one, and in many cases helps the desperately ill. [continues 111 words]
Editor: Re: Eliminating grow-ops (letter in Jan. 4 issue of the Grand Forks Gazette) It's commendable to stop people from stealing electricity but the claim that it will "eliminate grow-ops" is ridiculous. I believe the relatively safe, extremely popular, God-given plant (see the first page of the Bible) cannabis (marijuana) is here for the duration and one way or another, it will be cultivated and the plant's demand will be met. With or without stolen electricity, absolutely nobody is going without cannabis who wishes to acquire it. Stan White, Dillon, Colo. Editor's note: There are no specific references to marijuana or cannabis in the first page of The New American Bible. [end]
Editor: More than $100 million worth of electricity is stolen from BC Hydro every year, with much of it powering marijuana grow-ops. As an honest BC Hydro customer, it makes me unhappy to know that people are stealing electricity. That's why I'm glad BC Hydro is finally installing smart meters and putting an end to preventable electricity theft. Smart meters will let BC Hydro zero in on electricity theft quickly and accurately and shut down the perpetrators. The old mechanical meters can't do that. I doubt people are still using the same appliances, that were around in the 1940s, so why would anyone want to use metering technology from 60 years ago? Mike Taylor, Port Moody, B.C. [end]
Editor: The Harper government will protect marijuana trafficking. Such was the effect of the Prime Minister's response to leading public officials in British Columbia who declared support for decriminalization, regulation and even taxation of the marijuana industry. The Conservative party government will not only protect marijuana traffickers whose profits derive from the risk of criminal sanctions, it will bolster trade in illegal weapons used to protect or else take out marijuana industry competitors. Continued criminal sanctions are presently being beefed up to increase of the criminal justice industry, with its complement of police, courts, lawyers and of course, jails. This burgeoning industry is funded with our taxes. [continues 128 words]
Two RCMP cameras and flash drives containing sensitive information were returned to RCMP last week. The cameras were found in trees in Grand Forks near a trailer home rented by Dion Nordick, a.k.a. Buck Addams, and contained multiple images of various investigations. Staff Sgt. Dan Seibel, who is in charge of RCMP operations for NCOs (non-commissioned officers) for Kootenay Boundary in Nelson, met with Nordick's lawyer Jesse Gelber who returned the cameras on Nov. 22. We gave them back their cameras and that was on recommendation from my lawyer," said Nordick. [continues 396 words]
The all-candidates forum for the City of Grand Forks took place last Wednesday (Nov. 9) and there were 12 candidates vying for six councillor positions and three for mayor. City council incumbents Joy Davies, Michael Wirischagin and Cher Wyers will be seeking another term while Everett Baker, Jocelyn Cowie, Lorraine Dick, Zak Eburne-Stoodley, Bob Kendel, Neil Krog, Patrick O'Doherty, Bob Smith and Gary Smith will be aiming for election to the next council. Questions asked to candidates ranged from downtown revitalization to homelessness to a location for the fall fair. [continues 207 words]
Editor: The June 29 edition of The Gazette contained an article about the RDKB approving, in principle, to support a medical marijuana pilot project as presented by the Grand Forks Compassionate Society (GFCS). Details were not available to the public. Those details are now available on the city's website under council agenda package for the Aug. 15 meeting which includes the minutes of the June 23 meeting of the RDKB. I attended council meeting on Aug. 15, attempting to provide additional information relevant to the medical marijuana pilot project and was cut off by the mayor. [continues 236 words]
Editor: I find it quite upsetting that BC Hydro is losing $154 million a year to electricity theft due to marijuana grow operations. This loss of revenue is reportedly adding five per cent to everyone's hydro bills; yours, mine and the legitimate businesses operating in our communities. However, it occurs to me that if the cost of the electricity being stolen each year is $154 million, then the total cost of electricity theft must be even greater when you factor in the cost of tracking down the theft and the thieves and repairing the damage they've done along the way. [continues 65 words]
The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) has agreed to support in principle a project involving marijuana. At an RDKB board meeting last Thursday, Grand Forks Compassionate Society (GFCS) Executive Director Jim Leslie made a presentation on medicinal marijuana and the directors voted in favour of sending a letter supporting the pilot project in principle. Currently, access to medicinal marijuana is granted by Health Canada but recently Minister of Health Leona Aglukkaq made recommendations to improve the Marijuana Medical Access Program in order to curb abuse and exploitation by criminals. [continues 495 words]
Editor: Re: City councillor advocating change in medical marijuana laws (April 20 issue of the Grand Forks Gazette) How strange. Reviewing minutes of council meetings, there is no reference to council passing a motion appointing Coun. Joy Davies to speak on behalf of the entire community with regard to the marijuana issue. By speaking as a city councillor rather than a private individual, that is what is implied. While the Union of B.C. Municipalities may have passed some motions (not all) on the marijuana issue, I have yet to see or hear any indication that the B.C. provincial government agrees with the UBCM and has jumped on board this issue. [continues 211 words]
The Boundary RCMP is continuing its attack on methamphetamine dealers in 2011 according to a recent policing report. Grand Forks RCMP's Staff Sgt. Jim Harrison said the abuse and trafficking of methamphetamine has been going on for quite some time and the regional detachment's offensive, which began late last year, will continue. "We see an awful lot of methamphetamine in town," he said. "We've certainly made that one of our highest priorities to target the methamphetamine dealers and we certainly had some really good success in putting some of them in jail here in the last six to eight months." [continues 425 words]
A Grand Forks city councillor is not happy about a recent letter from the mayors of the township and city of Langley to Health Canada concerning legal grow-ops. In early March, Peter Fassbender (City of Langley) and Rick Green (Township of Langley) wrote the federal government asking it to cancel licences for legal marijuana growing and Coun. Joy Davies is concerned that it could have negative consequences. The letter, if supported by government, will affect peoples lives to the point where people will die, she says. [continues 624 words]
Editor: Re: RCMP raid needle site (Feb. 23 issue of the Grand Forks Gazette) Needle exchange programs are part of a comprehensive harm reduction approach to minimizing harms associated with drug use. There is scientific evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of syringe exchange and outreach programs. Needle programs are a first point of contact to health and social services for people who live in the margins of society as a result of stigma related to use of illicit drugs. These programs alter harmful conditions surrounding drug use, such as reducing sharing of equipment, unequal access to health services, social discrimination, exposure to street and relationship violence, inadequate housing, lack of employment and poor physical or mental health. [continues 247 words]
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and RCMP confiscated 83 kilograms of cocaine from an American couple at the Carson Port of Entry on Dec. 16. The estimated value of the seized narcotics was $3.5 million. Back in October, U.S. border patrol agents in Curlew, Wash., close to the Carson crossing, seized approximately 140.6 kg (310 pounds) of the designer drug ecstasy on a trail near the border. The ecstasy pills were found inside backpacks and duffle bags and hidden in brush and at the time, U.S. border services said that there wasn't a clear indication where the pills were headed but based on the size of the stash, it was likely headed across the country. [continues 291 words]
Kootenay Boundary Regional RCMP Detachment Over the summer months members of Kootenay Boundary Regional Detachment conducted an investigation into the illegal production of marijuana and seized more than 20 000 marijuana plants from 96 outdoor sites throughout the West Kootenay/Boundary. Numerous samples were obtained from plants seized at the various sites to determine the average yield of the plants, some of which reached 14 feet (4 metres) in height. Based on these figures, it is estimated that the seized plants would have produced approximately 22,570 pounds of marijuana bud or the equivalent of in excess of 40 million marijuana cigarettes. [continues 243 words]
Grand Forks Mayor Brian Taylor has gone to Cuba to look at a few different examples of addiction rehabilitation centres. "I'm working with a government agency in Cuba that does tours and things with elected officials," Taylor said. He is combining the trip with a visit to his daughter and her family in Seattle. "There are a couple in Cuba that are in small towns. There are two in Holquin Province and then a couple more that they would like to take me to see, old American hotels that they have converted into drug rehab programs for patients from all over South America and the United States. I'm interested in one in particular, but they said that there are a couple more that are not well publicized that they would like to show me, so we'll see how that goes." [continues 260 words]
What a breath of fresh air (J. Sorensen's letter regarding medical marijuana, Feb. 24). How nice to hear from someone who does not condemn out of hand a controversial issue. We would all do well to take an example from this letter and learn before we condemn. Dave Watts, Grand Forks [end]
Editor, The Gazette Many issues of the Gazette have given me insight into the social complexities and personal emotions that the peoples of our small city entertain. Through this I have witnessed some very troubling issues. I personally have come to that certain point where a man has heard enough! I have decided that I will not approach the issue of a "new" medicine being introduced into our health care system with any kind of fear. I will not judge cannabis out of ignorance or reaction. I will open my brain to the possibility that, just maybe, the thousands upon thousands of physicians in North America that have acknowledged the fact that marijuana is a broad spectrum medicine, know a little bit more about the subject than I do. I will have empathy for people who are suffering with all manner of horrible and life debilitating illnesses and injuries. I will acknowledge that I have little or no experience with this medicine and its effects or benefits. I will also stop undermining our city's council and attempt to inform myself without that time machine in my head telling me it's 1950. I will think about the possibility that maybe change can be a good thing and that this change may very well have to start with small, enlightened communities. [continues 69 words]
