Amnesty first step in closing down Canada’s long-gun registry

The federal government’s recent announcement that it intends to scrap the long-gun registry includes a request for gun owners to come forward – and register their guns.

"Why would you want to register if they are going to scrap it?" wondered local hunting guide Melvin Kilback, who is not a supporter of the gun registry.

Melisa Leclerc, director of communications for the office of Stockwell Day, minister of public safety, explained the information that was released May 17.

"We introduced five measures, including fee waivers," she said. The government is working towards scrapping the registry, but that takes time to work through the process.

"To get rid of the gun registry we need to pass a bill," she said, pointing out the current law remains in place until the change is official. The government officially announced its intention to table legislation to repeal the registration of non-restricted firearms – and meanwhile, the Conservatives have implemented five measures.

"The most important one is the amnesty," Leclerc said. That means, for a one-year period, anyone who is not currently in compliance with the law can remedy that, without fear of penalties under the criminal code.

That means they are saying people who have not yet registered their shotguns and rifles can come forward now and register them, without getting into trouble.

The amnesty applies to those who are in possession of a non-restricted firearm, and hold a licence but no registration; or, those who do not hold registration for a firearm and who held a licence that expired between January 1, 2004 and May 17, 2007. The amnesty allows individuals to obtain registration; obtain licence and registration (if necessary) or, deactivate, export, turn in, or sell the firearm.

Also changed, is the fee structure. As of May 17, individuals no longer have to pay to renew of their licences. Depending on the licence type, this can cost between $60 and $80. Those obtaining a licence for the first time still have to pay.

A fee refund has been approved for anyone who has already paid to renew their licence, to upgrade their possession-only licence (POL) to a possession and acquisition-licence (PAL), or to add privileges to their licence between Dec. 1, 1998 and May 17, 2006. Refunds will be mailed out over the next few months.

The government has made other immediate changes.

"The Canada Firearms Centre doesn’t exist anymore as a stand-alone agency," Leclerc said. Now, the responsibility is being transferred to the RCMP. The annual operating budget will be reduced from $83 million to $73 million, and physical verification of non-restricted firearms has been eliminated.

Kilback is glad to hear they are working toward eliminating the registry, but he’s not so sure about the recent steps.

"The people who didn’t register before this aren’t going to now," Kilback said. He added that he knows people who didn’t want to register because they believe it is their right to own weapons, and it’s no one’s business that they do.

"People just feel like the government knows too much about everything."

The recent changes will not impact restricted firearms, including handguns, but applies to most shotguns and rifles. The changes will continue to require the safe storage of firearms, safety training, a licensing program including police background checks, a handgun registry (as has been the case since 1934) and a ban on those classes of firearms currently identified as prohibited.

Despite repeated attempts to contact MP Stockwell Day, he could not be reached for comment.

SPCA gets new centre; help needed

People from Oliver are responsible for about a quarter of all cruelty calls to the Penticton branch of the BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), branch spokesperson Jackie Frederick recently told members of the chamber of commerce.

Frederick spoke at the chamber’s luncheon recently, as part of her tour, making the rounds of businesses and community groups in the South Okanagan in a push to raise a final $250,000 for a new-model animal centre in Penticton.

But though the facility is in Penticton, it makes a big difference to animals – and their owners - in Oliver.

"If anybody knows anything about the recent livestock seizure (in Oliver) they should care (to contribute)," said Frederick, referring to the SPCA seizure on Sawmill Road last month. "It’s not a Penticton program, it’s a South Okanagan program. The livestock seizure was tragic, and if they (the SPCA) weren’t there I don’t know who would have handled it."

The current SPCA shelter in Penticton is now 47 years old, Frederick said, is in serious disrepair, and inadequate for the community’s current animal care needs. It’s also outdated when it comes to what the SPCA sees as the correct way to care for animals – and it doesn’t encourage people to come out and adopt an animal.

"The numbers of visitors to our centre have plummeted," Frederick said. "It (the current shelter) is unpleasant. It doesn’t look good, it doesn’t smell good. We’re over-crowded. We’re up to the rafters and there’s more coming in every day," she said. She said the animals in the shelter are stressed, they don’t show well, and as a result there are fewer adoptions than there could be.

"Right now, we put a cat in a cage – that’s it," she said, adding the new facility will fix that problem. "It’s so state of the art – we’re not caging animals, we’re caring for them. It’s not bricks and mortar. We’re building an animal care centre. There’s nothing like it in Canada, and probably nothing like it in North America."

The new centre takes much of the knowledge that has been collected about animals, and their instinctive behaviour, and puts it together in a 5,500 sq. ft. building. It includes shared apartments for dogs, which encourages natural movement and socialization. There will be two large indoor-outdoor communal rooms for cats; behaviour assessment areas; a multi-purpose room that can be lent out to community groups; a ventilation system that reduces the spread of disease; soundproofed rooms; a small animal area for rabbits, guinea pigs, and hamsters.

"The whole building is full of natural light," Frederick said. "They will have all the comforts. It will make them more adoptable."

That is the bottom line, she said. The SPCA has a policy that includes only putting down animals that are sick. The rest are adopted out to willing homes. The South Okanagan-Similkameen branch is one of the busiest branches in the province, providing care for nearly 2,000 sick, neglected, abused, injured, lost and abandoned animals each year.

The total cost of the new facility is $1.5 million. Through a land swap with the City of Penticton, the society has already acquired a one-acre parcel immediately behind the existing shelter. Much of the money has already been raised through donations, pledges, and bequests.

Construction of the new centre has already begun, and is expected to be complete in December.

For more information, or to donate, call 490-7944 or go to www.spca.bc.ca/SoS.

Local bands battle in memory of Phil Soare

Phil Soare may have passed away last year, but his memory lives on in the hearts of local musicians, and to prove it, friends of Soare are putting on a Phil Soare Memorial Battle of the Bands.

"He (Soare) was a terrific guy," said Kenn Draymon, an organizer for the event and owner of Riverbend Telecom and Audio. "This (event) would warm his heart. His Mom, Trish, thought it was a wonderful gesture."

Draymon said that Soare, who died in an auto accident, was a musician himself - a guitarist - and he was very interested in performing and live sound.

"I worked with Phil on a number of occasions in his capacity as sound technician—he was one of the sound crew at Southern Okanagan Secondary School (SOSS)."

Phil Rathjen, one of the vice principals at SOSS, also an organizer, was responsible for the activities of the sound crew when Soare was working there. He and Soare were very good friends, and he himself is very interested in live performances.

"We (Rathjen) felt that with Soare’s family’s permission, that it would be fitting to dedicate this event to Phil because of what he was all about and his interests," said Draymon.

Admission is only $5 a head. The revenues for the event, less the award for the winner will be donated to the Dry Grad Committee at SOSS, said Draymon.

"We’d like to see this event take place every year and that standing relationship be maintained.

"We provide the audience, the venue, the stage, the sound support…you do the rest." His company is donating the sound equipment to the event.

There are Contest Rules to follow, which include "no air bands, no lip-synching, or karaoke," and an entry form to fill out and an entry fee (per band) of $25 (non-refundable). There are cash prizes as well as glory for the winners, who will take home $500 for grand prize and $150 for next best. The organizers said there are no other prizes except for glory, audience exposure, killer rep, and beaucoup respect.

The contest will take place at the Tinhorn Creek Estate Winery amphitheatre Friday, June 23rd.

"It’s quite a gift that Tinhorn is allowing us to do the venue there," said Draymon.

This contest is provided for the benefit of SOSS students and their families and friends in the spirit of participation, cultural development, and plain ol’ rock n’ roll, the organizers said. Bands are encouraged to understand that they are performing a show, with all the possibilities and challenges that this implies.

While there will be no losers, the band that impresses the judges and the audience with its musicality, showmanship, and audience rapport will win this battle.

Entry forms are available for pickup at SOSS.

For more details, contact Kenn Draymon, at 498-6666, or Kenn Oldfield at Tinhorn Creek Estate Winery at 498-3743, or visit riverbend@cablerocket.com.

Soft on terrorism?

There are all sorts of good reasons for keeping an eye on extremist political and religious groups who appear to be advocating violence to advance their aims. The weekend arrests in Ontario, assuming the evidence holds up in court, are a stunning example of the dangers our society can face. Righteous anger mixed with three tonnes of nitrogen fertilizer could have been incredibly ugly.

The reason advanced by Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, however, is one of the poorest justifications for police activity. He pronounced, as reported in the Globe and Mail, that the arrests would demonstrate to our allies that Canada is not soft on terrorism.

The ally he had in mind is, of course, the U.S. who’s War on Terrorism has been a disaster. Based on lies, ignorance and neo-con wishful thinking, the threat to western nations is far greater now than before the war began.

Canada should continue to police itself for its own reasons not to demonstrate anything to the out-of-control regime to the south of us. The mere suggestion that Canada would have another motive for the arrests damages our justice system.