From: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Cdn-Firearms Digest) To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Cdn-Firearms Digest V8 #536 Reply-To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Sender: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Errors-To: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Precedence: normal Cdn-Firearms Digest Tuesday, October 25 2005 Volume 08 : Number 536 In this issue: TV Actress Prepares Bid for Liberal Nomination in Manitoba PM insists U.S. take some responsibility for smuggling of guns PM says U.S. partly to blame for gun crime proliferating in From a controversial hunt, a healthy bread Caught in the crossfire Seeking help from police, Customs ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 05:58:31 -0600 (CST) From: "Bruce Mills" Subject: TV Actress Prepares Bid for Liberal Nomination in Manitoba http://www.cfra.com/headlines/index.asp?cat=2&nid=33236 TV Actress Prepares Bid for Liberal Nomination in Manitoba Darren McEwen Monday, October 24, 2005 10:16 PM The federal riding of Churchill in northern Manitoba will be a riding to watch next election night. TV actress Tina Keeper is expected to announce Tuesday that she'll seek the Liberal nomination in the riding. The former "North of 60" star will face Bev Deslarjais. Desjarlais, currently an NDP Member of Parliament, recently lost her party's nomination and will run as an Independent. Niki Ashton will represent the New Democrats. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 05:58:46 -0600 (CST) From: "Bruce Mills" Subject: PM insists U.S. take some responsibility for smuggling of guns across the border Sender: owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Precedence: normal Reply-To: cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20051025/GUN S25/Front/Idx PM insists U.S. take some responsibility for smuggling of guns across the border By CAMPBELL CLARK Tuesday, October 25, 2005 Page A1 With a report from Jeff Sallot OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Paul Martin called on the United States to shoulder responsibility for cross-border gun smuggling that leads to crime in Canada. Mr. Martin's insistence that the United States must take responsibility for guns flowing across the border comes as the government prepares a gun-crime package including stiffer sentences, a better witness-protection program and money for community crime-prevention programs to confront an issue that has become politically hot, especially in the Liberals' Toronto stronghold. Although his senior ministers had previously played down the importance of cross-border gun-smuggling, Mr. Martin pressed the issue in a meeting last night with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. A senior Canadian official said last night that Mr. Martin told Ms. Rice during their working dinner, that gun smuggling from the United States is a growing problem and Ottawa needs Washington to help stem the deadly illicit traffic. Earlier yesterday during a news conference, Mr. Martin said: "In Canada, we certainly intend to bring in strict measures in this area." "But when we hear, for example, the police association, the chiefs of police, say that as many as 50 per cent of crimes committed using guns, [use] guns that come from the United States, largely illegally, it's clear we have to work together. "The Americans ask us to protect the borders. The Americans say there are things they do not like that come from Canada, well there are things that come from the United States that we don't like, and if we have a responsibility to them, they have a responsibility to us." Mr. Martin declined to say in detail what he wants the United States to do. Justice Minister Irwin Cotler later said that a cross-border strategy could include enhanced police-intelligence teams and unspecified "law-enhancement reforms." He also said the federal government wants the provinces to explore passing laws that would make it possible to file lawsuits for damages if U.S. gun manufacturers' practices are found to contribute to gun crime. He insisted that is not possible under current laws, and it will be up to the provinces. Mr. Martin's emphasis on a U.S. role in combatting drug smuggling is new, and different from the tone adopted by Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan on Aug. 23, when Liberal MPs called for a crackdown at the border. "We have no evidence that there are more guns being smuggled into the country now than ever before," Ms. McLellan said then. "The other thing I should say is that sometimes people easily blame the United States for the smuggling of guns. That, too, is a simplistic response." Conservative deputy leader Peter MacKay said yesterday that Mr. Martin found a sudden interest in smuggling because it has hit the news, and suggested that the Prime Minister is toying with Canada-U.S. relations to respond to polls. "If it's a big priority to him, I don't know why he's never raised it in the whole life of this Parliament, or we've never heard him even comment on the subject until today. I guess it's because it was in the paper and he figured it might somehow play well to his domestic political agenda." Mr. Martin's strong comments were seen by some as an effort to seize the political agenda one week before Mr. Justice John Gomery's report on the sponsorship program is due. Mr. MacKay said the Prime Minister's press conference was an attempt at "channel-switching" before Judge Gomery's report is made public. Senior Liberal insiders acknowledged that the session, where the Prime Minister spoke on topics ranging from softwood lumber to guns to health-care, was an attempt to be seen to govern before the Gomery report "steals the agenda." The Liberals' focus on gun crime, not a priority for the government until a summer of gun violence on the streets of Toronto began to make the city's legion of Liberals nervous, will be part of that agenda. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 05:59:02 -0600 (CST) From: "Bruce Mills" Subject: PM says U.S. partly to blame for gun crime proliferating in Canadian communities Sender: owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Precedence: normal Reply-To: cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20051025/SHO OTE25/Front/Idx PM says U.S. partly to blame for gun crime proliferating in Canadian communities By CAMPBELL CLARK AND OLIVER MOORE Tuesday, October 25, 2005 Page A1 With a report from Unnati Gandhi TORONTO AND OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Paul Martin put part of the blame for gun crime in Canada on the United States yesterday, just before a visit with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Mr. Martin's insistence that the U.S. must take responsibility for guns flowing across the border came as the government prepares a gun-crime package to confront an issue that has become politically hot, especially in the Liberals' Toronto stronghold. The package includes stiffer sentences, a better witness-protection program and money for community crime-prevention programs Toronto was plagued by shootings on the weekend and yesterday that left three people dead and two injured. "The Americans ask us to protect the borders. The Americans say there are things they do not like that come from Canada. Well, there are things that come from the United States that we don't like. And if we have a responsibility to them, they have a responsibility to us," Mr. Martin said at a news conference in Ottawa. He declined to specify what he wants the United States to do. Justice Minister Irwin Cotler said later that a cross-border strategy could include enhanced police-intelligence teams and unspecified "law-enhancement reforms." He also said the federal government wants the provinces to explore the possibility of passing laws that would make it possible to file lawsuits for damages if U.S. gun manufacturers' practices are found to contribute to gun crime. He insisted that is not possible under current legislation and that it is up to the provinces. Toronto Mayor David Miller's office welcomed that message. Spokesman Patchen Barss said the mayor would welcome "anything" that reduces the number of illegal guns on the city streets. "If you look at the crime statistics, every kind of crime [is] down, except for crime with handguns," Mr. Barss said last night. "Possession of an illegal gun should be treated as seriously as a crime with an illegal gun, because the only reason to have an illegal gun is to commit a crime." Mark Pugash, spokesman for Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, said the chief has discussed with politicians the need for restrictions on the cross-border gun flow and "meaningful sentences" for gun-related crime. But one Toronto gun expert said it is not enough to simply keep shifting blame from one side of the border to the other. "It's not one person doing one thing that's going to solve the problem," said Detective Sergeant Doug Kuan, with the Toronto Police Service's guns and gangs unit. "In most cases, it's not a sordid-looking American with a trench coat saying he has all these guns for sale stepping into Windsor. It's Canadians going down there, picking them up and smuggling them back in. But they're also working in conjunction with other Americans knowing what they're doing." Mr. Cotler said he will introduce a bill this week changing the use of conditional sentences in which convicts serve their terms under house arrest or other restrictions, rather than in jail. Government sources said the bill will outlaw the imposition of conditional sentences for serious crimes that carry long jail terms as maximum sentences. The renewed federal focus on gun violence came after the weekend shootings in Toronto. Homicide squad Staff Inspector Jeff McGuire, who said the incidents had "trademarks" of gang violence, rejected the notion that trouble had erupted because police job action had limited patrolling. He said cars were dispatched within seconds. The killings pushed the city's homicide toll to 64 this year. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 05:59:13 -0600 (CST) From: "Bruce Mills" Subject: From a controversial hunt, a healthy bread http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20051025/SEA LOIL25/National/Idx From a controversial hunt, a healthy bread St. John's bakery uses harp seal oil to make loaves rich in omega-3 By J. M. SULLIVAN Tuesday, October 25, 2005 Page A3 Special to The Globe and Mail ST. JOHN'S -- Harp seals have moved from ice pans to the baking pan with the introduction of a new Newfoundland product: bread made with harp seal oil. Auntie Crae's Food Shop, a landmark St. John's deli and bakery, has launched a multigrain bread rich in omega-3, a beneficial fatty acid derived from harp seal oil. Hundreds of the $3 multigrain loaves are being sold daily, the store says. The bread is a collaborative effort of Auntie Crae's and Terra Nova Fisheries, whose president, Cosmas Ho, is a physician. Dr. Ho has been studying the applications of seal oil in the human diet since 1994, looking for a way to infuse the beneficial fatty acid into daily foods. And few foodstuffs are as daily as bread. Janet Kelly, Auntie Crae's owner and general manager, met Dr. Ho a few months ago at a social event, and casual chit-chat led to the co-operative venture. There were a few challenges to be tackled. Not only did the bread have to be good for you, but also it had to taste good. The oil had to lose its fishy odour. Also, to keep the oil stable during baking. Dr. Ho used a technique called microencapsulation, which converts the oil to powder. "We decided to go with our multigrain recipe, because the people who go for seal oil are the people who are into grains and health food," Ms. Kelly said. "We altered it and played around with it until we had a taste we were happy with. It wasn't that hard." Two slices of the Auntie Crae's bread have the daily recommended dose of omega-3, the same as in a serving of salmon. Omega-3 helps the body build cells and has been touted for a wide range of benefits, including cutting cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and improving brain function. Omega-3, found in fish, oils, soy and leafy green vegetables, has become so popular with health-conscious consumers that manufacturers have been adding it to products such as baked goods, eggs and milk. Seal oil is a good source of omega-3, Dr. Ho said, because seals, like humans, are mammals. And the seal's digestive track filters out many of the impurities that would be found in fish. Dr. Ho produces the seal oil himself from blubber he buys from Newfoundland sealers. "Every bit of it comes from Newfoundland." Most Newfoundland sealers hunt harp seals, although hooded seals and grey seals are hunted, too. An adult male harp seal can grow to 1.7 metres and weigh 130 kilograms. In 2004, 365,900 harp seals were taken, and their pelts fetched about $70 each. The federal government estimated the economic value of the 2004 Atlantic seal harvest was about $16.5-million. "Anything that raises awareness and brings more profile to seal-oil production adds to the market," said Trevor Taylor, the provincial Fisheries Minister. "Every little bit helps," agreed Jack Troake of the Northeast Sealer's Co-op. "Apparently [the bread] is catching on pretty good." He said he takes seal-oil capsules daily himself. "Unfortunately, from some people's point of view, [seal oil] still comes attached to a seal," Mr. Taylor said, acknowledging that sealing remains a controversial topic, although the whitecoat hunt has been banned since 1987. Still, Mr. Taylor has heard of no protests about the bread being made with seal oil. "It tastes like multigrain bread. No one need shy away from it." Other small, Newfoundland-based businesses are gearing up to experiment with seal oil, Mr. Taylor said, "but Dr. Ho is the one who's been on the cutting edge." Auntie Crae's will keep baking the bread daily "as long it sells," Ms. Kelly said. The store, known for its own product lines, including jams and jellies, as well as a stock of exotic spices and sauces, plans to try seal oil in at least one more product. "We do a granola bar that's extremely popular," Ms. Kelly said. "We'd like to try another one, something quite different, with seal oil." Dr. Ho has plans, too. Next up: noodles enriched with omega-3, aimed at the market in China, where noodles are a daily staple. "I'll try everything, because the body needs omega-3." ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 05:59:24 -0600 (CST) From: "Bruce Mills" Subject: Caught in the crossfire http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Arti cle_Type1&c=Article&cid=1130190622265&call_pageid=968332188492&col=96879397 2154&t=TS_Home Caught in the crossfire Gunfight erupts amid Bloor St. rush-hour traffic Stray bullet hits passing van, just missing driver JESSICA LEEDER AND BETSY POWELL STAFF REPORTERS Oct. 25, 2005. 05:55 AM As morning traffic coursed down one of downtown's busiest corridors yesterday, two angry men stood facing each other, separated by two lanes of flowing cars on Bloor St. E. Dangling a gun, one man stood near the middle yellow line glaring southward. The other, on the sidewalk facing north across the moving vehicles, seemed to passing driver Mirek Fudalej as if he wanted to shoot. Then he did, launching a quick exchange of gunfire above the heads of unsuspecting motorists. The morning gunplay was the third public shooting in as many days. By mid-afternoon, in the Jane St. and Finch Ave. area, there had been another, and by late evening in Scarborough there had been yet another, leaving criminologists and police wondering whether the latest storm of shootings is a sign Toronto has lost control of its streets. More than 40 shootings have occurred in public places since the beginning of July. Nearly half the victims, including three this weekend alone, are dead, while a handful of others are fighting for their lives. Of Toronto's 64 homicides this year, 44 were committed with firearms, all but one of those handguns. The circumstances of the street mayhem are varied and bloody. Bullets have cut into the skull of a bus driver, sprayed through front yards and twice torn across Dundas Square, one of the city's most lauded pedestrian spots. Elementary school grounds, shopping mall parking lots and playgrounds have become nighttime killing fields. Increasingly, it seems the gunmen of Toronto are devoid of mercy. They know no bounds. At least, that's Rosemary Gartner's theory. The University of Toronto criminologist says her research indicates the nature of killing is trending toward a higher-than-ever use of guns. "There are more guns and more killings in public places," she said. "Public shootings are a concern. (Innocent) people can be killed when people are on the street shooting people." Police Sgt. John March said it was "an absolute miracle" no one died in yesterday's incident about 9:45 a.m. on Bloor St. E. just east of Sherbourne St. For Fudalej, it was a close call. The self-employed painter was travelling west in the middle lane on Bloor St. E. above the entrance to the Sherbourne subway station when he was caught in the crossfire of what police called a drug deal gone bad. Two small-calibre shell casings and a half-ounce sprinkling of crack cocaine in a crumpled piece of brown paper, worth about $250, were recovered at the scene. At least three shots were fired. One of them, a coppery bullet - likely from a .45-calibre weapon - lodged chest-high in the driver-side door jamb of Fudalej's white GMC Safari, having shredded part of the sheet metal into pencil shaving-like bits. If it had hit five centimetres to the left, the bullet likely would have pierced his torso. "In regards to the gunplay, it really has gotten out of hand," March said at the scene of the Bloor St. E. shooting. "I've been doing this for 24 years. I've never seen anything like this. It's unbelievable that they'll do it in daylight, in rush hour." With no suspects in the shooting, police issued a public appeal for help identifying five men who are alleged to have been involved. About six hours after the Bloor St. shooting, a 26-year-old man was taken to Sunnybrook hospital after being shot several times in the stomach in North York. He is listed in critical condition. A white Honda Civic with a smashed front window and at least one bullet hole in its frame sat in an alley between industrial buildings on Eddystone Ave., west of Jane St. and south of Finch Ave. W. Three of the car's doors hung open, spent bullet casings littered the pavement. Two suspects in two blue Hondas are being sought. The day closed with a 22-year-old being shot in the arm about 11:30 p.m. outside a Scarborough townhouse complex. The victim, who is known to police, was injured during a dispute in a rear parking lot of Morcambe Gate, near Finch Ave. E. and Victoria Park Ave. He was taken to Scarborough Grace Hospital by a friend with a car. Meanwhile, investigations into several other weekend shootings continued. A 21-year-old man who was shot four times just after 2 a.m. yesterday outside the Metro nightclub, 296 Richmond St., remained in critical condition following surgery at St. Michael's Hospital. A second person was grazed by a bullet in the incident and released from hospital. About 800 people were in the area at the time of the shooting. Also yesterday, police began probing the possibility that a Sunday night gunfight in Rexdale that killed Aleem Rehmtulla, 26, and Fahim Talakshi, 25, both of Oakville, started in a car. "It would appear there was some form of buying or selling of drugs going on at some point, or using of drugs," said homicide Staff Insp. Jeff McGuire. Police don't believe there's a link between the killings and the Saturday afternoon shooting of Brendan Archibald-Sterling, 22, who died in a lane roughly 200 metres from the site of the Sunday incident, at Martin Grove Rd. and Finch Ave. W. Mayor David Miller responded to the spate of incidents by calling for redoubled efforts to fight gun crime. "The police made significant arrests in September of the gangs, and we need to send a strong law-enforcement message that if you have a gun in Toronto, you'll be caught and you'll go to jail," he said. Gartner, the criminologist, attributes much of the rise in gun violence to funding cuts in the mid-1990s to education, public health, welfare and recreational resources. In order to reverse Toronto's crime woes, the cuts themselves must be reversed, she said, adding that if they're not, the city shouldn't expect much of a change in trends. And if public shootings aren't curbed, "moral panic" could set in among ordinary citizens, causing them to become "fearful about crime, isolating themselves, withdrawing from public life," she said. with files from Gabe Gonda, Alwynne Gwilt, Morgan Campbell and Henry Stancu RELATED STORIES Teen shot overnight (Oct. 25) Mayor hits hurdles (Oct. 25) Martin draws line on guns (Oct. 25) Seeking help from Customs (Oct. 25) Artist's ghetto plea (Oct. 25) Gunfire claims 2 more (Oct. 24) SHOOTINGS Recent high-profile shootings: # Nov. 30, 2004: An 11-year-old girl is shot in the head while riding a TTC bus near Jane St. and Finch Ave. # Jan. 26, 2005: Two women in their 20s are shot blocks apart near George Brown College. # April 10, 2005: A dispute between two men in Dundas Square ends with a 25-year-old being shot in the buttocks. Two bystanders are also hit. # July 31, 2005: Dwayne Taylor, 21, of Brampton, is shot and killed in Dundas Square at 4:30 a.m. # Aug. 3, 2005: Three adults and a 4-year old boy are sprayed with bullets in a drive-by shooting near Jane St. and Finch Ave. # Oct. 15, 2005: A 41-year-old TTC bus driver is shot on duty at Morningside and Sewells Aves. compiled by Star Library ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 05:59:37 -0600 (CST) From: "Bruce Mills" Subject: Seeking help from police, Customs http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Arti cle_Type1&c=Article&cid=1130190621931&call_pageid=968332188492&col=96879397 2154&t=TS_Home Seeking help from police, Customs SEAN GORDON OTTAWA BUREAU Oct. 25, 2005. 01:00 AM OTTAWA-Federal law enforcement agencies are being asked to propose new ways to fight gun violence to accompany a package of new laws aimed at fighting the problem. As well as tougher sentencing and more crime prevention initiatives and improving the federal witness protection program, federal sources say the RCMP and Canada's border services agency have been reviewing their operations since early fall, and were asked to come forward with suggestions of their own in coming weeks. "A lot has already been done, but certainly ... We want to look at what we're doing that's working, and what isn't," a senior official said. Federal officials also hope an agreement to allow data sharing between the RCMP and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms can be fast-tracked and perhaps completed by early 2006, when Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan meets her American counterparts at the annual cross-border crime conference. The federal response to this year's spate of gun killings in Toronto was greeted with mixed reviews, as political opponents and security advocates suggested Prime Minister Paul Martin's time would be better spent crafting domestic solutions, not threatening to sue U.S. gun makers. As the Star reported last weekend, Ottawa is mulling a series of legal proposals that could include suing American gun makers for civil liability arising from gun use in crimes in Canada. "I think it's a bit of a smoke-and-mirrors game ... mandatory sentences with respect to sentences for firearms, that's the kind of thing that has been demonstrated to work in the United States," said Conservative justice critic Vic Toews. NDP Leader Jack Layton, who represents Toronto-Danforth, was equally unimpressed and accused federal Liberals of dragging their feet on a problem that has plagued Toronto for years. "... No proposals, just a lot of talk ... where are the laws?" Layton told reporters yesterday. "These aren't brand new problems. We just don't see the Liberals taking them seriously." Justice Minister Irwin Cotler stressed yesterday legislative proposals would be tabled after he meets provincial justice ministers early next month. "There's no one quick fix," he said, adding a package of measures on"cross-border smuggling would include law enforcement reforms ... legal options with regard to addressing ourselves to gun manufacturers and ... joint co-operation that has existed in the past and can ... be enhanced." "There are fundamental issues to be solved on this side of the border before we can stand on a tree stump and point fingers at the U.S.," said Customs and Excise Union president Ron Moran. It seeks $80 million to hire 500 more officers and to run a new border patrol. ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V8 #536 ********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Moderator's e-mail address: mailto:akimoya@cogeco.ca List owner: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca FAQ list: http://www.magma.ca/~asd/cfd-faq1.html and http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/Faq/cfd-faq1.html Web Site: http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/homepage.html FTP Site: ftp://teapot.usask.ca/pub/cdn-firearms/ CFDigest Archives: http://www.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca/~ab133/ or put the next command in an e-mail message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca get cdn-firearms-digest v04.n192 end (192 is the digest issue number and 04 is the volume) To unsubscribe from _all_ the lists, put the next five lines in a message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca unsubscribe cdn-firearms-digest unsubscribe cdn-firearms-alert unsubscribe cdn-firearms-chat unsubscribe cdn-firearms end (To subscribe, use "subscribe" instead of "unsubscribe".) If you find this service valuable, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the freenet we use: Saskatoon Free-Net Assoc., P.O. Box 1342, Saskatoon SK S7K 3N9 Phone: (306) 382-7070 Home page: http://www.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca/ These e-mail digests are free to everyone, and are made possible by the efforts of countless volunteers. Permission is granted to copy and distribute this digest as long as it not altered in any way.