From: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Cdn-Firearms Digest) To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Cdn-Firearms Digest V10 #882 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 Monday, November 5 2007 Volume 10 : Number 882 In this issue: [url]Angus Reid poll-Does gun registry help reduce crime? (yes/no) Re: Man sues the RCMP to get back his video of Taser death Convicted Windsor cop killer gets 25 years Re: Convicted Windsor cop killer gets 25 years Tory moves could lift NDP Re: Tory moves could lift NDP Canada won't try to halt U.S. execution of citizen- The Van. Sun Column: Hatchet attack- The Vancouver Sun Gunned down in Shaughnessy- The Vancouver Sun Hydrogen highway hits dead end- Financial Post *NFR* ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 04 Nov 2007 16:01:54 -0400 From: Rod Regier Subject: [url]Angus Reid poll-Does gun registry help reduce crime? (yes/no) http://rm.angusreidforum.com/?cid=964 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 04 Nov 2007 15:49:52 -0600 From: Dave Jordan Subject: Re: Man sues the RCMP to get back his video of Taser death 10x wrote; > The RCMP seized a camera that had video on it. > Did they copy the video, then delete the video and returned the > camera.Or are they still holding the video card from the camera as > evidence. > If they deleted the video then the video they deleted was the > property of > the man who owned the camera and took the video. > > The RCMP can not seize a photograph or painting, copy it, then > erase the > original and return the canvas or paper it was printed on. > > There are a whole raft of copywrite issues and property issues here. > A copy is NOT the original. > > Erasing a video that legally belongs to someone else and is has > value is a > crime pure and simple. > Destroying evidence (the original video on the camera) just may > well be a > crime as well. > > The bottom line, the RCMP can not seize a Rembrandt, destroy it, > then return > a copy to the owner, nor can they legally do the same to a video > or other > electronic media. > From what I understand and from the media interview of Paul Pritchard, the chap that made the video file, is that he handed over the memory card that he had recorded the incident on from his digital camera to the RCMP, when they had requested him to do so at the airport, voluntarily on the understanding that he would get it back, unaltered, in about 48 hours. He said that he was assured by the RCMP detective that he would get his recording back in approximately that time frame. It wasn't until after the 48 hours or so that the cops had come up with all of these extenuating issues for not returning it, that Paul Pritchard had then gone to the press to express his dismay at being lied to. It was then that the RCMP released the news item referenced below.. Reference; The particular news story posted on the CFD; - ----- Original Message ----- From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Date: Friday, November 2, 2007 3:10 pm Subject: Police say they will return Taser video soon- The Vancouver Sun > Police say they will return Taser video soon http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=f8f83d21-8883-45b7-81c0-b8e0b766507d&p=1 Later-DRGJ - ----- Original Message ----- From: 10x <10x@telus.net> Date: Friday, November 2, 2007 6:59 am Subject: Re: Man sues the RCMP to get back his video of Taser death > At 04:27 PM 10/31/2007 -0600, you wrote: > > > >Man sues the RCMP to get back his video of Taser death > >http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=0d904a09- > 1aa0-428b-90 > 98-c7459acf38e9&p=1 > > > >Jonathan Fowlie and Chad Skelton, Vancouver Sun > >Published: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 05 Nov 2007 01:57:05 -0400 From: jim hill Subject: Convicted Windsor cop killer gets 25 years Brennan also got a one-year sentence for the use of a handgun in the commission of an indictable offence and a year for possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. Both sentences, which stemmed from Const. Atkinson's murder, will be served concurrently. A miscarriage of justice! The current Firearms Act which the Liberals and people like Wendy Cukier and her ilk have been championing calls for a mandatory 4 year sentence for the use of a firearm during the comission of this offence, not 1 year and it is supposed to be served consecutively not concurrent which meand he does every day of the four year minimum then begins his 25 year sentence for the murder. This would mean 30 years served and at the very least push back his appilication under the faint hope clause to 20 years from 15. Jim Hill Fletchers Lake, NS ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 09:14:16 -0500 From: "mred" Subject: Re: Convicted Windsor cop killer gets 25 years - ----- Original Message ----- From: "jim hill" To: "Cdn Firearms Digest" Sent: Monday, November 05, 2007 12:57 AM Subject: Convicted Windsor cop killer gets 25 years > Brennan also got a one-year sentence for the use of a handgun in the > commission of an indictable offence and a year for possession of cocaine > for > the purpose of trafficking. Both sentences, which stemmed from Const. > Atkinson's murder, will be served concurrently. > These sentences ONLY apply to law abiding citizens , under the aegis of Lieberal dominated judges , They do NOT apply to criminals as they are subject to being re-habilitated. ed/ontario ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 10:19:43 -0500 (EST) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Tory moves could lift NDP http://www.thestar.com/News/article/273529 Tory moves could lift NDP Party stands to make gains after Conservative candidates removed Nov 05, 2007 04:30 AM Susan Delacourt Ottawa Bureau OTTAWA–The federal New Democrats, perhaps surprisingly, stand to be potential beneficiaries of last week's abrupt removals of Conservative candidates in Toronto and Guelph. The Conservatives and the NDP have appeared willing to help each other at times over the past couple of years when the goal was to trounce the Liberals. So, even though the Conservative party says it will replace the two removed candidates, the bad publicity and the backlash among Tory supporters might be enough to produce good news for the NDP. In Toronto Centre, the development is a shot in the arm for NDP efforts to beat Bob Rae, the New Democrat-turned-Liberal. In Guelph, it's a boost in hopes for "star" NDP candidate Tom King, the aboriginal author and broadcaster of CBC Radio's Dead Dog Café fame. The Conservatives stirred up considerable disarray among their own partisans last week when the national council told Mark Warner in Toronto Centre and Brent Barr in Guelph they wouldn't be allowed to run for the party. Both were shocked at their removals. Warner was told he was offside with the central party by campaigning on social and urban issues; Barr was told he wasn't canvassing enough. If these moves push supporters away from the Conservative party, there's a good chance in both ridings that some of that vote could end up with the NDP. The anti-Liberal vote, in other words, could be a little less split now in both ridings, where Liberals won in 2006, but also where those winning Liberals are stepping down. In Toronto Centre, where former cabinet minister and interim Liberal leader Bill Graham has retired, that could mean additional votes against Rae, facing his first run for Parliament as a Liberal. He has foes among Conservative-leaning voters in Ontario because of his time as an NDP premier in the 1990s. New Democrats, meanwhile, see him as a defector – or, as NDP Leader Jack Layton called Rae in a 2006 speech, "a turncoat." If the anti-Rae votes are split in Toronto Centre between the two parties, Rae's chances of winning are increased. But now, with Warner removed, some of that Conservative vote could drift to the NDP candidate, El-Farouk Khaki, a local immigration lawyer. Warner himself, however, doesn't believe the Conservatives want to help the NDP. In fact, Warner told the Star he believes the Conservatives actually would be happy to see Rae in the House of Commons. "They deny it when they talk to me," Warner said about his suspicions. However, he remains convinced Rae plays into the central Conservative attack strategy against Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion. "I think the whole campaign is Harper strong, Dion weak," Warner said. Rae in the Commons as a strong performer would make Dion look weaker, Warner argues. Barr says the New Democrats could reap some benefit from his withdrawal from the race. "I truly believe he was going to be my more formidable foe," Barr said of King. The Liberals currently hold the riding of Guelph, but the incumbent MP, Brenda Chamberlain, is retiring from politics. The future Liberal candidate is Frank Valeriote, a family lawyer from Guelph. So is it possible that the Conservatives, either accidentally or on purpose, boosted New Democrats' hopes to crush Liberals with their moves last week? Or, even more strangely, that it's some kind of arrangement between the two parties – a kind of pact to take seats away from Liberals? James Laxer, a long-time New Democrat and one-time leadership candidate for the party, wrote last year in Walrus magazine about the NDP's strategic decision in 2006 to focus all its energies, in league with Conservatives, on crushing Liberals. Jamey Heath, former communications adviser to Layton and author of the 2006 book Dead Centre, has also long made the argument that Liberals are the true adversaries of the NDP and that's where the strategy should be focused, even if it does mean working with the Conservatives. In Toronto Centre last election, the combined Conservative-NDP vote accounted for about 42 per cent of the popular vote. Graham won with 52 per cent, but it's not certain Rae could pull in that much support. In Guelph, the combined Tory-New Democrat votes in 2006, which totalled around 52 per cent, would have defeated the Liberals – who pulled in just 38 per cent of the popular vote. The ousters last week, combined with new players on the scene, could make those ratios a bit more interesting in the next election – most interesting, perhaps, to the NDP. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 11:04:34 -0500 From: "mred" Subject: Re: Tory moves could lift NDP - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bruce Mills" To: Sent: Monday, November 05, 2007 10:19 AM Subject: Tory moves could lift NDP > http://www.thestar.com/News/article/273529 > > Tory moves could lift NDP > Party stands to make gains after Conservative > candidates removed > Sounds to me that the CPC is shooting itself in the foot. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 05 Nov 2007 11:51:10 -0600 From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Canada won't try to halt U.S. execution of citizen- The Van. Sun Canada won't try to halt U.S. execution of citizen http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=76aeb0e6-b329-447c-912f-a90b838f2820 News Services Published: Monday, November 05, 2007 Ronald Smith, the Canadian killer whose Montana death sentence sparked a furor last week in Parliament, feels "kicked to the curb" by Canada after learning that the Conservative government has abruptly reversed a longstanding Canadian foreign policy and won't try to halt his execution. After more than 20 years of seeking clemency for him, the federal government has decided it will no longer fight to save the life of a man Prime Minister Stephen Harper called a "double murderer" -- and that any move to "repatriate" Smith to a prison in this country "would send the wrong signal" to Canadians about violent crime. "His head is spinning with the developments," Smith's lawyer Greg Jackson said of the 50-year-old Smith, a Red Deer, Alta., native who has been on death row since his conviction for the murders of two Blackfeet Indian men during a drunken road trip to the U.S. in August 1982. © The Vancouver Sun 2007 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 05 Nov 2007 11:44:42 -0600 From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Column: Hatchet attack- The Vancouver Sun Hatchet attack http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=248778a6-8bea-4f0d-b68e-257bcf88fabb&k=32427&p=1 Sri Lankan granted stay of deportation on compassionate grounds faces charges Ian Mulgrew, Vancouver Sun Published: Monday, November 05, 2007 A violent 26-year-old Sri Lankan immigrant given an unbelievable second reprieve from deportation was charged with attacking a man with a hatchet while that decision was being mulled. Three weeks before an Immigration and Refugee Board member ruled on compassionate grounds that Jeyachandran Balasubramaniam should be allowed to stay in Canada, he was arrested by Vancouver police after a bloody eastside brawl Sept. 14. But IRB appeal division member Mojdeh Shahriari didn't consider that information before giving him his latest break -- because she didn't know about it. She blocked his deportation, saying Balasubramaniam was a low risk to reoffend, even though he had been twice convicted of violence. I tried to interview her but was told she would not comment and that her Oct. 5 decision was based "solely" on the evidence presented at the Sept. 12 hearing. The Canada Border Service Agency said it is aware of the pending charges and is monitoring the situation. But a spokesman said the government cannot make any move to have Balasubramaniam's status reconsidered until the court proceedings are complete. I said Friday, before I knew about the new allegations, that Shahriari's judgment was wrong-headed given Balasubramaniam's history. After the column hit the street and I learned of the hatchet charges, I thought her decision ridiculous. The ruling is an indictment of a legal system in which one hand doesn't appear to know what the other is doing. Why would such pertinent information not be immediately relayed to Shahriari? Balasubramaniam was charged with two counts of assault after the fight at the Cobalt Hotel only two days after he and his lawyer appeared before Shahriari pleading for understanding. (A 49-year-old man was hit on the head with a hatchet in the struggle but survived with surprisingly minor injuries.) Shahriari's decision portrayed Balasubramaniam as if he were a boy scout who deserved a break. He is anything but. That Balasubramaniam is again before the courts should not surprise anyone. He was ordered deported in 2002 after he was convicted of knifing a woman during a purse-snatching and served 18 months in jail. But that order was stayed in spite of the explicit flags this guy was a time bomb. Balasubramaniam ignored the conditions imposed on him by that first reprieve. Then, he assaulted his former common-law wife in a drunken Christmas Eve altercation in 2004, which prompted the Canada Border Services Agency to ask the deportation order be reinstated. But Shahriari said in spite of Balasubramaniam's "serious" misconduct, she would again stay the deportation order because he fathered a son in March 2004. Aside from his convictions for violence, Shahriari said she also chose to "not make a negative inference" from the apparent existence of unresolved criminal charges against Balasubramaniam in Montreal dating back half a decade. "It is my finding, that [Balasubramaniam] has taken steps towards rehabilitation, as demonstrated in his crime-free life [since 2003] except for this incident [the assault on his common-law wife], and as such while the risk of reoffending is unfortunately not terminated for this person, it has diminished," Shahriari said. I can't imagine her writing that had someone told her he was again charged with serious violence. I think she still should have bounced him back to his homeland. In the face of his latest escapade, I think the government should be moving expeditiously to kick him out of Canada. Balasubramaniam is a Grade 10 drop-out who has been committing petty crimes and thumbing his nose at our values for a decade. His father, a Tamil, arrived as a convention refugee to live in Montreal with his wife and three sons in 1992. Balasubramaniam was 11. As a teenager, he began abusing liquor and drugs and turning into a public nuisance. He has been a drain on our law-enforcement, legal and social service resources since. Towards the end of 2000, he moved to Vancouver at 19 to live with an uncle in an attempt to make a fresh start. He is about as likely to turn his life around as I am to win the lottery. As far as I can see, it meant only that B.C. instead of Quebec taxpayers started picking up the tab. His conviction for the March 2001 purse-snatching rendered Balasubramaniam inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and, when he finished his sentence, he was ordered deported July 29, 2002. Balasubramaniam appealed that removal order and in February 2003, Anita Boscariol of the appeal division issued a four-year stay of removal subject to numerous conditions. In essence, she told him if he straightened up, he could stay in Canada. Balasubramaniam was to abstain from drugs and alcohol, be of good behaviour and that sort of thing. "With respect to the issue of the risk of the appellant's re-offending in this case, in reviewing all of the evidence, I believe with proper guidance, the avoidance of negative influences and intoxicants of all kinds, and the continued resolve on the part of the appellant, and given that this was his only conviction, the appellant will present a low risk to reoffend," Boscariol wrote. She was wrong. He couldn't fly right. In Jan. 2005, Balasubramaniam was convicted of assaulting his former common-law partner. And the border agency again applied to have him tossed. Shahriari conducted a hearing Sept. 12 and retired to consider her decision. Two days later Balasubramaniam was again charged with serious violence. On Oct. 5, Shahriari decided Balasubramaniam deserved compassion for a variety of reasons. For one, Balasubramaniam has lived in Canada since he was a kid and now has a job with a plumbing company. Appointed to her two-year term in May by the federal Tories, Shahriari concluded deportation would "cause emotional dislocation and hardship to him as well as to his family members in Canada. I have given this factor significant weight." As well, she said Balasubramaniam was trying to be a good father to his son. "I find that the appropriate appeal is to stay the execution of the removal order for a further two-year period, subject to the terms and conditions set out below," she ruled. Wrong-o. This guy should be turfed as quickly as possible. imulgrew@png.canwest.com © The Vancouver Sun 2007 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 05 Nov 2007 12:06:48 -0600 From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Gunned down in Shaughnessy- The Vancouver Sun Gunned down in Shaughnessy http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=e93adffd-1f0e-4738-b412-8a31755f515e&k=35533&p=1 10-year-old daughter calls 911 after dad shot Chantal Eustace, Vancouver Sun Published: Monday, November 05, 2007 VANCOUVER I The 10-year-old daughter of a man gunned down outside his Shaughnessy home on the weekend called 911 to say that her father had been shot, police said, describing the grim circumstances surrounding the city's 18th homicide of the year. The victim, Hong Chao "Raymond" Huang, was fatally shot on the sidewalk in front of his house in the 3800-block of Cartier Street shortly after 11 p.m. on Saturday, Vancouver police department spokesman Const. Tim Fanning said at a Sunday afternoon press conference. The 45-year-old man died at the scene, Fanning said. "We believe this is a targeted attack because of the type of attack that it was, because of the way this man was shot outside of his house," said Fanning, but added Huang was not known to Vancouver police. "We believe he was either being followed or the suspects were waiting for him." Fanning said police will be examining surveillance footage taken from the victim's home as well as footage from security systems at neighbouring houses. "We leave no stone unturned when it comes to this." On Sunday, officers scoured the grass near the gate of the multi-million-dollar home as neighbours, media and passers-by stopped to watch. Forensic investigators wearing blue gloves swept their hands through leaves, before taking a metal detector through the area, looking for shell casings since multiple shots were fired. A white tarpaulin was spread out in front of the gate. Charles Snelling, who lives about six blocks away, said the scene was unusual for the upscale area. "This is not where you expect shootings," said Snelling, observing the taped-off area. But he added: "You don't know what's going on in a lot of these big houses." Judy Dale, who lives half a block away from the large yellow-painted house where the shooting took place, said she was not surprised someone had been shot in the usually quiet Vancouver neighbourhood. "The city has changed, even in this neighbourhood," Dale said, as she stood across from the street from the cordoned-off crime scene. "It's unfortunate." Dale said she was at home when she heard seven or eight gunshots Saturday night. "I heard what I thought were leftover fireworks from Halloween but it was too crisp and clear," she said. When she heard police arrive minutes later, she said, she realized the noises were gunshots. Amanda Lee, who lives next to the victim, said it was "pretty unusual" to have a shooting in the area, although in July a home in the 1100-block of Laurier Avenue, a few blocks away, was targeted in a drive-by shooting. Lee said the man and his family -- a wife and daughter -- had moved in about two years ago and had two dogs, a German shepherd and a chow chow. "They didn't really say hello or anything," she said. "They were pretty reserved neighbours." Nelly Nardelli, Madeline Meikle, and Ana Rezao, all 14, said they were babysitting in a home one block away from the victim's when they heard the gunshots. "It's scary. It's nerve-racking," said Meikle, standing across the street from the victim's home Sunday. Nardelli, who lives two blocks away, added: "It could of been my house. It's so close." Fanning said police don't know if Saturday's shooting is related to recent shootings in Vancouver, since these have typically involved people who were known to police. Huang has no record, said Fanning. "We've seen a proliferation of people shot in the city out in the open, you know residential streets and restaurants," said Fanning. "Finding out why he was shot helps lead us to who maybe shot him." He said people everywhere need to be on the lookout for crime. "It can happen anywhere at any time," said Fanning. People with information about this shooting are asked to call 604-717-2500. ceustace@png.canwest.com © The Vancouver Sun 2007 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 05 Nov 2007 12:57:19 -0600 From: Dave Jordan Subject: Hydrogen highway hits dead end- Financial Post *NFR* *Not Firearm Related* Hydrogen highway hits dead end http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=356bed57-656b-4ffd-b3b0-f7f5a96ace29&k=80493 Image & Caption A Ballard-powered fuel cell bus in London, England. Photo courtesy of Ballard Power Ballard's talks with potential buyers is admission that dream of hydrogen fuel car is dead: analyst Nathan VanderKlippe, Financial Post Published: Monday, November 05, 2007 VANCOUVER -- Ballard Power Systems' announcement that it is "reviewing strategic alternatives" with Daimler AG and Ford Motor Company is a tacit admission that the hydrogen fuel car, the holy grail Ballard has chased for two and a half decades, is dead, an analyst said Monday. Shares in the fuel-cell company rose 16% in Toronto early trading on Monday to $5.39, on the talks with automakers. It appears that Ballard is attempting to sell off its automotive fuel cell division, Research Capital analyst Jon Hykawy said. It would never contemplate such as move if it thought it had any chance of making good on the millions it has poured into that research -- and the vast financing it has been able to raise with promises of the hydrogen highway, a route to the future that has never materialized, but seduced investors with visions of cars that spewed only water from their tailpipes. "If you knew, talking to your automotive partners, that they had a commercialization timeline that was three to five years out, I suspect you would be holding tight," said Mr. Hykawy. "In my view, the hydrogen car was never alive. The problem was never could you build a fuel cell that would consume hydrogen, produce electricity, and fit in a car. The problem was always, can you make hydrogen fuel at a price point that makes any sense to anybody. And the answer to that to date has been no." Ballard has in recent years attempted to stanch its considerable bleed rate by focusing on fuel cells for forklifts and small-scale electrical generation. But it always maintained its automotive division, with promises that "if you only just wait x more years we're going to be there. That's a large part of what drives a $600-million market cap in Ballard," said Mr. Hykawy. If it does away with the automotive division -- a sale that will likely fetch only a modest price since Ballard's automotive work has been eclipsed by Honda in recent years, Mr. Hykaway said - it's questionable what will remain. "If you removed all the future potential, the hype that came with the automotive side of the business, one wonders whether all you've got left is a small niche player," he said. Citing an unnamed source or sources at Ballard, German business weekly WirtschaftsWocher on Saturday reported that Ballard had completed negotiations with Daimler and that the deal could be officially announced in November. However, in a statement on Monday, Ballard said there can be no assurance that the negotiations will be successful or, if they are successful, that definitive agreements will be reached. Shares, nonetheless, shot up Monday, trading up as much as 85¢, or nearly 20% from their Friday close. © Financial Post 2007 ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V10 #882 *********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Moderator's e-mail address: mailto:d.jordan@sasktel.net 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".) 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