Free Speech Outlawed in Langford?
by Bear Mountain Tree Sit
 Jennifer Andison believed she had the right to express a political opinion in Langford, even if it supported the protest against the Bear Mountain Interchange.
She found out otherwise on Monday, when bylaw enforcement officer Deborah Juch showed up at her door and threatened her with a fine.
"I had a small fabric sign which I hung to dry over my porch railing for a couple of hours on March 8, and two small 8 by 11 inch notices posted on my own tree. The bylaw officer came and told me to cease and desist or I would face a $100 fine," Andison says.
"Apparently, I am being singled out for my political views. The city clearly does not want people reading the interchange facts I have collected on the website. There are dozens of signs advertising everything from piano lessons to landscaping all over Langford, even stuck up on Canada Post boxes. These signs are left alone. Mine are being taken down."
Juch handed Andison a letter, which was scanned and posted here. http://www.yellowbrickplanet.com/langford/letter.jpg
The
signs read simply "Get the facts. LangfordProtest.org" and digital
versions were available for download on Andison's website at
www.langfordprotest.org. Though the City has no jurisdiction over
electronic media, Andison says the bylaw officer told her she had to
remove those links as well, since they allegedly encouraged others to
break the law.
"I told the Municipal Bylaw Enforcement lady,
that's fine, I would take down the printable media part of my site, and
in its place I would inform the public about this ridiculous law and
the City's ridiculous threats," Andison reported in an email. Today,
the printable signs are back up on the site with a warning that the
city is prepared to fine anyone $100 if they hang any signs (including
signs on one's own property).View the web page here:
http://www.yellowbrickplanet.com/langford/print.htm
Andison has removed the signs from her property and placed one in her car window instead.
Andison
lives near Spencer Road, where construction of a highway interchange to
serve the Bear Mountain Resort is chewing up rare ecosystems and
wetlands and threatening a First Nations cave. The campaign against the
interchange began over a year ago and included a ten-month-long tree
sit and a petition against a borrowing bylaw that was signed by over
2200 Langford residents who feel that the process is flawed.
Political
signs are exempt from regulation, but Langford's sign bylaw (Bylaw 700)
defines a political sign as "a sign used to promote the election of a
person or political party or a position in a plebiscite or referendum."
For more information on Langford's bylaws, contact:
Deborah Juch, Bylaw Enforcement Officer, 474.0604 djuch@cityoflangford.ca,
Lorne Fletcher, Chief Bylaw Enforcement Officer
474.0604 lfletcher@cityoflangford.ca
Media Advisory
March 12, 2008
For immediate release
Contact: Jennifer Andison (250) 744-9462
Also from Langford:
NEWS RELEASE
British Columbia Civil Liberties Association
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
For immediate release
CIVIL LIBERTIES GROUP URGES MAYOR TO RETRACT THREAT OF SUIT
The B.C. Civil Liberties Association today sent a letter to Mayor of Langford Stewart Young expressing its concern over a public threat to recover policing costs from individuals protesting construction of the Bear Mountain interchange.
On February 13, 2008, 50 to 60 RCMP officers arrested three individuals involved in a tree-sit protest and blocked public access to the area, an operation estimated to cost $100,000.
The BCCLA is concerned that such a suit is akin to charging a fee for police services, a precedent that is cause for serious concern. The police field many requests for assistance. Transferring the costs of policing to the public could significantly reduce the availability of police services and deter contact.
Despite public criticism over the past few weeks, Mayor Young has not altered his position. The B.C. Civil Liberties Association has urged Mayor Stewart Young to publicly retract his threat. "Police should work for the public in the public interest on the public dime. Threatening civil suits to recover policing costs misconceives the purposes and benefits of police action." said BCCLA President Jason Gratl. "The public ought to be reassured that the police will continue to offer all of their services free of charge."
A full copy of the letter can be found at http://www.bccla.org/othercontent/mayoryoung.pdf
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jason Gratl
604-317-1919
www.bccla.org
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