COUNCIL ATTEMPTING to SHUT DOWN YET ANOTHER BUSINESS BASED on PUBLIC MORALS?

Oldtown News
Vancouver, BC

COUNCIL ATTEMPTING to SHUT DOWN YET ANOTHER BUSINESS BASED on PUBLIC MORALS?

The City of Vancouver appears to be attempting to shut down another business based on morality concerns. As my readers know, last week City Council held a quasi-judicial court to shut down the soft porn Fox theatre. This hearing re-convenes on May 13, 2009.

Now the City is going after Marc Emery's marijuana business on West Hastings Street and another quasi-judicial court has been set for April 9, 2009, at City Hall, where Council will attempt to revoke the business license of Marc Emery's businesses.

The City informs us that they act when there are complaints and I suspect any complaints will have come from the Vancouver Police Department.

I wonder if the Police observed someone smoking pot in Mr Emery's business and perhaps this might be the impetus of why Council has now embarked on this silly show cause hearing?

If this is the case and if there is criminal activity occurring why haven't the police arrested anyone? Same as at the Fox, where the Police state they observed fellatio being performed and the question is this. If performing oral sex is a criminal offence and if the Police truly observed what they claimed to have seen--than why didn't they make an arrest?

Mr Emery like the Fox theatre operates legally and both have legitimate city-issued business licences.

Any complaints coming before the City at least regarding the Fox seems to have come from one business operator and according to City documents only one complaint was ever received by them. Yet they want to shut down this business.

It seems really bizarre with the number of gang shootings happening in the City, yet the City and Vancouver Police are using scarce resources to target businesses which they deem to be corrupting public morals.

With the Olympics right around the corner, this does raise alarms since it appears the City is embarking on some sort of clean-up campaign and other businesses which operate legitimately could be next. Especially if those businesses are judged by the City to be immoral. These could include adult bookstores, steambaths and massage services.

It is interesting that these clean-ups are happening under the watch of the New Vision Party which came into power in November, 2008.

Vision will need to tread carefully since many of their core supporters are young and consider themselves progressive. If the Party they chose to support appears bent on infringing on human rights or on a public morals campaign, there could in a very short time be a major political backlash.

Stay tuned.

Jamie Lee Hamilton
tricia_foxx@yahoo.com