Liberal MLA Doug Horne will be in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, today representing B.C. at the Pacific Northwest Economic Region conference. It's a regular meeting of western provinces and states where officials talk about common concerns. Marijuana is not on the agenda, Horne said, and he has no plans to bring it up. But you can bet some hallway chatter will be about the groundbreaking Washington state initiative vote last week that effectively legalizes the recreational use of up to one ounce of pot by adults. [continues 659 words]
Richmond youth created videos to raise awareness about the impact of ecstasy use on individuals, families and the community, as part of the X-Press Youth Video Contest. And now the city's being invited to check them out. Organized by the City of Richmond and Richmond Addictions Services, the contest culminates on Friday, Nov. 23 at Richmond City Hall, during the Youth Red Carpet Viewing Party when the contest winners will be announced, including the winner of the $500 top prize. [continues 282 words]
What is really at stake if B.C. follows Washington State and Colorado and successfully legalizes marijuana? Money, of course, that other green substance. Let's start with the estimated value of the illicit pot growing industry here in B.C. It's often claimed to be between $6-$8 billion, a fairly rough estimate given that none of the principals are filling out any corporate tax forms or quarterly earning reports. Even if it's lower than the estimates, it's a huge industry. By contrast, in 2011 the entire forest industry had a value of just under $10 billion. [continues 534 words]
What's that smell? That acrid, smoky smell? Almost like skunk, but not quite. A bit sweeter. Sort of like the neighbour is burning his grass clippings. Aha! That's it! Burning grass! I smell burning grass. It's wafting up into B.C. from across the border in Washington State, I think. But it's not grass "clippings." It's "grass." It's dried green bits of vegetative matter rolled up in little bits of paper and bringing an air of lassitude-along with adding that distinct odour to the air-to our neighbours to the south. [continues 496 words]
Drugs Are Still the Primary Reason for Discipline Abbotsford school suspensions are on a steady downward trend, according to a report presented to the board of education Tuesday night. However, drugs continue to be the primary reason discipline is meted out to students, the data shows. Total suspensions, both in and out of school, have declined by 30 per cent since 2007/08, said SD34 spokesman Dave Stephen. A total of 1,253 students were suspended in the 2011/12 school year. Of that total, 727 students received out of school suspensions, which average between three to five days in length. [continues 254 words]
British Columbia's multibillion-dollar marijuana industry is expected to take a hit following legalization votes in two U.S. states - but there could still be time to cash in. A B.C. man who sells marijuana seeds to U.S. customers says Washington state and Colorado could see a spike in demand in the short term. Even though the two states voted to decriminalize marijuana, licensed stores won't open for at least a year. That creates a scenario in which marijuana is legal but there is nowhere to legally purchase it. [continues 580 words]
At this point, no one needs to be told that the war on marijuana has been a dismal failure. Or almost no one. After all, there is abundant evidence from around the world, and from right here in British Columbia, that marijuana prohibition has failed to achieve any of its stated objectives. Indeed, as governments spent trillions - yes, trillions - of dollars prosecuting the war on drugs, marijuana use rates increased, with the potency of the drug increasing and its price decreasing. [continues 627 words]
If retired drug cop Al Arsenault thinks legal pot is for dopes, then surely, if he is to be consistent, he must also believe that legal booze is unacceptable as well. Starting a new campaign as the leader of a new temperance movement are you, Al? We should legalize all recreational drugs and retire thousands of more drug cops. Alan Randell, Victoria [end]
Following Washington's referendum vote in favour of legalizing and taxing marijuana, Surrey-North MP Jasbir Sandhu said it may be time B.C. looks into allowing the drug in the province. "There are a lot of issues associated when you legalize marijuana and I think they need to be examined," he said. In two separate referendums held Tuesday, Nov. 6, Washington and Colorado residents voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use by anyone age 21 and up. Sandhu cited the Le Dain Commission from the early 1970s that looked into the non-medical use of drugs in Canada and added that it may be time to follow up with such studies. He said the nation's war on drugs hasn't worked and that governments need to take a different approach to social policy issues regarding recreational marijuana use. [continues 80 words]
Marijuana cigarettes should be available for purchase at every corner store, gas station, grocery store and pharmacy in the province. Following the returns from the US election last week, I had a bit of a keen eye on Initiative 502 in Washington State which would legalize the sale of marijuana. When it passed, my first thought was, "finally, somebody got it right". The Initiative allows adults to carry one ounce of useable marijuana and 16-ounces of marijuana-infused product; outlines regulations for marijuana growth and sales; creates a 25 per cent tax on the sale of marijuana; and charges a $250 initial fee with a $1,000 annual renewal fee. [continues 358 words]
Sechelt councillors were confused about the intent of a new controlled substance bylaw and decided to send it back to staff at second reading for more clarification during their Nov. 7 council meeting. "I would like to have a better sense of what are we really trying to achieve," said Mayor John Henderson, questioning what exactly the District was trying to regulate with the new bylaw. "Is it controlled substances or is it mould?" The new controlled substances bylaw was before council for three readings Nov. 7. It allows the municipality authority to deal with mould and building code issues found in homes with grow ops or other controlled substance operations. [continues 579 words]
We say: Let's follow the lead of our neighbours to the south Marijuana reform advocates hope Washington and Colorado states' vote Tuesday to legalize and tax marijuana sales will add momentum to their push for change in B.C. While it's not yet clear if the U.S. federal government will allow state-by-state legalization of recreational marijuana use - other states already allow medical marijuana sales - the vote has huge implications here. Washington state estimates it would collect $560 million in the first year from a planned 25-per-cent tax on the sale of licensed, regulated marijuana through authorized stores. If enacted, this could also cause a partial collapse of B.C.'s estimated $7-billion-a-year illegal pot industry, as growers relocate to the U.S. to avoid the need to smuggle. Recently, the Union of B.C. Municipalities passed a resolution calling for marijuana to be decriminalized. They'd rather pot be regulated and taxed instead, much like alcohol. The U.S. votes are a progressive move toward responsible marijuana use. It's time for B.C. to take a similar step toward decriminalization, if not legalization of marijuana. The potential tax revenue and the opportunity to reduce law enforcement costs, and help unclog our court system is too much to pass up. [continues 148 words]
Re: "U.S. pot votes show us the way," Nov. 13. The editorial seems blindly one-sided, dumbing down the issue by failing to mention those states that have voted against decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana. From a child and adolescent neuro-psychiatrist: "Chemically, marijuana is a far more dangerous drug than most of the scientifically ignorant media and North American consumers have been duped into believing." From Drug Watch International: For community leaders, current and former government officials and others to consider promoting a public policy that reduces the restrictions on distributing marijuana with implications that it is not a harmful and addictive drug, creates an obligation to perform due diligence before promoting or endorsing such a position. There exists an abundance of studies and research supporting the harms of marijuana, as well as sufficient historical data. Ken Lane Victoria [end]
Why on earth do politicians, if there is not enough money to go around, believe that economic stimulus has to be based on resource extraction? Scott Anderson - take note - it did not work for Romney. Did you hear the roar of approval when President Obama mentioned environmental protection in his acceptance speech? Why is it always about oil? How about if it was about prioritizing government spending - e.g. I'm still annoyed about the pool at the G8 conference and the new roof on B.C. Place. Or, can we get this legal farce and financial drain over with and legalize marijuana so we can tax it? Is there a politician out there who is brave enough to suggest reorganizing spending priorities instead of creating 'new' revenue out of resource extraction? Joanne Feenstra Armstrong [end]
Marijuana is a dangerous drug, that pollutes the brain. Why would any government want to legalize something that causes families so much grief and pain? All dope addicts start with marijuana, then they have to ramp up the thrills. It would appear to me all these MPs that are supporting this idiotic idea, perhaps are users. Sure, it's a cash cow, that's the only reason they want it legalized. But just wait until we get a bunch of legal users who drink as well and your profits will pay out billions looking after addicts. [continues 105 words]
Prime Minister Stephen Harper may be dismissive about the fact that the states of Washington and Colorado voted in favour of legalizing marijuana last week, but they have set the stage for a game changer, however complicated. Ironically, last Tuesday's vote on the day of the U.S. election fell on the same day that the Harper government's Safe Streets and Communities Act with tougher drug possession laws came into effect. Whether Harper likes it or not, individual states in the U.S. are inching forward while Canada's drug laws are going backwards. [continues 537 words]
Activist behind decriminalization campaign to speak in Kamloops An impending province wide initiative campaign to decriminalize marijuana faces legal hurdles but may have merit as well, local lawyers say. Dana Larsen, pot activist and former NDP leadership candidate, has branded his province wide initiative petition drive "Sensible B.C." His campaign is modeled on the successful initiative brought about by ex-premier Bill Vander Zalm to quash the HST. The purpose of this one? To make B.C. safer from criminal gang activity, save taxpayer dollars spent on law enforcement and bring the law into line with the will of the majority, Larsen said, citing a recent poll suggesting 80 per cent public support for decriminalization. [continues 704 words]
Re: Editor's Note, Nov. 8 - 14 RCMP marijuana eradication efforts are no doubt well-intended, but ultimately counterproductive. The drug war's distortion of immutable laws of supply and demand causes big money to grow on little trees. Canadian tax dollars are wasted on anti-drug strategies that only make marijuana growing more profitable. In 2002, the Canadian senate offered a common sense alternative to prohibition when the Special Committee on Illegal Drugs concluded that marijuana is relatively benign, marijuana prohibition contributes to organized crime, and law enforcement efforts have little impact on patterns of use. Consider the experience of Canada's southern neighbour, the former land of the free and current record holder in citizens incarcerated. Based on findings that criminal records are inappropriate as health interventions, a majority of European Union countries have decriminalized marijuana. Despite marijuana prohibition and perhaps because of forbidden fruit appeal, lifetime use of marijuana is higher in the U.S. than any European country. The short-term health effects of marijuana are inconsequential compared to the long-term effects of criminal records. Canada should follow the lead of Europe and Just Say No to the American Inquisition. Robert Sharpe, Washington, DC [end]
Voters in Washington and Colorado opted to end the destructive, ineffective and costly approach to marijuana laws last week. Canadian jurisdictions should heed their examples. The two states passed propositions legalizing marijuana, which will be regulated and taxed like alcohol. The ballot measures were controversial, but had broad support, including from prosecutors and police officials. The governments expect lower policing and justice system costs and reduced crime. Washington anticipates $500 million a year in new tax revenue. Similar measures have broad support in this province - from five former attorneys general, the Union of B.C. Municipalities, public health officials and a long list of others. An Angus Reid poll this month found 75 per cent of British Columbians believe marijuana should be legalized, taxed and regulated. [continues 384 words]
Wow. If B.C. got as excited about the economy as it does about legalizing a stinky drug, we'd all be millionaires. Dayna Mazzuca Victoria [end]
The most popular argument in favour of marijuana legalization is the claim that no one has been killed by it. My question for all marijuana legalization enthusiasts such as Jodie Emery and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson is before we legalize it, do you know how many people went and are insane because of their marijuana addiction? How many of them killed others while being under its influence? What would you prefer: to be killed by marijuana, or to become mentally sick for the rest of your life by smoking or digesting it? Or would you rather deal on a daily basis with an insane marijuana user who happen to be a family member? Bozenna Siedlecka, Port Moody [end]
Impact on $6-Billion-To-$8-Billion Pot Industry Is Difficult to Quantify (CP) - The future appears hazy for British Columbia's thriving underground pot industry, even as two U.S. states have voted to allow citizens to legally use the drug recreationally. Business consequences could range from mild to sending marijuana producers' livelihoods up in smoke, depending on how much of the estimated $6-billion-to-$8-billion annual economy is currently being exported south of the border, analysts say. [continues 297 words]
Re: "Washington voters agree to legalize pot," Nov. 7. While decriminalizing marijuana has been a hot-button issue in B.C., Washington and Colorado both passed referendums that would decriminalize the recreational use of marijuana. But when asked about her stance on decriminalizing marijuana, Premier Christy Clark simply excused herself from comment, citing that it was a federal issue and not within her jurisdiction as a provincial premier to take a stance. In other words, she passed the issue along to a higher office. [continues 81 words]
I see mandatory minimum sentencing of six months in prison has been instituted for people in possession of six marijuana plants or more. This is twice the minimum jail sentence afforded to flashers in playgrounds as well as predators who attempt to lure children into viewing pornography. What more evidence do we need to see that Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the judicial system have gone completely stark, raving mad? On Nov. 6, Washington state and Colorado voted to legalize possession of up to one ounce of marijuana for recreational purposes. [continues 159 words]
Let's not be dopes? Sure, tax marijuana and make a billion bucks. That will only cost us $8 billion to $9 billion as per our current experiences with booze and smokes, not to mention the loss of human potential though addiction. It's all smoke and mirrors. Al Arsenault, Port Moody [end]
Much is being said in the media about legalizing marijuana. The focus seems always to be on reduction of revenue to gangs, thus reduction of gang violence. But little if anything is being said about the probable result of making it easier to purchase without a large growth in usage. Given that it is a "mind-altering" substance (if not so, why the big appetite for use of it?), this will result in a great increase of users driving cars, bikes and motorcycles with their minds in an altered condition. [continues 131 words]
Man, 60, hits the jackpot after not playing his usual numbers B.C. marijuana advocate vows to use part of his windfall to fund legalization efforts It was three times lucky this week for B.C. pot advocates. First Washington state and Colorado voters decided the time had come to legalize marijuana. That surprising development spurred a flurry of news coverage and momentum for SensibleBC.ca, a campaign organization dedicated to putting marijuana decriminalization to a referendum in B.C. And third time luckiest was Terrace pot advocate Bob Erb, who won a cool $25 million in the Nov. 2 Lotto Max draw to end a phenomenal week for marijuana enthusiasts. [continues 319 words]
Re: B.C. activists emboldened by legalization votes in the U. S., Nov. 8 Three former attorneys general and a premier, a senator, a former RCMP superintendent, and countless medical authorities publicly hold the opinion that cannabis prohibition leads directly to significant violence on our streets (see stoptheviolencebc.org). Meanwhile Premier Christy Clark and Attorney General Shirley Bond, shrug their shoulders and tell us in so many words, "It's not my job." While drug law may not be provincial jurisdiction it is the government's responsibility to advocate on behalf of its citizens on this significant public safety issue. A recent poll shows the majority of British Columbians favour decriminalizing marijuana. [continues 75 words]
B.C. is going to have a difficult time shaking its hippy reputation with a recent Angus Reid poll saying that an overwhelming two-thirds of British Columbians are now in favour of revamping our country's outdated criminal code to make smoking and growing marijuana legal. Somewhere in Alberta, a cowboy just did a spit-take from his bottle of beer while resting his snakeskin boots on the bitumen-encrusted chrome siderail of an SUV larger than some of Victoria's new breed of studio condos: "for the single person who likes to use the washroom and cook breakfast at the same time." [continues 354 words]
TWO news events this week cast in stark relief the folly of Canada's drug war. The first, highlighted on America's Election Night, was a decision by the people of Washington State to legalize the possession of marijuana and to regulate its production and sale. The second was the high-profile seizure of 300 kilograms of the drug, together with cash and cars, from members of a suspected crime ring following a seven-month investigation by Canadian police. Side by side, the incidents paint a sad picture. Even as Washington residents are moving to place control of this relatively harmless substance into the hands of their government, Canadian taxpayers are spending untold sums to keep it in the hands of gangsters. The police involved in Tuesday's raids can't be blamed for doing their jobs, but the entire costly, dangerous exercise - and the time-consuming prosecutions that will follow - would be unnecessary were it not for our antiquated laws. [continues 108 words]
Q&A with Mark Haskell Smith - - Heart of Dankness: Underground Botanists, Outlaw Farmers and the Race for the Cannabis Cup by Mark Haskell Smith published by Broadway Books (256 pages). WHILE Mark Haskell Smith was doing research for his novel Baked the Los Angeles Times made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Learning that he was going to be attending the Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam they asked him if he would consider covering the world championship of weed for them as well and they would put his findings in their Calendar section. [continues 1934 words]
To the Editor: This letter is in response to Constable Radley's plea for public help in the struggle against heroin drug abuse in our community of Dawson Creek. I am a mother and am praying with others. I challenge the churches in town to re-open or re-vitalize their prayer meetings to join in the desperate prayed for God to move in and clean up our city. We want the folks involved in the drug culture to be saved from the sin; and to find a new, happy life in serving God. Hallelujah, we are beginning to win. Cathy Speitelsbach [end]
Marijuana reform advocates hope Washington and Colorado states' vote Tuesday to legalize and tax marijuana sales will add momentum to their push for change in B.C. While it's not yet clear if the U.S. federal government will allow state-by-state legalization of recreational marijuana use - other states already allow medical marijuana sales - the vote has huge implications here. Washington state estimates it would collect $560 million in the first year from a planned 25-per-cent tax on the sale of licensed, regulated marijuana through authorized stores. [continues 278 words]
This is the intriguing subtext - or maybe dominant theme - of Tuesday night's decisive Electoral College victory by incumbent and now, more than ever, history-making U.S. President Barack Obama: The U.S. is becoming, well, Canadian. That will seem like a wild exaggeration to some. But consider. The campaign itself was as nasty and divisive as always on the advertising side, and at street level. But at the presidential level, there was courtesy. Mitt Romney-haters will disagree, but at no time in the campaign, certainly not in public, did Romney bare his fangs in anything like a Rush Limbaugh-style display of rage. He was aggressive but respectful. More to the point, his policy positions - during the campaign at least - were centrist. But it was too little centrism, too late. [continues 662 words]
The legalization of marijuana by voters in Washington state and Colorado during Tuesday night referendums is further evidence that Canada's drug laws are badly out dated and in need of reform. The decision by voters in those states to legalize recreational pot - and the extension of medical-marijuana rights in other parts of the U.S. in plebiscites - follows a chorus of calls by prominent leaders on both sides of the border that the war on drugs has been a gigantic failure, particularly when it comes to marijuana. [continues 129 words]
Perhaps one of the solutions to improving voter turnout in B.C. is to figure out why it works in the U.S. Kamloops Mayor Peter Milobar noted Americans treat their right to vote in a different way than do many Canadians. "It is one of the most convoluted and difficult systems to track," Milobar said, "yet their voter turnout is two or three times ours. "I go to vote and I can do it in 15 minutes. People in Florida stood in line for five, six hours, to vote." [continues 389 words]
Referendums: Washington State, Colorado Results Will Help Local Campaigns, Activists Say B.C. marijuana activists say propot referendum results in Washington state and Colorado will aid them in their quest to decriminalize bud here. Citizens in those two U.S. states voted to legalize pot Tuesday night, and local activists believe the American results should make it easier for B.C.ers to vote in a referendum that's now in the works. "The war on drugs is over," said euphoric pot activist David Malmo Levine. "This is the beginning of the end. You put one hole in the dam - the water starts rushing faster, and eventually the dam breaks." [continues 524 words]
Unlike some passionate B.C. potheads, I don't think marijuana is a gateway-to-heaven herb that will usher in an era of peace, harmony and brotherly love. Nor do I think it's harmless. In fact, I find its link with schizophrenia, well, troubling. But neither is marijuana an evil, reefer-madness-inducing weed that we should fight a demonstrably futile, decades-long war to eradicate. As Washington state and Colorado voters now have shown, measures for legalizing the recreational use of pot increasingly appear to make sense. They may even help turn some young people off the drug. [continues 431 words]
I was appalled to see the picture of Marc Emery's wife holding a Canadian flag with a marijuana leaf in the middle, instead of our proud maple leaf. That definitely doesn't represent the Canadian flag, nor the country that I call home. How insulting! Baljit Pooni, Abbotsford [end]
Canadian drug law reform advocates were rejoicing after two U. S. states voted to legalize marijuana this week, even as the Harper government brought into effect tough new penalties for pot. The states of Washington and Colorado voted in favour of ballot-box propositions to remove criminal penalties for the possession and sale of recreational marijuana on Tuesday, the same day drug measures in Canada's Safe Streets and Communities Act came into effect. The new measures legislate a minimum six-month jail sentence for growing as few as six marijuana plants. [continues 772 words]
The future appears hazy for British Columbia's thriving underground pot industry, even as two U. S. states have voted to allow citizens to legally use the drug recreationally. Business consequences could range from mild to sending marijuana producers' livelihoods up in smoke, depending on how much of the estimated $ 6- billion to $ 8- billion annual economy is now being exported south of the border, analysts say. Opinion on the impact of the votes in Colorado and Washington state varies considerably, but those urging Canada to adopt a more evidence- based policy on marijuana say the latest development means Canada is falling behind the U. S. [continues 227 words]
The rate of criminal charges for pot possession has risen dramatically in past decade There is a myth that lighting up a joint in public can't get you arrested in B. C. And that misperception, say police, may be leading to an increase in criminal charges for marijuana possession. It's still illegal to possess marijuana in Canada, and pot possession charges in B. C. have been rising faster than population growth for the past decade, according to numbers obtained from the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics' uniform crime reporting survey. The survey collates data from police forces across the country. [continues 870 words]
It tasted like vindication to B. C.' s Marc Emery, the prince of pot and a clarion voice for 20 years in the debate over legalizing marijuana. Voters in Colorado and Washington state decided Tuesday to create new legal regulatory regimes for cannabis that allow personal possession for those over 21 starting next month, and envision production and retail outlets in a year or so. Emery, who helped finance the crusade to Free the Weed for roughly 15 years, couldn't have asked for more. [continues 882 words]
Advocates buoyed by U.S. vote Marijuana use should be a health issue, not a legal issue, says a Nanaimo doctor and addictions expert. Voters in Washington and Colorado passed ballot initiatives Tuesday to legalize marijuana for recreational use. It legalizes possession of up to one ounce of marijuana for anyone over 21 and farmers can be issued state licences to grow it and sell products in standalone stores. Nanaimo residents who support the legalization of marijuana hope this decision will have ramifications across the border, boosting the bid to legalize the drug in Canada. [continues 555 words]
In Tuesday's United States election, 55 per cent of Washington voters supported a state initiative to make it legal for residents to have up to an ounce of marijuana in their possession for recreational use. Colorado voters also supported a similar initiative. Previously both states only allowed possession of marijuana for medical purposes, which is also what's permitted in Canada. Don Skogstad, a criminal lawyer who splits his time between Nelson and Penticton, supports Canada-wide drug reform and has become the go-to lawyer for people in this area facing drug-related charges. He said unlike across the border where marijuana laws can change state by state, BC can't legalize recreational marijuana on its own. Ottawa would have to make that decision for the whole country. [continues 549 words]
With a smile, Victoria constable keeps tabs on social media In the old days, Victoria police Const. Mike Russell might have been walking a beat, talking to shopkeepers and taking the pulse of a neighborhood. On Thursday morning, he was doing an updated version of that task, tapping into the social media networks to see what was happening in the city. That's when he stumbled upon the following message posted on the social news website, Reddit: "Where/how could an aspiring pot smoker such as myself buy weed on campus/near campus? I want to try it but have no idea how to get started at UVic, despite its apparent widespread use. Thanks!" [continues 392 words]
Re: "Washington voters agree to legalize pot," Nov. 7. We now know on Dec. 6, a huge new market for our superior product opens right next door. Think of the millions of new tax revenue, the employment, not to mention the major blow to B.C. gangs. Does our government, which represents the majority, have the courage to stand up against the feds to exploit this potential export market for the benefit of all British Columbians? Nope. Ken Milbrath Victoria [end]
Economic impact unclear as two U.S. states vote for legal use VANCOUVER - The future appears hazy for British Columbia's thriving underground pot industry, even as two U.S. states have voted to allow citizens to legally use the drug recreationally. Business consequences could range from mild to sending marijuana producers' livelihoods up in smoke, depending on how much of the estimated $6 billion to $8 billion annual economy is currently being exported south of the border, analysts say. Opinion on the impact varies considerably, but those advocating for Canada to adopt a more evidence-based policy on marijuana say this week's votes mean Canada is falling behind the U.S. in developing evidence-based policy. [continues 854 words]
C-10. Federal bill's mandatory sentencing for serious drug crimes came into effect on Tuesday If you grow six marijuana plants, prepare to spend six months in the slammer. Canada's drug prohibition laws got tougher as a component of Bill C-10 came into effect Tuesday, legislation B.C. MLA and former police chief Kash Heed dubbed "ridiculous" when it comes to marijuana. The bill imposes harsher penalties and mandatory jail time for drug offenders who participate in organized crime, sell drugs to or near youth, and produce drugs where they could be a safety hazard to youth or residents. While the law doesn't put mandatory penalties on simple possession, it includes jail time for production of six to 200 marijuana plants and increases maximum sentences to 14 years. [continues 203 words]
Inside British Columbia
