And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1999 09:47:52 -0400
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED],[EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: Lynne Moss-Sharman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Canada 9/23/99
RICHARD CONDO
Ottawa Sun 9/23/99
Condo heated in court
By RICHARD ROIK, Ottawa Sun
Career criminal Richard Condo accused a justice of the peace of
being "unjust" yesterday after his latest court appearance ended
with heated words. Condo, the 35-year-old Ottawa man accused of abducting
his ex-wife and savagely beating her while out on bail last May, had hoped
a special court appearance yesterday would get him a quick trial date. But
Justice of the Peace Mike Jolicoeur shot down the bid before Condo had
finished. "Can I have this remanded to Monday?" Condo then asked. "No,"
Jolicoeur answered. "How's that?" Condo continued. "Because I told you so,"
the JP answered."That's a little unjust," Condo shot back. Only moments
earlier, Crown prosecutor Des McGarry had said he was willing to start the
trial "very quickly," but noted that Condo is still undergoing a
psychiatric assessment at his own request. McGarry also pointed out that
Condo's girlfriend, lawyer Diane Magas, is now a co-accused in the case and
should be present for any legal proceedings. Condo faces a host of charges
connected to the abduction of his estranged wife Yvonne McGuire on May 31.
He was out on bail on charges of criminally harassing McGuire and
assaulting both her father and her lawyer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NEPHEW GUILTY MANSLAUGHTER, UNCLE Roseau Reserve
Winnipeg Sun 9/23/99
CRIMEBRIEFS COLUMN
A nephew who killed his uncle with a "vicious, savage" beating
should spend the next 10 to 12 years in prison, court heard
yesterday. Crown attorney Dale Tesarowski said Arthur Arnold Nelson, 27,
deserved the penalty for pummeling Riley Earl Nelson, 49, to death at a
house party at Roseau Reserve in October 1998. Nelson was charged with
second-degree murder, but a jury convicted him Sept. 3 of manslaughter.
Nelson is "mortified" by the pain he has caused his family, said defence
lawyer Amanda Sansregret. "His mother's brothers and sisters aren't talking
to each other. The family is decimated ... by the death of a family
member." Justice Theodore Glowacki reserved his decision until a report on
the impact Nelson's aboriginal background had on his crime is ready.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WARRIORS TRIAL
Winnipeg lSun 9/23/99
Gang delay fix
By KATHLEEN MARTENS, COURTS REPORTER
Another day, another delay in the Manitoba Warriors trial. But
this two-week recess should put the complex legal case back on
track. The massive conspiracy trial, which accuses an alleged city street
gang of organized crime, has bogged down amid conflict-of-interest
problems. Justice Ruth Krindle proposed a solution yesterday: The legal
firm Phillips Aiello can stay on the case if six independent lawyers
canvassed its six clients about the situation. If the clients agree, their
original lawyers will defend them during the lengthy trial as planned, but
independent lawyers would take over when an alleged
gang-member-turned-Crown-witness
testifies against them. The move is needed to distance Phillips Aiello
lawyers from ex-client Kingsley Kline. The firm cannot cross-examine a
former paying customer. Krindle's other choice was removing Phillips Aiello
from the case over the protests of its clients, who wanted to keep their
lawyers. That move could have delayed the trial another three to six
months. Dave Phillips, a partner in the firm, said his firm wasn't prepared
to pick up the tab for more lawyers. Defence lawyers are being paid by
legal aid, while the salaries of Crown prosecutors, court staff, the judge
and security officers are also funded by taxpayers. The province also spent
$3.5 million building the special Chevrier Boulevard courthouse for the
trial. Krindle said she'd deal with the financial question later.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MASS SUICIDE THREATENED: COLUMBIA
9/23/99
Mass suicide threatened by Colombian tribe
Opponents of oil drilling
Knight Ridder
BOGOTA, Colombia - An Indian tribe that has threatened to jump off
a 425-metre Andean cliff in a collective suicide if oil development
proceeds on ancestral lands has heard some bad news: Exploratory
oil drilling will go ahead. Juan Mayr, the environment minister, issued a
permit on Tuesday for Occidental de Colombia to drill a single exploratory
well at a site abutting an U'wa tribal reserve.
Occidental de Colombia, a subsidiary of the Occidental Petroleum
Corp. of Bakersfield, Calif., said drilling of a 500-metre well at a site
known as Gibraltar would begin in mid-2000.
A spokesman for the U'wa, a remote tribe that believes oil is the
sacred blood of Mother Earth and should be kept in the ground, said
the group was "deeply saddened." "We are looking at the information to see
what action the community will take. Mass suicide is one option we are
considering," Evaristo Tegria, a spokesman for the U'wa tribe, said in a
telephone interview from Cubara, the main town on the tribe's reservation.
Mr. Tegria said U'wa tribal leaders maintain a pledge that some members may
plunge off the "Cliff of Glory" in protest, following oral tribal history
that says hundreds of tribal members took a similar jump in the 1600s when
Spanish conquistadors arrived. "One should not dismiss this possibility,"
he said. Mr. Mayr said the government of President Andres Pastrana had
taken sufficient action to assure the group's survival. On Aug. 6, the
government expanded the reservation for the U'wa from 400 to about 2,200
square kilometres. "Twenty-five percent of Colombian territory is
protected in Indian reservations," he said. "This is a very clear sign of
the importance Colombia gives to its Indian peoples." Occidental de
Colombia will guarantee that any environmental damage to the U'wa
reservation is mitigated, he said.
The site, 345 kilometres northeast of Bogota, lies a little more than one
kilometre from the border of the enlarged U'wa reservation. On the lower
western flanks of the Andes, the site is similar geologically to the nearby
Cano Limon and Cusiana oil fields that have let Colombia blossom into a
significant crude oil exporter in the past decade. Occidental has estimated
potential reserves at the new site at between 600 million and 1.4 billion
barrels, potentially Colombia's largest oil field. Mr. Mayr said
Occidental would be required to obtain new environmental permits if oil is
struck and production is planned. But he noted that Colombia must balance
protection of indigenous groups and environment concerns with development
to ensure economic growth. "As you well know, if there are no new oil
discoveries, Colombia will have to begin importing crude oil by the year
2002, and this would totally affect our trade balance," he said. Colombia
now pumps about 840,000 barrels a day of oil. Since Occidental was granted
rights to drill on U'wa ancestral lands in 1992, U.S. activists have
protested outside its annual shareholder meetings. Protests and a
letter-writing campaign have gained steam in recent years. An Occidental
spokesman, Larry Meriage, said the company has strictly adhered to
government guidelines in the four decades it has been in Colombia.
"We've been an exemplary corporate citizen ... We have always
behaved with a profound sense of social responsibility," Mr. Meriage
said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday, September 23, 1999
Winnipeg Sun
Chief slams slot search
Pashe demands RCMP apology for house raid
By JASON SCOTT, STAFF REPORTER
Dakota Tipi First Nation chief Dennis Pashe is demanding an
apology from the RCMP after police searched a reserve home for
slot machines. Pashe called the Sept. 17 search an abuse of police power
which "caused an unacceptable intrusion. "It was very unprofessional, very
gestapo-like, coming into the reserve terrifying people, terrifying a
family," said Pashe, who has
threatened to blockade train tracks near Portage la Prairie to
protest the provincial government's refusal to let the band run a
casino. The eight-minute search, which started at 8:30 a.m. was a
continuation of the RCMP's original investigation of an illegally run
casino, said Sgt. Steve Saunders. "Our attendance there was lawful. Our
members executed their duties and vacated the premise promptly. There was
no damage done and no abuse of power," said Saunders. "If Mr. Pashe has any
concerns he knows the proper procedures to go through to voice those
concerns." RCMP officers raided the reserve in August and seized 25 slot
machines which were smuggled in from the United States. Pashe said the
search is just more proof the reserve needs its own First Nations police
force.
"This points to the need for our own police force and our need for
our own jurisdiction to be recognized," he said. The band continues to run
several blackjack tables in its bingo hall, but has no slot machines, Pashe
said. A decision to lay charges in the ongoing investigation has not been
made, Saunders said. "No decision has been made one way or the other,"
Saunders said. There may be more searches, he added.
