1996-05-07-2
The Vancouver Sun by Nicholas
Read
[Help our Grizzlies; stop hunting
them]
…
Anthony Marr says…all sport hunting should be abolished…
1996-05-08-3 Ming Pao Daily News, Vancouver by Eric Chan
[Chinese Canadian launching
province-wide anti-bear-hurting referendum]
…
Marr considers killing of bears for entertainment or profit a “barbaric
practice”.
1996-05-15-3
The Vancouver Sun by Brian
Morton
[Bear hunt wish not on list of
foundation in Canada]
…
The local chapter of Canada’s Make-A-Wish Foundation has been swamped with
calls protesting against a 17-year-old Minnesota boy’s being granted a wish by
Make-A-Wish-America to hunt a Kodiak bear… Anthony Marr, who is leading a WCWC
campaign against bear hunting, said Make-A-Wish-Canada should try to persuade
international chapters to ban hunting requests.
1996-05-16-4
The Province, Vancouver by
Charlie Anderson
[Canvassers out to stop bear hunts]
…Anthony
Marr said…, “It’s going to require a massive effort, and we are counting on
friends in other environmental groups to help out.”…
1996-06-05-3
The Westerly News, Tofino, BC
[Referendum road tour aims to stop
bear hunting]
…
“We are convinced that if something is not done now, the bears in BC will go
the same way as the elephant’s and tiger’s and rhino’s paths towards
extinction,” said Marr. “The subject of
this road tour is to halt this downward spiral.”…
1996-06-07-5
The Vancouver Sun
[Laws to curb wildlife trade]
Ottawa
- Environment Minister Sergio Marrchi has brought in stiff new regulations
to curb the illegal trade in wildlife and plants. The regulation provides fines
of up to $300,000 and jail terms of up to five years…Under previous
legislation, it was illegal to import tiger parts into Canada, but once
smuggled into the country such parts could be sold openly.
1996-06-08-6
Nanaimo Daily Free Press by
Paul Walton
[Wildlife group campaigns for
referendum to ban bear hunting]
…
Marr believes that when poaching is included, about 10% of all bears in BC are
killed annually… (he) said that the purpose of this wildlife road tour is to
set up the infrastructure for a referendum vote on banning bear hunting…
1996-06-12-3
Alberni Valley Times
[Wilderness group brings bear campaign
to Port Alberni]
The
Western Canada Wilderness Committee is on the road to protect bears. The Bear
Referendum Road Tour 1996 will be in Port Alberni on Thursday, June 13…
1996-06-15-6
The News, Parksville/Qualicum
by Chris Beacom
[Bear Referendum meeting Friday]
…
Anthony Marr and (campaign assistant) Erica Denison are visiting every town in
the province to drum up support for a petition urging the government to hold a
referendum on outlawing bear hunting… “We’ve had tremendous support on the
island so far,” Marr said, adding that 10% of all registered voters must sign
the petition for a referendum to be held.
1996-06-18-2
Nanaimo Times by Kim Goldberg
[Easy to bag – Let’s vote on bear
hunting]
…
In the biggest and boldest campaign of its ecophilic history, the Western
Canada Wilderness Committee has launched a referendum initiative which, if
successful, could ban all sport and trophy hunting of bears in BC…
1996-06-18-2
Times Colonist, Victoria, BC by
Malcolm Curtis
[Crusader wants everyone to vote on
the future of bear-hunting]
…
“It’s going to be difficult up north and in places like the Chilcotin, but in
the urban areas we see no problem,” Marr said Monday…An Angus Reid poll last
year showed that 78% of British Columbians oppose sport and trophy hunting of
bears…Marr will give a presentation at the University of Victoria on Thursday
night at the Begbie Building, Room 159, starting at 7 p.m.. Admission is free.
1996-06-19-3
The Paper, Parksville/Qualicum
by Valerie Baker
[Anti-hunting referendum proposal
generates debate]
…
Marr was at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre… (He) is on an eight-week
province-wide road tour of BC’s 75 electoral districts…
1996-06-20-4
Times Colonist, Victoria, BC by
Malcolm Curtis
[Bear hunters shoot back]
Bear
hunters are in a growlly mood over an environmental group’s bid to force a
public vote on their sport… “That’s just garbage,” Saanich hunter Terry
Anderson said Wednesday, responding to a Times Colonist report about Marr’s
referendum drive. “Your newspaper did not do justice to the cause of ethical
hunters.”…Marr, meanwhile, is holding a meeting tonight at U.Vic.’s Begbie
Building, Room 159, to promote his campaign.
1996-06-22-6
The News, Parksville/Qualicum,
BC by Chris Beacom
[Crusade to end bear hunting hits
Qualicum Beach]
The
system. Difficult to change and more frustrating even to try. Anthony Marr is
finding out first-hand how far the provincial government needs to be pushed
before change ensues… At the meeting the Chinese-born Marr was questioned by
bear hunters for not cracking down on illegal Asian poaching instead of
focusing on legal hunting… Denison expects battles ahead, especially in towns
like Williams Lake. “They already know we’re coming. They have a front page
headline saying ‘Bear hunting isn’t wrong”, and a hunter there just got killed
by a bear near town. It could be tough,’ she said… Anyone interested in helping
out with the cause can contact the WCWC at 1-800-661-WILD.
1996-07-03-3
The North Island Gazette, Port Hardy,
BC by Rob Giblak
[Group wants bear hunting banned]
…
Anthony Marr visited the North Island recently to enlist volunteers…
1996-07-03-3
The Northern Sentinel, Prince Rupert,
BC by Mary Vallis
[Bear hunt ban call]
…
“It is perverted for people to kill for fun,” Marr maintained, “particularly if
adults take their kids and teach them to kill.”…
1996-07-03-3
The Daily News, Prince Rupert,
BC by Heather Colpitts
[Bear petition circulated]
…
“More than two decades ago, India banned tiger hunting and Kenya outlawed lion
hunting. We have a moral obligation to lead the world, not straggle behind
other countries,” said Marr…
1996-07-05-5
The Daily News, Kamloops, BC by
Mike Cornell
[Environmentalist calls for
bear-hunting ban]
A
controversial environmentalist will talk Monday at the PPWC hall, 427 Lansdowne
St., at 7:30 p.m., about why he wants to see bear hunting banned in BC…
1996-07-05-5
The Prince George Citizen by
Gordon Hoekstra
[Fur flies at meeting to ban bear
hunts]
It
was barely civil and sometimes downright ugly. In the end, it took a
representative of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee close to two hours to
deliver a plea for help to ban bear hunting in BC. Anthony Marr was interrupted, shouted down, and generally abused
by hunters in an audience of more than 100 that spilled out of the conference
room at the Civic Centre Thursday evening…Marr had barely begun…before he was
attacked…
1996-07-08-1
Alaska Highway News, Fort St. John,
BC by Tania Wilson
[Banning bear hunting may help
preserve the species: activist]
…
Anthony Marr, a wildlife activist, was in Fort St. John last week to meet with
local residents, and try to gain support for a referendum to ban bear hunting…
1996-07-09-2
The Daily News, Kamloops, BC by
Michelle Young
[Activist pleads for bear-hunt ban]
With
calm and respect, Anthony Marr faced rapid-fire questioning from hunters and
threw back a plea for them to stop hunting bears…
1996-07-09-2
Echo/Pioneer, Chetwynd, BC by
Rick Davison
[WCWC wants bear hunting banned]
It
will be a tough fight, particularly in these parts, but Anthony Marr of the
WCWC is determined to stop the killing of bears in BC… His stand won him the
admiration of some and the scorn of others…
1996-07-10-3
The Terrace Standard by Dave
Taylor
[Crusader makes bid for bear hunting
ban]
…
Marr says he has to go after legal hunting as well as illegal poaching…
1996-07-10-3
The Mirror, Dawson Creek, BC by
Diana Stephenson
[Saving the bears]
…
Anthony has been touring across the province for the last month, giving
presentations and informing voters on just how much is at stake…
1996-07-10-3
Kamloops This Week by Michelle
Daubney
[Environmentalists and hunters lock
horns]
…
Marr likened letting hunters manage wildlife to “giving our babies to a known
child abuser”…
1996-07-10-3
The Daily News, Kamloops, BC by
Robert Koopmans
[Bear ban sets bad precedent]
The
thought of dead bears in the bush, minus their gallbladders and paws, makes me
cringe. But there’s something in Anthony Marr’s message that ripples my spine
just as much… / It’s not the specifics of Marr’s anti-bear-hunting speech that
are troubling, but what his campaign represents. Marr is the thin edge of a bigger
wedge, an axe aimed at the heart of sport hunting in general…
1996-07-11-4
The Daily News, Kamloops, BC by
Mel Rothenburger
[Culture greatest threat to wildlife]
Culture
and the environment seem to be coming into conflict a lot lately… (Culture) can
be a tremendous barrier to positive change… Earlier this week Anthony Marr
spoke to a few dozen people in Kamloops… / The prime reason is culture… Marr,
who grew up in Hong Kong, understands the culture behind the insatiable
appetite for rare animal parts, but devotes his life to fighting it… Lest
Canadians get a little pious about the atrocities against wildlife committed in
the name of culture in other countries, they should pay close attention to
what’s happening in their own backyard.
1996-07-13-6
The Daily News, Kamloops, BC by
Mel Rothenburger
[Impossible to get issue to a vote]
Nobody
ever promised democracy would be easy. Anthony Marr, who grew up in Hong Kong,
is learning all about that in Canada… Aside from the cogency of his argument,
what struck me most about his objective is the near-impossibility of
success.
The hurdles are staggering… Marr and
WCWC simply won’t be able to get it to a provincial vote…
1996-07-13-6
The Globe and Mail, Ontario
[Bid to end bear hunting to proceed]
The
WCWC has cleared another hurdle in its bid to end sport and trophy hunting of
bears in BC. Chief Electoral Officer Robert Patterson has announced… that
approval in principle has been given to the group’s initiative petition. The
90-day campaign is set to begin September 9…
1996-07-13-6
Times Colonist, Victoria, BC
Canadian Press
[Ban bear-hunt petition set]
…
At least 10% of registered voters in each of BC’s 75 electoral districts must
sign up during the period. / If successful, the anti-bear-hunting petition
would be submitted to the BC legislature to consider a new law or call a
province-wide referendum on the issue.
1996-07-16-2
Elk Valley Miner
[Group seeks to ban all BC bear
hunting]
…
“…Although BC’s bears are not yet considered endangered, at today’s rate of
hunting, poaching and habitat loss, they soon will be. We must exercise some
foresight and keep them from this terrible fate,” says Marr…
1996-07-16-3
The Times, Terrace, BC by
Jennifer Lang
[A vote for the bears]
…
Marr says BC’s wildlife protection laws and policies haven’t caught up with a
new phenomenon… commercial poaching… He says there aren’t enough conservation
officers in BC to stop poaching, but he believes a hunting ban would make
poachers easier to spot…
1996-07-18-4
Alberni Valley Times by Diane
Morrison
[Environmentalists seek referendum to
ban bear hunting]
…
People representing hunters and guides feel the campaign is more likely designed
to raise funds than to protect bears. Wayne Wiebe, a local hunter and guide,
said it is a ‘cutesy’ deal for WCWC to get in there and solicit funds by
getting ‘nitwits’ to send money…
1996-07-18-4
The Vancouver Sun
[Grin and bear it]
…
Paul George, an executive director of the WCWC, in his role as private citizen,
has launched an initiative for An Act to Prohibit the Hunting of Bears… Mr.
George’s worthy petition would have an uphill battle under the b est of
circumstances, especially in many rural areas. BC’s absurd initiative
legislation dooms it – and any other imaginable challenge to the legislature’s
monopoly.
1996-07-19-5
Comox Valley Echo, Courtenay,
BC by Fireweed
[Ursine good fortune on Denman]
…
On the evening of June 16, WCWC campaign director Anthony Marr shared an
enlightening audio-visual presentation in the Denman Hall… In Port Alberni,
just before his Denman engagement, a room full of hunting advocates showed up
to disrupt Marr’s presentation…
1996-07-18-4
Daily News, Nelson, BC by
Jolanda Waskito
[Stop bear hunt, says Marr]
If
wildlife crusader Anthony Marr has his way… Marr, a Chinese-Canadian, said that
both the Chinese and Canadian traditions to kill bears for parts or sport
should be stopped…
1996-07-19-5
Alberni Valley Times, Port Alberni, The Trail Times,
BC by Jolanda Waskito
[Crusader for bear-hunting ban has
tough sell]
…
(Marr) is facing a tough task, especially as he tours the East Kootenay and
comes up against local hunters…
1996-07-19-5
Alberni Valley Times, Port Alberni,
BC by N.E. Hannaford
[Sportsmen should take bid to ban
bear-hunting seriously]
…
One suspects that the urban perspective which predominates in the Wilderness
Committee – another flaming irony if one thinks about it – just abhors hunting.
Thus the successful passing of a law to ban bear hunting might well be followed
by similar measures aimed at other species…
1996-07-20-6
The Okanagan Saturday, Penticton,
BC by Maurice Smith
[Hunters bear down on meeting]
The
head organizer of a campaign to force a referendum on the province’s annual
bear hunt was forced to change venues when a group of hunters crashed his
meeting…
1996-07-21-7
The Morning Star, Vernon, BC by
Richard Rolke
[Bear ban shot down]
North
Okanagan hunters are afraid that a ban on killing bears in BC could actually
increase the slaughter of bruins and put more people at risk… “A misdirected
idea.”…
1996-07-24-3
Capital News, Kelowna, BC by
Jean Russell
[WCWC loaded for bear – Petition drive
launched]
…
about 15 prohunters turned out at the meeting in Kelowna on Friday. / Don
Guild, secretary-treasurer of the Okanagan branch of WCWC, said Monday the
hunting supporters made it difficult to make progress. “They tried to dispute
(Marr’s) figures before he even gave them…”
1996-07-24-3
The Morning Sun, Parksville/Qualicum,
BC by Valerie Baker
[Taking aim at the trade in illegal
bear parts]
…
“During the next 60 days, we are scrambling to get as many official canvassers
as we can,” says Paul George, WCWC Founding Director… Anthony Marr is currently
on an eight week provincial tour garnering support… Since his presentation in
Qualicum Beach on June 17, around 30 local people have volunteered to be
canvassers… / Not all ridings welcome Marr’s crusade, particularly Port
Alberni, Prince George and Kamloops, which he visited recently. Hunters there
challenged him on…
1996-07-31-3
The Morning Sun, Parksville/Qualicum,
BC by Valerie Baker
[Taking aim on the illegal trade in
bear parts]
Editor’s
note: As many of you noticed – judging by your phone calls – our computer
managed to muck up last week’s story on the initiative… Here then is the way
the story was supposed to read…
1996-07-31-3
The Salmon Arm Observer by
Gordon Priestman
[Seeks local support for bear
referendum]
Anthony
Marr brought his one-man crusade to Salmon Arm Thursday night… In what seems
close to Mission Impossible, Marr has been touring the province since the
beginning of June, hold at least one meeting a day and often more, seven days a
week… Along the way he’s run into a lot of opposition from organized hunter
groups but that doesn’t deter Marr… Marr believes in what he’s doing…
1996-08-01-4
The Shuswap Sun, Salmon Arm, BC
by Dan Odenbach
[Just another meeting Marred by
Anthony]
Compared
to his other meetings around the province, Anthony Marr’s last stop in Salmon
Arm was a tame one. / Marr held an informational meeting, sponsored by the
WCWC, in the Salmon Arm Community Centre last week… Organizers wouldn’t release
the place and time of the meeting because they feared bear hunters would show
up and be disruptive.
“There
is no point holding a public meeting if it’s going to be destroyed by all the
interruptions. If they have a beef, let them hold their own meeting,” said
local WCWC member Alan Bangay…
1996-08
Sing Tao Weekend Magazine (Chinese), global
[When the bear hunt season opens,
whose cry will be the loudest?]
…
WCWC campaign director Anthony Marr spent June and July visiting over 40 cities
and towns to publicize the initiative… He was interviewed by newspapers more
than 150 times, and by TV and radio more than a dozen times. Along his route,
he also signed up more than 1,500 volunteers…
1996-08
EcoNews, Victoria, BC by Guy
Dauncy
[BC referendum to stop bear killing
for trophy and sport]
This
coming September, WCWC will be launching a 90 day campaign to collect
signatures from 10% of the registered voters in every constituency in BC… WCWC
is looking for 50 canvassers in each of BC’s 75 electoral districts, to collect
signatures. To be a canvasser, you must be a registered BC voter, have lived in
BC for the last 6 months, and must witness each signature collected. If you
want to be a canvasser…
1996-08
The Question, Whistler, BC by
Loreth Beswetherick
[Are our bears in danger?]
Early
August could see wildlife activist Anthony Marr arriving in Whistler to drum up
support for a controversial campaign… / If successful, the WCWC will be the
organization in the province to use BC’s new Recall and Initiative Act to
launch a referendum since it was passed two years ago…
1996-08-01week
The Daily News, Kamloops, BC by
Eleanor Kohnert
[Save the bears]
Editors:
Anthony Marr from the WCWC is not alone… Organizations and an ever-growing
number of individuals are supporting his endeavour. However, a huge hunting
guiding and gun lobby will use all the firepower in their possession to defeat
the proposal… Even if WCWC’s efforts… fail… the issue will be moved into the
political arena… The concession to First Nations of allowing Grizzly bears to
be killed for ceremonial purposes (however) is ludicrous…
1996-08-01week
The Georgia Straight, Vancouver,
BC by Charlie Smith
[Hunters target Marr]
During
a recent provincewide tour, WCWC wildlife campaigner Anthony Marr discovered
how difficult it will be to achieve a ban on bear hunting… In public meetings
to promote holding a vote on the issue, he was usually hounded by dozens of
angry hunters who tried to intimidate him. “In Port Alberni, 60 of them showed
up, and there were only five environmentalists,” Marr said. “They are organized
and they are hostile, and when they show up, it’s 10 to one – ten of them to
one environmentalist.”… Marr will speak about this issue on Thursday (August 8)
at the H.R. MacMillan Planetarium at 7:30 p.m.- and he expects to see angry
hunters in the audience. “I’m beginning to enjoy confronting them,” he
chuckled.
1996-08-02-5
The Vancouver Sun
by Larry Pynn
[Activist angers hunters with campaign
to outlaw bear hunt through referendum]
Anthony
Marr is on almost every hunter’s hit list for his efforts to get bear hunting
banned in BC… Marr has just completed a seven-week-tour of more than 50 BC
communities… It hasn’t been easy for Marr, who has been dogged by hunters
equally determined to kill his campaign before it gets off the ground… ‘I know
some gung fu, but I can take on only one unarmed hunter at a time,’ he says
with a smile…
“Deep
down inside, it's a moral issue,” says Marr, who estimates that at least 90 per
cent of hunters shoot bears for the trophy and that 65 per cent actually come
from urban areas.
“It's
immoral to kill for entertainment. And abominable that adult teach their
children to kill for fun.”...
The
BC Wildlife Federation has set aside $40,000 so far to counter the
environmentalists. The hunter lobby will place ads, and attempt to shadow
petition canvassers as they make their way door to door...
Realizing
that hunters would probably lose a referendum on bear hunting, the Federation
knows it must stop the environmentalists now. The hunters will
concentrate their efforts in pro-hunting interior communities and leave the
urban areas alone.
“The
hunters' message is that poaching is not out of control, that bear populations
can support hunting and that hunting is a valid way for wildlife officials to
manage populations.
“Even
if all the logic is on our side, it is hard to counter emotion,” Federation
President John Holdstock) said.
Saying
that hunters legally kill 4,000 Black bears and 350 Grizzlies a year in BC,
Marr argues that the hunting ban will help protect BC bears from inevitable
onslaught of poaching to meet the rising Asian herbal-medicine trade in gall
bladders.
To
that end, Marr is waging a simultaneous campaign to educate the Chinese community.
“We
have a moral obligation to lead the world,” he said. "I feel it will
get much worse before, and if, it gets better.”...
Marr...
was born in China in 1944 and fled to Hong Kong with his family during the
Communist revolution in 1949. He moved to Canada in 1965, first to
Winnipeg and then to Vancouver, eventually receiving his bachelor of science
degree from the University of BC.
He...
worked as a geophysicist in the northern wilderness for mineral exploration
companies - 'that's when I became bonded with nature' - before joining WCWC as
a campaigner last year...
1996-08-06-2
Salmon Arm Shopper Guide by
Ruth Keskinen
[Bears possibly endangered in BC in
the future]
Anthony
Marr, who grew up in Hong Kong, has a message for Canadians. Our Grizzly bears
may become endangered within a few years, and our Black bears may be under
similar pressure very soon after that since the Chinese have nearly completely
wiped out their own Asiatic Black bear population…
1996-08-08
The Valley Voice, New Denver, BC
[Bear Protection Act campaign gets
under way]
Anthony
Marr, lead campaigner for the WCWC, has received approval for $75,000 from the
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) for his tiger conservation
work…
1996-08-09
Pique Newsmagazine, Whistler,
BC by David Gowman
[Letter to the Editor]
…
The extreme positions taken by environmentalists such as Anthony Marr are
telling us all to wake up and smell the coffee before the pot boils over…
1996-08-17-6
The Vancouver Sun, [Westcoast
People]
by Mia Stainsby
[Caught at cultural
crossroads – Chinese-Canadian environmentalist upsets some Asians and
Caucasians alike as he fights against the use of animal parts as Chinese
medicines, among other traditions]
Anthony
Marr, the man who's threatening to take all the fun out of bear hunting... is
in a show down with hunters, who aren't taking too kindly to his quest... The
winding path that brought him to this juncture appeared before him
unexpectedly.
In
truth, Marr would rather be with his “baby”, a book over 800 pages long, called
[OMNI-SCIENCE - A New Cosmology], which he began writing in 1978.
“So,
what is he doing in conflict over bear hunting, after spending decades writing
about cosmic harmony? On a recent tour of 40 BC interior communities, he
faced roomsful of angry hunters and has a fistful of press clippings about the
dust-ups. On the other hand, he also found supporters in these
communities.
Being
Chinese-Canadian has almost everything to do with Marr's environmental
activism. The more he heard about the Chinese use of animal parts,
especially parts from animals on the endangered species list, the more he
felt compelled to speak up.
“Something's
got to be done about this,” he said to his (mostly Caucasian) friends.
“And I think a Chinese person should do it. And I think you're looking at
him.” That was three and a half years ago...
“I
was going to finish my book last year, but all of a sudden my time was
usurped. Saving endangered species. It was more urgent, but
the book, whenever it comes out, will remain the central core of my
achievement.”
His
book, he says, is an integration of all the sciences and -ologies into a single
body, which he calls Omni-Science. “I look at nature from all angles at
once, which gives forth a new philosophical system where we human beings find a
place...”
Love
may have something to do with Marr's critical take on Chinese culture.
“My first true was a Chinese woman, but her family forced her to break up with
me or suffer the pain of being disowned,” he recalls. “That is a fate
worse than death for a Chinese girl, and so she acquiesced. Her parents
felt our two families’ social positions didn't match. That was in 1967,
and I became very disenchanted with the Chinese culture because of it.
I've never dated a Chinese woman since,” he said.
The
Chinese reaction to Marr is mixed. At schools, where he gives talks on
the Asian use of animals, he gets enthusiastic support from students (many of
whom being of Chinese descent).
…
“When I’m on Chinese radio talk shows, two of the most common questions are:
“Why are you trying to blacken the Chinese reputation?” and “What is more
important, humans or animals?”
“My
answer is that, on the contrary, I'm trying to save the Chinese reputation from
eternal damnation, because if we carry on the way we have and drive some of the
species to extinction, then our reputation will be forever mud, and we can
never regain respect in the eyes of the world. I tell them that I'm
working for human beings too. What kind of world are we passing on to our
kids?”...
1996-08-21-3
The Express, Nelson, BC by
Ethan Baron
[Group seeks beat hunting ban]
…
“We’re focusing on bears and bears alone because of the recent huge escalation
of poaching of them for gallbladders and other parts for the Asian market,”
said Anthony Marr…
“The
only thing we can achieve in very short order is to eliminate that four percent
legally hunted, to slacken the pressure on them, to buy some time…”
1996-09
The Common Ground, Vancouver,
BC
by Sue Fox, WCWC
[BET’R vote yes in Bear Referendum]
…
“…BC has the potential to become the ecotourism capital of the world, if we
start conserving our natural resources right now,” Anthony said… Anthony’s road
tour drew numerous highly dedicated volunteers and widespread media support as
well as audiences of hostile hunters…
1996-09-09-1
The Province, Vancouver, BC by
John Bermingham
[Bear-hunt opponents seek referendum]
…
“The deadliest enemy is not the hunters, but the apathy of the ‘silent
majority’,” said Marr…
1996-09-09-1
The Globe and Mail, national by
Craig McInnes
[All in favour of saving bear, vote
yes – BC tests referendum law]
…
the critics say the hurdles set by the law render hollow the promise that
people will be able to take matters into their own hands if politicians refuse
to act as citizens believe they should…
1996-09-10-2
The Province, Vancouver, BC by
John Colbourn
[Poaching won’t be tolerated – Ramsey]
…
“I respect the people who have brought this (petition) forwards,” said
(Environment Minister Paul) Ramsey. “Whether or not banning hunting is a part
of preserving the bear population is something the public is going to have to
decide.”…
1996-09-10-2
Sing Tao Daily (Chinese), international
[Anti-bear hunt petition launched]
…
Ma Seeu Sung urges the Chinese community to stand up and speak out…
1996-09-10-2
Ming Pao (Chinese), international
[Battle for the bear commences]
…
Hunter Med Crotteau rebukes Ma’s campaign as being insulting to the Chinese
community…
1996-09-17-2
The Daily News, Kamloops, BC by
Michelle Young
[Bear crusader says pro-hunting side
well organized]
An
anti-bear-hunt crusader says he wasn’t surprised by the response of callers to
his appearance on a Kamloops radio talk-show Monday morning.
Anthony
Marr of the WCWC said the show, hosted by Daily News editor Met Rothenburger on
JC-55, drew 19 callers in favour of the hunt, five against.
The
pro-hunting side is well organized and plugged up phone lines, he said about
his appearance against BC Wildlife Federation president John Holdstock… “The 5
versus 19 call-ins illustrates that the silent majority is still silent,” he
said…
1996-09-18-3
The Daily News, Kamloops, BC by
Michelle Young
[Bear-hunt ban campaign strains ties
between wilderness allies]
…
BC Wildlife Federation president… John Holdstock said the WCWC’s effort …has
already upset his group’s members.
“I’ve
never seen our membership so angry,” he said. “An initiative like this goes to
the core of what we do and what we believe in.”… “Anthony Marr has been trying
to sell it as an anti-poaching issue. It’s a pro-poaching issue.”…
1996-09-20-5
Victoria News, Weekend Edition
by Andrew van der Guglen
[WCWC on its own bear hunt]
…Behind
the campaign is the premise that the province’s bear population is threatened
by hunting, poaching and habitat loss…
1996-09-25-3
The Vancouver Sun by Larry Pynn
[BC Wildlife Federation forced to
apologize for accusing WCWC of terror tactics]
The
BC Wildlife Federation … has pulled the fall issue of its magazine off
newsstand shelves because it contains defamatory statements against the
WCWC.
As
well, in ads appearing in The Vancouver Sun and Province newspapers, the
federation makes a public apology for describing the environmental group, which
prides itself on adopting legal tactics, as terrorists… In his editorial, (BCWF
executive director Doug) Walker likened the WCWC to ‘terrorists groups who
threaten human lives, burn houses, send razor blades in the mail or kill family
pets to get attention…’…
Wilderness
Committee director Paul George said in an interview the recall of the magazines
and the apology in the Vancouver dailies is only a first step. The Federation
must also apologize in smaller papers throughout the province and agree to pay
all the Committee’s legal costs in launching the BC Supreme Court libel suit
against the Federation, Walker and president John Holdstock…
1996-09-26-4
Terminal City, Vancouver, BC by
Paul Johnson
[Ban bear hunting]
…
One of BC’s foremost environmental organizations has discovered just how
difficult the process surrounding citizens’ referendum can be. The WCWC is
seeking to…
“The
rules are just about unworkable,” says WCWC’s Anthony Marr. Their first problem
is that referendum rules stipulate that there can be only one proponent for a
referendum, but an unlimited number of opponents. In this case, Marr says, it’s
WCWC against 107 parties: 69 organizations and 38 individuals… WCWC is also
bogged down in the mechanics of the process… Marr points out that while
referendums are common in many American states, “in BC things are so tough that
no one has been successful in organizing a referendum.”
1996-10-05-6
Daily Free Press, Nanaimo, BC
by Mark Brett
[Bear poaching on increase locally]
…
Conservation officer Ron Heusen…said,… “We’ve had four kills in the last month
right in the Nanaimo District area. In six years I’ve heard of maybe four
carcasses poached for parts, and in one month, we’ve had four go down. There is
no doubt it’s increasing.”… Meanwhile, Anthony Marr… is on his second road tour
of BC…
1996-10-07-1
Macleans Magazine, national
[Hunted down by the law]
It
was a case of ready, fire, aim for the BC Wildlife Federation, a group
representing hunters in BC. With 25,000 copies of the September/October issue
of its magazine, Outdoor Edge, already delivered to their BC members, the BC
group had to abruptly cancel the remainder of its distribution, pull 60 copies
from store shelves, and print a public apology in Vancouver newspapers last
week. At issue were remarks that the cancelled edition contained about the
WCWC…
1996-10-08-2
The Northerner, Fort St. John,
BC by Richards
[Peace River Regional
District takes a stand against ban on bear hunting]
…
The BC Wildlife Federation is mounting its own campaign to counter WCWC’s. Doug
Walker, executive director of BCWF, rallied members in his column in Outdoor
Edge magazine. The Federation is hoping to raise $500,000 for radio and TV air
time and newspaper space in order to overshadow the petition. Walker is asking
members to donate about $25 each to help with the cause. ‘I think we can all
give up one box of shells or a tank of gas to preserve our hunting heritage,”
he wrote……
Marr
is stuck in a very hard place. If he only demands higher penalties and more
protection for animals against poachers, he has hunters on his side, but as
soon as he turns around and addresses the other side, he is met with complete
opposition.
“Hunters
go for the head and hide and poachers go for the gall and paws; they are all
after bear parts…” Marr said...
1996-10-12-6
The News, Parksville, BC by
Bruce Whitehead
[Bear Crusader takes man on the
speaking tour from hell]
No
matter how open-minded you are, you likely wouldn’t pick Anthony Marr out to be
an environmental activist - let alone one that some have called “the most hated
man in BC”.
But
the…Chinese-Canadian physicist has almost single-handedly managed to fire up
emotions in every corner of the province…
1996-10-12-6
The Saturday Okanagan, Kelowna, BC
[Anti-hunting campaign rolls into
valley]
Anthony
Marr is in the Okanagan this weekend organizing supporters to gather signatures
against bear hunting… At least 20 local volunteers have applied with Elections
BC to be registered canvassers. But so far, the necessary paperwork has not
come through, Marr said…
1996-10-13-7
Prince George This Week
[Apathy ‘greatest opponent’ to bear
referendum]
…
WCWC’s ambitious attempt… “Our biggest problem isn’t the law, it isn’t the
hunters – it’s the apathy of the silent majority,” said Anthony Marr. “Apathy
is our greatest opponent.”…
1996-10-15-2
Times Colonist, Victoria, BC by
Malcolm Curtis
[Anti-hunt activists face uphill
battle for vote]
In
areas where hunting is as common as walking the dog, canvassing for signatures
is not for the weak-hearted.. In a 12,000-km road trip to promote the
referendum last summer, Marr often found himself confronting hallsful of angry
hunters… The volunteers – 50 are already signed up in the Capital Region – have
to be registered with the provincial government in a time-consuming process
that involves 5 mailings…
1996-10
Mainstreet, Crawford Bay, BC by
Susan Hulland
[The Ban Bear Hunting Initiative, an
exercise in democracy]
…
This initiative is part of a larger global process called the BET’R Campaign.
Launched in 1995 and founded by an Asian named Anthony Marr…
The
really interesting thing about this initiative is that there’s more at stake
here than first meets the eye. Some hunters believe this is the first step in
the total ban on all hunting…
Understandably…
the big guns will be coming out of the bushes representing all sides of the
issue. Also, the gallery is filling up quickly with interested parties who
stand to lose or gain in some way depending on the final result.
Hunters
and hunting support groups such as guides, outfitters and taxidermists are
lining up on one side with lots of ranchers and pro-gun lobbyists. Supporters
of the hunting ban are being joined by numerous scientists concerned for
species diversity, animal rights proponents, and pacifists of all kinds.
You
can be darned sure the bad guys are watching, too. Irrespective of the final
outcome..., heightened public awareness about bear hunting issues will affect
their way of doing business. This will reverberate throughout the community of
those who prosper from both the legal and illegal killing of bears, from our
local community poachers to the sophisticated international criminals who deal
in the animals parts commodities market.
You
can also be sure the politicians are watching this process. And… also lots of
other public advocacy groups…
1996-10-16-3
The Morning Sun, Vernon, BC by
Richard Rolke
[Bear hunting ban under the gun]
…
Marr said that while only one proponent – the WCWC – can push for the
referendum, and unlimited number of opponents – in this case 107 hunting groups
– can fight the petition campaign. “Further, the single proponent must work all
75 districts to ensure all succeed, whereas the 107 opponents need concentrate
on one district. If we fail in just one district, the whole project fails. The
rules are stacked against us.”
1996-10-16-3
The Vancouver Sun by Larry Pynn
[Victim of bear attack back campaign
to end hunting]
Chilliwack
– Just two months after he was mauled while camping, Jackson Brown would seem
an unlikely person to sign a petition against bear hunting.
But
Brown says he holds no grudge against bears…
1996-10-16-3
The Penticton Herald
[Campaign to ban bear hunt seeks help]
…
Anthony Marr said he has about 15 people in the Penticton area so far to
collect 3,200 signatures… Marr said about two-thirds of some 2,000 volunteers
have so far been approved…
1996-10-16-3
The Beachcomber, Saanich, BC
[Bear hunt protestors seek petition
support]
…
The group says that, on a global scale, bears are in decline. Four of the
world’s seven bear species are endangered, and Grizzly and Polar bears are in
decline. The America Black bear is the only species still doing relatively
well… “We must act now to save BC bear from endangerment. Our BC bears are
faced with the same threats as the Asiatic Black and Russian Brown bears,” said
the bear initiative co-ordinator for Greater Victoria, Liora Freedman.
1996-10-17-4
The Sun, Vernon, BC
[Bid to ban bear hunting spreading]
Despite
the odds, Anthony Marr is bearing down… “Even though we may not succeed in the
petition, we’ll have launched a powerful educational campaign,” he said…
1996-10-18-5
The Trail Times by Lana Rodlie
[Shooting to ban bear hunting]
Anthony
Marr knows his chances of getting a provincial referendum on banning bear
hunting is about as probable as a snowflake’s chance on a hotplate, but he’s
trudging along getting signatures anyway… “Every observer says we can’t do it,”
Marr said… While touring the province… he has been scorned, yelled at,
intimidated, threatened and slandered.
In
Penticton, 50 hunters showed up to disrupt a meeting… More hunters overran a
similar meeting in Prince George and in Kamloops.
In
Campbell River, he was told by one hunter that he saw Marr on TV, and the price
on Marr’s head “just went up $10,000”, and another cited Marr’s Chinese
Canadian heritage as “doing damage to our culture”. In Port Alberni, 60
hunters… Marr doesn’t care if he is up against insurmountable odds, he still
hopes to get his message out… One of the most frequently asked questions by
hunters is why they are being persecuted when the real culprits are poachers.
Marr said that they are both culprits, and the difference between a hunter and
a poacher is irrelevant if you’re a bear.
When
told that hunters could help by watching for poachers, Marr said that was like
“wolves keeping coyotes from sheep.”…
1996-10-18-5
Victoria News by Wendy Cook
[Anthony Marr targeted by angry
hunters in the north]
…
Marr says BC hunters seem to be short-sighted in their vision of the potential
crisis. “They don’t accept the global scene. They say ‘This is BC, don’t talk
about Asia’ but the world is getting pretty small. What happens over here has
an effect over there and vice versa,” he says.
BCWF’s
Doug Walker does not agree. “To say expansion in China will increase the use of
bear parts here is unfair…,” he says…
1996-10-21-1
Nelson Daily News by Bob Hall
[Hunting opponents struggle]
Anthony
Marr admits it is a daunting task, but has vowed to go the distance in the
effort to ban bear hunting in BC… “Pessimists say it is possible but very
difficult and optimists say it is very difficult but possible,” said Marr, who
was in Nelson over the weekend to rally support of volunteers who are
collecting signatures. “We’re saying the latter and have to work on that
premise to just keep going…”
1996-10-23-3
Peninsula News Review, Saanich,
BC by Brian Dryden
[Bear opponents hunting for Peninsula
support]
…
One of the canvassers in Sidney set up tables in front of local grocery stores
to give the campaign high visibility…
1996-10-24-4
Summerland Review, Summerland, BC
[Group bears legislative flaws]
…
numerous legal obstacles… In each riding a different set of petition is used…
If signatures in even one riding are less than 10% of eligible voters, the
whole petition becomes invalid. / Another obstacle is that the petition must be
completed by Dec. 9, or 90 days after it was started…
1996-11-04-1
The Trail Times by Lana Rodlie
[Petition booth axed after threats to
mall]
…
The problem stemmed from a visit to Trail several weeks ago by Anthony Marr…
Although Marr said he was scorned, yelled at, intimidated, threatened and
slandered in other parts of the province, no one thought such tactics would be
used here.
Unfortunately,
for John and Rachel Kratky, intimidation raised its ugly head after Marr
left.
The
Kratkys volunteered to help Marr’s cause by locally obtaining signatures. They
approached Waneta Plaza and asked if they could set up a table in the
mall.
The mall manager saw no
problem and said it was alright. However, the decision was quickly
reversed.
“We
were told that we couldn’t set up because the mall had received a bunch of
phone calls from people threatening to picket,” said Rachel Kratky… Waneta
Plaza manager Linda MacDermid confirms… MacDermid said this is the first time
anyone has ever called with threats over a proposed petition campaign or
anything else.
“We’ve
always had all sorts of groups with petitions. Even when we had Pro-Choice
people, we’ve never had any calls. Yet…”…
1996-11-12-2
The Citizen, Prince George, BC
by Gordon Hoekstra
[Bear hunt opponents bring the
campaign here]
The
WCWC is sending a swat team to Prince George in a last ditch effort… Expected
to arrive this Friday for a three-day stay, the team is to roll into town with
a caravan of two or three vehicles – at least one of them highly decorated with
banners – and set up shop, said bear protection campaign manager Anthony Marr
from Vancouver… This summer, prior to the launch of the 90-day petition
campaign, Marr received a less than warm reception from hunters at an
information session here.
Marr
said he expects it will get even hotter this time. “We’re in the home stretch, and we’re
fighting.”…
The
WCWC would be better off directing its attention to curtailing the Asian market
that deal in bear parts, says groups like the BC Wildlife Federation…
1996-11-13-3
The Citizen, Prince George, BC by
Gordon Hoekstra
[Malls turn away bear hunt opponents]
Unable
to get permission to set up their ban-bear-hunting petition drive at any of the
malls here, a Lower Mainland preservation group will try to gather signatures
near the Civic Centre starting Friday.
In
general, the malls told him that they didn’t want to alienate anyone, Anthony
Marr said Tuesday… Marr believes many more people would have become bear
petition canvassers in rural areas, but they’ve been intimidated by a strong
counter reaction to the ban-bear-hunting campaign, especially in the Central
Interior…
But
he added, “We’ve got a job to do, and we’re giving it our best shot.”…
1996-11-13-3
The Globe and Mail, national
[Bear-hunt ban sought]
The
WCWC is sending a team of environmentalists to Prince George in a last ditch
effort to gather signatures to ban bear hunting in BC. The group will set up
near polling stations during the civic elections on Saturday, said campaign
direct Anthony Marr… Only 20,000 signatures have been turned in to the
Committee (to date).
1996-11-14-4
The Free Press, Prince George,
BC by David Plug
[City won’t block bear banners from
polling stations]
…
A mobile campaign by the WCWC sets up shop in downtown Prince George tonight,
and organizer Anthony Marr says local polling stations will be key sites for
their petition for a referendum on bear hunting.
While
municipal campaigners won’t be allowed within 100 meters of the polls, no such
restriction applies to the WCWC canvassers.
“…
There’s nothing in the Municipal Act that prohibits it as long as they’re not
interfering with the election process or campaigning for a candidate,” says
Joni Heinrich, Prince George’s deputy city clerk.
Of
some concern is how heated encounters between canvassers and hunters will
become… When asked if he expected some sort of fireworks when canvassers and
hunters meet face-to-face, Marr replied, “No doubt, but we are willing to deal
with it when it happens. We would like people to know that this is a totally
legal process and totally democratic. We are playing by the book and hope the
opponents do the same.”…
Their
mobile campaign will travel to the Peace River region next week and could
return here again on their way to Prince Rupert… (Marr) has arranged radio
interviews for tomorrow morning on CBC-AM and CIRX/CJCI but not with CKPG’s Ben
Meisner. “I’ve had two encounters with
him and neither one was enjoyable,” said Marr…
1996-11-14-4
Island Tides, Victoria, BC by
Serena van Bakel
[Bear Care on election day – first
citizen initiative]
…
Paul George, Founding Director of WCWC, is the first person (by law, a
proponents must be a person, not an organization) to seriously attempt to use
BC’s new Recall and Initiative Act to bring forward citizen-generated
legislation…
1996-11-15-5
Times Colonist, Victoria, BC by
Malcolm Curtis
[Organizers of ban on bear hunting
face another hurdle]
…
Organizers of the Ban Bear Hunting Initiative planned to collect signatures…
outside more than 50 polling stations in the Capital Region on Saturday,
municipal election day.
However,
BC law bans canvassing within 100 meters of any polling station…
1996-11-15-5
Victoria New, Weekend Edition
by Brian Dryden
[Bear activists piggyback on polls]
…
To hit the target in the Capital Region, (WCWC’s Victoria campaign coordinator
Liora Freedman says the blitz of municipal election polling stations will
involve more than 80 canvassers who are registered to collect signatures.
John
Marshall, deputy chief electoral officer for Victoria’s municipal election,
says…, “As long as they are not connected to any candidates then they can do
that…”…
1996-11-16-6
The Citizen, Prince George, BC
by Gordon Hoekstra
[Bear ‘ban-wagon’ gets cool reception]
…
Battling the wind and -10C temperatures, WCWC canvassers from Vancouver set up
tables Friday at the intersection of Victoria Street and 7th Avenue
to gather signatures… Hunter Brad Davis stopped to protest the bear skin
propped on top of the 24-foot, banner-decorated motor home, which he thought
was in bad taste…
“It
takes a lot of guts to be out here, and they need all the support they can
get,” said Chris Leischner, an avowed environmentalist who signs the
petition…
The
11-person caravan came to the North because the petition has struggled here…
1996-11-16-6
Times Colonist, Victoria, BC by
Malcolm Curtis
[Bear canvassers will go ahead]
…
Victoria’s chief electoral officer John Marshall said this week that the bear
referendum advocates cannot collect signatures within 100 meters of any polling
station… Municipal Affairs spokeswoman Karin Harris said it will be up to
electoral officers to interpret provincial legislation that regulates permitted
activity outside polling stations.
But
Greg McDade, lawyer for the Sierra Legal Defence Fund, said there is nothing
wrong with people collecting signatures for a petition outside a polling
place.
The
Municipal Act prevents people from soliciting votes or other activities
designed to influence a municipal election (wearing signs, carrying flags or
leafleting) with 100 meters of a polling station.
Terry
Kirk, chief electoral officers for Saanich, said his municipality will not be
preventing bear referendum supporters from gathering signatures…
1996-11-16-6
Times Colonist, Victoria, BC by
Malcolm Curtis
[Hunting foes target voters in bid to
force referendum]
…
Organizers of the Ban Bear Hunting Initiative say they will have canvassers
outside 53 of 57 polling stations in Greater Victoria on voting day, in a bid
to gather more than 20,000 signatures.
“We
are quite shy of our goal,” says Liora Freedman of WCWC… As of Tuesday, the
group said it had collected fewer than 3,000 signatures from the 7 provincial
ridings around Victoria.
“That’s
misleading,” said Freedman, noting that many canvassers have collected more
signatures, but have not yet mailed them in…
1996-11-17-7
The Free Press, Prince George,
BC by David Plug
[Act needs revision to deal with
referendum problems]
…supporters
of a ban on bear hunting were allowed to (collect signatures) outside polling
stations in some cities and not others…
“There’s
nothing that prohibits them from being there. The petition has standing under
the Recall and Initiative Act…,” says city clerk Allan Chabot. “As long as their campaign doesn’t take on
local flavour or begins to implicate one candidate or another, and it remains
peaceful, we don’t have the authority to do anything.”
In
Vancouver, they took a different track and told canvassers to stay away from
polling stations…
1996-11-19-2
Alberni Valley Times, Port Alberni,
BC by Diane Morrison
[Physician takes up cause of wild
bears in valley]
Mike
Barrett would rather see Black bears used as a natural resource to attract
tourists than to see them used as an attraction for hunters to kill… Dr.
Barrett is one of the volunteers collecting signatures…
“Eco-tourism,
and soft adventure tourism, is the biggest growth area in the economy on the
West Coast…,” he said…
1996-11-20-3
The Vancouver Sun Canadian
Press
[Bear-hunt foe threatens to sue]
Prince
George - … Barney Kern of the WCWC was collecting signatures in the Civic
Centre on Saturday while voting took place.
He
said he was ordered to leave by chief electoral officer Allan Chabot and city
manager George Paul. “We do not need
permission to collect signatures in a public place,” said Kern…
1996-11-20-3
The Mirror, Sooke, BC by Mitch
Moore
[Bear hunting protestors cry foul]
…
Kerry Fedosenko, the returning officer at the Saseenos school polling station,
said she was instructed by the chief electoral officer Thomas Moore to ask a
lone canvasser to move from the school… The canvasser, Jefferson Bray,
complied
Later,
however, Bray and two other supporters moved back closer to the entrance and
Moore contacted the Sooke RCMP.
Bray
said he reluctantly complied until he was told by other ‘Bear Day’ volunteers
that Fedosenko had no authority to ask him to move.
“I
was told that I was well within my rights to be there. I wasn’t blocking people’s access and I was
not representing any of the candidates… He refused to move when asked by RCMP
officers. They eventually let him stay…
1996-11-21-4 The
Tribune, Williams Lake, BC by Jonathan
Desbarats
[Bear campaign confrontation]
A
group campaigning to ban bear hunting in BC was turfed out of Boltanio Mall
yesterday after a confrontation with the president of the Williams Lake
Sportsman’s Association…
1996-11-21-4
The Daily News, Kamloops, BC
[Bear Care-A-Van parked for petition]
…
while (Marr) was in Prince George, one man threatened to punch him in the face
and another deliberately bumped his shoulder while walking past… hard enough to
spin Marr around.
But
in two days, 1,700 signatures were gathered in Prince George…
1996-11-22-5
Kamloops This Week by Jennifer
Muir
[Hunting protest in homestretch]
WCWC
volunteers Barney Kern and Jon French do their best to stay warm while
collecting signatures on the ban the bear hunt petition at the corner of Third
and Victoria Thursday… WCWC spokesman Anthony Marr says at present the
organization has up to 40,000 signatures…
1996-11-22-5
The Daily News, Kamloops, BC
[Bear-ban campaign passes through
city, collects 450 more signatures on petition]
…
You couldn’t miss Gloria Fraser, decked out in a hot pink snowsuit as she asked
passersby if they wanted to put their names to a petition to stop bear hunting
in the province.
“I
have watched the demise of our wildlife for over 50 years,” she said….
1996-11-24-7
Ming Pao, global (Chinese) by
Eric Chan
[Ma Shiu-Sang incites Chinese
Canadians to sign anti-bear-hunt petition]
…
Ma Shiu-Sang and his volunteers gathered several hundred signatures at the
Aberdeen Centre yesterday…
1996-11-25-1 The
Trail
Times by
David Wilford
[Shoot surplus bears and cougars]
To
the Editor: … The next enemy we have is a guy called Marr…
1996-11-26-2
The Penticton Herald
[Sights set on saving bears]
…
Barney Kern… At his own expense, he took time off work and rented a motor home
to collect signatures for the Ban Bear Hunting Initiative…
1996-11-29-4
The Free Press, Prince George,
BC by B. Elliott
[Bear hunting ban signers should be
proud]
I
was not surprised by the intimidating, dirty behaviour of some wildlife killers
during Western Canada Wilderness Committee’s visit… Some wildlife killers and
their supporters carried over their violent actions from defenseless animals to
non-violent animal supporters, going so far as to tear up a petition sheet with
signatures…
1996-11-30-6
The Vancouver Sun by Ian
Graysom
[Who cares about bears?]
…
Marr… says while Kenya and India had outlawed lion and tiger hunting
respectively, “Canada is still quagmired in the ‘Great White Hunter’
tradition.”…
1996-12-02-1
Salmon Arm Shoppers’ Guide
[Bear Caravan stops in Salmon Arm]
…according
to (WCWC volunteer) Jon French… a small percentage of people exhibited very
childish behaviour, swearing, and even shouting racial epithets as they passed
by. These racial slurs were directed at
Anthony Marr, who is Chinese Canadian.
He has led the drive to prevent bear hunting…
1996-12-04-3 The Courier Islander, Campbell
River by Dan MacLennan
[Anti-bear hunt backers get cool local
reception]
Supporters
of a total ban on bear hunting collected signatures in Campbell River Monday
despite some less than friendly responses.
“We
got kicked out of the Tyee Plaza around 11:30 even though we had permission,”
(WCWC Bear-Care-a-Van member) Steve Quattrocchi said…
1996-12-04-3
The Mirror, Campbell River, BC
by Matthew Plumtree
[Protesters, hunters clash]
Chilly
temperatures and a posse of hunters… made life difficult for those seeking
signatures… “I was trying to be a dink, but after all these years, it sure
feels good,” said (local hunting guide David) Fyfe…
1996-12-04-3
The Times, Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows,
BC by Corinne Jackson
[Bear petition on the hunt for names]
…There
are about 20 people gathering names locally… Mike Gildersleeve said he’s
collected about 400 himself… The response has been “really positive”, he added.
“People that have seen me come marching up and ask ‘Where can I sign?’”…
1996-12-07-6
The Vancouver Sun by Herb
Gilbert
[Who cares about bears? Quite a few
readers.]
…
I hope more people will come to see the big picture of what is happening to
planet Earth. And when the light goes
on in their minds, they will turn green, like the Paul Georges and Anthony
Marrs of this world.
1996-12-07-6
The Vancouver Sun by Larry Pynn
[Bear-hunting petition falls short]
…
(WCWC founder Paul) George said efforts to collect signatures were hampered on
a number of fronts - canvassers were frequently denied permission to operate in
rural shopping malls, hunters shadowed canvassers and intimidated citizens who
might have otherwise signed…
1996-12-07-6
Times Colonist, Victoria, BC by
Malcolm Curtis
[Anti-hunting effort falls short]
BC’s
referendum law needs to be rewritten, otherwise the public will never have a
chance to vote on any initiative… Anthony Marr acknowledges Friday the group’s
bid to force a referendum on the hunting issue will fall short… In Washington
state, where voters last month approved an initiative to ban hunting of bears
using dogs and bait… The Washington referendum system has more relaxed rules…
1996-12-10-2
The Province, Vancouver, BC by
Charlie Anderson
[Drive for bear-hunting referendum
falls short]
Supporters
of a ballot on bear hunting are bloody but unbowed… “The law itself is an ass,”
said (WCWC founder Paul) George, who favours referendums based on the U.S.
model. “No issue, no group could ever get that amount of signatures all sorted
by electoral district.”…
1996-12-10-2
The Province, Vancouver, BC by
Michael Smyth
[Law "designed to fail"]
…
Critics then and now have attacked the Recall and Initiative Act as unworkable,
phony legislation.
And
now we have proof… The group had an emotional issue, apparently broad public
support, hundreds of volunteers and one of the environmental movement’s
best-organized, well-financed public relations machine at its disposal.
Despite
these resources, the group’s BC-wide petition drive fell far short…
1996-12-10-2
Times Colonist, Victoria, BC by
Malcolm Curtis
[Bear protest claims victory in
defeat]
They
gained about half the names they needed, but says they raised the profile of
their fight…
1996-12-17
Positive Action News, Victoria,
BC
by Nicholas Ford
[The fight to help bears through the
tool of law]
…
Anthony Marr is October’s hero… He has bravely faced up to repeated
intimidation from hunters and debates them on lecture tours. He is a man
with a vision… (His) activism in BC on bears is based on excellent foresight…
1996-12-18-3
News Leader, Burnaby, BC by Rob
Gerein
[Bear hunters come under fire]
…
The majority of the population doesn’t like guns, doesn’t like trophy hunting
and, increasingly, they don’t like hunters…
1996-12
Sing Tao Daily News (Chinese), global
[Three Chinese-Canadian eco-warriors]
…
Anthony Marr’s prime motive is to ensure a healthy and beautiful world for our
children… He plans to go straight into the tigers’ homelands - India, China… to
save them where they live…
1996-12-28
The Vancouver Sun, West Coast People
[1996’s Top 10 - The leaders who made
a difference]
…
Anthony Marr…has been in a showdown with bear hunters, who aren’t taking kindly
to his quest…