CHRISTIANA WIENS

~ SKEENA- ANGLER
ROB BROWN

Scientist suspension
is undemocratic

ionys de Leeuw sought to provoke a debate lead-

ing to what he felt was gap in our knowledge of

the natural warld. What he has to say is important
to bear huggers and bear hunters alike. If de Leeuw is cor-
rect, there may soon be too few bears to hug or hunt.

quality of his work and his integrity. He is open, honest and
scrupulous when it comes to professional protocol.
Like any scientist worthy of the name, de Leeuw, under-

the scientific machine running smoothly,

that since the people making the managerial decisions
affecting bears and other game species for the B.C.
Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks were all
hunters, they were in a conflict of interest as the potential
beneficiaries of their own decisions.

Estimates of the number of grizzly bears in B.C. have
been the subject of much debate. For example, at a grizzly
bear symposium a number of years ago, a Dr. Tompa, who
worked for the ministry then, pointed out that if the accept-
ed prizzly bear population figure of 6,000 animals was
correct, then the ministry had presided over the excessive

arbitrarily doubling their grizzly population estimates and
continued to issue the same number of hunting permits...

De Leeuw's paper highlighted this flaw and focused on
the fact that considerable disagreement exists within the
scientific community over this province’s grizzly popula-
tion. Given these uncertainties in grizzly bear population
estimates, de Leeuw questioned whether the bears should
be hunted at all.

own expense. When it was finished, he circulated it to his
colleagues in the ministry. He attached a memo to the
paper asking for criticism, and indicating his intention to
give it wider circulation. Six months later de Leeuw had
received one comment: a short note from a person in the
wildlife staff. He then sent his paper to his seniors, includ-
ing the minister, the deputy minister, and the assistant
deputy environment minister. To it he attached a circula-
tion list as well as a memo asking for direction. The min-
istry responded with a letter saying that since his paper was
done privately he could distribute it however he saw fit.

In March, 1997 de Leeuw distributed his paper to uni-
versilies, interested individuals and organizations repre-
senting a wide spectrum of opinion on grizzly manage-
ment. A short time later, he was called on the carpet and
admonished for distributing the paper. A letter of repri-
mand was put in his personnel file.

Still troubled by what he saw was his ministry’s failure
to adhere to its own policy, de Leeuw wrote a second
paper. In it he argued that by limiting the issuance of griz-
zly bear permits to hunters and guide outfitters, govern-
ment, contrary to its mandate, was serving only a small
portion of the interested populace. To remedy this de
Leeuw suggested that grizzly bear licences be made avail-
able to to all interested parties thus shifting the moral deci-
sion onto the public, where it properly belongs. de Lecuw
distributed this paper in-house. Within the week all of
them had been confiscated.

Now de Leeuw has issued a third paper. Once again he
circulated it in-house. The fact that nobody outside the
ministry has seen it testifies to the fact that once more de
Leeuw made every effort to do things professionaily.

Once more, environment ministry officals pulled on
their jack boots and moved with military precision, con-
* fiscating de Leeuw’s papers, then ordering him back from
holidays to appear at meeting without telling him what the
meeting would be about.

Thanks to a loose-lipped Deputy Minister, John

O'Riordan, who apparently only respects the confidential-

behind them, I leamed that de Leeuw was going to be sus’
pended a day before he did.

. Atno time has Dionys de Leeuw criticized goverment
policy, rather, he criticized the government's adherence to
its own policy, At any time he could have leaked the fruits
of his research. Because he is principled and honest, he
didn't. His bosses, upon hearing well-researched sincere

discussion in-house, examined the ideas in committee, or,

they suspended him, an action that stains his career and is
tantamout to a fine of about two grand.

These actions are a violation of academic freedom, sci-
enlific professionalism, and basic hurnan rights. They are
the techniques favoured in facist dictatorships; they are not
acceptable in a entightened society, and ought to be an
anathema to a government with the word democratic in its
name,

r]

Over the course of his 25-year career, Mr. de Leeuw has !
eamed the respect of his colleagues and the public for the ,

stands the engine driving good science is the process of
inquiry, data gathering, hypothesis, and interpretation :
known as the scientific methed; he also understands that —
discussion and debate are the fuel and lubricant that keep.

Three years apo, Mr. de Leeuw wrote a paper arguing

harvest of those bears for years, The ministry reacted by -

De Leeuw’s paper was done on his own time and at his :

=-RRACE STANDARD.

~SPORTS |

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, April 5, 2000 - B5

638-7283

ity personnel matters demand when he chooses to hide ‘

criticism from a senior biologist, should have encauraged ,

possibly, struck a task force to investigale the issue, Instead .

Seay

SOLID SILVER: Jeremiah Kasperski and Michael Diana demon-
strate a karate move during a practice session at the Thornhill
Community Centre March 31. Kasperski won a silver medal in

points.

continuous fighting at the Tiger Balm International Champion-

Karate kids medal at
International meet

A LOCAL fighter is on his way to the Ca-
nadian National Championships in Nia-
gara Falls next May after impressive wins
at the Tiger Balm International tourna-

ment March 25-26.

The Tiger Balm International at the
Capilano ‘Sportsplex represented. the ‘first ~
competitive meet for Jeremiah Kasperski
and Liam Murphy, who train with Sensei
Marwan Abou-Khandra twice a week at
the Shogun Dojo at the Thornhill Com-

munity Centre.

“They are awesome fighters,”
“Both of them did excel-

Abou-Khandra.
lent.”

Both are part of the Smithers-based
karate students who train under Abou-

Khandra,

Khandra’s proup of 16 students brought
back 23 medals from the prestigious tour-

nament.

Kasperski, 16, won a silver medal in
continuous fighting and a bronze medal in

point fighting.

Abou-Khandra insists Kasperski’s sil-

all cials:

jence,”

ver medal match wasn’t judged fairly.
“I was ripped off big time,” said Ka-
sperski. “But it was a learning exper-

Kasperski lost his bronze medal match

to a teammate from Smithers.

Murphy, ‘also’ 16, won two bronzé me-
dals — one for the more aerobic conlin-
uous fighting where competitors don’t
stop after they score a point and one in
point fighting.

“He fought excellent,” said Abou-

said

Khandra. “] was really surprised -by his
performance.”

More than 500 competitors showed up

at the Tiger Balm International and the
Kasperski’s silver means he qualifies for

the Canadian Nationals next May.

A third youth Michael Diana, 14, Mur-
phy and Kasperski also hope to attend

qualifiers in May for next July’s Junior

World Cup Championships.
The youth -who are a red and green

belts - will compete against black belts

from across the nation.

Caledonia boys capture one
of school’s best records yet

CALEDONIA’S | senior
boy’s basketball team is the
first Terrace team to return
from the high school pro-
vincial championships with
a 3-1 record since 1946.

The school has been to
the provincials 17 times. In
all those years three teams
finished eighth.

But no team has ever
won 75 per cent of their
games until this year.

It’s just too bad the
team’s anly loss happened
in their first game of the
tournament in a 78-69 loss
against Kitsilano in which
the Cal boys dropped a 14-
point lead.

“They shouldn't have
lost that game,” said coach
Cam MacKay. “Our lack of
experience showed.”

Most games were held in
Vancouver’s crowded
Agrodome stadium, From
there on in the best they
could place is ninth.

And that’s what they did.

Lead by Braden Meash-
aw, Kevin Braam and
Christian Desierto, three
Grade 12 players with pro-
vincial experience, the team
went onto thrash Mount
Baker 86-69, Prince George
96-74, and Richmond's
highly-touted McNair sec-
ondary 101-70,

“They played their best
game against Richmond,”
said MacKay. “The whole
group came together.”

In that game Braden

COACH CAM MACKAY directs Caladania's basket-
ball team during a game against Alaska last season.
Mackay credits Cal's ability to play against competi-
tive teams as one of the reasons his team has been

so successful.

Meashaw scored 27 paints,
Kevin Braam, who didn’t
play a quarter of the game,
scored 21 points and
Christian Desierto scored
10 assists and 14 points.

Grade 11 player Robert
Haugland scored 18 points.

“Everyone on the team
played,” said MacKay,

And if you rack up tour-
nament-wide stats, Caledo-
nia players were among the
tournament besis.

Kevin Braam was fifth
overall in scoring with 24.3
points and Braden Meashaw
was eleventh overall with
11 points.

Robert Haugland charted
12 rebounds for fourth
place overall. Braden
Meashaw charted 10 re-
bounds and Kevin Braam
scored cight.

Meashaw placed fourth
overall in the dunk contest.

“I’m really proud of this
group,” MacKay said. “]
just had to remind them of
what they had to do and
they did it.”

Caledonia also took
home the most sportsman-
like team award.

The playoffs finished a
long season for MacKay,
who originally thought this
would be a rebuilding year
for the team.

MacKay, who has coa-
ched basketball here for
over 10 years, also loses
three Grade 12 players.

“It’s always a challenge
[at the beginning of the
year],” said MacKay. “You
come down to the end of the
season and you get kids like
this - it's worth it.”

ships in North Vancouver March 25-26. Continuaus fighting re-
sembles boxing in that competitors keep fighting after they score

Sports Scope

Meashaw wins basketball

scholarship

CALEDONIA basketball
player Braden Meashaw
won $500 from McDo-
nald’s and the Vancouver
Grizzlies Best. Scholarship
program March 26, :

The 17-year-old shoot-
ing guard was one of 60
B.C. boys and girls to win
the scholarship.

“] was pretty surprised
when I found out only 30
boys got it,” said Meash-
aw, who plans to use the
money at either Grande
Prairie Regional College
in Alberta or UNBC next
September.

The award is based on
Meashaw’s grades (a B-
average), his community
work (he coaches mini-basketball) and his basketball
stats (he averages 20 points a game, nine rebounds and
six assists).

Meashaw says he’d Jove to play college basketball
someday and tried out for the Grande Prairie team last
week.

He credits local coach Cam MacKay for developing
his skills,

“Treally can’t say enough about him,” said Meashaw.
“Pve loved playing for him for the past two years.”

Important rugby

meeting planned

THE ANNUAL general meeting of the Terrace Narth-
men Rugby Football Club will take place Saturday,
April 8, 2000 at 7 p.m, at the Oasis Sports Club at
Northwest Community College,

Items on the agenda include the election of officers,
operational plan for 2000 and beyond, youth, senior
men's, women's and aldtimers’ rugby, corporate span-
sorship, dues and more!

This is a very important mecting for the club, which,
organizers say, is at a major cross-roads that will deter-
mine the future of rugby in Terrace.

“We need a good turnout that will subsequently pro-
vide well-rounded input and constructive suggestions
and planning,” said David Hull, league secretary,

Whist playoffs begin
IF YOU'RE a senior and you take card games seriously,
you should know the whist playoffs to qualify for the
B.C. Senior Games in Kelowna Sept. 6-9 will be held at
Kitimat's Senior Centre Sunday, April 9 at 10 a.m.

The seniors will also hold their zone 10 monthly
meeting at the Happy Gang Centre in Terrace on Satur-
day, April 8 at 2 p.m. For more information call Maxine
al 638-8648,

The 400 Club winners for March are Prince Rupert's
Irene Newgard (#134) and Selma Standring (#93).

Houston wins hockey

tournament
THE HOUSTON FLYERS finished their season wilh
their unbeaten record intact after taking home gold atg
Terrace novice hockey tournament March 25-26,"
“Houston hasn’t lost all year,” said league spokesper-
son Karen Haltom,

Houston beat Terrace’s Long’s Logging 4-2 in the
final game. Kitimat took home the bronze medal while
R-40 Construction, D.R Holtom, Icon Office Solutions,
Terrace Elks, Smithers Aqua Notth, the Hazelton Bears,,
and Prince Rupert’s Rainbow Chrysler rounded out the
10 team tournament.

Braden Meashaw