FOI Request

Kathryn Rogers, Student

Kwantlen Polytechnic University

12666 72 ave

Surrey, BC, V3w 2M8
(fx) 604 599 2106

January 28, 2019

The University of British Colombia

Office of the University Counsel

6328 Memorial Road

Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2

(fx) 604 822 8731

To whom it may concern,

Under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act please provide me with:

• Any information regarding donations (including money, manpower, time, land and space) made to the University of British Colombia by the Vancouver Aquarium, The Pacific Balanced Pinniped Society, Ocean Wise, The BC Salmon Farmers Association, and Marine Harvest Canada from January 2016 to January 2019

If there are any problems releasing some portions of the documents requested, please do not withhold release of all documents, but instead forward what you can release.

Please do not photocopy these documents, instead, send them in a PDF format via email.

You can reach me via phone; 604 599 2100, fax; 604 599 2106, or by email; kathryn.rogers1@email.kpu.ca.

Please advise me when all material is available for release. 

Thank you,

Kathryn Rogers

------------------------

I was curious about an experiment that UBC was conducting with the Vancouver Aquarium using Western Alaskan Sea Lions. On first glance, the experiment seems inhumane and unnecessary. They have said that the reason for the experiment was to investigate feeding patterns, however, it's theorized that they are doing this to help the government justify another Sea Lion cull in these waters (there was a cull in the 1970s which resulted in a dangerously low number of sea lions and was damaging to orcas and other wildlife in our waters). From UBC I want information about donations made to the school by interests groups that would have something substantial to gain if sea lions were culled again. If any of the organizations did make donations to UBC, the experiment would be corrupted and the public deserves to know. 

Note: there was no specific person to address my request to, so I hyperlinked the page in the letter.

Canada is as Racist as the United States

Malanie Lazarow via Flickr

In a post-Trump world, it may seem like a stretch to say that Canada, your friendly neighbour to the north, is racist. Not only racist but as racist at the United States... But it's true.
We pride ourselves on our diversity and how accepting we are, we dance upon the moral high ground while our neighbours down south elected Trump. But holy I am angry with Canada and I have a platform to express that so buckle up.

One of the bigger arguments is that the USA has the KKK (along with other assorted hate groups) and Canada doesn't... but here's why that argument is wrong; the hate is there, but our racists are still too scared to poke their heads up from under the rock they're hiding under. Unfortunately, they're not too scared to distribute KKK flyers in Abbotsford. That's a stone throw from the liberal central of Canada, Vancouver. The KKK exists here and they exist in our backyard. As disgusting as that is, they aren't even Canadas' only hate group!

Hate crimes are also on a sharp rise. In 2017 Statistics Canada released an article on "Police Reported Hate Crimes" and found some borderline shocking results. Hate crimes in general, when compared to 2016, rose 47%. This report found that Jewish Canadians faced more generalized hate crimes and Muslim Canadians faced more violent hate crimes. When you look back through the last couple of years the writing is on the wall; in December of 2017, a young Muslim woman was attacked on a commuter train in Vancouver. In Quebec, in 2017 a deranged man entered a Mosque and shot and killed 6 people. These are some of the very few incidents that actually made the news.

We are fortunate that we live in a country where our black citizens don't have the burden of convincing cops not to shoot them for no reason, but that argument is invalid because the institutional racism is still there, it just dials in on First Nations people. We treat our indigenous Canadians - Canadians who have more of a right to be here than you or me, horribly. We created a system that fucks you up and then throws you in jail for it (but only if your ancestors have always been on this land, Europeans are home free.) Whether you live in the deep south or the north, if your skin is any darker than 'burns in the sun' white, I want to genuinely apologize because you deserve better than this. Indigenous Canadians account for 4 to 5% of the Canadian population, however, around 27% of inmates in Canadian prisons are aboriginal. Is it just me or is that math way off? The Canadian government and the Catholic church beat and abused aboriginal families for YEARS and when pressured into it, apologized and threw some money at them as reparations. They didn't do close to enough to help end the cycles of abuse that they are responsible for, but throwing aboriginal people in prison will fix that, right?

I love this country and all, but nothing gets fixed if we don't first acknowledge it. We can do better. Do better, Canada.



According to Google Trends, "USA" is far more popular than any other term for the States including, "The United States" "U.S.A" and "The United States of America." "Racist + America" is a lot more popular than "Racist + Canada" so I wanted to include 'Racist, USA, and Canada' to get the jist of what the article is about while also taking SEO into consideration.

Fort Langley

Neighborhood Photo Gallery

Fort Langley

Fort Langley is a community that does not shy away from remembering it's rich and historic past.
Throughout the town, works by the "Fraser Valley Chapter of the Federation of Canadian Artists"
at the Langley Centennial Museum are advertised. (Katie Rogers)

Gasoline Alley, a sight of some controversy after a mural depicting Fort Langley's history was painted
over in September 2017, is home to a variety of different "eclectic" shops and services. (Katie Rogers)

A young man poses in front of the new, controversial mural in Gasoline Alley. (Katie Rogers)

A Fort Langley staple, "Wendel's" has had lines out the door since opening in 1997.
 They serve tea, coffee, homemade desserts, delicious food and doubles as a bookstore.  (Katie Rogers)

The community advertises garage sales, one-woman shows, and guitar lessons among
other things on a shed next to a playground on the main street. (Katie Rogers)

HONORABLE MENTIONS

I had to narrow down 300 pictures to 5 and that was really hard so I included some extras. 

Fort Langley's historic cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Langley.
 It is home to numerous Victorian and Edwardian headstones.
It is the 'dead center' of town, as my dad likes to call it. (Katie Rogers)

The aftermath of Fort Langleys' Cranberry Festival. The festival has taken place
every Thanksgiving long weekend for the last 23 years. (Katie Rogers)

The Community Hall has a very unique past. It now hosts countless events,
from the Cranberry festival to car shows. (Katie Rogers)

From the muddy banks of the Fraser River. In 1858, rumors of gold in the river
prompted the arrival of many Americans to the area. (Katie Rogers)

Fort Langley is a dog-friendly town. Many shops leave buckets and bowls of water
outside on warmer days for our four-legged friends. (Katie Rogers)