The handling of Occupy Vancouver was identified as a "very important" or "moderately important" issue by 70 per cent of respondents in the Angus Reid poll, while public safety, sanitation services and overall quality of life were each identified as important by at least 90 per cent.
"The whole Occupy Vancouver issue has been gaining prominence, but it's not really the most important issue for people in B.C.," said pollster Mario Canseco.
Public opinion of the Vancouver Occupy encampment continues to decline, however, with 64 per cent of those polled declaring an unfavourable view of the protest. Only 29 per cent supported Occupy, and just 15 per cent said the protest should be able to continue indefinitely.
But six issues garnered more attention in the Angus Reid poll, which surveyed 402 adults in Vancouver from Nov. 9-10. Protecting the environment was identified as important by 87 per cent of respondents, while 83 per cent pointed to homelessness and 74 per cent said it was important to help small businesses.
Bike lanes and backyard chicken coops were only identified as important to 39 and 17 per cent of respondents, respectively -- and Canseco said most of the people griping about bike lanes won't be voting in Vancouver's election.
"They're driving from North Vancouver, they're driving from West Vancouver," Canseco said. "[Vancouver voters] are going to be deciding the election, and those voters are not particularly dismayed with the situation with the bike lanes."
Sixty-two per cent of respondents said the current municipal government had done a "good job" or "very good job" with the lanes. Forty-five per cent said the same about chicken coops.
Respondents were also asked to select words to describe Robertson and his Non-Partisan Association rival, Suzanne Anton.
The best traits attributed to Robertson were intelligence (43 per cent), being down to earth (30 per cent) and compassion (28 per cent). He was also described as arrogant (32 per cent), out of touch (30 per cent) and inefficient (27 per cent).
Anton was most favourably described as intelligent (27 per cent) and strong (20 per cent). She was also found to be arrogant (32 per cent), out of touch (30 per cent), boring (23 per cent) and uncaring (18 per cent) -- but Canseco insists that doesn't mean she's not a contender.
"People over the age of 55 seem to look at Suzanne Anton in a much more positive light," Canseco said. "That is the group that votes the most in municipal elections."
Forty-seven per cent said they wanted Robertson as mayor ether with a Vision Vancouver council or not. Twenty-seven said they preferred an Anton-led municipal government, with or without a Non-Partisan Association council.
2011年11月14日星期一
2011年7月27日星期三
I think that we have deliberated this enough
"We have been sitting here for more than six hours and I would like to table this until we have fresher brain cells," said Wittanen. Following the motion, several people in attendance moaned in disagreement with the idea of postponing a decision for recommendation.
"I think that we have deliberated this enough. Although we may be tired, these people have all come here for a decision, and we are asking them to have to drive down here again," said Stratman.
About 85 people attended the Planning Commission meeting and all seemed to have very passionate positions either for or against the proposed egg operation.
According to Reg Cridler, the area planning commission and the neighbors of the proposed project were notified the first week of May that Edwin and Eileen Hostetler wanted to build an enclosed egg operation on Powel Mesa where they own 97 acres, and that Greg and Carmen Hostetler wanted to build a similar operation on 40 acres on Redlands Mesa. Former county planner Kelly Yeager is representing both families.
Cridler is a past member of the planning commission, and when he commented in opposition of the application, he came out swinging. "I want to clarify some of the smoke that Kelly is blowing. I was a hog producer and I know how bad things can get. Those Mennonites are a communist community and they are not welcome here," said Cridler.
He continued in a follow-up interview the next day by saying, "I don't respect the Mennonite people. Quite frankly they are not welcome here. They have no respect for our way of life and our community and I am not doing business with them. I raised 3000 hogs a year for commercial sale on a 500 acre lot in Michigan, and I know how important management is. The local health department has no authority to do anything about this if they are not managing it right," said Cridler.
Because of the nature of the proposed operation, the applicants are going through the Delta County Specific Development permitting and regulatory process.
As part of the Specific Development process, the applicants must fill out and submit specific information about their project to the Delta County Planner, Dave Rice.
Rice and his staff then send out that information concerning the proposed plan to all neighbors within 1000 feet of the property. The neighbors then get to comment on all aspects of the proposed application and either support or oppose it.
According to officials, this public process allows all involved parties to voice concerns and gives the applicant time to respond to those concerns, and when necessary, work with county staff to mitigate or resolve issues through the process.
Specific to these two proposed developments, many people came forward. They raised concerns about everything from flies and odor, to water quality, animal abuse and disease. They also claimed incompatibility with the area, decline in property value, traffic, noise, dust and a myriad of other issues.
The Leroux Creek area planning committee recommended denial to both projects when they sent it to the Delta County Planning Commission.
Debbie Schum spoke representing the Delta County Libertarian Party. She handed out Colorado Revised Statute 35-3.5-102 for reference on Colorado Law. "I want to point out that in this statute, you cannot prohibit someone from agriculture activity because someone thinks it's a nuisance."
Schum took the position that if the Planning Commission denied recommendation or the Board of County Commissioners denied the application they would be in direct conflict of the law.
Later in the meeting, landowner and attorney Steve Harper said that the State law did not apply in this situation, bringing people's attention the rest of the statute. "You have to read the whole document not just one line. This says that the operations had to have been established prior to this document." Harper said that the statute addressed agriculture and not commercial operations. "I am asking you to deny this application," said Harper.
Tom Hulet lives in the adjoining property just feet from another chicken operation. "I live next to six chicken houses with about 10,000 birds in each house. I have never had a problem in ten years of living next door. There are no flies, no problems, and the most odors I get are when I go get the manure from them and spread it on my own yard. There is no odor from these places and I live downwind of the prevailing wind.
Five people spoke on behalf of the Hostetler application.
Commission members asked a plethora of questions after the application points had been read into the record. Questions about noise, access and flies, along with dust and traffic topped the list of questions.
Don Vanderlaan wanted to know what kind of management experience Greg Hostetler had so that he could assure himself that Hostetler had the skills to manage his operation.
"I would not think that you would take the responsibility lightly," said Vanderlaan to Hostetler. "I want to know what management skills you have and want to know do you have any training," questioned Vanderlaan.
Bob Nernix said, "It seems to me like some of your questions are relevant, and some of these questions are questions you should only be asking if you are his banker. You are not putting up the money, you are not his banker, and it is not your business about how much management training he has. He has the same right to make a go of his business as anyone, and just like the rest of us, if he can't manage his business he will lose it."
Opponents of the operation stood in line to speak out against the project.
Elaine Brett said the operation was not compatible for the area and that it should be located somewhere else. Mobley Cooper said that she had found a professor in Switzerland that could take a formula and figure out the monetary cost to property values when an operation like this was next door. "As a real estate broker, anytime someone says they live near a coal mine or a chicken coop, there is an immediate stigma to the area," said Cooper.
Concerns about access, water quality, and Delta County's ability to monitor and enforce any development agreement were called in to question as well.
Ken Nordstrom who is the department head for the County Health Department said, "This kind of operation can easily operate without any problems. The only issues I see as being a potential problem is the flies and odor. With good management this will not be a problem."
Nordstrom said that in years past there were a couple of complaints about other commercial chicken operations, but that the issues were resolved.
"I think that we have deliberated this enough. Although we may be tired, these people have all come here for a decision, and we are asking them to have to drive down here again," said Stratman.
About 85 people attended the Planning Commission meeting and all seemed to have very passionate positions either for or against the proposed egg operation.
According to Reg Cridler, the area planning commission and the neighbors of the proposed project were notified the first week of May that Edwin and Eileen Hostetler wanted to build an enclosed egg operation on Powel Mesa where they own 97 acres, and that Greg and Carmen Hostetler wanted to build a similar operation on 40 acres on Redlands Mesa. Former county planner Kelly Yeager is representing both families.
Cridler is a past member of the planning commission, and when he commented in opposition of the application, he came out swinging. "I want to clarify some of the smoke that Kelly is blowing. I was a hog producer and I know how bad things can get. Those Mennonites are a communist community and they are not welcome here," said Cridler.
He continued in a follow-up interview the next day by saying, "I don't respect the Mennonite people. Quite frankly they are not welcome here. They have no respect for our way of life and our community and I am not doing business with them. I raised 3000 hogs a year for commercial sale on a 500 acre lot in Michigan, and I know how important management is. The local health department has no authority to do anything about this if they are not managing it right," said Cridler.
Because of the nature of the proposed operation, the applicants are going through the Delta County Specific Development permitting and regulatory process.
As part of the Specific Development process, the applicants must fill out and submit specific information about their project to the Delta County Planner, Dave Rice.
Rice and his staff then send out that information concerning the proposed plan to all neighbors within 1000 feet of the property. The neighbors then get to comment on all aspects of the proposed application and either support or oppose it.
According to officials, this public process allows all involved parties to voice concerns and gives the applicant time to respond to those concerns, and when necessary, work with county staff to mitigate or resolve issues through the process.
Specific to these two proposed developments, many people came forward. They raised concerns about everything from flies and odor, to water quality, animal abuse and disease. They also claimed incompatibility with the area, decline in property value, traffic, noise, dust and a myriad of other issues.
The Leroux Creek area planning committee recommended denial to both projects when they sent it to the Delta County Planning Commission.
Debbie Schum spoke representing the Delta County Libertarian Party. She handed out Colorado Revised Statute 35-3.5-102 for reference on Colorado Law. "I want to point out that in this statute, you cannot prohibit someone from agriculture activity because someone thinks it's a nuisance."
Schum took the position that if the Planning Commission denied recommendation or the Board of County Commissioners denied the application they would be in direct conflict of the law.
Later in the meeting, landowner and attorney Steve Harper said that the State law did not apply in this situation, bringing people's attention the rest of the statute. "You have to read the whole document not just one line. This says that the operations had to have been established prior to this document." Harper said that the statute addressed agriculture and not commercial operations. "I am asking you to deny this application," said Harper.
Tom Hulet lives in the adjoining property just feet from another chicken operation. "I live next to six chicken houses with about 10,000 birds in each house. I have never had a problem in ten years of living next door. There are no flies, no problems, and the most odors I get are when I go get the manure from them and spread it on my own yard. There is no odor from these places and I live downwind of the prevailing wind.
Five people spoke on behalf of the Hostetler application.
Commission members asked a plethora of questions after the application points had been read into the record. Questions about noise, access and flies, along with dust and traffic topped the list of questions.
Don Vanderlaan wanted to know what kind of management experience Greg Hostetler had so that he could assure himself that Hostetler had the skills to manage his operation.
"I would not think that you would take the responsibility lightly," said Vanderlaan to Hostetler. "I want to know what management skills you have and want to know do you have any training," questioned Vanderlaan.
Bob Nernix said, "It seems to me like some of your questions are relevant, and some of these questions are questions you should only be asking if you are his banker. You are not putting up the money, you are not his banker, and it is not your business about how much management training he has. He has the same right to make a go of his business as anyone, and just like the rest of us, if he can't manage his business he will lose it."
Opponents of the operation stood in line to speak out against the project.
Elaine Brett said the operation was not compatible for the area and that it should be located somewhere else. Mobley Cooper said that she had found a professor in Switzerland that could take a formula and figure out the monetary cost to property values when an operation like this was next door. "As a real estate broker, anytime someone says they live near a coal mine or a chicken coop, there is an immediate stigma to the area," said Cooper.
Concerns about access, water quality, and Delta County's ability to monitor and enforce any development agreement were called in to question as well.
Ken Nordstrom who is the department head for the County Health Department said, "This kind of operation can easily operate without any problems. The only issues I see as being a potential problem is the flies and odor. With good management this will not be a problem."
Nordstrom said that in years past there were a couple of complaints about other commercial chicken operations, but that the issues were resolved.
2011年7月11日星期一
The Castleton Festival comes to Manassas
Just west of D.C., Lorin Maazel and his wife, German actress Dietlinde Turban Maazel, have developed a musical mecca on their estate. For the past three summers, they have presented operas and concerts in their 140-seat auditorium that had its beginning as a chicken coop. Buoyed by their success, they also have forged a relationship with George Mason University.
The partnership between the Castleton Festival and GMU's Hylton Center was started when Merchant Hall was still under construction. William F. Reeder, dean of GMU's College of Visual and Performing Arts, was once a professional operatic tenor and eager to fill the new facility with the finest artistry available. He sought out the Maazels and invited them to view the facility, which accommodates 1,100.
The Maazels were impressed by its design, typical of a traditional European opera house, and its acoustics equaling those of Carnegie Hall. It was the ideal space for three programs they wished to present to larger audiences.
Just west of D.C., Lorin Maazel and his wife, German actress Dietlinde Turban Maazel, have developed a musical mecca on their estate. For the past three summers, they have presented operas and concerts in their 140-seat auditorium that had its beginning as a chicken coop. Buoyed by their success, they also have forged a relationship with George Mason University.
The partnership between the Castleton Festival and GMU's Hylton Center was started when Merchant Hall was still under construction. William F. Reeder, dean of GMU's College of Visual and Performing Arts, was once a professional operatic tenor and eager to fill the new facility with the finest artistry available. He sought out the Maazels and invited them to view the facility, which accommodates 1,100.
The Maazels were impressed by its design, typical of a traditional European opera house, and its acoustics equaling those of Carnegie Hall. It was the ideal space for three programs they wished to present to larger audiences.
The partnership between the Castleton Festival and GMU's Hylton Center was started when Merchant Hall was still under construction. William F. Reeder, dean of GMU's College of Visual and Performing Arts, was once a professional operatic tenor and eager to fill the new facility with the finest artistry available. He sought out the Maazels and invited them to view the facility, which accommodates 1,100.
The Maazels were impressed by its design, typical of a traditional European opera house, and its acoustics equaling those of Carnegie Hall. It was the ideal space for three programs they wished to present to larger audiences.
Just west of D.C., Lorin Maazel and his wife, German actress Dietlinde Turban Maazel, have developed a musical mecca on their estate. For the past three summers, they have presented operas and concerts in their 140-seat auditorium that had its beginning as a chicken coop. Buoyed by their success, they also have forged a relationship with George Mason University.
The partnership between the Castleton Festival and GMU's Hylton Center was started when Merchant Hall was still under construction. William F. Reeder, dean of GMU's College of Visual and Performing Arts, was once a professional operatic tenor and eager to fill the new facility with the finest artistry available. He sought out the Maazels and invited them to view the facility, which accommodates 1,100.
The Maazels were impressed by its design, typical of a traditional European opera house, and its acoustics equaling those of Carnegie Hall. It was the ideal space for three programs they wished to present to larger audiences.
2011年4月26日星期二
Voters may decide chicken coop controversy
A fight over how much room hens have to lay their eggs is brewing in Oregon and Washington, and the issue could be placed before voters.
Most consumers probably don’t think about where the eggs they eat come from or how the chicken is treated. But animal welfare groups want every hen to have enough room to spread their wings and turn around – essentially cage free – but local farmers say it’s unrealistic and would shut them down.
The Humane Society of the U.S. captured video of farms in Iowa that show chickens crammed in cages with almost no room to move.
“Inside of these (wire) battery cages, each bird has less space than a single sheet of paper on which to live for more than a year before she is slaughtered,” said Paul Shapiro with the Humane Society. “It really is difficult to imagine a more miserable existence.”
But the cages at Willamette Egg Farm in Canby don’t look like the ones in the Humane Society video. The chickens aren’t tightly packed in and they can move around. Each cage is about four square feet and holds eight hens.
“Clearly, it’s a very efficient way to produce eggs,” said Greg Satrum with Willamette Egg Farm. “The hens do stay clean and healthy.”
But if voters in Oregon and Washington opt to give hens twice the space – freeing them from cages – Willamette Egg Farm’s cages would be against the law.
Willamette Egg Farm does have hens that are cage free but they make up only 5 percent of its hen population of about 2 million. Satrum said that’s all customers buy so far.
“It’s quite a bit more expensive,” Satrum said which goes for switching over the rest of the farm to cage free.
“The egg industry did its own economic analysis on what it would cost for egg farmers to switch from cage confinement to cage free,” Shapiro said. “And what they found is that it would cost less than a penny per egg more.”
“To convert completely to a nice cage-free system that we would be proud of, we’re probably looking at 80 to 100 million dollars,” Satrum said.
As a compromise, farmers came up with requirements for bigger cages that have twice as much space and allow the chickens to turn around a flap their wings.
But animal welfare groups say the cages aren’t big enough and want all Northwest hens and their eggs cage free within eight years.
“They’re really proposing a pretty extreme measure, I think, to try to put Oregon farmers out of business,” Satrum said.
“All animals, including animals raised for food deserve protection from cruelty,” Shapiro said.
The Humane Society says this is not just about cruelty but also about food safety. It says tests found higher levels of salmonella in confined chickens.
This is not about chickens running free in a field. Those are free-range chickens.
If the initiatives make the ballot, Oregon voters would have their say on the issue during the November 2012 election while Washington residents would vote on it this November.
Most consumers probably don’t think about where the eggs they eat come from or how the chicken is treated. But animal welfare groups want every hen to have enough room to spread their wings and turn around – essentially cage free – but local farmers say it’s unrealistic and would shut them down.
The Humane Society of the U.S. captured video of farms in Iowa that show chickens crammed in cages with almost no room to move.
“Inside of these (wire) battery cages, each bird has less space than a single sheet of paper on which to live for more than a year before she is slaughtered,” said Paul Shapiro with the Humane Society. “It really is difficult to imagine a more miserable existence.”
But the cages at Willamette Egg Farm in Canby don’t look like the ones in the Humane Society video. The chickens aren’t tightly packed in and they can move around. Each cage is about four square feet and holds eight hens.
“Clearly, it’s a very efficient way to produce eggs,” said Greg Satrum with Willamette Egg Farm. “The hens do stay clean and healthy.”
But if voters in Oregon and Washington opt to give hens twice the space – freeing them from cages – Willamette Egg Farm’s cages would be against the law.
Willamette Egg Farm does have hens that are cage free but they make up only 5 percent of its hen population of about 2 million. Satrum said that’s all customers buy so far.
“It’s quite a bit more expensive,” Satrum said which goes for switching over the rest of the farm to cage free.
“The egg industry did its own economic analysis on what it would cost for egg farmers to switch from cage confinement to cage free,” Shapiro said. “And what they found is that it would cost less than a penny per egg more.”
“To convert completely to a nice cage-free system that we would be proud of, we’re probably looking at 80 to 100 million dollars,” Satrum said.
As a compromise, farmers came up with requirements for bigger cages that have twice as much space and allow the chickens to turn around a flap their wings.
But animal welfare groups say the cages aren’t big enough and want all Northwest hens and their eggs cage free within eight years.
“They’re really proposing a pretty extreme measure, I think, to try to put Oregon farmers out of business,” Satrum said.
“All animals, including animals raised for food deserve protection from cruelty,” Shapiro said.
The Humane Society says this is not just about cruelty but also about food safety. It says tests found higher levels of salmonella in confined chickens.
This is not about chickens running free in a field. Those are free-range chickens.
If the initiatives make the ballot, Oregon voters would have their say on the issue during the November 2012 election while Washington residents would vote on it this November.
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