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Articles by Charlie Smith.

B.C. Court of Appeal rules against use of a drug-detecting dog at an RCMP road-safety check

By Charlie Smith | September 5, 2010
Court rules that admitting evidence from the dog-sniffing search would bring the administration of justice into disrepute.

Hearings on 2011-12 B.C. budget begin on September 15 in Vancouver

By Charlie Smith | September 5, 2010
Only two of the 10 MLAs on the finance and government services committee represent Lower Mainland constituencies.

TransLink's move to New Westminster might cool down Royal City complaints

By Charlie Smith | September 5, 2010
TransLink expects to save $430,000 per year in leasing costs.
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Metro Vancouver staff put Surrey line ahead of rapid transit to UBC

By Charlie Smith | September 4, 2010
The Evergreen Line to Coquitlam remains the top priority.
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Tourism, Culture and Arts Minister Kevin Krueger says it's "illegal" to threaten a cabinet minister

Tourism, Culture and Arts Minister Kevin Krueger says it's "illegal" to threaten a cabinet minister

By Charlie Smith | September 4, 2010
Krueger describes his response to the alleged threats as "very mild".
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One more theory to explain Finance Minister Colin Hansen's handling of the HST

By Charlie Smith | September 4, 2010
B.C.'s finance minister's credibility took a beating, but what if he never knew that the HST was in the cards before the 2009 election?
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Was Mayor Gregor Robertson a victim of McCarthyism?

By Charlie Smith | September 3, 2010
Beware of outlandish claims made by unnamed sources.
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Kevin Krueger says arts-funding threats were "no different than a junkie waving a needle"

Kevin Krueger says arts-funding threats were "no different than a junkie waving a needle"

By Charlie Smith | September 2, 2010
Krueger said he declined to "carry their threats" to the premier.
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What the Vancouver park board isn't telling you about its smoking ban

By Charlie Smith | September 2, 2010
There's evidence that nicotine provides relief for people with serious and chronic mental illnesses.
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Two-year-old tot quits smoking in Indonesia

By Charlie Smith | September 2, 2010
His mother hopes that the boy does not have any diseases as a result of his habit.
Why did Finance Minister Colin Hansen say the HST was not on the radar before the election?

Why did Finance Minister Colin Hansen say the HST was not on the radar before the election?

By Charlie Smith | September 2, 2010
Could he have forgotten about a March briefing note from a senior bureaucrat?
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Mayor Gregor Robertson chooses CBC to discuss bad news, including the Olympic Village

Mayor Gregor Robertson chooses CBC to discuss bad news, including the Olympic Village

By Charlie Smith | September 2, 2010
The city's top politician says taxpayers are still at risk.
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Dancer Ziyian Kwan takes her protest to the Vancouver International Airport

Dancer Ziyian Kwan takes her protest to the Vancouver International Airport

By Charlie Smith | September 2, 2010
Kwan told the Straight that between 6 and 8 a.m. on September 5, she will dance and talk to people about B.C. arts cutbacks in various areas of the airport.
Food alerts not displayed in Vancouver restaurants

Food alerts not displayed in Vancouver restaurants

By Charlie Smith | September 2, 2010
The quality of Vancouver’s eateries attracted a great deal of publicity during the 2010 Olympics, which delighted tourism officials. But the region can’t claim to be a national leader in informing the public on the safety of local food establishments.
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Two Canadian think tanks offer radically different views on Canadian housing industry

By Charlie Smith | September 1, 2010
The right-leaning C.D. Howe Institute is downplaying the possibility of a U.S.–style housing crash occurring in Canada while the left-leaning Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives suggests that there is a housing bubble that’s ready to burst.

Chinese company unveils Princess Diana lingerie ad on anniversary of her death

By Charlie Smith | September 1, 2010
Jealousy International wants women to "feel the romance of British royalty".

Where are the Vancouver Civic Greens when you need them?

By Charlie Smith | September 1, 2010
The Vancouver Civic Greens made one of the most lopsided deals in political history in 2008.
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RCMP describes sex incident in Kamloops jail, but won't release names

By Charlie Smith | August 31, 2010
Three constables and a corporal are under investigation for allegedly watching two women make out.
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RCMP posts review of Canadian Firearms Program on its Web site

By Charlie Smith | August 31, 2010
The report defends the continuation of the controversial long-gun registry.
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New Vancouver book club invites Sarah Palin and Pervez Musharraf to town

New Vancouver book club invites Sarah Palin and Pervez Musharraf to town

By Charlie Smith | August 31, 2010
Palin will speak at the Vancouver Club on October 13.
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Videos: Ziyian Kwan's arts protest attracts Vancouver's top choreographers

By Charlie Smith | August 30, 2010
Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg, Laura Hicks, and Alvin Erasga-Tolentino came to lend their support.
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Bloggers reveal $1,000 per day untendered contract to city consultant Linda Oglov

By Charlie Smith | August 29, 2010
Citycaucus.com reported that the mayor's advisor billed $187,983.60 for work done before and during the 2010 Games.
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COPE news releases avoid criticizing Vision Vancouver and Mayor Gregor Robertson

COPE news releases avoid criticizing Vision Vancouver and Mayor Gregor Robertson

By Charlie Smith | August 29, 2010
COPE's statements to the media dating back to the 2008 election give Vision Vancouver a free ride.
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RCMP says 17-year-old female found in Whistler

By Charlie Smith | August 29, 2010
The Mounties have closed their investigation and are treating it as a "personal family matter".
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RCMP seeks help in finding 17-year-old New Westminster female missing in Whistler

By Charlie Smith | August 29, 2010
Maggie Fu was last seen in Whistler Village late in the afternoon on August 28.

Gwynne Dyer: Muslims, Ground Zero, and the U.S. midterm elections

By Charlie Smith | August 29, 2010
The great journalist H.L. Mencken once said that nobody ever went broke by underestimating the intelligence of the American public.
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Steve Fonyo marries girlfriend Lisa Greenwood in Victoria

By Charlie Smith | August 29, 2010
A man who raised $13 million for cancer research needed financial help from Victoria residents to get married.
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Volcano erupts on island of Sumatra in Indonesia

By Charlie Smith | August 29, 2010
Mount Sinabung near the northern end of Sumatra started spewing lava this weekend.

COPE used to criticize unnecessary perks for Vancouver politicians

By Charlie Smith | August 28, 2010
The public used to be able to count on COPE politicians to scream from the rooftops when the interests of the high and mighty were put above ordinary citizens.
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RCMP tries to sidestep coverage of sex scandal in a Kamloops jail cell

By Charlie Smith | August 28, 2010
The Mounties have another public-relations problem on their hands.
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Think City gauges support for new bike lane on Victoria Drive or Commercial Drive

By Charlie Smith | August 28, 2010
The urban-affairs group is working with Grandview-Woodland residents on the project.
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Paris Hilton arrested for allegedly possessing cocaine

By Charlie Smith | August 28, 2010
The hotel heiress was taken to Clark County jail, where she was released.
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Critical Mass tied up more than the usual amount of traffic

By Charlie Smith | August 28, 2010
If the cyclists' goal was to make life miserable for drivers, they succeeded to an even greater degree than is normally the case.
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Alliance for Arts and Culture says Kevin Krueger shouldn't feel "threatened"

Alliance for Arts and Culture says Kevin Krueger shouldn't feel "threatened"

By Charlie Smith | August 27, 2010
The arts organization described the minister's statements as "regrettable".
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Vancouver Coastal cites 32 food outlets this year for rodent, pest or cockroach infestation

By Charlie Smith | August 27, 2010
The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority publishes a list of establishments that were closed for various health infractions.
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All concessions open at Fair at the P.N.E. after tampering of water bottle

By Charlie Smith | August 27, 2010
It's business as usual today at the Fair at the P.N.E., though the police continue their investigation.
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Maybe the NPA should make Sam Sullivan its next mayoral candidate

By Charlie Smith | August 26, 2010
He's never lost an election in the five times his name has been put on the ballot for Vancouver voters.
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Sex-trade advocates and relatives of murdered women lay groundwork for public inquiry

Sex-trade advocates and relatives of murdered women lay groundwork for public inquiry

By Charlie Smith | August 26, 2010
Members of a new committee floated the name of former judge Thomas Berger as a possible inquiry chair.
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On-line Chinese Canadian history exhibit created

By Charlie Smith | August 26, 2010
A Web-based national exhibit dedicated to Chinese Canadian history will be officially launched on August 28.

South Indian superstar A.R. Rahman reschedules Vancouver show

By Charlie Smith | August 24, 2010
A Reader's Digest poll reported this year that Rahman is the fifth-most trusted person in India.

SeaWorld fined $75,000 in connection with killer whale Tillicum's attack on a trainer

By Charlie Smith | August 23, 2010
The six-ton orca was linked to another death in Oak Bay in 1991.

Washington Marine Group hires lobbyists to pursue federal contracts

By Charlie Smith | August 23, 2010
The North Vancouver company hopes to land federal shipbuilding and ship-repair work from Ottawa.
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Indian researcher Hari Prasad arrested after exposing flaws in electronic voting machines

By Charlie Smith | August 22, 2010
University of Michigan computer scientist J. Alex Halderman spoke to Prasad on the phone.
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In West Vancouver, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff says Stephen Harper promotes fear

In West Vancouver, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff says Stephen Harper promotes fear

By Charlie Smith | August 22, 2010
"This is how this man governs: let's find something to be frightened of," Ignatieff said.
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Labour Relations Board refuses CUPE's application for UBC real estate records

By Charlie Smith | August 21, 2010
The union sought copies of all agreements between UBC and related companies.
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Little Mountain defeats Panama 4-2 in opening game at Little League World Series

By Charlie Smith | August 21, 2010
On Monday, the Vancouver squad faces the winner of the Taiwan-Saudi Arabia game.
The premier can exact revenge for Bill Vander Zalm's HST victory in B.C. Supreme Court

The premier can exact revenge for Bill Vander Zalm's HST victory in B.C. Supreme Court

By Charlie Smith | August 20, 2010
The B.C. Liberal government always has the option of slashing funding for the courts in the next provincial budget.
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Former B.C. Arts Council chair Jane Danzo did the premier a favour by quitting in August

Former B.C. Arts Council chair Jane Danzo did the premier a favour by quitting in August

By Charlie Smith | August 20, 2010
If she had quit while the legislature was in session, it would have attracted a lot more attention.
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Postmedia server problem highlighted by Sun and Province reporters on Twitter

By Charlie Smith | August 19, 2010
What do Postmedia newsroom employees do when there's a nationwide server crash?
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Canadian Conference for the Arts president rips into B.C. arts cuts and praises Jane Danzo

By Charlie Smith | August 19, 2010
The president of a national arts-advocacy group has written to Premier Gordon Campbell to express "deep concerns about the devastating cuts of provincial support to the arts and culture".
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