Login / RegisterNPA park board candidate Dave Pasin calls for Canada-wide shark fin ban
A day after Mississauga city council deferred a decision on a city-wide shark-fin ban, a Non-Partisan Association park board candidate is calling for one across the country.
“It’s something that, if we got on board with [it], could gain national momentum and we could ban it in Canada,” Dave Pasin told the Straight by phone on September 7. “I think that’s important.”
Pasin lauded U.K. chef Gordon Ramsay, who has taken on the issue with his show Shark Bait. Pasin said he first heard about the practice of shark finning, ostensibly to make shark-fin soup, in a documentary on the Discovery Channel.
“Finning was actually the first story and was probably most of the program, and the barbarism that goes with the finning,” Pasin said. “And they were showing some very graphic photos of everything from thresher sharks to the little guys, I forget what they’re called, being finned and thrown back. It takes place all over the Pacific and it was appalling, just appalling.”
Despite the fact shark-fin soup is still popular on special occasions in some cultures, Pasin said “there is no need for it in this day and age”.
Will other candidates, especially those who spout green platitides join the call for a ban in Vancouver and elsewhere?
Could you just promise to cut the grass, and stay the fuck out of my soup? Would that be possible? I'd never eat shark fins, but you're supposed to just cut the grass etc, not start a federal soup registry. Thanks.
Actually Myself and John Coupar held a media conference over 2 months ago to bring awareness this issue (lack of grass cutting) and the lack of maintenance in our parks and park facilities.
The NPA has pledged to restore cutting grass and maintaining Park Facilities as part of it election platform.
Maintenance is part of any well functioning City. Respect by the community is engendered when the City respects itself enough to keep its facilities and amenties clean, free as possible of grafitti, make sure bathrooms are clean and have soap, grass is cut and parks and facilities are safe.
I know myself and the other NPA Park Board Candidates will strive to ensure that such basics are at a minimum achieved.
Do you support or not support further expansions and/or the further addition of marine animals to the Vancouver Aquarium?
Thanks for the move on the shark fin issue, it's necessary and appreciated.
Any chance you could also make a call to ban allowing Vision Vancouver from ever holding a seat in this city again? They're messing it up bad - bike lanes, riots, developers running wild, chicken coops and the smell...
Seriously though, that would be awesome. Thanks!
It's nice to see someone with guts speak out about this important issue that we can easily move towards solving.
This issue rears its head all the time.I will speak for myself as I can not speak for my collegues.
I do no not support expanding the footprint of the Aquairium.
However, expansion utilizing it's existing footprint is another matter and I have no issue with that.
I do not support the addition of marine mammals EXCEPT for rehabilitation and release, or in extreme cases where the animal can not be returned to the wild for particular reasons. large marine mammals need to be in their native habitat and not in a man made pen.
Further I find it abborhent that attractions like Sealand use whales, dolphins, seal and porpoises like circus acts.
I also wish to say that I have utmost respect for the Vancouver Aquarium as it treats their animals with respect and dignity and does a great job educating the public on aquatic life.
Do you support or not support further expansions and/or the further addition of marine animals to the Vancouver Aquarium?
Jacob - This is a good question, Dave, Can you please answer this because. The NPA has been traditionally for keeping Whales in captivity. What do you think?
A former NPA Park Board passed a resolution saying that if the Aquarium wished to expand they must come before the public. This has not happened and the NPA board from 2005-2008 passed a resolution that the Aquarium could expand and did away with the requirement for a plebiscite.
Vision during the 2008 - 2011 terms also voted against holding a plebiscite.
Clearly, there needs to be a plebiscite on this matter as this issue is important to Vancouver citizens and is a major issue each election. This matter of the Aquarium is not going away.
Dave Pasin and his NPA running mates need to state if elected in 2011 whether they will allow a plebiscite to be held during the 2011 - 2014 term.
This feels like Mr. Pasin is just trying to score cheap political points by jumping on the bandwagon as a fin ban has been a popular meme in the media lately.
Please stick to the issues that affect parks in Vancouver.
You care about soup? Great. Care about it on your own dime and your own time. Same goes for aquariums and front yard wheat fields.
Or better yet, privatize all the parks and get rid of the board altogether.
Like him, I won't eat sharks fin but I agree with his criticism of this as a non-issue for candidates for Parks Board. I am tempted to make a comment on the Rocky Mountaineer but again, that would not be a Parks Board issue. Privatizing parks I can't go along with that. It seems more of a Vision policy at the moment, considering their atrocious record. They have surrendered more independence, allowed more commercialization and broke rules for developers to an extent unheard of in any NPA council.
Many have notated the merely incremental differences between the NPA and Vision on City Council but when it comes to Parks Board, there is no doubt at all that whatever Vision says, it is to the right of the NPA. I might read here later replies denying this from two decent people named Aaron Jasper and Constance Barnes but in my mind it is so. Full stop. With apologies to you, Constance, sorry, I admired your father and worked regularly to re-elect him and Gary Lauk but voting to re-elect any Vision candidates after this term would be a mistake.
Dave did answer that question in the comment directly above yours. Sometimes that happens with these things.
James G and others,
While the shark fin trade may not exactly be the domain of the Parks Board, there is nothing wrong with stating a position on it (especially when asked). I personally believe it is good for a politician to have an understanding of the issues regardless of their particular job (so long as they also understand their job, of course!).
Furthermore, coming out against the shark fin trade, rather than dancing about the question like many politicians would, is not likely to garner votes. The fact of the matter is that the issue is simply not going to be a decisive voting factor for parks board, except for those who feel strongly about shark fin soup. There are people on both sides though, so Dave could be losing as well as gaining votes.
Re: The Vancouver Aquarium and Jamie Lee,
Dave states that he cannot speak for his colleagues, so his position regarding it is not necessarily the NPA's position. Thankfully the ballot here doesn't require you to vote for all the candidates of a specific party, so if you like what Dave says about it you can vote for him for Parks Board and still vote Gregor for mayor (if you so wish).
Furthermore, Vancouver municipal government is not like provincial or federal government. Each candidate brings their own personality to the job, whereas MPs are often silenced by the party whip in upper level politics.
My own position is in accordance with Dave Pasin's. But in addition to that it is good to see someone actually has some spine, regardless of their party.
And thank you so much Dave Pasin for bringing attention to this and for fighting for this - it's about time someone does!