6 THE DAILY VOICE, THURSDAY APRIL 5, 2012 EDITOR ALANNA HARDINGE-ROONEY Bus assault verdict sets dangerous precedent harles Dixon, the veteran bus Ci: who was punched in the back of the head by an angry passenger in February 2011, was dealt another blow on Tuesday -- this one arguably more painful than the first. Seated with his colleagues in a provincial courtroom in Vancouver, Dixon listened as Judge Karen Walker told the court that Del Louie, the 22-year-old who assaulted him, would not be going to jail. The message she sent could not i 4 i be clearer: it’s OK iy Yee to ignore, insult Ne ‘ . and even physi- OPI N ION cally assault the ALANNA people who thanklessly d HARDINGE-ROONEY 5.o to schocl. take us to school, take us to our appoint- ments, and get us home safe from the bar. “There is no bus driver or transit operator in this city who is safe,” said Dixon outside the courthouse. “T’'m in a state of shock that he’s not going to jail.” Instead, Louie will be serving an 18-month conditional sentence in a rehab home, performing 200 hours of community service, followed by two years’ probation. The justification? Louie has aboriginal ancestry, is afflicted by fetal alcohol syndrome and was exposed to violence and substance abuse as a child. Judge Walker determined that “These were not of his making.” She has a point. These are all important consider- ations, and I’m glad we have a criminal justice system that is sensitive to the traumatic history of Canada’s aboriginal peoples, however, a soft sentence on a matter as grave as this one sets a danger- ous precedent. According to the bus drivers’ union, there have been more than 1,000 attacks in the last 10 years, including more than 145 in the 14 months since Dixon was assaulted. Louie himself has already re-offended, spitting on a paramedic during a skirmish with police. And Dixon was not the first bus driver he assaulted. It’s clear that our treatment of these crimes is not working. We need to send a strong message before it’s too late. We want to hear from you Did we get a fact wrong? Tell us. Got a different point of view? Write to us. Problems with something we've said? Let us know. Journalism instructor Nicholas Read oversees The Voice. Email him at nread@langara.be.ca | \ [He likes te see youon the gicen Plug into electric cars and help save the planet cial government will introduce 570 new charging stations for electric cars on B.C’s highways may come as a surprise to some. But with the constant neces- sary modern day obsession with becoming a green and eco-friendly world, it can only Ni: this week that the provin- Ss 7 if be a good thing. P 1 On Tuesday, OPI N ION Environment Minister Terry ROSS ARMOUR Lake announced $2.74 million for the new stations that would make it easier to travel to places such as Prince George and south to the United States. The move is part of the B.C. Liberals’ Clean Energy Vehicle Program and the idea of promoting and enhancing electric car use is an ideal fit. Electric vehicles emit zero tailpipe pollutants and the electricity involved, be it from nuclear, hydro, solar or wind-powered plants, causes no air pollution whatsoever. Surely this can only be a positive thing with the constant threat of global warming? Electric motors also bring performance benefits. They provide quiet, smooth operation and stronger acceleration and require less maintenance than internal combustion engines. So the friendly tag is more than just environmental. Furthermore, electric cars convert 75 per cent of the chemical energy from the batteries to power the wheels. ICEs only convert 20 per cent of the energy stored in gasoline. The province has already begun working with B.C Hydro and stations are guaranteed to be installed on major routes such as the Coquihalla, Highway 97 and the Cariboo connector. The provincial government will also consult with various regional districts, municipalities and First Nations groups to decide on other spots. However, trips from Vancouver to the Okanagan for example will require more than just one stop to recharge. Most electric cars can only travel somewhere between 150 to 300 kilometers before recharging. Gasoline vehicles can go for at least 400 before refilling. Battery packs are also expensive but with the soaring price of gas in the Lower Mainland, it might be worth the investment. Tom Hanks once said he was “saving America” by driving an electric car in a North American documentary dubbed “Who Killed the Electric Car?” B.C’s attempts to reignite the phenomenon may go a long way to saving the planet. Leave fare evaders alone, they have enou e live in one of the most expensive cities in the world. The average person under forty has basically no chance of ever buying a house here, ever. ICBC and Translink, between the two of them, are worth billions of dollars. Do they really need that four per cent worth of fares that they’re wringing their hands over? The stink that’s being made about fare evasion is a slap in the face of the public; yet another example of the rich stealing from the poor. Who evades fares? Folks who can’t afford, for whatever reason, the $2.50 it costs to ride around in Vancouver traffic for ninety min- utes. It’s laugh- able to give someone who can’t afford $2.50, a $173 fine, and then act shocked and offended when it doesn’t get paid. They call it the “honour system,” and I think most people really are honest and law abiding, but if we’re expected to live and compete in this economy, which OPINION STACY THOMAS gh to worry about is run by corporations like ICBC, we should have the right to keep whatever $2.50 we can, whenever we need to. ICBC is not going to go out of business. The whining and nitpick- ing they do about fare evasion, when they are part of the problem to begin with, is an embarrassment. To add insult to injury, they sell fines that are unpaid for a year to collection agencies, subjecting citizens who are already struggling to harassment and degradation. ICBC and Translink should count their many, many millions of blessings and leave those four per cent of fare-evading riders alone. The Voice is published by Langara College's journalism department. Editorial opinions are those of the staff and are independent of views of the student government and administration. We welcome letters to the editor. All letters must be signed. They may be edited for brevity. Names may be withheld in special cases, but your letter must include your name and phone number. HOW TO REACH US PHONE 604-323-5396 FAX 604-323-5398 E-MAIL thevoice@langara.be.ca DROP-IN Room A226 Langara College There is a mailbox at the entrance to the journalism rooms. SNAIL MAIL The Voice 100 West 49th Ave. Vancouver, B.C. VSY 226 WEBSITE wwwlangara.bc.ca/voice EDITORIAL STAFF THIS ISSUE: MANAGING EDITOR/ PAGE 6 Alanna Hardinge-Rooney PAGE EDITORS PAGE 1 Daniel Palmer PAGE 2 Emma Crawford PAGE 3 Shawn Gil PAGE 4 Moma Cassidy PAGE 5 Martin Wissmath PAGE 7 Devon MacKenzie PAGE 8 Patrick Johnston REPORTERS Ross Armour Dana Bowen Agustina Coccaro Hayley Doctor Michelle Gamage Lev Jackson Audrey McKinnon Quinn Mell-Cobb Dennis Page Sascha Porteous Clayton Paterson Brandon Reid Jacqueline Richardson Jeremy Sally Omar Shariff Alexander Skerdzhev Carly Smith Stacy Lynne Thomas Carissa Thorpe Ashley Viens Contact us: Our blog at www.langara- voice. posterous. com Twitter at @langaraVoice Youtube at VoiceLangara flicker at Langara Voice