My Response to the Government of Canada's Department of Justice discussion paper on Randomized Police Stops with Breathalizer tests to prevent Drunk Driving

Here you will find the discussion paper (series of webpages) discussing proposed legislation that would allow police to stop drivers when there was no suspicion of a crime being committed. SCARY!!!

Responses to the specific consultation questions posed in this paper, as well as more general comments, are welcome until Friday April 30, 2010. Responses can be submitted via email to ID-consultation-FA@justice.gc.ca , or by mail to: 

Here is what I wrote;

Impaired driving consultation
Criminal Law Policy Section
Department of Justice
East Memorial Building
284 Wellington
Ottawa, ON, Canada
K1A 0H8

Dear Canadian Department of Justice,

I have comments on 2 aspects of this legislation which I ask you to consider.

I would appreciate your acknowledgement of my comments.

Bolus Defence.

I agree with the recommendation that this defence be disallowed, and the assessment that it encourages "guzzling and dashing". (drinking after or arguing that the alcohol was present but not yet absorbed.  The Bolus defence strikes me as insincere, and a loophole to be exploited, rather than honouring the intent of the law.

Random breath testing

Status quo

Reasonable grounds are required for police to perform a search.

I understand that at present the police may pull over a driver who presents evidence of impairment (crossing the center line, weaving in his lane, throwing empty beer cans out the window).  I understand that police can administer a breathalizer test at that point and gather evidence that the driver is impaired.  

I believe this state of affairs should continue.

Proposed legislation

I oppose giving police the right to pull over citizens where there is no suspicion of a crime.

In my opinion this puts Canada on course for a "police state".

I don't see what makes drunk driving so special among criminal activities.  Perhaps the zealous lobbying of MADD has made it a "special crime".

Next it could be.  Let pull over random drivers to search the car for;

• 
  
  bodies in the trunk,
• 
  
  drugs 
• 
  
  bomb making equipment
• 
  
  illegal Olympic merchandise
• 
  
  DNA samples suggesting incest
• 
  
  Illegally downloaded movies
• 
  
  evidence of unauthorized religious affiliation?

Today if the Department of Justice decides to draw the line at drunk driving, where will that line be moved in the future? (The eternal threat of elusive boogeyman terrorists is already overdone by our neighbours to the South so I'll leave the rest to your imagination.) 

My understanding is that whether in a car, on a horse, on a bike or walking, all Canadians are guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.  Do not erode our charter rights.  There are other ways to identify and prosecuted drunk drivers.

The discussion paper cited optimistic numbers and mentioned other countries that thought this was a great idea.  I don't care if New Zealand thinks "freedom from unreasonable search" isn't a right worth keeping.  I am Canadian and I value my hard won Canadian rights.  My Grandpa didn't fight at Vimy Ridge just to have his grandson live in a police state.  Canada is on its own course.  As the "hopeful experiment that is going right for a change".  Making Canada the kind of awful place where at any time police can pull you over and harass you has terrifying echos of communist Eastern Europe (and worse).  

I would much rather live in a Canada that is free from government oppression than live in a Canada where nobody died from drunk driving.

And on a lighter note, h

as anybody considered outlawing alcohol?...   No I didn't think so...

I am 

a Citizen of Canada, a registered voter, and a proud father whose children sing "The truth North strong and FREE"

Lets keep it that way please.

Sincerely yours.

So... 

Let me encourage you to speak up if you value your Charter rights.

Canada does not want police wielding power abusively. It might look like this...

RCMP officers Tazer a handcuffed Robert Dziekański.

Sincerely,

Greg.

Help Chile and Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts by mapping with Google

Google is inviting people (you) to map Haiti and Chile in Google maps using "Mapmaker".
In a nutshell, you use the hybrid view to see existing mapping over top of satellite imagery.  Where you see a road that isn't mapped, you click click click and "connect the dots".

Easy to get started (30 mins of learning curve and the rest is productive).  Edits are moderated by other mappers who offer tons of helpful suggestions. The mapmaker help is also quite useful.

I like to think that since these updates are almost real-time, anyone with Internet access has very up to date maps provided by an army of volunteers. (like you) (the army wants you).  Certainly this is faster than the update submission processes offered by map providers like tele-atlas. .

I like to think that somebody on the ground there might be benefiting from my additions to the maps for those areas.  Certainly the folks affected by the Earthquakes aren't in a position to do this.  As relief agencies try to reach different areas, they will benefit by the identification of "alternate routes" provided by mappers.  I suspect that even improving the accuracy of road mapping helps with navigation as the detail of the roads improves to look more like the actual road network.

In Haiti, it is shocking and interesting to see the poor infrastructure in place, the haphazard manner in which housing and buildings are constructed and laid out. The way highways end at rivers and cars are forced to drive through rocks and water to carry on.  To see crops piled on the ground rather than stored in silos and dozens of other  interesting cultural insights you will gain as you stare down on Haiti from the sky. Particularly shocking are the crowds you may see around trucks filled with relief supplies, the tents crowding the American embassy and Port au Prince airport, and the painted SOS and HELP US evident on many roof tops.

In Chile, thoughtful engineering is evident for highways, mitigation of rock-slide hazards etc.  Central planning for neighbourhoods, minimum standards for buildings and other signs of disciplined development are clearly seen from above.  Satellite imagery is currently from BEFORE the earthquake, so don't be fooled into thinking the 8.8 quake did not damage.

So if you can use a mouse and like using maps, you can make a real difference thanks to the Google tools. (of course Google is gaining valuable map data in the process.)

Cheers, Have fun!
Greg.

No detectable recycling at the "John Wayne" Airport in Orange County CA

I had a weird epiphany of sorts in the John Wayne airport in California this morning.


After purchasing orange juice in a plastic bottle at the McDonalds I looked in vain for a recycling container.  I wandered from Gate 14 to the food court (gate 7?).  No recycling containers... None obvious at McDonalds, None obvious at Starbucks.  (the places putting the plastic bottles into the waste stream.)


I finally stopped and asked a janitor who smiled a gentle apologetic smile and motioned to the trash bin.  I gave up and tossed them in.


Ironically I walked past several large advertisements for the "Nature Conservancy", the "Toyota Prius" boasting 50 mpg and another environmentally focussed advertisement.  Makes me wonder if the environmental awareness or ethos of California is highly geographical, or if it as skin deep as much of the marketing and entertainment from CA.  Maybe some of the professed "Californian progressive environmental message is greenwash. Sorry California (and John Wayne in particular) I'm sure you're doing better in other areas, but not being able to recycle paper or plastic/glass bottles at an airport in 2010 seems like a rather obvious "oversight".


In the words of John Wayne, “Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday.”
So John Wayne Airport, I dare ya to fix it and post a photo!  If you are sorting all the waste from those big garbage cans for recycling, I'm happy to update this post to reflect that, but highly recommend you also update your trash can labeling.


[UPDATE: Thanks for the update "John Wayne Airport"! (see their comment below) it seems that John Wayne IS in fact recycling, but is doing it offsite by sorting their waste!  In many ways this "hidden" approach is even BETTER than visible because it catches items that folks at the airport would mistakenly discard in the trash.  Now this seems to fit better with John Wayne's  Environmental policy and practice statement on their website.  As promised here is my update.  Thanks for the quick response. (I'm impressed)]


Cheers,
Greg.

More Un-Recyclable Waste

The other day I purchased some clothes at Walmart and didn't notice them send the plastic hanger home with the clothes in my shopping bag (yes i had enough that I needed a bag).  I got home and was about to recycle the hanger when I realized there was not resin code...  So either its going back to Walmart or its going in the trash.  (Yet one more item to put by the front door in the hopes I remember to take it with me when I leave the house).

I think I'm going to keep beating this drum because it just makes sense.  All plastic products need to be marked to facilitate recycling with their resin codes.  (even if it is a 7 meaning "other, probably not recyclable").  I called "The accessory store" to urge them to get these hangers labelled as I suspect thousands a month leave the Walmart ecosystem.

Cheers,
Greg.

Is Walmart Helping Customers Ask Manufacturers to be More Socially Responsible?

On Walmart.ca I read this today;
http://walmart.ca/wms/microsite/GreenerGood/en/product_form.jsp
One of our Sustainability goals is to create zero waste. To that end, Walmart Canada has committed to reducing, reusing or recycling materials that would otherwise be sent to landfill.
Our company has challenged our vendor-partners to make more eco-friendly decisions when packaging their products. We have asked them to eliminate wasteful over-packaging, to include more recycled materials and to ensure more of their packaging can be recycled.
If you believe that a product you purchased at Walmart is packaged in a wasteful or inappropriate manner, please provide us your feedback and we will forward to the manufacturer.

So I reported the eggs I had purchased that were packaged in styrofoam and shipped 3450 KM from the packer to my local Walmart Store.  We'll see if there is any response.  I know our local costco offers eggs packaged in a cardboard/paper-fiber container that CAN be recycled.  I am hoping at a minimum Walmart will offer me the choice of better packaging for my eggs.  At the most, I hope they replace the styrofoam packaging and source their eggs closer to their final destination.  I'll update this post with any good news from Walmart on the "reducing wasteful packaging" front.

Sometimes its hard to tell the difference between "greenwash" and a genuine committment to make the world a better place.  I'm hoping it is genuine for Walmart, because it sounds like they have some really good ideas for making their business more sustainable from top to bottom. Check back to see if this particular instance makes a positive change.

UPDATE:  I haven't heard a thing back from Walmart.  I suppose this was greenwash / good intentions, or something they let slip through the cracks.  Sad....  Hey corporations.  Be good.  If you're good we'll enjoy doing business with you.  If you work hard to look good without actually being good, we'll find out and see through your insincerity.  So when you say "we want to hear from you". Answer the darn email. (and not with marketing BS).  Now I'll be the first to point out that incremental improvements are good.  If a company transitions from 20% good to 40% good, that progress is positive and to be encouraged.  However, pretending that a 20% company is as good as a 40% good company is insincere.  Action not words people.

Cheers,
Greg.