2010 Winter Olympics:
When ethics,
spending and
civil liberties collide
 


with David Eby, Executive Director, B.C. Civil Liberties Association


                Have authorities suppressed free speech,
            personal rights & opposition to the Olympics?

With glossy new sports venues and millions of dollars' worth of ads and merchandising, Vancouver looks poised to make the 2010 Winter Olympic Games a global success. But as the city prepares to host this mega-event, are Canada's democratic traditions and ethics under threat? How do Olympic spending and initiatives relate to free expression, free assembly and democratic rights?

David Eby will address the ethical implications of hosting the 2010 Olympic Games, drawing on issues taken from the headlines: censorship of anti-Olympic art; targeting those opposed to the Olympics for special policing and border control; safe assembly areas/protest pens; and government transparency and accountability.


              click here to RSVP   or  call: 604-685-6560


DATE:            Wednesday, January 13th -- 7:15-8:30 am

LOCATION      1500 West Georgia St., Suite 975 -- Meet in building lobby
CHANGE:       Corner of Cardero/Georgia  (the building with the waterfall)
                      Parking is best on Alberni St.

David Eby is Executive Director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) and an adjunct Professor of Law at the University of British Columbia. He also serves as President of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and as a research associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

David's work with the BCCLA led to reform of the Vancouver Police department's policies on seizing cameras from the media and the public, and reversed their plans to crack down on street-vending and other "crimes" of poverty in the Downtown Eastside. He was one of ten members of the Vancouver Mayor's Homeless Emergency Action Team, which opened 400 temporary shelter beds this past winter. And his advocacy work with Pivot Legal Society has led to greater legal rights for low-income tenants, a significant investment in Vancouver's social housing, and recommendations from a provincial auditor to reform complaints processed under B.C.'s Police Act.

David Eby is the author of The Arrest Handbook: A Guide to Your Rights, which has had more than 10,000 copies distributed in four languages and is in its second printing. He has also written extensively in international journals about civil liberties issues, particularly relating to poverty and Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.  (For more, see www.bccla.org and davideby.blogspot.com.)


               click here to RSVP   or  call: 604-685-6560