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The Animal Advocates Society WatchDog News
BC government protects the SPCA from FOI - - what rocks would that turn over?
Posted By: Randall Gerrity In Response To: Rick Sargent: Some parallels in the Atlanta Humane Society and the BC SPCA v AAS lawsuit *LINK* (AAS)
Date: Tuesday, 27 March 2007, at 2:26 p.m.
Allow me to add to Mr Sargent's pointed remarks. To quote from one of many internet sources about the use by wealthy agencies of the expensive legal system to hammer the living daylights out of poor critics:
"Short of a gun to the head, a greater threat to First Amendment expression can scarcely be imagined."
— Judge J. Nicholas Colabella (1992)"Strong statement or overstatement? Judge Colabella was referring to the threat posed by Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, or "SLAPPs." SLAPPs are lawsuits filed in response to or retaliation for citizen communications with government entities and employees. "
As Mr Sargent points out, the SPCA actually is at least a quasi-public body if not entirely. It certainly has been given state powers by the state. But this state, the BC Government, would rather go on saying that the SPCA is not a government agency so that its animal police agency doesn't have to answer to Freedom of Information. What rocks would that turn over?
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