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They won't wait for Ottawa to act By Craig McInnes the Vancouver Sun June 1 2001 MOOSE JAW – Premiers from the western provinces and northern territories agree Thursday to start work immediately on a regional sex offender registry. The resolution was one of almost a dozen released after the first day of the Western Premier's Conference that wraps up here today. The premiers called on Ottawa to set up a national registry of sex offenders, but they will not wait for the federal government. “We're going to act regardless of whether Ottawa acts and we're going to do it as quickly as we can,” said B.C. Premier-elect Gordon Campbell, who was officially at the meeting as an observer. “Our goal must be to find the most effective tool or tools to deal with the sexual predators that may pray on our children,” said Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert. One of the tools discussed Thursday was a cyber-tip line for people to report sexual predators on the Internet. “We have it for animals now, we think it makes a lot of sense for kids,” said Manitoba Premier Gary Doer. Although there are no details, Alberta Premier Ralph Klein said the registry could be used both for police to monitor sex offenders and for communities to be notified if there is a potentially dangerous person in their midst. The premiers agreed on a wide range of issues, from a demand for a provincial role in international energy talks to the need for increased health-care funding. Their mood was a far cry from the animosity that was evident the last time the western premiers got together. Last year there were three New Democratic Party premiers in a fight with Alberta Premier Ralph Klein over the expansion of private clinics in the health-care system. This year, Campbell has replaced NDP Premier Ujjal Dosanjh and the “sabre-rattling” of last year's meeting is no longer in evidence. In the background briefings, officials who were in the private meetings said they almost could not believe how ell the talks were going. The premiers are reaching agreements so easily the agenda is flying by “like poop through a goose” one official said. It helped that the premiers had a common interest in most of the issues regarding Ottawa. They asked for more health-care funding for a national infrastructure program aimed at improving drinking water qualities and they complained that the provinces are not getting a fair shake financially from Ottawa. cmcinnes@direct.ca |