BREAKING NEWS As expected, The Vancouver Aquarium is now suing the Vancouver Park Board and City for banning whale captivity. The only good news is that the Park Board added a clause to the bylaw that basically states that if the Aquarium manages to get the Supreme Court to rule in their favour on any of the bylaw restrictions, that specific restriction can be dropped from the bylaw and the rest will remain untouched. The bad news is that the Aquarium is going after a ton of things, some really weird stuff like the Aquarium claiming that the bylaw causes "harm to the VA staff from the risk of quasi-criminal sanctions"... Go figure. My only consolation is that the Vancouver Park Board commissioners have until Sept2018 to call a Whale Referendum vote. I've always believed that if given a chance, a majority of Vancouverites would vote no more whale-captivity, and then the Aquarium would have trouble opposing the bylaw. Vancouverites said NO to the Stanley Park Zoo in 1993 and we are certain they would vote NO to whale-captivity in 2018. It is laudable that the politicians at Park Board tried to help out by once again amending the cetacean bylaw to include tougher restrictions, but despite our recommendations, the bylaw still has no enforcement measures included - and of course, even if the Aquarium loses this lawsuit, be assured that the next elected Park Board commissioners (and the Aquarium will make sure to have their people elected) will amend the bylaw again making it useless... unless... a Whale Referendum vote is held during the next civic elections in Nov2017? Will keep you posted because as you well know, it isn't over until the fat whale sings. Sigh.