Editor: As I was riding my bike to school along a horse trail (the Campbell Valley Connector trail between 248 and 240 Streets), something out of the ordinary happened. There was a group of ladies standing at the trailhead and they warned me about a shooting and how one of the ladies had just been hit in the hand.
Since I have been an extra in a movie numerous times, and the farm beside the trail is used for Smallville movie shoots, I thought she was referring to a movie shoot and I was wondering how anyone could be hit in the hand by a movie? I found out later (my mom talked to Constable Steiger, who was the attending officer) that the shooting that I thought was harmless wasn’t.
The lady had been hit by a live shotgun shell from hunters shooting at Canada geese. The trail that has served me well, all my life, was now unsafe. Now, I feel nervous about riding the trail that kept me from having to ride on the busy 0 Avenue or 16 Avenue roads.
In my 13 years that I have been I alive on this earth I have been taught many things, but one thing that will stay in my head forever is that you can trust the police. I have a cousin who is a policeman and throughout my life, the police have always been great to me and my family.
That is why I was so surprised when, after contacting the police and asking them why the hunters were shooting Canada geese beside a public trail, Constable Steiger said that there is no law protecting us when we are on the trail. She said that I could get hit by hunters shooting at geese anytime I am on the trail . She also said that it shouldn’t hurt too much if I get hit. My mouth was left hanging open when she said, “If you don’t want to get hit, don’t be on the trail”.
I am very disappointed at this situation. If you can’t trust the police, who can you trust? Now I can’t say that every memory of the police is a good one. I hope something can be done about this.
Giancarlo Bussani,age 13,
Aldergrove
