Letters: We Actually Do Have A Good Neighbour Bylaw

By January 28, 2013Letters

Dear Editor. While Mayor Banman claims he is not the morality police and makes vague references to the Supreme Court of Canada, it turns out we actually do have a Good Neighbour Bylaw 2.7

Good Neighbour Bylaw 2.7

No Person shall:

(f) swear or use indecent, obscene, blasphemous or grossly insulting language on or about a Highway or Other Public Place;

(g) carry on any obscene, lewd or indecent activity on a Highway or Other Public Place;

Lingerie Legend Football League
Excerpt from Palm Beach ‘New Times’ in an article discussing Mitchell Mortaza’s LFL …

“Lingerie football can be nearly as brutal as the fully clothed men’s game. These women deal with broken bones, torn ligaments, concussions, and a lot of nasty burns from playing on the indoor turf in underwear. Miami alone lost three players to torn ACLs this season. Add to that team drama, drunken fans, cheesy businessmen at the top of the league, and little money and the life of a lingerie football player is hardly beautiful.

The women themselves are proportioned like quarterbacks and wide receivers but in a female form. They are ripped physical specimens, Amazon-like warriors geared for battle.

Of course, the concept itself is as subtle as a 350-pound lineman. “You have to consider the demographic of Super Bowl Sunday,” says league founder and commissioner Mitch Mortaza. “It’s primarily men. And what are two great things that all men universally love? Beautiful women and football.”

The truth is, the public en masse isn’t likely to feel comfortable watching or buying anything with Lingerie in the name any time soon. And there’s something disturbing about seeing exquisitely toned young women with their most feminine physical attributes highlighted — the standard-issue uniform includes a lace garter, and the helmets have clear facemasks so the audience can see the women’s faces — participating in what is otherwise exclusively male behavior. But most of the players, while acknowledging that the concept is exploitative — “a man’s sick dream, …”

Abbotsford mayor Bruce Banman states that, he is not the morality police. He glibly throws in vague references to the “Supreme Court of Canada”, but despite repeated requests to provide validation of cases before that court, Mr. Banman has produced no such references.

We have no idea whether Mortaza’s girly ‘football’ even brings in a plug nickel to City coffers because the Freedom of Information request I got back from City Hall has deleted every single dollar figure. Other than the cost of policing this event, the City will not show how much LFL paid to rent our publicly-owned AESC, (or even if they paid up). Nor will they reveal how much it costs the tax-payers to run the place for LFL’s use.

However Mr. Banman’s assertion that we must place NO strictures on any events at Tradex or AESC notwithstanding …

Page 12 of the License Agreement Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre signed between GLOBAL SPECTRUM FACILITY MANAGEMENT, L.P. as agent on behalf of the Corporation of the City of Abbotsford (hereinafter “licensor”) and LINGERIE FOOTBALL LEAGUE, LLC., (STATE OF NEVADA) DATED Feb. 14/12 contains this moral clause under the heading Compliance With Laws and Facility Rules:

B. Morals Clause. Licensee shall not use or attempt to use any part of the Facility for any use or proposed use which would be contrary to law, common decency or good morals or otherwise improper or detrimental to the reputation of Licensor.

In the FACILITY OPERATION AND MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT: THE CITY OF ABBOTSFORD – AND- GLOBAL SPECTRUM FACILITY MANAGEMENT, L.P. dated Sept. 1/08

ARTICLE 7: GENERAL USE OF THE FACILITY 7.1.3 Without limiting in any way the generality of the Section 7.1.2, no part of the Facility may be used for:

(a) the sale of cigarettes or tobacco;

(b) the sale of obscene or pornographic material;

(c) the sale of paraphernalia or other material that promotes the use of illegal drugs or other illegal substances; or

(d) the sale of products or services that promote, or the dominate characteristic of which is violence or the exploitation of sex.

The mayor of Abbotsford tries to wax eloquent when dismissing our calls for a minimal standard of decency to be enforced at our publicly-owned facilities.

Mayor Banman is big on bluster, thin on substance.

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