Tuesday, July 10, 2001

Members of Calgary's Falun Gong community claim political pressure has killed a billboard it planned to erect next to the Chinese consulate.

Ian Oliver, a member of the local spiritual group, said Pattison Outdoor Group, which leases billboard space, dropped their billboard under pressure from the City of Calgary.

"It seems clear to me ... that the City of Calgary relayed a message to Pattison that the City had received here from the Chinese consulate," Oliver said.

"As a result of that, Pattison decided not to go ahead and put the billboard up."

Oliver said the location of the billboard, on 9 St. S.W., was crucial to get his group's message across that Falun Gong practitioners are being murdered by the Chinese government.

LOCATION CALLED CRUCIAL

"I believe as a result of pressure from the Chinese consulate our contract to put up a billboard was cancelled," he said.

Oliver said his group is considering legal action against Pattison, saying the advertising company breached their $2,000 contract to erect the sign for four weeks.

"We paid our money, signed the contract (which was) accepted by both parties," he said.

"Several days later I received a phone call saying the location of the billboard had to be changed for political reasons."

Oliver said they will decide in the next week or so whether to ask for court intervention in its dispute with Pattison.

"We'd like to see the billboard put up there; that's what we contracted for and that's what we'd like to see," he said.

A spokesman for Pattison could not be reached for comment.

http://www.canoe.ca/CalgaryNews/cs.cs-07-10-0030.html