Remembrance Day 2019: Where ceremonies are being held in B.C. Social Sharing

A list of ceremonies taking place across the province Nov. 11

CBC News · Posted: Nov 08, 2019 11:39 AM PT | Last Updated: November 8

There are dozens of Remembrance Day ceremonies being held throughout B.C. on Nov. 11. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)

Across the province, people will gather on Nov. 11 to pay their respects at Remembrance Day ceremonies.

Here's a list of some of the events happening in B.C.'s bigger municipalities (all times PT). Similar services will be held in smaller communities across the province. 

Abbotsford

A Remembrance Day ceremony will be held at Thunderbird Memorial Square. The ceremony will include a parade starting at 10:30 a.m. and a moment of silence at 11 a.m.

Chilliwack

Chilliwack will host several ceremonies:

• At 10 a.m. at the cenotaph in downtown Chilliwack, by the Chilliwack Museum on Main Street.

• At 10 a.m. at the Vedder Crossing Cenotaph.

• At the Coqualeetza Longhouse at 10 a.m., in honour of Sto:lo Nation warriors.

Delta

A ceremony will be held at North Delta Social Heart Plaza beginning at 10:40 a.m., followed by a reception.

The Ladner Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion will host a Remembrance Day event at Memorial Park. A parade will begin at 10:15 a.m. from the legion the Memorial Park Cenotaph. A ceremony will be held at 10:45 a.m.

Kamloops

A ceremony and parade will begin at Riverside Park at 10:30 a.m. 

Kelowna

Downtown, a parade to the City Park Cenotaph will begin at 10:30 a.m., leading up to a ceremony around 10:45 to 11 a.m. After the ceremony, parade attendees will continue to march to Stuart Park. 

Another ceremony and parade will take place at Rutland Lions Park beginning at 10:30 a.m. 

The poppy became a symbol of remembrance following the First World War. (Justin Pennell/CBC)

Langley

A ceremony will be held at Douglas Park in Langley, set to start at 10:45 a.m. A parade will arrive at the event start time, followed by the ceremony at 10:55 a.m. Community members can order wreaths in person or over the phone which will be picked up by the city and delivered to the ceremony site.

The Township of Langley will hold three ceremonies across the community.

Aldergrove: A parade to the Aldergrove Legion will leave Old Yale Road at 10:45 a.m. PT. The procession will be followed by a service starting at 10:50 a.m. PT which will include a wreath laying and a flypast over the ceremony by the Fraser Blues. 

Fort Langley: A procession beginning at 10:25 a.m. will march through the Fort Langley Cemetery, past the graves of fallen soldiers, to the cenotaph. Following the procession, a service will be held which will include a flypast by the Fraser Blues at 11 a.m. 

Murrayville: A procession will depart from the south end of Murrayville Cemetery at 10:30 a.m. After the event, attendees can visit the Langley Golf and Banquet Centre or United Church for refreshments. 

Maple Ridge

A Remembrance Day ceremony will be held at Memorial Peace Park beginning at 10:30 a.m. A parade will march through the downtown core to the Cenotaph. A ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. followed by flags being lowered at 11:30.

Children sit quietly at a Remembrance Day ceremony in Kelowna, B.C., in 2016. (@ChristyClarkBC/Twitter)

Mission

A parade will begin at 10:15 a.m. at Clark Theatre, followed by a ceremony at 10:40 a.m.

Nelson

A parade will begin at 10:30 a.m. from the Nelson Royal Canadian Legion, leading up to a ceremony at Nelson City Hall at 11 a.m.

New Westminster

A parade will begin at 10:25 a.m., heading from Queens Avenue and Sixth Street to the Cenotaph on Royal Avenue. 

North Vancouver

A service will be held on the east side of Victoria Park at 11 a.m., followed by a procession. The North Vancouver Legion will host entertainment from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., and minors are invited to visit the cadet houses following the ceremony. Up to 6,000 community members are expected to attend.

Pitt Meadows

A ceremony will be held at the Cenotaph in Spirit Square beginning at 10:45 a.m. A reception will commence afterwards at Pitt Meadows Family Recreation Centre. Community members who would like to include their wreath in the ceremony can drop it off at the event location from 9 to 10 a.m.

Port Coquitlam

The Port Coquitlam Royal Canadian Legion will host a Remembrance Day ceremony at Veterans Park beginning at 11 a.m 

Port Moody

A parade and ceremony will be hosted at 10:30 a.m. at the Port Moody Arts Centre. The event will be followed by entertainment at the Port Moody Legion from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Prince George

A Remembrance Day ceremony will be held at the Prince George Conference and Civic Centre, beginning at 9 a.m.

Richmond

A parade will start at 10:20 a.m. leading up to a ceremony and wreath laying held at the cenotaph at Richmond City Hall. After the ceremony, community members can attend a reception at the City Hall Galleria.

Surrey

Surrey will host several Remembrance Day events, including a number of processions taking place throughout the city. The main official ceremony, hosted by the City of Surrey and Cemetery Services, will be held at the Surrey Centre Cemetery starting at 10:45 a.m.

Vancouver

The city's main Remembrance Day Ceremony takes place at Victory Square Park beginning at 10 a.m., where the Vancouver Bach Youth Choir and Sarabande Choir will be performing.

Community members are also invited to honour Chinese-Canadian military veterans and Chinese-Canadian pioneers at Chinatown's annual Remembrance Day Ceremony, starting at at 12:30 p.m.

A ceremony at the University of B.C. begins at 10:45 a.m. at the War Memorial Gym, including short readings, remarks from special guests and musical performances by the UBC Opera Ensemble.

Victoria

A wreath laying will be held at the City of Victoria Cenotaph beginning at 10:30 a.m., and a service will be held at Parliament Square in Victoria, beginning at 11 a.m. The service will include attendance by the St. John Ambulance Brigade, a wreath laying, and a special prayer offered by Rev. Andrew Gates. 

Event organizers are asking for community members' patience and understanding as space and seating will be limited this year due to construction in the area. 

West Vancouver

A ceremony will be held starting with a parade from the Legion to the West Vancouver Cenotaph, followed by an official service. Community members can attend a reception at the Legion following the ceremony, at 580 18th St.

White Rock

A ceremony will be held at the Cenotaph at White Rock City Hall, beginning with a parade from Johnston Road at Roper Avenue at 10:30 a.m. A service will begin at 11 a.m., and community members are invited to visit the White Rock Royal Canadian Legion for entertainment afterwards.

With files from Marwa Elgabry

2019 West Coast Security Conference - Vancouver

Scammers spoofing more than a dozen federal government departments to defraud Canadians

It's a new version of a scam that has ripped off thousands of individuals

Elizabeth Thompson · CBC News · Posted: Nov 06, 2019 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Scam artists are using phone numbers from more than a dozen federal government departments to defraud Canadians — making it look as if the calls are coming from legitimate government agencies and police departments — CBC News has learned.

Some of the calls tell potential victims that their social insurance numbers have been compromised. Others are told that they owe the government money and are in legal trouble.

To deceive potential victims who examine the numbers on incoming calls, the scammers spoof their calls so that they display the phone numbers of the relevant federal government departments. In many cases, a scammer tells a victim they will be getting a call from a police officer — then spoofs the call that comes in a few minutes later so that it appears to be coming from local police.

"It's hitting lots of Canadians," said Jeff Thomson of the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. His own organization has been hit by the scam, with fraudsters pretending to be calling from his office.

"It's inundating police departments and it's inundating us with a number of calls. So it's a huge impact. We've seen a huge spike in the reporting on this fraud."

Thomson said he received four scam calls on his own personal phone inside of one week.

Scam undermining work of federal departments

The scam is having an impact on the ability of government departments to serve the public because they are being bogged down with phone calls from Canadians checking to see whether the calls they're getting are legitimate.

Federal government officials were unable to say just how many departments and agencies have been affected to date by the scam. But CBC News has identified a dozen — including bodies like the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, local RCMP divisions, the Competition Bureau and the Cybersecurity Centre which are supposed to help protect Canadians.

The calls spoofing the phone numbers of several different government departments appear to be part of a newer, more sophisticated version of a scam that has been running since at least 2014. That older scam involves fraud artists claiming to be agents of the Canada Revenue Agency, while the newer scam impersonates more government departments.

In 2018, a CBC Marketplace investigation into the CRA phone scam tracked the calls to a call centre in Mumbai, India.

Since 2014, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has received 78,472 reports from across Canada of scammers pretending to represent the CRA or Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The centre said 4,695 people across Canada have lost more than $16.7 million to the scam.

That doesn't include people like Andrea van Noord of Vancouver, who lost $6,000 last week to the scam.

The series of events that cleaned out her bank account started when she picked up her cellphone to hear a recorded message claiming to come from the CRA.

'I was panicked'

"I do owe them a small sum of money ... so when I heard that not pressing one would be tantamount to not showing up in court to deal with that issue, I was panicked," she said. "So I pressed one."

A woman asked her to confirm her identity, then told her that her social insurance number had been used in a $3 million fraud involving 25 credit cards. When the woman asked if her personal information could have been stolen, van Noord thought immediately of the laptop filled with personal information that had been stolen from her car a year ago.

The unknown woman then volunteered to help by contacting Vancouver police and starting a process to clear her name. Minutes later, when van Noord's phone rang, it displayed the Vancouver police department's phone number, spoofed by the scammers.

A separate woman, claiming to be a Vancouver police officer, told her that a 1998 Toyota Camry registered in her name had been abandoned in North Vancouver with bloodstains on the back seat and the trunk. A house, also registered in her name, was found with 22 pounds of cocaine inside, the phoney officer told her.

"It all just seemed very plausible to me and very scary," van Noord said. "They said at this time there was a warrant for my arrest and I was currently being charged with drug trafficking, money laundering and fraud against the Canada Revenue Agency."

The fake police officer claimed there was a series of bank accounts in her name and asked van Noord about her actual bank accounts and how much money they contained.

'I felt like an idiot'

The fraudster told her she had to withdraw her money within the hour to protect it before the account was frozen. Keeping her on the phone the entire time, the scammer instructed her to take a cab to her bank and coached her as she withdrew the money., then told her to take it to a café with a bitcoin machine (described as a "government wallet safe machine") that would "protect" her money.

It was only later in the day, after she talked with her partner, that she realized she had been robbed.

"I felt like an idiot," she said. "I felt completely invaded. I felt kind of dirty. I felt that this was very much my fault and that I should have recognized the signs."

Van Noord said both of the people she spoke with had accents that suggested they were based in India.

Police told her there wasn't much they could do.

Thomson said van Noord's experience is not unique.

"These calls are very alarming," he said. "The callers will present themselves as a government official. They will sound very official. They will use a badge number. They will say they are an officer or special agent or an official-sounding title to give themselves some credibility.

"They will sound very formal and they will come across as very threatening and ask you to act right away."

Thomson said the centre is still getting reports of scammers claiming to be from the CRA but, increasingly, they have been posing as representatives of other government departments.

He said those behind the scam are based overseas.

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"If you have fraudsters operating in one country, targeting consumers in another country and money going to yet a third country, they're clearly organized," he said. "It's organized crime and it's international in scope."

Isabelle Maheu is a spokeswoman for Employment and Social Development Canada, which includes Service Canada. She said the fraudulent calls are affecting the government's ability to provide services to Canadians.

"Wary Canadians who receive a suspicious incoming phone call frequently disconnect the call and call the government to verify the legitimacy of the call," she explained. "This can result in an increase in call volume and caller wait times. Additionally, legitimate phone calls from government departments can be dismissed as fraudulent, leading to the recipient of the call not receiving important information."

Many of the departments whose numbers are being spoofed have put notices on their websites warning Canadians.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has given telecommunications providers until Dec. 19, 2019 to implement a system to block calls in their networks to crack down on nuisance and illegitimate calls.

Here's a list of some of the federal departments, agencies and courts whose phone numbers are being spoofed:

• Service Canada

• Justice Canada

• Federal Court

• Federal Court of Appeal

• Department of National Defence

• Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre

• Canada Revenue Agency

• RCMP detachments in Kingston and Cornwall

• Correctional Service of Canada

• Canadian Centre for Cyber Security

• Privacy Commissioner's Office

• Competition Bureau of Canada

• Financial Consumer Agency of Canada

• Canada Border Services Agency

• Parole Board of Canada

Elizabeth Thompson can be reached at elizabeth.thompson@cbc.ca

Squamish Nation development to expand downtown Vancouver's footprint

The $3-billion Senakw project will consist of 6,000 mostly rental units in 11 towers on a five-hectare parcel. RANDY SHORE
Updated: November 5, 2019

An artist's rendering of the 6,000-unit Senakw development proposed for Squamish First Nation lands in Kitsilano adjacent to the Burrard Bridge. REVERY ARCHITECTURE / PNG

A residential development proposed by the Squamish First Nation for band-owned lands in Kitsilano will bring downtown-style density to a relatively low-rise community.

The $3-billion Senakw project will consist of 6,000 mostly rental units in 11 towers on a five-hectare parcel at the western foot of the Burrard Bridge. The tallest tower is expected to be 56 storeys, a shade shorter than Shangri-La and the Trump Tower, just across the bridge from the downtown peninsula.

The project was announced last April as a two-tower, 3,000-unit development; the new concept adds nine towers.

As the downtown Vancouver residential community has expanded from the West End, through Yaletown and into False Creek, the density has changed dramatically as part of the evolution of the area, according to Squamish Coun. Khelsilem.

An artist’s rendering of the 6,000-unit Senakw development proposed for Squamish First Nation lands in Kitsilano adjacent to the Burrard Bridge. REVERY ARCHITECTURE / PNG

Senakw’s design has changed several times over the years and this latest iteration reflects the extreme shortage of rental housing in Vancouver, he said.

“We see a huge need for rental with the vacancy crisis at one per cent or even lower in some places,” he said.

The City of Vancouver has struggled to get rental housing built, because developers would rather build condos. But because the Squamish have a preference for a long-term revenue stream rather than a quick profit, they can do things differently, he explained.

Senakw will not employ the typical podium and tower design used in many large projects. Because of the tower-only design, 80 per cent of the land at grade will be activated for public use such as park space, Khelsilem said.

The design for Senakw incorporates the areas beneath the bridge. SUBMITTED / REVERY ARCHITECTURE

By targeting renters, they can also dispense with most of the parking typically required by the city.

“We are looking at removing mandatory minimum parking requirements and it makes more sense when you are building rental,” he said.

Mayor Kennedy Stewart agreed the project “will really help us hit our own targets” for rental housing, a need that is at crisis levels.

Stewart isn’t concerned that other developers will try to push for increased density, citing the Senakw project.

“The Squamish development is a very special case because it’s on reserve land,” he said. “This is a very special case and we’re treating it as such.”

The Squamish planning group has briefed Vancouver city staff on the vision for Senakw and hopes to tap into their expertise as the project moves forward, especially concerning public consultation. But that consultation on Senakw will have a historical context attached.

“This is a government doing a project that has a particular history of injustice in the removal of our ancestors in 1913, who were evicted by the provincial government at the request of the Vancouver parks board and the City of Vancouver,” said Khelsilem.

Because the project is on First Nations land, the city has little power to influence the scale and form of the development, nor is the project subject to municipal zoning.

“We’ve seen some tentative support from city staff, in part because we are able to propose some big solutions for the city, quickly and at scale,” said Khelsilem.

The Squamish Nation isn’t required to apply to the city to redevelop this area, the city confirmed.

In 2014, city council designated Vancouver as a City of Reconciliation and set as its goal the creation of “sustained relationships of mutual respect and understanding with local First Nations and the urban Indigenous community.”

The Squamish Nation plans to collect taxes on the development themselves and use the revenue to buy services, such as policing, fire protection, water, sewage and waste removal from municipalities.

The development is a near-perfect experiment in urban development, to see what a landholder would do if it were free of the constraints placed on it by municipal government, said Tom Davidoff, a professor at the Sauder School of Business at the University of B.C.

The Squamish are making bold choices about what the market wants by choosing to build rental units and the decision to limit parking, he noted.

rshore@postmedia.com

— With files from Susan Lazaruk

Video captures Vancouver thief making off with 113-kg bronze sculpture worth $24K

BY SIMON LITTLE GLOBAL NEWS

Posted November 4, 2019 5:20 pm
Updated November 4, 2019 5:40 pm

Vancouver police are investigating the theft of a $24,000 bronze sculpture that was pilfered from a West Side art gallery early Monday morning.

According to Vesna Zaric with the Petley Jones Gallery, the piece was kept outside the Granville Street gallery’s front entrance at the top of a short flight of steps.

“After Marino Marini,” by artist Submitted

Because the statue, which is more than a metre tall, weighs close to 113 kilograms (250 pounds), Zaric said the gallery had never suspected anyone would try — or be able — to steal it.

“Just a few weeks ago we wanted to have it on an indoor display for another show we were setting up, and we could not move it,” she said.

“We never really suspected that being here, and having these stairs and having that weight of a sculpture [there] would ever be an issue for anyone to attempt to pick it up.”

The piece, titled “After Marino Marini,” depicts an abstract human form riding a horse. It was sculpted by Vancouver artist Fahri Aldin, who is known internationally for his painting and sculptural work, Zaric said.

She said she’s concerned the thief may have stolen it for its value as scrap metal.

“It would be a horrible idea to take it for scrap,” she said. “It’s a unique piece, and there will never be another one made like that.”
Security video captured by a neighbouring gallery depicts a man dragging the statue out of the gallery entrance, loading it onto a dolly, then towing it around the corner and through a nearby parking lot.

Zaric said no one at the gallery recognized the man.

Vancouver police confirmed they had opened a file into the theft, but said they had not interviewed the gallery owner yet.

‘It’s important they see us’: Surrey RCMP hold safety fair amid rising crime

BY ROBYN CRAWFORD CKNW
Posted November 2, 2019 5:14 pm

Surrey RCMP were in Clayton Heights Saturday for a Public Safety Fair. Robyn Crawford/ Global News

After a recent spike in crime in the area, Surrey RCMP were in Clayton Heights for a public safety fair Saturday.

The detachment launched National Crime Prevention Week at Ecole Salish Secondary school from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The fair had victim services information, community outreach program brochures, and information on how to combat auto-crime.

Surrey RCMP’s officer-in-charge, Assistant Comm. Dwayne McDonald, says it comes after two violent crimes in Clayton Heights over the past two months.

READ MORE: IHIT deployed to fatal targeted shooting in Surrey’s Clayton Heights neighbourhood

“Any time a neighborhood in the city sees a spike I think it’s important they see us and engage with us,” he said at the event.

The family-oriented area saw a shooting at a Mobil gas station along Fraser Highway in September. A week later, there was a stabbing outside another gas station a block away.

“I think Clayton represents one of the quickest growing areas in the city, a lot of young families here,” said McDonald.

“A lot of people are interested in community engagement, so we thought it was the perfect opportunity to reach people who may have questions about public safety.”

It’s not just Clayton seeing a rise in crime. According to the latest Surrey RCMP crime statistics released this week, criminal offences increased by six per cent in the third quarter of 2019. As for property crimes, they rose by 10 per cent.

The third quarter also saw five homicides, compared to three in the previous quarter.

READ MORE: Latest Surrey crime stats spark war of words over policing

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum said Thursday he’s disheartened by the recent spike in crime, but not surprised.

“Our RCMP members are doing the best job they can, but it is clear from what I have heard from our citizens that Surrey would benefit from having its own police department,” the mayor said then.

“I continue to urge the Solicitor General to make this a top priority and that we work as quickly as possible to establish the Surrey Police Department.”

READ MORE: Surrey mayor announces members of new police transition advisory committee

McCallum has continued to say he’s expecting the city’s police force to launch in the spring of 2021.

Meanwhile, McDonald says the fair had nothing to do with a looming civic police force.

“If we do our jobs to the best of our abilities and provide the most efficient, protective, and effective police force we can, that speaks for itself,” he said.

He says RCMP officers will be giving presentations in schools and at community events throughout the following week.

Big changes coming to Metrotown mall

A vast development to expand Metropolis is part of a development to expand Metrotown into a downtown core in Burnaby.

CHERYL CHAN Updated: October 29, 2019

B.C.’s largest mall is set for a major transformation after Burnaby council approved a plan Monday that would transform Metropolis at Metrotown to a vibrant, mixed-use city centre as part of a larger effort to turn the Metrotown area into the city’s official downtown.

The nearly 18-hectare site — which includes the shopping mall, three office towers, 8,000 parking spaces, and a portion of the former Sears site — makes up the largest consolidated site in Metrotown and has defined the neighbourhood for the last few decades.

“It’s the heart of the town centre,” said Ed Kozak, Burnaby’s director of planning. “It’s important not only because of its size, but also of the transformation that would occur on the site. It would set the stage for the (Metrotown) downtown neighbourhood in the master plan.”

Instead of just being a massive indoor mall, the site, which is located next to busy Metrotown SkyTrain station, will be more open to the community, with indoor and outdoor retail spaces, new parks and plazas and streets that are pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly, thousands of new residential units, and possibly a performance and events space.

“It’s an effort, essentially, to turn the mall inside out,” Kozak said of the long-term vision.

Monday’s council vote will allow city staff to work with property owner Ivanhoe Cambridge to create a Metropolis master plan, which would align with the area’s broader Metrotown master plan, which was adopted by council in 2017.

Residential units make up a major component of the site, fulfilling the city’s goal in expanding overall housing and rental housing stock in Metrotown.

Following a new zoning bylaw, 20 per cent of all units built on the site will be designated as rentals, said Kozak, adding most of them will be affordable, at rates about 20 per cent below the CMHC average, or about 40 to 50 per cent below market average.

“Our mayor and council are extremely concerned as the area redevelops that the people who live there won’t be given an opportunity to continue to live there,” he said. “By allowing these types of housing, it increases that opportunity and meets the goal of the Metrotown downtown plan.”

Graeme Silvera, vice-president of retail development at Ivanhoe Cambridge, said preliminary plans call for about 15,600 residential units to be built at the site. In comparison, the former Expo lands on the north shore of False Creek created about 7,800 units. “This shows you the scale of what we are looking at.”

The city is also working with the developer to meet sustainability requirements, including rain gardens and a 40 per cent tree canopy to break up the pavement-dominated landscape.

For shopping aficionados worried about the future of the mall itself, Silvera says the mall is here to stay. 

“The heart of the plan will have an enclosed retail mall within it,” similar to how Pacific Centre mall forms an integral part of downtown Vancouver, he said.

But over time, the goal is to transform what is primarily an indoor shopping centre to a 50/50 mix of interior and outdoor retail. Parking will also eventually be reduced.

The first phase of the plan is a partnership with Concord Pacific, which owns the former Sears site, to develop the Kingsway frontage of the mall, adding a new street and two-level retail podium that’ll connect two parts of the mall from Old Navy and Chapters to the food court, as well as new office spaces and two new residential towers.

Construction isn’t expected until late 2021 or early 2022. No changes are expected to the south side of the mall until at least past 2030.

chchan@postmedia.com

twitter.com/cherylchan

Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries 'not giving up' as weekly thefts reach hundreds

Vigilante justice, filming thefts ‘just not worth it,’ says MLL spokesperson

Bartley Kives, Caitlyn Gowriluk · CBC News · Posted: Oct 28, 2019 4:58 PM CT | Last Updated: October 28

Liquor stores in this province are getting robbed hundreds of times a week, only months after Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries unveiled a strategy to reduce the incidence of theft.

The provincial Crown corporation conceded Monday it is still trying to find ways to mitigate a robbery problem that primarily afflicts liquor marts in Winnipeg, several of which have been altered to improve security and staffed with armed security.

"We have police officers in our stores and they're robbing us while an armed officer with a gun and a Taser is standing there, so I'm not sure what is supposed to fix this," Liquor and Lotteries' corporate and public affairs director Andrea Kowal said Monday at a news conference.

"Our extreme frustration is the media has focused on this as a liquor mart theft problem. Every single story is about a liquor theft problem and I'm afraid this diminishes how serious this is as a retail theft problem and a crime problem in our city," Kowal said.

In response to rising theft in 2018 and earlier this year, the corporation placed loss-prevention officers in stores during peak times, started checking customers' ID at the front door of Liquor Marts, using bottle locks and lockable shelf cases and started requiring customers to ask staff for high-value bottles.

Liquor store theft rate 'high as its ever been': Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries

Kowal said thefts continue to occur at a rate of hundreds per week. Liquor Marts in Winnipeg are robbed a total of 10 to 20 times a day, said Const. Jay Murray of the Winnipeg Police Service.

"It's almost like liquor has become a form of currency in the criminal underworld here in Winnipeg. It's certainly being shopped as such on social media platforms," Murray said.

As videos of people robbing liquor marts continue to spread on social media, Liquor and Lotteries is urging people not to try to be a hero when they see a crime in progress.

"No one's life or safety is worth a bottle," Kowal said. "It's just not worth it."

Winnipeg police issued a similar warning over the weekend asking customers not to take video of the thefts, either. Liquor and Lotteries operates state-of-the-art video systems and does not need anyone to use their iPhones to capture images of thefts, Murray said.

"It seems like every day another video is being shared on social media of someone intervening," he said, adding he understands customers are frustrated and wish to help.

The union representing 1,000 liquor store employees said its members are also frustrated.

"There's a feeling of trepidation when people walk into the store, and that's not how people want to go to work every day," said Janet Kehler, member services director of the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union.

Kowal said there's no silver bullet to stop the problem, but she said they're still looking at more steps they can take to try to mitigate theft.

"We're not giving up," said Kowal. "Every time we put something in place, it works for a little while and then they figure out how to get around it."

She said she would not share what measures are and are not working because that would assist thieves.

Kowal said while liquor mart thefts have gotten a lot of attention in Winnipeg, the issue is much larger than what's happening in their stores.

"It's not going to be solved by law enforcement and security. This is a city-wide, maybe North America-wide problem that's going to involve groups that work with families, addictions groups, public health, social agencies," she said.

"If we closed the liquor marts — whether we closed them to make a Consumers Distributing model, or literally closed them and said, 'we're not gonna be in this business anymore' — this issue is still going to exist."

Consumers Distributing, a retail chain that closed in 1996, used a shopping model where customers browsed through a catalogue to select items and then an attendant retrieved the items from the warehouse.

Kowal said the thefts are taking a toll on liquor mart staff, and asked people to be empathetic to them.

Granville Bridge seismic and structural upgrades means delays for Vancouver commuters

BY SEAN BOYNTON GLOBAL NEWS
Posted October 27, 2019 6:25 pm

Seismic and structural upgrades on the Granville Bridge deck begin Monday, and at least one Granville Island business owner says the work can’t come soon enough.

Construction is set to get underway in the morning on the south approach, the latest move for an upgrade project that’s been underway since last fall.

The city says commuters can expect delays due to the work, which will require the closure of two central lanes in both directions and one lane on the Hemlock Ramp.

In late November, crews will move to the Seymour ramp at the north end of the bridge and the Fourth Avenue off-ramp, which will lead to additional closures.

Replacements of the expansion joints will then continue on different sections along the bridge deck in the centre and curb lanes until work is completed in late 2020.

The city says the work on the aging span, which was first built in 1954, also includes replacing bearings and repairing concrete and steel throughout the structure.

READ MORE: Granville Street Bridge dropping metal debris again, says Granville Island businessman

The bridge sees 65,000 vehicle trips daily along with 25,000 bus crossings. It also shelters Granville Island, where business owners have complained about chunks of falling steel for years.

David McCann, general manager of the four-building Creekhouse Industries complex on the island, says he’s reported the issue at least once a year for the past six years, most recently in July.

“The current pieces that came off were some of the the largest,” he said Sunday. “Even two inches by three inches can either hurt you or kill you, but in the past five or 10 years there’s been larger pieces, two, three feet.”

Other instances in the past include one where a large piece of the bridge hit the roof of the Sandbar in September 2014. Another large piece smashed a visitor’s car windshield in May of that year.

McCann says city crews have responded after each complaint, and are now ensuring the metal doesn’t fall on the island again.

The city is proposing major changes to the bridge that would make it more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists.

READ MORE: Vancouver unveils 6 proposed designs for future of Granville Bridge

Six different design proposals were released last month, all of which propose the elimination of two lanes of vehicle traffic. Open houses and online feedback in September allowed the public to weigh in on the ideas.

The city will review feedback over the fall, with a council decision expected in early 2020. Construction would begin in 2021, pending approval and the development of a detailed plan.

With files from Simon Little

© 2019 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Police to double number of CCTV cameras in Toronto amid spike in shootings

Number of CCTV cameras will jump from 34 to 74 within 3 years, city says

CBC News · Posted: Aug 23, 2019 9:12 AM ET | Last Updated: August 23

The province committed $3 million on Friday to help Toronto police more than double the number of closed-circuit television cameras in the city in an effort to deter gun violence amid a recent spike in gang-related shootings.

The 40 new cameras will be installed over a three-year period, bringing the total number of CCTV cameras operating in Toronto from 34 to 74.

• Toronto police beefing up guns and gangs unit in effort to curb shootings, sources say

• Toronto police chief unveils 'intelligence-led' plan to curb gun violence

Premier Doug Ford made the announcement at a morning news conference with Toronto Mayor John Tory. 

Tory said the cameras will help ensure police have the resources they need to keep the city safe and hold criminals responsible.

"Toronto is a great city, but we must continue to do more and more to protect our streets, to protect the very neighbourhoods that sometimes end up under siege," Tory said. 

"While the number of homicides has been reduced this year, the level of gun violence continues to be unacceptable."

Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders, who also attended the news conference, declined to specify where the new cameras will be installed, but said their placement will be "intelligence led."

"We recognize that 99.9 per cent of our communities are law abiding people that are scared because of the gun activities that are happening," Saunders told reporters.

He said that at a number of recent town halls with communities most affected by gun violence, "more and more requests are for cameras."

Saunders added that the existing CCTV network has had a "tremendous impact" on the force's ability to pursue suspects following criminal incidents. When asked how more cameras would deter potential violence, Saunders said that improvements in technology have made them an increasingly relevant crime-fighting tool.

"Ten years ago, having cameras at night meant nothing. Today, because of the quality, because of the resolution, it works 24 hours, seven days a week," Saunders said.

The new funding comes during the second Project Community Space, an 11-week, anti-gun violence strategy by police that includes beefing up the force's Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force with 45 experienced major crimes officers from the city's 17 divisions.

Toronto police already use a network of closed-circuit cameras installed throughout the city. (CBC)

The front-line unit will be focused on a number of areas with a high concentration of shootings, though Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders has declined to be more specific about tactics.

Project Community Space is being funded in part with a combined $4.5-million commitment from all three levels of government made earlier this month.

While there have been fewer homicides so far this year than at the some point in 2018, Toronto is currently on pace for a record number of shootings. There have been 274 shootings with 412 victims in the city as of August 19, according to police data.

Tory has also been calling on Ottawa to implement a ban on handguns, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has so far only said the federal government will consider additional gun control measures and voters will have to wait for the Liberals' election platform for details.

Tory added Friday that tackling the root causes of gun and gang violence is also important, and he raised the issue last week with Trudeau.

"I am not satisfied that Toronto is receiving all the help that it needs as Canada's largest city, by way of investing in neighbourhoods and young people to keep gang activity away," he said

Legal cannabis use could still get you banned at the border, U.S. confirms

By Patrick Cain National Online Journalist, News  Global News

Canadians may be banned from entering the U.S. for legally using marijuana in Canada if a border officer decides that they are likely to consume it in the United States, American border officials told reporters Tuesday.

READ MORE: Will legal cannabis users be able to cross the U.S. border? ‘It’s anyone’s guess,’ lawyer says

“If someone admits to smoking frequently in Canada, then that will play into the officer’s admissibility decision about whether they think, on this specific trip, they are also likely to engage in smoking marijuana in the United States as well,” said Todd Owen, a senior official with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“It’s now legal in Canada, so it comes down to whether the officer believes they may engage in the same activity while in the United States, based on the intent and purpose of their trip, as opposed to the legal engagement within Canada.”

However, U.S. border officials will make a distinction between whether a Canadian’s past marijuana use was before or after legalization, he said.

“When they are questioned by the officer during the interview process, if illegal drug use comes up, it could come down to pre-legalization or post-legalization, and the officer will make the corresponding decision about admissibility based on that.”

However, Owen also said he “would not expect that officers would be routinely asking people about their marijuana use.”

Owen also said that past marijuana convictions in Canada would continue to be a basis in being banned from the U.S., even if the person had later been pardoned in Canada, or if marijuana convictions were expunged in an amnesty.

“We don’t recognize the Canadian amnesty. That would still make you inadmissible into our country.”

Canadians can be banned from entering the United States for being an ‘abuser’ of marijuana. Asked how officers would decide what level of use constituted abuse, Owen would only say that if would be “based on the facts and circumstances of the inspection, and based on what the officer gleans from the inspection process.”

READ MORE: In major shift, the U.S. says it won’t ban Canadian pot workers

While a growing number of states have legalized recreational marijuana at the state level, it remains illegal at the federal level, and Canadians can be banned from using it in states such as California or Oregon, or admitting at the border that they plan to.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has refused to disclose how many Canadians have been banned from entering the United States due to marijuana use.

People banned at the U.S. border can apply for a “waiver” to let them cross. But the process is time-consuming, expensive — the fee recently rose to US$930 — and the process has to be started from scratch every few years for the rest of the person’s life.

https://globalnews.ca/news/4556304/marijuana-canada-us-border/

Multiple charges laid against 69-year-old in Surrey collision that left woman dead

Janet Dudgeon, 61, was killed and her mother Barbara, 84, was injured in a crash in Surrey last March

Jesse Johnston · CBC News · Posted: Sep 27, 2018 4:29 PM PT | Last Updated: September 27

Collision investigators photograph the scene of the hit and run on 72nd Avenue. (Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

The family of the woman who was killed in a crash in Surrey last year says they're relieved an arrest has finally been made in the case.

Janet Dudgeon, 61, and her mother Barbara, 84, were travelling through the intersection of 72 Avenue and 152 Street in Surrey on March 22.

It was around 6:35pm when an eastbound van smashed into their sedan, killing Janet and leaving Barbara with serious injuries.

"We miss her terribly," said Janet's daughter, Melissa Gambone.

"My grandmother, too. We miss the way she was before the injury."

On Tuesday, police arrested Iqbal Singh Sidhu, 69, in Surrey.

Sidhu appeared in provincial court in Surrey on Wednesday to face 15 charges, including manslaughter, criminal negligence causing death and impaired driving causing death.

"It was definitely a long, complicated investigation," said Sgt. Chad Greig with Surrey RCMP.

"We hope the charges being laid will bring some solace to the family of the deceased."

Sidhu was released from custody on several conditions.

Serious charges

Gambone says her family is pleased to see the accused has been charged with manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

"It means that our society is looking at impaired driving with a little more seriousness," she said.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/multiple-charges-laid-against-69-year-old-in-surrey-collision-that-left-woman-dead-1.4841884

Linda Hepner delivers final State of the City address as Surrey mayor

Hepner announced that the city plans to hire a director of housing to come up with and execute a "made-in-Surrey" housing strategy.

JENNIFER SALTMAN Updated: September 19, 2018

The City of Surrey plans to hire a director of housing to develop and execute a housing strategy for the growing municipality.

“I think a housing director, at this point in Surrey’s history, is going to be critical,” Mayor Linda Hepner said on Wednesday, following her fourth and final State of the City address.

Hepner said a lack of affordable housing was not only a Vancouver problem — it’s a problem for the entire region. Surrey needed to have a strategy that looks at what kinds of projects were needed, she said, and it had to be tailored to the city.

“I think that what we’ve always been is a place where people can see themselves and their families growing, so I think as we’ve grown that now is the right time for a housing director,” Hepner said, pointing out that most big cities had such a position.

She couldn’t say whether the position would be filled before the municipal election takes place on Oct. 20, but she expected the process would be underway by then.

Housing was one topic Hepner touched on during her wide-ranging speech, which for the most part read like a love letter to the city she has served — first as city staff, then councillor and finally as mayor — for more than 30 years.

After one term as mayor, Hepner is not running for re-election.

She reflected on the changes that had taken place over the past three decades, including skyrocketing population and more festivals and park space, as well as the development of post-secondary institutions.

Hepner touched on achievements during her tenure. At the top of the list was the removal of a tent city on 135A Street and the rehousing of its residents, the recent release of a report from the Mayor’s Task Force on Gang Violence Prevention, and the addition of 134 RCMP officers along with the hiring of a public safety director.

On policing, Hepner said it’s time to have a broader discussion about policing in the city, and what kind of police force Surrey should have.

“When you have episodes of tragedy in your community, there’s a lot of emotion and during an election period it escalates into fear mongering. I would just hope that everybody is prepared to look at it with a full-on study with facts and analysis, and let’s make the best decision for a growing community,” she said after her address.

Another hot election issue was the debate over whether Surrey should ditch its plan to build at-grade light rail in favour of SkyTrain, even though LRT was fully funded and procurement had started. She called it a done deal and said she found the debate incredibly frustrating.

“I think elections are always driven by different points of view — and that’s healthy — but I think that sometimes we get lost in the minutia of language and we don’t settle into what is the reality of fact,” she said.

Hepner said in her speech that she hoped the next mayor and council would work together and lead the city into its “next great chapter.”

If Hepner were to leave a note for the next mayor, it would be “short and sweet and in big, bold letters,” she said, becoming tearful.

“Be good to this city, because it is headed for greatness.”

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/linda-hepner-delivers-final-state-of-the-city-address-as-surrey-mayor

Ottawa residents begin long, slow recovery after twin tornado touchdowns

CTVNews.ca Staff
Published Sunday, September 23, 2018 8:16AM EDT
Last Updated Sunday, September 23, 2018 10:12AM EDT

Residents and crews of the Ottawa-Gatineau region are now beginning the massive rebuilding effort and long rehabilitation process after the area was hit by twin tornadoes.

“This (area) is kind of an extension of tornado alley through southern Ontario. It’s very rare that we have a tornado this strong, this late in the season,” David Sills, Environment Canada, told CTV News late Saturday.

Friday’s twin tornadoes caused massive damage obliterating dozens of homes, tossing vehicles around, snapping huge trees and injuring several people, at least two of whom were admitted to hospital in critical condition.

Environment Canada says one powerful EF-3 category twister ripped through Dunrobin, Ont., just west of Ottawa, before moving on to devastate the densely populated area of Gatineau, Que. At nearly exactly the same time, a slightly less powerful twister, touched down in the south Ottawa neighbourhood of Arlington Woods.

No fatalities have been reported, which a number of officials have marvelled at given the vast amount of property damage the twisters caused. Approximately 60 buildings were wiped out or partially destroyed in Dunrobin, Ont., while in Gatineau more than 215 buildings were damaged or destroyed.

Like many residents in the region, Gatineau resident Melissa St. Pierre was told not to return to her house. She did anyhow, saying she had to to retrieve her daughter’s belongings. On Saturday, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said it "literally…looks like some bomb was dropped from the air."

At one point more than 200,000 hydro customers were blacked out, but as of early Sunday morning, the Hydro Ottawa and Hydro Quebec websites report the number had been reduced to fewer than 80,000 -- 70,000 in the Ottawa area and 8,300 in the Outaouais region, which encompasses Gatineau.

Hydro Ottawa tweeted Sunday morning that they were working with Hydro One to repair the Merivale station, which supplies large swaths of the region, but that there isn’t any estimated time when power will be returned.

Hydro Ottawa CEO Bryce Conrad compared the magnitude of the damage to the power grid to the debilitating ice storm of 1998 on Saturday. He also warned people to brace for a multi-day power outage following what he described as a "cascading failure" of hydro resources.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/ottawa-residents-begin-long-slow-recovery-after-twin-tornado-touchdowns-1.4105784

Community banding together

The kindness of strangers has been playing a significant role in the aftermath of Friday's tornado. A lot of people have been stepping up to help storm victims with a hot meal, an outlet to charge their phone or a shower.

Shawna Tregunna tweeted a photo of pancakes saying she was cooking up hot meals all day. She also offered to deliver the vast buffet she prepared, and was kept busy doing so from Friday afternoon until late Saturday night.

Tregunna said she had plenty of help in her Good Samaritan efforts with "tons of volunteers, lots of donation offers, lots of offers to do delivery."

Another Ottawa resident, Erin Blaskie, had the same charitable idea, tweeting out a photo of a pot of chili saying anyone without a hot meal could message her for her address, while In Kanata North, Karen Woods opened up her home to people who needed a shower or their batteries recharged.

Another person who’s noticed the generosity of the community is Todd Nicholson, who lives in the hardest hit area of Dunrobin. He told CTV News channel that both his family and his brother’s family are homeless after their homes were destroyed.

“The storm basically took our home and everything in it… it’s something I’ve never witnessed living here for years,” the former Paralympian said.

“It’s tough but at the same time the community has really rallied together. This is a community that has come together to create some sort of normalcy.”

Trying to return to 'some sort of normalcy'

He went on to say that several sports groups in the city plan to return the registration and equipment fees for children enrolled in hockey programs. On Saturday, the Ottawa Senators Foundation launched a GoFundMe page to raise moeny for the victims of the tornado and has pledged to match the first $25,000 given through the page.

"This is our home, and being part of a community coming together in times of need. The Ottawa Senators hockey club and their fans at home,” the club wrote on the page.

The Canadian Army Run, a charity run which raises money for families of the country’s armed forces like the Air Force, Army and Navy, is also still going as planned Sunday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted Saturday that he'd spoken with the mayors of Ottawa and Gatineau to offer federal assistance.

The Ontario government announced Saturday that it was activating the province's Disaster Recovery Assistance program in affected areas. Under the program, individuals, small businesses and not-for-profit organizations that have experienced property damage or loss as a result of the storm may be eligible to receive help with emergency and recovery expenses.

The Quebec government announced it would give the Red Cross $1 million to help with relief efforts. On Saturday, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard said, “we are concentrating on people, getting people back home as soon as possible, as safely as possible.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he plans to visit the Ottawa area today to see for himself the devastation caused by Friday's tornado. On Saturday, he said he’d "do whatever it takes to help them get back on their feet."

Construction workers help nab alleged carjacker in downtown Vancouver

CTV Vancouver Published Friday,
September 21, 2018 10:02AM PDT
Last Updated Friday, September 21, 2018 11:42AM PDT

Police are crediting a group of construction workers with helping to end a dramatic crime spree that played out on the streets of downtown Vancouver Friday.

The incident began around 8:40 a.m. at a parking garage at Pender and Cambie streets, where a man allegedly carjacked a vehicle and sped off toward the busy intersection of Georgia and Hamilton streets.

There, police said the suspect struck multiple vehicles and a pedestrian before trying to flee the area on foot.

Police respond to an alleged carjacking and hit-and-run in downtown Vancouver.

"He bounced off a number of vehicles and trash cans, he hit a pedestrian, then he got out and ran," Const. Jason Doucette said.

The pedestrian, who was crossing the street legally, suffered injuries that police described as serious but not life-threatening.

Doucette said as the alleged carjacker was running away he crossed paths with some construction workers, who held him until officers arrived at the scene – despite being hit with bear spray.

"(The suspect) came into contact with a number of construction workers, who challenged the man and went to take him into custody when they were bear sprayed by this guy," Doucette said.

Officers reached the area minutes later and arrested a 27-year-old man, who is facing several charges, including dangerous driving, robbery and assault.

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/construction-workers-help-nab-alleged-carjacker-in-downtown-vancouver-1.4104112

What you need to know to survive the haze from B.C. wildfires

By and Aaron McArthur Global News

With wildfires raging across British Columbia, a thick blanket of smoke has covered much of the province along with neighbouring Alberta, Saskatchewan and even parts of Manitoba.

Environment Canada has issued dozens of air quality advisories for the four provinces, and in the B.C. communities of Williams Lake, Quesnel and Castlegar, the air quality health index has reached 10, or “very high risk.”

In many communities, residents have taken to wearing face masks, and the haze has been thick enough to blot the sun out hours before sunset.

In Prince George, B.C., ash has been falling like snow, while Calgary and Edmonton have been enveloped in an eerie orange haze.

“It’s been difficult, to say the least. Even sleeping at night is trouble, even with the windows closed and with the air on,” said Lorna Burns, a Kamloops delivery driver who suffers from mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

“It’s tricky, but the job’s got to be done.”

Health experts are advising people to avoid strenuous exercise and stay indoors as much as possible. If you’re able to invest in a HEPA air filter to clean the air indoors, all the better.

“Take frequent breaks, try to get inside, if you’re on a break, into an area where the air isn’t quite as contaminated,” said Dr. Todd Ring with the Royal Inland Hospital.

---

For those who have no choice but to work or travel outdoors, a respirator with an N-95 rating can be effective. Homemade solutions are less reliable.

“Wearing a cloth mask or bandanna or something like that, it offers a slight bit of protection. But really, it’s not very effective,” air quality expert Michael Brauer told Global News.

Cloth surgical masks can actually make things worse, he said, because they provide the illusion of protection but actually just make it harder to breathe.

At London Drugs, pharmacies across the regional chain are reporting a sharp uptick in complaints linked to air quality and are scrambling to fill inhaler prescriptions.

Pharmacy general manager Chris Chiew said it’s important for people to know their limitations.

“Younger children, the elderly or anyone who is asthmatic definitely has to be careful to make sure they have their inhalers close by,” he said.

“Actually, stay away from anywhere where there is a high amount of smoke, so if it is outside, make sure they stay indoors as much as they can,” Chiew added.

According to Environment Canada, people with respiratory illnesses and heart disease are particularly susceptible to air pollution.

People with diabetes are also at risk, as are young children, pregnant women, seniors and anyone with a chronic illness.

The agency says that under hazardous air quality conditions, susceptible people can also reduce risk by taking the following steps:

• Reduce or reschedule outdoor physical activities
• Monitor possible symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, coughing or irritated eyes
• Follow a doctor’s advice to manage existing conditions such as heart or lung disease

Downtown Vancouver's Telus Garden towers sold to an undisclosed buyer for an unknown amount - The Georgia Straight

It was only three years ago that Telus completed its spiffy new national headquarters on West Georgia Street in downtown Vancouver.

Called the Telus Garden, the joint venture with Westbank Corp. cost roughly $750 million and came with a redevelopment of most of the block between Georgia and Robson streets and Seymour and Richards streets.

The Canadian telecommunications giant was obviously proud of the shiny building, which boasted solar panels on the roof, motion-sensor lighting, and other environmentally friendly architectural features. In September 2015, the company's president and CEO, Darren Entwistle, personally hosted a press conference there to celebrate the building's official opening.

Now Telus and Westbank have sold the development, which consists of a  22-storey office tower and 44-storey residential tower.

The deal was revealed quietly on Friday (August 3) with the release of Telus's latest quarterly earnings report.

Neither the buyer of 510 West Georgia Street nor the amount paid were disclosed there.

"In August, the Telus Garden real estate joint venture accepted an offer to purchase the income producing property and the related net assets; the sale is expected to be completed subsequent to August 3, 2018," reads a media release that accompanied the report.

"During the third quarter of 2018 we expect to record our share of the gain, which is estimated at approximately $170 million," it continues. "In 2011, we partnered, as equals, in a residential condominium, retail and commercial real estate redevelopment project, TELUS Garden, in Vancouver, British Columbia."

Telus Garden is located in downtown Vancouver at 510 West Georgia Street, between Seymour and Richards streets.

Telus Garden is located in downtown Vancouver at 510 West Georgia Street, between Seymour and Richards streets.

The property was never listed as for sale, and so the deal is very likely the result of an unsolicited offer that was simply too good for Telus Garden's owners to refuse.

With downtown Vancouver almost out of land that's not already developed and commercial real estate in increasingly short supply, Telus and Westbank probably received quite a bit for the property.

In December 2017, a lot just 10 blocks west of Telus Garden, at 1616 West Georgia Street, sold for $245 million.

by Travis Lupick on August 6th, 2018 at 12:24 PM

Is the Sask Health Authority Beefing Up Security?

There may be changes coming to security practices to the St Joseph's Hospital; in fact, they're currently looking at strategies for all facilities within the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

Officials hope this process will make sure that all hospitals and facilities ensure the safety of staff, visitors and patients, according to the Executive Director of Infrastructure Management, Derek Miller.

"The intent of the review is really two-fold. One is we brought together the 12 health regions into a single health authority. We want to create a provincial program for security," explained Miller. "We want the review to basically describe to us the current state of security across our various facilities. And the second part of the report is about recommendations, about how we would structure and operate provincial security programs."

When exactly these changes or upgrades will be implemented is still up in their air as they are waiting for the report. Once they have it, they will have to go through it line by line to make any determinations.

"We are anticipating receiving the report likely in a month or so, likely in August. At that point we'll be reviewing it internally and considering the various recommendations. At that point, it'll inform us of our next steps as we develop our strategy for setting up this provincial program for security."

Here in Estevan, Greg Hoffart, Executive Director at the St. Joseph's Hospital is awaiting the results of the review. 

"We have heard no results from their security review at this time. I think that there are definitely areas of the province where security is of great concern in facilities. So we will be interested to see what their reviews and the results of such a review."

 Written by Hayley Hart/Emily Kroeker

CBC News- How to prevent vehicle break-ins

Park in well-lit areas, avoid leaving items in the car, be extra careful in hot spots like downtown Montreal.

Montreal has its hot spots for vehicle break-ins, but they can happen anywhere, and there are clear ways to curb it, according to the experts and those who've had their cars vandalized.

Montreal has its hot spots for vehicle break-ins, but they can happen anywhere, and there are clear ways to curb it, according to the experts and those who've had their cars vandalized.

Lawyer Jean-François Raymond said he returned to his car, parked at Peel and Ste-Catherine streets in downtown Montreal a few years ago, to find the rear window smashed and what he'd left in the back seat, gone.

Raymond's advice to drivers: don't leave anything in your vehicle.

George Iny from the Automobile Protection Association agrees. He said sunglasses, a purse, electronics, or anything that looks like it's holding something valuable, such as a computer, could entice a thief.

"The core area of the city has a lot of street life, and some people who are in difficulty," Iny said. "For them, this is an opportunity to make a few bucks." 

Iny recommends people never leave the keys in the car, even for just a moment, like at a gas station.

"If someone is staking the place out, the car could disappear. That's how it happens," Iny said.

That's also one of the Canadian Automobile Association's tips for preventing car theft.

The CAA recommends having parts of the car engraved and installing a tracking system or starter kill, and to park in well lit areas. 

The Guardian

Three Oaks student honoured for excellence in workplace safety

Melanie Rodger, who recently graduated from Three Oaks Senior High School student in Summerside, has been busy creating safe spaces at her school, work and volunteer settings.

Recently she was recognized for showing excellence in the demonstration and understanding of occupational health and safety (OCH) principals, by the Workers Compensation Board (WCB) with the Safety Matters Award during their annual public meeting.

“One of the ways to build safer workplaces is to focus on our future workforce,” said Stuart Affleck, chairman for the Workers Compensation Board. “The WCB places great importance on fostering safety champions in our next generation of workers and employers.”

Melanie participated in the OHS Leadership Program over the past year, where she worked with a partner to plan and host events designed to raise student awareness around safety in the workplace.

In the summer of 2017, she worked in a laboratory setting at University of Prince Edward Island, where she gained awareness and appreciation for safety training, and the need for personal protective equipment in certain workplace settings.

She participated in a training course at an aerospace company where workers were provided with an orientation to a new 3-D printer and learned more about effective communication of workplace hazards.

Rodger volunteers at the Prince County Hospital, in addition she serves as president of a volunteer youth board at the hospital. She has taken a leadership role in sharing knowledge about OHS with her co-workers and plans to study bioengineering at McGill University in Montreal this fall.

“We applaud Melanie and the many other students who take an interest in health and safety in the workplace,” said Luanne Gallant, CEO for the Workers Compensation Board. “Any effort to educate and engage others in discussions around safety will help benefit everyone.”

To learn more about educating young workers about workplace safety, visit the Workers Compensation Board website at or call the WCB office at 902‐368‐5680 or 1‐800‐237‐5049.