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Victoria is facing a public-safety crisis

The McDonalds on Rideau Street in downtown Ottawa was notoriously stupid a few nights of the week, and used to have security guards as well. The shenanigans at that particular restaurant eventually got so bad they stopped staying open 24/7.

Also, if it was really Demolition Man, it would have been a Taco Bell.
The look on his face when he hears they’ve been invited to Taco Bell… and how gitty she gets at the thought of it 😅

Great movie
 
The McDonalds on Rideau Street in downtown Ottawa was notoriously stupid a few nights of the week, and used to have security guards as well. The shenanigans at that particular restaurant eventually got so bad they stopped staying open 24/7.

Also, if it was really Demolition Man, it would have been a Taco Bell.
There was a McDonald's in my former patrol zone that was next to the most popular night club in the city.

One night there was a sizeable punch up that left a fair number of lightly injured but pissed off former bar patrons in the McDonald's, seething at each other. As you would imagine, another punch up developed, which resulted in the RCMP being called. It was quite the scene, with multiple persons taken to the cell block for a time out or hospital for a patch job, and no meaningful personal or property damage.

The poor girl on her first ever shift as a security guard, boots still spit shone and clip on tie askew quit on the spot. The McDonalds in question is still, somehow, open 24/7. Don't ask me how.
 
The McDonalds on Rideau Street in downtown Ottawa was notoriously stupid a few nights of the week, and used to have security guards as well. The shenanigans at that particular restaurant eventually got so bad they stopped staying open 24/7.

Also, if it was really Demolition Man, it would have been a Taco Bell.
But were they big dudes with headsets and tight black polos with the Golden Arches embroidered on them? If not, they weren’t McBouncers! 😁
 
Struggles continue to stop the revolving door...

Lawrie McFarlane: No study needed — just match sentence to repeat offender's record​

B.C. attorney general is ducking responsibility

David Eby, B.C. attorney general and minister responsible for housing, says his government will undertake an investigation into the causes of criminal recidivism, which Lawrie McFarlane says is a bit like the CEO of a flight school asking what an airplane is.

When B.C.’s Urban Mayors’ Caucus asked provincial Attorney General David Eby for help in dealing with the problem of repeat offenders, Eby himself became a repeat offender.

It began with Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps, co-chair of the caucus, drawing Eby’s attention to a list of 10 chronic offenders in her city, who alone have had 1,385 run-ins with local police over the past two years.

In one instance, a repeat offender in the capital region generated 284 police incidents within a 24-month period, was charged 55 times, and registered 22 separate convictions.

The mayors put this steadily worsening situation down to a form of “catch and release” practised by our justice system.

Eby’s first offence was to duck responsibility. He noted that some of these repeat offenders have drug-addiction problems or mental-health issues.

He urged that what’s needed is more attention to treatment options rather than incarceration. Let the health-care system sort things out.

Yet while there is some truth in that, it by no means explains the sheer dimensions of the problem.

An example: In February, a Similkameen man was sentenced to two years in jail for wild behaviour behind the wheel of a car.

Blake Dunstall was pulled over at an impaired-driving check in Penticton. He failed to produce a licence, and took off at high speed.

Dunstall, aged 38 at the time of his trial, had 97 prior adult convictions. These included seven assault convictions including six against domestic partners, six for driving while prohibited, five for dangerous driving, three for flight from police and two for impaired driving.

Why was this man still at large on the occasion of this latest spree? A study by researchers at the University of Fraser Valley offers an explanation.

They found that “the data … clearly indicate that judges have not been taking prior record into consideration when sentencing repeat offenders.”

That may explain why career criminals, although only a small percentage of all criminals, enjoy almost unlimited freedom to re-offend.

Eby then fell back on a second excuse. He argued that since our courts are independent, he, like other attorneys general, has no say in how they act.

Lawrie McFarlane: No study needed — just match sentence to repeat offender's record
 
Struggles continue to stop the revolving door...

Lawrie McFarlane: No study needed — just match sentence to repeat offender's record​

B.C. attorney general is ducking responsibility

David Eby, B.C. attorney general and minister responsible for housing, says his government will undertake an investigation into the causes of criminal recidivism, which Lawrie McFarlane says is a bit like the CEO of a flight school asking what an airplane is.

When B.C.’s Urban Mayors’ Caucus asked provincial Attorney General David Eby for help in dealing with the problem of repeat offenders, Eby himself became a repeat offender.

It began with Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps, co-chair of the caucus, drawing Eby’s attention to a list of 10 chronic offenders in her city, who alone have had 1,385 run-ins with local police over the past two years.

In one instance, a repeat offender in the capital region generated 284 police incidents within a 24-month period, was charged 55 times, and registered 22 separate convictions.

The mayors put this steadily worsening situation down to a form of “catch and release” practised by our justice system.

Eby’s first offence was to duck responsibility. He noted that some of these repeat offenders have drug-addiction problems or mental-health issues.

He urged that what’s needed is more attention to treatment options rather than incarceration. Let the health-care system sort things out.

Yet while there is some truth in that, it by no means explains the sheer dimensions of the problem.

An example: In February, a Similkameen man was sentenced to two years in jail for wild behaviour behind the wheel of a car.

Blake Dunstall was pulled over at an impaired-driving check in Penticton. He failed to produce a licence, and took off at high speed.

Dunstall, aged 38 at the time of his trial, had 97 prior adult convictions. These included seven assault convictions including six against domestic partners, six for driving while prohibited, five for dangerous driving, three for flight from police and two for impaired driving.

Why was this man still at large on the occasion of this latest spree? A study by researchers at the University of Fraser Valley offers an explanation.

They found that “the data … clearly indicate that judges have not been taking prior record into consideration when sentencing repeat offenders.”

That may explain why career criminals, although only a small percentage of all criminals, enjoy almost unlimited freedom to re-offend.

Eby then fell back on a second excuse. He argued that since our courts are independent, he, like other attorneys general, has no say in how they act.

Lawrie McFarlane: No study needed — just match sentence to repeat offender's record
Steve Harvey Reaction GIF
 
We are seeing an increase in violent crimes (stabbings) here in McStabbyPeg.
Thank you in part to the doctors of Manitoba crying "wolf" telling the provincial government all the inmates will die if COVID gets in the jail.

What fuciing horse$hit that was.
 
When I went to Victoria on vacation about two months ago I yelled at a asian guy beating what I assume to be his failed date on the street. He took off running the moment someone actually did anything (she took off the opposite direction), but I can safely say Victoria vastly changed from the last time I was there (about 10 years ago). Tons of homeless (a problem everywhere), but some really sketchy areas that weren't sketchy a decade ago.

The amount of people in society which are also unwilling to step in on situations like the above blows my mind. Most this criminal nonsense would stop if a few people actually stood up to them and put them back in line.
 
You kind of reminded me of this from a cool series called Mr In Between...

 
When I went to Victoria on vacation about two months ago I yelled at a asian guy beating what I assume to be his failed date on the street. He took off running the moment someone actually did anything (she took off the opposite direction), but I can safely say Victoria vastly changed from the last time I was there (about 10 years ago). Tons of homeless (a problem everywhere), but some really sketchy areas that weren't sketchy a decade ago.

The amount of people in society which are also unwilling to step in on situations like the above blows my mind. Most this criminal nonsense would stop if a few people actually stood up to them and put them back in line.

We're heading for slum status:

 
We're heading for slum status:

You were heading for slim status. Mayor Lisa Helps is turning that around by hiring 4 people to pick up needles, socks, and poop.
 

From up-thread. Deinstitutionalization.

That's why they are there in such numbers but lets face facts, much of the violent homeless problem has its genesis from the process of deinstitutionalization which took hold in the country (actually continent) around the mid 1970s and spanned several years. Deinstitutionalization replaced many mental health institutions by a loose grouping of homes, care homes, and half way houses with far too many diverting to the streets, general hospitals and, all too often, jails.

It's politically incorrect to point out that the system, while laudable, may have gone too far and lost control.

The problem that Victoria is, and other cities are, facing is less a police problem but more a mental health services problem.

🍻



 
One thing I can tell you:

If society doesn’t invest in a proper mental health care system including secure facilities you end up with a plethora of crazies on the street and in your jails.
Further to this (don't interrupt me - I am having a very good crayon day) there is a huge ripple effect with mental health - the center being the patient, the next ring immediate family (who often care for their relative) , extended family etc.

Adding - the cost to society as a result of poor mental health care is astronomical, and costs us lives that could have been saved.
 
Victoria: Number One in Canada yet again. Yay!

B.C. has the longest walk-in clinic wait times in Canada: Medimap​

The average 58-minute wait was more than double the national average of 25 minutes, and early data on 2022 shows it's getting worse

“Six of the top 10 cities with the longest average wait times across Canada were located in British Columbia,” said Medimap spokesman Paul Clarke in an email. Victoria recorded the longest, at 161 minutes or just over 2.5 hours. “Kelowna, White Rock, North Vancouver and Vancouver also recorded average wait times that were 60 minutes or longer,” he said.

 
If Covid didn’t kill the sick, not getting adequate care will. Lockdowns or not, hospitals got overwhelmed either way.
 
Victoria: Number One in Canada yet again. Yay!

B.C. has the longest walk-in clinic wait times in Canada: Medimap​

The average 58-minute wait was more than double the national average of 25 minutes, and early data on 2022 shows it's getting worse

“Six of the top 10 cities with the longest average wait times across Canada were located in British Columbia,” said Medimap spokesman Paul Clarke in an email. Victoria recorded the longest, at 161 minutes or just over 2.5 hours. “Kelowna, White Rock, North Vancouver and Vancouver also recorded average wait times that were 60 minutes or longer,” he said.

Why, though?

Why are wait times in Victoria substantially longer than elsewhere?

Is it a lack of doctors or clinics?

More patients per capita due to age?

Mismanaged resources, aka poor management at the top?
 
Why, though?

Why are wait times in Victoria substantially longer than elsewhere?

Is it a lack of doctors or clinics?

More patients per capita due to age?

Mismanaged resources, aka poor management at the top?
People are using them for primary care reasons most likely - often means that if they've just lost a family doc, they have a shopping list of problems, or they might be there for driver/employment medicals, which take substantially longer if you don't know the person or have records on them, a lack of physicians/clincis, IIRC correctly, in BC there's a cap on people you can see in a given time frame in the walk ins, so no incentive to move faster since people would be working for free. Add to that the amount of documentation required for people you don't know that one has to do and send to the patient's family doc (if they have one) or consultant(s) if needed. In an ED, for a simple problem, I have about 5-10 minutes of documentation I have to do...ordering tests that weren't done on arrival, consultatnts to page/text and do a note for, referrals to other facilities, doing a procedure (and documenting that), etc takes up more time I'm not seeing people. In a walk-in, you're responsible for tests you order and have to follow up on them, dictate or hand bomb letters of referral or back to family doc saying "Hey, just saw you patient, they need this and that done please follow up, etc". Takes time...some of it non-billable. Take your pick.
 
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