Criminals 'embedded' in supportive housing are preying on residents: VicPD chief dlvr.it/T5cqys

Rob Shaw: B.C. police chiefs plead for power over public drug use dlvr.it/T5dQhV #bcpoli

BC police chief testimony to federal MPs puts into focus how BC NDP government didn't adequately prepare for decrminalization and didn't heed warnings that police would end up powerless to respond to open drug use.
My latest in The Orca Glacier Media Inc.:
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Many will say it was always going to take longer than expected. And they're right. But the failure is evident in the staffing nightmares, the lack of actual on-ground work, and the long-term, long-distance displacement of residents. All bring real consequences.

STORY: The Lytton rebuild has thus far been a monumental failure. This is why.
fvcurrent.com/p/lytton-rebui…

Re: police responding to open drug use in hospitals:
'The fact is, once again, when those conditions in a hospital become problematic there is nothing police can do about it.'

“These are all things that we raised prior to decriminalization taking effect, that we don’t feel were adequately addressed. However we strongly support the notion of not trying to arrest ourselves out of this crisis, that is not going to save lives.'

'If you have a nefarious business owner who has a licensed establishment, technically you could have a situation where an 18 year old could use cocaine in a licensed establishment but can’t order a beer, assuming the licensee allowed them to do that.'

'So if you have somebody who is with their family at the beach and there’s a person next to them smoking crack cocaine, it’s not a police matter. Because a beach currently is not an exception to the exemption.'

'In the wake of decriminalization there are many of those locations where we have absolutely no authority to address that problematic drug use, because the person appears to be in possession of less than 2.5g and they are not in a place that is an exception to the exemption.'

Here are some of the more interesting comments on decrim to MPs on health committee from Fiona Wilson in her capacity as BC Association of Chiefs of Police:

Minister Whiteside also says in monitoring decriminalization very carefully, if it’s determined at end of pilot project that it doesn’t work, government would “pivot”.

Pilot project set for aprox 2 more years, and it’s not clear what would constitute not working. #bcpoli

Given the lack of data shared by BC and Fed govts on diverted safer supply, would be great to flush out this fact dropped by Fiona Wilson yesterday: if 50 per cent of hydromorphone seized is SS, how much has been seized in total? From how many seizures? In which communities?

Yesterday, D/Commr. McDonald told parliamentary health committee safe supply is being diverted to, and trafficked by, organized crime in BC.

He laid out an action plan to understand what is happening & how the RCMP will respond.
NorthernBeat News story to come...

Hey look, a level of government that is TRYING to support Edison Motors!
(hint: it's not the province)

This BC Association of Chiefs of Police post rings eerily similar to BC govt ministers' deflections when asked for info about diverted safe supply.
Strange to hear Fiona Wilson yesterday at Cdn parliamentary committee downplay a public safety issue before we have data to know extent of problem.

.David Eby on decriminalization concerns: “We are look at options to ensure that we are meeting the very reasonable expectations of all British Columbians' on public safety and treatment.
As the NDP begins to execute what seems inevitable at this point: A pivot on decrim.

Rob Shaw: Concerns over MNP worm their way through B.C.'s agriculture ministry dlvr.it/T5XNsV #bcpoli

As the PHO noted, safer supply isn't stopping patients from buying fentanyl, etc – the point of program. Instead, they're selling/adding prescribed heroin (mainly) to illicit mkt & creating new opioid addictions in others.
BC govt needs to share SS diversion data w the public

The long reach of MNP inside the BC government raises concerns that an Auditor General probe confined to two CleanBC grants will miss other conflict concerns — like those it faces in the agriculture ministry.
My latest in The Orca Glacier Media Inc.:
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