Regina police union defends budget, controversial tweet as calls to defund service grow
BY MICKEY DJURIC GLOBAL NEWS
Updated June 11, 2020

WATCH: Emerging from the anti-racism protests is a growing political movement to reduce funding to police forces, including the VPD. Rumina Daya reports.

https://globalnews.ca/news/7052138/regina-police-union-defends-budget-tweet/

The Regina Police Association is defending a controversial tweet that some have called tone deaf.

On Tuesday, a communications officer with the union tweeted the Regina Police Service would lose its cultural unit — which works with Indigenous communities — should the service face budget cuts.

“Choose wisely,” ended the tweet, which is in response to an online petition calling for the defunding of the service.

Do you support the “de-funding” of Police in Regina? If you do, this amazing work by our members will be one of the first to go. Choose wisely. https://t.co/G2PYD5La4a
— Regina Police Assoc. (@QueenCityPolice) June 9, 2020

Residents were quick to criticize the union, with some questioning the tone of the tweet.

“The cultural unit should be the last thing that should be cut,” pointed out residents. Others felt the tweet was threatening.

But Tuesday’s tweet came a day after similar comments were made by Regina police Chief Evan Bray, whose responsibility it is to find budget cuts.

During a press conference, Bray told reporters social programs within the service would be the first to go should cuts be made to the city’s $96-million police budget.

“If we have to reduce our budget…we have to focus on core responsibilities like 911 response, serious crimes and investigations,” Bray said.
“Some of our ancillary programs [that] deal with at-risk youth, mental health, dealing with those in schools — those programs would be looked at if we’re looking to tighten the purse strings. We’d have to focus more on delivering our core responsibilities.”

READ MORE: Regina police Chief Evan Bray responds to petition calling for department’s defunding

Regina’s police budget represents about 20 per cent of the city’s 2020 budget, which has been the same proportion for 30 years, Bray said.

Yet the department is still understaffed, said Casey Ward, president of the Regina Police Association, which represents 410 officers and 200 civilians.

“By underfunding or defunding the police, a couple things could happen: job losses for our members, or it could mean members don’t have safe members out there. With the city growing, it puts officers where they’re being burnt out physically and mentally,” Ward said.

This would be a challenge as many officers are already “struggling mentally” as a result from dealing with gun and gang violence and the rise of meth in the community. Regina currently has the second-highest crime severity index in Canada behind Lethbridge, Atla.

“We have a very busy police service, and our officers have trouble keeping their head above water,” said Bray.

In one day, the Regina Police Service receives 19 calls for domestic disputes, more than two calls a day for overdoses, and numerous firearm calls, Bray said.

“Our resources are in a state where they haven’t kept pace with growth of the city. Our challenges are really tough with current resources we have.”

A counter-petition has since popped up to keep funding the Regina Police Service. Within a day, the petition received 500 signatures.

While @QueenCityPolice advocates for our members, please note @reginapolice is our official account.

In a June 8th media scrum, Chief Bray addressed, among other things, the question of defunding police in Regina. WATCH for full context: https://t.co/RdVQ94lRvK https://t.co/YwPYT2Xx35
— Regina Police (@reginapolice) June 10, 2020

Ward said the argument to defund police will always be around, having dated back to 2013 in Regina.

Since then, the union has made organizational changes to civilianize workers while keeping wages “fair and respectable,” said Ward.

But since the killing of George Floyd, the movement to defund police has been brought to the forefront.

In Regina, the movement calls on solutions to address underlying factors that contribute to crime like mental health, addiction and poverty.

“Would we like to see more money put into mental health, addictions, beds for detox? Absolutely,” Ward said.
READ MORE: ‘They’re targeting us’: Why some advocates want to defund Canadian police

But calls to transfer money to health care, education or housing are issues that are dealt with provincially says the police chief.

As for the petition asking to defund the Regina Police Service, Ward says his members are more concerned about the divide it’s creating on social media and in the community.

“Our members cherish our relationship with the community, and it seems people are trying to drive that wedge between us,” said Ward, who is fielding members’ questions to “why people on social media are trying to pin us against each other.”

“That’s not what policing is about,” Ward said. “There’s no ‘us’ versus ‘them’. There’s ‘us’ as a whole.”

VIDEO Black female Toronto police officer reflects on challenges service is facing Black female Toronto police officer reflects on challenges service is facing

https://globalnews.ca/news/7052138/regina-police-union-defends-budget-tweet/

FOR MORE ON REGINA AND ITS HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE AS THE HQ OF THE RCMP WHEN THEY WERE PUTTING DOWN THE PRAIRIE UPRISINGS OF THE CREE AND METIS ORGANIZED BY LOUIS RIEL 

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Lloydminster man paints Black Lives Matter message, turns fence into public canvas

I HAVE TAUGHT CUSTODIAL CLASSES IN LLOYD, ITS A HUSKY BITUMEN OIL UPGRADER CITY ON THE BORDER OF ALBERTA AND SASKATCHEWAN, AND ITS VERY VERY ANTI UNION

Ryan Kessler 13/6/2020

© Jim McArdle / Stingray Television Lloydminster resident Travis Hall spray painted a fist and #BLM to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Travis Hall recalls the horror he felt watching the video of George Floyd’s last breath, which prompted the Lloydminster man to share a message in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

His medium was spray paint and the canvas was his own fence. A large grey fist outlined in black accompanied “#BLM” in bold lettering.

“While I was painting this up, I had a couple of older women yelling at me not to do it,” he said in an interview.

He directed the onlookers to the sign he plastered on the fence he built after moving in four or five months ago. The sign encourages people to use the fence “as a creative outlet.”

“If you want to show your support on current events, peacefully protest or showcase your talents, you are free to do so,” the sign read.Hall hopes people use the fence to engage in a productive dialogue about social issues. He said he’s tired of racism against Black people, Indigenous people and new Canadians.

"It's disgusting," he said.

READ MORE: How George Floyd protests have ignited change in the U.S.

He feels the issue isn’t getting enough attention in Lloydminster.

“The people that don’t agree, they start to speak up, and you start to see that ugly evil that is racism and it’s all over our community,” Hall said.

Reaction to the graffiti has been both positive and negative, including on a highly circulated post he made on Reddit, Hall said.

As a staunch believer in the freedom of speech, he welcomes any respectful dialogue expressed on the fence.

“It’s very family-friendly around here and I don’t want anything to be vulgar or offensive or anything like that,” Hall said.

Concerned he may have gone against Lloydminster’s bylaws, he contacted Lloydminster’s mayor, Gerald Aalbers.

The mayor wasn’t available for an interview with Global News, but city spokesperson Eric Healey said in a statement that “the City of Lloydminster appreciates Mr. Hall creating an opportunity for our residents to express their beliefs peacefully and creatively.”


Residents are allowed to display “tasteful artwork” at their property, Healey said.

“We simply ask that those taking part in this installation do so in a way that is considerate to the adjacent properties and youth who may be viewing the message.”

Hall welcomes anyone interested to come share their perspective by painting on the fence along his property at 5502 35th Street in Lloydminster.

LLOYDMINSTER RESIDENTS SHOW SUPPORT FOR BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT

---

    

 Nikita Ganovicheff, staff Friday, Jun. 5th, 2020

 Anti-racism rally at Lloydminster City Hall. (Nikita Ganovicheff, MyLloydminsterNow.com)

About 80 people came out to City Hall June 5th to show solidarity with other anti-racism protests in the country and around the world.

Residents held signs saying “Black lives matter”, “Respect existence or expect resistance” and “No justice no peace” at the protest while drivers passing-by honked their horns.

Tigra-Lee, who is Jamaican-Cree, says it was important to show her support as she doesn’t want her family to grow up experiencing racism.

“I’ve experienced racism. Every single person in my family has experienced racism. I hope that my daughters never have to experience racism in this day and age because it really does not need to be like this.”

She says racism is still a prevalent issue in Canada.

“I think people tend to focus on what’s happening in the United States and they forget that it’s still alive and well here,” she says.

“I’m here to be a voice for the people that don’t have a voice anymore, people who can’t speak for themselves or children that don’t understand what’s happening today. That’s why I’m here. To hopefully make a change in the world.”

Amanda Coupal started chants of “What’s his name?” with the rest of the group responding with “George Floyd.”

“What happened to George Floyd was absolutely horrific and we’re trying to make change in his name.”

George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died on May 25 when a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes as he begged for air. His death has led to protests all over the United States as well as in Canada and other parts of the world.

“What’s going on in the world isn’t right,” Hayley Meyer says. “Everybody needs to be treated fairly and equally and we can’t continue to see people of colour, black people as we’ve been seeing in the media treated in such unfair and unequal ways. We need to show whatever support we can and use whatever privilege we can to make as big a change as possible.”

About 80 people were outside Lloydminster City Hall for the anti-racism protest. (Nikita Ganovicheff, MyLloydminsterNow.com)

RCMP officers did not stop the protest but did come by to ensure it was a peaceful protest.

The City of Lloydminster had no official statement but respects residents rights to a peaceful protest.

Events are being held throughout Canada including North Battleford which will hold a Black Lives Matter Laps for Life event at the Walking Track near the Dekker Centre at 5:30 p.m. on June 5.

Lloydminster - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Lloydminster

Lloydminster is a Canadian city which has the unusual geographic distinction of straddling the provincial border between Alberta and Saskatchewan. The city is ...

Provinces‎: ‎Alberta‎ (AB); ‎Saskatchewan‎ (SK)

Forward sortation areas‎: ‎T9V‎ (AB), ‎S9V‎ (SK)

Area code(s)‎: ‎780‎, ‎587‎, ‎825‎ (AB); ‎306, 639‎ (SK)

Regions‎: ‎Central Alberta‎, West Central Saskat...

‎History · ‎Geography · ‎Demographics · ‎Government

Liberals to consider buying buildings to save affordable housing stock

BY JORDAN PRESS THE CANADIAN PRESS
Posted June 14, 2020
 

A real estate sign is pictured in Vancouver, B.C., Tuesday, June, 12, 2018. 

A new analysis of the country's stock of affordable housing suggests the Liberals' decade-long strategy to provide more of it is starting in a deeper hole than previously thought, and may be further behind once the COVID-19 pandemic passes. 

THE CANADIAN PRESS Jonathan Hayward

A new analysis of the country’s stock of affordable housing suggests the Liberals’ decade-long strategy to provide more of it is starting in a deeper hole than previously thought, and may be further behind once the COVID-19 pandemic passes.

But the pandemic could also mean an opportunity for governments to pick up rental units cheaply.

Carleton University researcher Steve Pomeroy, whom housing groups and governments both rely on for advice, found a decline of 322,600 affordable rental units in the private market between 2011 and 2016. 

Over the same period, federal and provincial investments in affordable housing created about 20,000 affordable units, meaning that for every new unit governments created, 15 were lost.

What that means is the Liberals’ national housing strategy and its plans to create 150,000 affordable units over a 10-year stretch would only be replacing about half of what had just been lost.

The new concern is that the situation will repeat following the current economic crisis brought on by the pandemic, as tenants’ problems paying rents put a squeeze on small landlords and their assets are scooped up by larger real-estate funds with little interest in keeping them affordable.

VIDEO B.C. landlords want to reinstate the right to evict 
https://globalnews.ca/news/7064179/coronavirs-liberals-affordable-housing/

It’s why the federal government is now considering purchasing those assets as part of the next phase of the government’s response to the pandemic.

“My position on this has been, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,” said Pomeroy, a senior research fellow at Carleton’s Centre for Urban Research and Education.

If the (real-estate investment trusts) are coming along and buying up these properties, why don’t we let non-profits do the same thing, or enable non-profits to do the same thing?”

In recent days, Social Development Minister Ahmed Hussen has suggested in meetings with housing advocates that he’s open to putting federal dollars behind the idea.

“If this is an opportunity to really put a serious dent in homelessness, then that’s an opportunity we should be taking,” said Jeff Morrison, executive director of the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association.

There is no specific program under the national housing strategy to enable acquisitions, said Pomeroy, who also works as a consultant. Public support like that would be needed to help smaller, non-profit housing providers gain the necessary capital to purchase properties.

VIDEO Coronavirus outbreak: Toronto announces measures to help those who are homeless, in community housing 

https://globalnews.ca/news/7064179/coronavirs-liberals-affordable-housing/

So far, few affordable housing renters are behind on payments. Morrison said that about 10 per cent of units are in arrears or non-payment.

Tim Richter, president of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, told MPs on a Commons committee this week that there’s very real worry that the economic crisis created by COVID-19 could accelerate the losses in affordable units Pomeroy noted, “making Canada’s housing crisis even worse.”

“If we’re in a hole, we have to stop digging,” Richter said.

Pomeroy estimated a realistic target for a federal program would be to buy about 7,500 units annually, which would cost over $1 billion in a mix of equity, loans and grants to purchase and refurbish units.
Those units could be a mix of apartments that could quickly be available as affordable or social housing units, plus other assets like strip malls or commercial office space that could be repurposed into housing, said Leilani Farha, global director of The Shift, a housing-rights group.

“If it’s the case that all of these different possible property types become distressed, it’s then an amazing opportunity for governments at all — local, provincial, and national — levels to consider moving in and buying those assets to increase public access.”

Additionally, there are concerns that motels and hotels will shut down, pushing out homeless people housed in them to avoid overcrowding in shelters and slow the spread of COVID-19.

GREAT SET OF PHOTOS

Why Che Guevara still lights a revolutionary spark - Stars Insider

https://www.starsinsider.com › lifestyle › why-che-guevara-still-lights-a-re...

2 days ago - A prominent figure in the Cuban Revolution, he became a martyred hero to generations of leftists worldwide after his execution in 1967 by the ...

Born on June 14, 1928, Che Guevara was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. A prominent figure in the Cuban Revolution, he became a martyred hero to generations of leftists worldwide after his execution in 1967 by the Bolivian Army.

Already an iconic figure in the 20th century, his stylized visage remains an ubiquitous countercultural symbol of rebellion, leftist radicalism, and anti-imperialism, and his name alone still lights a revolutionary spark in many seeking social and ideological change.

Click through the gallery for an appreciation of the life and times of one of recent history's most idolized and controversial figures.

‘Defunding’ police and funding mental health resources will save lives, experts say

BY LIAM CASEY THE CANADIAN PRESS
Updated June 4, 2020 

VIDEOS https://globalnews.ca/news/7024773/defunding-police-funding-mental-health/

 Advocates say the money saved could go towards programs for racialized communities. Catherine McDonald reports.
TORONTO – The death of a Toronto woman who fell from her 24th-floor balcony while police were in her home has renewed calls for an overhaul of how society deals with people in mental health crises.

Some experts believe “defunding” police – taking some of the taxpayer money going to law enforcement and putting it towards mental health services – is one way to avoid deadly interactions between officers and people struggling with mental illness.

The blowback follows the death last week of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a 29-year-old woman whose family asked police to take her to a mental health hospital. Police have said they were responding to an assault call, but the family has questioned the role of Toronto officers in her death. The province’s police watchdog has taken over the case.

READ MORE: Regis Korchinski-Paquet’s death reinforces need for major mental health, policing reforms: advocates

“I think it’s unfortunate we’ve come to a place in our society that police become first responders to people who are experiencing a mental health crisis,” said Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Toronto Mississauga.

“What we should do is take back that money, to defund police, and give it over to mental health professionals who are better equipped to help these people.”

He suggested there should be another number to call, rather than 911, for those in crisis, so mental health care workers can intervene, rather than armed officers.

Death of George Floyd renews calls for how law enforcement is funded in Canada 

Toronto police respond to about 30,000 mental health calls every year, out of nearly one million calls that the force responds to, said spokeswoman Meaghan Gray.

The force’s mobile crisis intervention teams, where a trained officer and a mental health nurse respond to those in crisis, attend 6,000 of those calls each year. Those teams do not go to calls where a weapon may be involved.

Lawyer reflects on incidents of anti-black racism, police brutality in Toronto Lawyer reflects on incidents of anti-black racism, police brutality in Toronto

“We have expanded the program over the years and will continue to do so with the resources that are available to us,” Gray said.


“However, it is important to note that all police officers are trained to respond to mental health issues.”

That annual training consists of courses on communication and de-escalation techniques, she said.

“The Toronto Police Service believes that mental health is a complex issue that requires the involvement of multiple entities, including but not limited to community support, public health, and all levels of government, to render any meaningful change,” Gray said.

There have been a number of high-profile cases over the past decade that involved the deaths of people in crises at the hands of police.

Dr. Patrick Baillie, a psychologist and lawyer, has spent 25 years working with Alberta Health Services and the Calgary police and is usually on call 24 hours a day to help the force deal with those in crisis.

Baillie supports the call for more mental health resources to help those in crisis and let police focus on enforcing the law.

“We have made police officers into the people who respond to all sorts of forms of social difficulty,” he said. “At what point do you say, these things aren’t policing?”

READ MORE: Thousands rally in Toronto after death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet

About 10 days ago, Baillie said he received a call from a police negotiator who was stationed outside a man’s home in Calgary with the tactical squad.

A man had been yelling randomly from his porch. When his neighbours told him to shut up, Baillie said, the man made some sort of threat then returned inside. He said police were working on getting a warrant so they could send in the tactical team.

“They tell me the rest of the story: he’s a known police hater, he’s paranoid, …and the police and crisis team has dealt with him before,” he said.

Baillie told police to leave the man alone.

“I said ‘if the neighbours call again, just call me and I’ll go for a drive,'” Baillie said.

No one called. When he checked in on Monday, police told him they went back and said the man was fine and the mental health crisis team took over to help him.

“You’re looking for community support and community intervention rather than law enforcement,” he said.

“If you have a sufficient number of mental health experts available to police, you can have better outcomes.”

READ MORE: Regis Korchinski-Paquet’s family’s interview with SIU on hold after concerns over leaked information

Camille Quenneville, the CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Ontario division, pointed to two crisis centres in the province that are having promising results.

One is in London, Ont., that operates 24 hours per day, she said.

“This is a place where police can take somebody in crisis,” she said. “They immediately get their mental health needs looked after.”

The centres allow people in crisis to avoid emergency rooms and provide specialized mental health services around the clock.

Ideally, she said, the mental health system needs to be revamped so people aren’t in crisis to begin with. But that would require significant investment in mental health care, she said.

And as people spend months cooped up in their homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, things will likely get worse, Quenneville said.

“The mental health crisis isn’t looming, it’s here now and we need to act,” she said.

Syrus Marcus Ware, of Black Lives Matter – Toronto, says now is the time to find alternatives to calling police when someone is in the throes of a mental break.

He points to the Gerstein Centre – a 24-hour community-based mental-health crisis centre with its own mobile crisis response team – as one of those alternatives.

“We don’t have to call police if we’re struggling, we can figure out a better way, but we need more of these programs.”

© 2020 The Canadian Press