The way of the dragon: Lost lizard found after 10-day, 4-km hike through Winnipeg

Ian Froese

© Ian Froese/CBC

 William Hill holds his two-year-old bearded dragon for the first time Tuesday night, after he went missing for 10 days. He was discovered four kilometres from his home.
An Elmwood man who spent 10 days searching for his lost dragon is breathing easier today.

William Hill's bearded dragon is finally back under his care, after his beloved foot-long reptile named Groot set off on an improbable four-kilometre adventure to St. Boniface.

And as fate would have it, Groot was taken in by Cara Velnes, who just happened to have a tank for a bearded dragon gathering dust in storage.

"I was just tickled pink," the 23-year-old roofer said after being reunited with his pet dragon at Velnes' home.

"I couldn't believe it," he said. "I was telling my sisters and my dad; my dad couldn't believe it either."

It's not only peculiar how far the reptile scuttled away from his Elmwood home, after escaping while lounging outside with Hill's father, but how the creature survived. Bearded dragons, which are native to Australia, are kept in tanks to replicate a hot, desert-like environment.

© Ian Froese/CBC 

Cara Velnes pets the bearded dragon she took care of Tuesday night, after it was discovered outside her front door.

Hill doesn't know exactly where his bearded dragon was, but Groot has likely been roaming the city since June 13.

"They're supposed to have constant supply of heat, I'm really surprised that he survived those cold nights," Hill said.

Few people were perhaps more prepared to shelter the displaced lizard than Velnes.

That's because Velnes bought a tank specifically for a bearded dragon last year. Her kids wanted one for Christmas, but then their wish list changed and the tank was stowed away.

Until Tuesday night, that is.

Velnes heard a commotion outside her door as some neighbour kids found the reptile underneath a truck.

She decided to take in the pet since she already had the pet's room and board covered.

"I ended up pulling [the tank] out and I had to explain to my kids why I have a giant tank for a lizard," Velnes said.

"Of course, the kids wanted to keep it, but that's not my situation — we can't do that."

She flagged the discovery on a St. Boniface Facebook group, and someone else connected the dots to a social media post on a Winnipeg lost dogs page regarding a lost lizard from Elmwood.

Within two hours, Hill and his sister, Chantalle Gauthier, were at Velnes' door.

Since Groot went missing, Hill has been scouring his neighbourhood and handing out flyers.

He was starting to run out of hope when he received a text message on Tuesday.

"I just can't wait to get him home, put him in his cage, get him all warmed up, try feeding him a couple of worms, see how he is, and then I'll take him to the vet tomorrow," Hill said.

Velnes said she's happy to have facilitated the reunion, and it may not be the last bearded dragon her family will have.

"There is a birthday in two weeks, so we'll see," she said, laughing.

5.8 magnitude earthquake shakes California

© USGS A 5.8 magnitude earthquake was measured 17km from Lone Pine, Calif.

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit California around 10:45 a.m. local time Wednesday.

The epicenter was near Cartago, about 180 miles north of Los Angeles.

People at several businesses near Lone Pine and Bishop told ABC News the while the shaking was "intense," they didn't see any damage.

Several rockslides were reported in Inyo County.

© USGS A 5.8 magnitude earthquake was measured 17km from Lone Pine, Calif.

Some shaking was felt in LA.

This comes a day after a 7.4 magnitude quake hit Mexico, near the resort of Huatulco, killing at least six people and damaging hundreds of homes, according to The Associated Press. At least six others were hurt, including two people in Mexico City, more than 300 miles from the epicenter.

Sinkholes drain lake near Oxford NS
Brett Ruskin

© Brett Ruskin/CBC 

A log rests on the lakebed after the water receded in recent months.

Waterfront property is a bit harder to find this year in Oxford, N.S.

A kilometre-long lake near the town has mostly disappeared as much of its water has drained into at least two sinkholes in recent months."This is pretty shocking," said Amy Tizzard, a regional geologist with the Nova Scotia Department of Energy and Mines. "I couldn't believe my eyes at the extent that it had emptied. Each time I visit there's something new exposed."

CBC has agreed not to name the lake, which is about two kilometres from the town, because officials fear it will attract ATVers and others who could disturb local bird habitats and ongoing environmental studies at the site.

It is the latest sinkhole problem in the area. Two years ago, part of a park and adjacent parking lot in Oxford were swallowed up by a sinkhole. Last fall, the provincial government began investigating possible sinkhole activity beneath a nearby section of the Trans-Canada Highway.
Aerial images of the lake show at least one visible sinkhole. Tizzard said the sinkhole isn't new — it has appeared in images dating back to the 1930s — but it appears to have recently reopened.

There is most likely another sinkhole at the other end of the lake, where the water level is also steadily dropping.

Tizzard said the lake is known locally to have fluctuating levels, but the water hasn't been this low since the 1970s.

Exactly where the water is going is a bit of a mystery.

"There'd be a big enough pore space to accommodate the size of the lake," Tizzard said. "So we're looking at caves and fractures or fissures. That's where it's gone. We don't know if it's coming out anywhere yet."

The sudden draining is likely due to the water eroding a layer of gypsum, which would have been acting as a plug. 

Visitors discouraged from coming to the lake

Local residents and government officials are hoping that, although the drained lake is enticing, people will be respectful of the space.

Along the lakebed there are already track patterns made by ATVs ripping through the soft mud.

The area is home to a series of delicate environmental studies, which could easily be disrupted with a high volume of visitors.

In 2018, the town of Oxford saw a portion of parkland and parking lot disappear into a sinkhole. That hole is part of the same geological pattern, called "karst topography."

The area has underground layers of water-soluble rock such as salt or gypsum. When water erodes that lower layer, the surface eventually collapses.

© Brett Ruskin/CBC

 Amy Tizzard stands on the lakebed, overlooking part of the remaining lakewater. Last year the water was up to the tree line.

A CBC News investigation last year also found that part of the TransCanada Highway near the town was built over a sinkhole. That spot has required ongoing work to patch and refill the roadway.

As for the lake, it's not known how low the water level will go, or if it might begin refilling.

"It continues to get lower every time I come up here," Tizzard said.

UCP LOOKS AT WHITE MILITIA FOR ALBERTA

Alberta explores creation of civilian corps to support police
Elise von Scheel

© CBC

 A private members' motion has sparked debate about role of citizen policing in Alberta.

A motion from a UCP MLA is leading the government to explore involving more civilians in law enforcement.

The legislature passed the motion on Monday, which urged the minister of justice to examine "options to establish a voluntary civilian corps to assist law enforcement in Alberta."

The non-government initiative was brought forward by Todd Loewen, who represents the rural riding of Central Peace-Notley. Next steps are up to the minister.

Statistics Canada shows the crime rate in rural Alberta is 38 per cent higher than in urban areas of the province.

Combating that statistic is what prompted Loewen to introduce the motion — which could see private citizens taking on enhanced law enforcement roles.

"It's a big concern all across Alberta. The amount of crime, and in particular rural crime, has been a hot issue for years now," he told CBC News.

In his mind's eye, Loewen said he envisions unarmed local residents working side by side with police officers in low-risk activities to reduce crime. That could include duties like assisting with natural disaster recovery, traffic control and other non-violent emergencies.

Loewen was insistent; this motion is not to replace police, nor is it a sanctioning of vigilante justice.

Motions have no teeth. They're not binding and don't create legislation. Minister Doug Schweitzer holds the cards now. However, this motion is raising questions about what role citizens should play in policing the province. 

Criminologist excited by potential benefits

Kelly Sundberg, a criminologist at Mount Royal University, is excited by the potential benefits.

"This is a model I think that Canada really needs," he said.

When done right, Sundberg says there's evidence civilian law enforcement saves money and boosts community safety. Plus, he added that infusing citizens can often improve negative police culture like harassment and discrimination.

His excitement was accompanied by a word of caution. While there are success stories to draw from, like the U.K., there are also examples of civilian law enforcement going horribly wrong.

If it's not managed properly, Sundberg said it can slip into vigilantism, unhealthy power dynamics, and serious injuries.

He added there are several things that have been proven to make a difference, like thorough training and screening of applicants, building collaboration between the volunteers and officers, and establishing proper oversight.

If the idea is pursued, Sundberg said Alberta's success will balance on those factors like a teeter-totter.

"If it's done incorrectly it can be a disaster, but if it's done right it can be amazing. It's really going to be one thing or the other," he said.

"It's very important that the government get the model right."
Opposition worries about citizen safety

The NDP has concerns about the vagueness of the motion's wording.

"Does this replace existing structures? Does this go farther than existing structures? Is this a part of law enforcement? There really were no answers," MLA Marie Renaud said.

Her party also is worried about the strain this could place on communities and the safety of citizen volunteers, citing the death of Rod Lazenby. The peace officer was attacked and killed while responding to an animal complaint in 2012.

Renaud said adding police presence isn't the solution to underlying social issues that contribute to crime.

"We need to take a very broad look at investing in not just law enforcement, not just emergency response, but prevention."

Ubaka Ogbogu, a law professor at the University of Alberta tweeted that recent events stemming from police killing people of colour have proven that more law enforcement doesn't automatically equal safer communities.

Loewen agreed that the timing of the motion was unfortunate but said the text was submitted for presentation in the legislature months ago.

He also said there has been "fear mongering" from people who don't understand it properly.

"If you look at the motion there's no word 'militia' in there at all. There's no intention to have them armed. They won't be responding to 911 calls. They're not going to take over for police. They're not vigilantes. They're just people in the community that would want to volunteer to help the law enforcement."

There are also questions about the necessity of such a measure, as there are neighbourhood watch initiatives and the RCMP already runs a civilian law enforcement branch called the Auxiliary Program.

Sundberg said that program is inadequate and mostly defunct, so there's an argument to be made in favour of a carefully constructed civilian force specific to Alberta.

The next step is for Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer to review the motion. He will then decide whether to implement the recommendation, consult with experts, or to let it fall to the wayside.

"While we have to study this particular motion, in general the government welcomes peaceful initiatives taken by law-abiding volunteers to help keep their communities safe and secure," the minister's office said in a statement to CBC News.

There's no timeline set out for this phase. It could take months until the fate of this motion is decided.

COVID-19: Poll suggests majority of B.C. workers not ready to go back to the office
Author of the article:Tiffany Crawford
Publishing date:Jun 24, 2020 •

A new poll suggests many B.C. workers are not comfortable returning to work yet during the pandemic.

A majority of British Columbians are wary of a return to the office, with most saying they’re worried about catching COVID-19 from a co-worker, a new poll suggests.

The Insights West survey found only 20 per cent of respondents said they felt very comfortable going back to the workplace, and if given a choice, 31 per cent would choose to go back to work now or in September, with 19 per cent saying they want to permanently work from home.

Most (78 per cent) said their biggest concern is catching COVID-19 from a co-worker or customer.

Forty-three per cent of those polled felt “somewhat comfortable, while 37 per cent said they were not comfortable, including 24 per cent who were “not very comfortable” and 12 per cent who were “not at all comfortable.”

Insights West found that men were more likely to feel comfortable returning to work than women, and those older than 55 were more concerned about heading back to the office than their younger counterparts.

Many (67 per cent) said they were concerned about physical distancing when it comes to common spaces like kitchens, hallways and bathrooms, while a similar number (66 per cent) were concerned about physical distance when in their actual workspace.

Given a choice, the vast majority of workers still working from home wouldn’t return to the workplace anytime soon. Only a fraction of these workers (13 per cent) would choose to go back now if it were up to them and only 18 per cent would prefer to go back in September. Most would go back when there are no more COVID-19 cases or a vaccine is developed.

Steve Mossop, president of Insights West, said he believes that the pandemic could permanently alter the way people work.

“This could have drastic implications for commercial real estate in the years to come, company team-building and socialization, and the infrastructure needed to support productivity in the workplace,” he said in a statement.

The survey of 879 B.C. residents was conducted from June 18-21. The margin of error is plus-or-minus 3.3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

ticrawford@postmedia.com

B.C. nurses working in acute care report high levels of stress and violence: Study

Tiffany Crawford
 

© Supplied

 Nurses who work in acute care report a high level of stress, burnout, and violence in the workplace.

Nurses working in acute care, long-term care and community-care settings report high levels of mental injury and workplace violence, according to a University of B.C. study for the B.C. Nurses’ Union (BCNU).

The study, which surveyed 4,462 B.C. nurses, found that in long-term care, 85 per cent reported exposure to physical assault and 54 per cent reported high levels of burnout.

In acute care, 57 per cent of nurses reported high levels of burnout, while half were above the cutoff point for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Thirty-one per cent reported moderate or severe depression, according to a news release from the BCNU.

BCNU president Christine Sorensen says the data highlights the serious need for nurses to be better supported in their workplaces now more than ever, given the unprecedented stress and impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on nurses.

“Before COVID-19, we see there was a dire need for investments in mental-health support for nurses who are dedicated to providing care,” said Sorensen in a statement Wednesday. “Nurses are professionals and are committed to their patients, but this research shows they have been suffering in silence for too long.”
The union has also commissioned another study on psychological health and safety, which is looking at nurses’ mental health before and after the pandemic.

The union says conclusions could help to inform requirements for pandemic planning by government and health employers that will incorporate the psychological health of nurses now and for the future.

Coronavirus pandemic hitting Ottawa’s most diverse communities hardest: health unit

Craig Lord

© sonreir es gratis via Getty Images 

Ottawa Public Health reported Wednesday that 66 per cent of people testing positive for the novel coronavirus since May 8 are from a racialized group in Ottawa.

The novel coronavirus pandemic is disproportionately affecting Ottawa’s racialized and immigrant communities, according to early race-based data collected by the local public health unit.

As of May 8, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) has been collecting socio-demographic data related to residents testing positive for the coronavirus.

Since then, two thirds (66 per cent) of positive coronavirus tests have been connected to someone from a racialized group, OPH says.

That suggests an overrepresentation of infection in Ottawa’s racialized communities, with the 2016 census indicating 26 per cent of the city’s population identifies as a visible minority.

It’s a similar story for immigrants in Ottawa, with newcomers accounting for 54 per cent of coronavirus cases since May 8 but only a quarter of the city’s overall population.

Looking at the spread of the virus geographically, OPH says areas of Ottawa with the most diverse populations have almost twice the rates of infection as the city’s least diverse areas.

Though Ottawa’s medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches cautioned in a presentation to city council Wednesday that OPH’s race-based pandemic analysis is currently based on a small sample size, the findings are in line with earlier provincial reports that found the virus was disproportionately affecting visible minorities in Ontario.

OPH said it is expanding its analysis to include cases retroactive to May 8 and is working with community partners to understand and address the vulnerability of racialized groups in the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic is also taking a toll on the mental health of Ottawa residents, OPH said Wednesday.

A survey conducted through EKOS Research earlier this month sought to give OPH an insight into how Ottawans are coping with loneliness and other mental health impacts during the pandemic.

Some 38 per cent of residents said their overall emotional well-being was either “fair” or “poor” in the past 14 days, according to OPH’s survey.

The public health unit compares those sentiments to a 2017 Canadian Community Health Survey, which reported the same response from only nine per cent of Ottawa residents.

Similarly, 52 per cent of respondents reported a “weak” sense of belonging in their local community as compared to 30 per cent in 2017.

Nearly 60 per cent of Ottawa residents surveyed also reported feeling lonely in the past two weeks, OPH said.

Etches promoted the city’s mental health and COVID-19 resources page as well as a new online resource targeting Ottawa’s First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities as places concerned residents could visit for support amid the pandemic.

OPH reported four new cases of the virus in Ottawa on Wednesday and one new death related to COVID-19, bringing the total number of local cases to 2,065 and the pandemic death toll to 262.

There are currently 53 active cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa and one person in hospital with the illness.

Edmonton school trustee resigns over comments on refugee children and violence

WOW THAT WAS FAST, THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGING 
Jonny Wakefield

© Ed Kaiser 
Edmonton Public Schools trustee Cheryl Johner during a board meeting in 2017.

Video player from: YouTube (Privacy Policy, Terms)

An Edmonton public school trustee has resigned after linking refugee children and violence in schools.

Cheryl Johner, the Edmonton Public Schools trustee for Ward A, made the comments at the end of a lengthy meeting Tuesday focused on the future of school resource officers (SROs) — a controversial, decades-old program that deploys city police officers to local schools.

By 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, she had announced her resignation, effective immediately.

“My comments were inappropriate and immediately regrettable,” Johner said in a statement. “I take full responsibility for what I said, and sincerely apologize for the hurt and upset I have caused our families, students, staff and community members.”
‘All they’ve known is violence’

Ward G trustee Bridget Stirling brought forward a motion at Tuesday’s meeting asking for an independent study of the SRO program , following concerns about the impact armed police officers have on marginalized students. While the board approved the review , a motion to suspend the program pending its outcome failed on a tie vote. Johner opposed the motion.

“My mind goes to the number of refugee students that come into our district that are from wartorn countries, that have never known school before arriving here,” Johner said via video conference. “All they’ve known is violence. When those students — sometimes — enter our schools, they can be violent there as well.

“And I feel that the safety of students is critically important, that other students feel safe as they go to their own schools. The officers act as a deterrent, they can respond quickly to de-escalate situations when needed,” she said.

A University of Alberta professor of education said Johner’s sentiment is unsupported by evidence, and several groups and individuals condemned Johner’s remarks as harmful to refugee children.

Jibril Ibrahim, president of the Somali Canadian Cultural Society of Edmonton, has two children in the public school system and sits on the Edmonton police chief’s African community liaison committee. He believed Johner’s sentiments could contribute to bullying of refugee students.

“This is unacceptable,” Ibrahim said of the comments. Ibrahim came to Canada as a refugee and said many refugee children fear officers in uniform because of their experiences in their home countries.

“I’ve always been wondering, why do we need to have police (in schools)?” he added. “But now I’ve …. seen some of the things that some of the people have in their minds.”

Ubaka Ogbogu, a University of Alberta law professor, was among those who called for Johner’s resignation.

“It’s absolutely mind-blowing that she would say something like that without any support whatsoever,” he said. “This will do incredible damage to refugees.”

Janet Dench, executive director of the Canadian Council for Refugees, said Johner’s remark flies in the face of the refugee experience.

“Refugees are people who are forced to flee for their lives — they are the VICTIMS of violence,” Dench said in an email. “Refugees probably have a higher appreciation for the value of peace and security than many Canadians, because they know what it is like not to have it.”

‘The least of which is violence’

Anna Kirova, a professor in the U of A faculty of education, said the idea that refugee students are uniquely predisposed to violence is false.

“I think that justifying the presence of police officers in the schools with the increased number of refugee children in schools is completely inappropriate,” she said. “Everything that the research shows is that these children have a range of issues, the least of which is violence.”

Kirova, who specializes in the integration of immigrant and refugee children in schools, recently reviewed 25 studies on the topic. She said refugee students sometimes exhibit anxiety, insecurity, PTSD, feelings of helplessness and adjustment problems, but that anger is relatively uncommon.

“There are some studies — four out of 25 I recently reviewed — that showed that there are some behaviours related to anger in male children who have been in refugee camps for an extended period of time, who have no social support in the community that they’re in, or parental support, or professional support,” she said.

“So if we just say that in general they’re more violent and that’s why we need police presence in schools — it’s not recorded in the (academic) literature that I’m aware of,” she said.

Johner was first elected in 2010. In her resignation letter, she said she has “tried to be a passionate defender of the rights and safety of all children, and an advocate for safe, inclusive learning environments. I recognize my words yesterday do not reflect these actions, and I deeply regret this.”

“I know the division and the board of trustees will continue their critical work of addressing systematic racism in Edmonton Public Schools and our society.”

Board chairwoman Trisha Estabrooks will address the media Wednesday afternoon.


— with files from Lauren Boothby

jwakefield@postmedia.com

CANADA

Police wellness checks: Why they’re ending violently and what experts say needs to change

By Beatrice Britneff Global News
Posted June 24, 2020

VIDEOS AT
 https://globalnews.ca/news/7092621/police-wellness-checks-experts-change/



WATCH: The family of D'Andre Campbell, an Ontario man who was fatally shot inside his home two months ago, are demanding answers into his death

Questions are mounting about police officers’ roles in responding to mental health calls following the recent deaths of distressed people whose families sought help.

Most recently, a 62-year-old man reportedly experiencing a schizophrenic episode in Mississauga, Ont. was shot by police who responded to a call from his family for assistance. Earlier this month, two Indigenous people known to have mental health challenges were killed in interactions with police.

And in late May, a Toronto woman fell from her balcony while police were on scene after receiving a call from her family that she was in mental distress.


READ MORE: Toronto’s CAMH says police should not be 1st responders to mental health calls

Police departments across Canada get thousands or tens of thousands of calls related to mental health concerns and crises every ye

But with recent deaths and public outcry, experts say change is needed.
Police protocols for wellness checks

The term ‘wellness check’ is associated generally with situations when police officers check in on someone whose mental health or well-being are of concern.

But there’s no standard for wellness check protocols across Canada — those are determined by individual police services, according to Jennifer Lavoie, an associate professor of criminology at Wilfrid Laurier University, who specializes in investigating how police respond to mental health crises.
2:37Calls for accountability after Mississauga man fatally shot by Peel Regional PoliceCalls for accountability after Mississauga man fatally shot by Peel Regional Police

Typically, the call to police is made by someone close to the individual. When they arrive, officers might assess the person’s mental health and hygiene, ask about their day, and take a peek inside the house, explained Lavoie.
But once the door opens, “there can be any situation in front of the officers,” she said.

READ MORE: People with mental illness are more likely to be victims of violence — not perpetrators

Not all police services have mobile crisis teams that include a specially-trained officer and a mental health professional — like a psychiatric nurse — that can be deployed on these calls. Even if they do, they’re often not available, Lavoie noted.

A spokesperson for Peel police, involved in the recent Mississauga death, said it received roughly between 5,000 and 6,300 calls for mental health assistance annually over the past four years.

In an email statement, Const. Danny Marttini said typically two officers are assigned to those calls, but police might send a mobile crisis team.

“Officers attending situations with a person in crisis, are trained to focused on de-escalation, building rapport and gaining trust, to come to a positive resolution,” the statement read.


READ MORE: What it’s like to police in marginalized communities amid George Floyd protests

A spokesperson for the Toronto Police Service — which responds to about 30,000 such calls every year — said the number of officers dispatched for mental health calls also varies and the service may also send one of it’s mobile crisis teams.

1:47Calls to defund Toronto police amplified by demonstrationsCalls to defund Toronto police amplified by demonstrations

On Tuesday, the RCMP commissioner told a House of Commons committee that the force responds to approximately 10,000 calls regarding mental health crises every month, and those calls are “growing exponentially.”


READ MORE: Kelowna, B.C., nursing student sues RCMP for alleged assault during wellness check

Ultimately, if a call deteriorates into a life-threatening situation for the officer, police are “legally entitled to use whatever force is necessary to preserve their own life,” said Greg Brown, a 30-year veteran of the Ottawa Police Service and sociology professor at Carleton University.


But officers are “very reluctant” to do that, Brown said.

Why are wellness checks ending violently?

Yet, over the last three months in Canada, outrage has grown after six people — all them racialized and struggling with mental health — died when police were called to check on them or to respond to an incident: D’Andre Campbell, Caleb Tubila Njoko, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Chantel Moore, Rodney Levi, and Ejaz Choudry.

A 2018 CBC News investigation into police-involved fatalities in Canada between 2000 and 2017 found that the number was rising and that 42 per cent of the people who died in those circumstances in that time period were mentally distressed.

“The public is asking for the police to do better,” Lavoie said.

2:07Outrage grows over RCMP killing of Indigenous man in N.B.Outrage grows over RCMP killing of Indigenous man in N.B.

An overlap of stigmas attached to mental illness, poverty and race may exacerbate critical situations involving police, said Dexter Voisin, dean of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto.

“There’s a lot of fear and misinformation around individuals who are mentally ill. And then when it intersects with other types of stigmatized identities … what do you expect? The calculation of risk is then going to be magnified,” Voisin told Global News.

“And then if police officers feel that the calculation of risk is magnified, then they’re going to end up using more deadly responses.”

Lavoie and Brown agreed that a major issue is that officers aren’t trained well enough to handle complex mental health calls or crises.

Over the last decade, there’s been an “uptick” in the amount of mental health training police receive, but it’s “completely unsatisfactory” for the standards “the public is demanding,” Brown argued.

READ MORE: Global mental health crisis looming due to coronavirus pandemic, UN warns

Officers should be put through “a ton of simulation exercises” every year, Brown said, noting that police training is moving towards teaching officers to take their time when containing a situation.

“Why are we rushing into this place with an armed person who is by themselves and forcing something to happen that might not happen if we waited with some more patience?” Brown said.

Lavoie added that police training is focused on use-of-force and enforcement, and more training on de-escalation and mental health crises is needed. She said training should also focus on building better interpersonal and communication skills and having officers address biases.

There also needs to be better recognition and “cultural awareness” of the history of how racialized and Indigenous communities have been policed, Lavoie said.

READ MORE: Indigenous Canadians and police ⁠— A look at recent incidents sparking questions, criticism

Interactions between police officers and distressed individuals can turn poorly for “a host of reasons,” Lavoie explained. The person having an episode may have paranoid thoughts or feel threatened. When it’s the latter, they might arm themselves with a weapon for protection or for other reasons, she said.

The mere presence of a police officer can be frightening and can result in unpredictable behaviour, especially if the officer is “the last person that individual wants to see,” Lavoie added.

1:44 Assembly of First Nations calls for investigation into Chantel Moore’s deathAssembly of First Nations calls for investigation into Chantel Moore’s death

Apart from training, Brown said he’d also like to see more highly-trained, mental health professionals out in the field with officers. Lavoie also expressed support for more mobile 

A lack of access to mental health services and community-based supports is also contributing to why police find themselves responding to acute mental health calls, according to Lavoie.

More people are living at home with mental illness today than there were in the past, but the number of community-based services hasn’t increased in tandem, she argued.

“It’s a system that is at a breaking point because those services just aren’t in place,” Lavoie said.
Police shouldn’t be first responders for mental health: experts

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) on Tuesday called for a “new direction in crisis care” altogether.

In a statement, the mental health hospital and research centre argued: “Police should not be the first responders when people are in crisis in the community.”

“At the end of the day, if you’ve got a mental health problem, I think it would be ideal that a mental health worker be involved in seeing you, in the same way that if you have physical health problems, somebody who understands physical health problems comes to your door,” said CAMH psychiatrist David Gratzer.


READ MORE: Canada’s policing failures show systemic need for better mental health crisis response

Saadia Sediqzadah, a psychiatry resident at the University of Toronto, argued that having armed police officers respond to mental health calls sends the message that having a mental illness or an episode is a crime.

“I don’t think that we can have a meaningful discussion on de-stigmatizing mental illness if our response to mental health crises is the police,” she said.

An “entirely difference service” should be tasked with responding to mental health calls, Sediqzadah argued, saying she’s worked in hospitals where skilled professionals regularly de-escalate situations when people in mental distress show up with a weapon.

“No one in the emergency department — no doctor, no nurse, no security guard — nobody has a gun, and yet we are able to de-escalate these situations on the daily with each other’s support,” she said.

“It is possible.”

-With files from Global News’ Andrew Russell, Ryan Rocca, Mark Carcasole and the Canadian Press
© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Bloc leader accuses Twitter user of wanting a ‘lynching,’ inciting racism allegations

QUEBEC NATIONALISTS ONCE CALLED THEMSELVES LES BLANC NEGRES*
WHEN IN FACT THEY WERE AND ARE 
SUPRÉMACIE BLANCHE PURE-SANG

© Justin Tang/The Canadian Press Yves-François Blanchet makes an announcement on the leadersh Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa oip race of the Bloc Québécois in the Foyer of the House ofn Monday, Nov. 26, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-François Blanchet accused a Twitter user of wanting “a political show and a lynching" in his latest defence of an MP accused of being racist by NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh.

Douglas Connors, who identifies as mixed race, tweeted at Blanchet Tuesday night asking why the party's House Leader Alain Therrien refused to speak to the media himself to address the criticism that he is racist, claiming he was hiding like a child behind his father's pants.

Two hours later, Blanchet replied: "Because you people, or those you support, just want a political show and a lynching."

Parce que vos gens ou ceux que vous soutenez veulent juste un show politique et un lynchage.
Belles valeurs...
— Yves-F. Blanchet 🎗⚜️ (@yfblanchet) June 23, 2020

Connors retorted back by referring to Blanchet as an "ultra-racist," tweeting that using the phrase "you people" was inherently intolerant, and asked the Bloc leader if he understood he'd implied someone of Black or mixed ethnicity wanted the lynching of a white man.

Blanchet called him "delusional," inviting Connors to look up his political record to confirm what he claimed was "documented support" for Indigenous and other minority communities.

The party did not respond to multiple email and telephone requests for comment. Connors also did not respond to an interview request.

Read more: Jagmeet Singh booted from House of Commons for calling Bloc MP ‘racist’

The tweets, which were independently translated into English for Global News, speak to comments made by Singh last week about systemic racism in the House of Commons.

On Wednesday, the NDP leader was booted from the House after refusing to apologize for calling an Therrien racist.

Following weeks of national outcry alleging systemic racism in the RCMP, Singh asked the federal government to acknowledge its existence and put forward a motion that would review the police force's budget, examine their use of force and increase funding into mental health and addiction support.

Earlier this month, 26-year-old Chantel Moore, who identified as Indigenous, was fatally shot by police in New Brunswick after an officer arrived at her home in response to a requested wellness check.

An Indigenous man named Rodney Levi, 48, was shot and killed by RCMP in New Brunswick on June 12. Police said in a statement on June 13 that when they arrived at the scene, Levi was carrying knives.

Both shootings are being investigated by Quebec's police watchdog, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes.

Singh's motion required unanimous consent in order to move forward. When Therrien refused to support the motion, Singh called him a racist and was expelled shortly after.

The Bloc Quebecois later said it blocked Singh's motion because it was already committed to another motion that would support a public safety committee study of the RCMP. The party has argued supporting a motion that recognizes systemic racism would undermine the committee's work.

Singh later doubled down on those claims.

"Anyone who votes against a motion that recognizes the systemic racism in the RCMP and the calls for basic fixes to the problem, reducing use of force, calling for de-escalation, looks at ways of having health care response instead of a police response in the context of Indigenous people of dying, in the context of violence against Indigenous and Black people, in that context, someone who votes against that is a racist," he said.

Read more: Trudeau defends Singh, says systemic racism needs to be called out

Blanchet said on Thursday that he hopes NDP leader Jagmeet Singh will "sincerely apologize" for calling a Bloc member racist in the House, citing fears that it would encourage MPs to begin trading insults on the floor.

"Alan Therrien is anything but a racist person," he said.

"The parliament was not supposed to dictate the conclusions of this committee, and this is the only reason why we said we don't want to approve this motion."

Former Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe called Singh's comments "cheap politics," coming to his party's defence during a previous interview on Sunday's The West Block.

"I don’t know if it was genuine or not but it was plain stupid," he said. "There is systematic racism in Quebec but we certainly don’t have to take lessons from the rest of Canada."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came to Singh's defence on Thursday, and said it was not his place to criticize the NDP leader.

"In regards to what Mr. Singh said, it is not for me to criticize any Canadian, particularly the only racialized leader in the House of Commons, for making other people uncomfortable by calling them out for not recognizing systemic discrimination," he said.

Calls have been mounting for Canada to recognize the systemic anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism that exists within the country since the deaths of George Floyd and Regis Korchinski-Paquet, both of whom died days apart in May after encounters with police.

Their deaths have spurred mostly peaceful protests throughout the country, while the death of Floyd, who died in Minneapolis after former officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for over eight minutes following arrest, has spawned anti-racism demonstrations around the world.

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