Pubdate: Wed, 28 Sep 2016
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2016 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.ottawacitizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Page: A8

A DOUBLE STANDARD

On Monday, police Chief Charles Bordeleau said he wants The Suya Spot,
a restaurant on Shillington Avenue where 26-year-old Abdi Jama was
shot to death on Sunday, shut down. It's understandable why he'd urge
this: in the three years it has been open, police have received more
than 100 calls to the eatery about everything from illegal liquor
sales to public drunkenness to incidents involving guns, yet it hasn't
been shut down. The chief himself doesn't have the power to close a
legal business; he wants those officials who do have it to act.

We can understand his frustration. So perhaps he will now understand
the feelings of some parents worried about a crime issue of their own:
his force's failure to act against pot shops in the city.

What's the common thread? While the police beg the city to shut down a
restaurant, they themselves have not laid a single charge against the
marijuana businesses proliferating in Ottawa. These businesses are,
clearly, illegal. The police can, clearly, lay charges. But, to date,
the force that wants a legal restaurant shut has not cracked down on
illegal marijuana dispensaries.

One might argue that the restaurant is tied to a homicide, a very
serious crime, indeed, while the pot shops are tied only to - oh,
future crime and drug misuse, for instance. The double standard in
law-and-order thinking is perplexing.

In both cases - the restaurant and the pot shops - members of the
community and some municipal councillors have complained.

In the case of the homicide, Coun. Riley Brockington has spoken with
The Suya Spot's landlord about not renewing the lease for the
restaurant, which is known as an after-hours nightclub. If the
landlord can't act, this presumably will land with the municipal
government. In response to our queries on Tuesday, it sent a brief
email explaining it can temporarily revoke a business licence,
including for reasons of "public interest," but not spelling out what
this means.

Meanwhile, Coun. Mathieu Fleury has called on the police to shut down
pot dispensaries by laying charges against those who operate them.
While marijuana will one day be legal, that is still perhaps two years
away, and these retail outlets aren't legal now. Some councillors have
asked the police, via police services board chair Eli El-Chantiry, to
explain what they plan to do about it. So far, the police have said
only that they're investigating.

Last week, Ottawa MPP and attorney general Yasir Naqvi expressed
frustration about the "grey zone" in which officials find themselves
with regard to the anticipated legalization of pot.

But the minister stressed that, at the moment, the law IS clear. We
agree: It's on the books; we should enforce it. Why should a bar be
the focus of the chief 's frustration over criminality, while shops
flagrantly violating drug laws remain untouched?
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt