Market needs legal structure, official says OTTAWA - Police are warning it could be "impossible" for law enforcement to get trained up in time for legal marijuana in July 2018. Testifying at a House of Commons health committee Tuesday, police leaders expressed concerns about the Liberal government's impending deadline to create a legal weed market. Organizations will need to know the new laws and regulations backwards and forwards before they can prepare their officers for duty, they said. Mike Serr, deputy chief constable and chair of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police drug advisory committee, said the government should consider extending its deadline. "We ask that established legislative framework be put in place prior to legalization that will provide law enforcement with clear direction and assistance regarding funding and training," he said. [continues 495 words]
I have a simple request of the Ottawa police in regard to the "safe" injection site and marijuana shops: Stop interpreting the law and enforce it. Surely, not too much to ask! Gary Voellmecke Gloucester (You wouldn't think so, but here we are.) [end]
Four arrested by officers in Cole Harbour dispensary One day after Tasty Budds reopened its five Nova Scotia locations following police raids last week, one of them has again been searched by police. RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jennifer Clarke confirmed to Metro Tuesday afternoon that police searched the Tasty Budds location in Cole Harbour. "We arrested four people, one of whom will be in court tomorrow morning in Dartmouth," Clarke said. Charges are expected against that one person, and Clarke said police will be naming them on Wednesday. [continues 136 words]
Tasty Budds president Mal McMeekin is "very sorry" about alleged illegal activities that police say were occuring at his company's storefronts. "We want to be very clear that the alleged illegal activity was occuring at one Tasty Budds location (Sackville Location)," reads a written statement sent to The Chronicle Herald and attributed to Mal McMeekin. "This only came to our attention through the recent police activity and investigation. This is a gross violation of our code of conduct, our ethics, and everything that Tasty Budds stands for." [continues 343 words]
Ottawa police cracked down on the city's illegal marijuana shops last week, raiding three of them. All three establishments restocked their shelves and opened again, demonstrating how difficult it has become to control the growth of dispensaries. There are at least 19 shops in Ottawa, more than when police began raiding them almost a year ago. The dispensaries are popping up across Canada in advance of the federal government's pledge to legalize recreational pot by July 2018. Some Ottawa shop employees say they don't fear being arrested for drug trafficking. [continues 1087 words]
Alberta's justice minister says the province's law enforcement communities are having to "constantly" adapt in their efforts to combat the evolving methods of illicit drug manufacturers. Following news that health workers have found possible fentanyl-laced stickers in Calgary and Edmonton, Kathleen Ganley told reporters that police are doing a "very good job" of staying on top of emerging drug trends. That vigilance on the part of authorities is key, Ganley says. "It's like this with most types of drugs, they're sort of constantly adapting to continue to try to keep those hidden and we're having to constantly adapt to continue to try to find those. We'll continue to use intelligence to move forward." [continues 213 words]
Bay Ward Coun. Mark Taylor has written a letter to police Chief Charles Bordeleau asking Bordeleau to close a marijuana pot dispensary on McEwen Avenue. The letter comes days after the west-side dispensary was robbed for the third time in two months. "I am writing you today with respect to the CanaGreen marijuana location at 102 McEwen Ave. in my ward, its ongoing illegal activities and the repeated break-in events that have occurred there," Taylor said Thursday in his letter, which he also posted on Twitter. [continues 140 words]
Re: 'I lost everything': Ottawa man loses home after false fentanyl bust, Ottawa Citizen, July 31. The Caldwell Avenue apartment was well known to both Ottawa Police patrol officers and Ottawa Community Housing due to the heavy traffic and disruptive drug activities. Officers and paramedics were dispatched twice to the apartment in April 2017 for people who had overdosed. In light of prevalent drug consumption at the apartment and concerns for public safety, the Ottawa Police Drug Unit began an investigation into the suspected sale of controlled substances. A thorough investigation confirmed activity consistent with drug trafficking, and a search warrant was executed on April 25. [continues 237 words]
The scourge of fentanyl has hit the nation's capital with devastating consequences, and kudos to Ottawa police for going into overdrive to bring to justice the criminals who traffic in this deadly drug. But there is no excuse for what they did to Royston Christie after a drug raid at his Caldwell Avenue home. And it is a shame that months later, nobody has raised a finger to support a man wrongly accused of dealing drugs and then left homeless to boot. Ottawa police have sent a letter to the Citizen (see below, left) giving their take on the arrest, but it still doesn't answer the fundamental question about Christie's treatment. [continues 579 words]
Former Ottawa police chief and current senator Vern White is applauding an opioid replacement program being set up by Ottawa Inner City Health. He has been calling for similar programs across the country. White planned to contact Wendy Muckle, the executive director of the non-profit health agency that works with Ottawa's homeless. "I am going to congratulate her on being willing to take on the bigger discussion around addiction," White said. "I guarantee this will make a difference in terms of crime." [continues 409 words]
The sun was setting on Coal Harbour last week when the Vancouver police marine squad took special notice of a charter boat called the Magic Charm. Aboard the vessel were dozens of young men, some of whom were linked to the Red Scorpion gang. Several had chest tattoos reading "My brother's keeper." The anti-gang Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit was called in to check the party boat crowd when it docked beside the Westin Bayshore around 9 p.m. on July 25. It was another tense interaction between the police and some of those involved in the [continues 617 words]
Property crimes of all sorts have increased in 2016, according to statistics included within the Medicine Hat Police's 2016 annual report published last week - numbers police say are linked together with the increased amount of meth and opiates being seen in the city. "The biggest thing is thefts of convenience," said Insp. Brent Secondiak of the MHPS. "They will take stuff to make money that's convenient for them ... they won't do a lot of work for it." "They will steal stuff from vehicles that are left open, they'll steal stuff from bicycles left in the yard." [continues 346 words]
A "huge spike" in opiate and methamphetamine seizures this past year poses a deadly and multifaceted problem for local law enforcement, says a police inspector. "We are hugely concerned with meth," said Insp. Brent Secondiak, speaking about the 2016 annual police report released last week. In 2016, police seized 52.5 grams of heroin and 1,474 grams of meth, a 563 per cent and 300 per cent increase from 2015 respectively. While fentanyl has made headlines across Canada for its deadliness, Secondiak said it hasn't been a problem in Medicine Hat compared to other drugs. [continues 499 words]
Calgary's police chief said his officers haven't changed their approach when it comes to marijuana, despite a slight dip in pot-related crimes being reported in 2016. Numbers released yesterday by Statistics Canada show Calgary's police-reported crime declined significantly last year, unlike other major Canadian cities which mostly saw an increase. Alberta also saw a drop in the homicide rate, with 17 fewer homicides in 2016 than 2015. Calgary's crime rate was down 1 per cent from 2015 numbers, which Chief Roger Chaffin called 'encouraging.' [continues 137 words]
Health Canada says police officers can call them any time when it comes to confirming whether citizens have legal authority to produce and possess medicinal marijuana. The department's ability to notify police of those who legitimately possess cannabis for that purpose was recently criticized in a lawsuit launched by a Brandon couple whose legal medical grow-op was mistakenly raided by RCMP. "Health Canada negligently administered a system of license retention and issuance notification by failing to establish and maintain proper protocols for notice to arresting authorities as to the legitimacy of licenses such as those held by persons such as the plaintiffs, and the plaintiffs in particular," Jerry Pomehichuk and Brenda Wakefield assert in their statement of claim. [continues 496 words]
Police chief Ron Maracle said there is a plan of action, but won't say what it is The Mohawk police chief is set to initiate 'proactive policing' to address the proliferation of illegal marijuana dispensaries on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. "There is a plan of action, but I'm not looking to put it out at this point," said chief Ron Maracle about potential police initiatives to crack down on the dispensaries which have been warned about the risk of continuing operation without proper licences. "I still have another meeting with chief and council, on Monday, before I put my plan in action." [continues 435 words]
Highway 7 site believed to be operating legally BRESLAU - Waterloo Regional Police say they're monitoring a large marijuana grow-op at the former Waterloo Flowers greenhouse site - and believe it's operating within the law for medical marijuana for "personal consumption." The site isn't owned by one of the 28 federally licensed producers in Ontario that supply's Canada's mail-order medical marijuana, and its less-than-discreet cannabis production beside a busy Highway 7 has prompted rampant speculation among neighbours. [continues 425 words]
Losing needle exchange program will be 'devastating' Losing the city's largest needle exchange program will put the public and police at risk, North Bay Police Chief Shawn Devine said Tuesday at the monthly police board meeting. Devine said the closure of the Nipissing Detoxification and Substance Abuse Program on King Street July 31, as it prepares to shut down in September, will impact community safety and well-being on many levels. "Losing the services is going to be devastating and will only lead to unsafe situations for the general public and our front-line officers," he said in his report to the board. [continues 240 words]
WATERLOO REGION - In the past two months, police officers have administered the life-saving nasal naloxone six times, saving four lives. The other two times, officers received the naloxone themselves after being "contaminated" with the potent drug fentanyl, Police Chief Bryan Larkin told board members at a Waterloo Regional Police Services Board on Wednesday. Naloxone is an antidote to fentanyl and it's being used by paramedics and now police officers to cope with the rising number of opioid overdoses in the region. [continues 237 words]
Provincial officials will conduct an inspection of the Windsor police drug vault after the disappearance of $25,000 worth of cocaine seized nearly four years ago. Police Chief Al Frederick said he met with officials from the Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services Friday to discuss the inspection. "They have not done the inspection as of yet," Frederick said Tuesday. Windsor police lost track of nine grams of cocaine seized as part of a 2013 investigation that included wiretaps and multiple arrests. When one of the drug dealers went to trial earlier this year, police could not produce the cocaine they testified they had seized from him. The judge expressed concerns about the missing evidence, but convicted the man nonetheless. [continues 205 words]
KITCHENER - The number of people who were impaired by drugs or alcohol at the Ever After Music Festival at Bingemans was up from last year, and that's cause for concern, says a report to be presented at the Waterloo Regional Police Services Board on Wednesday. The report says the number of young people impaired put "significant pressure" on medical staff at the event held in Kitchener last month. Police said they received 342 calls. Nearly half of them were related to drugs, with 129 drug-related incidents and 100 noise complaints. The remainder ranged from public intoxication, medical calls with transportation to a local hospital and other liquor offences. [continues 394 words]
Prevention, early intervention key, Rich says Abbotsford Police Chief Bob Rich recalls the phone call he received from a mom traumatized by the death of her adult son. The man was prescribed opioids to cope with the physical pain following an operation, but he became addicted and turned to buying drugs on the streets. His habit turned fatal when he ingested a substance that was, unknowingly to him, laced with fentanyl. "That's just horrible to me. We're talking about somebody who never would have been a drug addict That makes me angry," Rich said of the incident. [continues 355 words]
Officers lay 45 charges and seize weapons and drugs in swoop on Applewood home Police are crediting tips from the public in shutting down a suspected Applewood drug house that resulted in 45 criminal charges against two people. A search warrant executed June 22 at a home on Applecroft Road S.E. yielded drugs, weapons and cash - and, according to Sgt. Nick Wilsher, a return to normalcy for area residents. "It affects the community itself so much," Wilsher said Wednesday, speaking to media at police headquarters. [continues 285 words]
Canna Clinic's Toronto stores shut down after Tory voiced concerns about pot shop rise In a series of mid-morning raids Thursday, police shut down marijuana dispensaries operated in Toronto by B.C.-based Canna Clinic. All seven of the company's storefront locations in Toronto were raided, as well as five residences, said Toronto police corporate communications director Mark Pugash. There were also three raids in Vancouver. A bar owner near the company's Kensington Ave. clinic said police came around 10 a.m. Customers were allowed to leave before police closed the store. [continues 623 words]
Canada's law enforcement agencies, MADD Canada and other first responders took to the country's roads and highways recently in their annual campaign to promote safety on our highways over the summer holiday season. Adding to the complexity of addressing the issue of impaired driving is the steady increase in the numbers of drivers who have been stopped for drug impairment. Law enforcement is also concerned that the impending legalization of marijuana by the Trudeau Government will compound the problem. [continues 437 words]
Municipalities are the ones who are going to be dealing with it on a daily basis The Cape Breton Regional Police Service is attempting to prepare for the impending legalization of cannabis but it's unclear how much it will cost to put the necessary supports in place, Chief Peter McIsaac says. In a report to the board of police commissioners Tuesday, McIsaac outlined some of the measures that the service is taking to prepare for the change. The federal government is set to legalize the recreational use of cannabis next year but it hasn't been explained yet how it will be regulated and distributed. While the law will be federal, it will be left to the provinces and municipalities to regulate it, he said. [continues 419 words]
At least 30 cases linked to drugs missing from a storage locker likely will be dropped, setting accused dealers free A Halton cop who spent years taking drugs off the street is facing five criminal charges after prescription opioids were stolen from a police evidence locker. At least 30 cases connected to the missing drugs likely will be dropped because of the evidence-tampering, setting accused dealers free. Staff Sgt. Brad Murray was in charge of the Drug and Morality Unit at the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) and had authorization to access the locked storage area where all drugs seized by the service were kept and catalogued. [continues 893 words]
CAMBRIDGE - Waterloo Regional Police drug officers closed down a marijuana dispensary in Cambridge on Wednesday. Police raided the storefront business at 184 Samuelson St. near Elgin Street North at 1 p.m. Police spokesperson Cherri Greeno said the illegal business did not have an official name. During the raid, police seized a large amount of marijuana, marijuana products, a small amount of suspected cocaine and prescription pills, including Xanax and Oxycocet. A 29-year-old Cambridge man and a 21-year-old Cambridge woman were arrested. Both face several charges, including possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of a controlled substance. [continues 130 words]
KITCHENER - Waterloo Regional Police raided a marijuana dispensary in Kitchener on Thursday. Insp. Mike Haffner said police arrested two people and two others remain at large in connection with selling marijuana at the business. The raid occurred at 10:45 a.m. at the KW Dispensary at 1421 Victoria St. N., near Lackner Boulevard. Property seized from the location included marijuana and cannabis products such as edible treats along with money. Police said the business owners received numerous letters telling them to close the business, which is considered illegal, or face a police crackdown. [continues 144 words]
A majority of Canadians oppose the federal government's plan to give greater powers to police officers to obtain breath samples from drivers in roadside tests, a new poll has found. As part of its legislative package last month to legalize marijuana, the government also tabled a bill to update impaired driving laws. Bill C-46 would drop the requirement for police to have a reasonable suspicion a driver has been drinking before demanding a breath sample. For example, officers would no longer need to smell alcohol on the driver's breath or receive an admission that a driver had been drinking. [continues 531 words]
Mark Baratta works with drug users on the front lines of Ontario's opioid epidemic. But as deaths mount, Baratta's story illustrates how far society has to go to end the crisis . . . if it so chooses Like most people who might be called heroes, Mark Baratta shies away from the label. A lean and purposeful man, Baratta has saved 17 people, each on separate occasions. He chalks it up, with a shrug of his shoulders, to keeping his head in the presence of death. [continues 3104 words]
Chief says officers will arrest and charge users since pot not legal until July 2018 Windsor police Chief Al Frederick says that police will keep enforcing current marijuana laws - including during "4/20" celebrations planned in Windsor on Thursday - despite the Trudeau government's intention to legalize its use. "Today, marijuana is illegal," Frederick said in a scrum with reporters following the unveiling of Windsor police's 150th anniversary cruiser Tuesday. "And anybody who (illegally) possesses or traffics marijuana today is subject to prosecution. No question." [continues 277 words]
Beach Avenue along Sunset Beach closed Thursday The stage is set for today's 4-20 pot rally at Sunset Beach in Vancouver and organizers say the annual protest is here to stay despite the federal government's intention to legalize pot next year. The unpermitted event, which drew 25,000 people to the beach last year, will feature more than 300 vendor booths and live music. Park board commissioners voted against giving 4-20 event organizers a permit for this year's event but that hasn't changed things on the ground, said marijuana advocate, Dana Larsen. [continues 327 words]
Chief Larkin says 'home (pot) farmers' a worry, as Liberal, Tory MPs at odds WATERLOO REGION - Waterloo Region's top law enforcement official says "society has spoken" and his officers will be ready for the legalization of recreational marijuana by next summer. But Waterloo Regional Police Chief Bryan Larkin still has concerns about the challenges to police trying to catch people who toke and drive - and keep an eye on all the potential "home farmers" who might want to grow their own marijuana plants. [continues 844 words]
Hess Village enterprise back in business Thursday, day after visit by drug squad Hamilton police have seized about $21,000 in products from a Hess Village marijuana dispensary and charged a 49-year-old man with four drug-related offences. The Hamilton police vice and drug unit executed a search warrant at Georgia Peach Dispensary on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. The shop is located at 105 George St. Police allege the owner of the dispensary was "committing the criminal acts of possession for the purpose of trafficking marijuana and THC" by selling or giving marijuana or marijuana derivatives to clients. [continues 184 words]
Police would be given sweeping new authority to combat drunk driving by demanding a breath sample from any driver at roadside, as the Liberal government prepares for the legalization of marijuana with a major overhaul of impaired-driving laws. A proposed law introduced in Parliament on Thursday drops the requirement that police need a reasonable suspicion that a driver has been drinking before demanding a breath sample. It will almost certainly be challenged as a violation of the constitutional right to be free from unreasonable searches, legal observers say. [continues 704 words]
TORONTO - Ontario's two largest police services have stepped up training for their officers to better detect drugged driving as legislation on legalizing marijuana looms in Ottawa. Both Toronto police and Ontario Provincial Police are waiting to pore over the federal government's much-anticipated pot bill, which is expected to be tabled on Thursday, with a keen eye on provisions around impaired driving related to the drug. In Toronto, about a dozen officers are being trained each month in field sobriety testing, a series of physical movements used by police to test for drug impairment, according to Const. Clint Stibbe of the service's traffic services. There are already about 200 officers trained in that area, he said. [continues 455 words]
A Kingston man and woman have been charged by local police after officers accompanied the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on a search warrant execution at 420 Kingston and a private residence on Friday. Sgt. Brad Brooker, of the Kingston Police street crime unit, said on Saturday that the CBSA was the lead agency on the lengthy investigation under the Customs Act and Plant Protection Act. The search warrant was approved for the business located at 736 Princess St. and the residence of the two accused on Ellesmere Avenue. [continues 179 words]
TORONTO - A man with a marijuana grow-op in his Barrie basement has had his drug conviction thrown out because police had no right to enter his home, even though his four-year-old child had been found wandering alone near a busy intersection dressed only in a diaper, Ontario's top court ruled on Wednesday. While officers said they went into the Barrie home to check that the child would be safe, the Court of Appeal found that to be a ruse. [continues 482 words]
Legalizing marijuana is not going to reduce policing costs, and in fact, the opposite is true, says Medicine Hat Police Service. "There are a lot of details to be determined and it certainly is not going to save the police time and money and will probably cost more in the end because there will be regulations to be enforced," said police chief Andy McGrogan. In the next 10 days the federal government will introduce legislation to legalize marijuana, which will come into effect about a year from now. Provinces will set an age restriction for buying marijuana and determine how it will be accessed at the retail level. [continues 418 words]
More funding, data sought to help detect drug-impaired driving The Calgary Police Service wants more information and more funding for drug impairment recognition training of front-line officers before pot becomes legal in Canada. At a meeting of the Calgary police commission this week, CPS outlined the steps the service is taking following the announcement this week that the Liberal government will introduce legislation to legalize marijuana by July 1, 2018. Sgt. Richard Butler, who heads the force's alcohol and drug recognition unit, warned the legalization of the drug in other jurisdictions has been accompanied by a rise in collision rates and costs associated with policing drug-impaired drivers. [continues 333 words]
The Calgary Police Service wants more information and more funding for drug impairment recognition training for front-line officers before marijuana becomes legal in Canada. At a meeting of the Calgary police commission this week, CPS outlined the steps the service is taking following the announcement this week that the Liberal government will introduce legislation to legalize pot by July 1, 2018. Sgt. Richard Butler, who heads the force's alcohol and drug recognition unit, warned that the legalization of the drug in other jurisdictions has been accompanied by a rise in collision rates and costs associated with policing drug-impaired drivers. [continues 341 words]
Raids a response to breach of zoning, bylaws reported by city, constable says Toronto police raided four marijuana dispensaries Tuesday, charging nine people with drug-related offences, just days after reports that Ottawa would introduce legislation next month to legalize pot by Canada Day 2018. Toronto police spokesperson Const. Victor Kwong said the raids weren't meant to target average marijuana users. "I know that it seems like we're just shutting down places for marijuana, but it's no different than people would expect us to investigate a grocery store if they were selling things that were not tested to be safe for consumption," Kwong said Wednesday. [continues 542 words]
The federal government's push to legalize marijuana, with the potential of it occurring as soon as next year, has law enforcement officials planning to deal with the impacts. Following the recommendations of a government- appointed task force, the aim is to ensure the safety and security of the marijuana supply. The provinces would be allowed to determine how the drug is distributed and sold. OPP Const. Jay Denorer says police will continue to enforce the legislation as it's currently written until there are changes. [continues 252 words]
Dana Larsen, the British Columbia man who calls himself a cannabis crusader, will be in St. John's this weekend spreading his message of cannabis freedom as part of his cross-country campaign. But the police officer heading this province's drug unit is warning the public to be leery of what Larsen has to say. RNC Supt. Marlene Jesso is concerned Larsen may send the wrong message to people when it comes to the legalization of marijuana. "It's not against the law for him to come down here and speak to people," said Jesso, who is in charge of the Newfoundland and Labrador combined forces special enforcement unit, a joint RCMP-RNC team. [continues 359 words]
While Green Tree workers face charges, not much is known about operator KITCHENER - While four employees arrested at a Kitchener marijuana dispensary face ongoing criminal charges, the owner who actually pocketed the proceeds from the illegal sales is nowhere to be found. When police raided Green Tree Medical Dispensary on King Street, they seized $17,000 in cash, plus almost $27,000 in marijuana and $5,400 in hashish. Investigators knew the store was doing brisk business, but who was collecting all that money remains murky. [continues 537 words]
A recent Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court decision tested the weight the justice system places on confidential police informants. The case revolved around a British Columbia man arrested and charged in Newfoundland with drug-related offences in February 2015. The accused applied to the court to have certain police evidence excluded from his case - particularly the police informant information - - stating that his rights under Section 9 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms were breached. He claimed police did not have reasonable grounds to make the arrest nor search his vehicle. [continues 866 words]
Mayor backs legalization, but says cannabis capitalism has jumped the gun in the city Mayor John Tory "strongly supports" the latest Toronto police crackdown on marijuana dispensaries even though the federal government will soon introduce legislation to legalize pot. While Tory says he supports legalization, the people who have been selling pot out of city storefronts have jumped the gun. "I just think when you have a law that you have to make your best efforts to enforce it," he said Friday, a day after the raids on pot shops in Toronto, Vancouver and Hamilton. [continues 350 words]
Two people were arrested and 15 pounds of marijuana were seized when Nanaimo RCMP carried out a search warrant at one of two Nature's Source dispensaries in the city. Oils, marijuana edibles and $2,000 were also seized. The 5th Street business was searched March 9 and remains closed. An employee at the other Nature's Source Nanaimo location on Front Street said the site will re-open as a glass shop. The arrests were made for possession for the purpose of trafficking, with both people being released on a promise to appear in court Aug. 8. [continues 241 words]
Five were warned they're at risk of being raided; one operator says he can't let 'our patients' down KITCHENER - Waterloo Regional Police say they've warned five illegal marijuana dispensaries in the region they're at risk of being raided if they continue to flout the laws around selling cannabis. After getting visits from officers and written warnings, several of the dispensaries have shut down. One that refused - Green Tree Medical Dispensary - was busted Friday by police, who seized $26,800 in pot, $5,400 in hash, edibles and $17,000 in cash. [continues 761 words]
CN Police
