British Columbia
Vancouver spends $24 million a year on 911. Is it worth it? - Vancouver Is Awesome
Is Vancouver getting good value for its $24 million investment in 911 service?; E-Comm president: ‘Ultimately, the answer to me — unless calls stop coming in — is we need more people’
Victoria Police Department budget: Victoria council gives OK - Victoria Times Colonist
VicPD request is for $63.4 million, up from 2021 budget of $59.2 million
New Westminster cops shouldn't tell people downtown is safe - New West Record
A resident responds to recent police comments
B.C. human rights commissioner launches portal so public can report hate-related incidents | CBC News
The B.C. Office of the Human Rights Commissioner (OHRC) has begun accepting public submissions into rising incidents of hate during the pandemic as part of a public inquiry it launched last fall.
Alberta
Racism at play in RCMP investigation into complaint of Black woman arrested unlawfully, says report | CBC News
A newly published report found there was both an "appearance and existence of racism in the public complaint process" after officers at the Brooks RCMP detachment investigated their own officers who had arrested a Black woman after a man disclosed she was a prostitute, which is not illegal in Canada.
Murals at Tsuut’ina Nation police station’s holding cells to provide comfort, moment of reflection - The Globe and Mail
Four murals are part of the efforts by the Tsuut’ina Police Service to provide culturally relevant services
Alberta looking to improve mental health services for first responders | Canadian Occupational Safety
Government provided a total of $1.48 million in funding through the Supporting Psychological Health in First Responders program
Edmonton physicians call on province for more timely drug poisoning data - Todayville
EDMONTON — A group of Edmonton doctors is calling on the province to release timely data on opioid poisonings to better mobilize resources. The Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association says they hav…
Ontario
Peterborough Police Chief To Retire In Three Days | Kawartha 411
Peterborough Police Chief Scott Gilbert has submitted his resignation to the Peterborough Police Services Board effective February 7th. Gilbert left Toronto Police to take over the helm in Peterborough in June 2018. Gilbert took over from Chief Murray Rodd.Deputy Chief Tim Farquharson will take
How police have become more tolerant of civil disobedience in Canada — for good or bad | Windsor Star
No-knock police raids rising in Hamilton and Halton, new data reveals | CBC News
It's becoming more common for police in tactical gear to barge into homes unannounced in Hamilton and the regional municipality of Halton in Ontario, according to new data obtained by CBC News.
New mental health police service now available on the North Shore | The Star
A new mental health support service is now active across the North Shore, as police departments have officially teamed up with health professionals to...
Sudbury council votes to remove colleague from police board | CBC News
Sudbury city councillors voted Tuesday to remove Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini from the Greater Sudbury Police Services Board.
Three Indigenous chiefs disavow 'freedom convoy' and ceremonies taking place in Confederation Park | Ottawa Citizen
Thunder Bay council puts the brakes on $56M for police campus, only approves $2.4M for project at budget talks | CBC News
Council wrapped up its review of the 2022 budget Tuesday night by voting to remove the $56 million Thunder Bay police campus project and instead to commit $2.4 million for preliminary work on the campus, including purchasing property.
Give Toronto police more resources to battle 'unprecedented' spike in hate crimes, city council says | CBC News
Toronto city council has passed a motion asking for more resources and officers to be added to the Toronto Police Hate Crime unit in response to an "unprecedented" rise in incidents of hatred in the city.
Peterborough Police Services Board reports lower use of force, more public complaints in 2021 | Watch News Videos Online
Opinion: Thunder Bay’s policing crisis is a reflection of Canada’s policing issues - The Globe and Mail
Human-rights complaints against the police – including from sitting police board member Georjann Morriseau – highlight the ways in which the force requires sustained change
New data portal shows Newmarket is 'very safe community', police say - Newmarket News
Citizens encouraged to use the new portal to track their concerns regarding speeding, road safety
Toronto City Council approves year-one implementation plan for SafeTO – City of Toronto
News Release February 2, 2022 Toronto City Council has approved the year-one implementation plan for SafeTO: Toronto’s 10 Year Community Safety and Well-Being Plan. SafeTO is the City of Toronto’s new and bold approach to community safety that focuses on creating a culture of prevention through collaboration with the community, other orders of government and […]
Waterloo Region’s commitment to change is real, says new equity director | TheRecord.com
Fauzia Baig’s vision is for Waterloo Region to be a place ‘where everyone in the community feels safe, feels valued’
'All crimes are not equal': Police target high-harm crime through 'different lens' - Barrie News
'The harm for our victims has a reverberating effect upon our community. And that is an important factor we need to take into account. We need to target that far more effectively,' says deputy chief
Fewer than 10 Ottawa police officers on unpaid leave for missing vaccination deadline | CBC News
Fewer than 10 Ottawa police officers remain on leaves of absence without pay after missing the force’s deadline to become fully vaccinated, although that doesn’t mean all service members have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Nova Scotia
Failed opportunity: an open letter addressing how the Halifax Board of Police Commissioners missed the mark on public engagement
On January 31st, at a special public engagement session of the Halifax Board of Police Commissioners held to receive public input on the police budget, commissioner Yemi Akindoju declared the moment “historic.” Indeed it was: as members of the Board acknowledged, this appeared to be the first time the public had been included at this […]
New Brunswick
Inquest must examine death at jail through lens of systemic racism: Commissioner - The Turtle Island News
By Robin Grant Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Wolastoqey chiefs in New Brunswick have voiced their support for a coroner’s inquest into the death of a Tobique First Nation (Neqotkuk) man who died while in custody at the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre. In a press release from the Wolastoqey Nation, six chiefs say they support the family of Skyler Brent Sappier-Soloman, who reportedly died of COVID-19 in the early morning hours of Jan. 31, and Tobique First Nation community members. “When one family mourns the loss of a family member, that loss ripples throughout the nation and is felt by all,” reads the Wolastoqey Nation release issued Monday morning. “We are keen to hear the findings of the coroner’s inquest into Skyler’s death and hope the findings from the jury
Inquest into police shooting death of Chantel Moore delayed again until May | CBC News
A corner's inquest into the shooting death of Chantel Moore by a police officer in Edmundston has been delayed again, until May 16, nearly two years after the woman from Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation in British Columbia was killed.
National
Public Safety Personnel Online Therapy Program Launches - Government of Nova Scotia, Canada
News releases from the Government of Nova Scotia
Canada discriminates against Indigenous police force: tribunal
The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has ruled that the federal government discriminates against an Indigenous police force in Quebec.
The police are defunding themselves | Canada's National Observer: News & Analysis
With policing costs chewing up nearly 10 per cent of the city’s overall budget, Ottawa residents have a right to ask what they’re getting for their money — and why police funding keeps going up, writes columnist Max Fawcett.
Supermarket theft rising, shoplifters more aggressive, warns grocery industry – Saanich News
Experts say thefts have become more brazen in recent months, reasons unclear
Opinion: Pandemics and prolonged protests can be planned for. Authorities need to stop pretending otherwise - The Globe and Mail
When authorities fumble in their responsibility to plan for and protect us, they often make it seem so extreme that no one could have seen it coming
International
An Afro-Indigenous Perspective on Policing - YES! Magazine
In his new book, Kyle T. Mays argues that the violence of policing has always been intimately tied to U.S. democracy.
The Violent Sameness Of The Police Reform Movement | HuffPost null
It’s OK to call a thing a thing: Progressive police reform has failed.
Inside a Near Breakdown Between the White House and the Police - The New York Times
Outreach by a top administration official in recent weeks dovetails with a broader shift to the center among Democratic leaders on criminal justice issues.
Spotlight on (Nashville) police's mental health pilot - Axios Nashville
Only 4% of the 279 calls logged from Sept. 29-Dec. 28 resulted in arrests.
The Police State Is Failing Officers Too | The Nation
Alternatives to policing are critical to the health and safety of both overpoliced people, historically and predominantly Black and brown, and the police themselves.
How Democrats went from defund to refund the police
As crime rates rise ahead of the midterms, Black mayors of the nation's largest cities are leading the call to crack down on lawlessness.