White Rock officers cracking down on drug trafficking White Rock RCMP have a stern message for those who peddle drugs in the city. "If you deal drugs in White Rock you are not welcome here. Prepare to be arrested. We will not tolerate the misery and pain you are bringing into the community," White Rock RCMP Staff Sgt. Daryl Creighton said in an emailed statement Friday afternoon. The news release comes on the heels of "significant" street level drug seizures and arrests in White Rock. [continues 171 words]
Regardless of whether one agrees with the decision to legalize marijuana, that train has left the station and is scheduled to roll down the track on July 1, 2018. The focus now must shift to how those changes will affect the rights of citizens, law enforcement and the courts. Once the smoke clears, there must be clarity and consistency in how police and the courts deal with offenders under the federal government's proposed new impaired-driving legislation. A ruling by Justice Nigel Kent on May 18 quashed a charge of impaired driving against a Vancouver man who, according to the police report, had "glassy red eyes," a "strong odour of marijuana" on him and pot grinders in plain sight in his vehicle. [continues 184 words]
A public suggestion by the provincial coroner to provide heroin to addicts is turning some heads. The comments by chief coroner Lisa Lapointe last week came after it was learned 116 people in this province died of overdoses from illicit drugs in January. It's widely believed the deaths are a result of fentanyl, a drug 100 times stronger than morphine. Lapointe said the people who have died haven't been successful in a variety of treatment programs. [continues 591 words]
Editor: Re: Delve deeper into drug issue, Dec. 28 editorial. Quite frankly, I was appalled at the tone of your editorial, which I assume was written in reply to your paper's online survey results that showed an overwhelming response from your readers who wanted to see governments reduce spending to fight the current drug crisis. Your passive-aggressive and condescending tone to somehow guilt the reader was, to be blunt, shameful. How dare you accuse us of lacking empathy or sympathy. [continues 392 words]
As the latest statistics from the BC Coroners Service confirm illicit-drug-overdose fatalities are continuing to climb, posters aimed at getting the message across that the danger isn't confined to addicts are being distributed throughout the Semiahmoo Peninsula. Verna Logan, constituency assistant to Surrey-White Rock MLA Gordon Hogg, confirmed last week that the posters, created by Fraser Health, have been sent to South Surrey & White Rock Chamber of Commerce officials for distribution to their membership, as well as the White Rock Business Improvement Association, the Surrey Board of Trade and other organizations. [continues 277 words]
Editor: Re: 'Safe-consumption' sites considered, July 20. Forty-three drug overdoses in Surrey on the weekend of July 16-17 and Mayor Linda Hepner refers to illicit drug use as a "lifestyle." Really, Mayor Hepner? Starting to use illicit drugs may be a choice - perhaps a recreational choice, but how often is it a way to deal with chronic pain, to self-medicate a mental health issue or to forget past trauma? And how quickly is it no longer a choice? [continues 162 words]
White Rock/South Surrey is considered a peninsula - not an island. Some residents and even some elected officials seem to like to suggest that drug turf-wars - and their spin-off violence - are a mid-to north-Surrey problem. The fact - both historically and currently - is that the trade and the targeted hits of competitors and enemies are our problem, too. We didn't really need the news of a drug-lab bust on White Rock's Parker Street earlier this month - during which police seized several firearms, $7,000 in cash and a stockpile of illegal drugs - to confirm that such heinous activities are on our doorsteps. [continues 300 words]
Editor: There are a number of issues surrounding the shootings in Surrey. Firstly, Surrey is one of the biggest areas in North America, so many of us throughout Surrey have no contact or experiences with any of it. Yes, we wonder why none of the Surrey councillors have said anything about it before the mayor finally had something to say (Get out of my city: mayor to shooters, April 8). They are all on the same slate and she is the boss and probably has tight reins on what they may say and when. [continues 167 words]
Surrey RCMP will be given real-time access to more than 400 traffic cameras in the city, and the full force of the regional Mounties to put an end to this year's shootings. The announcement comes as Surrey grapples with more than 30 shootings so far this year - a rate of one every three days. It's twice the rate of shootings that occurred last year. The culprits are involved in a low-level drug turf war, police believe. [continues 616 words]
Surrey RCMP have now been called to 31 shots-fired incidents in 2016 - - as of Monday evening. (There may well be more by the time this column is published). While there has only been one death as a result of the gunfire at last count, there have been five injuries. Nine buildings have been struck. Perspective is important. The 31 shots-fired incidents represent half of all such incidents reported to police last year. That was a year in which police and members of the public both made it clear there were a staggering number of shots fired. [continues 544 words]
There are certainly huge metropolises in this world, particularly south of the border, where gunfire doesn't merit a headline, and even certain killings go unmentioned by the media. Has Surrey become that kind of city? According to Surrey RCMP - now belatedly confirming 31 incidents of shots fired in the city since Jan. 1 - not every shooting incident that takes place is a cause for alarm or public concern. In justifying a lack of public announcements on such incidents, Supt. Shawn Gill suggests police only send news releases out when they need witnesses or when they believe such an incident poses a risk to residents. He says the police don't want "to create fear where there is no need to." [continues 284 words]
Editor: Re: Time to unleash responsibility, March 18 letters. This letter is prompted by a letter written by Barbara E. Allen, in which she mentions the recreational marijuana users that frequent the parking lots on the waterfront. I have often wondered how these people can be allowed to sit in their cars and smoke pot. One would assume they would then be driving home or elsewhere once they have finished their "smoke". Is driving under the influence of marijuana not illegal? Why are the police and bylaw enforcement not doing a better job of monitoring this situation and penalizing the offenders? It's not like it's that hard to detect that pot is being used what with the smell and, in some cases, the very visible smoke inside and outside the vehicle. Let's put an end to this "dopey" behaviour. G. Harrison, White Rock [end]
My recent columns on B.C.'s struggle with the growing westward migration of transients have produced responses that fall mainly into two groups. The largest is people relieved that somebody is questioning the urban media narrative. That's the one where drifters, drug addicts, welfare shoppers and thieves are the victims and working people, whose hard-earned communities are being degraded, are the problem because of their selfish, uncaring attitudes. Then there are readers so marinated in our nanny-state education, media and political system they object to anything other than a big-government response. They tend to ask, what's your solution, Tom? [continues 511 words]
With unlicensed marijuana dispensaries popping up in urban areas and thousands of unregulated medical licences for home growing still in legal limbo, the Trudeau government is starting work on its promise to legalize recreational use. Marijuana was a media darling in the recent election, but meeting in Vancouver with provincial ministers last week, federal Health Minister Jane Philpott found herself preoccupied with issues deemed more urgent. These include shifting our post-war acute hospital model to community primary care, tackling aboriginal health care needs, pooling pharmaceutical purchases to slow rising costs, and meeting an urgent Supreme Court of Canada directive to legalize assisted dying. [continues 517 words]
Illicit drug overdose deaths in B.C. jumped 27 per cent in 2015 and that grim statistic was even worse in the Fraser region, where deadly overdoses soared nearly 50 per cent. A total of 465 B.C. residents died from illicit drugs last year, almost 100 more than in 2014, according to new statistics from the B.C. Coroners Service. Fraser recorded the largest number of drug deaths of any B.C. region in 2015 - a total of 166, up from 111 in 2014. [continues 347 words]
It's been a topsy-turvy week for the federal Liberals in South Surrey-White Rock, with candidate Joy Davies resigning Sept. 10 after controversial remarks she made about marijuana use on social media came to light. Davies has been replaced by longtime Liberal and former Surrey councillor Judy Higginbotham. South Surrey resident Higginbotham has been soldiering for the Liberals, both federal and provincial, since 1983, when she first ran with the provincial Liberals in what was then the two-member riding of Surrey-White Rock. She left the provincial Liberals to run with the doomed Social Credit party in the 1991 provincial election in Surrey-Cloverdale, but has been a loyal Liberal since that time. [continues 607 words]
White Rock's Church of the Holy Smoke is on the search for a new home, Pastor Robin Douglas confirmed Wednesday. Currently housed at a rental property in the 14700-block of Marine Drive, the marijuana-centred church has been subject of several city-issued fines, as well as an eviction notice from the landlord. However, Douglas told Peace Arch News the impending move - which he hopes will take place within the next two months - was not in response to city or landlord directives. [continues 142 words]
Editor: Re: Pro-pot pastor shifts services to porch, Aug. 7. The so-called "Pastor" Robin Douglas of the "Holy Smoke Church" is making the front page again. He is doing the same thing as Walter Tucker did in Ontario around 1970-1980. Tucker called his church "The Church of the Universe," and he and his followers used marijuana as a sacrament and used the argument that he could do so because of freedom of religion. Tucker clogged up the courts for years, costing the justice system tens of thousands of dollars. [continues 181 words]
Despite orders from the City of White Rock to shut down the Church of the Holy Smoke - and frustration from the property owner who thinks stronger action should be taken - it will continue to operate, according to the man at the helm of the Marine Drive gathering place. Prior to a brief but tense standoff Tuesday in front of his 14737 Marine Drive rental property, which included White Rock bylaw officers and several RCMP officers, Robin Douglas told Peace Arch News that he and supporters of his marijuana-centred church will no longer be gathering in the tent structure, instead moving the activities onto the home's porch. [continues 427 words]
B.C. has a strong appetite for marijuana reform with more than 70 per cent of respondents to a new poll urging either legalization or decriminalization. The Insights West survey found 67 per cent said they support outright legalization, 28 per cent opposed it and five per cent were undecided. Support was slightly stronger among women, the under-35 age group and Vancouver Island residents, but at least 65 per cent back legalization in every region and within each age group. [continues 419 words]
The City of White Rock has declared a tent structure that houses a marijuana-focused religious organization on Marine Drive a "nuisance," ordering it removed within the next 10 days. City council voted unanimously Monday evening to adopt a resolution brought forth by the city's director of planning and development, Karen Cooper, regarding the 14737 Marine Dr. property, where Robin Douglas opened a gathering space known as the Church of the Holy Smoke more than three months ago. [continues 386 words]
A medical-marijuana advocate has urged White Rock to launch a pilot-dispensary project within the city to help create the framework and governance model for the potential business. Randy Caine, owner of Hempyz on Marine Drive, told White Rock council last month that a medical-marijuana dispensary is "going to arrive in our community," and that the city would be wise to get ahead of the issue. "A pilot project allows us to develop a framework, or best-practices manual, in order to bring in a community-based dispensary," Caine said June 15, pointing to issues faced by Vancouver, where officials are scrambling to regulate the nearly 100 dispensaries that have cropped up. [continues 125 words]
Proponents behind White Rock's marijuana-focused religious organization are calling for a worldwide boycott of the city, following an order issued Friday to dismantle the gathering place or face fines. Robin Douglas - who calls himself Pastor Robin, a title he says will soon be official - told Peace Arch News Monday the boycott led by the Church of the Holy Smoke is in protest of "their violation of human rights and freedom of religion." "They gave us a notice that we have to have our tent down by Friday (June 26) or else they're going to start to issue us a $150 fine," Douglas said. "If they're going to give us a ticket... the City of White Rock has to, by law, ticket everybody that has a tent on the property, otherwise it becomes selective prosecution. [continues 526 words]
A makeshift church erected on White Rock's Marine Drive is the subject of a city bylaws investigation following concerns it appears to encourage drug use. The complaint regarding the tent structure was received June 4, officials confirmed. But the man behind the tan-coloured lounge - which is adorned on the outside with signs stating 'Best Buds' and 'Open to all 18+' - said that aside from one neighbour, negative reaction to the 'Church of the Holy Smoke' only started Wednesday, as word of its presence started to draw attention. [continues 708 words]
Marijuana stores have been sprouting all over Washington State since retail trade in the drug was legalized in a referendum, but the first one has now opened within walking distance of the B.C. border. Evergreen Cannabis is aimed squarely at the Canadian market and its Blaine storefront at 922 Peace Portal Drive - with a sign that reads "recreational marijuana store" - is within sight of both the Peace Arch and White Rock. "I know I am controversial because I am close to the border," owner Jake Lamont, a Birch Bay resident, told Black Press this week. [continues 440 words]
Mostly Positive Reaction In White Rock, Entrepreneur Says You could say she's following in her father's footsteps. Tara Caine - daughter of Hempyz Gifts & Novelties owner and marijuana proponent Randy Caine - opened her own White Rock storefront in Five Corners Saturday, but instead of a hemp-themed retail store, the 35-year-old is working to provide public consultation and education for those who use medicinal marijuana. "We're strictly advocates for people who want to incorporate (medicinal marijuana) as a part of their health," Caine said last week, of the Releaf Compassion Center. "Once they walk through the doors, that's the first step. Getting to know the information. Then they can choose whether they'll continue on or whether they'll go back and consult with a physician." [continues 468 words]
Editor: It will be interesting to watch how U.S. lawmakers and law enforcement deal in the longer term with the conflict between U.S. law and limited state legislation allowing personal use and commercial outlets. This is especially a matter of concern near border crossings into Canada. We have learned from the president of the Canadian Medical Association that unproven claims of medical value for marijuana are a concern where used as a ploy to justify non-medical use. "Medical marijuana if necessary, but not necessarily medical marijuana" applies perhaps, but care is needed to avoid misleading legalization advocacy. [continues 216 words]
Editor: Re: Medical pot splits doctors, April 29. I applaud Dr. William Cavers for acknowledging the atrocious federal government barriers of access to medical cannabis - which has now been legal in Canada for 14 years - and the harm being caused to patients. Neither doctors or patients have been seriously consulted during the redefinition of this program. This is not a surprise since the federal government is the wrong legislative platform for medical programs. The provincial governments are the right legislative platforms for medical programs, according to our Canada Health Act. [continues 160 words]
Editor: Re: Pot laws need adjusting, April 3 column. Canadian Medical Cannabis Partners are encouraged by columnist Frank Bucholtz's acknowledgment that the right platform for medical-cannabis regulation is the provincial government and that municipalities need to engage the provinces to make this happen. After our five years of forward motion in this direction, it is so disheartening to hear our premier revert to the old rhetoric "federal jurisdiction." If she won't listen to patients, maybe she will listen to the municipalities who are also major stakeholders. [continues 197 words]
Editor: Re: Pot laws need adjusting, April 3 column. Some simple research of Health Canada figures for B.C. compared and aligned against statistics from the BC Coroners Service makes interesting reading and puts the truth out there. We are being systematically misled by journalists and fire chiefs, whom I suspect have either failed to properly research this matter, are failing to do their professional duty or, potentially, have other agendas. The figures reveal that while personal-use production licenses (PUPLs) in B.C. increased sixfold in the five-year period 2007-2011, during that same period the number of fatalities in fires fell by more than 30 per cent. [continues 101 words]
The challenge posed by marijuana grow-ops, legal or illegal, continues to perplex officials at all levels of government. At the same time, the proliferation of grow-ops presents a number of serious public-safety issues. Surrey has been among the leaders in pointing out these serious safety concerns that sprout up when homes are used to grow marijuana. Fire chief Len Garis has been very proactive on this issue, and the city has shot down numerous grow-ops on a fire-safety basis. [continues 544 words]
Injunction Allows Authorized Users To Keep Growing The federal government will appeal a March 21 court injunction that lets authorized patients temporarily keep growing their own medical marijuana past April 1, when the old system was to be outlawed. The move by Health Canada keeps thousands of medical marijuana users off balance as to how long they can continue home growing under personal production licences. They had been under a federal directive to stop growing, destroy any unused pot and confirm in writing by April 30 they had done so or face potential police enforcement. [continues 347 words]
Editor: Re: Council defers medical-marijuana vote, March 4. To clarify my representation to council, I am a spokesperson for the Canadian Medical Cannabis Partners (CMCP), a national patient-driven society. A majority of licensed patients and caregivers are afraid to speak out at council for fear that they may betray them to the police, border guards and fire department, and face shunning, harassment and persecution. While serving on city council in Grand Forks in 2009, I presented a resolution to decentralize the Medical Marijuana Access Regulations (MMAR) to the provinces. It went on to pass in 2010 at the municipal delegates of B.C., and in 2011 FCM Canada endorsed Resolution B146 to "decentralize the MMAR to the provinces." [continues 302 words]
The public will have a say on a recommendation to prohibit medical-marijuana operations in White Rock. The move to ban the grow-ops has been suggested by city staff following legal advice aimed at helping B.C. municipalities prepare for new federal rules around the operations. Council voted unanimously without comment Feb. 4 (with Couns. Louise Hutchinson, Al Campbell and Bill Lawrence absent) to give the amendment first and second reading, and direct staff to schedule a public hearing. A report by the city's acting director of development services notes that an amendment which had been suggested by the former director last month - to create a zone for the operations but not apply the zone to any properties - would be unenforceable. [continues 163 words]
Discussion on prohibition dominated a town-hall meeting last week on legalizing marijuana. About 75 people attended the meeting, sponsored by the federal Liberals, at Sunnyside Hall Thursday evening. Former MLA and solicitor general Kash Heed kicked off the forum speaking on his experience in law enforcement. Referencing Colorado and Washington, both of which are blazing the trail for marijuana legalization in the U.S., Heed noted it is only a matter of time until Canada follows suit. [continues 205 words]
Residents campaigning for a provincial medicinal-marijuana program have hit a couple of roadblocks. Canadian Medical Cannabis Partners has been lobbying the City of White Rock for support of a provincial medicinal-marijuana program, as new federal regulations that will shift the program to a system of regulated commercial growers are set to kick in April 1. However, a recommendation to the city's land-use and planning committee from the acting director of planning proposes an amendment that would prohibit the cultivation, growth, storage and distribution of medical marijuana anywhere in White Rock. [continues 363 words]
Provincial Program Urged, As Federal Plans Upset Medical-Marijuana Advocates David Hutchinson knows well the benefits of medical marijuana; he saw the difference it made to his daughter, Beth, during her struggle with brain cancer. Beth "got great benefits from medical cannabis, and we extended her life," Hutchinson told White Rock council last week. Beth died on Oct. 25 at the age of 20. Less than four years before that, Hutchinson's wife, Kay, succumbed to the same disease. Hutchinson, a South Surrey resident, shared the heart-wrenching details in an appeal for council's support of an effort to convince the B.C. government to strike a task force to "set parameters for a provincial medical-cannabis program." [continues 455 words]
Editor: Re: B.C. marijuana referendum misguided, Oct. 8. There is a big difference between condoning marijuana use and protecting children from drugs. Decriminalization - as proposed by Sensible BC - acknowledges the social reality of marijuana and frees users from criminal records. That's a step in the right direction. What's really needed is a legally regulated market with age controls. Separating the hard and soft drug markets is critical. As long as organized crime controls marijuana distribution, consumers will come into contact with sellers of hard drugs like cocaine, meth and heroin. This "gateway" is a direct result of marijuana prohibition. [continues 75 words]
Editor: Re: B.C. marijuana referendum misguided, Oct. 8. Tom Fletcher's recent column misrepresented the Sensible BC campaign, and could lead to confusion about our efforts for a marijuana referendum. The ultimate aim of Sensible BC is to have B.C.'s marijuana industry regulated in a similar manner to wine. Our proposed legislation, the Sensible Policing Act, is designed to bring us closer to that goal. The Sensible Policing Act has four components, all carefully designed to be within provincial jurisdiction. [continues 227 words]
There is a big difference between condoning marijuana use and protecting children from drugs. Decriminalization - as proposed by Sensible BC - acknowledges the social reality of marijuana and frees users from criminal records. That's a step in the right direction. What's really needed is a legally regulated market with age controls. Separating the hard and soft drug markets is critical. As long as organized crime controls marijuana distribution, consumers will come into contact with sellers of hard drugs like cocaine, meth and heroin. This "gateway" is a direct result of marijuana prohibition. [continues 79 words]
I won't be signing the "Sensible B.C." petition to demand a provincewide referendum on marijuana enforcement. You shouldn't either, and here are a few reasons why. Let me start by saying I've been calling for legalization and regulation of pot for 20 years, to conserve police resources and reduce violent crime. Our war on drugs is a failure even for heroin and cocaine, and marijuana is obviously much easier to produce. But the current effort led by Dana Larsen, B.C.'s clown prince of pot, is not only misguided, it's dangerous. [continues 516 words]
A White Rock mother who has gone public with concerns about a licensed marijuana grow operation next door to her Marine Drive home says she'd like to encourage others to speak out when neighbourhood issues impinge on the quality of their lives. Lisa Van Vliet approached various media last week - including radio and television stations - after being told by police and city authorities that they have no grounds to act against residents who have a licence to grow marijuana for medical purposes. [continues 760 words]
Medical-Pot Advocates Protest Proposed Changes Nearly a dozen medical marijuana advocates took to the streets outside South Surrey-White Rock-Cloverdale MP Russ Hiebert's constituency office Thursday morning. BC Cannabis Partners Campaign members David Hutchinson and Joy Davies were among the participants who braved the rain, bearing signs protesting the federal government's new medicinal pot system, which they said would restrict availability to users and raise prices. Under the new system - which the federal government hopes to fully implement by March 31, 2014 - the government will no longer produce and distribute medicinal marijuana or allow production to take place in homes, "opening up the market to companies which meet strict security requirements," a release states. [continues 315 words]
Editor: Re: A few bad seeds hurt patient, Jan. 8 editorial. I do appreciate the clear-thinking editorial remarks on cannabis. Thanks for the hotlinks on the Black Press web pages to learning and for stimulating the dialogue. Surely we can negotiate a modern model that allows people dignified, safe access at an affordable cost to this medicine in various forms - eaten, drops, vaporized and usually last recourse is inhaling/smoking. People should be able to grow the correct species that works for them, in moderation, and/or have cannabis medicine covered by MSP, just as chemical pharmaceuticals are. [continues 65 words]
Editor: Re: A few bad seeds hurt patient, Jan. 8 editorial. Thank you for presenting a compassionate, factual editorial on the upcoming changes the Harper government is enacting. How refreshing to see this attitude in the media! I am a senior with multiple medical conditions. I have been under a doctor's care and a federally licensed patient for 10 years. Due to cannabis, I have a good quality of life and am no longer taking pharmaceutical prescription drugs. The side effects of the prescription drugs were creating havoc in my life. I spent most of my time walking around like a zombie and either sleeping or watching TV for most of the day. Now, I have energy, a clear head and am involved in my community. Now, I am able to enjoy my family and grandchildren. [continues 230 words]
Editor: The media has reported that a great number of citizens of this province are in favour of legalizing the use of marijuana. I am rather 'sitting on the fence' regarding this matter, because I have little knowledge of the pros and cons on this subject . One thing I can't understand, though. People are constantly being advised to kick the cigarette habit because of the damage to the lungs from smoke. Therefore, why should marijuana be made legal, since it, too, elicits smoking and therefore polluting the air and perhaps even harming others from second-hand smoke? Smoke is smoke, isn't it, no matter what one is smoking? M. Downey, White Rock [end]
Editor: Re: Legalizing pot only a next step, May 29. To suggest legalizing marijuana is the same as legalizing crack, heroin or crystal meth is ridiculous. Perhaps letter-writer Jim Simpson should acquaint himself with some of those who use the aforementioned drugs so that he can recognize the differences in the general behaviour of those under the influence. There have been many studies done on marijuana by academics and the general consensus is that it is not nearly as dangerous or costly to the public as alcohol. [continues 77 words]
Editor: Re: Bigger issues than hemp shop, May 17 letters. The sky is falling, the sky is falling, or something nearly as bad is happening if White Rock allows a hemp shop to open in town. Or so it will, according to letter-writer Brian Marlatt. After all, the proposed proprietor is an accused marijuana trafficker. The key word, Mr. Marlatt, is accused. Big difference between that and being found guilty of. Obviously, he has not done his due diligence in regards to the pros, of which there are many, and the cons, of which there are few, of hemp. [continues 78 words]
Editor: Re: Online question of the week, May 17-23. I am appalled to have read that 57 per cent of your readers are in agreement to legalize marijuana. The drug - and it is a drug - is proven to be mind altering. I can't help but wonder if the majority of people that condone the use are out there driving around and working under the influence. In an age where smoking is being phased out with a list of can't-dos - - which includes your living arrangements - will the same apply to marijuana smokers? [continues 69 words]
A man who has been ordered to stand trial on a charge of trafficking wants to open a hemp-themed shop on White Rock's Marine Drive. But the application for a business licence by Victor "Randy" Caine has received a cool response from city staff. "Staff do not anticipate any budgetary risk management considerations for the city. Approval of the business license, however, could lead to security and safety risks for residents above the proposed business site related to potential for petty crimes and break-ins," Paul Stanton, the city's director of planning and development services, notes in a May 7 staff report. [continues 192 words]
