Despite a recommendation from city staff and a majority vote by White Rock council to reject a licence for a hemp-themed retail store on the waterfront, the business venture will proceed. Council voted 4-2 this week to refuse an application by Victor 'Randy' Caine for a licence to operate Hempyz Gifts and Novelties at 14967 Marine Dr. However, the city's bylaws state that council can only deny such applications if the vote is unanimous. "Only council has the right to refuse it," Paul Stanton, the city's director of planning and development services, told the politicians after the vote, in response to a question from Coun. Helen Fathers as to its impact. [continues 655 words]
Editor: In all of this dialogue lately by government officials and private citizens regarding legalization of marijuana, I wonder if anyone has any given any thought to the victims who will be hurt if such a change in law ever happens. Does nobody care about the people who make a living from organized crime? How on earth will they survive if their income is taken away? We should all give some consideration to those who would be damaged by the thoughtless act of legalizing this innocuous product. John Wright Surrey [end]
The number of grow-ops in Surrey may be dropping, but the level of drug-related gang violence certainly isn't. Early Tuesday morning, as Vancouver radio stations reported on Mayor Dianne Watts' comments that the number of grow-ops in the city had dropped by 82 per cent, a man was ambushed as he got out of a rental car near 144 Street and 92 Avenue. At least one gunman critically wounded him, and then stole his rental car. [continues 594 words]
In the last month, Surrey has seen eight shootings, four of them fatal. Police say it's been an unfortunate spike in gun violence, but they also note that's how violent crime presents itself - in peaks and valleys. Overall, police and politicians point out, the number of homicides in 2011 was down. There were 12 killings in the city last year and the overall annual average for the past 10 years has been 13. Last week, Mayor Dianne Watts called on the federal government for stiffer sentences for people involved in gun crimes and a better guard against the number of guns flowing across the U.S. border. [continues 838 words]
Editor: Re: Study effects of marijuana, Jan. 10. While I can appreciate Steinberg and Sterle, Jr.'s concerns, it must be remembered that according to DEA Judge Francis L. Young, "Marijuana is the safest therapeutically active substance known to man... safer than many foods we commonly consume." ( Sept. 6, 1988) Moreover, that research into cannabis had been terminated in 2007 in conjunction with the government's anti-drug strategy. This occurred in spite of concerns from within the legalization movement, whose proponents have consistently called for open and unbiased study regarding cannabis. [continues 114 words]
As a former frequent recreational pot consumer, I know of the negative effect cannabis smoking can leave behind in a consumer's body in my case, a few months after I quit cold-turkey. Nonetheless, if/when pot consumption does become legalized and regulated, hopefully it will be as progressive of a social move as its proponents adamantly insist it would. But as with research into the health hazards involved with all legal/regulated mind-altering substances, the same zeal for knowledge must be just as prolifically applied to pot consumption. Frank G. Sterle, Jr., White Rock [end]
Editor: Re: Legalize pot, say officials, Jan, 5. I would support decriminalization and even legalization of pot if three things happened: 1) The short- and long-term effects of smoking pot were fully studied and publicized (memory loss, indolence, cancer, emphysema, impotence, etc.?); 2) Pot were sold only in government liquor stores (along with all tobacco products); and, 3) The police had a quick and reliable method of measuring a pot-smoker's impairment so that dangerous drivers could be immediately removed from the road. Jerry Steinberg, Surrey [end]
Former Vancouver Police officer Peter Hodson has been sentenced to three years in a federal prison for selling marijuana while on duty. The White Rock resident, 33, pleaded guilty to trafficking marijuana and two counts of breach of trust late last year, eight months after he was arrested at VPD's Cambie Street headquarters. Judge Gregory Rideout delivered the sentence - which includes three years of jail time, minus 21 days for time already served - in Vancouver Provincial Court Thursday morning. "Your remarkable fall from grace is a burden you will carry for the rest of your life," Rideout told Hodson, noting the former officer's actions "left many victims," including his family, friends, residents of the Downtown Eastside, Vancouver taxpayers and the VPD. [continues 685 words]
Before he became a police officer walking the beat on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Cst. Steve Addison thought he knew just how tough a place the neighbourhood was. But it wasn't until he actually began working there in 2007 - a year after leaving a successful journalism career with Peace Arch News - that the then-rookie constable with the Vancouver Police Department truly got a sense for the place, fraught as it is with drug addiction, crime and violence. Now, Addison is hoping to bring some of his experiences to the public in the form of a new blog, Eastside Stories, which he started this month on the VPD website. [continues 707 words]
It was a show of criminal weaponry and smuggling ingenuity - and a show of the new technology and increased efficiency with which the Canada Border Services Agency hopes to defeat it. But most of all, federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews' visit to the Pacific Highway Commercial Operations port of entry Friday - as he freely admitted - was a show for the media. Among the things they saw was a display of 81 firearms - many of them sophisticated automatic weapons - seized at the border between January and July, a 40 per cent increase over the same period last year. [continues 627 words]
A White Rock man who pleaded guilty to trafficking marijuana while on duty as a Vancouver police officer apologized this week, as his sentencing hearing concluded in Vancouver Provincial Court. "I would like to offer my sincere apology to my wife and children, who I have let down, and also to my family and friends," Peter Hodson said Tuesday before a courtroom packed with more than 30 supporters. "I offer a sincere and public apology to the VPD, specificially to my partners on the squad. I'm sorry for my actions and take full responsibility for them." [continues 682 words]
Len Garis is no friend of marijuana growers. In fact, Surrey's fire chief has been a big thorn in their sides, with his aggressive initiative to shut down grow-ops through monitoring power usage. Now he's going to get a new tool in his arsenal - smart meters. BC Hydro is bringing in smart meters across the province, which will allow Hydro and homeowners to monitor power usage on a day-to-day basis. Municipalities will also have access to that information, and Garis plans to use it to give the Electrical Fire Safety Institute, a team of firefighters, police officers, inspectors and bylaw officers, even more up-to-date information on where marijuana is being grown in Surrey. [continues 544 words]
A White Rock woman who believes her dog ingested marijuana at a local park last week hopes other pet owners learn from her experience. Deborah Astells said she was walking her nine-month-old cockapoo through Southmere Village Park, 1701 Martin Dr., last Friday (Sept. 10) evening, when she first noticed Poppy acting unusual. "I was going down around the ponds and her leash felt funny to me, so I looked down and her left back leg was folding under her, and then she lost all balance and she lost bladder control." [continues 387 words]
A dog found on a Buena Vista Avenue property where more than 300 marijuana plants were seized by police last month is now awaiting his fate. "The plan is we're trying to find the current owner, but we have a requirement that if the owner doesn't claim it after 10 days, we have to put the dog down," White Rock development services director Paul Stanton said this week. "That's in our bylaw." But at least one White Rock resident is trying to help the dog - as well as a caged rabbit left behind on the property - to find a home. [continues 611 words]
A Vancouver police constable is facing charges this week in connection with "disturbing and disgraceful" activities uncovered over the past two months. "I have something to share with you today that I know you will find as shocking and disturbing as I do," Chief Const. Jim Chu said Wednesday in announcing charges against White Rock resident Peter Hodson. "Just a few hours ago, we arrested one of our own." Hodson, 31, was arrested and charged - and fired - that morning. Describing the alleged offences as those of "a single rogue officer," Chu said investigators "observed behaviour that suggested Hodson was trafficking street-level amounts of marijuana both on- and off-duty." [continues 283 words]
Editor: I am a teacher, and I discuss street drugs with my students, ages 17 to 25. They have made it clear their greatest fear about what is purported to be ecstasy, LSD, marijuana, etc. is that they don't know exactly what is being offered to them. It could be innocuous. It could put them into a wheelchair. It could put them into a coma. It could kill them. Together, we came up with the following: What am I putting into my body? [continues 63 words]
More than 80 per cent of cocaine stopped at Canada's commercial ports is seized at the Pacific Highway crossing, said Canadian Border Services Agency chief Jan Brock Thursday, during a visit from Liberal senator Colin Kenny. "Overall, it's a small dent, but we've had great success since 2004," Brock said. "Our officers are very well trained, and we worked very well with intelligence officers and U.S. border (agents)." Kenny, from Ontario and chair of the Senate Standing committee on National Security, was on the Peninsula as part of a three-day tour of Lower Mainland border crossings and points of entry. The tour also included stops at the Vancouver International Airport and Port Metro Vancouver. [continues 353 words]
Editor: Re: White Rock tries to curb the bong show, July 15. You report: "Under the Community Charter the city is not allowed to ban the sale of such goods outright." Banning them would violate the human and charter rights of federally licensed medical marijuana users who need those devices to deliver their medicine. It is legal to use marijuana for medical purposes in Canada. Therefore, it is legal to use medical-assistive devices for said medication. Therefore, logically, we should be able to legally buy those devices someplace. That said, they should be out of the line of sight of anyone under the age of 18 or 19. No window displays and no cabinet displays, so kids can't even see them - let alone buy them. Banning these devices will simply drive the industry underground, and encourage the use of unsafe things, like smoking through pop cans and tinfoil pipes. Russell Barth, Nepean, Ont. [end]
As comeback stories go, Aaron Sigmund's was a compelling one. Smoking pot by the time he was 16 years old, addicted to heroine by his 19th birthday and homeless and broke by the time he hit 30, the story arc of the South Surrey man's life could very easily have no upswing. He would have been far from the first person to fall into the dark abyss of drug abuse, never to recover, and would've seen his tale end as just another sad statistic, another blip on the radar. A tragic case, sure, but not unusual. [continues 276 words]
White Rock is getting tough on the sale of so-called 'drug paraphernalia' - including bongs and hookahs - within city limits. Under the Community Charter the city is not allowed to ban the sale of such goods outright. But a new amendment to White Rock's business bylaw, given its first three readings at council Monday, will mean display of the items in city stores will soon be as limited as that of tobacco products. The only advertising of such items for sale that will be permitted will be a small sign - black lettering on a white background - listing each item with a price, or price range. The sign cannot include brand names, logos or any other design or symbol. [continues 365 words]
Editor: Re: Lighting up is bad either way, May 20 letters. I strongly agree with letter-writer M. Downey on this issue. I, a former pot-consumer - along with most of my former pot-consumption peers who I've bumped into these last half-dozen years - - can attest to the permanent damage that marijuana can cause to the consumer's body and mind. Scientific proof of such potential damage? For one, there are the startling facts published in The Guardian newspaper in 2002; it was authored by Robin Murray, professor of psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry in London: [continues 204 words]
A recent opinion poll shows Metro Vancouver public is generally supportive of a series of proposed justice reforms to curb gang activity, and that "nearly two-thirds also back the legalization of marijuana" as a means of taking the profit out of the drug trade that fuels much of the recent gangland shootings. While there is a good argument in favour of these measures, it should be noted none is a panacea to the crime wave that's plaguing the region. [continues 594 words]
Editor: On one hand, pot activists are clamouring and protesting to have use of marijuana legalized. On the other hand, a group before the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights requests they address the region's problem with regard to pot-growing operations. Although smoking tobacco is legal, hazards to health were discovered - - lungs and heart to mention a few. There has been a campaign on to point out the ill effects of smoking. Doesn't it follow that smoking, no matter what the substance is, is detrimental to health? [continues 87 words]
One of my favorite names from the past was the strongly opinionated master of talk radio and television, Jack Webster. In the '70s, Webster worked out of 12 Water Street in Gastown, doing a radio show for CJOR. Webster said "crime was long the mainstay of my reporting." Webster knew dozens of junkies, pimps, burglars, small-time hoods and other rounders. "Their picaresque exploits made marvelously entertaining material for television and radio," Webster said. "The stories of their lives provide a clearer picture of what is happening in a city than the boosterish twaddle usually provided by local politicians or the chamber of commerce." [continues 421 words]
Drug paraphernalia will be banned from display or sale in all Surrey stores. Responding from a number of public complaints, Surrey council voted Monday to restrict the sale of all items related to illicit drug use. Some of those would include pipes used for crack cocaine, roach clips for marijuana joints, and even aerosol spray containers with false bottoms to hide drugs. "It's unfortunate that stores that sell candy to young people have openly displayed drug paraphernalia," said Coun. Barinder Rasode. "So we're upping the ante." She describes the proposed legislation as incomplete, but notes the city wanted something on the books right away. Final reading on the law is expected in the coming weeks. [end]
Editor: Re: Online question of the week, March 6-12. Legalize marijuana? No way. The repeal of prohibition in the U.S. did not solve the problem of gangs. Organized crime still exists there - The Godfather and The Sopranos are based on fact. The cause of crime is the love of money. Tobacco use results in cancer, air pollution, careless smoking, fires and death, etc. It is the first step toward alcohol use and abuse, with more evils - domestic violence, brawling, stabbings, false confidence, drunk driving, etc. - as well as a constant, but avoidable, drain on our medical budgets. [continues 188 words]
Editor: I believe legalization of street drugs - such as cocaine, crack, marijuana, heroin, etc. - is not the solution to stopping current gang violence in our community. At some point, the community has to stand together against evil, not surrender to it. How can we protect and teach our children about the wrongness of street drugs, and at the same time sell them at the corner store? This would be hypocrisy. People who lobby for the legalization of street drugs must realize with this type of legislation you are not just legalizing the drugs, you are also legalizing drug dealers. [continues 398 words]
High-profile arrests early last week of a UN gang leader and two associates were billed by police as a major blow to the crime group that would help make the region's streets safer. But instead of quelling the gangland violence, the Monday busts were followed with a flurry of fresh shootings across Metro Vancouver, killing three people and wounding six more within a 48-hour period. Asked whether the arrests have created a leadership vacuum that's destabilized the gang and spurred more violence, RCMP spokesman Cpl. Peter Thiessen said it's difficult to speculate. [continues 671 words]
Editor: Re: Cities form united front on gang crime, Feb. 20. On reading your recent headline, I was struck by a thought. Much ink has been splattered on this subject, and one argument is that marijuana should be legalized in order to deprive the violent gangs of their income. Others say stiffer penalties and increased law enforcement is the answer. Looking through history, there are lessons to support both arguments. Firstly, when prohibition of alcohol was recognized as the main cause of the rise of powerful gangsters like Al Capone, removal of that prohibition did directly result in a substantial reduction in gang income and, subsequently, murderous gunplay in the streets. [continues 189 words]
Substance-use trends among Peninsula youth will be discussed at a parent forum March 11 at Elgin Park Secondary. The 7 p.m. event is being offered by the Surrey school district in partnership with Surrey and White Rock RCMP. Organizers caution that the content is meant for mature audiences. Topics will include: school district initiatives aimed at prevention, intervention and enforcement; the magnitude of the problem on the Peninsula; trends; and, the influence of technology on youth drug use. As well, a young man will share his recent triumph over addiction. The forum is free; registration is not required, however, anyone needing childcare must register with Colleen Correia at 604-599-7461 by March 9. Elgin Park Secondary is located at 13484 24 Ave. [end]
The level of fear about being caught in the crossfire between gang rivals has gone up several notches. This follows Monday's shootings in Surrey - one of which killed a 23-year-old White Rock mother who was driving along 148 Street. Her four-year-old son was in the car with her. Thankfully, he was not injured. A second incident in Whalley saw a man shot while he was in a Range Rover - the same kind of vehicle that 21-year-old Raphael Baldini was sitting in when he was shot and killed in the Guildford Town Centre parking lot on Feb. 3. [continues 494 words]
Editor: Re: Fire Chief Lobbies B.C. Over Grow-Ops, Feb. 6. I share fire Chief Len Garis' concern regarding the dangers of grow-ops. They're a real threat to our safety. I have a possible solution, albeit an unpopular one. Please read the whole letter before jumping to any conclusion. Let's make pot legal. In this way, we eliminate the need for these clandestine operations which pose such a risk to society. Besides, we could all benefit from the increased tax revenues, and, like tobacco and alcohol, it's sale and distribution would be regulated. [continues 240 words]
There are still hundreds of marijuana grow operations in Surrey, despite the fact BC Hydro consumption records indicate there are practically none, according to Surrey fire Chief Len Garis. And many operators have simply located to other parts of the province - - a problem Garis wants to see stopped. He noted growers are becoming more sophisticated, keeping their plantations under the hydro threshold (three times typical household usage), or stealing the power from outside the home. So he's pushing forward on several other fronts. [continues 441 words]
VICTORIA - There's one area of B.C. business investment that's seen a boom in rural areas. Unfortunately, it's organized crime. You may have heard the saga of Likely, a tiny community east of Williams Lake. Last fall, RCMP confirmed results of a two-year investigation that found eight properties with buildings fitted for large-scale marijuana growing. At least one of those has been seized under civil forfeiture legislation, a powerful new tool in targeting proceeds of crime. Nine Lower Mainland residents were charged. [continues 562 words]
It's going to get more expensive for people found with a grow-op, or other electrical hazard in their home. Surrey launched the Electrical Fire Safety Initiative (EFSI) three years ago, a program that shuts down residential marijuana grow operations by tracking their high power consumption records. It has been fully "self-funded" through a $2,100 fee charged to the homeowner after inspection. The initiative is becoming more expensive for the city, so it's passing on the extra costs. [continues 155 words]
She doesn't recall turning 16, or what it felt like to fall in love for the first time. She doesn't remember getting married, or even giving birth to five of her children. Linda Macdonald now sits in her Surrey apartment, next to a picture of the one child who still speaks to her. She pieces together information others have offered about her first life. The life she can't remember. One day, when Linda was four, she waited on the sidewalk for the bus that would take her to preschool. It drove right by. By herself, she chased it down the street until the driver stopped and let her on. [continues 2464 words]
The B.C. Supreme Court got it right. Last week, Justice William Smart ruled that Surrey's grow-op inspection initiative - the Safety Standards Amendment Act - does not violate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and can continue to be used to combat marijuana grow operations in Surrey, and by extension, all B.C. municipalities. The one caveat? The teams, previously made up of city bylaw inspectors, fire department members and RCMP officers, can no longer use police to inspect the premises. [continues 214 words]
A landmark B.C. Supreme Court decision has upheld Surrey's initiative to clamp down on homes suspected of containing marijuana grow operations. However, police are no longer allowed to attend the home inspections. Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis launched the initiative in March 2005 after a successful pilot project in this city. Homeowners with high power consumption are notified they will be subject to an inspection. If the homeowner refuses, or a grow operation is found, the home's electricity is shut off. In May 2007, the inspection team attended the home of South Surrey residents Jason Arkinstall and Jennifer Green, who said city staff could enter, but police could not. The team left without inspection, and shut off power to the home. Arkinstall took the city to court over it, raising questions about the constitutionality of the inspection program. [continues 263 words]
It's time to consider grow-ops and meth labs a public safety issue and get away from relying on a "failed" court system, Surrey fire chief Len Garis told a Langley City forum last week. "B.C. bud is potentially a $12 billion industry. If we take away organized crime's ability to earn money, we win," Garis said Thursday to the more than 100 realtors, politicians, bylaw and police officers who attended the half-day forum put on by the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board at the Cascades Convention Centre. [continues 903 words]
Keep your dogs away from pot. That's the message to all pet owners from an emergency veterinarian. At the Animal Emergency Clinic of the Fraser Valley in Langley, vet Dr. Nadine Koreman said they see clients from Surrey, South Surrey, White Rock, Abbotsford, Maple Ridge, Mission, Coquitlam and sometimes, clients from Washington state, when it comes to owners bringing in dogs affected by marijuana. "Because we are an emergency clinic, we see animals from everywhere," Koreman said last week. "We do see a fair number of cases (of dogs affected by marijuana)... it really varies. Probably on average, we see a couple of cases a week." [continues 290 words]
White Rock council members may need education in the potential uses of drug paraphernalia such as bongs, papers and pipes - if they are to effectively ponder banning sale of the equipment in the city. Council members declared their lack of knowledge in this area Monday night, while endorsing Coun. Catherine Ferguson's motion for a staff report on prohibiting the paraphernalia. The motivation for the report is commendable. This may not have been seen as a high-profile problem to now, yet such paraphernalia continues to find a place on store shelves within the city. [continues 305 words]
White Rock city council is starting its own war on drugs, or at least on bongs, pipes, papers and other related paraphernalia. After a failed attempt two years ago, Coun. Catherine Ferguson emerged victorious from a city council meeting Monday night after her motion asking staff to create a report outlying a plan to prohibit the sale of drug paraphernalia was approved by council. The motion was broken into three parts: the first was the creation of the report; the second requested the finalized plan be included in the RCMP DARE program, a school-based, anti-drug program for children; and the third was to include the report and related actions in the agenda for the upcoming planning session between White Rock and the City of Surrey. [continues 308 words]
A councillor has resurrected a bid to ban the sale of drug paraphernalia in White Rock stores. Catherine Ferguson tried and failed two years ago to introduce a bylaw prohibiting the sale of items such as bong pipes. But Ferguson decided to push once again for a change in the law after seeing drug-related accessories still on sale on Marine Drive. Her campaign is backed by the RCMP, who have been unable to convince two store owners selling the equipment. [continues 367 words]
Spokesmen for the police and provincial government have condemned a court ruling that Surrey RCMP acted unreasonably when they broke down the door to a marijuana grow op and entered with their guns drawn. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Catherine Bruce threw out the results of a March 10, 2004 raid on a house in the 11100 block of 157A Street because she said the officers didn't wait long enough between knocking on the door and using a battering ram to enter the two-storey house. The Mounties knocked on the front door but opted to use their battering ram on a garage door on the side of the house because they believed the front door was barricaded. [continues 342 words]
Editor: Re: Teachers' association organizes outreach event, Oct. 14. It is terrific that the South Asian Teachers' Association (SATA) of Surrey is looking for ways to address "communication barriers" between parents and teachers - most notably language and culture. Hopefully, the information session will also find solutions to South Asian gang violence. Rob Rai pointed out that "108 local South Asian men have been killed by violence and the drug trade since 1991." He gave sound advice for parents to spend more time with their children, and to "keep in touch with what kids are doing." [continues 85 words]
South Asian Parents Urged to Spend More Time With Children At the Grand Taj banquet hall, in front of a rapt South Asian crowd, Karen Sekhon places a lunch box on a table. She pulls out a bong, used for smoking marijuana, and a "third lung" - a pop bottle fixed to a plastic bag, also used for inhaling pot. She also displays cans of shaving cream designed to conceal illegal drugs, and highlighter pens that hide pipes. People are intrigued. "Can I see?" asks one young boy, leaning in with a group of his friends. [continues 552 words]
VICTORIA - The Interior town of Williams Lake has done a good job of highlighting the problem of "prolific offenders" in recent weeks. Instead of playing down its distinction as B.C.'s crime capital as previous honourees Surrey, New Westminster and North Vancouver have done before, Williams Lake Mayor Scott Nelson has used police statistics to tackle the problem head-on. He's put the message out forcefully that the numbers are driven by a handful of hardcore repeat offenders who, especially in a small town, can generate a crime wave all by themselves. [continues 527 words]
Regardless of where you might stand on the marijuana criminalization/legalization issue, Surrey's grow op busting initiative must be seen - from a civic perspective - as a remarkable success. This city - like many others throughout the country - was inundated with illegal grow operations. Despite the ongoing debate about decriminalizing marijuana to reduce its profitability and criminal association, the fact is it's still all just talk. In the meantime, the reality remains for cities, and that includes these facts: Grow ops are notorious for illegal and dangerous electrical connections that result in house fires endangering innocent neighbours. Children are being raised in these homes, in environments that include chemicals, mould, guns, violence, and other unsavory characteristics. Grow operations also are a magnet for criminal activity - as those in the trade muscle each other for territory, and other hoodlums conduct home invasions - often on the wrong and again innocent households. [continues 213 words]
300 Sites Left In City A marijuana grow-op busting program is being hailed as a tremendous success, with a 65 per cent drop in home plantations so far this year. The remainder are expected to be wiped out this fall. Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis received BC Hydro records in January 2007 indicating the location of 1,000 homes with extraordinary power consumption - considered a "signature" for marijuana grow operations. Under the city's Electrical Fire Safety Initiative (EFSI), those homes are inspected, and statistically, 900 will have dangerous electrical connections - most of those due to marijuana grow operations. [continues 379 words]
VICTORIA -- The "honour system" has finally been abandoned on the Greater Vancouver buses. The establishment of "fare paid zones" beyond the driver's seat and at least the theoretical appearance of someone to check tickets is an effort to stem the problem of people refusing to pay and assaulting drivers who remind them the ride isn't quite free. It seems that once a city reaches a certain size, it doesn't have enough honour left for honour systems. Surveys indicated that Ottawa doesn't yet have bus anarchy, but Toronto does. [continues 533 words]
