Criminal defence lawyer says jail is not the solution for repeat offenders, complex care is
Saanich's Shelbourne corridor has seen a spike in crime over the last three months. According to police, it started when the former Mount Tolmie Hospital was taken over by BC Housing.
"We're hearing more about break-ins, we're hearing more about just threats,” said Ryon Bateman, acting president of the Mount Tolmie Community Association.
The Saanich Police Department is pointing to a 39 per cent rise in calls for service to the area.
"What is important to keep in mind is that those are not all criminal calls,” said Const. Markus Anastasiades, spokesperson for Saanich police.
“They are mainly calls to check the welfare of individuals and/or investigate suspicious activities."
Anastasiades says there has been an increase in break-ins in the area, resulting in two arrests.
Back in August, Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps sent a letter to B.C. Attorney General David Eby saying this policy of “catch and release” is not working.
Eby says in many cases jail is not the answer, complex care is the way to go. Offering people housing and mental health care can be more successful.
Criminal lawyer Michael Mulligan agrees.
"We need to deal with those complex issues,” Mulligan says. “They are complex and dealing with them is not easy or it is not inexpensive.”
He says putting someone suffering from addiction issues and mental illness in jail for a few months is only pushing the problem down the road.
"You haven't cured their mental illness, you haven't sorted out their drug addiction,” said Mulligan. “When they get back out, they are still going to be mentally ill and drug addicted."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it’s too late
She was lying in bed on a Thursday morning, thinking about the man she loved, hoping to win his freedom before time ran out.