POLICE OR SOLDIERS?

Yesterday's Waterloo Region Record carried this following commentary by Branka Marijan titled "Why are our police becoming like soldiers?". The Toronto Police Service has ordered 51 military style rifles known as C8s. They are manufactured by Colt here in Kitchener, Ontario. The question of course seems to be that our police have never been undergunned with any local badguys so why are they further arming when the public pressure is on them to de-escalate not go the other way. Mr. Marijan warns of creeping militarization ans advises that it is occurring across Canada. This includes armoured vehicles and even in Vancouver a Military Liason Unit which interacts both with the Canadian forces and even the United Styaes National Guard. All of this seems problematic when the public see police issues of lack of communication and inability to deal with paersons in crisis without killing them.

WATERLOO REGIONAL POLICE CONDUCT & LEGAL PROBLEMS NOT AS BAD AS FIRST UNDERSTOOD

I was going to start by saying "My God, here we go again!". However it turns out that this latest problem isn't quite as brand new afterall. Back on Januray 19/16 I had posted here about neverending wrongdoing with our Waterloo Regional Police. Well it turns out last Saturday's Waterloo Region Record article was simply the details of a very sparse Record writeup last January 19. Saturday's story is titled "Waterloo officer facing criminal charges is suing police". It seems that this officer, Constable Jeremy Snyder, was acquitted of a rape charge that had allegedly occurred in August 2012. Then last month Regional Police further charged him with assault, mischief and making threats. Similarily last month Constable Snyder filed a civil suit against the Waterloo Regional Police alleging that their initial investigation into the rape allegations against him, were negligent. What the heck is going on here? I do not know whether the fresh criminal charges or the civil suit was filed first or whether it is relevant. In does sort of seem like both sides are jockeying and trying to get leverage on the other one. Whatever the case may be, someone, somewhere has to be keeping track of the legal trials and tribulations of the Waterloo Regional Police, whether civil or criminal. Why are we having what feels like neverending scandals, charges and aberrant behaviour by Waterloo's finest?

NO LACK OF ARROGANCE & BRASS

Today's Waterloo Region Record advises us that the local Teachers' Union have decided to call for a boycott of the local newspaper. That is an incredibly hostile and bullying manoevre especially when one recognizes the value in local newspapers at a very time for them. On-line news combined with all kinds of personal devices to access it has put hard copy newspapers in a very difficult position financially. The latest newspaper to shut down would be the Guelph Mercuy and let's not forget the Elmira Independent having gone that route last summer. The title of the article in today's Record is "Teachers' union calls for boycott of The Record".

Once again it is the ever aggressive public elementary teachers' union who are behind this action. Seems their controversial job actions last fall caused some public relations headaches and they especially didn't like the coverage by Louisa D'Amato of the Record. They claim that there has been "one sided reporting" by her over the past year. Interesting but I believe that I've been reading her columns for a couple of decades or more and she has long been on the education beat and called a spade a spade. Her reporting has not changed so I have to think that this is simply the teachers' unions bullys thinking that the Record are vulnerable at this time to their pressure. Once more shame on the public elementary teachers' union.

WCB BY ANY OTHER NAME IS JUST AS BAD

Employers love to have it all their way. Workers can't sue them for injuries caused by negligent employers, foremen, supervisers or workplaces that are inherently unsafe. Allegedly the now WSIB (Workplace Safety & Insurance Board) have expedited things and removed the confrontational legal system from the mix. In reality they through the government and industrial lobby groups are constantly reducing premiums via reducing payments both in amount and duration. This can be accomplished through very simple administrative means. Last Saturday's Waterloo Region Record carrys this story titled "Worker benefits clawbacks "devastating"".

One of the more blatant methods used by the WSIB is to disregard the opinion of the doctors treating injured workers. Instead they rely on their own doctors looking at the paperweork submitted. Not even having their own doctors examine the injured workers seems outrageous. The Ontario Federation of Labour believes that for far too long employers have been getting off the hook for injuries sustained at their worksites.

THE STATE CRUSHES INNOCENT CITIZENS' LIVES

Yesterday's Waterloo Region Record carrys this story titled "Hundreds of Ontario adoptions on hold". This is the disgusting and contemptible mess caused by Children's Aid Societies in combination with the Motherisk Drug Laboratory run by the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. While only two to three hundred cases are up for review, in fact thousands of child protection and criminal cases have been affected by the flawed drug testing conducted at Sick Kids Hospital under the Motherisk program. The article actually states that the lab "frequently misinterpreted" the test results.

Good Lord families have been torn apart by CAS using these flawed lab results to incorrectly claim that mothers were using drugs while raising their children. Interestingly the newspaper article headlines and story seem more concerned with the prospective adoptive parents who are currently on hold. What about the parents of the children who were immorally and illegally, seized from them on false grounds? Think about them and what this has done to them as well as to their children. Once again irresponsible state intervention has caused tragedies on an indescribale scale. Heads should roll and accountability must rule. Furthermore while parents and children can never get the precious time back stolen by the state, some form of compensation is required along with written apologies. Seizing children from parents should be a last resort, not something made simple via improper or incompetent lab testing of hair samples.

NEVERENDING ON THE JOB DEATHS IN ONTARIO (CANADA)

Last Saturday's Waterloo Region Record carrys this story titled "Inquest jury offers 17 suggestions following work site fatality". Maybe right there is the whole problem. "suggestions" don't seem to be cutting it here. Waterloo Region alone has had far too many unecessary, premature deaths due to on the job safety shortcuts still being far too prevalent. I personally worked in the construction sector off and on for years and never so much as saw an inspector from the Ministry of labour. Safety culture, at least in non-union companies, I found to be non-existent. If you wanted to keep your job, you kept your mouth shut.

The fatal accident on October 13, 2013 claimed the life of Nick Lalonde, a 23 year old father of a very young child. Apparently there was "...no place for him to fasten a security rope and workers signalling the crane operator were not properly trained.". The Inquest Jury made specific "recommendations", "suggestions" and "encouragement" to the Ministry of Labour, Maison Canada and Central Construction Ltd.. Both comapnies were fined for contraventions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act of Ontario. Small solace that is for Nick Lalonde's family and friends.

G20 CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT

You know it's almost as bad the stickhandling, manipulation and blatant lying that goes on after a public body has abused their trust and authority. In this case it's the Toronto police and their police services board. Today's Waterloo Region Record carrys the following story titled "Proposed G20 class action before court". These class action lawsuits are in regards to the illegal, immoral and undemocratic mass detentions in Toronto in 2010 perpetrated by the Toronto police and either or our provincial and federal governments. Shame on the pack of those filth.

Toronto police arrested more than 1,000 people during the G20 summit in June 2010. It is my understanding that of the 1,000 people detained a grand total of half a dozen may actually have been tried and convicted of offences. That said to date there have been two Toronto police officers charged and convicted of assault plus a superintendant still awaiting his day in court for having given the illegal orders to mass arrest citizens who either had zero involvement with the protest or were peacefully exercising their rights to protest.