B.C. premier outlines measures to address safety on transit
With a string of violent assaults on Metro Vancouver transit in the past week, BC United questioned Monday whether the province is acting fast enough to make the system safer.
The NDP government was on the defensive during question period as the newly renamed opposition demanded to know what's being done to improve public safety.
BC United leader Kevin Falcon raised the case of Ethan Bespflug. The 17-year-old was stabbed on board a Surrey bus last week, and later died.
"Ethan's family, like so many others, is calling for change, an increase in security on public transit and in our own communities," Falcon said. "When is this premier and government finally going to take some concrete steps so people can feel safe in their communities again?"
Falcon accused the NDP of underfunding hundreds of policing positions while in power.
Premier David Eby responded with several measures, including some that pre-dated the deadly assault.
"Community safety officers, TransLink is already in the midst of hiring them. They're bringing on 24 community safety officers to increase security on our transit system. The RCMP and transit police are stepping up their presence and patrols on the transit system," Eby explained.
Both he and Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth say they're ready to provide more resources if needed.
Farnworth told reporters the issue of violent crime on transit systems is one provinces across the country are grappling with. He added he spoke with his counterpart, federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, this weekend, to push for an expanded reverse onus when it comes to bail. He says Ottawa has committed to changes during the spring legislative session.
Farnworth explained the provinces are looking "to put as broad a possible definition when it comes to reverse onus so it's not just on firearms, it's on knives, it's on bear spray, it's on other weapons."
Reverse onus means the accused is likely to be detained unless they can prove that shouldn't be the case. It typically applies to the most serious of cases, including murder, attempted murder, and other Criminal Code violations involving firearms.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.