Burnaby to review approach to tent checks after RCMP officer's stabbing death
Burnaby’s mayor said the city will be reviewing the circumstances around Tuesday’s fatal stabbing of an RCMP officer to see if any changes need to be made when it comes to checking on tents.
For frontline staff in some cities, wellness checks in parks have become a regular part of their daily duties, and previous safety concerns have already led to a change in approach in one municipality.
Exactly what led up to the stabbing of Const. Shaelyn Yang at Broadview Park in Burnaby is under investigation. Sgt. Timothy Pierotti with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said she was responding to a call to assist.
"My understanding is that Const. Yang was asked to assist in a notification to him, that he was not permitted to be in the park," Pierotti said. "They weren't there to remove him at the time, they were just there to notify him of that."
Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley described the park employee who was with Yang as "part of a team that goes out and looks at tents in parks...where homeless people are set up in public areas".
"It would be typical that they go together," he said. "Because usually the homeless people are known to our parks people...this RCMP officer was really experienced in this field. So they go together to try and assist the homeless person to find a different accommodation."
Hurley said his understanding is the city’s team had connected with the person in the tent before.
"We’ll be reviewing everything that happened and working with rcmp and our staff to review if changes need to be made," he said. "And they certainly will be."
In the neighbouring city of Vancouver, the approach to wellness checks on tents by park rangers changed just recently, with the park board citing safety as the reason.
Cupe Local 15 president Warren Williams, whose union represents park rangers and other city staff, said rangers are no longer supposed to open up a tent to look inside if there is no response, but can call police for assistance.
"My understanding is that park rangers are doing verbal checks," he said. "If the individuals in the tents are responsive, they ask a series of questions to make sure they’re OK."
A park board review of the safe operating procedure for staff carrying out such checks is ongoing. Williams said he expects what happened in Burnaby could also inform future approaches.
"I'm confident that they will be addressing it and will be looking at what else can be done here," he said. "To not only keep the park rangers and (police officers) safe, but members of the public also."
Hurley added the park employee who was with Yang is receiving help in the wake of Tuesday’s violent and tragic loss.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.
Iran's judiciary confirms rapper Toomaj Salehi death sentence
Iran's judiciary confirmed the death sentence of well-known Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi but added that he is entitled to a sentence reduction, state media reported on Thursday.