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I didn’t realize that. Still, is it as high as it was in say 2003, for example? Big cities in general seemed a lot rougher back then with more street prostitutes, biker gangs, etc. I’d be surprised if statistically we’re seeing a reversal of the long term decline or just a blip
Overall crime rate has been going down since the late 90's in Canada. There is an uptick in homicides the past few years, but it is still early to say if this trend will continue or is just a peak before another valley. There have been previous peaks and valleys so crime always going up isn't inevitable.
There have been some notable instances of random attacks of violence on the TTC over the last year. However, not sure if the overall crime rate is up but I don't think so. Toronto's crime rate isn't even in the top 20 in Canada. Its homicide rate isn't in the top 15 either. If I were looking at violent cities in relative terms in Canada - I wouldn't be pointing towards Toronto, i'd be looking at Regina and Winnipeg.
Yeah, I’d never heard of the Winnipeg handshake (stabbing) before last year and then I heard it regularly. Some of it is gangs. Some of it is due to people not in their right mind (drugs, alcohol, or mental illness I assume) who attack random strangers. Some of it is because it has been easier in the last couple of years for those arrested to get out of jail pending trial. I’m tired of hearing of violent crimes being committed by those out on bail.
Yeah, I’d never heard of the Winnipeg handshake (stabbing) before last year and then I heard it regularly. Some of it is gangs. Some of it is due to people not in their right mind (drugs, alcohol, or mental illness I assume) who attack random strangers. Some of it is because it has been easier in the last couple of years for those arrested to get out of jail pending trial. I’m tired of hearing of violent crimes being committed by those out on bail.
It is a delicate balance between respecting the fact that one is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt while also accounting for public safety. I do think however, if one has a violent past it isn't a good idea to let them out until the verdict comes in.
I think there’s also a lot of dogwhistles in the media. Most smaller to mid sized towns and cities in Canada have serious drug problems if I were to guess and with that comes violent behaviour in public and mental illness that drives crime rates up. The truth is though that most of the people in these areas are white or First Nations Canadians who are more familiar to the news reading older generation so it doesn’t feed into the xenophobic narrative that black and South Asian immigrants are driving up crime rates. Hence why people always talk about “how bad things are getting” in places like Brampton or Burnaby but those same people feel safe in cities like Belleville or Kamloops where the crime rates are likely actually higher, not that I’m implying those areas are particularly unsafe either.
I think there’s also a lot of dogwhistles in the media. Most smaller to mid sized towns and cities in Canada have serious drug problems if I were to guess and with that comes violent behaviour in public and mental illness that drives crime rates up. The truth is though that most of the people in these areas are white or First Nations Canadians who are more familiar to the news reading older generation so it doesn’t feed into the xenophobic narrative that black and South Asian immigrants are driving up crime rates. Hence why people always talk about “how bad things are getting” in places like Brampton or Burnaby but those same people feel safe in cities like Belleville or Kamloops where the crime rates are likely actually higher, not that I’m implying those areas are particularly unsafe either.
Good post. It kind of ties into what is being discussed in another thread about how rent is so high in our largest cities. In smaller and mid-sized one's you pointed to with Drug problems - you have more affordable housing but presumably, a lot of these drug addicts live in poverty and lack of employment opportunities are a part in driving that. In the big cities, there are jobs but people can't afford the rents. We need to work on the distribution of employment in the country. Anyway i'm rambling but I really think we need to look at this holistically and not just on municipal levels but Provincially and Federally. Easier said than done, of course but otherwise we aren't going to deal with our problems effectively.
It is a delicate balance between respecting the fact that one is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt while also accounting for public safety. I do think however, if one has a violent past it isn't a good idea to let them out until the verdict comes in.
I think an even more delicate, calculated and influential balance that plays into "catch and release" these days is between keeping the prison population (and especially the related costs) down on the one hand, and maintaining some degree of public safety on the other.
I think an even more delicate, calculated and influential balance that plays into "catch and release" these days is between keeping the prison population (and especially the related costs) down on the one hand, and maintaining some degree of public safety on the other.
Another thing is that the current government is quite preoccupied with the demographics of our prison population, and with correcting the imbalances that it sees there. (Well, that everyone can see.)
Reductions to mandatory sentencing, the loosening up of bail provisions and elimination of "no bail" rules for certain crimes, are also a function of these concerns.
A set of 2021 assault charges against accused serial killer Jeremy Skibicki was stayed in part because the judge found the testimony of his estranged wife unreliable due to her memory issues. The woman's mother said she was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome after the alleged attack, and that had an effect on her memory.
The assault charges against Skibicki stemmed from an incident in which the mother alleges her daughter was chased down an apartment hallway with a knife. It left the woman with injuries from being punched in the head and hit over the head with a cane, according to the mother.
Quote:
The assault charges — assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm — were stayed after a trial in December 2021, just a few months before the first killing Skibicki is now accused of.
I think an even more delicate, calculated and influential balance that plays into "catch and release" these days is between keeping the prison population (and especially the related costs) down on the one hand, and maintaining some degree of public safety on the other.
I'm generally of the opinion that we should be doing more with keeping the prison population down for those who are not violent offenders. The system should be looking more at trying to address the reasons why they committed crimes in the first place and reduce recidivism rates but again, for non violent offenders who have good chance of becoming productive and lawful members of society. Norway for example has a much lower recidivism rate than we do because they actually invest in good programs to rehabilitate the prison population.
Obviously for those who are violent offenders - i mean serious felony type crimes, punishment needs to happen but if they are going to be released into society after serving their time, let's work on getting them as whole as possible instead of treating them worse than animals the entire sentence and then being shocked that they recommit crimes after release.
This is tragic! It looks like there is work to be done in our judicial system when it comes to intimate domestic violence cases. People just look at assault as assault but there are obviously nuances to it that need to be accounted for such as this. Hopefully the system learns from this and changes.
Last edited by fusion2; 02-27-2023 at 05:51 PM..
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