We're Not Mexico...

...but does a day go by that we don't read about deadly violence on Toronto streets.

Man killed during nuit blanche


While downtown swelled with Nuit Blanche revellers on Saturday night, a 25-year-old man was shot to death outside Trinity Bellwoods Park while sitting in his car

Resident Cleanup Could Set A New Standard For Clean Streets

Striking Union Gets Angry When Windsor Residents Clean Up The Mess
Photograph by: Dan Janisse, The Windsor Star The powerful public service union, CUPE, has been on strike for seven weeks in the city of Windsor, Ontario, leaving many taxpayers there feeling abandoned by city services. 400 workers who maintain roads, parks, garbage and recycling walked off the job on April 15, followed by 1,400 daycare, social services, bylaw enforcement and clerical workers a
Unambiguously Ambidextrous |

Simple Solution To Productivity Improvements

Unions, and the Toronto civil servant unions are no exception, always end up saying that the signing of the contract will see improvements in productivity and an enhancement in innovation but it never seems to happen so maybe Comrade Miller and his lackey Shirley Hoy might want to read the following.......

Study Finds Working At Work Improves Productivity
November 5, 2007 | Issue 43•45

WASHINGTON, DC—According to a groundbreaking new study by the Department of Labor, working—the physical act of engaging in a productive job-related activity—may greatly increase the amount of work accomplished during the workday, especially when compared with the more common practices of wasting time and not working.

An worker can triple his work output by working.

"Our findings are astounding: By simply sitting down and doing work, employees can dramatically increase their output of goods and services," said Deputy Undersecretary of Labor Charlotte Ponticelli, who authored the report. "In fact, 'working' may revolutionize the way people work."

MORE

Doesn't This Want To Make You Go And Buy Cammos & Face Scarf

DAVID MILLER (RIGHT) IS HOPING THAT HANDSHAKE FROM DALTON MCGUINTY INCLUDES A FEW STUFFED $20 BILLS – LIKE MAYBE 28,750,000 OF THEM

The hand you don't see is reaching into your pocket because these two bozos forget there is only one taxpayer........

I Have Asked The Same Question

So it's been a year...

How much did we (taxpayers) get back?

Commission to go after TTC union for walkout costs
The Toronto Transit Commission will likely pursue damages from the union after a wildcat strike on Monday shut down the system for much of the day, Mayor David Miller said Tuesday.

The walkout by members of Amalgamated Transit Union local 113, ostensibly over the switching of 22 cleaners from day shifts to night shifts, stranded more than 700,000 transit riders with no warning. Two cease-and-desist orders from the Ontario Labour Board eventually sent the union members back to work by mid-afternoon.

After listening to Kim Jong Miller bleating about how little money we have, why not recoup some of the money that's owed to us? Or would that further alienate his union buddies?. Maybe the city was paid back by the union already, and it was all just kept quiet.. but I'll bet $20 it hasn't happend.

[ #319, posted: 1 days ago by Ig ]

Panhandler Spokesperson Speaks Out

And seems to be trying to paint a Carradine/Guthrie picture of panhandling but the bottom line is someone was murdered and that wouldn't have happened if these four "hoboes" had not approached Hammond........

Charged panhandlers not usually aggressive: Friend TheStar.com - GTA - Charged panhandlers not usually aggressive: Friend

Police say four arrested in stabbing were abusive, but pal says `travelling kids' were set to move on

August 13, 2007

Iain Marlow
Staff Reporter

Four panhandlers arrested early Thursday morning and charged in connection with a stabbing on Queen St. W. were just passing through Toronto and not aggressive by nature, said a man identifying himself as a friend.

Scott MacPhee, 29, said his friends were on their way to Trinity-Bellwoods Park to sleep when the confrontation occurred.

Ross Hammond, 32, of St. Catharines, died of his injuries Saturday morning after staying nearly 48 hours in hospital and having several operations.

"We had all eaten really well that night ... we all had money, so it wasn't like we were desperate," MacPhee said, as he sat under an awning at the corner of Queen St. W. and Bathurst St., sheltering from the rain yesterday afternoon.

"There was nothing crazy going on. I don't really see how s--- turned so sour."

According to police, the panhandlers – Douglas Fresh, 22, Nicole Kish, 21, Sarah McDermit, 22, and Jeremy Woolley, 21, all of no fixed address – asked for change and grew angry when Hammond refused.

An argument escalated into a fight and three people ended up in hospital.

"They were abusive, they were aggressive," Det. Sgt. Gary Giroux said of the panhandlers. "It was a heated exchange and it certainly escalated very quickly."

Hammond is Toronto's 51st homicide victim of 2007.

MacPhee said he and his friends had been drinking that night.

During the confrontation, he added, his friends were injured.

"The people who got stabbed were three of my very good friends," he said. The original police call said two of those arrested had been cut – one on the left arm and the other on the left eyebrow and the back of the head.

MacPhee said that on Saturday police had confiscated his knife – which he said was a common possession among panhandlers who travel in the north or ride the trains – and his "hobo tool," which is a device that flicks into a fork, a spoon, or a can opener.

"They're just travelling kids in town to make money and move on," said a woman sitting next to MacPhee who declined to give her name.

As they sat out of the rain, MacPhee and his friends took turns petting a small, 2-month-old puppy called Huck Finn.

The four panhandlers have been charged with assault.

As of last night, police had not yet upgraded the charges.

Two Faces Of Mankind

One is the face of a Hero whose basic instinct is to protect his child at any cost and the other is the face of a piece of cowardly garbage who has no respect for human life but will in the long run be given more protection than our hero.......the tradegy is that in today's society politicians and social in-activists want to recycle garbage instead of burning it.

Bullets Narrowly Miss Child In Back Of Car

Tuesday August 7, 2007

CityNews.ca Staff

It may be another case where the Summer of the Gun shows just what both police and the public are up against. And now authorities are in hot pursuit of an armed attacker, a man is lucky to be alive and a family is sighing in relief after an incident in the Lawrence and Allen area Tuesday afternoon.

Investigators say it all started when a man drove up to his home at 37 Flemington Road around 1pm. He was still in the car and was stunned by what he saw - a man armed with a gun approaching one of his neighbours. As he stared in disbelief, the gunman opened fire, squeezing off at least three shots. One went through his driver's side window.

Without hesitating, the father jumped on his two year-old son, who was in the back seat, and covered him as shards of glass flew into the vehicle. Mike, the grandfather of the baby boy, had just gotten home when his wife called out to him about some trouble outside. That's when he saw his son-in-law move like lightning at the sound of the gunfire to protect the toddler. "He put him on the floor ... when the guys started to shoot," he recalls. "One bullet came in the window."

Miraculously, no one was hit and there were no serious injuries - except to any lingering feelings of safety for those who live there. "I'm shaken," Mike admits. "What's going on? I've been here for 30 years, all the neighbours are friends with us."

The area has seen its share of trouble before. On July 13th, cops were called to a complex just one street over on Edengath Court, where a man was shot dead in front of many witnesses out enjoying a warm Friday night. Ricardo Francis was just 23 and the father of two.

There's no word on a suspect or what may have sparked this latest shooting.

A Day In The Life Of Toronto

Violent Weekend Capped By Overnight Shooting In The East End

Second Alleged Gunman Arrested After Daylight Gunfight

StreetBeat - July 29 - Stabbing At Fast Food Outlet In East End

Man Fights For Life After Shooting

Lies, Damn Lies & Statistics

Do we really need a tax funded agency tell us about crime? It seems a little ludicrous when you consider the number of outlets we have available to us.......

Gotta love those statisticsInterpretation of numbers helps frame the political debate about crime and punishment

A Victim Speaks Out

Victim's father: Justice failed us

Wants more curbs on handguns
On the eve of his murdered 11-year-old son's burial, Gerald Brown's voice didn't waver yesterday when he said judges and the federal government bear responsibility in Ephraim's death.

Thoughts On Gun Crime In Toronto

Thoughts not solutions........

Lemon: Miller, Toronto and Gun Crime

BATB: 'Natch - Blatch Got the Goods

In her column today in the Globe and Mail, "Don't Get Deafened by the Noise: Do Something" Christie Blatchford talks sense about what’s to be done concerning all of the fatal shootings in “the projects” and in drive-by shootings in drug-deals-gone-bad.

She doesn’t target activists’ usual solutions such as gun control, more community policing, or tougher sentences but, rather, brings the tragedies down to a more manageable level, that of the personal lives of the offenders and the young victims--and the adults in their lives.

She points out what Toronto Police Detective Peter Duncan, 31st Division Street Crime Unit, says are the patterns in the lives of high-risk children: “parents who lack basic skills, chief among them, how to parent.” In lectures and in a book he’s writing, Det. Duncan contends that big disasters can be broken down into “multiple small failures,” and that it’s these small failures that need to be taken account of and ‘fixed’ before the deluge. He says “No one can fix everything,” but is convinced that everyone can fix something.
There are responsible adults around, community leaders, “who try to fill the gap left by missing fathers or busy or irresponsible mothers.” And that’s what we need to concentrate on so that we don’t become completely overwhelmed by, as the Blatch puts it, “the sheer size of the mess we collectively have made of things.”

Is there anyone in the media, anywhere, with as much common sense as Blatch? Not... Natch.

Are These Six Individuals Living In Your Neighborhood

If so the police/crime stoppers would appreciate any information you can supply.

Rodrick Brown, 28, of Toronto, is wanted for Marijuana and cocaine trafficking
Also wanted, Andrew Kenroy Joseph, 22, of Toronto, for Trafficking Firearms
Darnell Hugh Grant, 30, of Toronto, is wanted for trafficking Marijuana and cocaine as well as break and entering.
Emmanuel Kwaku Boakye, 19, is wanted for firearms trafficking
Kirk Stanley Tyndale, 33, is wanted for marijuana traffickingMatthew Ramsay Joseph, 22, is wanted for Marijuana and Firearm Trafficking

Ephriam Brown Might Be Alive Today

If the opposition parties and the liberal senate had passed Harper's law and order legislation especially that part that put the onus on the accussed to prove he deserves bail. Mandatory sentencing and no bail for gun crimes/possession of a restricted weapon..

Third man charged in shooting death of T.O. boy

toronto.ctv.ca

The Gun and Gang Task Force has arrested a third suspect in the shooting death of 11-year-old Ephraim Brown.

Toronto police have confirmed Sheldon Gladstone Evans, 22, was arrested Wednesday and charged with failure to comply with recognizance.

Police allege Evans was:

• present during the shooting
• fled the area after the shooting
• is a member of the Five Point Generals gang
• on two separate bail orders at the time, both with conditions of house arrest

He is scheduled to appear in a Finch Avenue court on Thursday morning.

Some Facts On Handguns

July 25, 2007 Missing the target on gun crime By Lorrie Goldstein Last week, Statistics Canada reported the national crime rate last year dipped to its lowest level in more than a quarter century. Apparently, no one told the gun-toting thugs who murdered an 11-year-old boy in Toronto last weekend along with three other people, fatally shot a 37-year-old man in broad daylight on a Halifax residential street and wounded four others inside a Winnipeg nightclub. By the way, that drop in the crime rate? Actually, as StatsCan noted, that was "driven by a decline in non-violent crime." Meanwhile, violent crime, remained "virtually unchanged" from 2005. While the murder rate dipped 10% after two years of increases, "increases were reported in many serious violent crimes such as attempted murder, aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, robbery and kidnapping/forcible confinement." In Toronto, in addition to four people shot to death over 24 hours last weekend, seven more were wounded (five shot, two stabbed), provoking cries from the city's left-wing mayor and the province's Liberal attorney-general for a federal handgun ban. A-G Michael Bryant accused the federal Conservatives of being in the "holster" of the gun lobby. Right. For those who think "banning" handguns -- which are already banned except for target shooters and collectors -- will stop gun crime, some observations from Conservative MP Garry Breitkreuz, perhaps Canada's most informed critic on these issues. As he noted in a recent parliamentary debate, of the 5,194 homicides in Canada between 1997 and 2005, 118, or 2.27% were committed with a registered gun, 63, or 1.21%, were committed with a gun registered to the accused murderer and 111, or 2.14%, were committed by a person who held a valid firearms licence. Of Canada's two million licensed gun owners, 111, or 0.00555%, used their firearm to murder someone. Since most criminals don't register their guns, why would they obey a "ban?" On the other hand, in 2005, 64% of accused murderers had a prior criminal record, including 6% for homicide. Gee, do you think the real problem here might be the criminals and an absurdly lax justice system? Just a thought.

At Least Innocents Won't Get Caught In Crossfire

Oops! Forgot this could be construed by the left wing bleeding hearts as racial profiling............

Men charged in shooting have criminal past

Two accused of first-degree murder after weekend gunfight; mayor renews call for total handgun ban 12:41 AM

• Related: Condemnations, but no consensus on handgun ban
• Video: Sisters plead for violence to end
• Blog: Inconvenient truths

Kids Are Not Being Murdered In Stephen Harper's Neighborhood

They are being murdered in David Miller's and Dalton McGinty's neighborhood and no matter how they look for scapegoats the blood is on their hands.......both of you control the two major components of the problem; the police and the courts.

Blowing smoke on gun crime In calling for a handgun ban, again, David Miller and Michael Bryant aren't doing their jobs

By LORRIE GOLDSTEIN

Memo to Mayor David Miller and Attorney-General Michael Bryant.

If the best you can do in the wake of another fatal shooting of an innocent child -- part of a weekend of deadly gun violence in Toronto -- is to call for a federal handgun ban, again, do us all a favour.

Save your breath and our time, because we've heard it all before.

Do you think people don't know what a predictable attempt at misdirection this is?

Do you think they don't realize that the first thing politicians do when faced with a crisis is to blame another level of government -- in this case, Ottawa?

The feds -- both previous Liberal and Conservative governments -- have plenty to answer for when it comes to our lax criminal justice system.

But if you're going to contribute meaningfully to fighting gang and gun violence in Toronto, we don't need to hear, again, what you two think the feds should do.

We heard it from you during the 2006 federal election when another child, Jane Creba, 15, was gunned down while shopping with her family on Boxing Day on Yonge St. We don't need to hear it again now that Ephraim Brown, 11, has been murdered because he, too, was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

We get it. Unlike federal Conservative politicians, Bryant, a provincial Liberal, and Miller, a municipal mayor who used to be an NDPer, think a handgun ban will reduce gun crime.

Fine. Point made. Move on. Stop telling us what the feds should do. Tell us what you're doing.

For Miller, this means ending the fear-mongering "apres moi, le deluge" rhetoric he's been indulging in ever since he couldn't get his two pet tax hikes approved by city council.

Stop your temper tantrum, mayor. Start explaining how you will lead us against this scourge, which has left three more people dead from gunfire compared to this time in 2005, the year of Toronto's infamous "summer of the gun."

HYSTERICAL RANTING

Calling for a handgun ban isn't going to make people forget that last week you were talking about cutting the police budget as part of your hysterical ranting about all the terrible things that will happen if we don't do things your way when it comes to raising taxes.

C'mon. Calm down. Focus. The last time we were faced with gang and gun mayhem you and council -- even if you had to be dragged into it -- did the right thing by hiring 250 more cops and redeploying 200 more officers onto our streets.

That added manpower -- and subsequent gang busts -- worked in reducing gun violence. You need to sit down with Police Chief Bill Blair and discuss whether the police have adequate resources to do the job now.

Was last weekend's mayhem a tragic but random blip from the trend showing gun violence has been dropping since 2005, or is this the start of a renewed escalation of gang warfare?

That's what you have to decide. That's what we pay you for. We don't pay you to run around like Chicken Little when you don't get your way.

You control the police budget and the political support the police receive in doing their job. That's your job. Do it. If you need more of our hard-earned tax money for the police budget (or any budget) make your case to us -- rationally.

As for Bryant, stop your pointless calls, in the middle of a provincial election campaign, for a handgun ban. Start dealing with the issues you control, such as providing municipalities with adequate policing.

CABINET PRESSURE?

To your credit, in part, the province did free up some money for this following the summer of the gun.

But how hard have you been fighting since then at the cabinet table to ensure that Toronto and other cities have enough resources to fight this scourge? Have you made it clear to Crowns that plea bargains and easy bail are unacceptable for these crimes? Have you provided them with the resources to be able to make a convincing argument for this before judges?

Finally, if the be-all and end-all for Bryant and Miller on gun crime really is a federal ban on handguns, let them run for a seat in the House of Commons -- not Queen's Park and City Hall.

In other words, put up or shut up.

Contrary To The Mayor's Hype There Are More Than Six Neighborhoods

Where there are "at risk" kids and crime problems but it seems like all the resources and $$$$ are being pumped into six neighborhoods........

Residents demand politicians put end to crime

By SHARON LEM, SUN MEDIA

Sam Galati wants his son and other neighbourhood children to be able to walk the streets of his Lansdowne and Bloor neighbourhood without being exposed to crack, crime and prostitution.

"From Lansdowne to Dufferin along Bloor St. it's been crime-ridden for many years, with a lot of drug-dealing, prostitution, crack addicts, and we're sick and tired of it," said Galati, who is with the Toronto Lansdowne Area Residents' Association, which is urging politicians to clean up the area.

"The different levels of government need to get their act together and start figuring out what needs to be done to turn this situation around."

Galati said heightened police presence and strong support services for drug addicts would help. "School is starting in another month and there are five schools in the area and it's not right that residents are exposed to it and students have to walk through it to get to class," he said.

'MUCH MORE VISIBLE'

"As residents, we're saying that we are no longer willing to accept excuses for government inaction. We are planning to be much more visible in our protest until we see real steps being taken towards a solution."

The association held a march last week and said they were told local Councillor Adam Giambrone would call a meeting to address their issues. But nothing has happened, Jack Fava said.

"Giambrone put it down in his BlackBerry and promised me an emergency meeting in front of everyone and he's not responded to my phone calls and he has not followed through to his word, and we'll remember this the next time he's looking for re-election," Fava said.

Sun Media could not reach Giambrone for comment yesterday.

The association will hold a march on Sunday, beginning at the BMO branch at Bloor and Lansdowne at 4 p.m.

Going Hand In Hand

Everytime the following is published......

Toronto boy's gun slaying sparks outrage, appeals
Police in Toronto say they are baffled by a lack of witnesses coming forward after an 11-year-old boy was killed in the crossfire when gunfire broke out at a crowded party.


You can expect it to followed by the following.....

Ontario to push Ottawa for ban on handguns
The killing of an 11-year-old boy caught in the crossfire of a gang war has sparked outrage among many levels of government and prompted Ontario's attorney general to lobby Ottawa for tougher gun measures.

.....but we hear little from Bryant telling judges to get tough on those arrested in gang sweeps. Allowing perps out on bail and giving them $$$$ for their inconvenience doesn't send out the message that politicians are hard on crime.

When Will Mayor Miller Get Some Balls

And put the blame for gun violence on the people using the guns and the majority of the people refusing to come forward and identify and testify against the shooters.

11-year-old killed in crossfire of gang shooting

Updated Sun. Jul. 22 2007 9:16 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

A man was gunned down in broad daylight in Halifax, there was a nightclub shooting in Winnipeg, and in Toronto four people died in gun violence over the weekend -- most tragically, an 11-year-old boy was caught in the crossfire of a gang shootout.

Other incidents in Toronto over the weekend included an execution-type slaying of a man who was shot four times in the head, and a man was killed and another injured in a nightclub incident in the entertainment district.

The people speak out.........

nolan moore wrote on July 22, 2007 at 9:03:08 PM
Mayor Miller's anti-American stance is getting old. More gun laws will not prevent idiots from getting guns. Tighter borders will help, emphasis on a different attitude and society is another, as well as stiff penalties for those. Hand guns are already outlawed.

---

Mark Goddard wrote on July 22, 2007 at 9:25:57 PM
Banning handguns is not the answer despite what Mayor David Miller believes. Banning illegal drugs has not stopped their use and has created a lucrative underground black market in illegal drugs. Banning handguns would only hurt good law-abiding people who enjoy using handguns for sport and training. It would also create a similar illegal and lucrative underground black market in handguns and then we would have no control at all over them....

---

Michael wrote on July 22, 2007 at 9:27:55 PM
Welcome to the 53rd US state: Ontario.

---

Jeb Mocher wrote on July 22, 2007 at 9:28:52 PM
Sad, just sad.
But, banning guns will not help the situation. Simply put, if they are willing to kill someone, they obviously don't care about the fact that they broke a gun law.
Tighter border controls to prevent / cut down on smuggling (most of the guns use used in these crimes originate as "black market" from the US.
In addition to much stiffer penalties for violent crimes, there should be mandated minimum sentences, no plea bargains and get rid of the young offenders act for violent crimes.
Also develop social programs to get the affected citizens out the poverty and other social issues that they are stuck in. Only by doing that will you decrease young people turning to gangs.

---

Joe White wrote on July 22, 2007 at 9:30:33 PM
This article noted that one of the victims involved in the Birthday Party shooting has refused to coperate with the police. Perhaps the "so called victim" should be charged with obstruction of justice. In fact any people at that party who are found to be hiding information from the police should be charged as "accessories after the fact...

---

M. Cameron wrote on July 22, 2007 at 9:31:45 PM
There is no reason to bring up the topic of anti-Americanism here. Focus on the problem and find a solution. There problem does begin at the Canada-US border.

---

Vanessa C wrote on July 22, 2007 at 9:33:41 PM
Making handguns illegal will solve squat. What they need to do instead of wasting money on more inept gun laws is to invest more in policing. Increase the number investigating ILLEGAL firearms. You could ban any and all guns in Canada, it will NOT solve the problem. Guns will be available. It's been proven how much how often so far? It is not the laws - it is the guns OUTSIDE the law.

---

David C. Fitz-Gibbon wrote on July 22, 2007 at 9:38:55 PM
The tragic death of a child in this fashion is not acceptable in Canadian society.

The Toronto mayor's comment is misguided and unconstructive. We have all the law we need to cover the situation. What is required now is some rigid enforcement of the EXISTING LEGISLATION.

---

Ed B wrote on July 22, 2007 at 9:39:17 PM
Cultures which look-up to thugs and gangs as being "cool" is the major problem. Don't argue poverty either...
All my sympathies and prayers for the victims families.

---

Raymond M wrote on July 23, 2007 at 10:42:38 PM
I would like to send my condolences to the family that lost their child. But, this problem will never get solved until the Government of Ontario stops playing games with the public, at the expense of our vote. I believe that that the heart of this issues lays, with what vision we as a people plan to set for our youths. I know that no youths were invovled. But, at the core of this violence is winning the hearts and minds of youth. Privatazation of jails and youth jails like the one in Ottawa are not the answer. How could we as a people allow this to happen. Have we gotten so muddled with our own lives that we have no thought for our future and our kids?