#CannTrustHoldingsInc; #investigation; #OntarioSecuritiesCommission

​Ottawa, Aug 2 (Canadian-Media): CannTrust Holdings Inc., leading federally licensed provider of medical cannabis, is being investigated by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) after it was found out that the company was growing cannabis without a license, media reports said.

CannTrust Holdings Inc./Facebook

CannTrust,  federally licensed provider of medical cannabis and a recipient of seven Canadian Cannabis Awards in 2018, including the top award as the 'Licensed Producer of the Year'.

OSC spokesperson Kristen Rose said that the investigation is being conducted by the Joint Serious Offences Team, a partnership among the OSC, the RCMP’s Financial Crime Program and the Ontario Provincial Police Anti-Rackets Branch, and added,  “In order to protect the integrity of our investigation, we will not be providing any further details or comment.”

CannTrust is already under investigation by Health Canada for growing cannabis in unlicensed rooms at its Pelham facility between October 2018 and March 2019 and had seized 5,200 kilograms of cannabis in early July.

 (Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
​

#Royal Commission; #Christchurchterrorattack


Wellington, May 11 (Canadian-Media): Following the appointment of the second and final commissioner, New Zealand Commission into the March 15 Christchurch terror attack will begin considering evidence next week, media reports said.

"The government is confident that the Royal Commission now has the right people in place to carry out the important task of fully understanding what happened in the lead up to the March 15 terror attack, what could have been done to stop it and how we can keep New Zealanders safe," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement on Saturday. The commission is scheduled to begin considering evidence from Monday and is due to report in December."This is a critical part of our ongoing response to the attack. The commission's findings will help to ensure such an attack never happens here again," Ardern said. Jacqui Caine, former New Zealand ambassador to Chile and most recently director of special projects in Christchurch, will join the Commission Chair William Young, the statement said.

#YROtoday; #ChiefEricJolliffe; #impairedDriving; #YorkRegionPolice; #investigativeLaw

York Region, Sept 27 (Canadian-Media): Three years have passed since an impaired driving resulted in the death of Neville-Lake children and their grandfather,  media reports said.

According to the investigation of York Regional Police, so far this year, nearly 1,000 incidents of impaired driving had been caused by alcohol or drug and more than 1,200 charges for impaired driving-related offences have been laid.

Despite the loss of so many lives drivers still continue to put innocent people at risk. 

The motorists are reminded by York Regional Police of the dangers of impaired driving and the serious consequences imposed for those found to be drinking or using drugs and driving.

The legal consequences of an impaired driving charge can include roadside vehicle impoundment and automatic driver’s license suspension.

In some cases the courts can  impose impose longer licence suspensions, large fines and in some times, imprisonment.

York Regional Police considers these incidents a life-threatening and thanks members of the community for helping them stop and arrest impaired drivers by calling 9-1-1 through the Safe Roads...Your Call program.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
​

#mentalhealth, #drugabuse, #Canada, #JenniferLavoie, #HamiltonPoliceServices, #Sgt.SteveHolmes, #MobileCrisisRapidResponseTeams, #TerryColeman, #CanadianPoliceAssociation, #TomStamatakis, #investigavieLaw


Ottawa, Apr 5 (Canadian-Media): Of more than 460 people killed in police encounters across Canada since the year 2000, 70 percent were mentally ill or had symptoms of drug abuse, media reports said.

​42 percent of those who died were reportedly mentally distressed, while 45 per ent were under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

According to Jennifer Lavoie, a criminologist at Wilfrid Laurier University, main factors contributing to the rise in police encounters with emotional distressed people are closure of residential care facilities and a lack of resources for the mentally ill.

Use of lethal force in these cases was stigma of mental illness, believed Lavoie.

"I think officers likely have the same kinds of attitudes towards people with mental illness that the public does…people with mental illness tend to be more unpredictable, more dangerous than the general population," Lavoie said.

​​Some Canadian police forces including ​the Hamilton Police Service (HPS) had created in 2013 a special unit to intervene in crisis situations involving mental health 

HamiltonPolice/Facebook

​HPS now operates distinct squads specializing in de-escalation and mental health or substance-abuse-related calls.

Its Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Teams connect mental health professionals and people in distress with medical and community services with the police and added such units should be mandatory for all police forces.

​Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Teams/Facebook

​'There's so many times that these individuals don't need to go to hospital, they don't need to be arrested. They just need somebody to talk to," said Sgt. Steve Holmes, who heads up a special unit of the HPS designed to intervene in crisis situations involving mental health. 

Holmes said many officers in the Hamilton force are specially trained to spot the signs of a mentally ill or distressed person and work to calm them.

With its model becoming successful, HPS have trained neighbouring forces on their methods.
A similar program is also in place in Edmonton.

Retired Moose Jaw Police chief Terry Coleman police need to understand why a person in distress might not respond to their commands, and why an aggressive approach can be disastrous for someone who is mentally ill or impaired.

Tom Stamatakis, president of the Canadian Police Association said governments have failed to put enough mental health resources into the community and added officers are not able to rapidly access person's mental health status or background in a crisis situation.

​​(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)