Timmins councillor wants community safety to be council's top priority
Break-ins have become a problem at McDonald's Guardian Pharmacy and Variety Store is located in South Porcupine's downtown area.
People who work there said the business has been broken into seven times over the past four years -- and three of those instances have been in the past two weeks.
“Each instance is being investigated by the Timmins Police Service," said Marc Depatie, communications coordinator for the Timmins Police Service.
“We haven’t fully determined whether or not one person is responsible or if this is a number of persons who’ve decided to target this particular business in South Porcupine.”
To harden the target, the owner is installing bars on the doors and windows.
This situation makes Timmins councillor Steve Black want to do what he can to make Timmins a safer place. He brought up the issue of community safety at a recent council meeting and said he'll be proposing some resolutions.
“I’m working on them. There’s going to be some for enhanced coverage on the policing side. There’s going to be some for the province for changes to the criminal justice side," Black said.
"There’s going to be some asks for additional city support in this area and keeping our downtown areas clean and safe, as well."
In the meantime, he said he wants to hear from more business owners and residents about their experiences with crime. Timmins police officials said they do, as well.
“We strongly urge that any suspicious activity that you notice in your neighborhood or in the business community ... should be reported to police for investigation," said Depatie.
"We are endowed with certain authorities that allow us to interrogate persons and determine the legitimacy why they’re at a given location.”
Black said community safety should be the No. 1 priority for the current council.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING NEWS Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
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.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
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.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'