Timmins business and property owners learn how to deal with crime
The owner of Dumoulin's outdoor store and gift shop on Riverside Drive in Timmins said she's been scouring the Internet for information.
“This past week, I think I’ve actually spent my full days online trying to help my staff take care of what’s been happening to find tips on how to handle it," said Line Perrier.
"We certainly don’t want to discriminate or humiliate somebody by the way they look or the way they act."
Between thefts, vandalism and injection drug use on the premises, Perrier said the experiences are exhausting and expensive.
But she said she has to do something about it.
Perrier attended a meeting on Monday night, hosted by Downtown Timmins BIA and the Timmins Chamber of Commerce. She said she's been at a loss about what her business has endured and has even given up on calling police, resorting instead to posting videos and images of thefts in progress on the store's social media page.
"We feel like nothing's being done, but really and truly, that's how I was told police officers send out our officers to help certain sectors when calls are being put in," she said.
Dan Ayotte, president of PAIB Insurance, also attended the meeting and said his business has been targeted.
“I understand the fear. Somebody’s been through your things ... They broke your windows; they broke your doors. There is a fear that goes with that and it would be nice for that to stop," Ayotte said.
"How do we stop that? I don’t have that answer … Hopefully once the safe injection site opens we’ll see some benefits. Other communities have opened safe injection sites and have seen huge benefits.”
Ayotte said the meeting was a good opportunity for business and property owners to talk about the situations they've been experiencing and said he's hoping there will be a follow-up meeting soon.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.