Timmins Police reveal crime stats for the first four months of 2025
The Timmins Police Service has an online reporting tool that's been running for about a year and a half. Officials said it's helped business owners report crime.
'We're getting more crimes that are being reported to police,' said deputy chief Darren Dinel.
'One of the online crime reporting requirements are lower-end crimes, shoplifting being one of those crimes, so that crime is reported more often on our online portion.'
A total of 193 shoplifting incidents were reported to police from January to April this year, compared to 160 for the same period last year.
Closer look
'So we'll have to look at that in taking a closer look to see exactly what's taking place,' said Dinel.
Calls for service about fraud are also up by 25 per cent for the first four months of the year.
'I can't speak to the exact pieces of the fraud, but again, that's a crime that we're noticing that is being reported more often,' said Dinel.
One category that has seen a drop is violent crime, by about 14 per cent. Dinel attributes that to a higher police presence in the field.
He said officers have new technology in their vehicles that allows them to work remotely, thereby maintaining a presence in the public eye.
In terms of staffing, as of June 9, Dinel said the Timmins Police Service has 89 officers and is working up to a full complement of 96.
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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
‘The city has really picked up its game': Edmonton tackling more problem properties, residents seeing results
An example of a home included in the Mature Area Derelict Residential Tax Subclass, which allows the City of Edmonton to triple property taxes for owners of problem properties. (Photo: The City of Edmonton) The City of Edmonton is planning to tackle problem properties in more neighbourhoods this year. The Problem Property Initiative (PPI) will see teams focusing on seven more communities this year – including five south of the river. The initiative was launched in 2023 after a successful pilot the year before. It aims to address issues associated with abandoned or run-down properties in Edmonton, such as fires, criminal complaints, illegal activity and safety concerns. Edmonton Problem Property Initiative Before and after images of a lot cleaned up by the Problem Properties Team, which addresses conditions at seriously neglected private properties posing a public safety hazard. (Photo: The City of Edmonton) Teams work city-wide but have put an additional focus on eight mature central communities — like Alberta Avenue, McCauley and Queen Alexandra – which the city said have higher concentrations of abandoned or derelict properties. Corine Demas, president of the McCauley Community League, has lived there for four years and knows first-hand the impact one of these homes can have on neighbouring residents. 'We had a shooting and a stabbing that first summer we were here,' she said. 'We are thinking, 'What are we doing here?' And it was all because of a problem property across the alley,' she said. 'That house burned down, and the city came in and demolished it and got rid of it and now we have a nice new infill, and we haven't had a problem in our alley since.' Edmonton Problem Property Initiative An Edmonton home that was redeveloped after being cleaned up by Problem Property Initiative teams. (Photo: The City of Edmonton) Allan Bolstad, civics director for the Alberta Avenue Community League, has also seen his share of problems in his neighbourhood. 'It is discouraging if you live right next door,' Bolstad said. 'It's an eyesore for one thing, and it's a constant concern that somebody is going to be living in it and causing problems … it just brings down the area.' PPI progress The city said situations at problem properties can be complex and generate an 'extraordinary demand' on services. Different teams are made up of police, firefighters, health officials and city staff, with some focused on securing or working to demolish abandoned homes while others ensure lived-in homes are safe for residents. Since the PPI began, the city said teams have inspected 1,900 properties, rehoused 81 people from unlivable homes – including 37 children – and connected hundreds more with other resources and services. They have also cleaned up 1.6 million pounds of trash and hazardous materials, secured 449 vacant structures and helped get 388 demolished (with 227 of those either redeveloped or in the process). Edmonton Problem Property Initiative The inside of a home inspected by the Residential \Inspection Safety Compliance Team. The team is part of the Problem Property Initiative and take a wrap-around approach to address living situations involving vulnerable Edmontonians. (Photo: The City of Edmonton) Starting last year, the city also started tripling the property taxes for problem property owners, something it said motivates action and earns revenue to deal with derelicts. Of the 202 properties to qualify for a tax hike last year, the city said 54 were demolished, eight were remediated and 48 were sold. Those efforts, the city said, resulted in a 31-per-cent decrease in structure fires in vulnerable neighbourhoods in 2023. Edmonton Fire Rescue Services (EFRS) explained that fires are a major concern at vacant properties, putting firefighters and anyone inside at risk during and after a fire. 'Due to the vacant nature of the property, these fires are often unreported by those accessing the building illegally or go unnoticed by neighbours until the fire has grown and becomes a much larger concern,' EFRS added. Between 2022 and 2024, EFRS increased inspections of unsecured vacant properties from 659 to 2,617. It said teams expect to inspect more than 3,000 this year. Should the current downward trend in fires at these properties continue, EFRS said it expects another 31-per-cent decrease in 2025. Edmonton Problem Property Initiative A home in Edmonton that was demolished and redeveloped following Problem Property Initiatives, including inclusion in the Mature Area Derelict Residential Tax Subclass. (Photo: The City of Edmonton) Both Bolstad and Demas said they have noticed the difference. 'The city has really picked up its game in terms of boarding these places up and securing them, making sure that people aren't able to break into them or camp outside in the yards, and so that's helped a lot,' Bolstead said. 'When the city is able to identify a house that is either derelict and people are getting in … or with people causing problems, when the city helps us with that, it does make a big difference to how we feel, as far as feeling safe,' Demas said. Problem properties can be reported confidentially to the city through an online form or by calling 311. The city asks that residents only report properties with 'significant harmful impact' on the surrounding area, such as properties that pose a risk to tenants or have had a recurring history of serious violations or complaints. For more information on the PPI, visit the City of Edmonton website.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Heat-pump scheme banned in Ontario snares Miramichi homeowner
Social Sharing Theresa Marcotte now regrets her decision four years ago to have two heat pumps installed in her Miramichi home. The equipment's not the problem. It's the contract she signed in December 2020. It said for $160 a month, Simply Green Home Services would install two mini-splits and provide ongoing service and maintenance for the next 10 years. "Why would you buy one when you can rent it from them, and they take care of it?" Marcotte said to explain her decision. "That's a good sales pitch, and I fell for it." Marcotte's understanding was that at the end of the 10-year contract, Simply Green would take the heat pumps back. Or if she decided within that time that she no longer wanted to rent them, the company would take them back earlier, and her monthly payments would end. She admits she didn't read the fine print, but said there was also more to the deal that the salesperson didn't explain to her. Loan included 'NOSI' on Marcotte's home Earlier this year, Marcotte applied for a home equity loan to help her daughter with college expenses. "And in the final stages, it came up, these two liens against my house — one for each mini-split — that I didn't know about," she said in an interview after working a full day as a personal support worker. It turns out they weren't exactly liens. According to the land registry office, the encumbrance on Marcotte's property title is a notice of security interest. People call them NOSIs, pronounced no-sees. Two were registered on the title to her home by Crown Crest Capital, part of the Simply Green group of companies. A notice of security interest tells a potential homebuyer that a lender has an interest in a specific fixture on the property — often a piece of equipment such as a heat pump or a furnace. That's different from a lien, which gives the lender a claim against a property and a right to be paid from the proceeds of a sale. Marcotte had never heard of a NOSI and immediately put the home equity loan on pause as she tried to figure out what it was and what it meant for her personal finances. NOSIs now illegal in Ontario NOSIs are allowed in New Brunswick, but they were recently banned in Ontario after a class-action lawsuit was brought against the same company Marcotte rented her heat pumps from. Plaintiffs claimed Simply Green used the same technique with as many as 54,000 households in Ontario. Lawyers for the plaintiffs said it was typical for homeowners to enter into agreements without a clear understanding of their obligations, as required by the Creditor Protection Act. The Simply Green group of companies would then register a NOSI on the homeowner's land title. "The Simply Group then waits until the consumer has to sell or refinance her home," said the factum of the class action plaintiffs. "At that point, often pressed for time with an upcoming closing or refinancing, the consumer has no choice but to pay whatever amount Simply Group demands, sometimes up to ten times the new market value of the equipment in question." Simply Green told Marcotte that to have the NOSIs removed from her property, she would have to pay the company more than $5,600 per heat pump to buy out the contract. She would then own the mini-splits. Combined with the rent she has already paid, the buy out would bring the cost of two mini-splits to more than $19,000, well above the cost of buying them new. To protect consumers from fraud and bad actors, the Ontario government passed legislation last year that made it illegal to register NOSIs on consumer goods and retroactively rendered existing NOSIs expired. NOSIs a 'scourge,' lawyer says Lawyer David Sterns, counsel for the plaintiffs, believes lawmakers in New Brunswick should follow suit and ban NOSIs as well. "One of the best things about the settlement is that the NOSIs will all be removed," he said. "They can all get wiped out. There's a certain amount of administration that's involved in that, but these companies no longer have that leverage over everybody to be able to extract whatever payment amounts they want." Sterns said the real function of NOSIs was debatable but they did have a terrifying effect on a lot of people. " And I hope any legislature, any person in position of power in New Brunswick who's listening to this gets working on writing a bill that gets rid of NOSIs because they are a scourge." 'I feel like I've been scammed' Marcotte said the entire experience has left her feeling duped. The NOSIs remain on her property, and despite the ruling in Ontario, Simply Green won't remove them unless she pays the lump sum of more than $11,000. Her other option is to continue renting the mini-splits for the remainder of her contract and hire her own lawyer to have the NOSIs removed in the meantime. She said coming up with the buyout sum of $11,000 is unmanageable and unreasonable. An HVAC provider CBC News spoke with said two brand new heat pumps for Marcotte's home would cost about $8,000 plus tax. Marcotte said she feels trapped, and it's small consolation that thousands of homeowners in Ontario got taken in by similar schemes. "Based on how the representative explained things — and based on similar ads I'd seen on TV about renting HVAC equipment — I thought this was a standard rental setup with a fixed monthly payment and the ability to discontinue the service when no longer needed." "I feel like I've been scammed," Marcotte said. "You know, like, no one was truthful. They truly convinced me that this was just a rental program." Company response to CBC News The class action against Simply Green Home Services was settled on terms accepted in April by an Ontario court. According to the settlement agreement, the defendants continue to deny all allegations of wrongdoing, fault, liability, or damage of any kind. CBC News asked Simply Green Home Services for an interview, but the company declined because it's currently under creditor protection. The company also declined to comment on Marcotte's account because of privacy legislation. The New Brunswick Financial and Consumer Services Commission advises homeowners to read the fine print in any contract and seek advice or clarification on any parts of a contract they don't understand. "All of your rights as a consumer in regards to that contract are going to be included in the contract," said Marissa Sollows, the commission's director of communications and public affairs. "That's why it's critical to read it." Sollows said the contract should spell out the total amount a consumer will have paid at the end of the loan term, including interest and fees. Mark Marshall, who's been counselling borrowers in the Maritimes for 25 years, said he does see people enter agreements they don't fully understand. "You should always be looking for any kind of trigger words that would say 'security' or 'personal guarantee.' Anything that would kind of make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up a little bit." Marcotte said she wanted to take her story public because homeowners may not know about NOSIs, and they may not know about the class action settlement, which applies to homeowners across Canada who signed equipment leasing contracts with Simply Green between July 17, 2013, and Jan. 15, 2025. The deadline to file a claim is Oct. 3, 2025. Marcotte also complained to the Better Business Bureau, saying she was not satisfied with the options the company has given her. Marcotte wants the NOSIs removed at no cost to her because, she said, what the company did was unethical.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
South end arts and community building should have been saved, groups say
Social Sharing With a large community space in Saint John's south end on its way to becoming 25 apartments, non-profit groups are angry at the loss of a cultural centre in a city with so few. Julie Whitenect, the executive director of ArtsLink NB, said the groups were shocked to learn last October that the old theatre building that housed several community organizations, including hers, was being sold. ArtsLink, a non-profit that promotes arts in the province, with given only 30 days to vacate. Had they known sooner, Whitenect said, community groups and their members would have tried to save it. WATCH | 'We don't have anywhere else children's theatre can be done," says non-profit head: "It is possible that we could have helped, either through a purchase of the space or through financial planning with [the owner] or helping to raise money in the community," Whitenect said. InterAction School for Performing Arts bought the building, at Germain and Queen streets in the Trinity Royal Heritage Conservation Area, in 2013. The former church became a space for several community organizations, including InterAction, Chroma NB, ArtsLink NB, and a studio called Monopolized Records. The school sold the building to B.C. architect Bruce Wilkin last October for $150,000, about a quarter of its assessed value. Earier this month, city councillors approved first and second reading for Wilkin's application to rezone the site to allow residential use. The application needs a third reading before being fully approved. "If you wanted somewhere to host your own workshop, get married there, practise your dance performance — those kinds of spaces for the arts community to connect with each other and the public are very important," Whitenect said. "It's quite unfortunate that we no longer have that." She said the sale of the building takes a multifaceted cultural space away from a city already lacking in an "ecosystem" that supports and cultivates the arts. "We don't have as many large institutions in Saint John, and we don't have large arts educational institutes based here either," Whitenect said. This makes it difficult for the city to compete with Moncton, which has the Aberdeen Cultural Centre, or Fredericton, with the Charlotte Street Art Centre, she said. Both buildings have studios and rental spaces for other non-profits. The Saint John space is currently occupied by Choma NB, a non-profit that provides support and programs for 2SLGBTQ+ residents, and by InterAction., whose programming in a variety of performing arts is aimed at children and youth. Both will be vacating by the end of the month. ArtsLink left after learning of the building's sale and is now on Prince William Street. Space should have been protected, Chroma says Hadeel Ibrahim, Chroma NB's executive director, said the city should have stepped in to save the building's zoning as a "neighbourhood community facility." "We don't have a lot of space that is fully designated by the city and protected as community space … it's a big loss to have that protection possibly removed," she said. At the meeting where council showed support for the new development, Wilkin said his zoning application included "community resources" as an exception to allow Chroma NB and InterAction continued use. But Ibrahim said this would have required her organization to move to another floor, into a space too small for the group's school lunch program for 2SLGBTQ+ youth, which serves about 20 people a day. Being on the third floor, Ibrahim said, would also have made the organization's office inaccessible. Both groups decided to leave. The City of Saint John and Wilkin declined to comment on the application. Ibrahim said she is hoping to fill some of the void left by the loss of the theatre building with Chroma's new space on Carmarthen Street, which will have enough room for programming and for other groups that need event or program space. But the small group can't meet the extensive needs of the community, Ibrahim said, and will be taking on higher rent and liability by opening the space up to other organizations that need it. "For us, it is worth it to take on slightly more risk to have some community space that people can use for programming and services," she said. Chroma's new space will also be in the city's south end, which Ibrahim said is important. The south end is one of Saint John's five "priority neighbourhoods" for its higher rates of poverty than other parts of the city. Only two councillors, Brent Harris ad Gary Sullivan, voted against Wilkin's zoning application, saying the community space was a loss and could have been saved. Coun. Joanna Killen, who favoured the rezoning the property to urban centre residential, praised Wilkin for rehabilitating the building. She said the city has other opportunities on the horizon and referred to the Saint John Theatre Company's courthouse project. InterAction representatives were not available for an interview. Sara Wilson, the president of the school's board, said in a statement that the group will reveal a new location later in June.. "While we say goodbye to our former space, we know that a building doesn't define us," she said in the statement. "Our passion, creativity, and commitment to children's theatre will carry us forward." Wilson said current board members joined in the spring and were not involved in the sale of the building.
