Latest news with #Coquitlam
CTV News
25-05-2025
- CTV News
Second annual jamboree remembers slain RCMP officer in Maple Ridge, B.C.
Family and the forces came together for the second Rick O'Brien Joint Forces Jamboree in Maple Ridge on Saturday. Police officers and local kids took to the hockey field to commemorate RCMP Const. Rick O'Brien Saturday, at an event in Maple Ridge, B.C., that celebrated all the things the late officer loved most. The second annual Rick O'Brien Joint Forces Jamboree kicked off at the Planet Ice and the Albion Fairgrounds at 9:30 a.m. and saw crowds linger long into the afternoon to pay their respects to their lost neighbour and friend. 'Rick was just the most amazing guy,' said Nicole Longacre-O'Brien, who initiated the annual event last year to honour her late husband. 'He was a great officer, and the community lost a really big person that really wanted to make a difference in this world. So this is for him. This is for everybody to know him and for everybody to remember him.' The 51-year-old Maple Ridge RCMP officer was fatally shot Sept. 22, 2023, while executing a search warrant in Coquitlam. Throughout his service he was known for his efforts protecting and supporting the local youth, a service Longacre-O'Brien said she hopes to continue in his name via the jamboree. New events were brought in for the second iteration of the event, including a sporting competition with Special Olympics B.C. and a 'mindful moment' event regarding mental health care. Alongside the annual hockey tournament, which saw 20 teams take part, the event hosted a 'Guns N' Hoses' face-off game between police officers and firefighters, an ice-skating zone, bouncy castles, face painting and food trucks. Creating an event that would break down barriers and foster relationships between law enforcement and youth had always been O'Brien's vision, said Longacre-O'Brien. 'He was definitely one of those officers that loved – and took the time to deal directly with – the kids. He just had something special. He was approachable.' Longacre-O'Brien, describing her late husband as 'really, just a big kid himself,' said the jamboree was in place to remember him while still spreading 'love and positivity.' 'It's all about loving each other, coming together. We see people behind the uniforms, and the kids just get to just be kids,' she said. 'There's no division between anybody. It's just about allowing everybody to be themselves and to enjoy time together and have fun.'
CBC
22-05-2025
- CBC
RCMP leader accused suspended Coquitlam officers of mounting 'campaign of hate'
The head of Coquitlam's RCMP detachment accused three of his officers of waging "a campaign of hate" in an email sent to staff earlier this year after one of the Mounties defended himself at a code of conduct hearing into allegations of homophobia, racism and sexism. In a detachment-wide message sent the morning after Const. Ian Solven appeared to blame the pressures of policing for his derogatory posts to chat groups, Supt. Darren Carr said he wanted to "share his feelings" about proceedings he said he found "extremely difficult to watch." In the email, titled 'MUST READ — CONDUCT HEARING,' Carr wrote that listening to "highly offensive, hurtful and degrading pejoratives used to belittle our colleagues and members of the public" brought on "a broad range of feelings." "But the most salient emotion has been anger, anger borne out of watching sworn members openly engage in racism, homophobia, sexism and misogyny," Carr wrote in the email, which CBC obtained through a federal Access to Information request. "What has been even more infuriating has been watching testimony that has attempted largely to justify their actions," he continued. "I want to be very clear that while we are all capable at times of being insensitive or clumsy, the actions of these members can only be characterized as a campaign of hate, designed to hurt and divide." 'Tasering unarmed Black people' Along with constables Philip Dick and Mersad Mesbah, Solven is facing dismissal for a series of posts to a private chat on the Signal app and messages sent over the RCMP's internal mobile data messaging system. All three have been suspended since June 2021. According to a copy of a search warrant obtained by CBC, the officers are accused of a wide variety of slurs and insults, including bragging about "Tasering unarmed Black people," calling a sexual assault investigation "stupid," and mocking the bodies of female colleagues. The hearing into the allegations broke abruptly after just a few days in early March following news of Carr's email — which Solven's lawyer called "inflammatory" — and the 11th-hour surfacing of a witness expected to contradict the impugned officer's testimony. At the time, Solven's lawyer called the email "highly problematic," accusing RCMP brass of intimidating defence witnesses who work at the Coquitlam detachment and had yet to testify. The email has since become part of the basis for an application to stay the proceedings due to abuse of process stemming from alleged interference in the proceedings. The code of conduct board has yet to rule on the application. While an RCMP spokesperson confirmed Tuesday that the code of conduct hearing is still active, no new dates have been posted, and there is no information about the progress of any proceedings out of public view. A 'crystal clear' followup email The initial email was sent from Carr's account but signed "warmly" from all seven members of the Coquitlam RCMP's senior leadership team. The documents released to the CBC include a followup email sent the following afternoon "to clarify" Carr's original missive. "I want to be crystal clear and leave no doubt that my email was in no way intended to influence or prejudge the outcome of the independent conduct hearing process," Carr wrote in the second email. "The subject members have the right to fully defend themselves, and no one should feel pressured or unduly influenced in any way in deciding whether to testify as a witness in the matter, or in the content of their testimony." According to court documents, the allegations against Solven, Dick and Mesbah came to light after one of their fellow officers complained about what he saw as "atrocious" and "racist and horrible" activity by his colleagues. Investigators reviewed posts to the Signal chat group as well as 600,000 messages posted to the RCMP's internal chat logs — finding evidence of "frequently offensive" usage by the three officers facing termination for "homophobic and racist slurs." "The reviewers had identified a variety of comments that were 'chauvinist in nature, with a strong air of superiority, and include flippant or insulting remarks about clients (including objectifying women), supervisors, colleagues, policy and the RCMP as a whole,'" the search warrant said. 'Not representative of the Coquitlam detachment' During his testimony, Solven became emotional, choking back tears as he described what he claimed were examples of management ignoring the concerns of front-line police officers who then took their frustrations to what they assumed would remain a private chat group. "It was definitely a space where we felt comfortable that we could vent our frustrations about our job and about our co-workers," he said. "In a space that was safe." Solven claimed the posts were taken out of context and "not who I am as a person." He also insisted he apologized to a female officer for joking about her weight — a claim she almost immediately challenged, contacting supervisors in the hours after Solven's testimony, claiming he "outright lied in his evidence," according to a lawyer for the RCMP. Carr's initial email said the proceedings and associated media coverage had "re-triggered" members of the detachment, noting that "being a police officer is a privilege, not a right, and it is vitally important that we maintain the trust of the public whom we serve."
CBC
08-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
B.C. diaspora hopes for peace amid rising India-Pakistan tensions
Social Sharing British Columbians with ties to India and Pakistan are expressing concern after India fired missiles on Pakistani-controlled areas Wednesday, stoking ongoing tensions between the two countries. Pakistan said at least 26 people died in the missile strikes, and both countries said they suffered casualties in ensuing artillery exchanges along the Line of Control — which separates India and Pakistan in the contested Kashmir region. Jatinder Bhan, who emigrated from Kashmir decades ago, says he is trying to understand the violence in the region. "We're hopeful that someday, peace will reign in the area and that we are able to, with the respect, go back and live peacefully with our other members of the community," said the Coquitlam, B.C., resident. WATCH | Pakistan calls India's strikes an 'act of war': Pakistan calls India's strikes an 'act of war,' vows retaliation 15 hours ago Duration 3:31 Similar sentiments were expressed at a Hindu temple in Surrey following the escalation of violence between the two countries. Vinay Sharma, secretary of the Vedic Hindu Cultural Society of B.C., says he is praying for peace. "In Hinduism ... we are taught that the entire world is our family," Sharma said. "So we are worried for each and every person who lives in India or anywhere else. And we do not want any killings, we do not want any war." India-Pakistan tensions have been elevated since an attack on April 22 in Indian-administered Kashmir, where gunmen killed 26 people, most of them Indian Hindu tourists. Indian officials have blamed Pakistan for backing the gunmen — a charge denied by Islamabad — and said the latest missile strikes were a retaliation for the April massacre. The April attack took place in the part of the Kashmir region that is controlled by India but claimed by Pakistan. Kashmir, which is divided between the two countries but claimed in its entirety by each, has been at the centre of tensions for decades, including two wars. Haroon Khan, a director with the Pakistan-Canada Association and the Al Jamia Masjid mosque in Vancouver, says he hopes the international community works toward de-escalating tensions between the two countries. He says members of the local South Asian diaspora are concerned about the conflict, and it's important to remember "that we're all friends and neighbours here." "There is no place for any escalation among our own communities.... Here it's important to keep the peace and also work towards a fair and just peace for all people," Khan said.
National Post
08-05-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Elections Canada blames 'human error' as over 800 special ballots misplaced in B.C. riding office
OTTAWA — Over 800 special ballots cast during the recent federal election were mistakenly kept at the office of a returning officer in B.C., Elections Canada says. Article content Article content The agency says all registered political parties have been informed that 822 special ballots cast by electors in 74 electoral districts across the country were left with the returning officer in the riding of Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam. Article content Article content Elections Canada says the ballots should have been returned to its headquarters by April 28 at 6 p.m. to allow them to be counted. Article content Article content Over 500 of the ballots mistakenly left in Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam were for the electoral district of Port Moody—Coquitlam. Article content Liberal Zoe Royer was elected in Port Moody—Coquitlam with 27,074 votes. Conservative Paul Lambert came in second place with 25,126 votes. Article content The agency says its initial analysis showed that the problem was caused by 'human error' and 'a failure to comply with the written procedures.' Article content Chief Electoral Officer Stephane Perrault has asked for a complete review of the controls in place to ensure that a similar situation does not happen again, Elections Canada says. Article content
CTV News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Over 800 special ballots ‘mistakenly' kept in B.C. riding, Elections Canada says
A person enters a polling station in the Vancouver East riding on federal election day in Vancouver on Monday, April 28, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns OTTAWA — Over 800 special ballots cast during the recent federal election were mistakenly kept at the office of a returning officer in B.C., Elections Canada says. The agency says all registered political parties have been informed that 822 special ballots cast by electors in 74 electoral districts across the country were left with the returning officer in the riding of Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam. Elections Canada says the ballots should have been returned to its headquarters by April 28 at 6 p.m. to allow them to be counted. Over 500 of the ballots mistakenly left in Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam were for the electoral district of Port Moody—Coquitlam. Others were for ridings across the country, including Halifax, Nepean and Vancouver Centre. Elections Canada says an initial analysis shows that the outcomes in those 74 districts were not affected by the mislaid ballots. The agency says its initial analysis showed that the problem was caused by 'human error' and 'a failure to comply with the written procedures.' Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault has asked for a complete review of the controls in place to ensure that a similar situation does not happen again, Elections Canada says. 'My commitment to candidates, political parties and Canadians is that when issues related to the delivery of an election arise, we take all necessary steps to resolve them,' Perrault said in a news release. This report by Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press, was first published May 7, 2025.
