Latest news with #TinaMcFarlane
Global News
28-05-2025
- Global News
Neighbours near Maple Ridge assault link outreach facility to growing safety concerns
In the wake of a brutal assault in downtown Maple Ridge, B.C., some residents say the presence of a homeless outreach facility is making them feel unsafe in the area. The HUB, located on Seklirk Avenue near 222 Street, has been in operation since September 2021, and some neighbours say the area has seen a visible increase in street disorder, drug use, and violence since. Those concerns came to a head this weekend, after a man was allegedly beaten with baseball bats by several attackers while he was walking his dog. 'They provide service to the homeless, which is good and all that, but they hang out here, they sleep here, they are doing their drugs out in the open, they just don't care about anybody else,' said Ron Parker, who lives across the street from the HUB. Story continues below advertisement 'It's not surprising to hear that somebody was assaulted many times in the back alley here. We've asked them to leave, they swear at us, they threaten to burn our house down. We don't know what else to do.' 1:48 Maple Ridge baseball bat attack Tina McFarlane, who lives in the same building as the assault victim, said she's felt increasingly unsafe in the area since the HUB moved in. 'They've stabbed people, they've robbed people, they've mugged people out back,' she said. 'There needs to be a facility. Something safer. Open Riverview again. Just make it safer … Somebody is going to get even more hurt, and we don't feel listened to.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The HUB is operated by Coast Mental Health, which says it sees between 40 and 155 people visit the facility daily for services including hot meals, showers, bathrooms, and for referral to other services, including health care, detox and recovery programs and income assistance. Story continues below advertisement Coast Mental Health chief operating officer Sara Goldvine said the facility is staffed 24/7 for security, and that she hasn't seen evidence that people using the HUB's services have been linked to violence in the area. She said the facility provides a critical service by giving people a safe place to go during the day, but added that operators want everyone in the community to feel safe, and that they encourage neighbours to reach out to them with their concerns. 4:41 2025 homeless count set to begin in Metro Vancouver 'We know that nobody wants to see their community members and their neighbours having to sleep outdoors, we know that nobody wants to see people in our communities having to spend their days in parking lots because they have nowhere to go,' she said. 'The city of Maple Ridge has been doing a lot to really step up and do what they can as a municipality to support people and really our focus over the longer term is creating those permanent housing solutions for people with the right supports where they can thrive, and creating places, safe places indoors, where people can come during the day, be connected to health care, be connected to social service agencies and get food so that they can live healthy lives.' Story continues below advertisement Maple Ridge Mayor Dan Ruimy said his municipality is doing everything it can to tackle the homeless issue, but that the community is growing at about twice the national average and its resources are strained. He said Maple Ridge is home to an estimated 134 unhoused people. Last year, the city hired 12 more RCMP officers and 16 more firefighters, boosted its bylaw office and has hired private security to patrol the downtown core, he said. 1:59 Chilliwack mayor defends challenges to provide extreme weather shelters Ruimy said the city is ready to reassess how those resources are deployed in response to specific concerns, but that solving the homeless problem is out of the scope of a municipality of 100,000 people. However, he said services like the HUB remain an important tool to address the challenge of homelessness. Story continues below advertisement He argued that the HUB, and other municipal initiatives like boosting RCMP foot patrols, have actually slightly improved conditions. 'The reality is, if you didn't have the HUB, they'd still be on the street. We are trying to manage with what resources the city has,' he said. 'Where is that money going to come from? That's our challenge … it has to start with the province and the federal government. They have to start to commit more money to mental health, to treatment, to recovery, to facilities to put people in. All we are doing is moving people from place to place to place.' B.C. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said the province is willing to work with Maple Ridge. 'If the community has a location where they can have more shelter or more supportive housing to get vulnerable people indoors, we're certainly open to that conversation,' he said. Ridge Meadows RCMP said it has made efforts to visibly boost its presence in downtown Maple Ridge, logging 'hundreds of hours' on bike and on foot, and that it has a dedicated mental health unit to assist with crisis calls. It said it is continuing to investigate the alleged baseball bat assault, which it said 'appears to be an isolated incident.'
Global News
27-05-2025
- Global News
Neighbours on edge after Maple Ridge man allegedly beaten with baseball bats
Residents of a Maple Ridge, B.C., neighbourhood have been left rattled after one of their neighbours was brutally assaulted while walking his dog on Saturday night. It happened around 10 p.m., as the 47-year-old victim was walking his chihuahua near Seklirk Avenue and 224 Street. Neighbours say three men attacked the victim with a baseball bat, leaving him bloodied and fleeing back to his apartment two blocks away with the small dog. 1:31 Naked man arrested after violent Port Moody assault 'He was covered in blood from the laceration at the top of his head and he was bleeding at the back of his head. We took him in, called 911,' said Sidney Johnson, the apartment building's manager. Story continues below advertisement 'They said he got hit four times with a baseball bat. Three individuals. And they must have took him right out, for him to have that much blood coming out of his head, it must have been pretty severe.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The man was treated at the Royal Columbian Hospital and is now recovering at home. His recollection of the incident appeared hazy, and he said he was still dealing with dizziness, but wanted to do an interview once he was feeling better. The assault has alarmed neighbours, who say crime and disorder in the neighbourhood has escalated in recent years. 2:04 Senior assaulted in unprovoked Vancouver attack 'I don't feel safe even doing my garbage. I don't feel safe walking with my friend and her kids,' said Tina McFarlane, a resident of the same apartment building. 'Nobody seems to be listening. The cops are doing what they can, but I think they are overwhelmed.' Story continues below advertisement Johnson said conditions have worsened in the neighbourhood since a homeless outreach facility called The HUB opened several blocks away. 'It's been pretty severe,' he said. 'I've had people smoking drugs out back, verbally abusing some of my tenants — it's been on high alert for the last five years.' Ridge Meadows RCMP confirm they were called to an assault at the incident, and that an investigation is ongoing. 'Officers are still gathering details to determine the exact circumstances, however, it appears to be an isolated incident involving known parties,' an RCMP spokesperson said in an email.
