Latest news with #YukonRCMP
CBC
12-05-2025
- CBC
Police watchdog clears Whitehorse RCMP officers who broke teen's leg during arrest
A police watchdog has cleared two Yukon RCMP officers of any criminal wrongdoing after they broke a 17-year-old girl's leg during an arrest in Whitehorse in 2023. However, investigators with the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) also criticize the officers involved for the way they carried out the arrest, being "callous" and acting in a way that "perpetuated negative stereotypes about police officers." "A quick arrest of a youth for a minor offence that results in a broken bone does not serve the public trust in the same way that careful and thoughtful community policing does," reads ASIRT's investigation report. ASIRT is under contract to the Yukon government to look into any deaths or serious injuries involving police officers, as well as allegations of police misconduct. The report, released April 30, describes the circumstances leading to the teen's arrest and injury on April 8, 2023, in downtown Whitehorse. Investigators used video evidence as well as testimony from the injured teen and emergency medical responders to piece together what happened. Neither of the arresting officers provided a statement or notes to ASIRT investigators. "As the subjects of a criminal investigation, that is their legal right," the report notes. The report describes how Yukon Emergency Medical Services (EMS) had called RCMP that evening for help with an intoxicated 20-year-old female and "an aggressive bystander." When the two RCMP officers arrived at the scene they saw two people, one of whom immediately ran away leaving only the teenaged girl. There was no one else around, including EMS, the report says. On arrival, one of the officers told the girl, who was intoxicated, that she was under arrest for causing a disturbance, "only a few seconds after seeing her," the report says. The officers then immediately moved to arrest the girl and get her into the back of their vehicle. The report says that the teen physically resisted the officers' efforts to get her into the car by placing her feet against the vehicle. At some point during that struggle, her foot became trapped in a wheel well. Her leg was injured as the officers continue to try to force her into the back of the vehicle. ASIRT investigators found there was no evidence that the officers knew the girl's foot was stuck in the wheel well. Once the teenager was in the back seat, one of the officers swore, "in an apparent expression of surprise that her leg was trapped," the report says. It says the other officer then told the girl, "yeah, don't fight with the police." The officers then took the girl to the jail and called EMS from there. Emergency responders came and later determined that the girl suffered a fractured tibia, ruptured ligaments and other injuries to her right knee. Officers' actions 'reasonable' ASIRT investigators determined that if the officers had known the girl's foot was trapped in the wheel well, "they clearly would have been acting unreasonably and would face criminal liability." "However, given that the evidence tends to show that they did not know it was trapped, their actions were reasonable," the report says. Still, the investigators faulted the two officers for arresting the youth "for a minor offence without even taking the time to talk to her." They also cited the officer's "callous comment" about not fighting with police, after the girl was clearly hurt. They say that even if the officers did not commit a crime, that "does not mean that the subject officers dealt with the AP [affected person] in a respectful and professional manner." The investigators also pointed to the officers' decision not to call EMS as soon as they understood that the girl had been injured, and instead took her to jail first. "Police officers have a duty of care to those in their custody and this duty includes seeking prompt medical attention," the report states. "While their delay in seeking medical attention for the [affected person] was not significant enough to attract criminal liability, they still should have sought medical attention immediately."
CBC
04-05-2025
- CBC
Yukon RCMP commanding officer reflects on recent increase in gun violence
Yukon RCMP Chief Supt. Lindsay Ellis says there's been a real jump recently in gun-related incidents and crime across the territory. So far this year, police responded to several reports of gunshots, some of which involved 3D-printed guns. Several youths with firearms were arrested this winter, in unrelated incidents that took place in broad daylight in public spaces. In the past few days alone, an individual walked into a restaurant on Main Street, Whitehorse, brandishing a firearm. On a different day, a shooting took place in the city's Riverdale neighbourhood that sent one person to hospital, while another incident involving a replica firearm forced the evacuation of a building as well as homes and businesses within a two-block radius around downtown Whitehorse. Meanwhile, the federal government gave $4 million last November to help address gun crime and gang violence in the Yukon. So how is the local police handling the rise in gun violence? Ellis spoke to Yukon Morning's Elyn Jones Thursday about why this has become a growing issue and what the RCMP's response to it all is. The following interview has been edited for clarity and length. Yukoners have expressed concerns over what appears to be a rise in gun violence. How real is the issue? Over the last recent months, including over the last week or two, the RCMP have reported on investigations that we've undertaken or reports that we've received ... about firearms being displayed, brandished, or us coming upon firearms through the course of investigations. So it's not just a perception — it's real. We're getting some firearms out of traffic stops. That's highly concerning for officer safety and the public. When I'm seeing that my members every day are interacting with individuals that may have on their person operable or even replica firearms, that's a concern. The overarching concern is the fear that the public feels going anywhere in the Yukon and thinking, you know, "Does this person have a firearm? Is something going to take place in front of me that I have no control over? And I'm an innocent bystander, too." What explains this increase? Some of these incidents are perhaps not related. Some are through different demographics. So it could be that there are adult people who are involved in organized crime or gang-type activity. The territory changed in the last 10 to 15 years, but I think that we're just catching up with the rest of the country. Gun violence has been noted by Stats Canada to have increased over the last 10 years across Canada. There's many different reasons for that. I'd like to think that some of the reason that, in the Yukon, we're reporting on this and that we're responding and that we are coming upon perhaps some of these firearms in our duties, is that we are out there and we're focused on identifying and defusing but also preventing crime. We need to have some hard conversations as a community and as Yukoners about what we feel is acceptable and also what we're willing to do about the root causes. Where are the firearms coming from? There's many sources of illegal firearms in the country. Some are purchased legally through reputable dealers and then made their way into hands that they shouldn't be in. Some guns are smuggled in through other countries and some are ordered ... through the Internet and the dark web in separate parts. Some of these firearms are operable; some of them are replicas. The file that we had in Dawson City at the start of April, that was what we would call a ghost gun. So an untraceable firearm. It's a 3D-print ... so a 3D printer can print that gun and can render it operable. I don't want to opine about why some people would be carrying real or replica firearms. There could be many different reasons ... personal protection, actual wish to commit a crime. But there's no good reason in the Yukon for somebody to be carrying a real or replica firearm. How is the RCMP currently responding to the issue? Our response in those situations is the same. It's a professional, modern application of policing to defuse that public safety threat, and do so in the safest manner possible. Some of the incidents that have occurred in public during daytime hours on Main Street, even last night, are highly concerning with a high risk to public safety. And I can understand why Yukoners are concerned about this uptick. I want to be very clear, though, that the police are well positioned to respond. And we encourage people to, if they see something suspicious, call us. Please give us good details. What more can be done? It comes down to prevention and awareness, and also just conflict resolution. When people are feeling like perhaps it's acceptable to carry these firearms and to escalate, for lack of a better term, their beefs or their conflict with each other, I think that we can do maybe better as a community to try and resolve some of these conflicts.
CBC
03-05-2025
- CBC
Yukon child advocate finds shortcomings in gov't response to holds, isolation at Whitehorse school
The Yukon government failed to properly respond to and support students and families affected by the improper use of holds and isolation at a Whitehorse elementary school, according to a new report by the office of the territory's child and youth advocate. Territorial Education Minister Jeanie McLean tabled the report — titled I Am Not Okay, It's Not Okay — in the Yukon legislative assembly Thursday. The 68-page document is the result of a systemic review the advocate's office began in 2021 after reports emerged that some staff at Jack Hulland Elementary School had placed students in physical holds or confined them in isolation spaces. "I think the title says it," advocate Annette King said in an interview after the report was tabled, emphasizing the "long-lasting impacts" that the practices had on children and their families. "In our work, we're always dealing with rights violations... But to learn about the magnitude of this in terms of the long-standing 'Jack Hulland way' that wasn't addressed for many, many years — that is alarming." Holds, where adults use their bodies to physically restrain a child, are supposed to be a last resort when a child is at serious risk of harming themselves or others, while isolation is not supposed to be used in Yukon schools at all. However, an internal review by the education department found that up until 2020, some Jack Hulland staff members routinely used both on students for not complying with directions, including in cases like a child refusing to pull down the hood on their sweater. "We have witnessed the alarming consequences of a systemic failure in the education system – one that has left vulnerable children subject to harmful practices, without accountability for those responsible," part of the child and youth advocate's report reads. The advocate office's review was independent from the government's and from a Yukon RCMP investigation that resulted in no criminal charges being laid. The report makes five findings related to major shortcomings in the government's response and lays out eight recommendations "so that this never happens again." Among the shortcomings were a lack of communication with families throughout the process, which the report says left some "in a state of uncertainty and frustration" and excluded others from being able to participate in investigations or reviews. The report also says there was inadequate documentation and incident reporting, including when it came to "some individuals" complying with their duty to promptly report suspected child abuse and properly filling out workplace risk assessments. School staff must fill out those assessments whenever there's physical contact between a student and staff member, but the report says that in some cases, assessments at Jack Hulland lacked detail or were not done at all. As well, some of the completed assessments were not properly stored or reviewed by higher-ups in the department in a timely manner. Other shortcomings, the report says, include staff named in the criminal investigation having continued access to students, insufficient educational programming for students with complex needs, and a failure to provide therapeutic support for both current and former Jack Hulland students since the allegations came to light. As well, the report says the RCMP's response "was delayed by many months and interviews were not prioritized," which resulted in some victims losing trust in the investigation and deciding not to participate when finally contacted by police. Minister accepts recommendations 'in principle' The report's recommendations include improving coordination between government departments and other agencies to ensure reports of child abuse are dealt with promptly and that affected children receive ongoing support. It also recommends creating "a clear and organized process to document incidents," improving post-incident communication with school communities, strengthening school safety policies and procedures, and providing "continued access to supports" for former Jack Hulland students and families dealing with "the life-long impacts." Besides the findings and recommendations, the report also notes that the office provided "individual advocacy" to 20 affected children and youth, that Indigenous children made up a "disproportionately high number" of Jack Hulland-related referrals to the office, and that while some affected children "struggled with dysregulation, many did not." The report asks the government to provide an initial response to the recommendations and the work being done to implement them by June 30 and a follow-up by on Dec. 1. Education Minister Jeanie McLean, who also tabled two other reports by the child and youth advocate this week, unrelated to the Jack Hulland review, was not available for an interview Thursday or Friday. In a news release, she said the government accepted the reports' recommendations "in principle and has already been hard at work to take meaningful steps to address these issues." "Our government is committed to creating safer, more inclusive schools that support every student's learning and wellbeing," she said.
CBC
16-04-2025
- CBC
Conduct board orders Whitehorse RCMP officer to resign after finding he sexually assaulted colleague
A Whitehorse RCMP officer must quit his job in the coming days — or get fired — after sexually assaulting a colleague in 2022, the force's conduct board has ruled. Board chair Sara Novell issued her final decision in Const. Cole Williams's case via video conference on Friday, directing Williams to resign within 14 days, failing which he will be dismissed. The decision comes after a hearing last year where Novell found that Williams kissed and touched a coworker without her consent after she invited him into her apartment to wait for a taxi following a night out in Whitehorse. Novell concluded on a balance of probabilities that Williams sexually assaulted the woman and thereby violated a section of the RCMP's Code of Conduct requiring members to "behave in a manner that is not likely to discredit the Force." "Const. Williams' actions run contrary to the higher standard expected of police officers," Novell said. "There can no longer be acceptance for this kind of misconduct." Williams does not face criminal charges. His lawyer, Gordon Campbell, wrote in an email that Williams "continues to maintain that this was a false allegation where the board misapprehended the evidence." "He intends to pursue his appeal rights to remedy this miscarriage of justice," Campbell wrote. A Yukon RCMP spokesperson declined comment. Novell, in the course of delivering her decision Friday, summarized her earlier findings in the case. Williams and a female RCMP employee went for drinks in Whitehorse the night of April 29, 2022, visiting a restaurant and a bar and leaving the latter after it closed around 2 a.m. The woman's identity is under a publication ban. Williams accompanied the woman to purchase a snack at a gas station and the pair tried walking through the McDonald's drive-thru, Novell continued. Williams then called for a taxi several times without success, after which the woman invited him to her apartment to wait. The pair got to her apartment after 2:30 a.m., where they sat on the couch, watched TV and then "wrestled" with each other over a lavender spray bottle, laughing as they sprayed each other with it. Williams then pushed the woman down, placing his knee between her legs and kissing her neck and chest without her consent, Novell said. The woman turned her head toward the TV and "displayed no movement" until Williams stopped kissing her. The interaction lasted under a minute. Woman felt 'disgusted, used, isolated' Representatives for both the Yukon RCMP and Williams made submissions earlier this year on what measures the conduct board should impose, with Williams' lawyer asking for a 45-day financial penalty while the force requested his dismissal. Williams, Novell noted, provided 37 "very positive" reference letters from friends, family and coworkers, who described him as respectful, compassionate and a "diligent, reliable, well-liked and respected team player, who goes above and beyond." A supervisor also described Williams as an "extremely competent and promising police officer who has much to offer the RCMP," and said he had no discipline history in his less than two years with the force. However, Novell said the mitigating nature of Williams's character and employment references were "significantly" outweighed by aggravating factors including the seriousness of the misconduct. While Williams' lawyer had argued the sexual assault was on the lower end of the spectrum, Novell disagreed. "Sexual assault, by its very definition is serious misconduct," she said. "There is absolutely no place, on or off-duty, in the workplace or not, for any touching… or any other physical contact of a sexual nature where one party does not consent." Hearing that an officer sexually assaulted someone, Novell said, could "severely damage" the public's trust in the RCMP and discourage victims of sexual assault from coming forward. General deterrence, she said, was of "particular importance" so that other RCMP members would give "serious consideration" to their actions on and off-duty. Novell said the impact on the complainant was also aggravating, with the woman saying the incident left her feeling "disgusted, used, isolated." As well, the woman reported that it negatively affected her perception of men, particularly members of the RCMP, as well as her relationship with her husband and her mental health. Given the circumstances, Novell said it was "inappropriate" to impose "educative and remedial" measures for Williams.
CBC
19-03-2025
- CBC
Organized crime is expanding into the Yukon from southern jurisdictions, report says
Organized crime is becoming more prevalent in the Yukon, as networks from B.C. and Alberta are expanding into the territory, according to a law enforcement intelligence report. "I think the Yukon is a significant market for drug consumption," said Ian Fraser, crime reduction supervisor of the Yukon RCMP crime reduction unit. "Its access over the years has increased with daily flights into Yukon from southern jurisdictions." The Criminal Intelligence Service British Columbia/Yukon, which is made up of representatives from various law enforcement services, completed the report in December 2024. It says that there are currently five organized crime networks operating in the Yukon. The report states that lost productivity associated with opioid overdose deaths and the illicit drug market is estimated to have cost $58.9 million. That's $1,273 per capita in the Yukon. Minister of Justice Tracy-Anne McPhee said she is not surprised by the report's findings. "We have been well aware of the activities, the fact that there's been movement in and out," McPhee said. "Addressing the causes and effects of organized crime in the territory will take both a strong RCMP response and working together with our partners to address the root causes of crime." Fraser said Yukon RCMP have also seized larger amounts of illicit drugs in recent years. "The amount of money and drugs we're seizing is surprising and I think that follows a trend across the country," Fraser said. "We recently had the largest seizure in Yukon history." Cocaine is the most prevalent illicit drug in the Yukon, according to the report, with an estimated 15 to 20 kilograms of cocaine being trafficked into the territory per month. Dealers entering from the south Drugs dealers are "rotating in and out of the Yukon from southern jurisdictions," said Fraser. "We call these individuals nominees, and what they're doing is they're using either threats or intimidation or financial reward or otherwise to basically take over homes and vehicles of Yukon citizens who may be vulnerable persons susceptible to those types of activities," Fraser said. Fraser suggested Yukoners who rent out their properties remain "vigilant" and make themselves aware of what to look out for. "If they have a rental property and somebody from down south with maybe a story that doesn't make sense wants to rent their property," Fraser said. "There have been some people that have had some unfortunate surprises when their guests leave and they find the remnants in their homes of what's going on there." Illicit drugs causing more harm per capita The report concludes that illicit drugs from organized crime account for more harm per capita in the Yukon than alcohol and tobacco. This data stems from another report on the economic costs of substance use by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. Since more individuals drink and smoke than use illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco still cause the most harm overall. However, illicit drugs also surpassed alcohol as the leading contributor to early death in the Yukon in 2024, according to the report. Yukon NDP Leader Kate White said she is concerned that the report does not "reflect the reality of alcohol consumption in the territory." "Alcohol consumption kills more Yukoners than any other single thing," White said. "But it's not tracked in the same way because it's not so easy to identify someone that goes into the hospital with any of the side effects of alcohol. It's much easier to track if someone's coming in for an overdose reversal." According to the report, illicit drug related deaths in the Yukon have decreased since 2021, but there has been a rise in the number of emergency department visits related to overdoses. White said she views these as "success numbers." "I think that the territory as a whole has done a really good job about learning, for example, about support and prevention," White said. "The reality is overdoses are happening now and overdoses will happen in the future. But the more we can remove the stigma and the more we can tell people that they're valuable, that we want them to live, that they should access health care, is really important." John Baker is a citizen of Carcross/Tagish First Nation in the Yukon and works in community health and wellness. He sees a lot of drug use in the community. "When something like [an overdose] happens, I'm right there, and if I'm first on the scene. Then I'm on the phone with 911 right away," Baker said. Baker said his community needs better aftercare programs to help citizens who come back to the community after receiving treatment. Need for 'upstream investments' White says the report's findings outline the need for more "upstream investments" in the territory. That's investment in things like social housing, sober housing, land-based treatment options and family support. "The unfortunate truth is things like organized crime or illicit drug use or like an increased dependency on alcohol are things we see when people are missing critical things in their life, like hope," White said. The justice minister said the government has been working to provide these critical supports. "Supportive housing is key, but we have to meet people where they are," McPhee said. "Sober housing is appropriate and necessary for some individuals who are recovering, but it's not where everyone is. So we've got programs that support both." McPhee acknowledged that more work needs to be done to address the root causes of organized crime in the Yukon. "We know the RCMP is doing a great job trying to battle this organized crime and the crime that takes place here in the territory, but we also know that we have to work on providing opportunities for people and addressing root causes."
