Stephen Harrison

“As B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner, I feel it is important to speak out about how this continually unfolding tragedy is a violation of human rights and the result of systemic discrimination.”

bchumanrights.ca/resources/pu...

"After receiving intel from CRU about the UBC encampment, ... Saanich Police Deputy Robert Warren pre-emptively reached out to UVic security.... He said ... 'police know it’s important to act quickly on these situations before they become too entrenched.'"

Right now the city’s draft budget includes a 7.28% property tax increase:

🚔 5.06% of the increase = what VicPD is demanding, and what the city is prepared to give them

🏙️ 2.22% of the increase = everything else in the city budget

#yyj #DefundVicPD

Former B.C. hockey coach and Victoria jail guard sentenced for child luring A former Vancouver Island hockey coach, who would go on to serve as a special constable with the Victoria Police Department, has been sentenced to 12 months in jail for child luring.

"At the time of his arrest in Nov. 2022, Martin was working as a special constable with [VicPD]." Article says he was also the person investigated for "discreditable conduct and deceit after he allegedly recorded and shared videos of prisoners engaging in sexual acts." www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/ar...

VicPD doesn’t want you to know they’re probably still hitting people with police cars — Needs More Spikes Is VicPD still using police cars to hit people? Probably, but VicPD’s increasing secrecy means we can’t know for sure.

VicPD says they used a police vehicle as a weapon at least once in 2024. VicPD is withholding more and more information from the public, and they're currently trying to prevent the release of their overall use of force data. www.needsmorespikes.com/blog/vicpd-s...

VicPD officers make up to $108,000 in overtime — Needs More Spikes While VicPD is asking for an $11 million, 14% budget increase in 2026, new FOI data shows that from 2022 to 2024, 48 VicPD officers made over $50,000 in overtime in a single year, with two constables ...

From 2022 to 2024, 48 VicPD officers made over $50,000 in overtime. The top earner made $108,000 in overtime. www.needsmorespikes.com/blog/vicpd-o...

VicPD parties at Government House for $22,000 — Needs More Spikes This summer, VicPD used its bottomless budget to throw a party for their outgoing and incoming chiefs. Via FOI, we now know that event cost $22,015.

Bringing this thread up to date. FOI shows VicPD spent $22,000 on a party at government house for their outgoing and incoming chiefs. www.needsmorespikes.com/blog/vicpd-p...

The Band The Last Waltz Full Concert 11/25/1976 YouTube video by George

Every couple of years I wind up here. They jam for like a half hour at the end! Not saying this is the best way to watch it obviously, it was just novel to me when I realized the whole thing was out there. www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbEL...

This is exactly the type of thing council should be doing, taking away $200k that would have gone to the police budget increase and funding rent supplements. Great! But as of now, the draft budget would still give VicPD 24 new officers (4 forced by the province) and an $11M budget lift to $90M. #yyj

Re-upping this to encourage people to flip back and forth between the images, so you can see how much more VicPD is redacting compared to just one year before. They are withholding far, far more information than they used to, making it increasingly hard to subject them to scrutiny through FOI. #yyj

Finding: I have determined that two Community Resource Officers are required to meet the policing needs as identified through a community survey and to provide essential crime prevention programs in the area of Victoria and Esquimalt, in accordance with section 26(2) of

Needs to be much more of this before budget is final. Also, notable that a source province cited for overturning Esq's attempted rejection of some VicPD hires in 2025 was VicPD's self-serving community survey. Not only a bad survey, but a harmful one. pub-victoria.escribemeetings.com/filestream.a...

This is exactly the type of thing council should be doing, taking away $200k that would have gone to the police budget increase and funding rent supplements. Great! But as of now, the draft budget would still give VicPD 24 new officers (4 forced by the province) and an $11M budget lift to $90M. #yyj

VicPD doesn’t want you to know they’re probably still hitting people with police cars — Needs More Spikes Is VicPD still using police cars to hit people? Probably, but VicPD’s increasing secrecy means we can’t know for sure.

Through a new FOI, we can see that at least one VicPD officer used a police car as a weapon in 2024. But VicPD won’t release any details. It’s part of an increasing trend of secrecy, led by VicPD, to limit public scrutiny of their actions. www.needsmorespikes.com/blog/vicpd-s... #yyj #cdnfoi 🧵

VicPD doesn’t want you to know they’re probably still hitting people with police cars — Needs More Spikes Is VicPD still using police cars to hit people? Probably, but VicPD’s increasing secrecy means we can’t know for sure.

“It serves VicPD’s interests, not the public’s, to release text justifying their officers’ actions, while not releasing any text about what they did.” #DefundVicPD #yyj www.needsmorespikes.com/blog/vicpd-s...

So, is VicPD still hitting people with police cars? Probably, but they’ve made it impossible to say. By hiding how their officers use cars as weapons, and insisting that the province not release use of force data, it’s clear VicPD wants less public scrutiny, even as they demand more public money.

VicPD continues to work with CBSA to deport people — Needs More Spikes FOI records suggest VicPD engaged with the Canada Border Services Agency 61% more in 2023 than in 2019, as the department continues to turn people over for deportation.

I encountered the same increased secrecy trying to find out how many deportations VicPD facilitates. It’s the type of information VicPD won’t talk about. If we can’t get it through FOI, and elected officials aren’t demanding it, then it will never come out. www.needsmorespikes.com/blog/vicpd-a...

I’ve appealed that decision to the privacy commissioner, but that means months of delay. And a negative ruling could mean the only way to get data on things like police violence in jails, or how often they use “vascular neck restraints,” or use force on people in handcuffs, may disappear for good.

The trend to secrecy goes beyond this FOI. When I asked for an updated copy of VicPD’s use of force data from the province, VicPD asked them not to release it. The province complied, even though it’s a straightforward dataset about what VicPD did, and whether they hurt the people they did it to.

Cst WEBER drove his police car onto the sidewalk to cut off the [redacted] path, and observed that [redacted] changed his path onto the roadway. Cst WEBER, lights and sirens still activated, positioned his police vehicle perpendicular to the roadway to block the [redacted] path as well as to stop vehicles behind him. Cst WEBER's car was stationary and in park, when [redacted] t-boned Cst WEBER's driver side door. [redacted] fell off [redacted] Cst WEBER got out of his vehicle, and took hold [redacted] throwing him to the ground, where other police units joined him and placed [redacted] in handcuffs.

Cst WEBER drove his police car onto the sidewalk to cut off the [redacted] Cst WEBER, lights and sirens still activated, positioned his police vehicle perpendicular to the roadway to block the [redacted] as well as to stop vehicles behind him. Cst WEBER's car was stationary and in park, when [redacted] Cst WEBER got out of his vehicle, and [redacted] where other police units joined him and [redacted]

The heavy-handed redaction is a recent trend. Compare what VicPD released for this old report in 2024 vs. 2025. In the 2024 FOI, we learned an officer cut off someone on a scooter, forcing them to crash. They then threw the person to the ground. In the new FOI, VicPD withheld all that information.

Screenshot of VicPD use of force report. Did you use OTHER RESPONSE options such as IMPROVISED weapons or WEAPONS OF OPPORTUNITY?Yes. Please specify improvised/weapon of opportunity: Police vehicle. Effective: No. Perceived distance from subject when force response deployed:[0-2 meters] Was subject handcuffed prior to force response? [Redacted]

As Cst. STOLZ feared the [redacted] Cst. STOLZ exited the police vehicle as an immediate defense of life was necessary. Cst. STOLZ started running toward the altercation and identified as police. Cst. STOLZ made the conscious decision to draw his firearm given the [redacted] Nanaimo[redacted] Spruce Ave.[redacted] Spruce Ave, Cst. STOLZ observed [redacted] strike an Emergency Response Team truck causing [redacted]

When an officer used their car as a weapon in 2024, witness officers say they saw a redacted something “strike” the vehicle. We know VicPD writes about cyclists they’ve intentionally cut off ‘striking’ police cars. But we can’t say for sure that’s what happened, because VicPD doesn’t want it public.

VicPD doesn’t want you to know they’re probably still hitting people with police cars — Needs More Spikes Is VicPD still using police cars to hit people? Probably, but VicPD’s increasing secrecy means we can’t know for sure.

Through a new FOI, we can see that at least one VicPD officer used a police car as a weapon in 2024. But VicPD won’t release any details. It’s part of an increasing trend of secrecy, led by VicPD, to limit public scrutiny of their actions. www.needsmorespikes.com/blog/vicpd-s... #yyj #cdnfoi 🧵

Folks, I hate to add to the stack, but... I need help

Bailey, my pitbull-corgi, may have cancer. An emergency late-night visit just led to this horrible discovery.

Bailey is my whole world and I failed to plan. I am sorry. Any help you can offer at this link is welcome.

ko-fi.com/E1E168F96#ch...

For streams, at the start of today's meeting Hayes said "we are really looking forward to our new system that is coming" which could be something? I've been locked out of public meetings before, including when they had them in city council chambers years ago. I'd take city hall over VicPD HQ though.

Agendas, not that I've seen. The past few times they've been late, I emailed and asked if it was going up, but it shouldn't take a rando emailing, there's a legal deadline. That they didn't even post one at all by today is a new low point.

Faoro: thanks BCAPB (garbled). Wants to be kept apprised. Meeting adjourns. Leaving the lobby! If you can't stream properly, then let people attend your meetings in person. VicPD police board: bad at public meetings. #vicpdboard

Hayes: "are you aware of other municipalities (garbled)." On to final item, correspondence. BCAPB to premier. Something about Surrey police board member appointments. "Very concerning in terms of independence of police board appointments." Would be great if they still posted agendas with letters.

Nobody ever came to take my ID and let me into the area where the meeting is. Faoro speaking briefly, audio seems better! But can't hear answers to his questions. "March 31st viewing party." Asking about FIFA costs to Vicpd; should know impact of provincial decision. Again can't hear answer.

Lobby update: floor is being cleaned. I had to buzz in when I got here. Someone let me in, I said I was here for the police board, they said procedures were the same (hand in ID, which is nonsense for a public meeting), get pass. I even tried some sort of kiosk check in machine to no avail.

Someone: tchk.... tchk....

Audio other than Wilson's continues to be awful. No idea what's being said right now. Still lobby-posting.