{"id":14751,"date":"2020-06-08T11:32:47","date_gmt":"2020-06-08T14:32:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaker.ca\/?p=14751"},"modified":"2020-06-08T11:32:47","modified_gmt":"2020-06-08T14:32:47","slug":"blackburn-streatch-want-more-information-on-contract-options-for-hrps-armoured-rescue-vehicle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/?p=14751","title":{"rendered":"Blackburn, Streatch want more information on contract options for HRP’s Armoured Rescue Vehicle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

FALL RIVER\/BEAVER BANK:<\/strong> Two local councillors are open to gathering more information regarding the purchase of a controversial Armoured Rescue Vehicle by Halifax Regional Police (HRP) in the wake of calls for HRM council to cancel the contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Councillor Steve Streatch and Deputy Mayor Lisa Blackburn were contacted by The Laker News for their stance on the vehicle given the online pushback, as well as videos of how similar vehicles were being used in the U.S. during protest in the wake of the senseless death of George Floyd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The inquiry also comes after two of their colleagues\u2014Tim Outhit and Waye Mason\u2014posted online that they both had a change of mind relating to the purchase of the armoured rescue vehicle. Streatch said he and his councillors have received more than 500 emails \u201cdemanding\u201d they defund the police and cancel the armoured vehicle purchase<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI voted yes for the vehicle but am ready to look at new information,\u201d said Blackburn, who represents Middle\/Upper Sackville-Lucasville-Beaver Bank. \u201cI\u2019m interested in finding out if a lack of such a vehicle was cited in the Moncton inquiry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also wants to know what the penalty is for cancelling the contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we can\u2019t cancel the contract without a major penalty, does the Board of Police Commissioners have the ability to draft a high-level policy outlining under what circumstances the vehicle is to be used?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThose are questions I need answers to before deciding to reverse my vote.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Streatch, the representative for Waverley-Fall River-Musquodoboit Valley, said the armoured rescue vehicle would have been in HRP\u2019s possession if not for delays due to the COVID19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt came to council from the Halifax Police Commission as a recommendation, supported by HRP,\u201d he said. \u201cThe intention, as explained to council, was for it to be used as just that, a way of protection for both officers and citizens, and intended to be used like the one owned by the RCMP as well as police protection in situations like we saw in N.B. a couple of years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI never imagined anyone would consider using it against citizens such as we have seen in the USA, and I would want assurances in policy that it would not be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said he understand that the Police Commission is planning to meet soon, and he awaits any new recommendations from them, and any motion that may be brought forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI will give careful consideration to any implications in making changes to that contract and how it may affect the municipality, HRP, and the taxpayers,\u201d said Streatch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Now turning to focus on the calls to defund the police, Streatch said he really doesn\u2019t understand the rationale behind such demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUntil it is clearer, I will not support a movement in that direction any further than is already being proposed in our upcoming budget, which includes a reduction in the HRP budget of $3.5 million,\u201d he said. \u201cThis motion was passed due to financial constraints, not due to a shift in ideology, and you will recall the outcry when public safety was proposed to be cut even further (police, fire, Ground Search and Rescue), by $5.5 million, and council backtracked on that only a month ago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blackburn spoke about the emails and online rallying in support of a defund the police movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you look at the dollar amount spent on the police in HRM, it paints only one picture. It needs to be put in context,\u201d she said. \u201cFor example, what percentage is policing to the overall budget? And is that percentage remaining steady?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the case of Halifax Police, it\u2019s just a little more than 20 per cent and it hasn\u2019t changed much in the last decade.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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She has had thoughts of splitting the police department up to serve more, but that would take financial support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve often thought about a separate division of the police department made up of social workers as sworn officers attending to mental health calls,\u201d said Blackburn. \u201cBut starting up such progressive programs takes money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Streatch said if people want change to Local and National policing policy it can not be done simply by demanding them through an email campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt must be through dialogue, consultation and alternative options, none of which has happened at regional council,\u201d said Streatch, \u201ctherefore at present there are no alternatives to consider.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FALL RIVER\/BEAVER BANK: Two local councillors are open to gathering more information regarding the purchase of a controversial Armoured Rescue Vehicle by Halifax Regional Police (HRP) in the wake of calls for HRM council to cancel the contract. Councillor Steve Streatch and Deputy Mayor Lisa Blackburn were contacted by The Laker News for their stance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9523,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,957],"tags":[1042,791,57],"class_list":["post-14751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-news","tag-lisa-blackburn","tag-racism","tag-steve-streatch"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14751"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14751\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}