642 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

I do think we know it's a joint Saanich/VicPD union/association thing.

[Victoria Watcher]

I'm not sure I understand your concern here. The results are similar to other medical fundraisers. 

 

It's quite different, in that some other medical fundraisers literally raise money for the medical bills.  There will be none here.  And they will not lose wages either, at least not in the short term.

 

And yes, how will the money be split up?   Will the lightly injured or non-physically injured members feel slighted?

[spanky123]

100% transparency, no secrecy or concealing information from the public ... it's no more complicated than that.

 

Although I would argue that it is the concern of the people who donated the money. If you didn't donate anything I don't think that you need to be too worried about how it is spent.

[Spy Black]

Although I would argue that it is the concern of the people who donated the money. If you didn't donate anything I don't think that you need to be too worried about how it is spent.

I just paid my taxes to Saanich, and it was a substantial amount of money.

So I believe I have an interest in whether or not my tax dollars are going to support public servants who are also leveraging their position within the public service to solicit additional funds from the public.

 

Three Saanich Police Officers on lifetime disability could impact taxpayers in Saanich ... maybe I'm not comfortable paying for their lifetime of rehabilitation through my and my families taxes if those SaanichPD Officers are simultaneously leveraging their position in the SaanichPD to solicit additional funds?

 

It would be my position that anything involving politicians or public servants and their public service related financial dealings are indeed 100% in the public interest.

 

The various Police Unions and Associations can't be very publicly trying to increase political and public support for more funding and more police officers one minute, and then putting their hand up telling the public that the financial dealings of those same Unions and Associations are none of the publics business the next minute.

 

But then I'm not saying don't give the affected Officers the funds being raised am I? ... I'm only saying be 100% transparent with the taxpaying public about the process from start to finish.

Edited by Spy Black, 09 July 2022 - 09:45 AM.

[David Bratzer]

I'm not sure "concern" is the right word, as opposed to simply wanting to understand the full and complete details behind an incident that left six people wounded, two people dead, and now a quarter of a million dollars designated to go to public servants who were injured in the performance of their public duties.

 

It's a matter of full transparency.

 

What the metrics are for distributing this money, along with determining if this amount of money is appropriate to be given to taxpayer funded public servants who will benefit from Municipal, Institutional and Foundational support as a result of their injuries are simply details that should be made very clear to the public.

 

• Is this fundraiser a creation of the Saanich Police Association, the Victoria Police Union, the SaanichPD, or the VictoriaPD?
• Is it appropriate for associations representing public servants to solicit public funds when financial support (for wounded Police Officers) is already a given?
• Who will distribute these funds?
• Who will determine what the distribution percentages will be?
• Will any person beyond the six wounded Officers benefit financially from this fundraising activity?
• Are the Mayors and Councils of the City of Victoria or the Municipality of Saanich approve in any way involved in promoting this fund-raising activity?

 

It's all too easy to say "don't worry about it, it's none of your business" ... but indeed any activity related to public servants in the performance of their duties is ultimately the publics business.

 

100% transparency, no secrecy or concealing information from the public ... it's no more complicated than that.

 

Hey bud maybe follow-up with Revenue Canada or the OPCC if you're super worried about the financial stuff. From my perspective no amount of money will ever replace what these officers have lost. Their courage in the moment was at the highest level. Eventually the IIO will have a report, but this isn't CSI Miami. The investigation takes more than an hour and they are not going to be posting daily updates on Instagram.

[Mike K.]

David, how are the officers doing? Are you able to let us know if the condition of the one officer who was last reported to be in critical condition, has changed?

[Spy Black]

Hey bud maybe follow-up with Revenue Canada or the OPCC if you're super worried about the financial stuff. From my perspective no amount of money will ever replace what these officers have lost. Their courage in the moment was at the highest level. Eventually the IIO will have a report, but this isn't CSI Miami. The investigation takes more than an hour and they are not going to be posting daily updates on Instagram.

You’re obviously quite emotional, and I’m not your “bud”. 

[Kilo95]

People start GoFundMe's all the time - for those with and without employer/insurance benefits. If you aren't someone who contributed towards it, who cares how it's distributed to the recipients? You're correct, as a taxpayer your taxes go towards salaries/benefits/etc for the police officers. But if people want to voluntarily donate towards additional expenses that will help them as they adjust to their life-altering injuries, what's wrong with that?

Edited by Kilo95, 09 July 2022 - 03:34 PM.

[Matt R.]

Nothing wrong with it. Some people just like putting their noses where they don’t belong.

[Belleprincess]

I don’t care how much they get, they could get millions of dollars and all of their government perks. They did what the majority of people would not do, They walked into the line of fire to keep other people safe. If someone wants to buy them a yacht, I fully support it. Being a police officer is mostly a thankless job, think of all the flack they’ve gotten over the last several years. My hats off to them. Plus I’ve had to deal with the cops multiple times during the pandemic (not because I was naughty.) they were professional, caring, courteous and a pleasure to deal with.

[Mike K.]

It’s a good thing. There are external costs. It’s good that our community can respond to these incidents with so much love.

[LJ]

Maybe one of them will have to make modifications to his house to accommodate a wheelchair, that can get expensive if you have to put in ramps, widen doorways, redo bathrooms etc.

Whatever people want to donate is fine with me, it's their after tax dollars they are donating.

How much do you know about your donations to any charity, I donated the money, I trust them to use it wisely, if I didn't, I wouldn't donate.

[David Bratzer]

David, how are the officers doing? Are you able to let us know if the condition of the one officer who was last reported to be in critical condition, has changed?

 

There might be some updated info in the latest episode of the True Blue podcast. It came out today and focuses on the six injured officers.

[Mike K.]

Thank you.

[Victoria Watcher]

July 7, 2022

by Chelsea Cofield, Organizer

The SPA and VCPU are so beyond grateful for the generosity from our local communities and across the country. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. The support has been astounding and more than we ever anticipated.

Our injured members are continuing along their healing journeys, and because of the donations made, they have more time to focus on themselves and their families without worrying about any financial burdens. We still don’t know what the future holds, but we do know that all the money raised will help in a significant way. We are able to take care of our members thanks to all of those who have donated.

We can’t thank everyone enough for your kind words as we continue to navigate these difficult times. While our friends rest and recover, we continue to patrol our communities, respond to calls for service and keep Saanich and Victoria safe.

From our patrol car to you… we just want to say thank you.

Sincerely,

The Saanich Police Association and Victoria City Police Union

 

 

 

https://www.gofundme...e-union-members

 

[Mike K.]

Statement:

 

Two Saanich Police members of the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team (GVERT) remain in hospital following surgery, with one Saanich Police member of GVERT recovering at home following a June 28th shooting incident in Saanich. One of these officers, who has been in the ICU since the incident almost two weeks ago, has seen his condition improve and was recently moved out of the ICU. One VicPD member of GVERT was released from hospital on Friday. All three injured VicPD officers, all members of GVERT, are now recovering at home.

 

At approximately 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 28th, officers with Saanich Police, GVERT, and VicPD responded to a call that two armed men had entered a bank in the 3600-block of Shelbourne Street in Saanich. Multiple officers responded to the scene and encountered the armed suspects who exchanged gunfire with police. Two suspects were shot by police and died at the scene.

 

Six GVERT officers suffered gunshot wounds and were transported to hospital. Three of these GVERT officers are members of Saanich Police and three of these GVERT officers are members of VicPD. Three officers were released from hospital following immediate medical care, and three officers sustained life-threatening injuries and remained in the hospital following surgery.

 

“The Saanich Police Department continues to move forward along the road of recovery and healing, which is heavily fueled by community and interagency care, support, trust and confidence,” said Saanich Police Chief Constable Dean Duthie. “Our officers, civilian staff, and volunteers are deeply inspired by the strength and determination of our two officers in hospital as they continue to make day to day improvements. We are all very pleased to know that VicPD’s officers are now all at home resting and recovering.”

 

“The support from our community in the aftermath of this incident has been overwhelming,” said VicPD Chief Constable Del Manak. “I especially want to thank all of the medical professionals who cared for our injured officers and helped them on their road to recovery. Having this officer home and resting with his family is the next step in our recovery process, and we continue to keep those officers recovering, both in hospital and at home, in our thoughts.”

 

At both Saanich Police and VicPD, several officers and staff were involved in the incident in some capacity and continue to recover. Officers and staff continue to participate in critical incident debrief sessions with both peer support and the support of a psychologist.

 

Additionally, Saanich Police and VicPD officers affected by the incident are participating in workplace re-integration training. This training works to diminish the potential for long term psychological injury through a step-by-step process that addresses the unique stressors officers may experience after a critical incident. This includes consultation with a psychologist, exposure to firearms, acclimation to gunfire, and participant-led training. The program has been designed to acknowledge that the officer has been through a traumatic event and to provide the opportunity to work through any triggers the event has created, while ensuring the officer is in the safety of a controlled environment. The officers undergoing this training determine the pace and scope of the process, and are supported by their peers for the duration of the training.

 

The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit (VIIMCU) continues the investigation into this incident. If you have information about this incident please call the VIIMCU information line at 250-380-6211.

[Victoria Watcher]

A bit more here, not much.

 

 

 

https://www.timescol...-emerge-5572509

 

 

The guys had jobs at the same place.

[silentfoto]

Why are the police doing go fund me drives? The GVERTS job is to do exactly what they questionably did.

 

The decision maker who gave the order needs a good looking at. I suspect many rank & file officers believe the same.

 

The police are the most well funded organization for work related injury or accident claims.

 

Make sure the $300K raised goes to where it was intended if you donated to their cause.

 

Should a go fund me account for the family of the assailants be set up? Sure they are hurting too.

[Victoria Watcher]

Make sure the $300K raised goes to where it was intended if you donated to their cause.

 

They have stated that some of it will go to travel expenses for relatives to come visit.  That's probably not covered in the regular police injury funds.

 

 

The money raised will allow us to provide continued support to our members in a variety of ways including but not limited to accommodation and transportation for families of those who are in hospital, psychological support, modifications to homes to allow for future transition from hospital and much more.

 

 

 

It's $256,000 now.

 

 

https://www.gofundme...e-union-members

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 13 July 2022 - 02:59 AM.

[pontcanna]

From the team at BMO, thank you to all

 

by JAMES KITAMURA

A commentary by the regional president of personal banking for the British Columbia and Yukon region of BMO Bank of Montreal.

The Times Colonist - July 13, 2022

Two weeks ago, our community was left reeling by the shocking events that occurred at our Shelbourne and Pear Street branch in Saanich.

Our BMO team across Greater Victoria and beyond have been overwhelmed by the significant outpouring of kindness and support we’ve received. We commend the branch team for their decisive action in a situation simply unimaginable in our community.

Our customers are why we come to work each day, and to see this profound support has meant everything to us. This is our community at its best, and we are thankful for every message and thought you’ve shared.

On behalf of all of us at BMO, we are grateful for the extraordinary courage and bravery of the emergency services members who raced to respond to protect us and our neighbours.
 

More: https://www.timescol...-to-all-5577253