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And... They’re off! MP hopefuls start long road to October election
Staff Sgt. Chris Scotland returns to Grimsby after stints in St. Catharines, Welland and Port Colborne. Williscraft - Photo
8 District gets new top cop A homecoming, of sorts, for Chris Scotland who took over Tuesday By Mike Williscraft NewsNow A history in Niagara’s west end and family connections were just two reasons Staff Sgt. Chris Scotland jumped at the opportunity to return to 8 District, this time as Niagara Regional Police Service’s westend district commander. “I spend 12 years here supporting the community policing initiative. I also have three boys who live here so Grimsby is where I spent most of my time,” said Scotland, who officially took over the post Aug. 4. “I am very familiar with the area and the challenges faced. There has been quite a bit of turnover here and I hope to stabilize that, so I am very happy to be here.” Scotland has covered a great deal of
ground since starting his career in what he called the largest slums in England in 1975. He moved to Canada and started with Toronto police in 1979, eventually making a connection to Niagara while working the Paul Bernardo investigation. He spent a year in Niagara as part of a security detail for a terrorist trial. After that he was hooked. A strong proponent of police visibility and community connection, Scotland said he plans to instill that belief in his district. “After 40 years on the job, I have an oldefashioned style. I like to hit the pavement, walk the beat, get out into businesses to meet the people in town,” said Scotland. “That approach seems to have had a positive effect in other communities.”
Dean Allison, Nameer Rahman and Phil Rose have one thing in common today: they all want to be elected member of parliament for the new Niagara Riding in the Oct. 19 federal election. Prime Minister Stephen Harper requested a writ of election Aug. 2, launching the longest campaign since 1872. The Niagara Riding now includes Wainfleet, while Glanbrook has been shifted out of the riding. Allison, running for the Conservative Party, was first elected in 2004 and seeks reelection for a fifth time. Rose, running for the Liberals, is an educator and musician whose previous election experience was running for the Canadian Action Party in the 2004 election run. Rahman, running for the New Democrats, a resident of Grimsby, was named to the Grimsby Economic Development Advisory Committee last fall an serves as committee’s vice-chair.
While Rose noted he was glad to be on the campaign trail, he did note the length of that trail is longer than it could have been. “Naturally, we share the general view that Stephen Harper continues to govern in the interests of Stephen Harper, and that for this he’ll pay a price, as Canadians learn that it will cost them about $125 million extra to stage this elongated election,” said Rose. Allison said the state of Canada’s economy remains a central focus for all. “As we all know, our economy is still fragile, primarily as a result of economic issues on the world stage. As Canadians we have weathered the financial downturns better than most countries, and this has been a direct result of our governments strong leadership,” said Allison. Rahman said jobs in Niagara are among key issues on his list of campaign goals. See ELECTION, Page 3