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Thursday, April 23, 2015
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Mental health calls up for RCMP New plan for Port Alberni police detachment puts focus on better understanding of psychological issues ERIC PLUMMER ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES
In response to a growing number of mental health-related calls, the Port Alberni RCMP is putting a greater emphasis on dealing with those suffering from psychological conditions over the next year. Better enforcement of mental health-related incidents has been included in the local police detachmentâs new Annual Performance Plan for the next 12month period. This puts a focus on improving the publicâs understanding of psychological illnesses and decreasing the impact mental health issues have on calls for service. To better handle the prevalence of mental health issues, RCMP members receive training in deal-
ing with emotionally disturbed people compassionately and safely, said Cpl. Jen Allan in an email to the Times. âMental illness isnât a crime, however we recognize that it is a common factor in many of our calls for service, and as such we are looking at mental health from both a crime and social perspective,â she said. âIn the last five years we have seen a marked increase in calls of suicidal persons, and rarely does a shift pass for our members during which they arenât managing a call that has some mental health component to it.â The mental health priority replaces youth and substance abuse, two areas of focus police honed in on over the last year, including performing 382 checks
ALLAN
of licensed establishments. Drug involvement in calls to police declined 12 per cent over this period. Other priorities returning to the Annual Performance Plan this year are crime reduction, visibility and engagement in the community as well as traffic
enforcement. While mental health issues are playing a growing role in the RCMPâs workload, the overall number of calls for service has declined by seven per cent so far this year compared to the first quarter of 2014. Violent crime has fallen by three per cent, while property-related offences are up 13 per cent. While Allan said itâs not unusual for crime trends to fluctuate over the course of the year, she attributes the rise in property offences to a sharp increase in thefts of boats and boat parts, both private and commercial. âIn response we have implemented crime reduction and prevention techniques that specifically target this activityâ she said. âThe same evidence-based action
is taken when we identify crime âhot spotsâ in the community, be it a drug house or a wave of breakins in a certain neighbourhood.â This yearsâ decline in violent crime is welcome news in Port Alberni, which carries the highest Crime Severity Index of any city on Vancouver Island. This Statistics Canada ranking considers the volume of crime in a community while giving more weight to serious offences. Port Alberniâs overall crime severity index puts the city 21st in Canada for offences, or ninth in B.C. With consideration to violent crime the waterfront community ranks 10th in the country, based on the most recently available statistics from 2013. eric.plummer@avtimes.net
ENVIRONMENT
Edible landscapes: Alberni woman wants to transform property into urban garden KRISTI DOBSON ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES
Firefightersâ fundraise for Muscular Dystrophy Firefighters from all over the Alberni Valley will be joining forces for their longest-running collaborative fundraiser: the annual drive for muscular dystrophy. Âť Alberni Region, 3A
Artist fuses loves of clay pots and green gardens Yolande Fournier looks forward to sharing her love of pottery at this yearâs Days with the Arts, a fundraiser for the Community Arts Council. Âť Community, 5A
Âť Use your smartphone to jump to our Facebook page for updates on these stories or the latest breaking news.
A local urban gardener is putting the call out to all green thumbs of the Valley. Jen Fisher-Bradley is looking for people who want to dig in the garden and help transform a property from a blank canvas to an edible landscape. The outcome is expected to be two-fold when it comes to combating climate change. âThere are two important things we can do,â Fisher-Bradley said. âOne is to not waste the food we buy and the other is to learn how to grow food locally.â Fisher-Bradley has an urban farm on Fourth Avenue that supplies herbs, seeds, vegetables and plants as a means of encouraging small scale sustainability within the community. The property next door is currently bare and will be the project material for an upcoming workshop. The goal is to create a flourishing, edible landscape with the help of local hands. Conducted by Fisher-Bradley and edible landscape designer, Helena Hartwood, the workshops are aimed at teaching hands-on skills and providing people with the knowledge to take to their own home and yards. âIf the community has these skills, then it will make us all more resilient,â Fisher- Bradley said. âConsider it an investment in our future. It is about creating a local urban farming community.â Fisher-Bradley also said edible landscapes are not only useful, but are a means of beautifying property. She likes to include fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, herbs and vegetables. âWe will teach people ways to make it low maintenance and cre-
Jen Fisher-Bradley wants to see this blank canvas of land transformed into a useful edible landscape. [KRISTI DOBSON, TIMES]
âThis will empower, educate and supply other urban farmers with seeds, seedlings and knowledge.â Jen Fisher-Bradley, urban farmer
ate an eco-system that imitates nature,â Fisher-Bradley said. Participants will learn to use perennials, how to manage pests, including deer, without the use of poisonous chemicals and how to work through water restriction
and drought challenges. FisherBradley hopes it will empower people to be less dependent on other food sources. âWith the droughts in California, we have to think about where our food is coming from,â she said. She also wants to create a community of urban farmers in the same area of South Port where there are no nearby grocery stores. âThis will empower, educate and supply other urban farmers with seeds, seedlings and knowledge,â she said. Fisher-Bradleyâs passion comes from her many years of saving
seeds and growing her own food. âAlso as a mother and grandmother, I worry about food security,â she said. âTaking action on an issue is good for mental health and thatâs a concern of mine. Itâs hard work, but I enjoy that and I enjoy being able to create a certain amount of resilience.â Once the workshop is complete, the bounty will be used for continual harvest and sales at the next door property and home of Mirabel Urban Farm Market. Anyone interested in signing up can call 250-730-9413. kristi.dobson@avtimes.net
Inside today Alberni Region 3A Opinion 4A
Community 5A Scoreboard 6A
Sports 7A Drive 1B
Entertainment 2B Whatâs On 7B
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