Friday, September 21, 2007

Traditional policing failing us

Source: BY NICK TERNETTE

It is true that the city of Winnipeg offered the public an opportunity to voice their opinions about the kind of person they want to see hired as a new police chief. Approximately 120 people from groups and as individuals showed up to the two hearings held by the city. In my observation, no suburbanite attended either hearing, raising the question of why they didn't come. Is it because they don't think that the new police chief will serve their constituency? Or is it that they didn't want to come to an inner-city location to attend such a meeting? Or should there have been a meeting held in suburbia, too? And although all of the speakers voiced their concerns about the police chief needing to be community oriented and open to all racial groupings, it is doubtful whether city council will listen. It is even more important to recognize, as former Chief David Cassels has, that the old ways of policing do not work any more. That is, that there is a fundamental contradiction between the traditional model of policing (law enforcement -- meaning serving the criminal justice system) and the community policing model (peacekeeping -- creating peace and solving problems in neighbourhoods). The fact the city's criteria for its next police chief includes such principles as ethics, integrity and the ability to accomplish goals, respecting diversity and be citizen-focused, is simply not good enough. For while police officers are well trained and skilled at doing their job, the organizational structure and philosophy enforces a traditional model of policing where the majority of the police are deployed in cars, responding to a variety of calls for service. This model of random patrol, rapid response and enforcement is failing citizens and does not meet the needs of local neighbourhoods. Community policing cannot just be an adjunct to the traditional model of policing, whereby police officers are placed in the neighbourhoods for short periods of time to deal with problems. As I understand it, the community policing model allows the police to deal with recurring problems in specific neighbourhoods on a long-term basis. They work with businesses and citizens in that neighbourhood to solve particular problems. Most interestingly, under this model, one will discover that certain problems are recurrent within a very small geographical area within a neighbourhood (for example, four or five houses within a neighbourhood may be involved in recurrent break-ins, drugs, etc.). As such, a police officer who is assigned to that neighbourhood would be able to work with that particular area to help solve the problems. Answering emergency calls is not the answer. Solving problems in neighbourhoods is.

Friday, June 15, 2007

Deal with poverty before panhandling

Source: BY NICK TERNETTE Column: Editorial

After two years of waiting, the National Anti-Poverty Organization (NAPO), is finally challenging portions of the City's so-called "aggressive" panhandling bylaw. It seems to me that Winnipeggers have forgotten the history of how City Council has tried to deal with so-called "aggressive" panhandlers. The issue first arose in 1995 under former Mayor Susan Thompson with the introduction of a controversial bylaw to control panhandling. In that bylaw, people were forbidden to panhandle in front of certain locations -- i.e. bus stops and banks. With the threat of legal action by the NAPO, the next mayor, Glen Murray, reformed the bylaw by defining the behaviour of panhandlers, and outlawing what's come to be known as "aggressive" panhandling. For some reason, Mayor Sam Katz didn't like Mayor Murray's bylaw and he revised it to be almost the same as Mayor Thompson's original panhandling bylaw, forbidding panhandling based on location, not behaviour. TELL STORIES Now if you thought that the police have had difficulties enforcing any of these bylaws, you're right -- especially Mayor Murray's bylaw which dealt with behaviour. Approximately 100 tickets have been issued to panhandlers in 2006. Now, what does this tell you about the bylaw? Nothing, really. How many went to court? Found guilty? How many were fined? Many cities have developed "street sheets" or local newspapers that tell stories of the people on the streets. These street sheets are sold by panhandlers who are like vendors for a business, including in the Wolseley area here in Winnipeg. This gives them something to do, and in the process, makes them feel like they have a job and that they are productive members of society. While I support NAPO's legal challenge, I wonder what the results will be. If the courts strike parts of this bylaw from the books as unconstitutional it would still allow the City to regulate panhandling. What is clear here is that panhandling, like prostitution, is not going to go away until we deal with the root of this problem -- poverty!

Friday, October 18, 2002

VOICE OF PROTEST VETERAN ACTIVIST VOWS TO CHANGE CITY GOVERNMENT

BY ROSS ROMANIUK, CITY HALL REPORTER

The loudest voice of Winnipeg's social conscience is taking yet another run for the mayor's office, while promising to boost downtown's density, curb the city's sprawl and increase civic democracy. "I'm the protest vote, but I believe people misinterpret me. I don't run just for the sake of running," Nick Ternette, perennial social activist and rabble-rouser, told The Sun's editorial board in an interview this week. Well into his 20th election campaign in more than 30 years, the newspaper carrier and columnist makes no bones about the fact he doesn't actually want City Hall's top job. But if he gets into that office next week, he'll immediately set about trying to bring far-reaching changes. His measures would include a call to nearly double council's seats to 29 -- the number at City Hall until a decade ago -- and curb the power of the mayor's executive policy committee. Ternette insists he cares far more about an effective decision-making machine than angering his would-be council colleagues. "Cut their pay, I don't care -- I don't think they need to be paid that much," he said of representatives' $51,000-plus salaries. "And then EPC wouldn't be able to control the agendas." 'Dictatorial practices' The 57-year-old self-described "social conscience of the people" is taking aim at what he calls "dictatorial practices in a system that allows Mayor Glen Murray to keep a stranglehold on municipal policy with a seven-member cabinet." City Hall's approach allows Murray's chief advisor -- the EPC secretariat's Ernie Gilroy -- far too much control over what's argued and when, the candidate

alleges. "He's not accountable to anybody," Ternette said of Gilroy, a councillor until 1992. "He was never elected. Nobody really knows about him -- but he's the king. He runs City Hall, basically." Ternette doesn't fit the classic mould of a candidate for top office. But the challenger presents an organized platform which he contends is needed to send Winnipeg's downtown back into prosperity. Among his chief goals is an "urban limit line" -- the kind abolished under the New Democrat government almost 20 years ago -- to restrict a development flow to outlying suburbs and municipalities. And a light-rail transit system -- a first phase of which might cost $50 million, he says -- is another key cog in his plan to bring residents to the core. Those who don't like his ideas need look no farther than Calgary's introduction of an LRT two decades ago. "You should have seen the kind of redevelopment that occurred as a result of that. ... At every station for the LRT, you had developers building," said Ternette, a former Cowtown resident. "You see coffee shops, housing co-ops and whatever else. "And if you rebuild density, you bring people back downtown." The left-leaner's current run has generated the most attention he's enjoyed in five runs for the top office, he says, suggesting his sensible approaches are finally catching on with a bigger chunk of the 'Peg's mainstream. If the Wolseley resident emerges on top on Oct. 23? He'll tackle the mayoralty, he says, with all the gusto he's brought to his endless protest appearances before civic committees. And his victory bash would be open to everyone. "I'd open City Hall to invite everybody to come, whether they'd voted for me or not," he declared. "We'd set up a beer tent outside. I'm German. I'm serious. We'd have hot dogs, German bratwurst and sauerkraut -- and everybody could come to that." --NICK TERNETTE, 57 Campaign pledges: - set firm limits on urban sprawl - push for a light-rail transit system - improve transparency and democracy at City Hall - implement full ban on smoking at indoor public places - remove school taxes from property tax bills - kill public subsidies for private-sector development Biography: - works as a Winnipeg Sun carrier and flyer distributor, and writes columns for weekly papers and magazines - volunteers for Laura Secord School's student lunch program - born in Germany, came to Winnipeg with his family at age 10 - married to Emily, an employee with a provincial disability lobby organization - has a 26-year-old daughter from another former relationship, and two grandchildren - loves bowling and playing golf, "serious" films mostly from Europe and folk, jazz, classical and light rock music

Thursday, July 1, 1999

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

RECYCLING'S A BETTER IDEA Congratulations to the Winnipeg Sun editorial Trash User-Fee Idea which calls for opposing the notion of the Winnipeg waste department's proposal for user fees for garbage collection. The idea that we ought to bring down property taxes and encourage recycling is good, but, unfortunately, the notion of "user fees" is an even more regressive form of taxation than property taxes. Ultimately, this proposal will lead to a "bureaucratic horror" -- excess garbage anonymously dropped into other people's garbage and streets littered with garbage. It will ensure the costs of administering this program outweigh any cost savings devised. As the editorial says, yes reduce property taxes, but, not through users fees and maybe the city needs to become positive rather than negative about recycling. Nick Ternette

Sunday, January 26, 2003

ACTIVIST SET TO HANG UP HIS PLACARDS TERNETTE WON'T RUN AGAIN

Source: BY LAURIE MUSTARD Did you know Nick Ternette turned 58 this past Thursday? Yep, and Friday, prior to his celebratory soiree, I had the opportunity to chat with Winnipeg's most active activist since 1960, and learn a little more about the man behind the ... mania? Nick, will you ever run for mayor again? "No, and in fact I'm two years away from retiring as Winnipeg's foremost political activist. Forty-some years is enough. Of course I'll still be involved to some degree. But no more running for office." How many campaigns did you compete in? "Between here and Calgary, for school board, council or mayor, I have run 20 times." How many of those did you win? "None. Not one. Not even close, although it felt good to come in third out of 10 in the 1989 mayoralty race against Bill Norrie. I got 6,800 votes. The issue of civic participation and civic duty has always been very important to me. "I believe that everyone over 18 should run for public office at least once in their life, because in order to understand politics, you have to know what the political process is all about, and there's no better way to learn than by running." At the age of 58, looking back over the battles, what little kernel of wisdom might you have to share with us? "The more things seem to change, the more they are the same. Just the names change. Vietnam/Iraq. We're up against the same problems and issues now that we were back when I got into the game around 1960. Still, never give up." LEFT-HANDERS OK, we're familiar with the political Nick, but what about the personal side. Tell us one thing people may not know about Nick Ternette. Radical laugh, then this: "I LOVE golf. It's a bourgeois sport, but I love golf. I'm terrible at it, have about a 36 handicap, have never broken 100, but I just love it. Phil Mickelson is my favourite pro, maybe because we're both left-handers, I don't know. But I really enjoy the game." Anything in the works you're pumped about? "Yes, a bunch of business people have nominated me for the Order of Manitoba. They're not with me politically, but believe I should be acknowledged for my

contribution to the democratic process and diversity. That's pretty exciting." And well deserved. You've got my vote sir. Congrats. Now, before we wrap for the day, congrats also to 2002 United Way campaign chair Gail Asper and her victorious crew for hitting the $13.8-million mark -- which just happens to be $200,000 over goal. At United Way's wrap party last Thursday night I asked next year's campaign chair Sandy Riley how he's going to match, or maybe even top, that accomplishment: "With the support of that incredible United Way team, and by keeping it all as much fun as Gail made it. She did a wonderful job, and always brings a tremendous spirit to whatever she does."

Thursday, September 25, 2003

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR COLUMN

REGRESSIVE FEES WON'T FLY Hey, I'm not a fiscal conservative, so let's get off the notion that Mayor Murray's "new deal" for the city is all about tax grabs. The fact is that property taxes are one of the most regressive forms of taxation, especially for those on fixed income, students and seniors. Now not for one second do I believe that Murray will be able to cut property taxes by 50%, eliminate the business tax, cut bus fares and eliminate the amusement tax. Taxpayers will continue to pay for services no matter what, but taxes need to be collected in a more diversified manner. Unfortunately, Murray's solution to cutting property taxes is to increase user fees. This is counterproductive, for some user fees are progressive (gas tax, hotel tax, and liquor tax) while others are regressive (sales tax, water/sewage levy, garbage fee and telephone line fee). What the citizens of Winnipeg need to tell the mayor is that a combination of increased shared revenue from the province, progressive user fees and some property taxes would provide the best "new deal" for the citizens of Winnipeg. Nick Ternette