The police board has voted to make the Halifax Regional Police policies on extra-duty and off-duty employment public following criticism about officers working security at local grocery stores. The Board of Police Commissioners met virtually on Wednesday, its first full meeting since the public started noticing Halifax Regional Police officers guarding produce at their local […]
Halifax police board asked to make policy on encampment enforcement
Chief Dan Kinsella has said it many times now: Halifax Regional Police won’t remove people from parks if they have nowhere to go. “We’re not looking to take anyone out of a park, or even to issue a fine. That’s not what we’re looking to do,” Kinsella said on Wednesday. But until it’s a formal […]
Public speakers call for defunding, Halifax police board approves budget increase
The city’s police board is recommending in favour of a 2.3% increase to the Halifax Regional Police budget. Chief Dan Kinsella asked for that increase, equal to about $2 million on top of last year’s budget of $88.8 million, to pay for 26 new sworn officers and 10 new civilian positions. He said the new […]
Halifax police board accepts defunding report, plans public hearing for budget
The city’s police board will hold a public hearing before voting on the Halifax Regional Police budget for next year. At its virtual meeting on Monday, the Halifax Board of Police Commissioners heard presentations from Chief Dan Kinsella on the 2022-2023 operating budget including a requested 2.3% increase, and from El Jones on the report […]
Defunding report calls for better Halifax police oversight, ‘detasking,’ increased spending on affordable housing
Halifax police should be less involved in mental health response and traffic enforcement, they need better oversight, and the municipality should be spending more money on affordable housing. Those are some of the takeaways from a new report coming to the city’s Board of Police Commissioners on Monday. The report, “Defunding the Police: Defining the […]
Halifax Regional Police request $2-million budget increase
Chief wants to hire 26 new officers, says police in 'dire straits.'
Halifax Regional Police are looking for an extra $2 million, but the city’s police board isn’t ready to rubber stamp it yet. Chief Dan Kinsella brought the request to the Board of Police Commissioners at its meeting on Monday, looking for a vote in favour of his proposed 2022-2023 operating budget of $90,876,900. That would […]
Weekend File
The articles we published from October 16 to 22, 2021.
Welcome to Weekend File. Here are links to all the articles you might have missed last week. Jump to sections in this article: Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Sunday, October 17 1. White lawyer Nash Brogan and Black lawyer Lyle Howe are each charged with professional misconduct, but the Barristers Society is […]
Halifax police board seeks second opinion on its authority to review response to homeless evictions protest
The municipality’s civilian police oversight board has asked for an independent legal opinion on whether it has the authority to review the actions of police at a protest at the former Halifax Memorial Library in August. Halifax Regional Police evicted people living in parks, arrested protesters, and deployed pepper spray in the street next to […]
RCMP release redacted email to councillors about traffic stop involving Halifax cop
The acting chief officer of Halifax-district RCMP said officers never pointed a gun at Dean and Angela Simmonds.
The RCMP have allowed the municipality to release part of a controversial email they sent to some Halifax councillors after a traffic stop in the summer. As the Halifax Examiner reported last week, the email came to light at a meeting of the Halifax Board of Police Commissioners: At its virtual meeting on Monday, the board […]
Halifax police board votes to appoint El Jones to develop committee defining defunding
Halifax’s board of police commissioners voted Monday to appoint El Jones to propose a committee to define defunding the police, and Jones hopes to turn that into an opportunity for more public input at the board. It’s the culmination of months of debate at the board over how to approach the issue of defunding the […]