Some homeless people don't want to leave the street, Higgs says
CBC
Premier Blaine Higgs says the death of two people at a tent encampment in Saint John shows the need for legislation that would force some homeless people with addictions into treatment against their will.
Higgs brought up the bill, yet to be introduced, in response to questions from the opposition about the two deaths on Monday.
"Some people just don't want to come off the street," the premier said in Question Period.
"So are we going to consider that as an acceptable lifestyle and condone it? Or are we going to find a way to help them find a way back into homes and into a life that's worth living?"
Last fall's throne speech promised legislation called the Compassionate Intervention Act, which the government said would "empower judges and hearing officers to order treatment for severe substance abuse disorder."
It said that intervention would include "a compassionate approach" and the legislation would set out parameters for that.
Higgs said during Question Period that the bill would recognize that when people's lives are in danger, "we can help them find shelter so they will not die."
The premier said he hoped the legislation would win unanimous support in the legislature.
Speaking to reporters, Higgs wouldn't say how the planned legislation would comply with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which says everyone has "the right not to be arbitrarily detained or imprisoned."
"That's where the debate will come in, in the house, when we introduce it," Higgs said.
"Basically, when does it become a safety issue? The safety not only of the individual, but to the community. … And we'll see where that goes."
Saint John police say it could be days or weeks before the two people who died in the fire Monday afternoon are identified. The fire is under investigation.
Higgs expressed his condolences to the families of the two victims.
Health Minister Bruce Fitch told reporters Tuesday he didn't know whether the legislation would have made a difference in Saint John.
Toronto police are probing a fatal crash that killed a 71-year-old man in the city's east end Thursday night.
Venessa Liang removed the chocolate bars from their moulds and brushed a bit of edible gold dust on them to cover up tiny blemishes along the edges.
The new session of the Saskatchewan legislative assembly begins Monday with the election of a new Speaker and the government's throne speech, which will outline its priorities.
This First Person column is written by Melinda Maldonado, who lives in Toronto. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
For a couple of months last spring, Hamilton's Cootes Paradise Marsh offered a glimpse of what's possible.
A man walking his dog on a Lower Mainland trail was injured earlier this week in a black bear attack, the B.C. Conservation Officer Service says.
Author Suzanne Craig-Whytock has written post-apocalyptic fantasies and dark thrillers to humour for teens and adults and has a number of titles to her name including The Dome, Smile and Feasting Upon the Bones.
They wish they didn't need it, but it's now a necessity.
An ongoing debate in the House of Commons could push some government departments into a cash crunch and run up against other deadlines as the end of the fall sitting approaches.
Celebrity chef Vikram Vij is partnering with a Toronto charity to help raise funds for cash-strapped food banks.
The federal government did not meet the targets for its program to plant two billion trees during the program's third planting season.