From: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Cdn-Firearms Digest) To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Cdn-Firearms Digest V6 #502 Reply-To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Sender: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Errors-To: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Precedence: normal Cdn-Firearms Digest Monday, September 22 2003 Volume 06 : Number 502 In this issue: Thieves drive into gun shop Firearm seized in New Glasgow SHOTS FIRED AT CAR IN NORTH YORK Police raid nets $300K in drugs, guns; (three handguns, nine long guns) Site of 1986 shootout sold by drugstore owner: GUN SHOP RAMMED DURING LATEST HEIST Victoria posse nabs man suspected of bank heists Former policeman opts for jury trial Editorial Story: Robert aids case for input on top judges ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 10:24:44 -0600 (CST) From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: Thieves drive into gun shop PUBLICATION: Edmonton Journal DATE: 2003.09.21 EDITION: Final SECTION: CityPlus PAGE: A11 SOURCE: The Edmonton Journal DATELINE: EDMONTON - -------------------------------------------------------------------------= Thieves drive into gun shop - -------------------------------------------------------------------------= EDMONTON - Thieves rammed a vehicle through the back of a downtown gun shop early Saturday, the second time the store has been robbed in less than a year. An unspecified number of weapons were taken during the smash-and-grab at P & D Enterprises about 5:30 a.m. Saturday, police said. The stolen weapons will likely be used for crimes, Staff Sgt. Brian Readman said. "There's always a concern when there's a theft at a gun shop," he said. Last October, shop owner Phil Harnois was shot in his left leg during a botched robbery attempt. After several surgeries, he only recently resumed walking without crutches. He was called to the shop at 10552 115th St. before dawn Saturday to find the store's rear wall shattered. "I was pretty disappointed and shocked, but we've gone through this before, and we're going to improve security and still expand our store," said Harnois, a retired city police sergeant. Crews worked all day to restore the inside wall and the store's back door. Harnois estimated the rebuilding will cost as much as $10,000. Harnois said he has now installed barriers behind his store to try to prevent future smash-and-grabs. Police have no suspects. However, one witness saw a pickup truck leave the area shortly after the incident. The witness said it was light-coloured and appeared to be five to 10 years old. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 10:25:59 -0600 (CST) From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: Firearm seized in New Glasgow PUBLICATION: The Chronicle-Herald DATE: 2003.09.22 SECTION: NovaScotia PAGE: A5 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------= Firearm seized in New Glasgow - -------------------------------------------------------------------------= NEW GLASGOW - Police sent a special response team and a negotiator to a New Glasgow neighbourhood on Friday after a report of an armed man at a Temperance Street home. With help from officers in Stellarton and Trenton, police evacuated the neighbourhood soon after the 1:30 p.m. call. A suspect was arrested near the home and the unidentified firearm seized. No one was injured. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 10:27:00 -0600 (CST) From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: SHOTS FIRED AT CAR IN NORTH YORK PUBLICATION: The Toronto Sun DATE: 2003.09.22 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: 26 COLUMN: Sunflashes - -------------------------------------------------------------------------= SHOTS FIRED AT CAR IN NORTH YORK - -------------------------------------------------------------------------= A car stopped at a North York red light was peppered with bullets fired by a gunman in an auto that pulled up beside the victims yesterday. Toronto Police said the two men in the gunshot riddled car were not injured in the 2:50 a.m. violence at Eglinton and Sloane Aves., near the DVP. Police said the second vehicle with three men pulled up and the driver pulled out a silver handgun and opened fire. The windows of the victims' vehicle were blasted and the suspect vehicle fled. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 10:29:29 -0600 (CST) From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: Police raid nets $300K in drugs, guns; (three handguns, nine long guns) PUBLICATION: The Moncton Times and Transcript DATE: 2003.09.20 SECTION: News PAGE: A1/A2 COLUMN: Provincial News BYLINE: ROD ALLEN Times & Transcript Staff PHOTO: Greg Agnew/Times & Transcript ILLUSTRATION: Valerie Cormier of St-Andre leaves court in police custodyyesterday. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------= Police raid nets $300K in drugs, guns; St-Andre couple and their son charged after RCMP seize 3 kilograms of cocaine, 3 kilograms of marijuana-hashish, guns, cash, morphine and blasting caps - -------------------------------------------------------------------------= A typical 'mom and pop store' it is not, if police are able to prove charges laid against a middle-aged Cap-Pélé-area couple and their 32-year-old son arrested Thursday in a search-and-seizure operation. District 4 RCMP say they seized three kilograms of cocaine, another three kilograms of marijuana and hashish combined, three handguns, nine long guns, undisclosed but 'significant' quantities of cash and synthetic morphine tablets, a stolen car and finally, blasting caps and primer cord. Police didn't seize a lot of the latter two materials, which are normally used in construction projects as components for larger explosives. "There might be enough there to blow a door handle off or something like that," said RCMP Const. Michael Dupuis, but added investigators were still 'quantifying' their haul yesterday and as yet have no idea of the intended use of the explosives, if any. All told, police estimate the value of their haul at about $300,000, all seized in raids at a house and a mini-home Thursday in St-André-LeBlanc, a hamlet located just south of Cap-Pélé, a 30-minute drive southeast of Moncton. Dupuis admitted police were somewhat surprised by the quantity and variety of illicit goods they found. "This was part of an investigation into stolen vehicles. Federal prosecutor Jean Cormier said 32-year-old Valerie Cormier will be held pending a bail hearing in Shediac court the morning of Sept. 25. His parents remain free on a recognizance order to return the same date and location for election and plea to charges read in Moncton provincial court yesterday afternoon. Roger Cormier, 49, and his wife Claudette Cormier, 53, are charged with possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking. Their son faces a similar charge as well as one of possession of a stolen vehicle. The lawyer added that no decision has been made yet on whether to proceed with charges involving the weapons or the explosives. Police are not yet saying what sparked the investigation. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 10:31:09 -0600 (CST) From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: Site of 1986 shootout sold by drugstore owner: PUBLICATION: Calgary Herald DATE: 2003.09.20 EDITION: Final SECTION: City & Region PAGE: B1 / FRONT BYLINE: Mario Toneguzzi SOURCE: Calgary Herald ILLUSTRATION: Colour Photo: Colleen Kidd, Calgary Herald / Bruce Winstonplans a revamp of the Marda Loop IDA.; Colour Photo: Steven Kesler; Photo: Calgary Herald Archive / Steven Kesler; Photo: Calgary Herald Archive / Timothy David Smith, far left, was shot down in 1986.; Photo: Calgary Herald Archive / Steven Kesler, left with lawyer Jim Ogle at the time. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------= Site of 1986 shootout sold by drugstore owner: Kesler became folk hero after defending shop - -------------------------------------------------------------------------= A ragged five-centimetre-square hole made by a shotgun blast is the first thing you notice as a small white door opens behind the dispensary of the South Calgary IDA pharmacy in Marda Loop. The damage to a cabinet inside the storage room is a legacy from 17 years ago when violence erupted in the store and outside on the street. The incident would thrust drugstore owner Steven Kesler into the national and international spotlight. Things went crazy when two armed bandits attempted to rob Kesler and his wife, Mary, a pharmacist. One of the bandits was gunned down by Kesler on the street and died. The other robber fired shots inside the store. He was nabbed by police outside in a car as Kesler pounded on him with a shotgun. The store became the talk of the city. To this day, people remember the events of that day as they drive by the store at 2039 33rd Ave. S.W. Last spring, Kesler sold the store. "The history of the store didn't enter into our decision to buy it at all," says Bruce Winston, one of the new owners, as he stands beneath the gaping hole in the back room. "We know the history. The store has been here since 1949. There has always been a pharmacy here. It's that heritage and tradition of having a community pharmacy that interested us." But next month, it will undergo some massive changes. The security bars in all the windows will be removed. Windows will be put in the west wall. The new owners are going to give the store a whole new image. A different feel. "I didn't notice (the hole) until after we had taken over," says Winston. "I thought, that's interesting, but it didn't affect me. Yes, this store has a history, but we're moving forward." The renovations may change the physical appearance inside and outside the store, but they won't erase history. It was a quiet Saturday afternoon on Nov. 8, 1986, as shoppers went about their business in the southwest neighbourhood. Inside the South Calgary IDA pharmacy, Steven Kesler and his wife, Mary, were tending the store they had owned since 1984. The store had been robbed three times and was burglarized twice in the past. Less than five months previously, Kesler wrestled with a gun-wielding bandit during a robbery of his store. He kicked the robber in the head and then started wrestling with the man, who was armed with a semi-automatic handgun. The robber hit Kesler in the head as they grappled, then ran from the store with his accomplice. Because of the previous incidents, security measures were beefed up, including installation of motion-detector alarms, bars on windows, surveillance cameras and the purchase of a shotgun. Just before 3 p.m., a masked man carrying a handgun entered the store and went to the narcotics dispensary where Mary, the pharmacist, was working. He demanded she give him all the narcotics. Another masked man accosted Steven Kesler at the front counter. Steven was told to hand over all his cash or be killed. Instead Kesler, carrying a loaded shotgun, chased the masked man out of the pharmacy and into the middle of traffic. He fired once and struck Timothy David Smith, 27, who immediately fell to the ground. Smith was found by police without a weapon, lying on his stomach in the street, unconscious and clutching $115 in cash. He later died in the hospital. Kesler, a Yugoslav immigrant, later maintained he believed the bandit was packing a pistol because of the way his hand was jammed against the front of his overcoat pocket. He said he aimed at the man's legs in an effort to stop him, not kill him. Kesler then headed back into the store and confronted the other bandit. Steven Bruce Fleming, 32, who was out on bail from robbing the same store previously, was wounded in the shoulder after an exchange of gunfire inside the store. After a struggle, the robber with his 12-gauge shotgun fled to his car, where the store owner struck him with the butt of the shotgun before police arrived. Kesler was clubbing the man while looking down the muzzle of the culprit's jammed gun. He began choking the man just as two police officers showed up. Police described Kesler as being "almost in a blind rage" when they arrived at the scene. Kesler, who was 40 years old at the time, was charged with second-degree murder. Three telephoned death threats to the pharmacy owner's family prompted Calgary police to increase patrols around his home and his business just days after the fatal shooting. After a highly publicized 14-day trial at Calgary Court of Queen's Bench in June 1987, Kesler was found not guilty by a jury of 10 men and two women. He was represented by Calgary lawyer Jim Ogle. Jurors were sequestered almost 27 hours before returning with a verdict. They had to review 11 days of testimony by 45 witnesses. All of the 69 exhibits except the two guns and seized drugs were given to them during their talks. Upon hearing the verdict, Steven Kesler shed tears of relief, jumped up in the prisoner's box, leaned forward and hugged Ogle. He then waved thanks to the jurors who were in the jury box. Four hours later, Kesler was back in his drugstore where he would remain until selling the store in April 2003. A month after the verdict, Fleming was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his involvement in the drugstore robbery. Every time prominent Calgary lawyer Jim Ogle drives by the drugstore today, he is reminded of that day and the subsequent role he played in gaining Kesler's acquittal in the courts. "It captured the community like virtually no case I can think of since," says Ogle. "It was a national and international story. It had an amazing impact -- a visceral impact on the psyche of Canadian culture and North American culture." Ogle has kept in contact with Kesler over the years. The last time they chatted was three or four months ago. Ogle says people to this day still come up to him and speak about the case. There's no doubt it affected almost every Calgarian who lived in the city at the time. But it had the most profound impact on the central character of the story. "No doubt (Kesler) has been tremendously affected ever since (that day)," says Ogle. "On a personal level, it haunted him. It left its mark on him." It also left its mark on Calgary MLA Jon Lord, who was a small business owner in the area 17 years ago and who established a fund back then to help Kesler with his legal costs. Lord had a part in developing a song, The Ballad of Steven Kesler, which was played on local radio stations. He remembers the frustration Kesler was dealing with after repeated robberies at his store. He remembers the death threats -- "and they were quite serious" -- that he himself had to deal with. And he remembers the increased police presence and media circus. Lord is surprised Kesler and his family continued to own the store for so long. He says that under similar circumstances most people, including himself, would have sold the business in quick fashion. "I think he was so traumatized by all this," says Lord. "The system had failed to protect him. He was in essence protecting himself and his family in the only direct manner he was pushed into doing. "In the larger picture, if the system fails to protect, what are citizens justified in doing in self-defence? It's still a big question in my mind. And I don't think that's ever been resolved." mtoneguzzi@theherald.canwest.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 10:34:21 -0600 (CST) From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: GUN SHOP RAMMED DURING LATEST HEIST PUBLICATION: The Edmonton Sun DATE: 2003.09.21 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: 8 ILLUSTRATION: photo by Brendon Dlouhy, Edmonton Sun Phil Harnois stands in his gun shop after the latest robbery. Harnois' crutches - which he needed after being shot during an earlier heist - were damaged during yesterday's break-in. BYLINE: DAN PALMER, EDMONTON SUN - -------------------------------------------------------------------------= GUN SHOP RAMMED DURING LATEST HEIST OWNER STILL RECOVERING FROM GUNSHOT WOUNDS FROM LAST YEAR'S ROBBERY - -------------------------------------------------------------------------= An ex-city cop shot during a botched robbery last year had a vehicle drive through his gun shop yesterday, with someone then taking some rifles and handguns. "The back of my building was destroyed," Phil Harnois told The Sun from P and D Enterprises, 10552 115 St. Harnois, who is still limping from his gunshot wound and under a doctor's care, said the store alarm went off around 5:30 a.m. When he got to the store, Harnois said he found a rear overhead door and interior wall wrecked. Some displays were also damaged. City police say they believe two rifles, six handguns, and some ammunition were stolen before the vehicle made off. Staff Sgt. Brian Readman said a store inventory still has to be done to determine what exactly was stolen. He said police are looking for a white or light blue pickup truck about five or 10 years old that was seen in the area. Harnois said a new overhead door was installed yesterday, while the interior wall was "secured." The gun shop was being renovated so it could expand within its current building. Harnois said the expansion didn't make the place any less secure because the outer walls weren't compromised during the renovations. On Oct. 10, 2002, Harnois was shot in the left thigh after two men in balaclavas burst in as he and wife Dianne were closing the gun shop. The gunshot wound was just above his knee. The bullet entered his inner thigh and exited the back of his leg. It shattered the femur bone in his upper leg. Phil stayed conscious during the ordeal and gave his former police colleagues on scene the thumbs-up as paramedics hauled him by stretcher to a waiting ambulance. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 10:35:29 -0600 (CST) From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: Victoria posse nabs man suspected of bank heists PUBLICATION: Vancouver Sun DATE: 2003.09.20 EDITION: FINAL C SECTION: News PAGE: B4 BYLINE: Lindsay Kines SOURCE: CanWest News Service DATELINE: VICTORIA - -------------------------------------------------------------------------= Victoria posse nabs man suspected of bank heists - -------------------------------------------------------------------------= VICTORIA -- City workers, citizens and police joined forces Friday to nab a man suspected of robbing two banks in Victoria this week. The man allegedly knocked off a Scotiabank at Douglas Street and Hillside Avenue about 1 p.m. and fled on a bicycle. He was brought down by a posse a few blocks away at Bay and Blanshard streets. Sergeant Clark Russell said the suspect was pursued by citizens and eventually subdued with the help of city workers and police. It was, he said, "a joint effort." Police recovered a handgun or replica at the scene, as well as a "substantial" amount of cash. The loot contained an unexploded device designed to spray robbers with dye. Police covered the money with a bullet-proof vest until they were able to remove it . "We haven't counted it yet, but he went over the counter and actually did each till himself, rather than the normal thing, where they just go to one teller," Russell said. Victoria Times Colonist ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 10:36:57 -0600 (CST) From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 1" Subject: Former policeman opts for jury trial PUBLICATION: The Hamilton Spectator DATE: 2003.09.22 SECTION: News PAGE: A07 SOURCE: The Hamilton Spectator - -------------------------------------------------------------------------= Former policeman opts for jury trial - -------------------------------------------------------------------------= A former Hamilton police constable has elected trial by judge and jury in connection with an alleged sexual assault in the fall of 1999. Stephen Holt, 37, was charged in August last year with assaulting a female acquaintance in her Stoney Creek home three years earlier. Holt, who retired from the police service in November, had been a police officer for 13 years at the time of his arrest. He was-off duty at the time of the alleged incident and had no prior relationship with the woman. Defence lawyer Geoffrey Read consented to his client's committal to stand trial following a one-day preliminary hearing last Tuesday. Holt was ordered to appear in Superior Court Oct. 17 to set a date for his trial. Justice Lesley Baldwin of Ontario Court agreed to change Holt's existing recognizance order to permit him to regain possession of a shotgun and ..22-calibre rifle. Holt and his wife operate a hunting and fishing lodge south of Espanola, Ont. Read said they are the only residents during the off-season and require the guns to protect themselves against wolves and bears. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 10:38:48 -0600 (CST) From: paul chicoine Subject: Editorial Story: Robert aids case for input on top judges http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/editorials/story.asp?id=0D488 2E1-DC5E-4372-922F-BD8463AD5472 Robert aids case for input on top judges EDITORIAL STORY The Gazette Monday, September 22, 2003 Until recently, Canada's justice system has remained stonily unresponsive to Canadians' desire for greater accountability and transparency in how judicial appointments are made and how far-reaching legal decisions are determined. The Supreme Court has become more like a third branch of government than ever before in Canada's history, and yet the announcement of each new appointment to its august ranks comes like a bolt from the blue. The legal community might be abuzz with insider gossip on the suitability of Michel Bastarache or Michael Fish, but for all ordinary citizens know about them, they might as well have dropped in from outer space. That is why it is all the more encouraging no less a legal star than the head of the Quebec Court of Appeal, Michel Robert, has called for greater openness. In an interview in The Lawyers Weekly, Robert said he believes candidates for the Supreme Court should undergo a vetting process. This is the first time a chief justice has publicly supported a reform of the 128-year-old system of Supreme Court appointments. Robert suggested the process be conducted by a broad-based, nonpartisan council made up of judges, lawyers, government and community representatives. Under the current system, the prime minister consults privately within the country's legal circle and announces his choice. Canadians are left to take it on good faith the person will prove to be a suitable member of the country's highest court. But as Parliament leaves an increasing number of highly divisive issues to the court to decide, Canadians' willingness to accept blindly appointments made by a single person has worn thin. No one wants the free-for-all of American court confirmation hearings, but between that kind of circus and knowing absolutely nothing about a person who will be making legal decisions of enormous consequence for all Canadians, there is surely some middle ground. The province's chief justice was also right to say judges should do more to communicate with the general public. They are the ones now left to decide cases that involve morality or religion, such as same-sex marriages, assisted suicide and abortion. There is a public interest in knowing what goes into a justice's decision-making when confronted with such thorny issues. There are other encouraging steps toward greater transparency: Quebec's bar association has decided to monitor the use of megatrials in dealing with organized crime. It is not clear trying several accused together is a more efficient use of court time and resources than trying them separately. It is a practice that should also be assessed, publicly, by the justice department. Another positive step is the Chrétien government's decision to have nominees for government appointments such as auditor-general, privacy commissioner or director-general of Elections Canada appear before a permanent Commons committee to discuss their suitability for the position. Now that Parliament has agreed to this vetting operation, it should move quickly on instituting one for top judges. © Copyright 2003 Montreal Gazette ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V6 #502 ********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Moderator's e-mail address: mailto:akimoya@cogeco.ca List owner: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca FAQ list: http://www.magma.ca/~asd/cfd-faq1.html and http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/Faq/cfd-faq1.html Web Site: http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/homepage.html FTP Site: ftp://teapot.usask.ca/pub/cdn-firearms/ CFDigest Archives: http://www.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca/~ab133/ or put the next command in an e-mail message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca get cdn-firearms-digest v04.n192 end (192 is the digest issue number and 04 is the volume) To unsubscribe from _all_ the lists, put the next five lines in a message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca unsubscribe cdn-firearms-digest unsubscribe cdn-firearms-alert unsubscribe cdn-firearms-chat unsubscribe cdn-firearms end (To subscribe, use "subscribe" instead of "unsubscribe".) 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