Burnaby high-schooler cuffed for snapping photos
BURNABY—ON OCT. 25, it was reported that 16-year-old Jakub Markiewicz was arrested in September and detained by the RCMP after he took a few pictures at the Metrotown mall in Burnaby, B.C. Markiewicz, who hopes to become a journalist, was at the shopping centre and photographed a man being arrested by mall security. The security guards asked him to delete the photo, which his film camera wouldn’t allow him to do, and he turned to leave. However, when Markiewicz witnessed RCMP officers arriving, he took one more photo, which prompted the mall’s security guards to push him to the ground while the local police handcuffed him. He was then taken to an RCMP cruiser and searched, and the RCMP demanded he delete the photos. Markiewicz was ultimately released from custody without being charged, but was banned from the mall for six months.
—Keeton Wilcock
Gatineau bar accused of racism
GATINEAU—GATINEAU POLICE CONSTABLE Pierre Lanthier confirmed that officers were called to Le Fou du Roi RestoBar at about 1:40 a.m. on Oct. 20 regarding an altercation between a bouncer and a group of people who were trying to enter the bar.
The bouncer appeared to deny entry to a group of black people, allegedly saying he had an order to refuse any black people who were not regulars at the bar, as can be seen on a cellphone video of the altercation posted on Facebook.
Brigit Vanhoutte, one of the bar’s co-owners, expressed regret over the incident, and said that the bar does not condone the incident.
The bouncer in question has been suspended until further notice.
—Spencer Van Dyk
Sinkhole survivor wants OPP to investigate city’s involvement
OTTAWA—JUAN PEDRO UNGER, the man who was caught in the sinkhole that formed on Highway 174 on Sept. 4, is asking the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to investigate whether the City of Ottawa was criminally negligent in the collapse of the road. Video recently released shows that during a routine inspection of the storm drain under the highway, a pipe was severely corroded. The inspection was carried out over a year before the roadway collapsed.
Unger, who managed to climb out of the sinkhole with the help of passing motorists, believes the city should have fixed the problem of the corroded pipes after the inspection turned up the problem.
The city has said they have increased repairs to the highway since the sinkhole incident.
—Andrew Ikeman
