含羞草研究社淐offee or crack?含羞草研究社� is the caption over the video a former Maple Ridge city councillor posted on her social media page, showing a man smoking something at a table at a Tim Hortons restaurant.
He appears to be using a pipe or tube, above a piece of tinfoil, and a puff of smoke appears over his head. An elderly woman can be seen in a booth directly beside his.
含羞草研究社淭his is your City of Maple Ridge are you proud?含羞草研究社� asked Chelsa Meadus.
The video has gone viral, shared across many social media platforms and pages. It was also the subject of news reports over the weekend. Staff at the 224th Street/Lougheed Highway location reported that the drug fumes forced them to evacuate the restaurant, and it含羞草研究社檚 an ongoing problem.
There are 124 comments under the Meadus post, and the vast majority of comments are 含羞草研究社淒isgusting,含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社淢aple Ridge RCMP should be notified..含羞草研究社�, 含羞草研究社満卟菅芯可绂now I can含羞草研究社檛 let my kids go to Tim Hortons without me含羞草研究社卟菅芯可鐫, and 含羞草研究社淭his is just brutal. Decriminalization seems to be working.含羞草研究社�
Mike Farnworth, the BC Minister of Public Safety, also weighed in, saying he was disgusted by the video, and that the culprits should have been arrested and charged.
The Ridge Meadows RCMP did not respond to questions about the incident.
Meadus said she is no stranger to such scenes, staffing the nearby office of Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows MP Marc Dalton.
含羞草研究社淚 work very close to there, that含羞草研究社檚 something I see every day, but it seems to be worse,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淧eople are no longer hiding their drug use.含羞草研究社�
She said the city needs to tell the province what含羞草研究社檚 happening due to its decriminalization policies that allow possession of small amounts of hard drugs, including crack, meth and fentanyl.
含羞草研究社淚f the whole point was to reduce overdoses, then that含羞草研究社檚 a failed policy,含羞草研究社� she said, noting that the number of overdoses from illicit drug use continues to climb.
Maple Ridge Mayor Dan Ruimy saw the video for the first time weeks ago, and had city staff and community safety officers visit the restaurant.
含羞草研究社淎s soon as I saw it, we had everyone mobilized,含羞草研究社� said Ruimy.
Ruimy said the city is working to have more enforcement and visibility in the downtown core. For example, the new Project Sentinel announced by the Ridge Meadows RCMP will increase downtown patrols, and in the words of Superintendent Wendy Mehat when she announced the project, it will 含羞草研究社渉elp address public safety concerns of the business community.含羞草研究社�
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The city also has community safety officers, and private security companies who respond to business and citizen complaints during the later hours.
Ruimy said the onus is on business owners and management to tell people not to smoke or use drugs inside their buildings, or to call police, CSOs or Westridge Security to deal with the situation.
含羞草研究社淚t would have been responded to very quickly,含羞草研究社� he said.
The city will try new initiatives, and is talking about having a 含羞草研究社減op-up cop shop含羞草研究社� at the corner of 224th Street and Lougheed Highway, and at other downtown locations, said Ruimy. Details are still being firmed up.
Last summer含羞草研究社檚 Project Dovetail brought more RCMP, city bylaws and Westridge Security into the downtown, and shoplifting incidents were cut in half. That proved having more uniforms visible makes an impact, said Ruimy.
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Ruimy also spoke against people with political ambitions using a serious issue to score political points. The city image and downtown entrepreneurs took a hit, he said.
含羞草研究社淓nough with the rage farming,含羞草研究社� he said. 含羞草研究社淟et含羞草研究社檚 not use our city as cannon fodder for the next political election.
含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檓 trying to find solutions.含羞草研究社�
Both he and Meadus said Victoria needs to provide treatment for those battling addiction.
含羞草研究社淭he province needs to step up with recovery homes, and they need homes for people on the streets,含羞草研究社� said Ruimy.
Meadus said the province should supply more than that 含羞草研究社� she would ask for more CSOs to police open drug use brought about by decriminalization.
