Latest news with #C-STEP
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Violent Canada Day chaos forces Victoria to launch 10 million emergency plan
The City of Victoria is investing over $10.35 million into public safety initiatives after a wave of violent incidents across the city's downtown during the Canada Day long weekend. Mayor Marianne Alto announced the funding on Wednesday(July 2) as part of the city's Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan, a key component of its 2023–2026 strategic vision. Alto called the decision 'the single most important' the city council has made. 'We must do this. We must,' she said during a news conference outside Victoria City Hall. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo The funding includes $1.9 million to hire 12 new bylaw officers who will be deployed in high-risk areas such as Pandora Avenue and Princess Street. An additional $1.35 million will allow Victoria Police to recruit nine new officers. The city is also contributing a one-time payment of $220,000 to match provincial funding through the Community Safety and Targeted Enforcement Program (C-STEP). Victoria Police Chief Del Manak welcomed the move, saying his department is currently short 44 officers. Live Events 'We've been under-resourced for years. This is a much-needed investment, and we're already planning aggressive recruitment to fill these gaps,' Manak said. The announcement comes days after a series of unrelated but troubling incidents across the city. A business owner on Yates Street was assaulted by a man unknown to him on Sunday. Later that evening, a separate individual attacked another person with an edged weapon nearby. That victim reportedly ran into a London Drugs store for safety. Earlier that day, a man armed with a weapon threatened the Victoria Fire Department headquarters. The man arrested in the bike shop assault was later released on conditions, police confirmed. The city is also addressing homelessness and mental health by allocating $1.95 million for two short-term shelter facilities, along with $850,000 in operational support and $300,000 for property rentals. Another $624,000 will support housing nonprofits to expand relocation services for unhoused individuals. Victoria resident Sasha Santana said she often feels unsafe, regardless of time of day. 'I think there's a lot of different aspects, mental health, substance use, people not getting support. And people not knowing how to handle it,' she told CBC. Mayor Alto emphasized the plan is not reactionary. 'What you're hearing today is a thoughtful plan that has been percolating for months,' she said. Victoria's strategic reallocation of funds comes without raising taxes. The plan includes public infrastructure upgrades and a transport strategy to relocate unhoused people to services beyond the downtown core.
Global News
2 days ago
- Global News
‘There's an urgency': Victoria unveils $10M for first steps of public safety plan
Victoria's mayor has unveiled a $10-million plan to boost public safety in the city's downtown core, which she says will have a visible impact before the end of the year. The money will go primarily to hiring new police and bylaw officers, temporary housing, and public works to ensure 'the cleanliness, hygiene, look, feel, atmosphere of the whole city.' The initiative is meant to enact the first steps of the city's recently completed Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan. 4:07 Calls for safety crackdown in downtown Victoria 'That plan will unfold over a number of years, as you know, but there's no doubt whatsoever that there's an urgency to certain aspects of it,' Mayor Marianne Alto said Wednesday. Story continues below advertisement The city's long-term plan envisions a larger enforcement role for bylaw officers, and Wednesday's announcement includes $1.9 million towards that goal. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'We're going to immediately put enough resources into that to hire a dozen new staff, people who will be able to execute their jobs more frequently, more intensively, more regularly throughout the downtown,' Alto said. The plan also includes $1.35 million to hire another nine police officers to focus on the downtown core, including Pandora and Princess avenues, which have been the epicentre of addiction and homelessness in the city. The city is also matching about a quarter million dollars in provincial funding to the C-STEP program aimed at tackling non-violent crime. The plan includes a $390,000 boost to Victoria's public works budget to address the 'huge task' of street cleaning, along with $4.86 million to repair and rehabilitate Pandora and Princess avenues. It also includes more than $3 million for 'temporary' housing solutions to fill the gap while the province works on more permanent facilities. 2:10 Victoria business association calls for safety in downtown core 'We do know that if we don't step in, at least on a temporary basis for a couple of years, and create some destinations for these folks, they're still just going to languish where they are,' Alto said. Story continues below advertisement Alto said the city has committed to not raising property taxes to enact the plan and will instead shift money from existing programs and services. That includes postponing some planned upgrades to Royal Athletic Park and the Centennial Square revitalization project and the use of millions from various city reserve funds. City council is expected to ratify the safety and well-being plan on Thursday, after it was approved in principle last month. 'We must do this, and I think the fact that I've been able to stand before you and tell you not just what we're going to do, but how we're going to pay for it is an indication that it will happen,' Alto said. 'There'll be many challenges along the way, but we will surmount them.'
Hindustan Times
11-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Indian govt report in 2022 foresaw China rare earth export crisis
As Indian manufacturers are scrambling to deal with supply-chain disruptions caused by China's restrictive policies on the export of rare earth metals, in many of which it has a near monopoly, experts are pointing to an early warning of this — in a 2012 strategy paper prepared by a steering committee headed by the then mines secretary Vishwapati Trivedi after a similar crisis caused after Beijing restricted supplies of the critical materials that are needed in the auto, space and clean energy industries. Also Read: 'China deal done': US to lower tariffs to 55%, allow Chinese students for higher ed Back then, they added, India felt the heat of Chinese squeeze and on August 9, 2011, the government set up an 11-member steering committee to develop a strategy paper on status and availability of rare earth elements (REE) and energy critical elements (ECE). The committee was chaired by the mines secretary and co-chaired by chairman of the Centre for Study of Science Technology (C-STEP). Members included senior officials and experts from the Department of Science & Technology (DST), the Geological Survey of India, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), the Department of Atomic Energy, the Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) and the chairman of India Rare Earth Ltd. Also Read: China can't afford double standards in fight against terror: S Jaishankar The forward of the committee's report titled ''Rare Earths and Energy Critical Elements: a Roadmap and Strategy for India', published in July 2012, said: 'In view of the increased demand of REE and near monopoly of supply from China, there is a need to develop national policies and implementation strategies for ensuring indigenous supply of REE… A Steering Committee was constituted by the ministry of mines with the ultimate intention of preparing a strategy paper for the government, providing short, medium and long term options along with proposals for specific policy & legislative interventions.' Also Read: 'Gratitude to Indian Navy': China on rescue of crew aboard cargo ship which caught fire off Kerala coast The report was blunt about Beijing's approach. 'China has been the major supplier of rare earths all over the world. Even though it has only 37% of global RE resources, it has captured the worldwide market to the extent of 97%. The low cost and efficient production process enabled China to monopolize the rare-earth market, forcing rare earth operations around the world to close down. Indian Rare Earths Ltd (IREL), which was once a leader in export of rare earth compounds had to shut down its operation in 2008,' the report added. 'Over the last couple of years China has imposed restrictions and curtailed its export by over 30% citing domestic demands as the reason. This unexpected decline has restarted rare earth operations once again throughout the world,' the report said. The same thing is happening again. Indian industries are suffering due to shortage of the critical minerals. According to a Reuters report published in Hindustan Times on Wednesday, automobile majors such as Maruti Suzuki have cut near-term production targets because of rare earth shortages. 'Government departments, particularly the ministry of commerce and industry, are holding hectic meetings with industry and other stakeholders to resolve the supply crisis. Government is using diplomatic channels asking Beijing to relax supply curbs for the Indian industries,' one of the people mentioned in the first instance said. The ministries of mines, commerce and external affairs did not respond to an email query on this matter. China's curbs on exports of rare earth materials have been officially raised through diplomatic channels by India, especially in view of the impact on manufacturers of electric vehicles, people familiar with the matter said. The issue reportedly figured in a meeting between Indian ambassador Pradeep Rawat and China's vice foreign minister Sun Weidong in Beijing on June 5. 'China's move was primarily aimed at the US and the impact on India was collateral damage. We are hopeful that the matter will be resolved soon,' one of the people said. It is not clear how China's deal with the US —the two countries reached a framework agreement that will now have to be approved by their respective Presidents —will affect this. The matter is expected to figure in discussions during a visit to India by Sun Weidong, a former Chinese ambassador to New Delhi, beginning on Thursday, the people said. Sun is visiting India to continue discussions with foreign secretary Vikram Misri aimed at normalising bilateral ties following the end of the military face-off in the Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) last October. Auto manufacturers affected by the curbs on rare earth exports too have sought to reach out to Chinese authorities but without much success so far, the people said. Two days after India and China reached an understanding on withdrawing forces from the two remaining 'friction points' on the LAC last October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met in the Russian city of Kazan and agreed to revive several mechanisms to restore normalcy in ties and to address the long-standing border dispute.
Global News
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Global News
B.C. launches $5M public safety program to crack down on street crime
The B.C. government has unveiled $5 million in new funding for an initiative to crack down on property crime and street disorder. The province says the new Community Safety and Targeted Enforcement (C-STEP) program will give police more tools to respond to street crimes, including shoplifting, theft and property damage. Minister of State for Community Safety and Integrated Services Terry Yung, a former Vancouver police officer, said the program was a result of listening to communities and police around the province. 1:49 Vancouver police hosts forum on retail crime 'We heard loud and clear what they wanted, and street-level crime such as theft, robbery, undermining businesses and making it sometimes untenable for them to be around. For so long it has been going on and this is not acceptable,' he said. Story continues below advertisement The initiative comes as concerns about street crime and disorder make headlines around the province. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Earlier this week, the City of Williams Lake said it was considering declaring a state of emergency to deal with the problem, while residents of Nanaimo have staged repeated rallies over what they say is spiralling public disorder. Retailers have also reported upticks in violent shoplifting incidents, with London Drugs recently saying it was considering shuttering its location on the edge of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. The program is being administered by the RCMP, which opened to funding applications from police agencies around the province two weeks ago. 1:50 Williams Lake considers state of emergency over crime, disorder The province says C-STEP funding will be available to support increased police patrols targeting street crime like open drug use and trafficking, disturbances and public intoxication, and to work with businesses and social services on co-ordinated plans to pre-emptively address street disorder. Story continues below advertisement 'We are not going to be prescriptive in where the funding is going to go, We want the police agencies to come up with operational plans, requests, and expect a matrix to find out where this money is going to address the most pressing challenges facing them on the street level,' Yung said. He said the program will supplement the existing Specialized Investigation and Targeted Enforcement, which targets repeat violent offenders. The program is being welcomed by business groups and the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police. 1:49 Maple Ridge safety concerns following baseball bat assault 'This initiative reflects a clear recognition of the urgent public-safety challenges facing downtown cores, including the growing impact of non-violent and repeat offenders on small businesses,' said Jane Talbot, president and CEO of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association. 'Any step forward is important, and we see this as a significant and encouraging move in the right direction.' Story continues below advertisement Asked if the money would be enough to tackle property crime across the province, Yung described the $5 million as a 'beginning investment.' He added that the province continues to advocate for 'meaningful bail reforms' promised by Prime Minister Mark Carney's new Liberal government.
