Latest news with #Chhinzer
Global News
3 days ago
- Global News
‘Middle-class safety is being eroded': Violent break-ins changing Ontario communities
Amar Pathak thought it was her daughter coming home late. But in fact, the sound of the garage door cracking open around 3 a.m. a few years ago wasn't her child — it was a stranger searching for valuables with a flashlight. 'I was so scared just thinking about what if that guy had come into the house? What if the door had been unlocked?' Pathak, an Oakville, Ont., resident, told Global News. 'Now I hear every day someone's home is broken into and gets hurt.' While overall robberies in Ontario are finally on a slight downward trend for the first time in years, violent break-ins and home invasions with weapons are rising — and with them, the call for more security is too. Story continues below advertisement Police forces across Toronto, Peel, Durham and Halton are reporting a spike in residential break-ins involving weapons, often carried out by young offenders. Police officials, security experts, and residents say the increased availability of illegal firearms, a lack of deterrence in the justice system and highly organized criminal groups are all fueling the crisis. According to Toronto police data, the number of residential robberies was up 49.7 per cent in 2024 when compared with the year prior — the highest jump in recent years. When combined, there were more than 900 armed robberies in both years — almost double the numbers seen in 2022 and prior. 'No consequences' Ron Chhinzer, a former Halton police officer and expert in public safety, told Global News violent break-ins, often armed and increasingly organized, are becoming more common. Story continues below advertisement 'There's really no consequence to a lot of these criminals,' Chhinzer said. 'They can break into a home one day, be out on bail, and then be doing the exact same crime that night.' He said the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated many of the root causes. Lockdowns, economic stress, and mental health and addiction crises led to a sharp rise in drug demand, which was met by street gangs, many tied to organized crime. During his time as an officer, he noticed how violent organized crime networks started to shift from auto theft to home invasions. 'The hardened guys who used to deal drugs started seeing their buddies stealing cars and making big money,' Chhinzer said. 'And they said, 'Forget this, I'll do what you do. I've already got a gun.'' 'But instead of learning the tech to steal cars, they just said, 'Why bother? I'll kick in a front door, hold everyone at gunpoint, steal the watches, the cash, and the keys.'' In Halton, break and enters rose to 1,061 in 2024 from 655 in 2020. 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 A spokesperson from the Toronto police hold-up squad, a team recently made to deal with armed robberies, confirmed that while car theft-linked invasions have declined slightly this year, total home invasions are up 105 per cent year-to-date. Story continues below advertisement 'We've seen these kinds of cycles before, from a rise in bank robberies to spikes in carjackings and home invasions,' they said. 'Offenders often shift focus to what they see as an easier target.' 'A brutal awakening' Mario Zelaya, the founder of Dura Film, a growing home fortification company, says the demand for protective window film is being driven by fear and real violence. Zelaya said he launched the business eight months ago after noticing just how many people were being harmed in their own homes. 'This business shouldn't even exist, but here we are. I've installed film for people who have been hurt and have had to go to the hospital,' he said. 'I've heard of 65- to 70-year-olds being woken up from their sleep and pistol-whipped, demanded to give their valuables over. They sometimes have to get stitches or have a fractured orbital bone. I can't even imagine how brutal of an awakening that would be.' Story continues below advertisement 1:01 Video shows moment Ontario homeowner scared off four armed home invaders Dura Film applies a thick, laminated film on the inside of windows, designed to keep them intact even after blunt force. The goal isn't to prevent break-ins entirely, but to slow them down long enough for help to arrive. 'Police officers have literally said to just buy them four minutes,' Zelaya said. 'If we can delay robbers, that might save a life.' Police in Halton recently released a stat showing 48 per cent of break-ins occur through back patio doors, typically large glass panels that are easy to shatter. The surge in violent crimes has also been reflected in security patrols in many neighbourhoods. 'Oakville, Etobicoke, York Region … there is private security everywhere now,' Chhinzer said. Story continues below advertisement 'This is where we're headed. People hiring private patrols. Gated communities. Reinforced doors. Middle-class safety is being eroded.' 'They want 18 and under' A major driver in the surge is how organized criminal groups are intentionally recruiting younger offenders, according to Chhinzer. 'Organized crime networks want 18 and under,' he said. 'If you look at some of the data, a lot of these offenders are 15 to 16 years old because they sit under the Youth Criminal Justice Act … minimal repercussions.' The former officer also linked the issue to high youth unemployment and a shrinking legal job market. 'Why work a minimum wage job if someone can make $50,000 in one night?' he said. 'The economic opportunity on the black market is massive and there's no real cost to getting caught.' Story continues below advertisement 2:12 Project Ghost: Nearly 200 charges laid, and 13 members of 'violent criminal network' arrested Peel police announced Tuesday morning that they had completed a recent takedown of a large criminal network that was exploiting youth and targeting residents. Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich said the targeting of youth into gangs has played a big role in the violent crime uptick across the region. 'These networks prey on at-risk youth, pulling them into violent criminal activity,' he said. Mississauga Coun. Alvin Tedjo added that 'this was an unusually violent, organized criminal network that terrorized families and drafted vulnerable youth into its activities.' 'I was so scared' Pathak still thinks about what could've happened the night her home was broken into. Story continues below advertisement Looking out the front window, she saw their garage wide open, and a young man inside, using the flashlight from his phone to search for valuables. When she tapped on the glass, the man startled and fled with two other men. 'We didn't realize there is another car and two people inside the car, and they were holding up an object that looked like a weapon,' she said. 'I can only imagine if they got in.' Pathak later discovered the man had accessed the garage using a remote he found inside her vehicle. She called 911 immediately but no arrests were made. 3:10 Ontario couple terrified after violent break- in at their home As home invasions spike, Zelaya warns that the violence is leaving behind long-term consequences for residents. 'Some of these people are permanently traumatized,' he said. 'They don't feel safe in their own home.'
Toronto Sun
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
WARMINGTON: Current, former cops say it's time to get serious about fighting crime
Oakville East Conservative candidate, GTA police union presidents say public facing 'growing threats every day' Get the latest from Joe Warmington straight to your inbox Oakville East Conservative candidate and former Peel and Toronto cop Ron Chhinzer is hoping the next government takes a serious approach to fighting crime. As a cop, Ron Chhinzer was known for stopping crimes before they happened. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account This is why he decided to run for politics. He started his career in intelligence, which offered an opportunity to intercept a plan before it happened and to try to protect his community. He was good at it and won awards, including Toronto Police officer of the month in 2014. From guns and gangs to community policing, Chhinzer did an amazing job for two decades with the Peel Region and Toronto services before also going into private business. Born as Randeep but known by everybody as Ron, he has continually said that his goal is to make Canada safe again. Read More Chhinzer, who is the Conservative candidate for Oakville East, said one of the biggest problems during this campaign was no one was talking about crime as the mayhem was raging all around. Of course, he is right about that. 'If you're a Canadian who's been a victim of a crime and can't figure out why dangerous repeat offenders keep walking free,' he said, 'know that in the English Liberal leadership debate they never even mentioned crime.' Head-in-the-sand approaches don't stop crime. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This picture captures the epitome of @PierrePoilievre. From the first time I met Pierre in 2022, he showed the openness, care, and conviction I spent my career striving for. He is the kind of leader I trust and proudly stand behind with the credibility I've built over two… — Ron Chhinzer (@RealRonChhinzer) April 28, 2025 'In places like Oakville and all over, regular people — families, workers — are getting victimized by organized crime, auto theft, carjackings and home break-ins so violent you're staring down a gun,' Chhinzer said in an online forum on violent crime, adding 'victims matter' and the public deserves better. Now is the chance to make things better. Now that the votes are in, the time is here to get serious about mental health, drugs and guns in the street. No more excuses. No more sugar-coating it. It's a national emergency and it needs a national solution. Cities and towns are losing this war. And people are dying. With the election out of the way, there should be no delaying people rolling up their sleeves and getting to work on this. Don't wait for any more mass slayings or foiled ones, whether it be death by car, stray bullets or overdoses. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'When will we see change?' said Toronto Police Association president Clayton Campbell, who has been ringing the bell on this issue for the last year. RECOMMENDED VIDEO The change has to come immediately. Canada deserves better than the country to slip into looking like a zombie apocalypse. The public is counting on the next prime minister and cabinet to make public safety and family affordability priorities of this new government. And it must be done before anything else is accomplished. If there is any lesson to be learned from the car attack in Vancouver that left at least 11 people dead and dozens injured, it is that police and health professionals had more than 100 interactions with the accused, Kai-ji Adam Lo, before he was charged with eight counts of murders and more expected to come. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The question is: How was this guy released into the public with such an extensive history of mental illness calls involving authorities? Why are violent people so easily released? And why do politicians dump all of this onto constables policing the streets? Officers are asking this question, too. Toronto Police Association president Clayton Campbell. Photo by Supplied 'Like everyone impacted by this tragedy, they, too, will be changed forever by what they saw and experienced that day,' said Campbell. 'It is incredibly frustrating to see so many lives affected.' But there has to be lessons learned. 'Mental health does not equal violence,' said Campbell. 'And yet innocent lives are lost and police are left to pick up the pieces.' Peel Regional Police Association president Adrian Woolley. (LinkedIn) Peel Regional Police Association president Adrian Woolley agreed. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I have to call out the (previous) Liberal government's continued failure to take crime and mental-health issues seriously,' said Woolley. 'Saturday's tragic events in Vancouver and a shooting at Pearson Terminal 1 only six days ago are stark reminders of what happens when leaders prioritize politics over public safety. 'Communities across Canada are being left vulnerable, while frontline officers face growing threats every day.' Both police association leaders, who went into those roles for the same reasons Chhinzer did, have had to endure the trauma of each having two officers fire their weapon at an assailant who pulled a gun on them last week. RELATED VIDEO Things are not safe in Canada for officers or the public. In both cases, the young men who pulled a gun on officers were shot and killed. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In North York, Toronto Police officers fired on what turned out to be a 16-year-old boy, who video shows produced a gun and fired it. RELATED VIDEO At Pearson airport, Peel cops were faced with a 30-year-old man, Daniel Dolan, who sources said was being dropped off at the airport by his sister and her boyfriend to travel to Yukon to stay with a friend when a disagreement ensued. Despite de-escalation tactics used by security and police, he allegedly produced a gun and was shot. Whatever the reason, it's tragic, unacceptable and needs to be addressed immediately with the newly elected government. 'The next government will take the bold steps necessary to protect public safety, protect those with mental-health issues and protect those who protect others,' said Campbell. 'The incident in Vancouver is just devastating and our thoughts go out to the victims and their families. We also want to send our support to the police members and other first responders.' Woolley added that 'it's time for real action and change, not empty promises.' They say that time is now. Will the newly elected members of Parliament listen? Federal Elections Federal Elections World Editorial Cartoons Celebrity
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
WARMINGTON: Current, former cops say it's time to get serious about fighting crime
As a cop, Ron Chhinzer was known for stopping crimes before they happened. This is why he decided to run for politics. He started his career in intelligence, which offered an opportunity to intercept a plan before it happened and to try to protect his community. He was good at it and won awards, including Toronto Police officer of the month in 2014. From guns and gangs to community policing, Chhinzer did an amazing job for two decades with the Peel Region and Toronto services before also going into private business. Born as Randeep but known by everybody as Ron, he has continually said that his goal is to make Canada safe again. WARMINGTON: Man fatally shot by cops for pointing a gun had done this before WARMINGTON: Exclusive video shows Toronto cops had to shoot 16-year-old who was shooting at them Chhinzer, who is the Conservative candidate for Oakville East, said one of the biggest problems during this campaign was no one was talking about crime as the mayhem was raging all around. Of course, he is right about that. 'If you're a Canadian who's been a victim of a crime and can't figure out why dangerous repeat offenders keep walking free,' he said, 'know that in the English Liberal leadership debate they never even mentioned crime.' Head-in-the-sand approaches don't stop crime. 'In places like Oakville and all over, regular people — families, workers — are getting victimized by organized crime, auto theft, carjackings and home break-ins so violent you're staring down a gun,' Chhinzer said in an online forum on violent crime, adding 'victims matter' and the public deserves better. Now is the chance to make things better. Now that the votes are in, the time is here to get serious about mental health, drugs and guns in the street. No more excuses. No more sugar-coating it. It's a national emergency and it needs a national solution. Cities and towns are losing this war. And people are dying. With the election out of the way, there should be no delaying people rolling up their sleeves and getting to work on this. Don't wait for any more mass slayings or foiled ones, whether it be death by car, stray bullets or overdoses. 'When will we see change?' said Toronto Police Association president Clayton Campbell, who has been ringing the bell on this issue for the last year. The change has to come immediately. Canada deserves better than the country to slip into looking like a zombie apocalypse. The public is counting on the next prime minister and cabinet to make public safety and family affordability priorities of this new government. And it must be done before anything else is accomplished. If there is any lesson to be learned from the car attack in Vancouver that left at least 11 people dead and dozens injured, it is that police and health professionals had more than 100 interactions with the accused, Kai-ji Adam Lo, before he was charged with eight counts of murders and more expected to come. The question is: How was this guy released into the public with such an extensive history of mental illness calls involving authorities? Why are violent people so easily released? And why do politicians dump all of this onto constables policing the streets? Officers are asking this question, too. 'Like everyone impacted by this tragedy, they, too, will be changed forever by what they saw and experienced that day,' said Campbell. 'It is incredibly frustrating to see so many lives affected.' But there has to be lessons learned. 'Mental health does not equal violence,' said Campbell. 'And yet innocent lives are lost and police are left to pick up the pieces.' Peel Regional Police Association president Adrian Woolley agreed. 'I have to call out the (previous) Liberal government's continued failure to take crime and mental-health issues seriously,' said Woolley. 'Saturday's tragic events in Vancouver and a shooting at Pearson Terminal 1 only six days ago are stark reminders of what happens when leaders prioritize politics over public safety. 'Communities across Canada are being left vulnerable, while frontline officers face growing threats every day.' Both police association leaders, who went into those roles for the same reasons Chhinzer did, have had to endure the trauma of each having two officers fire their weapon at an assailant who pulled a gun on them last week. Things are not safe in Canada for officers or the public. In both cases, the young men who pulled a gun on officers were shot and killed. In North York, Toronto Police officers fired on what turned out to be a 16-year-old boy, who video shows produced a gun and fired it. At Pearson airport, Peel cops were faced with a 30-year-old man, Daniel Dolan, who sources said was being dropped off at the airport by his sister and her boyfriend to travel to Yukon to stay with a friend when a disagreement ensued. Despite de-escalation tactics used by security and police, he allegedly produced a gun and was shot. Whatever the reason, it's tragic, unacceptable and needs to be addressed immediately with the newly elected government. 'The next government will take the bold steps necessary to protect public safety, protect those with mental-health issues and protect those who protect others,' said Campbell. 'The incident in Vancouver is just devastating and our thoughts go out to the victims and their families. We also want to send our support to the police members and other first responders.' Woolley added that 'it's time for real action and change, not empty promises.' They say that time is now. Will the newly elected members of Parliament listen?
CBC
20-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Conservatives say a suspicious document was made to sway prisoners against them. We looked into it
Three Conservative candidates have shared online images of what purports to be a government document aimed at influencing inmates to vote against their party — but the document appears to be a poorly-edited fake version of a real government webpage. In posts on social media on Sunday, CPC candidates Ron Chhinzer, Larry Brock and Frank Caputo all shared the document, with Chhinzer and Brock implying that the Liberal Party could be behind the move. "This document was found behind bars and handed over by a prison guard," wrote Chhinzer in an X post that appeared on Sunday. "Are the Liberals seriously trying to win over convicted criminals by targeting Conservative crime policies?" CBC News' visual investigations team examined the document and found that it is likely an edited version of a real government webpage that has nothing to do with prisons. The page is about learning how to file taxes. The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), the agency responsible for running federal prisons, also said it found no evidence of the document circulating in correctional facilities and noted that it was not an authentic government document. WATCH | CBC News investigates a strange document allegedly found in a prison: We investigate: Did Liberals give prison inmates this anti-Poilievre letter to sway votes? 2 days ago Duration 2:35 Conservative candidates shared a letter on social media, claiming it was given to prison inmates to sway their vote toward the Liberals. CBC News's visual investigations team found that the letter is likely an altered version of a real web page, and the Correctional Service of Canada says it found no evidence that it's being circulated. The claim has also been repeated and shared by social media influencers and numerous people online with posts about the document garnering hundreds of thousands of views. Some users noted that the image appeared to be of an official Government of Canada document on "official letterhead," referring to the government logo and text at the top of the page. The document describes a number of elements related to the Conservative Party's proposal on crime, including the creation of a "three strikes" rule for serious crimes, designation as dangerous offenders and other elements. But it also includes a number of proposals that the Conservatives have not put forward, like requiring inmates in maximum security facilities to wear orange jump suits, removing TVs and generally slashing funding for federal prisons. Some social media users responding to the posts questioned whether inmates were even allowed to vote. Inmates in Canada have been allowed to vote, regardless of their sentence, since 2002. Spelling errors, odd formatting The document allegedly found in the prison has multiple spelling errors. Near the top, "proposal" is spelled as "preposal," and in another instance the document talks about "sellings guns," with an extra "s." The letter uses circled numbers similar to the real webpage, as well as several identically-written references to virtual lessons and how long they take to complete. One sentence, about accessing an online portal, is the same in both documents. The document has odd and jumbled formatting, suggesting it was poorly edited. It also has a file path in the bottom left corner, implying that it may have been printed out from someone's computer. CBC News was able to easily recreate elements of the document — for example, the way the icons on the original webpage appear as empty boxes in the letter — by saving the real webpage as its own file, saving it again as a PDF and then simply editing the PDF with online editing tools that are widely available. CSC said in a statement that the letter was not an official government documents and that it could not find evidence that it had been found in a federal correctional institution. "While claims were made earlier this week about the existence of a certain document that was allegedly found at an institution, we consulted with Wardens and could not find it," the statement said. "The picture that was posted on social media was not an official Government of Canada document and we do not support circulating such documents under the Government of Canada wordmark." Conservatives respond Reached for comment, the national Conservative campaign reiterated that a correctional officer had provided the document and that they had found it in a prison. The Conservatives also noted that a CSC statement, provided to another media organization earlier in the week, did not explicitly deny that the document may have circulated at some point in a facility. Rather, it said that the document was not currently in circulation. Neither the central Conservative campaign nor the candidates who shared the document online replied to specific requests for comment about where the document allegedly circulated and why candidates suggested the Liberal Party was implicated.
