Dennis R. Young
Most Recent Articles by Dennis R. Young:
Could the same thing happen in Canada?
Feb 18, 2019 — Dennis R. Young
AURORA, Ill. - An initial background check failed to detect a felony conviction that should have barred the man who killed five co-workers and wounded six other people at a suburban Chicago manufacturing plant from buying the gun. Months later, a second background check of Gary Martin found his 1995 aggravated assault conviction in Mississippi involving the stabbing of an ex-girlfriend. But it prompted only a letter stating his gun permit had been revoked and ordering him to turn over his firearm to police—raising questions about the state’s enforcement to ensure those who lose their permits also turn over their weapons. (The Star—Aurora Shooter’s Permit was Revoked but Gun Wasn’t Seized, Feb.17, 2019)
Charter Rights Violations by RCMP in High River Still Hidden from Public, Legislature, Parliament
Oct 26, 2018 — Dennis R. Young
Summary of High River Rights Violations Still Hidden
- Answer to Alberta Justice Minister Jonathan Denis’ question to his Deputy Ministers: “What legal authority do the police rely upon to forcibly enter private property in the flood stricken area?” Alberta Crown Counsel Paper: ‘’The Local State of Emergency-Mandatory Evacuation Order Police Officer Authorities’’ – Withheld by both Alberta Justice and the RCMP.
- 2,840 pages of RCMP records of High River legal questions submitted to the Federal Department of Justice and Attorney General – Withheld by the RCMP since requested in November of 2016.
- All High River ‘legal authorities questions’ asked of the Federal Department of Justice – Withheld by the Federal Department of Justice and Attorney General.
- Why didn’t the charter didn’t protect High River residents? – 885 pages withheld by the Federal Department of Justice and Attorney General.
- High River ‘Briefing Note to the Minister’ & ‘Talking Points’ - Withheld by the Federal Department of Justice and Attorney General.
- What were the ‘hard decisions’ made by the RCMP in High River? On September 5, 2013 Staff Sgt. Ian Shardlow told Danielle Smith’s Town Hall: “What I’m suggesting to you though is that the High River members aren’t the ones that made the hard decisions, whether they’re born out to be correct or not. Rather than leave them in a position where they may have to police the community afterward, right, in an unhealthy environment, every member that comes back to work in High River didn’t work from the 24th of June into a significant period into July. None of them made the hard decisions, none of them opened your doors, kicked your doors, smashed your doors, none of them searched your homes.”
What Goodale’s ‘Guns and Gangs Summit’ Missed All Together
Mar 20, 2018 — Dennis R. Young
The Justin Trudeau government is once again proceeding to pass new gun control laws without knowing whether the previous gun laws have hit the right target or not. In his 1993 report to Parliament, Auditor General Denis Desautels’ main point 27.3 stated: As well, our review of the new regulations indicated that important data, needed to assess the potential benefits and future effectiveness of the regulations, were not available at the time the regulations were drafted. Because of this, we believe it is important that the measures chosen by the government be evaluated at the earliest opportunity.
The sad fact is that this evaluation recommended 25 years ago has never been completed by any government:
COVER-UP OF RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN HIGH RIVER FORCED ENTRIES
Jan 4, 2018 — Dennis R. Young
On August 7, 2014, a telephone poll of all listed phone numbers in High River, Alberta showed that 53 percent of High River respondents would refuse orders to evacuate their homes in the event of another flood. On September 9, 2016 another telephone poll of all listed phone numbers in High River produced similar results: less than half of High River residents trust the RCMP to protect their homes and property in the event of another emergency evacuation order. No newspaper has reported the results of these polls (or the other two telephone polls conducted for the National Firearms Association) and no government has bothered to conduct an independent poll to verify or clarify these results.
THE COVER-UP OF HIGH RIVER FORCED ENTRIES CONTINUES
Aug 7, 2017 — Dennis R. Young
On June 25, 2013, Alberta Justice Minister Jonathan Denis asked his Deputy Minister, Tim Grant this question: ‘What legal authority do the police rely upon to forcibly enter private property in the flood stricken area?’ Deputy Minister Grant forwarded Minister Denis’ question to newly appointed Assistant Deputy Minister and Director of Law Enforcement, Bill Sweeney (retired RCMP Commanding Officer for ‘E’ Division, the Province of Alberta).
ADM Sweeney then sent an e-mail to RCMP Assistant Commissioner Marianne Ryan asking her to answer Minister Denis’ question adding: ‘This was in relation to High River and breaking into homes to look for casualties. The Minister was aware that firearms that have not been properly stored were seized during the (sic) these searches and also anticipates that some residents will ask this question later.’ Note: This was three days before the media and the public were made aware that firearms were being seized in High River.
WHAT DO THE LIBERAL’S MEAN WHEN THEY SAY EVIDENCE-BASED’ GUN CONTROL POLICIES?
May 25, 2017 — Dennis R. Young
In his 1993 report on the Gun Control Program to Parliament, Auditor General of Canada Denis Desautels wrote: ”27.3 As well, our review of the new regulations indicated that important data, needed to assess the potential benefits and future effectiveness of the regulations, were not available at the time the regulations were drafted.” The Auditor General was referring to Kim Campbell’s gun control regulations in Bill C-17. The Justice Department defended their lack of evidence with this statement: “In any event, the legislation and regulations were driven by clear public interest considerations, which needed to be acted upon despite the absence of precise data.” The Auditor General went on to recommend: “27.50 The Department of Justice should undertake a rigorous evaluation of the gun control program.” They never did.
In 1995, the newly elected Liberal Government also ignored the Auditor General’s sage advice when it rammed its two-billion-dollar gun registration and gun owner licensing regime (Bill C-68) through Parliament, again ‘despite the absence of precise data.’
RCMP REPORT CPIC BACKLOG OF 570,639 FINGERPRINT FILES
Mar 29, 2017 — Dennis R. Young
In 2012, Blue Line News Week reproduced an article describing the sad state of backlogs in Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC). Sun Media reported: “A spokesman for the national police agency told QMI Agency there were 430,000 criminal records waiting to be filed into the Canadian Police Information Centre database, with more piling in every day. The backlog accounts for about 10% of the RCMP’s complete criminal record file of 4.3 million records.”
We wanted to know if there had been any shrinkage in the CPIC backlog for the subsequent years, so we filed an Access to Information Act (ATIP) request with the RCMP in July 2016. In January 2017, we received the RCMP’s response: “As of August 15, 2016, there was a backlog of 570,639 Fingerprint Services Number (FPS) files to be updated to the National Repository of Criminal Records.”
THE MOUNTIES KICKED IN HOW MANY DOORS IN HIGH RIVER?
Nov 20, 2015 — Dennis R. Young
NOTE: Published by Team CSSA E-NEWS—November 19, 2015
On September 5, 2013, Wildrose MLA Danielle Smith held a Town Hall in High River, Alberta to shed some light on the forced entries into what we thought were a few hundred homes by the RCMP and the unwarranted searches of and seizures from those homes. S/Sgt. Ian Shardlow told the crowd: “We started to collect the information, we basically solicited people to come forward with the complaints and the numbers are correct it’s around nineteen hundred, I’m going to suggest it will probably stop before two thousand.” The High River Detachment Commander was almost right. We now know, thanks to the Office of the Information Commissioner and a year and half wait, High River residents actually filed 2,010 complaints caused by the RCMP’s unnecessary and unwarranted actions in High River homes following the flood.
Update: High River Forced Entries, Unwarranted Searches and Seizures
Sep 10, 2015 — Dennis R. Young
The truth must be very bad when both the Federal Government and the Government of Alberta are going to such great lengths to keep all the High River records under such tight wraps.
Despite all the personal accounts and evidence of ‘Broken Trust’ in High River, both levels of government are hiding behind the RCMP Public Complaints Commission’s seriously flawed and incomplete investigation of and rationale for all the events that occurred in High River between June 20, 2013 and July 31, 2013.
RCMP Slam doors shut on High River Access To Information requests
Jun 1, 2015 — Dennis R. Young
It’s one thing for the RCMP to refuse to send all the records I have requested, under the authority of the Access to Information Act (ATIP), regarding the RCMP’s illegal searches of 4,666 High River homes following the 2013 flood; however, it’s quite another thing to exempt ALL the records I requested in their entirety. I couldn’t believe it the first time it happened but now that I have received three responses in a row from the RCMP saying I was being denied copies of ALL the records I requested. It appears that a blanket cover-up is now underway on the High River Forced Entries, Unwarranted Searches and Seizures file.
High River Forced Entries, Unwarranted Searches & Seizures
May 12, 2015 — Dennis R. Young
Since June 28, 2013, when the High River Gun Grab was first reported in the media, I have been investigating the rights violations that happened in High River during and following the flood of 2013. I have filed 42 Access to Information Act (ATIP) requests with the Federal Government (mostly with the RCMP and the Department of National Defence) and seven Freedom of Information Act (FOIP) requests with the Government of Alberta. Many of the responses to these ATIP and FOIP requests and my subsequent complaints for missing information sent to the respective Information Commissioners are available on the National Firearms Association website under the “News” icon.
Petition for a Judicial Inquiry into the High River forced entries
May 2, 2015 — Dennis R. Young
Hello! I have started a petition to the Premier of Alberta: Call a judicial inquiry into the High River Forced Entries.
I need your help to get it off the ground. Will you take a minute to consider signing this important petition?
So many questions left unanswered by the RCMP Public Complaints Commission High River investigation
Mar 31, 2015 — Dennis R. Young
Senior politicians stated (hoped) that the High River report released on February 12, 2015 by the RCMP Public Complaints Commission would close the file on the hundreds of doors being kicked in, 4,666 x 2 unwarranted entries and searches, seizures of hundreds of guns, and seizure and destruction of tons of ammunition, seizure of firearms magazines, bows, knives, etc, etc. The 122-page report didn’t even come close to answering all the questions that High River residents asked at their town hall meeting on September 5, 2013.
Open letter to Alberta Justice Minister Jonathan Denis
Mar 24, 2015 — Dennis R. Young
When did you know the RCMP were kicking in doors in High River, why didn’t you stop it before it got out of hand and why did your government defend the RCMP’s actions?
Dear Minister Denis:
I want to thank you for taking the time to write on January 28, 2015 responding to my two previous letters dated September 30, 2014 and January 2, 2015.
RCMP’s Draft plan for towns declaring a State of Local Emergency
Mar 16, 2015 — Dennis R. Young
The RCMP Public Complaint’s Commission published their long-awaited report on the High River Gun Grab on February 12, 2015. Their 122-page report included fifty-two findings and ten recommendations.
Long-Gun registry data used in High River Gun Grab
Mar 9, 2015 — Dennis R. Young
In the twenty months between the flood and High River Gun Grab in June of 2013 and the release of the RCMP Complaints Commission’s High River report there was speculation (including my own) that the RCMP were using copies of the Long-Gun Registry that was supposed to be destroyed in 2012 in accordance with an Act passed by Parliament.
RCMP Complaints Commission’s High River Report A Lesson For Police & Communities
Feb 22, 2015 — Dennis R. Young
On February 12, 2015, the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP released their long-awaited report of their investigation of the RCMP’s actions during and following the emergency flooding in the Town of High River, Alberta between June 20, 2013 to July 13, 2013. The Commission’s investigation examined the RCMP’s forced entries of “more than 754 homes”, their unwarranted search of 4,666 homes (most on at least two occasions), damage complaints filed by more than 1,900 home owners, the RCMP’s seizure of more than 600 firearms and the seizure and destruction of approximately 7,500 pounds (between 400,000 and 450,000 rounds) of ammunition.
High River, Alberta Forced Entries, Unwarranted Searches and Seizures
Nov 26, 2014 — Dennis R. Young
Last week, we learned that the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP has once again delayed releasing the report of their investigation of the RCMP’s actions during and following the emergency flooding in the Town of High River, Alberta in June and July of 2013. The Commission’s investigation is looking into the RCMP’s forced entries of 754 homes, their unwarranted search of 4,666 homes, the complaints filed by more than 1,900 home owners, the RCMP’s seizure of more than 600 firearms and the destruction of more than 7,500 pounds of ammunition.
What ” Hard Decisions” did the RCMP make in High River, Alberta?
Jun 6, 2014 — Dennis R. Young
Airdrie, Alberta—I am analyzing every scrap of information released by the RCMP and National Defence, in response to more than two dozen of my federal Access to Information Act requests, hoping to shed some light on the “hard decisions” that RCMP Staff Sgt. Ian Shardlow said were made in High River, Alberta during last June’s flood.
High River, Alberta—The Cover-up Continues
May 24, 2014 — Dennis R. Young
Airdrie, Alberta—On June 20th, it will be one year since thousands of residents of High River, Alberta had to run for their lives to escape flood waters that inundated a large part of that town and flooded many of the 4,000 homes. A State of Local Emergency (SOLE) was declared by the town council and the town’s people were ordered to evacuate. Two hundred and seventy-three Mounties and three hundred and thirty soldiers descended on High River.