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Vancouver now Canada's murder capital, public safety minister says

The Canadian Press
February 17, 2009

METRO VANCOUVER — Twelve shootings in 16 days, including the slaying of a young mother driving with her four-year-old son in the back seat, have many Metro Vancouver residents on edge.

Canada's top cop labelled Metro Vancouver the country's gang capital Tuesday as police identified the young mother killed in a hail of bullets while her four-year-old son rode in the car.

Nicole Marie Alemy was driving her husband's Cadillac in suburban Surrey when she was hit.

The 23-year-old White Rock, B.C., resident's son was unhurt, though traumatized when the car coasted into a tree by the side of the road Monday morning.

Another killing took place Tuesday as federal Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Peter Van Loan met local mayors, police officials and relatives of two innocent victims caught in a gang-style execution that claimed six lives in 2007.

Vancouver police would not confirm details but witnesses told reporters a man was killed and his intended victim wounded in what appeared to be a botched murder attempt at a south Vancouver basement suite.

"Vancouver and British Columbia are unfortunately the focus of the largest number of gun violence in Canada" he said.

RCMP Cpl. Dale Carr of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said Alemy was not the registered owner of the vehicle riddled with bullets.

"The registered owner was her husband," he said.

Van Loan said the Conservative government has already done a lot, including funding more police officers, introducing mandatory minimum sentences for gun offences and requiring those charged with serious crimes to prove they should be allowed out on bail - known as reverse onus.

The government's efforts to do more were hampered by opposition party obstruction before the last election, he said.

"We had mandatory prison sentences for drug crimes was one bill that never made it through that parliament," said Van Loan, adding the government intends to reintroduce the legislation.

Canadians need to send a message to politicians that it's time to "rebalance our justice system," Van Loan said.

Liberal public safety critic Mark Holland said the party had agreed to expedite passage of some of the Tories' crime package. But the government became impatient with the Liberal-dominated Senate, then prorogued Parliament and called an election.

The Ontario MP would not commit the Liberals to supporting a fresh crime package without seeing details.

"I don't think we have material objections to stiffer sentences and dealing with the punishment side of crime," said Holland. "But the reality is it's got to be a lot more comprehensive than that."

Van Loan said besides trying to jail more serious criminals, the government is also funding efforts to keep young people out of gangs. But Holland said Van Loan's department has spent less than half of its crime-prevention budget.

Police remained shocked by Monday's shooting, especially its impact on the young child who witnessed it.

"He probably underwent the most horrific thing that a child could ever go through, which is to watch their mother get murdered," said Carr, his voice quivering at times.