Town hall meeting looks to address northeast Calgary crime
One city councillor hosted a town hall meeting Saturday with social agencies and police to address rising crime rates in northeast Calgary.
Raj Dhaliwal is concerned with the amount of dangerous crime in Ward 5 and says the area's reputation is in need of cleaning up.
He believes a good place to start is by addressing social issues within some of the hardest struck neighbourhoods in Calgary.
"I don't want to hear, 'it's not my problem, it's their problem,'" he said. "It's our problem."
Gun violence in Calgary is on the rise.
In the first four months of 2022 alone, there were 54 shootings in the city.
"And 26 of them were north of 16th Avenue," Dhaliwal said. "That to me is very sad."
That number had risen to 63 by June.
Police stats show more homicides related to organized crime, and it's apparent officers have had a tough time keeping gun crime down.
"So they said to me, 'Raj, this is not just our problem anymore. This is a community problem.'"
That community problem was addressed at length during the Saturday town hall. Northeast families and neighbourhood leaders attended to listen and ask questions of those on hand.
The area is home to many new Canadians, and Dhaliwal believes the way different cultures are policed may need a retooling.
"It's a western perspective — western modelling — we see that's being applied to problem-solving with those cultures," he said. "And that's where the problem starts. What works for some doesn't work for all."
Language or faith barriers can often serve to confuse or amplify smaller issues.
The town hall tried to address those gaps and teach about services available to kids and parents in the area.
Dhaliwal says future town halls or similar forums haven't been ruled out.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.