Another day, another drug dealer with a Firearms Prohibition Order is arrested with illegal drugs and illegal guns. It’s as if no policing agency in Canada bothers to keep tabs on these criminals.
And therein lies the problem.
Ontario Provincial Police arrested Gravenhurst drug dealer Jamie Marshall Robitaille for violating his Firearm Prohibition Order as part of their investigation into an illegal drug operation. At the time of his arrest, Robitaille was in possession of the following:
- a undisclosed quantity of Oxycodone pills
- 345 cannabis marijuana plants
- 15.7 pounds of cultivated cannabis marijuana
- $57,435 in Canadian currency
- associated drug paraphernalia
- a crossbow, and
- a quantity of ammunition
Jamie Marshall Robitaille was arrested and charged with six counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition contrary to a prohibition order and three drug trafficking offences.
Robitaille’s three accomplices in the marijuana grow operation, Stephanie Stainton, Darlene Bowan and Darryl Walter Durkee were also charged with offences under the Controlled Drug and Substances Act or the Cannabis Act.
All four were released from police custody on a promise to appear in court to face those charges on March 25th.
There is no news report on whether any or all of these folks showed up for their scheduled court appearance at the Ontario Court of Justice in Midland.
Congratulations to the Community Street Crime Unit (CSCU) members attached to Southern Georgian Bay, Orillia, Bracebridge and Huntsville detachments of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) for a successful operation.
Now, will the courts do their part?
Will Public Safety Minister Bill Blair and Attorney General David Lametti do their part, and overhaul Canada’s Firearm Prohibition Order scheme so police have the tools to ensure repeat offenders like Jamie Marshall Robitaille abide by the terms of their release?
So far, stone cold silence is the only answer to that question.
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair and Justice Minister David Lametti:
Canada’s Firearm Prohibition Order system is broken
When will you introduce legislation to track, trace and check on violent criminals with Firearm Possession Orders?
Jamie Marshall Robitaille is another example of how Canada’s Firearm Prohibition Order system is broken and must be fixed.
Common sense dictates our scarce police resources should be devoted to those individuals who pose the greatest risk to public safety, yet these are the people Canada’s legislators and police totally ignore.
People with a history of violent offences are a proven danger to public safety, yet these are the people our government refuses to check on or track.
- No police agency in Canada tracks individuals with Firearm Prohibition Orders registered against them.
- There is no legal requirement for police to track individuals with Firearm Prohibition Orders registered against them or routinely check on them to ensure compliance.
- There is no legal requirement for individuals with Firearm Prohibition Orders to notify police when they move to a new residence. Police have no idea where these people are.
Contact the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Public Safety
If you, like me, want to see violent criminal offenders tracked and checked on to ensure they are abiding by all of their conditions of release, including Firearm Prohibition Orders, please write Justice Minister David Lametti and Public Safety Minister Bill Blair and demand they introduce legislation to implement these reforms immediately.
The Honourable David Lametti
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
284 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H8
Email the Minister of Justice
The Honourable Bill Blair
Minister of Public Safety
House of Commons
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0A6
Email the Minister of Public Safety
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