Murray Wood: Who's hot and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look at the big news stories and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week's list ...
To identify participants of a rally who recently marched into the Cornwall Centre unmasked in defiance of public health measures, Regina police posted footage and closeups of faces online.
So far, the tips have been good, says Regina Police Service Chief Evan Bray.
In one case, a woman told police it was her son-in-law who participated in the breaking of public health orders that limit the size of gatherings.
” ‘That’s my son-in-law and I don’t appreciate the fact that he’s down there,’ ” Bray recalls the woman saying.
“That’s really been a great initiative for us as well and at the end of the day, I think it sends a message to people who might want to just wander down and take a look.”
Regina police have issued 16 tickets related to the event and Bray said more will be coming. However, he said police cannot practically ticket every single person.
“Operationally, it’s very tough to just swoop in. You’d pretty much need as many cops as you’ve got protesters,” Bray said during his appearance on Tuesday’s Greg Morgan Morning Show.
Bray also doubts stiffer penalties, as suggested by the Opposition NDP, would work.
“At the end of the day, a $2,800 fine is nothing to sneeze at and it doesn’t seem to be a big deterrent,” he said. “So you could make them higher, but I do think that we’re going to see a bit of a clog in the courts when they’re going to be fighting these and so we’ll be vigilant in ensuring that that is upheld through the courts as well.”
Whatever the penalties are, he thinks the people who organize the rallies are seeking to use them to gain attention.
“At the end of the day, this group albeit small, they want to brag on social media and they’re looking for us to give them more fodder for their small group,” Bray said.
