Discussions

Emergency response vehicle cost 400k  
Yearly upkeep let’s aim high 50k  
One human life saved. Be police,suspect or Innocent by stander. Priceless  
Why is it there is a price to keep the members of our society safe who put there lives at risk for the rest of us keeping the peace.  
As for the comments about its Brandon not Beirut. Last time I checked one bullet hear does the same damage.  
Thank you the the men and women who keep us safe you deserve whatever needed to keep you safe to go home to your families.

If the situation is that bad that we need to use this, then why don't we just use the Military? They are 15 minutes away....

From an earlier response......  
 
 
Policing by its nature is a multi-faceted job in which they must put on many different hats depending on what they are doing. For example they could be attending ceremonial duties, patrolling the streets on foot or in their cars, being at schools for presentations and support, attending community events, attending sporting events, enforcing the traffic act, helping save a cat, investigating minor and serious crimes.  
 
Sometimes, when things get really bad they are needed to go kick in doors and save people from really bad guys. This whole idea of police being militarized because they get a armoured vehicle or carry big guns is ridiculous. When police are in the role of door kicking or taking down bad guys, guess what? That usually requires the use of special equipment, guns and tactics. And yes sometimes the gear and tactic are similar to what the military does because it works. Thats how you win in a gun fight!  
 
However, the police have also adopted less lethal tactics that helps preserve life. The military is trained to kill and the police are trained to preserve life. Huge difference.  
 
You cant call the police "militarized" just because of some similar gear to the military. Especially considering their mandates are completely different. The armoured vehicles they have are not equipped with machine guns, or missiles, or any high caliber weapon system. The way the vehicles are deployed are different and the use policy is different. The police will have a strict use of policy for when and how that vehicle is used. They wont be doing traffic stops with it LOL!  
 
We live in a country with strong statutes and social structures that keep things relatively balanced. I dont think we have an issue in this country with our police being too militarized. The equipment they have is a response to the threats they face. Its a sad point for sure that we have this type of crime or violence and the police do a great job at keeping most of it in check.  
 
And for the folks who argue well if things get bad just call in the military. Well, again we have systems in place in this country such, that the military can only be called in during states of emergency and it would take an act of parliament to launch them in any crisis. Now, most high risk situations are dynamic and happen quickly. There would be absolutely no time to call in the military to resolve an active situation. Hence, why the police need armoured vehicles, high powered rifles, helicopters and other "militarized gear". Regular policing equipment wont resolve a high risk situation. NOBODY will win a gun fight if you show up with a spoon! We need to equip our police with the proper equipment so they can be on a level playing field with the bad guys and keep us safe. And overall they are doing a fantastic job at it.  
 
Edited by Your Majesty, 2019-12-24 13:03:29

The police are allocated a budget which training is currently covered by. This money was excess money that came from the proceeds of crime. The vehicle in question is not just buy it and forget it. Police officers in particular the Emergency Response Team will practice and train on this vehicle regularly. They will further enhance their capability to resolve a high risk situation, which is a great thing. Now, you say buy them more training, spend the money to get more bang for the buck. OK. What type of further training do you propose? What is the cost per officer? How long is the training and what will be the net effect? Easy to say.....do more training! Well, they currently do extra training along with their regular shifts plus overtime work because there is more work than officers. I am all for Professional Development as it further sharpens the blade. Training of any type is expensive and most of their training will be covered in their current budget. If they i:ncluded this vehicle purchase on their budget they would need to get it increased substantially (requiring approval from the city and province) to factor in salary increases, pension payments and inflation. Instead of ballooning their budget and sticking it to the tax payer, they were fiscally responsible and used crime money. Smart move in my mind because its equipment that will enhance their capabilities now and into the future which is equally has important to training.  
 
I dont know what lives would have been saved with this armoured vehicle last year or the years before and that does not matter. We shouldn't scrutinize this purchase and say well heck you never needed it before! Heck with that attitude why invest in anything! If you never needed it before i guess you'll never need it? Seems like silly logic. Now they have enhanced capabilities for resolving high risk situations. And judging by the increase in weapons offenses and crimes its only a matter of time until something really bad happens here. I for one am grateful to know that if needed the ERT can ACTUALLY resolve a situation in a timely and safe manner.

How much do you spend to upkeep your vehicle? Please explain to me how this vehicle would cost 50k a year to upkeep.

I love how people know better ways to spend basically free money. People mention the root of problems need to be tackled first. Humans will never ever be 100% free from social ills. Take a look anywhere in the world. There are people that live in middle of nowhere yet will make their own hooch and ways to get high. Could be on the top of a mountain or on our prairie fields. You could make unlimited free housing, need to have a job created for every single person, and have 24/7 round the clock counselling for everyone and I would bet good money we will still have drug and alcohol issues.  
 
What this AV is for the police is basically a lottery win. I hope if any of your friends win some money at the lotto you don’t go up to them and tell them how they best should spend the money. This is a onetime funding for an armoured vehicle. Sure we have to insure, gas, and maintain it. If comparing to Winnipeg using theirs approx. 75 times a year, we should see about 5 times a year. Now it isn’t like this a vehicle loaded with weapons. It is a transport vehicle also for other purposes. We could have an extreme grass fire and need to transport firemen to the front line off-road. There have been school lock downs. At moving 10 people at a time that is the same as 2 officers in 5 cars. That costs more than one vehicle. Could be something like the Massey building on fire and people need to be evacuated. Load them up. It is for unforeseen instances. No different than when building Fire hall #1 and it includes a very expensive chemical wash down system. When was the last time they responded to a chemical fire? Other communities are building million dollar fire halls and we build one for 10. We will end up using this vehicle.  
 
The same department of the crime fund for this AV has also given 43 grand for our bike theft prevention strategy, 22 grand to reduce repeat offenders by assisting those in securing employment and support. Lots of money given out to other communities for helping the communities and help the Bear Clan in Winnipeg.

Brandon is on the list to settle 1 million new immigrants.  
 
The selected communities are:  
 
Thunder Bay, Ont.  
Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.  
Sudbury, Ont.  
Timmins, Ont.  
North Bay, Ont.  
Gretna-Rhineland-Altona-Plum Coulee, Man.  
Brandon, Man.  
Moose Jaw, Sask.  
Claresholm, Alta.  
West Kootenay region of B.C.  
Vernon, B.C.  
 
Wonder how many are conservative ridings?  
 
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/rural-north-immigration-pilot-1.5175418