He is not on the edge of a breakdown. He is advocating for his job and the community exactly like he should. Doesn't have to have a stone face. The Police Service' are extremely professional and disciplined in the face of unsurmountable odds. @@_Elizabeth_theMaid
We don't need walk-in centres; we need mental hospitals such as we used to have. We have a gross shortage of psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses (there are no jobs for them in public health) and the ones in private practice have no interest in taking this on. Understandably, with no institutional support, they just want to treat safe patients who are anxious or situationally depressed.
okay, just to add on to what you said, I've heard nurses that have left Canada for the US because the pay here is extremely low, its going to take real action to fix this, actions speak louder than words
@@salmanalibhai9148 Yes, provincial governments need to stop paying developer buddies to build empty hospitals and put our tax dollars into human resources. But they don't care about us; they care about money and power.
What a really smart , well thought out and Clearly researched comment. @ backed up by Salmamalibhai9148's smart words in his reply to the comment. ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.
You can see the struggle and frustration the police officer faces everyday. It took a lot of courage to speak his mind and very tactfully spoken too. Respect to you and thank you for your service!
Every Province, city, town needs to focus on reopening Mental Health Institutions within their communities. Worst thing we’ve ever done is shut them all down. We have a mental health crisis that has led to a drug crisis.
They can be reopened but without a change to the Canadian Mental Health Act, nobody will go. You can't make any addict or any mentally ill person or any addict with mental health illness go for treatment. It's the Act that has tied everyone's hands to do anything about this. Without change to the Act, this downward trajectory will 100% continue.
Pierre had a great vid re: stopping opiod crisis on his channel today. Libs/NDP have failed us. Living in DT Vancouver you can see the change over last 8 years, and it's sad. 😔😔😔
This is what happens when the government takes action/inaction to be 'liked'. It reminds me of a parent who wants to be friends with their kids: they impose no discipline and let the kid eat candy and cake for dinner rather than broccoli, knowing it is better for them. There is no will to do the right thing, even if it's the harder/unpopular thing to do.
This is what happens when irresponsible citizens keep funding corrupted institutions while we sit around waiting to be "saved" with a vote...by *default when a new hero is in, that'll shape up the bought out CEOs in every important chair in the Nation. WE'RE the problem.
One thing I didn't hear was, a rehab facility being set up. Sure it's great having that church doing whatever it's doing. But nothing is being done to get them off the drugs. I was a functioning addict. I finally got clean and I've been clean for 25 years now. These addicts need to want to stop. They need to help themselves as well. I see both sides. But at some point a tough decision is going to be needed. It's time to open instead of a prison a facility to hold offenders who are addicts. Part of the sentence is getting clean and staying clean. Random drug tests for a certain amount of time when released. If one is failed they go right to prison and serve the time in prison as well. The community has to have a fair say in all this as well. The courts need to do better as well.
I am happy for you that you have been clean 25 yrs. So much has changed in 25 yrs. The high cost of living ,not enough full time work, health care system is badly broken. , very few rehab centres... People need to feel hope for a better future . Sure lock them up in a facility but where is the follow up services when they get out.? We have had so many cut backs in our services, except for those in politcs . Housing is created almost instantly for the illegal immigrants , they are helped with educational programs, clothing , ETC. Bring back trades and make it free to take courses so more housing is built. Drug addicts are human and need to be treated as such. I bet if you asked them very few would choose to be addicts. Yes, they have to take some responsibility for their actions or inactions. I have seen how families are torn apart and suffer when they have a loved one lost to drugs. Mothers fathers, siblings, cousins friends are hurt. Children become the biggest victims as ot more than likely will pass to the next generation. Teens age out of the foster care system and most have no family to turn to for help or loving support. The goverment on all levels in many deptartments should work collectively to reign in the war on drugs. There is no easy solution . I have worked more than 30 years helping addicts. A x-ray of the brain will show hundreds of pitholes caused by drugs. Drugs create mental illnesses too. I have seen success but more chaos and damaged over the years. I do not live in Canada but have a Brother who lives on the outskirts of Belleville Ont. Nobody talks about how some of our Veterans were used as guniea pigs during war time. Given uppers (pills) too stay awake longer, exposed to Agent Orange , hooked on pain killers from war injuries etc. What kind of people are profitting with these illegal drugs of today. Not just the dealers, how do they get into the country so easy ? How much corruption and government people have their hanfd in this crisis ? World wide problem for sure ,the formula cut into fentynal (sp) anf other drugs are even more dangerous today. My thoughts and prayers are with all the victims of this crisis.
How about we open mental health treatment centres for youth to help them deal with their 'issues' before they turn to drugs to self-medicate? There are way more treatment centres for addicts than for mental health sufferers.
i agree with you. im sick and tired of just essentially being told to deal with these people. most of them don't want help and the average person going about their business has do deal with their junky bs.
@@SlickBubblesDid you see any youth in this documentary? No. And if youth have mental health issues, their first line of help is their parents. Left-wing policies have gotten the country in this drug state and it doesn't help to offer more left-wing advice blaming addiction simply on mental health.
Yup. And the people in government WANT this to happen, They are not incompetent, they want us to life in FEAR. They are not incompetent, they are laughing at us. What other option could there be? They have all our tax money, they COULD do something, they do not want to.
Canada has lost its luster. It's a dystopia. It's a luxury to live here now. If you can't afford it, you are tossed to the wayside. My parents moved here for a better life from Europe in the 1950s and I was born and raised here. Now, I want to go back to Europe.
@@123benny4 Exactly this. My moms side has been in Canada for like 6 generations, my dads side fled here in WW2. Now both of them are telling me to move to Europe. The house I grew up in is probably worth 4x what they paid for it in '98. I'd never be able to stay here and have the same quality of life I did growing up, and I'm getting a degree.
@@etta5487 I hear ya. I've been to Europe several times to visit, and to connect with relatives. They have a much better quality of life. They work to live, whereas here we live to work. I've got two degrees and work in two universities. My salary doesn't keep up with how expensive things are. I'm saving to retire in either Spain or Italy. But before I go, I'm going to let the news know and why.
This is an excellent report. The Police Officer seems to be the only one who truly understands the complexities of this crisis. The town’s leaders need to listen to him and implement his recommendations. And, let’s face it, it is beyond time Mental Health hospitals are re-opened and can hold/Form people who are simply unable to function and care for themselves.
Belleville's Mayor wants to have a rehab in there and they are trying to get "The Bridge" program and centre properly built and operational as soon as possible. However, it is the PROVINCE of Ontario who is responsible for ensuring there is proper funding and the FORD Government has already stated that they will not be proving the requested $2million to help make this happen sooner, without seeing a business plan from the City. This is why the City Council is now looking to add a tax levy to get the funds needed to make this happen.
The crux of the problem is that everyone's hands are tied by the Mental Health Act in Canada. It's long outdated and needs an overhaul to allow anyone at any level of govt or health care to intervene. As it stands it's every person's right to have an addiction and or mental health condition untreated. If nothing is done about our antiquated Mental Health Act we will never be able to address this epidemic.
That's part of the reason I left Belleville, this isn't new. I got sick of people in my backyard, stealing stuff. I have a kid who dealt with addiction, being kind didn't work, we all turned our back on them, she is now recovering, 2 years sober. Coddling addicts does not work.
providing substance users with basic human needs isn’t coddling. it’s a right in canada for people to have access to shelter, clean water and food,this has absolutely NOTHING to do with ur personal experience or abilities. it is a human right and we are lacking the ressources as a country.
@@thearose3060Depends what they meant by coddling. Providing shelter and food isn't coddling. Giving them money and freedom while they try to get sober is coddling. We can't put addicts into solitary confinement because that will make their mental issues worse, but we have to give them an area where they practice abstinence and sobriety while showing them they can be happy without the drugs. A big part is education too. We have to teach these people how the brain works, how it creates and processes dopamine. Drugs will make you the happiest you've ever felt, but it takes away your ability to feel happiness from anything else because the drug gives you such a concentrated dose of dopamine that your body can't naturally produce. In turn abstinence will make you feel happier in the end once your body readjusts to natural dopamine levels. It's an abominable curse these people put on themselves. We have to help, but we can't enable the habit.
As a 78 year old man, I have to hear more people talk about this. I think my understanding of drug problems is too simple. Thinking back to my youth in the 60’s, we had plenty to do, plenty of friends and excellent role models. Today, kids have video games, a multitude of sports and participation activities, money, cars, etc. More than we had. Yes. Pot was available but only the weird kids used it. Close friendships and interest in important matters, were prime. If a person has a mental problem, how do they settle on opioids and fentanyl? If a regular worker or student result to these - that is where I leave the boat! It is up to each and every person to create the ‘right from wrong’ and ‘good from bad’ brain scenario. If it doesn’t sound right……..
Canada has turned its back on its own citizens. This is a symptom of a lack of funding, care or attention to Canadians who are suffering, ruined economy, no available or affordable housing, little to no health care, few rehabs or access to, broken down families, unresolved grief and trauma, poor and broken social system for actual Canadians, lack of real supports, addiction and its associated stigma, loneliness and isolation, mental health issues, unaffordable food.... A society is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable.. We need to stop focusing abroad and focus within. Canadians need help , support and to reach out and help one another. NOW
You forgot to mention, there’s barely any employment opportunities, they claim they have a trade shortage but really it’s a shortage of people looking for skilled workers.
This cop represents todays police training and overall approach towards dealing with these problems. The narrative that the police are the enemy is inaccurate and really doesn’t help. Their job job is insanely difficult.
That’s not the issue though……. nobody is debating “are the beat cops sensible, good guys out there?”, it doesn’t matter, this officer is saying policing doesn’t matter when there are no resources or proper facilities for these people…. Cops don’t decide what the laws are, they don’t decide who’s guilty, his job is to uphold the law and arrest people for criminal acts- and it sounds like that’s what he’s doing, so great…. But that’s not going to make the problem go away… and we are NEVER going to stop people from using drugs with threats of jail time, and we have plenty of quantitative and qualitative research to prove that. Empirical data shows us that many people come out far worse; people learn to love jail/prison because it’s become home to them and they make lifelong friendships there…. If they get released and reoffend, who cares? Society has essentially forgotten them. This whole “we need good cops!” debate is an entirely different issue and has nothing to do with why people abuse drugs. All the good cops in the world won’t change these peoples minds. We get caught up in the whole debate about how to punish drug users when the break the law, and that’s the wrong mindset. Nobody wants to provide PROPER rehabilitation in jail and prison because they don’t want to be “soft on crime”, so they come out having learned nothing, and go back to their old ways…. Sweden/Norway has an almost 0% return rate for prisoners because they provide rehabilitation…. These are peoples family members out there, they’re people that at least deserve a shot at rehabilitation, and that door needs to be always open for them. …. In short, yes they should be arrested, but their time in jail/prison needs to be constructive and beneficial… not just playing checkers with other criminals all day fighting over commissary items. Then, for people who don’t want rehab, don’t utilize it, etc, we need to consider how to safely remove them from society to be given more long term arrangements in the form of longer, less accommodating conditions.
We need rehab services/centre for these people to go and get help once arrested. We need resources to solve our internal problems instead of geopolitics.
I'm from Lindsay, last time I heard there was 1400 homeless and there are so many fentanyl/opiate/meth addicts walking the streets begging for food, going to food banks to sell the food for dope. There was just an overdose, but there are lots here and it's way smaller than Belleville. I'm a recovering addict and seeing the very young people addicted breaks my heart but helping them gets your stuff stolen, your place wrecked, etc., You can't help people who don't want to help themselves. They have to hit their rock-bottom before they are helpable. Peace and much love sent from Ontario, Canada.
he certainly did seem like a good officer - he also seemed frustrated to the extreme - that is not sustainable - he wants to do a good job but is not able to on a variety of levels - that makes the good ones - leave
It is actually well-studied. The approach of appeasement and providing love and concern without taking drugs away does NOT work. Free accessible treatment is necessary and should be there-but alongside a system to really get these people off drugs-not just keep them alive.
Agreed. My psychologist rightly said to me 'You can't repair/get better whilst still taking drugs, They need rehabs. Hopefully it will eventually help them to come back to mainstream society.
I grew up in Belleville as a kid. 1959-67. Lovely city. I’ve stopped by a few times over the years to see old neighborhoods. Sad to see this happening there now.
I did too. 59 to 80. This problem would have been a non starter then. Police need to go after the source of the problem, the drugs. The Mayor needs to grow a pair as well.
@@DeeegerDThese human beings don't need to be beaten or imprisoned. They need homes, their needs met and supportive communities...otherwise it will just continue but continuing the misery is what the rich and their sycophants work for.
@@frankstaredNo actually they need to get help like I did ! I’m 44 days clean off opiates and the only Thing that SAVED MY LIFE WAS A SUBLOCADE INJECTION and it can also SAVE ALL THESE PEOPLES LIVES but THEY DONT WANT HELP and they just want to keep getting HIGH! So you are totally wrong and also I was addicted to opiates for over 12 years so I know it first hand unlike yourself ! So no they don’t need homes silly they NEED TO GET OFF DRUGS, giving them housing will create MORE PROBLEMS and MORE PEOPLE DYING OF OVERDOSES! So your totally wrong housing will give give them more chance of dieing ! Kick the drugs before they get housing SIMPLE AS THAT - spoken by a person who lived over 12 years abusing opioids !
Growing up in Peterborough, I can tell you right now the #1 contributor to this is a lack of gainful employment in most Ontario cities of this size. Back in the day, Peterborough was a blue collar factory area, Quaker Oats being one of the big employers. Over the decades the factories left, with Quaker Oats being the last to leave. That happened right when I graduated from Highschool. Since then, drugs and prostitution drastically went up, and the only factory keeping Peterborough afloat is the GM plant in f*ing OSHAWA. It frustrates me to no end because I look back on all the attempts that people have made to start or bring in business back to the city, getting shut down by the City Council. The reason being it would ruin the quiet town atmosphere that the elderly cherish, still wanting to think that it's still 1960. The City Councils with the small town cultural attitude are fundamentally to blame for this, because they have allowed their economies to regress. And now they wonder why the kids have no hope for the future.
That officer touches on something very important: mental health services actively turn away people with addiction(even if their addiction doesn't affect their ability to take care of themselves or participate in society), and effectively tell them they can receive treatment until they quit.
Grand-dad gave room and board and a wage to a couple who walked off with his things. Police too busy and we cant afford a lawyer yet not poor enough for legal aid. Will it end like the wild west? Mom said great grandmother answered the door gun in hand. We risk disease and epidemics as street people cannot shower; not their fault. Someone must come up with an plan for them; they deserve better than this and so do we.
@@gillesbrassard7826 high rates of violence and crime in northern Ontario towns is definately substance abuse related. My town has lots of drunks and druggies. Used to be mostly drunks when I moved here 10 years ago. Noticed a major change in the last 4-5 years. It all started with an outreach program and soup kitchen. If you build it, they will come, and they sure did. I drive around all day at work. I recognized all the drunks around town. These people now are not from here.
@@gillesbrassard7826 North Battleford, Sask, and Thomson Man., have traditionally been regarded the worst two, depending on what you count. But all cities in the remote west and north are in bad shape. A lot of the crime in each town/city is committed by the same dozen or so people, in smaller places it's more like 5 or 6. Of course if you were to put them in jail, others would fill the gap.
@lebotnov66 It really depends on where you're located. It's extremely hard to find a job when employers are looking for international students. Look at rental ads too. Lots are excluding Canadians, looking for international students.
sudbury, barrie, peterborough, slowly turning to the smaller towns like alliston where an article was posted about people not feeling safe in their library
@@KnottyCelticseriously. It's so in your face. The fact the government isn't doing anything about it is ridiculous. No one cares about far away wars when there are people dying right outside your house. The liberal government has made Canada unrecognizable in the last few years.
Thank you for the excellent reporting Omar Dabaghi-Pacheco and Ryan Garland. Please don't stop talking about, reporting on, and contextualizing this crisis. Those charged with making decisions for the most vulnerable in our communities must learn to make these decisions with the communities themselves: vulnerable persons, business owners, hospital staff and paramedics, families, schools, law enforcement and law creators.... and so on. The decisions which impact one community inevitably impact all areas of community life. It hurts to see and its easier to look away from suffering but to do so dehumanizes us all.
Addiction is a horrible mental illness, the sad thing is you can have all the resources in the world but unless an addict wants the help offered there is not much that can be done and the overdoses will continue. I know this as a recovering opiate addict myself.
I live in Belleville. Born here and have lived here most of my life. I see the mess that the homless situation has caused every day. Truly a sad sad thing that seems to have no solition currently. Housing and the cost of even renting a room in the area is beyond brutal. I work full time and can barely afford a place to live. It seems to be a problem all over Ontario.
With most mental/recovery hospitals being closed decades ago and the lack of housing due to a population inrush, it’s no surprise that this is what we get.
I think unchecked immigration means fewer jobs for those born here and understandably a newcomer might work for less. Also easier to slip drugs in. But that is not the whole picture. From the 60s smoking pot (relatively harmless) but then LSD and hard drugs. So the culture made it seem trendy to try drugs and this is the result.
I agree but I also believe there is a genetic component to addiction. I have an extreme abusive, alcoholic father and a child that's a hard core drug addict. It missed me, why? The only thing I can think is there is something genetic going on besides personality, personal choice and external experiences. If so, we may be being harsh to denigrate addicts who have little more control over it than someone genetically predisposed to Type1 diabetes, ALS or any other genetically based disease.
@@KnottyCeltic The Barrymore family in Hollywood is an example. Drew (who became an alcoholic at age 12) said, "No one should ever let anyone with the last name Barrymore ever have a drink." Mind you, that's Hollywood where they enable a lot of bad stuff, but still. Maybe you didn't dare drink because you saw what happened to your father, but your child has no personal experience of him and succumbed.
I live in Belleville, I refuse to go near the downtown, or anywhere south of College Street, it's a nightmare of insanity down there, people pooping on the sidewalk, yelling at anyone that passes near, no telling what they will do, seen attacks myself.
I was considering moving there 3 years ago, I was impressed by how the city cleaned up the downtown so much and how great it looked compared to how i remember it 10 and 20 years ago. Then it went to this, in a very short time. I am glad I did not relocate my family there and I hope they are able to clean up the town and get it back on track. Also, Officer Crawford seems like he is a great man with an understanding of the issues, I hope the city listens to him and makes the required changes that are needed.
The downtown started dying about 20 years ago, and steadily got worse. Prior to 20 years ago it was nice down there. One of the biggest reasons downtown died is due to one very well known 'business man' who bought most of the downtown up and has left it to rot, with the full support of city hall.
Thank you for making this story CBC. I wish you agreed with me when I warned you 5 years ago we are running out of housing. You told me things were fine.
How about getting clean??? Housing isn’t going to get them clean, but only hide their addiction!!!!! How about more rehab and detox centres If you don’t want sobriety then jail time!!!!!
A few years ago Belleville helped fund a homeless shelter in the city for a handful of homeless people. All local. Perhaps 10 or so. The stipulation of the funding was that due to capacity it had to be people from the area. Shortly after the shelter was completed all the surrounding communities started bussing people to Belleville to get rid of their own problem. If you go down to this area and ask the people where they're from the majority will tell you that they are not from Belleville and are recent arrivals. Belleville taxpayers are now having to solve the problems of other communities. A city councilor on the Belleville cancel brought this up about a year ago and the other counselors virtue signal and said that it shouldn't matter where they're from. Since then the problem has tripled. One counsellor by the initials SK famously loudly stated "who cares? Who cares?" And the recording of this was played on the radio at the time. Well after several businesses have been burned by arson and nobody wants to go downtown anymore despite years of attempting to revitalize it, I would say a number of Belleville taxpayers care. Thats who. Now the city just voted to raise the average taxpayers home taxes by $38 a month to pay to correct this problem. More than likely when the new homeless facility is built down the street it will actually caused the surrounding communities to bus even more people here and the problem will explode even more. It's simple mathematics it's not about whether these people need care or not, of course they all need care...but math is math. Everything has a capacity. Shame on Kingston, Napanee, Peterborough and Bancroft for what theyve tossed on Belleville.
Im from Nova Scotia and were getting charted buses from Ontario, to our local shelter. Which was started 10 years ago on a volunteer base, 12 years ago. Now we're getting charted buses when i mentioned it on a local Facebook page tons of people virtue signaled, and basically called me a liar. My friend worked at the shelter and told me, i saw the bus myself. And my property manager who help start the shelter and is on town council confirmed it. Its a nasty problem that is passed on. Terribly American of us.
@@karmabeatONs it's not unique to America. We aren't better than America or anywhere else. In fact statistically Americans give far more to charitable causes than we do.
8:47 “a lot of sympathy” yeah cause as a “business owner” it’s not your business these people are stealing from, frightening customers, and shitting / pissing in your doorway. Wait til it comes to your place, see how sympathetic you are
I’m not a huge @cbc supporter but this documentary is so well done. I appreciate that the Bellville police gave a real side and information, the support staff and community businesses. I wish the medical staff spoke but really well done. Compassion and humility. Well done @cbc
I remember there were MORE overdoses per week than covid in the Sault. As someone whos been a part of outreach in 2014, i dont think the friendly approach is the way anymore... we need a different approach to their rehabilitation!
We need safe consumptions sites that offer safe supply, perferably natural opiates. Alcohol is a deadly hard drugg that gets safe supply and safe consumption sites. All well it fuels social destabilization and family destructions. Why is there such sticga towards all the other hard drugs.
CBC is waking up and reporting some truth after all. I love the actual news, hopefully this will bring change. They should broadcast this on TV like everyday to make more impact
This officer explained the dire situation very well. He was full or compassion and I respect that very much. I feel very sad for those who are suffering from addiction right now. What about mandatory rehab sentencing? Instead of prison or hospital , they are sentenced to service their time in a rehab centre. I don’t know….
Funding wont fix this, it will break the rest of us in taxes putting more of us in the same place. How about we accept the ability to declare these people unfit to make their own decisions and allow even require our courts to take real action and place these people into a facility or charge them with their crimes and put them in jail so their bender can break. This absolutely is in the hands of the government and the courts. Compassion has a cost, we have crossed that line.
even the druggies laugh at the harms reductions policies - even they say it just encourages more to come to where harms reduction is offered..vancouver they even give out free fet
Yeah you know we've been doing that for the last hundred years putting people in jail for being drug addicts does not help the second they get out they are back on drugs we need funding for resources which is what the mayor is asking for but no one wants to pay for it which is the problem. No one would want to cut the police budget or the budget for jails to put in services for addicts that would actually help.
@elite1003 funny how when the method changed so did the outcome...drug use is up, homelessness is up, deaths are up...your way of thinking is sick and it's killing people. Do better!
Placing these people "into a facility" or putting them in jail isn't free. In fact, studies show over and over that spending on prevention in the first place saves money down the road. The United States has gone this route, and their prisons are overflowing with people whose only crime is addiction. And each one of those incarcerated people cost the taxpayers, on average, about $60,000 per year. If we treat the mental health issues in the beginning, instead of being reactive, it's been shown to cost between 1/3 and half of what it costs after everything has gone off the rails and people are at a point of no return. We need to spend the money now to first clean up the current mess, and then spend to help prevent these messes from happening in the future. We need to stop being reactive, and be proactive. No one in this country wants to spend money until it's too late, and by then it always costs us 5X to fix the problem that it would have originally cost to prevent it.
I live in Belleville. The problem is that we have really good support programs. Mostly run by local Catholic churches. All the surrounding communities send their worst here to take advantage of our generosity. Everyone knows these people are not locals.
The problem is also the logistics of where they are in town! As a mom I’m not comfortable using the library programs, the elderly have lost all the outreach programs the churches used to run because they no longer feeling safe. It’s an out of control situation with no solutions and it’s beyond frustrating.
Hi there, you might be new here? These drugs aren't "legal" they're smuggled into North America and used off label _and_ both more addictive and more easily lethal than the softer drugs - or prescribed medicines - these folks likely started with - in some ways a lifetime ago, since what we see is fragments of the life they used to have. Talk to your MPP about restoring public funding for psychiatric care, instead of condemning the addicted for lacking means and proper care.
@@yeeaahhzzAmsterdam police put you in jail for sleeping rough. It is illegal to be sleeping in tents etc bothering the businesses and residents. The druggies must go to shelters or leave the country. Once plugged into a shelter all kinds of services kick in, because they are held accountable. No more partying in the streets. Of course drug use is lower, the social net is extensive and it works. Addicts aren’t just let to do whatever they want, they are helped and held accountable. They are expected to work towards bettering themselves.
@@ALuimes same drugs and culture has nothing to do with addiction. Addiction doesn't care where you come from, your social status or your cultural practices.
Very good reporting. My heart goes out to all affected by this. And again, we need this Liberal/NDP coalition held accountable. They absolutely should be charged and jailed for what they’ve done to our country. Absolutely brutal.
More and more cities are just like this. It’s a mix of enabling, accepting the hard drug use, city councils and society ignoring that it’s a problem (or just not wanting to talk about it) and the judicial system that is just broken since 2015 with the outrageous bail reform. Addicts needs drugs out their hands first (bring back hard sentences on drug dealers) with a careful follow-up and places where they can actually go to recover, work on their mental health, get the care they need and learn again to live in society drug free. We need LESS drug use, not more. We need MORE resources that actually finishes the job and aren’t just patches here and there. It’s time the governement wake the hell up about this and move things because it will inly get worse if they don’t. Crime have and will go up, overdoses have and will go up too and there will only be more and more addicts/homeless people if nothing is done.
We also should consider where this drug is coming from and why. We're being poisoned, and it's working quite well. The packages with enough fentanyl to wipe out entire cities sure aren't being produced locally. We really need to appreciate how serious this stuff is. You don't recover from the addiction, ever. It's so addictive that people will let their bodies literally rot in exchange.. If we can't curb the supply we're pretty much f'd.
"introduced to" oh and that makes you addicted all of a sudden? I've taken Hydromorphone (broken femur), didn't allow myself to get addicted like a drooling twit though.
Hmm I’ve had to take pain meds.. because I had serious pain due to injury! I took them as prescribed… it’s not the drs fault that ppl abuse their medication
I heard that too and I hear that often not just from addicts but those family and friends who enable them. When people say it is a mental health issue I think about people who have come back from war who suffer but do not become addicts. I really think the breakdown of the family structure and community is creating a bit part of this problem.
I used to work downtown, and I watched a guy get arrested for drugs at 9 am, released by noon, and passed out on the sidewalk on Church Street by 5 pm, it's a sad and complex issue.
People can be guilted to go out of their way for people suffering with drug addiction but for others suffering with many other hidden things it’s for their own to deal with
I see this everyday!! It is everywhere in Canada. People are picking in garbage cans looking for a scrap of food!! People are shop lifting like crazy. They are turning people away at food banks! I never thought I would witness this in Canada.
What is there to do? Give them an apartment, they can't handle it. Can get rehab and after that they are back at the streets again. Costs a lot of money for no benefit. How much money can it cost to no avail.
3 yrs ago I watched a video of the Belleville waterfront trail here on UA-cam and it looked great. I thought it would be nice to take my little boys on a Sunday bike ride there. I live about 1 hr north west of the city and hadn't been in Belleville since I was a kid. I had absolutely no clue how bad of a state that town was in. Can't imagine how much worse it is now.
It is hard to save people from themselves. It just is. Everyone knows opioids will not help them secure housing or food. And they do it anyway. They are not bad people at all, just tired, disillusioned, etc, but again, you can not save them from themselves.
That is one of the Best Police Officers I have seen here in Ontario Canada 🇨🇦. He is one that actually cares & wasn’t afraid to speak up about it. This Officer should be promoted. He deserves to be one that makes the big decisions for his City. His eyes see what’s going on. He knows the systems failed many communities not just Belleville. Must make him wonder what’s the problem with the Mayor. Our very own Justin Trudeau. Thank you to this awesome Officer.
Why don't we learn from other societies on how they deal with this problem. Singapore has zero tolerance for homelessness and drug consumption and it is a clean society (housing are leased 99 years, they find you employment, heavy penalty and charges for narcotics). You need to be tough and maintain that standard. It really starts with culture and taking action.
My son died from a fentanyl overdose in 2021 at age 25. He was an honour roll student his whole academic career, a great athlete and an artist. Becoming addicted to a drug is very difficult and it is difficult for families of addicts. The police officer is correct, these individuals need help and our systems are broken. We tried to get our son help but, like the people the officer is dealing with there was often none available. There are resources available but they need to be supported.
Living less than an hour from Belleville, our city installed modular homes for those in need which many residents were up in arms about, but they seem to be helping to our happy surprise.
A house is a solution for drug addicts? Really? There's a huge difference between needing help and wanting help. If an addict doesn't want help...that's on them. If they can't get help, that's on politicians.
While in treatment for alcohol dependence, I heard the term"5000 lb phone". It means that the phone numbers are available for help, but it is a big weight to ask for it.
Living on the street is insanely traumatic. A lot of people turn to drugs to cope with their circumstance. You have no idea how hard it is to reach out for help, and that's if you're lucky enough to have anyone to reach out to.
Yes it actually is no one is going to get clean on the streets by themselves. magically clean themselves up get a job get an apartment and have a good life that's not how life works. Especially right now with the economy we have it basically doesn't matter what job these people get they will never afford an apartment or a decent life so what motivation do they have to get off drugs.
I was raised in Belleville, spent the good majority of my young adulthood there. I can't get over how much it has changed. They have always been lacking in social structures and that I learned in in college there. When I was homeless, finding a place for me and my friend to go was impossible. Because he was male they would offer to send him to a home in madoc, but if you dont drive, have fun. Many shelters tried to start up, only to be closed. I now live in Hamilton and its the same story. You let social structures fail, you let people not be able to afford food or shelter - then people are going to seek dopamine from cheaper sources. Easier to stay high/drunk than keep housing and food around. The cost to get clean is insane. Methadone is a lifelong alternative once offered. Its craziness that this small town is struggling so hard.... I never could have imagined it would hit that town so hard. Kingston? Sure. Coburg even ... But Belleville? Never could have imagined.
These drug addicts talk as if some mysterious force over which they have no control is injecting this stuff into them and they can't imagine why anyone would want do such a thing to them. "Somebody please fix this problem for me!"
Yeah you do not understand drug addiction at all there is literally a force forcing them to continue to use. That's what addiction is these people need support or we can just do nothing and let the problem continue and we'll just have hundreds of thousands of of dead people. You obviously do not understand the lack of resources and the economic state of this country rn.
Respect to Officer Crawford for actually speaking his mind and being honest and sincere.
Looks worse than the Pandemic in my opinion but I'm a conspiracy theorist /anti ______'er. 😂
For sure, he really cares about these people and it's kinda nuts to see how hopeless it is. Not sure how he goes to work everyday.
He looked like he is on the edge of a breakdown ❤
Promote this officer. He deserves more power and influence.
He is not on the edge of a breakdown. He is advocating for his job and the community exactly like he should. Doesn't have to have a stone face. The Police Service' are extremely professional and disciplined in the face of unsurmountable odds. @@_Elizabeth_theMaid
This was so well done, felt like true old-school-reporting!
Definitely good reporting. The kind you don't find in mainstream media which we all know is paid for by the governments who have failed us
only rebel news does that.
We don't need walk-in centres; we need mental hospitals such as we used to have. We have a gross shortage of psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses (there are no jobs for them in public health) and the ones in private practice have no interest in taking this on. Understandably, with no institutional support, they just want to treat safe patients who are anxious or situationally depressed.
For sure!
okay, just to add on to what you said, I've heard nurses that have left Canada for the US because the pay here is extremely low, its going to take real action to fix this, actions speak louder than words
@@salmanalibhai9148 Yes, provincial governments need to stop paying developer buddies to build empty hospitals and put our tax dollars into human resources. But they don't care about us; they care about money and power.
@@salmanalibhai9148Average Canadian nurse pay in Canada:
$76,031 per year or $38.99 per hour
You call that low???
What a really smart , well thought out and Clearly researched comment.
@ backed up by Salmamalibhai9148's smart words in his reply to the comment. ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.
so grateful for my 3 months of sobriety
edit. thanks for the support
Good for you
Congratulations. ❤
Congratulations! I wish you a long and safe sobriety ❤
Bravo
Congratulations!!
You can see the struggle and frustration the police officer faces everyday. It took a lot of courage to speak his mind and very tactfully spoken too. Respect to you and thank you for your service!
Exactly! I concur!...🤘
Every Province, city, town needs to focus on reopening Mental Health Institutions within their communities. Worst thing we’ve ever done is shut them all down. We have a mental health crisis that has led to a drug crisis.
They can be reopened but without a change to the Canadian Mental Health Act, nobody will go. You can't make any addict or any mentally ill person or any addict with mental health illness go for treatment. It's the Act that has tied everyone's hands to do anything about this. Without change to the Act, this downward trajectory will 100% continue.
People need affordable housing and food.
large institutions have a poor tract record - community based supports like group homes is a better option.
You can’t force people!
A lot of people don’t qualify for group homes and there is a huge wait on them too. Speaking from experience.
Same issues found all across Canada.
And US too
visit Vancouver to see how truly bad it is
Visit parts of Pennsylvania, United States to see how bad it is; looks like a war zone.
The Liberal government did more to ensure hydroxychloroquine and invermectin were off the streets than fentanyl and opioids 📺😵💫💲📈💉😷🏳️🌈✝️🧫🧬🇨🇳🇺🇦💰🏥
belleville is horrible
This is what happens when the government serves itself and not the people
And when people vote in govts that don't want to help the people.
Pierre had a great vid re: stopping opiod crisis on his channel today. Libs/NDP have failed us. Living in DT Vancouver you can see the change over last 8 years, and it's sad. 😔😔😔
This is what happens when the government takes action/inaction to be 'liked'. It reminds me of a parent who wants to be friends with their kids: they impose no discipline and let the kid eat candy and cake for dinner rather than broccoli, knowing it is better for them. There is no will to do the right thing, even if it's the harder/unpopular thing to do.
False. It's only when the government alows the church control over addiction and poverty. Works great in Africa
This is what happens when irresponsible citizens keep funding corrupted institutions while we sit around waiting to be "saved" with a vote...by *default when a new hero is in, that'll shape up the bought out CEOs in every important chair in the Nation. WE'RE the problem.
This is happening all over Canada. East Hastings St in Vancouver is still the most depressing thing I've ever seen.
Most of BC is starting or now does look like hastings street.
Honestly , this is the kinda content we need. i dont watch the news but when things are actually being covered man
One thing I didn't hear was, a rehab facility being set up. Sure it's great having that church doing whatever it's doing. But nothing is being done to get them off the drugs. I was a functioning addict. I finally got clean and I've been clean for 25 years now. These addicts need to want to stop. They need to help themselves as well. I see both sides. But at some point a tough decision is going to be needed. It's time to open instead of a prison a facility to hold offenders who are addicts. Part of the sentence is getting clean and staying clean. Random drug tests for a certain amount of time when released. If one is failed they go right to prison and serve the time in prison as well. The community has to have a fair say in all this as well. The courts need to do better as well.
I am happy for you that you have been clean 25 yrs. So much has changed in 25 yrs. The high cost of living ,not enough full time work, health care system is badly broken. , very few rehab centres... People need to feel hope for a better future . Sure lock them up in a facility but where is the follow up services when they get out.? We have had so many cut backs in our services, except for those in politcs . Housing is created almost instantly for the illegal immigrants , they are helped with educational programs, clothing , ETC. Bring back trades and make it free to take courses so more housing is built. Drug addicts are human and need to be treated as such. I bet if you asked them very few would choose to be addicts. Yes, they have to take some responsibility for their actions or inactions.
I have seen how families are torn apart and suffer when they have a loved one lost to drugs. Mothers fathers, siblings, cousins friends are hurt. Children become the biggest victims as ot more than likely will pass to the next generation. Teens age out of the foster care system and most have no family to turn to for help or loving support.
The goverment on all levels in many deptartments should work collectively to reign in the war on drugs. There is no easy solution . I have worked more than 30 years helping addicts. A x-ray of the brain will show hundreds of pitholes caused by drugs. Drugs create mental illnesses too. I have seen success but more chaos and damaged over the years.
I do not live in Canada but have a Brother who lives on the outskirts of Belleville Ont.
Nobody talks about how some of our Veterans were used as guniea pigs during war time. Given uppers (pills) too stay awake longer, exposed to Agent Orange , hooked on pain killers from war injuries etc. What kind of people are profitting with these illegal drugs of today. Not just the dealers, how do they get into the country so easy ? How much corruption and government people have their hanfd in this crisis ? World wide problem for sure ,the formula cut into fentynal (sp) anf other drugs are even more dangerous today. My thoughts and prayers are with all the victims of this crisis.
I agree 100%!
How about we open mental health treatment centres for youth to help them deal with their 'issues' before they turn to drugs to self-medicate? There are way more treatment centres for addicts than for mental health sufferers.
i agree with you. im sick and tired of just essentially being told to deal with these people. most of them don't want help and the average person going about their business has do deal with their junky bs.
@@SlickBubblesDid you see any youth in this documentary? No. And if youth have mental health issues, their first line of help is their parents. Left-wing policies have gotten the country in this drug state and it doesn't help to offer more left-wing advice blaming addiction simply on mental health.
I no longer recognize the country that I was born and raised in.
Welcome to the world
Yup. And the people in government WANT this to happen, They are not incompetent, they want us to life in FEAR. They are not incompetent, they are laughing at us. What other option could there be? They have all our tax money, they COULD do something, they do not want to.
Canada has lost its luster. It's a dystopia. It's a luxury to live here now. If you can't afford it, you are tossed to the wayside. My parents moved here for a better life from Europe in the 1950s and I was born and raised here. Now, I want to go back to Europe.
@@123benny4 Exactly this. My moms side has been in Canada for like 6 generations, my dads side fled here in WW2. Now both of them are telling me to move to Europe. The house I grew up in is probably worth 4x what they paid for it in '98. I'd never be able to stay here and have the same quality of life I did growing up, and I'm getting a degree.
@@etta5487 I hear ya. I've been to Europe several times to visit, and to connect with relatives. They have a much better quality of life. They work to live, whereas here we live to work. I've got two degrees and work in two universities. My salary doesn't keep up with how expensive things are. I'm saving to retire in either Spain or Italy. But before I go, I'm going to let the news know and why.
This is an excellent report. The Police Officer seems to be the only one who truly understands the complexities of this crisis. The town’s leaders need to listen to him and implement his recommendations. And, let’s face it, it is beyond time Mental Health hospitals are re-opened and can hold/Form people who are simply unable to function and care for themselves.
Belleville's Mayor wants to have a rehab in there and they are trying to get "The Bridge" program and centre properly built and operational as soon as possible. However, it is the PROVINCE of Ontario who is responsible for ensuring there is proper funding and the FORD Government has already stated that they will not be proving the requested $2million to help make this happen sooner, without seeing a business plan from the City. This is why the City Council is now looking to add a tax levy to get the funds needed to make this happen.
@@rekabharas9904Sad to see we can provide billions elsewhere while saying no to millions in Canadian soils.
The crux of the problem is that everyone's hands are tied by the Mental Health Act in Canada. It's long outdated and needs an overhaul to allow anyone at any level of govt or health care to intervene. As it stands it's every person's right to have an addiction and or mental health condition untreated. If nothing is done about our antiquated Mental Health Act we will never be able to address this epidemic.
@@rekabharas9904 The poster isn’t talking about rehab. He’s talking about mental institutions, which need to be reopened.
That's part of the reason I left Belleville, this isn't new. I got sick of people in my backyard, stealing stuff. I have a kid who dealt with addiction, being kind didn't work, we all turned our back on them, she is now recovering, 2 years sober. Coddling addicts does not work.
Thanks for that. Courageous of you to share your story. Swimming against the tide we are.
providing substance users with basic human needs isn’t coddling. it’s a right in canada for people to have access to shelter, clean water and food,this has absolutely NOTHING to do with ur personal experience or abilities. it is a human right and we are lacking the ressources as a country.
@@thearose3060feeding clothing and looking after homeless junkies is coddling.
@@thearose3060Depends what they meant by coddling. Providing shelter and food isn't coddling. Giving them money and freedom while they try to get sober is coddling. We can't put addicts into solitary confinement because that will make their mental issues worse, but we have to give them an area where they practice abstinence and sobriety while showing them they can be happy without the drugs. A big part is education too. We have to teach these people how the brain works, how it creates and processes dopamine. Drugs will make you the happiest you've ever felt, but it takes away your ability to feel happiness from anything else because the drug gives you such a concentrated dose of dopamine that your body can't naturally produce. In turn abstinence will make you feel happier in the end once your body readjusts to natural dopamine levels. It's an abominable curse these people put on themselves. We have to help, but we can't enable the habit.
whos "coddling"
wow🤦♂
As a 78 year old man, I have to hear more people talk about this. I think my understanding of drug problems is too simple. Thinking back to my youth in the 60’s, we had plenty to do, plenty of friends and excellent role models. Today, kids have video games, a multitude of sports and participation activities, money, cars, etc. More than we had. Yes. Pot was available but only the weird kids used it. Close friendships and interest in important matters, were prime. If a person has a mental problem, how do they settle on opioids and fentanyl? If a regular worker or student result to these - that is where I leave the boat! It is up to each and every person to create the ‘right from wrong’ and ‘good from bad’ brain scenario. If it doesn’t sound right……..
Canada has turned its back on its own citizens. This is a symptom of a lack of funding, care or attention to Canadians who are suffering, ruined economy, no available or affordable housing, little to no health care, few rehabs or access to, broken down families, unresolved grief and trauma, poor and broken social system for actual Canadians, lack of real supports, addiction and its associated stigma, loneliness and isolation, mental health issues, unaffordable food.... A society is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable.. We need to stop focusing abroad and focus within. Canadians need help , support and to reach out and help one another. NOW
Only a town with so many white people has this situation
No no we don't need money, let's give it to Ukraine, oh no climate change, maybe the WEF. 😅😅😅😅
You forgot to mention, there’s barely any employment opportunities, they claim they have a trade shortage but really it’s a shortage of people looking for skilled workers.
Two words for you... Current Government
Enable bad choices and guess what ? things get worse !
More cops should take a page out of this guys book!! Finally a cop with some compassion and sense in his head
This cop represents todays police training and overall approach towards dealing with these problems. The narrative that the police are the enemy is inaccurate and really doesn’t help. Their job job is insanely difficult.
That’s not the issue though……. nobody is debating “are the beat cops sensible, good guys out there?”, it doesn’t matter, this officer is saying policing doesn’t matter when there are no resources or proper facilities for these people….
Cops don’t decide what the laws are, they don’t decide who’s guilty, his job is to uphold the law and arrest people for criminal acts- and it sounds like that’s what he’s doing, so great…. But that’s not going to make the problem go away… and we are NEVER going to stop people from using drugs with threats of jail time, and we have plenty of quantitative and qualitative research to prove that.
Empirical data shows us that many people come out far worse; people learn to love jail/prison because it’s become home to them and they make lifelong friendships there…. If they get released and reoffend, who cares? Society has essentially forgotten them.
This whole “we need good cops!” debate is an entirely different issue and has nothing to do with why people abuse drugs. All the good cops in the world won’t change these peoples minds.
We get caught up in the whole debate about how to punish drug users when the break the law, and that’s the wrong mindset. Nobody wants to provide PROPER rehabilitation in jail and prison because they don’t want to be “soft on crime”, so they come out having learned nothing, and go back to their old ways…. Sweden/Norway has an almost 0% return rate for prisoners because they provide rehabilitation…. These are peoples family members out there, they’re people that at least deserve a shot at rehabilitation, and that door needs to be always open for them.
…. In short, yes they should be arrested, but their time in jail/prison needs to be constructive and beneficial… not just playing checkers with other criminals all day fighting over commissary items.
Then, for people who don’t want rehab, don’t utilize it, etc, we need to consider how to safely remove them from society to be given more long term arrangements in the form of longer, less accommodating conditions.
We need rehab services/centre for these people to go and get help once arrested. We need resources to solve our internal problems instead of geopolitics.
Most police are humane and caring; they just do not know what to do in these situations. How do the drugs arrive here?
Elect a Liberal mayor expect a circus
I'm from Lindsay, last time I heard there was 1400 homeless and there are so many fentanyl/opiate/meth addicts walking the streets begging for food, going to food banks to sell the food for dope. There was just an overdose, but there are lots here and it's way smaller than Belleville. I'm a recovering addict and seeing the very young people addicted breaks my heart but helping them gets your stuff stolen, your place wrecked, etc., You can't help people who don't want to help themselves. They have to hit their rock-bottom before they are helpable. Peace and much love sent from Ontario, Canada.
agreed,only those willing to say enough is enough and MEAN IT will change.been there done that
that is a really good police officer - for many reasons
he certainly did seem like a good officer - he also seemed frustrated to the extreme - that is not sustainable - he wants to do a good job but is not able to on a variety of levels - that makes the good ones - leave
The lady who runs the drop in is an Angel
It is actually well-studied. The approach of appeasement and providing love and concern without taking drugs away does NOT work. Free accessible treatment is necessary and should be there-but alongside a system to really get these people off drugs-not just keep them alive.
Well said
Citations required if you are going to say things like this.
they DON'T WANT treatment, they want free drugs
Agreed. My psychologist rightly said to me 'You can't repair/get better whilst still taking drugs, They need rehabs. Hopefully it will eventually help them to come back to mainstream society.
read paper on ODs in Canada by Snowdon and Choi@@mrpopenfresh
For the safety of children and people who don't do drugs this needs to be cleaned up.
toronto politicans are the ones shipping homeless out east oshawa etc ...its criminal
same people who shut down 10 million businesses in toronto for covid btw
you need more compassion
@@EmersonBaker-m5l Without compassion we are just masking the problem by saying "cleaning the streets"
Kids from people like dave are the ones that turn to these drugs lol
I grew up in Belleville as a kid. 1959-67. Lovely city. I’ve stopped by a few times over the years to see old neighborhoods. Sad to see this happening there now.
I did too. 59 to 80. This problem would have been a non starter then. Police need to go after the source of the problem, the drugs. The Mayor needs to grow a pair as well.
@@DeeegerDThese human beings don't need to be beaten or imprisoned. They need homes, their needs met and supportive communities...otherwise it will just continue but continuing the misery is what the rich and their sycophants work for.
@@frankstaredNo actually they need to get help like I did ! I’m 44 days clean off opiates and the only
Thing that SAVED MY LIFE WAS A SUBLOCADE INJECTION and it can also SAVE ALL THESE PEOPLES LIVES but THEY DONT WANT HELP and they just want to keep getting HIGH! So you are totally wrong and also I was addicted to opiates for over 12 years so I know it first hand unlike yourself ! So no they don’t need homes silly they NEED TO GET OFF DRUGS, giving them housing will create MORE PROBLEMS and MORE PEOPLE DYING OF OVERDOSES! So your totally wrong housing will give give them more chance of dieing ! Kick the drugs before they get housing SIMPLE AS THAT - spoken by a person who lived over 12 years abusing opioids !
I went to Loyalist, late 90ies and Belleville has changed for the bad.
@@frankstared You going to take them in yourself?
Growing up in Peterborough, I can tell you right now the #1 contributor to this is a lack of gainful employment in most Ontario cities of this size. Back in the day, Peterborough was a blue collar factory area, Quaker Oats being one of the big employers. Over the decades the factories left, with Quaker Oats being the last to leave. That happened right when I graduated from Highschool.
Since then, drugs and prostitution drastically went up, and the only factory keeping Peterborough afloat is the GM plant in f*ing OSHAWA. It frustrates me to no end because I look back on all the attempts that people have made to start or bring in business back to the city, getting shut down by the City Council. The reason being it would ruin the quiet town atmosphere that the elderly cherish, still wanting to think that it's still 1960. The City Councils with the small town cultural attitude are fundamentally to blame for this, because they have allowed their economies to regress.
And now they wonder why the kids have no hope for the future.
That officer touches on something very important: mental health services actively turn away people with addiction(even if their addiction doesn't affect their ability to take care of themselves or participate in society), and effectively tell them they can receive treatment until they quit.
It's a catch 22. How can you help someone's mental healfh when they are high and mind definitely not clear.
@@Michelle-fi3ze you cannot even really assess someone's mental health status until they have been off of drugs for a while
We've been dealing with this crap for the last 5 years or more in Timmins, good luck Belleville. No one is listening, no one will help you.
I heard timmins is the 2nd highest crime city in Ontario. This is wild
Sudbury too. Toronto sends their homeless overflow here on busses every day. The drug use is truly at epidemic levels.
Grand-dad gave room and board and a wage to a couple who walked off with his things. Police too busy and we cant afford a lawyer yet not poor enough for legal aid. Will it end like the wild west? Mom said great grandmother answered the door gun in hand. We risk disease and epidemics as street people cannot shower; not their fault. Someone must come up with an plan for them; they deserve better than this and so do we.
@@gillesbrassard7826 high rates of violence and crime in northern Ontario towns is definately substance abuse related. My town has lots of drunks and druggies. Used to be mostly drunks when I moved here 10 years ago. Noticed a major change in the last 4-5 years. It all started with an outreach program and soup kitchen. If you build it, they will come, and they sure did. I drive around all day at work. I recognized all the drunks around town. These people now are not from here.
@@gillesbrassard7826 North Battleford, Sask, and Thomson Man., have traditionally been regarded the worst two, depending on what you count. But all cities in the remote west and north are in bad shape. A lot of the crime in each town/city is committed by the same dozen or so people, in smaller places it's more like 5 or 6. Of course if you were to put them in jail, others would fill the gap.
No jobs no houses not really surprising Canadian youth are giving up.
No, only lazy drug addicts in Belleville are giving up.
There are jobs, plenty of jobs, actually. Housing, with support, and mental health treatment programs are what's lacking the most.
@lebotnov66 It really depends on where you're located. It's extremely hard to find a job when employers are looking for international students. Look at rental ads too. Lots are excluding Canadians, looking for international students.
lots of jobs out west...
@@SlickBubbleswhat are you smoking, because I want some of that.
This is every town in Canada.
Not really
@ChandraSedari Yeah, your right. It's only Belleville. My mistake.
@@ChandraSedari "Barrie and Orillia have entered the chat"
Thunder Bay would like to show you its trophy
sudbury, barrie, peterborough, slowly turning to the smaller towns like alliston where an article was posted about people not feeling safe in their library
Love this cop. Guy has a simple and forward understanding of whats going on. Indeed frustrating
There isn’t a single kid who by grade 7 doesn’t know that drugs are addictive and destructive
CBC, thank you for a wonderful broadcast to bring light to the situation
Honestly though, we didn't need a broadcast to bring light to the situation, everyone sees it daily in every town and city from coast to coast.
@@KnottyCelticseriously. It's so in your face. The fact the government isn't doing anything about it is ridiculous. No one cares about far away wars when there are people dying right outside your house. The liberal government has made Canada unrecognizable in the last few years.
Thank you for the excellent reporting Omar Dabaghi-Pacheco and Ryan Garland. Please don't stop talking about, reporting on, and contextualizing this crisis. Those charged with making decisions for the most vulnerable in our communities must learn to make these decisions with the communities themselves: vulnerable persons, business owners, hospital staff and paramedics, families, schools, law enforcement and law creators.... and so on. The decisions which impact one community inevitably impact all areas of community life. It hurts to see and its easier to look away from suffering but to do so dehumanizes us all.
Belleville was beautiful 25 years ago. How sad.
Addiction is a horrible mental illness, the sad thing is you can have all the resources in the world but unless an addict wants the help offered there is not much that can be done and the overdoses will continue. I know this as a recovering opiate addict myself.
No it is not it is a choice as you well know.
@@highwayhydroponics5823 science and medical professionals disagree
is it evolution at work - natural deselection?@@highwayhydroponics5823
Not all mentally ill people have drug problems, as I’m sure you’re well aware. They need permanent care in a mental health hospital, not drug rehab.
@@highwayhydroponics5823 medical experts disagree, to any educated person it is clearly a mental illness
I live in Belleville. Born here and have lived here most of my life. I see the mess that the homless situation has caused every day.
Truly a sad sad thing that seems to have no solition currently. Housing and the cost of even renting a room in the area is beyond brutal. I work full time and can barely afford a place to live. It seems to be a problem all over Ontario.
Housing and the cost of rent doesn't enter the mind of addicts.
With most mental/recovery hospitals being closed decades ago and the lack of housing due to a population inrush, it’s no surprise that this is what we get.
also doctors prescribe those street drugs btw
True. mike Harris closed the beds
I think unchecked immigration means fewer jobs for those born here and understandably a newcomer might work for less. Also easier to slip drugs in. But that is not the whole picture. From the 60s smoking pot (relatively harmless) but then LSD and hard drugs. So the culture made it seem trendy to try drugs and this is the result.
Got money for drugs but not rent? okay...
@@elizabethabbott2982As well as GTA based truck drivers who import drugs and guns across the the Canada-USA border.
Force treatment or jail...housing is good but not the answer, houses will be mashed up in no time.
Father gone, mother gone, husband gone, jet I still did not change my ways.
I agree but I also believe there is a genetic component to addiction. I have an extreme abusive, alcoholic father and a child that's a hard core drug addict. It missed me, why? The only thing I can think is there is something genetic going on besides personality, personal choice and external experiences. If so, we may be being harsh to denigrate addicts who have little more control over it than someone genetically predisposed to Type1 diabetes, ALS or any other genetically based disease.
@@KnottyCeltic The Barrymore family in Hollywood is an example. Drew (who became an alcoholic at age 12) said, "No one should ever let anyone with the last name Barrymore ever have a drink." Mind you, that's Hollywood where they enable a lot of bad stuff, but still. Maybe you didn't dare drink because you saw what happened to your father, but your child has no personal experience of him and succumbed.
Tell me you don't understand drug addiction and mental health w/o telling me, OP.
@@lesliemacmillan9932Statistics suggest the opposite of your guess. Alcoholism and drug dependence are an intergenerational family disease.
@@KnottyCelticthere is NOTHING genetic about addiction!!! It's 100% free will and personal choice.
What an awesome police officer. Much respect for telling it like it is.
I live in Belleville, I refuse to go near the downtown, or anywhere south of College Street, it's a nightmare of insanity down there, people pooping on the sidewalk, yelling at anyone that passes near, no telling what they will do, seen attacks myself.
You have my sympathies.
Same here in hamilton. I re route my public transit to avoid areas. An extra 20 min for travel times to boycott the downtown core
Downtown Kitchener is no different. It’s disgusting.
If you don't think the same things happen north of College, you aren't paying attention.
I was considering moving there 3 years ago, I was impressed by how the city cleaned up the downtown so much and how great it looked compared to how i remember it 10 and 20 years ago. Then it went to this, in a very short time. I am glad I did not relocate my family there and I hope they are able to clean up the town and get it back on track.
Also, Officer Crawford seems like he is a great man with an understanding of the issues, I hope the city listens to him and makes the required changes that are needed.
The downtown started dying about 20 years ago, and steadily got worse. Prior to 20 years ago it was nice down there.
One of the biggest reasons downtown died is due to one very well known 'business man' who bought most of the downtown up and has left it to rot, with the full support of city hall.
This is what happens when a society tolerates freedom without personal responsibility.
Congratulations CBC for contributing to this
Excellent reporting! Officer Crawford raised a number of important points👍👍
Thank you for making this story CBC. I wish you agreed with me when I warned you 5 years ago we are running out of housing. You told me things were fine.
How about getting clean??? Housing isn’t going to get them clean, but only hide their addiction!!!!! How about more rehab and detox centres If you don’t want sobriety then jail time!!!!!
Small room with drain in the floor. Bottled water and boxes of saltines. Let them ride it out.
Hey that's a great idea. Why don't you walk up to every addict and tell them. "Hey! Get clean!"
@@tylerdurden8378Let’s try the same til you achieve empathy.
@@johnnygoodman2003 FOR THE UNWILLING.....Small room with drain in the floor. Bottled water and boxes of saltines. Let them ride it out.
@@tylerdurden8378with a poster on the wall stating " this is your last chance"
A few years ago Belleville helped fund a homeless shelter in the city for a handful of homeless people. All local. Perhaps 10 or so. The stipulation of the funding was that due to capacity it had to be people from the area. Shortly after the shelter was completed all the surrounding communities started bussing people to Belleville to get rid of their own problem.
If you go down to this area and ask the people where they're from the majority will tell you that they are not from Belleville and are recent arrivals. Belleville taxpayers are now having to solve the problems of other communities.
A city councilor on the Belleville cancel brought this up about a year ago and the other counselors virtue signal and said that it shouldn't matter where they're from. Since then the problem has tripled. One counsellor by the initials SK famously loudly stated "who cares? Who cares?" And the recording of this was played on the radio at the time.
Well after several businesses have been burned by arson and nobody wants to go downtown anymore despite years of attempting to revitalize it, I would say a number of Belleville taxpayers care. Thats who.
Now the city just voted to raise the average taxpayers home taxes by $38 a month to pay to correct this problem.
More than likely when the new homeless facility is built down the street it will actually caused the surrounding communities to bus even more people here and the problem will explode even more. It's simple mathematics it's not about whether these people need care or not, of course they all need care...but math is math. Everything has a capacity. Shame on Kingston, Napanee, Peterborough and Bancroft for what theyve tossed on Belleville.
That's awful and not fair. Having to support people from other communities on tax payers backs😤
Im from Nova Scotia and were getting charted buses from Ontario, to our local shelter. Which was started 10 years ago on a volunteer base, 12 years ago. Now we're getting charted buses when i mentioned it on a local Facebook page tons of people virtue signaled, and basically called me a liar. My friend worked at the shelter and told me, i saw the bus myself. And my property manager who help start the shelter and is on town council confirmed it. Its a nasty problem that is passed on. Terribly American of us.
Sounds like a great opportunity if you take a capitalist approach to it. Charge the other communities, build greater facilities.
@@karmabeatONs it's not unique to America. We aren't better than America or anywhere else. In fact statistically Americans give far more to charitable causes than we do.
Peterborough ain’t any better than this…
I’m glad they’ve shown the light on this!!! AMAZING post
problem is, you cant help people that dont want to help themselves
Totally ridiculous about the “choice between family and the streets” I have a house and friends. The two aren’t mutually exclusive.
Bring back personal accountability ✊🏼
8:47 “a lot of sympathy” yeah cause as a “business owner” it’s not your business these people are stealing from, frightening customers, and shitting / pissing in your doorway. Wait til it comes to your place, see how sympathetic you are
Its pretty hard to want to get clean and stay that way while living on the streets. Needs to be rehabilitation AND housing. Its not hard.
Good video. This is why we need the CBC 😊
I used to donate every year to the John Howard Society. I do not believe that the money is going where it should. Where is it going?
it's all over my neighbourhood, all around where I live. I pick up needles, pipes, baggies, etc., with forceps
Devastating story. Great coverage. Thank you for sharing this.
The system has definitely failed..never realized things have gotten so bad..Belleville is such a beautiful town
I’m not a huge @cbc supporter but this documentary is so well done. I appreciate that the Bellville police gave a real side and information, the support staff and community businesses. I wish the medical staff spoke but really well done. Compassion and humility. Well done @cbc
Also, you have to want to get clean you have to want to get sober. And these people simply don't want to.
I remember there were MORE overdoses per week than covid in the Sault. As someone whos been a part of outreach in 2014, i dont think the friendly approach is the way anymore... we need a different approach to their rehabilitation!
We need safe consumptions sites that offer safe supply, perferably natural opiates. Alcohol is a deadly hard drugg that gets safe supply and safe consumption sites. All well it fuels social destabilization and family destructions. Why is there such sticga towards all the other hard drugs.
CBC is waking up and reporting some truth after all.
I love the actual news, hopefully this will bring change.
They should broadcast this on TV like everyday to make more impact
This officer explained the dire situation very well. He was full or compassion and I respect that very much. I feel very sad for those who are suffering from addiction right now. What about mandatory rehab sentencing? Instead of prison or hospital , they are sentenced to service their time in a rehab centre. I don’t know….
Funding wont fix this, it will break the rest of us in taxes putting more of us in the same place. How about we accept the ability to declare these people unfit to make their own decisions and allow even require our courts to take real action and place these people into a facility or charge them with their crimes and put them in jail so their bender can break. This absolutely is in the hands of the government and the courts. Compassion has a cost, we have crossed that line.
even the druggies laugh at the harms reductions policies - even they say it just encourages more to come to where harms reduction is offered..vancouver they even give out free fet
Yeah you know we've been doing that for the last hundred years putting people in jail for being drug addicts does not help the second they get out they are back on drugs we need funding for resources which is what the mayor is asking for but no one wants to pay for it which is the problem. No one would want to cut the police budget or the budget for jails to put in services for addicts that would actually help.
@elite1003 funny how when the method changed so did the outcome...drug use is up, homelessness is up, deaths are up...your way of thinking is sick and it's killing people. Do better!
Placing these people "into a facility" or putting them in jail isn't free. In fact, studies show over and over that spending on prevention in the first place saves money down the road. The United States has gone this route, and their prisons are overflowing with people whose only crime is addiction. And each one of those incarcerated people cost the taxpayers, on average, about $60,000 per year. If we treat the mental health issues in the beginning, instead of being reactive, it's been shown to cost between 1/3 and half of what it costs after everything has gone off the rails and people are at a point of no return.
We need to spend the money now to first clean up the current mess, and then spend to help prevent these messes from happening in the future. We need to stop being reactive, and be proactive. No one in this country wants to spend money until it's too late, and by then it always costs us 5X to fix the problem that it would have originally cost to prevent it.
@@robertb203 oh my God someone with some common sense lol 100% with you man. I don't get the rest of these people.
I live in Belleville. The problem is that we have really good support programs. Mostly run by local Catholic churches. All the surrounding communities send their worst here to take advantage of our generosity. Everyone knows these people are not locals.
I wondered about that. Thanks for your information. That is the problem with being a magnet. It attracts stuff.
And when they build the new homeless hub they'll send even more here
The problem is also the logistics of where they are in town! As a mom I’m not comfortable using the library programs, the elderly have lost all the outreach programs the churches used to run because they no longer feeling safe. It’s an out of control situation with no solutions and it’s beyond frustrating.
The Church in question in the video is a United Church, not Catholic. The United Church is doing the most for these people imo
Nimby attitude. It’s your karma. Have fun.
Yea let’s legalize all drugs, what could possibly go wrong they said. 🤔🤔🤔
portugul and amsterdam have the least amuont of drug use.
you sound like reefer madness
Hi there, you might be new here? These drugs aren't "legal" they're smuggled into North America and used off label _and_ both more addictive and more easily lethal than the softer drugs - or prescribed medicines - these folks likely started with - in some ways a lifetime ago, since what we see is fragments of the life they used to have. Talk to your MPP about restoring public funding for psychiatric care, instead of condemning the addicted for lacking means and proper care.
@@yeeaahhzzAmsterdam police put you in jail for sleeping rough. It is illegal to be sleeping in tents etc bothering the businesses and residents. The druggies must go to shelters or leave the country. Once plugged into a shelter all kinds of services kick in, because they are held accountable. No more partying in the streets. Of course drug use is lower, the social net is extensive and it works. Addicts aren’t just let to do whatever they want, they are helped and held accountable. They are expected to work towards bettering themselves.
@@yeeaahhzzDifferent cultures and drugs.
@@ALuimes same drugs and culture has nothing to do with addiction. Addiction doesn't care where you come from, your social status or your cultural practices.
This is actually great reporting. I hope we can create multiple institutions to help these people and quickly
Very good reporting. My heart goes out to all affected by this. And again, we need this Liberal/NDP coalition held accountable. They absolutely should be charged and jailed for what they’ve done to our country. Absolutely brutal.
Well kids, this is why you where told, dont do drugs 🤷♂️
More and more cities are just like this. It’s a mix of enabling, accepting the hard drug use, city councils and society ignoring that it’s a problem (or just not wanting to talk about it) and the judicial system that is just broken since 2015 with the outrageous bail reform.
Addicts needs drugs out their hands first (bring back hard sentences on drug dealers) with a careful follow-up and places where they can actually go to recover, work on their mental health, get the care they need and learn again to live in society drug free.
We need LESS drug use, not more. We need MORE resources that actually finishes the job and aren’t just patches here and there. It’s time the governement wake the hell up about this and move things because it will inly get worse if they don’t. Crime have and will go up, overdoses have and will go up too and there will only be more and more addicts/homeless people if nothing is done.
We also should consider where this drug is coming from and why. We're being poisoned, and it's working quite well. The packages with enough fentanyl to wipe out entire cities sure aren't being produced locally. We really need to appreciate how serious this stuff is. You don't recover from the addiction, ever. It's so addictive that people will let their bodies literally rot in exchange.. If we can't curb the supply we're pretty much f'd.
"we were introduced to certain drugs...then it went to hell" geez who would of thought...
Yes, and always in the passive voice (ie, 'this thing just happened to us due to some external force, not us')
"introduced to" oh and that makes you addicted all of a sudden? I've taken Hydromorphone (broken femur), didn't allow myself to get addicted like a drooling twit though.
Always somebody else's fault.
Hmm I’ve had to take pain meds.. because I had serious pain due to injury! I took them as prescribed… it’s not the drs fault that ppl abuse their medication
I heard that too and I hear that often not just from addicts but those family and friends who enable them. When people say it is a mental health issue I think about people who have come back from war who suffer but do not become addicts. I really think the breakdown of the family structure and community is creating a bit part of this problem.
Much appreciated to the CBC for finally reporting on the biggest crisis of Canada's history
I used to work downtown, and I watched a guy get arrested for drugs at 9 am, released by noon, and passed out on the sidewalk on Church Street by 5 pm, it's a sad and complex issue.
I come from an island with a population of 2500. We had 4 fatal OD's this month. Moose Factory, ON. I lost 14 family and friends in 2 years.
Not a big tourist spot anymore?
@@ianstuart5660not since they shut down the factory.
@@ianstuart5660 Sadly no, still get tourist but not like before.
@@batboylives
Thanks! I've always wanted to take the polar bear express from Cochrane. All best wishes to you!
@@ianstuart5660 Back at ya buddy, take care.
People can be guilted to go out of their way for people suffering with drug addiction but for others suffering with many other hidden things it’s for their own to deal with
If an issue is hidden how will anyone know?
So grateful to have broken free from the horrid grips of fent. I pray for those still suffering. Mental health support
Thanks Justin the Canadian people owe you one.
I see this everyday!! It is everywhere in Canada. People are picking in garbage cans looking for a scrap of food!! People are shop lifting like crazy. They are turning people away at food banks! I never thought I would witness this in Canada.
Ask people why they voted conservative to create this problem. They are envious of Americans so they should move there.
No they are not the problem!! ITs the Liberals!
@@generationofswine-ge5rw
Too much compassion comes with a price.
And not enough personal responsibility
What is there to do? Give them an apartment, they can't handle it. Can get rehab and after that they are back at the streets again. Costs a lot of money for no benefit. How much money can it cost to no avail.
3 yrs ago I watched a video of the Belleville waterfront trail here on UA-cam and it looked great. I thought it would be nice to take my little boys on a Sunday bike ride there. I live about 1 hr north west of the city and hadn't been in Belleville since I was a kid. I had absolutely no clue how bad of a state that town was in. Can't imagine how much worse it is now.
Great piece.
CBC you are in trouble with our government over this report. I am giving this report a thumbs up for the first time ever.
wow cbc let us comment this time
It is hard to save people from themselves. It just is. Everyone knows opioids will not help them secure housing or food. And they do it anyway. They are not bad people at all, just tired, disillusioned, etc, but again, you can not save them from themselves.
That is one of the Best Police Officers I have seen here in Ontario Canada 🇨🇦. He is one that actually cares & wasn’t afraid to speak up about it. This Officer should be promoted. He deserves to be one that makes the big decisions for his City. His eyes see what’s going on. He knows the systems failed many communities not just Belleville. Must make him wonder what’s the problem with the Mayor. Our very own Justin Trudeau. Thank you to this awesome Officer.
The part that makes me laugh is people think affordable housing will fix this ,those oeople dont have a clue
Why don't we learn from other societies on how they deal with this problem. Singapore has zero tolerance for homelessness and drug consumption and it is a clean society (housing are leased 99 years, they find you employment, heavy penalty and charges for narcotics).
You need to be tough and maintain that standard.
It really starts with culture and taking action.
no more free handouts. I can't believe the mayor had the audacity to ask the residents to pay for another centre.
Shes saying she lost her whole family and STILL IS DOING DRUGS THIS GOTTA BE A JOKE 😂
Bro its the most deadliest addiction in the world. It’s banned for a reason
@@bodhisattva6308 will power is a hell of a thing when you are willing to utilize it
Opioid dependence is insane man, intense withdrawal makes you wish you were dead
is that why they give fet away free in vancover - harms reduction @@bodhisattva6308
My son died from a fentanyl overdose in 2021 at age 25. He was an honour roll student his whole academic career, a great athlete and an artist. Becoming addicted to a drug is very difficult and it is difficult for families of addicts. The police officer is correct, these individuals need help and our systems are broken. We tried to get our son help but, like the people the officer is dealing with there was often none available. There are resources available but they need to be supported.
It's honestly just extremely heartbreaking.. 💔
Living less than an hour from Belleville, our city installed modular homes for those in need which many residents were up in arms about, but they seem to be helping to our happy surprise.
All over Ont , look at Brantford .
A house is a solution for drug addicts? Really? There's a huge difference between needing help and wanting help. If an addict doesn't want help...that's on them. If they can't get help, that's on politicians.
While in treatment for alcohol dependence, I heard the term"5000 lb phone". It means that the phone numbers are available for help, but it is a big weight to ask for it.
You understand poverty and crime are directly tied to each other right?
And yes once their at the poverty drug stage they don't care anymore. Surprise! Any other words of wisdom?
Living on the street is insanely traumatic. A lot of people turn to drugs to cope with their circumstance. You have no idea how hard it is to reach out for help, and that's if you're lucky enough to have anyone to reach out to.
Yes it actually is no one is going to get clean on the streets by themselves. magically clean themselves up get a job get an apartment and have a good life that's not how life works. Especially right now with the economy we have it basically doesn't matter what job these people get they will never afford an apartment or a decent life so what motivation do they have to get off drugs.
Welcome to the new Canada bellville! Greetings from Hamilton
What a Broken Country Canada has become it’s heart breaking 💔
I was raised in Belleville, spent the good majority of my young adulthood there. I can't get over how much it has changed. They have always been lacking in social structures and that I learned in in college there.
When I was homeless, finding a place for me and my friend to go was impossible. Because he was male they would offer to send him to a home in madoc, but if you dont drive, have fun.
Many shelters tried to start up, only to be closed.
I now live in Hamilton and its the same story. You let social structures fail, you let people not be able to afford food or shelter - then people are going to seek dopamine from cheaper sources. Easier to stay high/drunk than keep housing and food around.
The cost to get clean is insane. Methadone is a lifelong alternative once offered. Its craziness that this small town is struggling so hard.... I never could have imagined it would hit that town so hard. Kingston? Sure. Coburg even ... But Belleville? Never could have imagined.
this is everywhere getting to be a epidemic of drugs
Yes, every mid-to-large city in Canada.
Emergency? Try walking through the Vancouver downtown eastside.
It was an experience to day th3 least
These drug addicts talk as if some mysterious force over which they have no control is injecting this stuff into them and they can't imagine why anyone would want do such a thing to them. "Somebody please fix this problem for me!"
No treatment or anyone to explain the cycle of addiction to them. It's common to blame another person, place or thing for their addiction.
@@iam1smiley1 isn't buprenorphine/methadone available? Serious question, btw!
Yeah you do not understand drug addiction at all there is literally a force forcing them to continue to use. That's what addiction is these people need support or we can just do nothing and let the problem continue and we'll just have hundreds of thousands of of dead people. You obviously do not understand the lack of resources and the economic state of this country rn.