Crime
Red Deer RCMP arrest numerous prolific offenders in targeted crime hot spots
Red Deer, Alberta – Recent arrests of note by Red Deer RCMP include a number of habitual offenders identified through Pinpoint, the Red Deer RCMP crime reduction strategy; more arrests took place in areas RCMP have identified as crime hot spots and locations where the public have reported active criminal behaviour. RCMP seized significant amounts of drugs, several firearms and a replica firearm during these arrests.
November 25
Shortly before 4 pm on November 25, RCMP on patrol in an area known to be active regarding stolen vehicles conducted a traffic stop and located several larger bags of methamphetamine along with a number of individually packaged smaller bags consistent with drug trafficking. RCMP seized the methamphetamine and more than $1,000 in cash as proceeds of crime.
19 year old Mackenzie Rae Bannister faces the following charges:
· CDSA 5(2) – Possession for the purpose of trafficking X 2
Bannister was remanded to appear in court in Red Deer on November 27 and will appear in court again at 9:30 am.
29 year old Robert Sean Bishop faces the following charges:
· CDSA 5(2) – Possession for the purpose of trafficking X 2
· Criminal Code 145(3) – Fail to comply with conditions
Bishop was remanded to appear in court in Red Deer on November 27 and will appear in court again at 9:30 am.
November 25
Shortly after 3:30 pm on November 25, RCMP on patrol in a known crime hot spot located a stolen truck parked at an address that police have flagged for criminal activity through the Red Deer crime reduction strategy, Pinpoint. RCMP arrested the driver without incident and seized a rifle, a shotgun and ammunition. The suspect was wanted on numerous outstanding warrants out of Red Deer at the time of his arrest.
In addition to his outstanding warrants, 33 year old Trevor James Gatzke faces the following charges:
· Criminal Code 86(1) – Unsafe storage of firearms
· Criminal Code 91(1) – Unauthorized possession of firearm
· Criminal Code 91(2) – Unauthorized possession of weapon
· Criminal Code 92(2) – Unauthorized possession of weapon while knowing possession was unauthorized
· Criminal Code 94(1) – Possession of firearm/ ammunition in vehicle X 2
· Criminal Code 355(a) – Possession of stolen property over $5,000
· Criminal Code 145(3) – Fail to comply with conditions X 3
· TSA 53(1)(b) – improper license plate on vehicle
· TSA 54(1)(a) – Drive without insurance
Gatzke was remanded for court in Red Deer on November 28 and will appear in court again on December 14 at 9:30 am.
November 25
Shortly before 7 am on November 25, RCMP responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle parked on Metcalf Avenue. RCMP confirmed the vehicle had been stolen out of Red Deer and arrested the occupant without incident. During the arrest, RCMP seized an open bottle of liquor and a pellet gun that the suspect was prohibited by the courts from possessing.
30 year old Cody Alan Feil faces the following charges:
· Criminal Code 88(1) – Possession of weapon for dangerous purpose
· Criminal Code 117.01(1) – Weapons possession contrary to order
· Criminal Code 355(b) – Possession of stolen property under $5,000 X 2
Feil also faced a number of traffic and GLA charges that have been dealt with; he is scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on the criminal charges on November 28 at 9:30 am.
November 20
Shortly after 11 pm on November 20, RCMP on patrol in downtown Red Deer located two prolific male offenders who are well known to police in a stolen truck. During the arrest, RCMP seized cocaine and methamphetamine. The truck had been reported stolen out of Red Deer County in the early morning of November 20.
A 30 year old man faces the following charges:
· CDSA 4(1) – Possession of Schedule I substance X 2
· Criminal Code 355(a) – Possession of stolen property over $5,000 X 2
A 48 year old man faces the following charges:
· CDSA 5(2) – Possession of Schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking X 2
· Criminal Code 145(3) – Fail to comply with conditions
Their names cannot be released at this time as the charges against them have not yet been sworn before the courts; both accused are scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer at 9:30 am on January 12, 2018.
November 20
On November 20 at 3 pm, Red Deer RCMP located a stolen Dodge Ram at a storage unit in the Kentwood neighbourhood and arrested the driver without incident. The suspect was wanted on a number of outstanding warrants at the time of his arrest. The truck had been reported stolen out of Rimbey when it was left unlocked and running.
40 year old Michael Langille faces a charge of possession of stolen property over $5,000, in addition to his warrants. He was remanded to appear in court on November 22 and is scheduled to appear again on December 6 at 9:30 am.
November 19
At 4:30 pm on November 19, RCMP responded to a report of a stolen SUV parked in a south Red Deer parking lot. On arrival, RCMP arrested a man and a woman without incident; the woman was in possession of stolen property from a store in the area at the time of her arrest. The SUV had been reported stolen out of Red Deer on November 8 after it was left with spare keys inside it. A 43 year old man and a 41 year old woman will face charges of possession of stolen property; their names cannot be released at this time as those charges have not yet been sworn before the courts.
November 18
At approximately 11:30 pm on November 18, RCMP responded to a report of a personal robbery after a man walking home through downtown Red Deer was approached by two men who assaulted him and attempted to rob him. The victim suffered minor bruising in the assault and was able to get away from the suspects. RCMP did not locate the suspects that night during patrols but identified a suspect during the course of the investigation and arrested him on November 24. At the time of his arrest, the suspect was wanted on an outstanding warrant and was found to be in possession of a small amount of methamphetamine. RCMP continue to search for the second suspect.
48 year old Bryan Wally Kersch faces the following charges:
· Criminal Code 463/344(b) – Attempted robbery
· Criminal Code 145(3) – Fail to comply with conditions X 3
· CDSA 4(1) – Possession of Schedule I substance
Kersch is scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on December 6 at 9:30 am.
November 18
Shortly before 7:30 pm on November 18, RCMP attended a south Red Deer business in response to a report of shoplifters in custody. The suspects gave RCMP officers false names but police quickly determined their identities and found they were both wanted on numerous outstanding warrants.
33 year old Melissa Caylene White and 38 year old Travis Dwight Lindsey each faced a new charge of obstructing a peace officer (CC 129(a)) as well as their outstanding warrants. White appeared in court in Red Deer on November 20 and has since had her charges dealt with. Lindsey appeared in court in Red Deer on November 21 and is scheduled to appear again on December 5 at 9:30.
November 18
Shortly before 4 pm on November 18, Red Deer RCMP responded to a report of a stolen car that was parked in a parking lot in the Bower neighbourhood. RCMP attended and arrested the two occupants without incident. The car had been reported stolen out of Red Deer on November 15 after it was left with spare keys inside it.
47 year old Joel David Bremner faces the following charges:
· Criminal Code 355(b) – Possession of stolen property under $5,000
· Criminal Code 351(1) – Possession of break-in instruments
Bremner was remanded to appear in court in Red Deer on November 20 and is scheduled to appear again on November 28 at 9:30 am.
25 year old Christopher Evan Keizer faces the following charges:
· Criminal Code 355(b) – Possession of stolen property under $5,000
· Criminal Code 351(1) – Possession of break-in instruments
· Criminal Code 733.1(1) – Fail to comply with probation
· TSA 52(1)(a) – Drive without registration
· TSA 54(1)(a) – Drive without insurance
Keizer was scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on November 22 at 9:30 am. He failed to appear and his charges have now gone to warrant status, along with an additional charge of failing to appear in court.
November 18
Shortly before 2 pm on November 18, Red Deer RCMP were patrolling an identified crime hot spot when they located a stolen SUV being driven by a male suspect. RCMP initiated a traffic stop and followed the SUV for some distance until it was clear the SUV was refusing to stop for police. For public safety reasons, RCMP turned off their lights and slowed down to indicate they would not pursue the suspect vehicle, which fled nonetheless and ran a red light at the intersection of Gaetz Avenue and 55 Street. Several civilian vehicles were able to avoid hitting the stolen SUV but one vehicle struck it. The stolen SUV spun and hit a traffic light then collided with another vehicle, pushing that vehicle into the vehicle behind it. RCMP arrested the driver of the stolen SUV and seized a small amount of methamphetamine from the suspect. City of Red Deer emergency services staff attended and ensured that none of the victims had been injured in the three collisions. The driver of the stolen SUV sustained minor injuries and was treated at hospital then released to police custody. The SUV had been reported stolen out of Red Deer on November 13 after it was left unattended with keys in it.
39 year old Simon John Pelletier was remanded to appear in court in Red Deer on November 24 and has since been found guilty of the following charges:
· Criminal Code 249.1(1) – Flight from police
· Criminal Code 355(a) – Possession of stolen property over $5,000
· CDSA 4(1) – Possession of Schedule I substance (methamphetamine)
November 18
Shortly after 5 am on November 18, RCMP on patrol in north Red Deer located a truck that had been reported stolen out of Red Deer late the night before. The truck was stopped at the side of the road as it had run out of gas. RCMP arrested the male driver and a female passenger without incident.
29 year old Jesse Joseph Cecka faces one charge of possession of stolen property over $5,000 (CC 355(a)). He appeared in court in Red Deer on November 20 and is scheduled to appear again on December 12 at 9:30 am.
22 year old Julianna Marie Hinz faces one charge of possession of stolen property over $5,000 (CC 355(a)). She is scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on December 8 at 8:30 am.
November 17
Shortly after 4 pm on November 17, RCMP on patrol in an area known to be active regarding stolen vehicles located a stolen car with a license plate that had been stolen separate from the car. RCMP tracked the movement of the car from a distance until it had parked, then boxed it in and arrested the female driver without incident. The car had been reported stolen out of Red Deer on October 25 when it was left running and unattended, and the license plate had been reported stolen out of Innisfail on October 26.
A 28 year old woman faces charges of possession of stolen property over $5,000, possession of stolen property under $5,000 and a number of traffic tickets. Her name cannot be released at this time as the charges have not yet been sworn before the courts. She is scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on December 13.
November 17
At 1 pm on November 17, RCMP on patrol in an area known to be active regarding stolen vehicles located a stolen car with two occupants. RCMP executed a high risk traffic stop and took the occupants into custody.
20 year old Savannah Lee Korth faces a charge of possession of stolen property (CC 354) and is scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on December 4 at 8:30 am.
November 16
At 7:30 pm on November 16, RCMP responded to a report of a break-in in progress at a locked industrial compound on Golden West Avenue. RCMP attended immediately and located the suspect as he was leaving the area after being caught on camera breaking into a holiday trailer in the compound; at the time of his arrest, the suspect was found to be in breach of a number of court-ordered conditions, including a curfew.
35 year old Robert James Martin faces the following charges:
· Criminal Code 348(1)(e) – Break and enter
· Criminal Code 430(4) – Mischief under $5,000
· Criminal Code 145(3) – Fail to comply with conditions X 3
Martin was remanded to appear in court in Red Deer on November 21 and is scheduled to appear in court again on December 7 at 9:30 am.
– 30 –
2025 Federal Election
Nine Dead After SUV Plows Into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Raising Election-Eve Concerns Over Public Safety
Sam Cooper
In Vancouver, concern about public safety — particularly assaults and violent incidents involving suspects previously known to police — has been a longstanding civic and political flashpoint
In an evolving mass-death investigation that could have profound psychological and emotional impacts on Canada’s federal election, Vancouver police confirmed Sunday that nine people were killed Saturday night when a young man plowed a luxury SUV through a festival block party in South Vancouver, leaving a trail of instant deaths and horrific injuries, with witnesses describing convulsing bodies and wounded toddlers in the aftermath.
The driver, a 30-year-old Vancouver resident known to police, appeared to be shaken and apologetic, according to eyewitness accounts and video from the scene. Authorities stated the case is not being treated as terrorism.
Late Saturday night, Vancouver police confirmed at a news conference that the man, who was known to police “in certain circumstances,” had been arrested.
The incident occurred around 8:14 p.m. during the annual Lapu Lapu Festival, a celebration of Filipino Canadian culture held near East 41st Avenue and Fraser Street. Thousands of attendees had packed the area for cultural performances, food stalls, and community events when the luxury SUV entered the closed-off area and accelerated into the crowd. Photos of the vehicle, with its doors ajar and a crumpled front end, indicate it was an Audi Q7 with black tinted windows.
In Vancouver, concern about public safety — particularly assaults and violent incidents involving suspects previously known to police — has been a longstanding civic and political flashpoint. Saturday’s tragedy sharpened those anxieties, potentially influencing the attitudes of undecided voters in a federal election that has focused on social disorder and crime framed by the Conservative side, with the Liberal frontrunners countering that firmer sentencing laws would undermine Canada’s Charter of Rights.
Witnesses to Saturday’s tragedy described scenes of chaos and terror as the SUV slammed into festival-goers, accelerating through the crowd.
“I thought it was fireworks at first — the sounds, the screams — then I saw people flying,” one witness told reporters on the scene.
Authorities have launched a full criminal investigation into the suspect’s background, including previous interactions with law enforcement.
The tragedy unfolded during the final, high-stakes weekend of Canada’s federal election campaign, throwing public safety and political leadership into sharp relief.
On Saturday night, before news of the Vancouver incident broke, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre posted a message on X at about 10 p.m., declaring, “This election comes down to one word. Change. Our Conservative plan will bring home an affordable life and safe streets — For a Change.”
Meanwhile, Liberal leader Mark Carney, campaigning in the Greater Toronto Area, posted at roughly the same time, “Dropped in on dim sum today in Markham. The best part of this campaign has been meeting Canadians in their communities — and hearing how excited they are about our future.”
As the scale of the tragedy became clear, both leaders shifted sharply in tone.
Poilievre posted again around 1 a.m. Sunday, writing, “I am shocked by the horrific news emerging from Vancouver’s Lapu Lapu Day Festival tonight. My thoughts are with the Filipino community and all the victims targeted by this senseless attack. Thank you to the first responders who are at the scene as we wait to hear more.”
Carney, who had posted shortly before midnight that, “We don’t need anger. We need to build,” followed with a direct statement on the Vancouver attack around 2 a.m. Sunday morning, writing, “I am devastated to hear about the horrific events at the Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver earlier this evening. I offer my deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured, to the Filipino Canadian community, and to everyone in Vancouver. We are all mourning with you.”
Online, the tragedy quickly reignited concerns about violent crime, bail, and the rights of offenders — issues that have increasingly polarized Canadian political debate.
In response to Carney’s statement, a comment from an account named Willy Balters reflected the growing anger: “He’ll be out on bail by morning right?”
Another commenter, referencing past political controversies over judicial reform, posted to Carney, “You stood behind a podium and declared murderers’ Charter Rights can’t be violated.”
The raw public sentiment mirrored broader criticisms that Canada’s criminal justice system — and its perceived leniency toward repeat offenders — has failed to keep Canadians safe.
Just days prior, a different incident tapped into similar public anger. B.C. Conservative MLA Elenore Sturko posted, “A visitor to Vancouver was brutally attacked by a man only hours after he was released on bail for assaulting police and uttering threats. @Dave_Eby — is this the kind of welcome visitors to FIFA will have to look forward to? BTW, this violent man is out on bail AGAIN!”
That incident continued to draw heated social media on Sunday, with David Jacobs, a well-known conservative-leaning commenter, posting, “A man, while out on bail for assaulting a peace officer, violently assaulted a woman. He’s out on bail again. The Liberals put criminal rights far ahead of victim rights and community safety. Stop the insanity. Vote for change!”
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2025 Federal Election
Police Associations Endorse Conservatives. Poilievre Will Shut Down Tent Cities
From Conservative Party Communications
Under the Lost Liberal decade, homelessness has surged by 20% since 2018 and chronic homelessness has spiked 38%. In cities like Nanaimo, Victoria and London, the number of people living in tents and makeshift shelters has exploded. In Toronto alone, there were 82 encampments in early 2023—now there are over 200, with an estimated 1,400 in Ontario.
Yesterday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre received the endorsement of the Toronto Police Association, the largest single association of its kind in Canada, representing approximately 8,000 civilian and uniformed members.
This follows the endorsement by the police associations of Durham, Peel, Barrie, and Sault Ste. Marie of the Conservative plan to stop the crime and keep Canadians safe, after the Liberal government’s easy bail and soft-on-crime policies unleashed a wave of violent crime.
“These men and women put their lives on the line every day to keep our streets safe,” Poilievre said. “Our Conservative team is honoured to have their support and will back them up with laws to help them protect all Canadians.”
Poilievre also announced that a new Conservative government will ensure that police have the legal power to remove dangerous encampments to end the homelessness and the mental health and addiction crisis that has trapped thousands in dangerous tent cities and make life unsafe for law-abiding Canadians who live near them.
“Parks where children played are now littered with needles. Small businesses are boarded up and whole blocks of storefronts are shuttered because their owners can’t afford to deal with constant break-ins and vandalism,” Pierre Poilievre said. “Public spaces belong to everyone, but law-abiding citizens, especially families and seniors, are being pushed out to accommodate chaos and violence.”
Canadian cities have a mixed record of dealing with encampments in public places, with some not acting because they don’t believe they have the legal authority to remove the camps. Conservatives will work with provinces and ensure law enforcement has the clear legal tools they need to remove encampments and give Canadians back the safe streets and public spaces they deserve.
A Poilievre-led government will do this by reversing the Liberals’ radical pro-drug policies and by:
- Amending the Criminal Code to give police the tools to charge individuals when they endanger public safety or discourage the public from using, moving through, or otherwise accessing public spaces by setting up temporary structures, including tents.
- Clarifying in law that police can dismantle illegal encampments and ensure individuals living in them who need help are connected with housing, addiction treatment, and mental health services.
- Giving judges the power to order people charged for illegally occupying public spaces with a temporary structure and simple possession of illegal drugs to mandatory drug treatment.
- Returning to a housing first approach to homelessness, ensuring people get off the streets into a stable place to live with the support they need to rebuild their lives.
Under the Lost Liberal decade, homelessness has surged by 20% since 2018 and chronic homelessness has spiked 38%. In cities like Nanaimo, Victoria and London, the number of people living in tents and makeshift shelters has exploded. In Toronto alone, there were 82 encampments in early 2023—now there are over 200, with an estimated 1,400 in Ontario.
These encampments are a direct result of radical Liberal policies such as drug decriminalization and unsafe supply. They are extremely dangerous for the people trapped in them, who endure overdoses, assaults, including sexual assaults, human trafficking, and even homicide, as well as the community around them.
Under the Poilievre plan, tent cities will no longer be an option—but recovery will be. Conservatives will give law enforcement the tools they need to help clean up our streets, deal with chronic offenders, and provide truly compassionate recovery and treatment where it is needed.
“Instead of getting people the help they need, the Liberals abandoned our communities to chaos,” Poilievre said. “Leaving people trapped by their addictions to live outdoors through Canadian winters, sick, malnourished, cold, wet and vulnerable is the furthest thing from compassionate.”
A Conservative government will also overhaul the Liberals’ dangerous pro-drug policies that have led to over 50,000 overdose deaths over the Lost Liberal Decade. Instead of flooding our streets with taxpayer-funded hard drugs, we will invest in recovery to break the cycle of despair and offer real hope.
Conservatives will allow judges to sentence offenders to mandatory treatment for addiction, and we will fund 50,000 addiction treatment spaces, ensuring that those struggling with substance use get the support they need to recover—because real compassion means helping people get better, not enabling their suffering.
In addition to these measures, Poilievre has a plan to end the soft-on-crime approach of the Lost Liberal Decade, end the chaos, and restore order and safety across Canada:
- Three-Strikes-and-You’re-Out Law: Individuals convicted of three serious offences will face a minimum prison term of 10 years and up to a life sentence, with no eligibility for bail, probation, parole, or house arrest.
- Mandatory Life Sentences: Life imprisonment for those convicted of five or more counts of human trafficking, importing or exporting ten or more illegal firearms, or trafficking fentanyl.
- Repeal of Bill C-75: Ending the Liberals’ catch-and-release policies to restore jail, not bail, for repeat violent offenders.
- New Offense for Intimate Partner Assault: Creation of a specific offense for assault of an intimate partner, with the strictest bail conditions for those accused, and ensuring that murder of an intimate partner, one’s own child, or a partner’s child is treated as first-degree murder.
- Consecutive Sentences for Repeat Violent Offenders: So there will no longer be sentencing discounts for multiple murderers.
Canadians can’t afford a fourth Liberal term of rising crime and chaos in our streets. We need a new Conservative government that will end the chaos, restore order on our streets and bring our loved ones home drug-free.
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