Latest news with #complaints
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Bylaw Services officers return to problematic neighbourhoods to enforce parking rules: City of Ottawa
Bylaw Services insists parking enforcement in Ottawa's suburbs is complaint driven, but officials say officers will return to problematic neighbourhoods to ticket repeat parking offenders. The City of Ottawa has received 2,800 complaints about parking issues in Barrhaven so far this year, up from 1,600 complaints in the first five and a half months of 2025. Two Bylaw Services officers are assigned to enforce parking rules in the Barrhaven area. Bylaw Services public information officer Jonathan Walden told Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron, officers are responding to a lot of calls in the suburbs about vehicles parked on city streets. 'We're definitely getting a lot more calls that are going to result in a lot more officers attending, potentially streets that people aren't used to seeing officers on and that will, unfortunately, result in parking tickets as well,' Walden said. Walden insists ByWard Services is not 'targeting a neighbourhood' with parking enforcement, but will return if they receive multiple complaints or an ongoing complaint about vehicles parked on streets for extended periods of time. 'Unfortunately, it can be just one neighbour calling in a complaint. If one neighbour sees a car that's been parked there for too long and they call us, an officer is going to attend,' Walden said. 'Unfortunately, we can't just ticket the one car potentially that they're calling about because that would be targeted enforcement. So, we have to proactively patrol the whole block and make sure that every vehicle is moved on that street.' The City of Ottawa's bylaw says vehicles may not be parked for more than three hours on unsigned streets between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, and no more than six hours during the same period on weekends and statutory holidays. Bylaw Services told CTV News Ottawa last week that 20,010 tickets have been issued to drivers parked in excess of the permitted time on an unsigned street so far this year. In 2024, officers issued a total of 35,453 tickets for similar violations. 'It is not a cash grab. We are enforcing the traffic and parking bylaw,' Walden said. 'These are mostly driven by complaints, especially in rural areas. We're not proactively going out and chalking vehicles in Barrhaven just to get cash – we are responding to complaints.' With files from CTV News Ottawa's Natalie van Rooy
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
NI Politics: Watchdog complaints double since Stormont restored
Complaints to the Northern Ireland Assembly's standards watchdog have more than doubled in the year since Stormont was 150 complaints were made to the Assembly Commissioner for Standards in 2024-25, compared to 65 lodged in the previous 12-month Ireland's devolved government returned in 2024 following a two-year hiatus due to a political row over post-Brexit trade commissioner investigates complaints against members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) and ministers in Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive. A total of 149 complaints were made in 2024-25, including 123 against MLAs and 26 relating to these, 16 were assessed as admissible and proceeded to formal investigation, while 129 were deemed the 2024-25 figure is an increase compared to the previous year, it is similar to other recent highest figure in the 13 years since the commissioner role was created was 164 in complaints in 2024-25 related to alleged conflicts of was followed by complaints of "excessive and unreasonable personal attack" including concerns related to the use of social media. 'More could have been achieved' The details were contained in the latest annual report by the standards commissioner Dr Melissa is her last annual report before her five-year term as commissioner ends in commissioner said the "exceptional circumstances" of the Covid-19 pandemic and a two-year Stormont hiatus "made for an unusual five-year term".She added that "while I am very proud of what has been accomplished, I believe that in different conditions more could have been achieved".In her "final reflections" in the report, she said the ministerial code of conduct should be "updated, as it has not been revised since 1998"."This remains an urgent and unresolved matter," she McCullough said the commissioner's office needed more staffing resources "to do the work effectively"."Unfortunately, despite formal requests for such dedicated support, none has been provided," she McCullough also said the terms of the commissioner's employment should be reviewed, as benefits such as holiday pay and sick pay are currently not said it "risks sending the wrong message" and could "deter experienced and capable individuals from putting themselves forward".
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Irish Times
Public sex, racial abuse and drug dealing among thousands of complaints texted to Irish Rail last year
Racial and homophobic abuse, drug dealing and sexual harassment were among the complaints submitted by Irish Rail users through its antisocialsocial behaviour text alert service last year. A total of 4,249 texts were sent to the service in 2024, according to a log of complaints released to The Irish Times under the Freedom of Information Act. An average of nearly 12 complaints were made through the anonymous service every day, though many texts related to the same incident. The number of incidents deemed to 'pose a risk of harm to customers or staff' stood at 29 per million customers in the most recently available quarter. READ MORE Complaints about drunk passengers and 'loud music' made frequent appearances in the service log. More than 200 reports related to drug consumption or dealing, many of which were reporting the non-confrontational use of illegal substances, though some were more serious. 'There is two parents doing cocaine with their baby in a pram in front of them,' one rail user reported. Reports of sexual offence were also constant throughout the year, from sexual aggression to sexual harassment and a number of reports of sexual assault. One complaint reported a couple performing 'sexual acts openly' between carriages. There were multiple reports of 'drug dealers' using train bathrooms to perform drug drops or to meet customers, as well as complaints of railway stations being used as drug meetup points fordrug users. Other users of the service reported serious issues such as domestic violence, with one report of a man abusing a partner and threatening to 'smash her head in, break her legs, throw her under train' all within earshot of children. There was a report that people at Howth Junction Train Station were attempting to sell a 'small brown dog' for €15. Adam Conway (25), who frequently travels by train to Dublin from Laois, has experienced physical violence from a group of young men on a late train home – he says such journeys often have a 'very uncomfortable' environment and there are often drunk and disorderly people. He recently used the antisocial behaviour text line to report an incident in which an 'aggressive' man was racially abusing and insulting passengers. Security did not arrive to address the situation while he was on board. Racist, sexist and other types of discriminatory abuse were common among last year's complaints, with racial abuse being mentioned the most. There was nearly one such complaint every week. Mr Conway said that despite the negative experiences, he has found the staff and customer service on Irish Rail to be 'extremely helpful' in dealing with other, non-urgent issues. 'When you text the word 'Train' to 51444, that message is sent to a bunker of Howth Junction Dart Station which is manned by security officers,' said Mark Gleeson, a spokesperson for Rail Users Ireland, the representative body for rail passengers. 'They have significantly increased the number of security patrols,' Mr Gleeson said of Irish Rail but noted that the problem with the service is that when you send in a message 'you are a moving target'. 'Getting the security resources [in time] to attend an incident and pick up an individual is very unlikely,' he said, noting that it is only in 'extreme cases' that gardaí will be called to issues on trains. 'The biggest problem we have got is that stations are unstaffed, which causes a lot of fear for passengers. It is not like Luas stations, which are mostly open and public. Most of the train stations are in cut-ins, they are dark, they have got bridges over them and they are walled in.' Train platforms are frequently identified as locations for antisocial behaviour. One rail user complained of two children 'driving a motorised scooter' on Howth platform, saying they had 'crashed into several passengers'. Another rail user was attacked and robbed on a platform at Howth Junction. The majority of incidents, however, took place on trains themselves. Irish Rail said the 'vast majority of the 50.1 million journeys on our service – including 34.7 million in the Dublin commuter area covered by the text alert service – take place without incident, but we will continue to prioritise prevention of incidents, and rapid response working with our partners.' The statement continued: 'Our text line is just one of the measures we have in place to address antisocial behaviour: as a societal issue to which we are not immune, we have a range of proactive and preventative measures and response measures in place, working with our own team, our private security contractors and An Garda Síochána.' Irish Rail said it has 'consistently expanded' its security presence in recent years. Software engineer Ankish Raj Prajapati (25) said he recently boarded a carriage that was 'covered in blood and broken glass bottles' following an antisocial incident. Mr Prajapati was with his parents who had come to visit him in Dublin for the first time, and although the group did not witness the incident first-hand, he described it as a 'very horrific experience'. He said he is less likely to use the Dart than other public transport as a result. 'Especially at night, the Darts feel worse than other public transport,' he said, noting that after an increase in security presence, the Luas feels safer.
CBC
3 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Watchdog says military police still resisting civilian oversight
The military police watchdog says resistance to civilian oversight in the Canadian Forces provost marshal's office "worsened" last year. The Military Police Complaints Commission released a report Tuesday accusing the provost marshal's office or CFPM — which commands all military police in Canada — of "shutting down" complaints based on a "dubious" interpretation of the National Defence Act. In its report, the watchdog said the provost marshal's office has been failing to advise complainants of their right to have their cases reviewed by the complaints commission as required by law, and is routinely refusing to respond to complaints made in interference cases. Interference cases come up when a military police member files a complaint alleging that a member of the Canadian Armed Forces or a senior official in the Department of National Defence has attempted to influence an investigation. "These issues not only persisted but have worsened. In 2024, the [provost marshal] interpreted the National Defence Act in a way that avoids civilian independent oversight. The situation escalated from resistance to outright refusal to respect the oversight regime mandated by Parliament," the report said. It says the provost marshal is "shutting down complaints" and "hindering the civilian oversight of the military police." Tammy Tremblay, Military Police Complaints Commission chair, declined an interview request. Office says recommendations 'considered carefully' Lt.-Cmdr. Melanie Aqiqi, public affairs officer at the provost marshal's office, said that they "acknowledge the criticism" in the watchdog report and remain "fully committed" to the commission's mandate. "The CFPM acknowledges that the interpretation of this legislative framework is at times different than that of the [commission]. Most notably, as it relates to the disclosure of information," Aqiqi said in an emailed response. "All recommendations from the MPCC are considered carefully with a view to determining their merit, practicality and effectiveness to bring positive changes." The report accuses the provost marshal's office of "terminating" complaints without an investigation when a criminal probe is launched. The report said complaints are supposed to be paused pending the completion of a criminal investigation and any judicial proceedings. However, the report said that this year the provost marshal's office began to "simply terminate" some complaints without investigating them. Aqiqi denied this claim. "Regarding ongoing criminal proceedings, this is never used as a tool to avoid complaint investigations. In some instances, a criminal investigation may be a more appropriate manner to address a complaint received under the act," she said. "Should this be the case, the military police require criminal proceedings to be concluded prior to proceeding." Report calls for further reform The report calls for National Defence Act reform to ensure the commission has the ability to access "information necessary to investigate complaints." "Without this legislative reform, there is a risk that the barriers the MPCC faces in exercising its mandate continue to dilute the will of Parliament in establishing an oversight system for the military police," the report said. The report also says that individual members of the military police "respect and understand" the watchdog's mandate and the problem of "refusal of civilian oversight" stems from senior leadership. Aqiqi said that the provost marshal's office remains committed to a "fair, transparent and independent process" to address public complaints.
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Media Council supports two RNZ headlines
Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly The Media Council has ruled that two complaints about online headlines did not provide enough grounds to proceed. Jenni Yan complained about two headlines on RNZ's website, one published on April 30 about a government announcement on prisoners' voting rights , and the other on May 2 about the demotion of Mike Waltz as President Donald Trump's national security advisor. In both cases the Council ruled that no case had been made to show the headlines or stories breached the Council's Principles, and on that basis there were no grounds to proceed with the complaints. The decisions made be found here : and
