Seems like Canada isn't as safe as we make it out to be....

[Richard Hammond]

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Upd...031/story.html

Kamloops — The gunman who held a woman hostage in her Dufferin home, has possibly died according to ScanBC.

The house was engulfed in flames after the woman was released around midnight.

Firefighters are on the site. There were explosives in the house, according to reports.

Kamloops RCMP had earlier surrounded the house after reports of a gun shot. The suspect gunman had taken the woman and her four kids hostage earlier this evening.

An Emergency Response Team has been on site since, in the Hillside Drive area.

The RCMP could not be reached for confirmation but reports indicate that at least one shot was fired in the ceiling amid screaming and yelling heard from the house.

The residents around the targeted home were evacuated. The children escaped earlier according to reports.

There is no confirmation whether the gunman had any accomplices.

Funny thing is that I live literally across the little valley from the neighbourhood and heard no sirens or anything all day. Crazy how it happened though. Other than the suspect, it's been said no one was hurt, fortunately enough. Sad to hear about though, especially for the family that owned the house.

Crazy, nonetheless. We actually had a related incident happen less than a month ago in Chase (a little town about an hour from here where I grew up) and an old man held up an RBC bank for hours on end before eventually giving up. Apparently he had been in prison for 20 years and didn't know what to do with himself....the description damn near matched my dad too! I'll leave that article down below.

58 year-old man wanted to be shot - but RCMP used non-lethal force

It was a six hour ordeal in Chase that saw the RCMP's bomb squad and emergency response team respond in full force. Late Thursday afternoon the Royal Bank in Chase became the scene of a standoff when a man walked into the building armed with a knife, and what is now know to be a pellet gun and inett device that looked like a bomb. He ordered everyone to leave. For the next 6 hours the man remained barricaded inside the building before giving himself up. The 58-year old man emerged and demanded to be shot -- instead RCMP used a "sock round" on him, soemthing that causes injury -- but it's not lethal. The unnamed man was taken to hospital, and was still there Friday. He has a pair of recent addresses in the Kamloops and Chase areas, and he has a criminal record. RCMP are now trying to determine what his motivation was.

This is the most violent season I've experienced so far in my life where incidents have happened so close together. Guess I'll start keeping my doors locked 24/7 from now on.

[S_Gibson]

Someone told me once you were much more likely to have your car stolen or house broken into in Canada than the US.

After that silly Bowling for Columbine propaganda film, I read a study that showed that while the US still has a higher murder rate than Canada and both we on the decline, Canada's murder rate was dropping at a slower rate. Based on the trend at the time it sounded like Canada was going to pass the US in murders per capita in the next 20 years.

Admittedly Canada does have a lot less people being killed by with guns with their gun laws, seems a lot more people must be getting killed by sticks, stones or kitchen knifes That or they are just getting raped or injured because they have no good weapon to defend themselves, putting themselves into a different category.

[powersteamracing]

I'd say Canada is still safe. Not to stir a pot, but I think location matters aswell. In the USA, I consider Maine or North Carolina much safer than NYC or Detroit. In Canada I'd say BC and Ontario are generally more dangerous than PEI or New Brunswick.

I'm just happy in my Maritimes. :P

[Brandon Lutz]

Obviously, the citizenry is in all out rebellion due to the lack of luscious candied treats.

[Richard Hammond]

Obviously, the citizenry is in all out rebellion due to the lack of luscious candied treats.

You just hit the nail on the head. We're all going crazy without Cherry Coke.

[Brandon Lutz]

You just hit the nail on the head. We're all going crazy without Cherry Coke.

Cherry Coke, it soothes the revolutionary's soul.

[Richard Hammond]

"We are healthy! We are the 1%!"

[~Smoke~]

It all depends where you live, when I grew up living in Sydney on Cape Breton Island I never worried about being mugged, or generally being caught up in some criminal nonsense. Now living in Halifax where each day there's always something in the news about some trouble going down or even getting to witnessvthings myself I don't feel nearly as safe and sound as I did the 20 years I spent in the Cape.

[S_Gibson]

In the US we must get a false sense of security from candy. I mean why would anyone mug someone, when they could have moon Pies and Sundrop?

[cjt3viper]

I grew up in Toronto and it's far from safe. I used to keep a pocket knife on me at all times. Now I live 2 hours down the highway in London and it's a night and day difference. You always have your trouble makers but for the most part it's pretty safe here. Every city is different.

[powersteamracing]

Exactly. I grew up just 30 minutes outside of Moncton,NB and we never locked our doors unless the news said there was a criminal that escaped from the local penitentiary. Infact I'm sure today I could go to any car in the town I grew up in and it would be unlocked, and probably have the keys in it.

Now I live in Moncton, and although it is still a fairly safe place I do lock my doors.

Places like Toronto terrify me. If it wasn't for me having a rather large frame (you don't get picked on very much at 6'4") I would never get out of my vehicle. When I worked out of Brampton, every day had news of robberies and murders.

Hey Smoke, I travel about once a month to Sydney. I don't know how you could live out there. Its what, 4 hours from the next city (Truro)? lol got to say though I love the drive out there. Some great sights to see.

Since your a race fan and in the Halifax area, do you catch any races at Scotia? And have you checked out any of the other tracks in the area?

[~Smoke~]

Only ever been to island speedway(lol)scotia speedworld once and riverside 3 times. Only just moved to Haliwood last September and I've been carless since. Looking into getting a car soon so once that's done I hope to get out to speedworld every few weeks , and hopefully riverside for the ncats race.

[~Smoke~]

Might try and get out to Atlantic motorsports park eventually to and see what kinda cars they get in on track days.

[powersteamracing]

Only ever been to island speedway(lol)scotia speedworld once and riverside 3 times. Only just moved to Haliwood last September and I've been carless since. Looking into getting a car soon so once that's done I hope to get out to speedworld every few weeks , and hopefully riverside for the ncats race.

What division you looking to get into? Once I get my bills cleared up and some extra cash, I'll be looking to get back into racing aswell. Probably run mostly Centre for Speed and Petty. I haven't made a trip to Scotia (3 hours drive for me), would like to though.

[S_Gibson]

Since y'all Canucks attacked a busload of kids that went to play hockey up thar in Canadia, many of us Americans haven't had anything nice to say about Canada. Least we don't form mobs and attack busloads of children. Despicable behavior Canada, despicable....

I say we attack Canada and we do it now! Such a crime ridden cesspool should not be allowed to exist or thrive.

[Richard Hammond]

I apologize if our people are stupid enough to be violent over a sport, but yeah....Kamloops or the interior of BC has never had this much crime in ages. I remember someone getting shot in the scuzzy part of town a couple years ago but other than that, we've been pretty tame.

Mother Nature just usually hates us instead. We have forest fires come out of our es every 3 summers or so.

[weisel]

Mother Nature just usually hates us instead. We have forest fires come out of our es every 3 summers or so.

Well, when you're in a valley and surrounded by trees......

[S_Gibson]

Mother Nature just usually hates us instead. We have forest fires come out of our es every 3 summers or so.

Maybe those guys with the Red Coats riding around on the horses should start carrying buckets of water

[Mike Henry Jr]

Canada is just America's hat.

[battalionfan888]

When I worked out of Brampton, every day had news of robberies and murders.

Cuz we roll hard here in Brampton lol
Seriously you heard of murders in Brampton every day?
Other than a 15 month stretch in 2009 and 2010 I've lived the past 15 years of my life in Brampton and there havent been many murders at all, maybe a few per year if that.

Brampton is a mixed back, nearly half a million people but I dont believe the crime rate is bad at all here.
I've never had any problems living here, and the only thing that has ever hit close to home was when I was in Grade 9 a fellow class mate of mine murdered another grade 9 student in the woods behind our school, but he was messed up in the head and turned himself in right away, nobody even knew it had happened until he turned himself in.

I've been to a couple big US cities, Detroit, Buffalo, Charlotte, and I can tell you I feel WAAAAAY safer walking around downtown Toronto.