Harsh Policing and Big Fines Don’t Make People Safer From COVID-19: Criminologists

Harsh Policing and Big Fines Don’t Make People Safer From COVID-19: Criminologists
Police remind people to keep their social distance as they lineup to get into a homeless shelter in Montreal on March 31, 2020. Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press
The Canadian Press
Updated:

Corey Yanofsky, a data scientist living in Ottawa, took his dog out for a walk last week and ended up with an $880 fine for standing in the wrong place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Obi Ifedi of Ottawa was playing in a park with his daughter April 4 when he was approached by a city bylaw officer. He says he was eventually tackled and ended the evening with a bruised lip and fines totalling more than $2,000.