By Pepper Parr

September 9th, 2019

BURLINGTON, ON

There has been a third malicious attack on the Burlington Gazette web site.

Last Friday we published a short opinion piece on the Mayor and the lunch she had with her brother in Oakville while he was in the area.

The Mayor had posted a photograph of the lunch on her Facebook page,

There were a number of comments made by readers, one of which was thought, at the time to have been sent in by the Mayor.

The Mayor did not make the comment nor was the email address used one that the mayor uses. The URL did have the words @cityofBurlington.com which was mistaken as one the city uses.

The Gazette has reached out and apologized to the Mayor. We did not hear from her directly.

While there was nothing journalistically with the piece, it was identified as an opinion and we have removed it from the web site.

Whoever sent the malicious email also managed to replace the proper IP address to an address that was applied to the last several hundred comments the Gazette has received.

We are working on that problem.

An IP address is very useful in determining just where an email came from.

This is the third time the Gazette has been tampered with. The one that took place earlier in the year locked people out of the comments section.

Someone out there thinks their “ox has been gored” and doesn’t want Gazette readers to be able to comment. Forensic investigators are being engaged to get to the bottom of this most recent attack. .

By Staff

August 23, 2019

BURLINGTON, ON

Homicide detectives with the Halton Regional Police Service have laid charges in relation to a homicide that took place in Burlington on August 21, 2019.

Kenneth SOEDERHUYSEN (57) of Burlington is charged with First Degree Murder.

SOEDERHUYSEN appeared in Milton court yesterday.

The victim has been identified as Laura GRANT (57) of Burlington.

The accused and the victim were married at the time of the incident, and both resided at 2244 No. 2 Side Road where the incident took place.

The police are encouraging anyone with additional information regarding this incident and/or investigation to call the Halton Regional Police Service Homicide Tip Line at 905-825-4776.

Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See something? Hear something? Know something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.

Related news story.

Police investigating a homicide on #2 SideRoad

By Staff

August 20th, 2019

BURLINGTON, ON

The Halton Regional Police Service found that working with its media made it possible for residents to be reunited with their stolen property.

On August 16, 2019, a Hamilton resident learned about the recovery results that came out of the arrest the Regional police made on July 4th.

Much of a currency collection was recovered by police.

Investigators in Burlington – 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau were contacted and later reunited the victim with over 95% of the recovered stolen property.

Investigators are currently liaising with Hamilton Police and further charges are pending.

The remaining property can be seen by clicking here:

Anyone who may have additional information concerning this investigation is asked to contact Detective Constable Jacques Brunelle of the 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 ext. 2334 or the 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau general line at 905-825-4747 ext. 2316.

Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See Something? Hear Something? Know Something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.

In the original media release the Halton Regional Police Service advised the public that they had arrested a suspect attempting to gain entry into the Kings Carwash located at 1448 Grahams Lane in Burlington. At the time of the arrest a large quantity of jewelry believed to be stolen was recovered and remains unaccounted for.

Bradley MARK (37) of no fixed address was charged with

• Break and Enter with intent
• Possession of Break in instruments
• Possession of property obtained by Crime
• Fail to comply with probation order

He was held pending a bail hearing.

By Staff

August 9th, 2019

BURLINGTON.

The Halton Regional Police would like to thank the public for their assistance following an abduction in Burlington on August 8, 2019. As a result of several tips the Regional Police are able to say that the previously unidentified male who was assaulted and appeared to have been abducted has been located and is in good health. He sustained minor injuries during this altercation that did not require medical attention.

He has declined to assist police and wishes to remain anonymous.

Investigators have located the black Honda Civic believed to be involved. The vehicle has been seized in order that a forensic examination can be completed.

Police are continuing the investigation. This was a targeted incident and police are confident there is no related ongoing risk to public safety. Anyone with information or video is asked to contact Detective Jared McLeod at 905-825-4747, ext. 2385.

Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See Something? Hear Something? Know Something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.

Previous news story.

Police investigating abduction attempt.

By Pepper Parr

August 8th, 2019

BURLINGTON, ON

There is a fine Detective Constable in the Halton Regional Police Service who will have become aware of new tools that are now available to police forces in the province.

They allow the police toget more information quickly sothat every effort can be made to find the person who has wandered away from home.

Each day that Detective Constable Joe Barr drives to or from work he is reminded of the case of Helen Robertson who went missing July 5th, 2016.

She was never found. There were bits and pieces of evidence but nothing that gave police the information they needed to successfully find Helen and return her home.

With more than 240,000 Ontario seniors estimated to be living with some form of dementia today, being able to locate seniors in the first 24 hours after they go missing is crucial to saving lives.

Ontario is putting the safety of seniors first by providing police officers with more tools they need to respond quickly and effectively to missing persons investigations.

“Every minute counts when a senior goes missing to help keep them safe. This is another example of how our government is putting seniors and their families first by providing essential front-line services new tools to help find our missing loved ones faster,” said Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility. “We are protecting what matters most to help seniors live independently in their communities, while also helping to ensure they are safe.”

The Missing Persons Act, proclaimed by the government on July 1, 2019, provides police with three additional tools to use when there is no evidence a crime has been committed. These tools will allow police to:

• Obtain copies of records that may assist in a search;
• Obtain a search warrant to enter a premise to locate a missing person; and
• Make an urgent demand for certain records without a court order.

The Act also includes guidelines on what information police may disclose about a missing person before and after they have been located.
Previously, when a person went missing without evidence of criminal activity, police were limited in the ways they could investigate. With this legislation, police can now respond to missing persons investigations quicker, while balancing concerns for an individual’s privacy.
“Police and family members tell us that the first hours after someone goes missing are the most critical,” said Sylvia Jones, Solicitor General. “That’s why we’re providing our frontline heroes with more tools to quickly find our loved ones.”

Fifty per cent of those who go missing for 24 hours or more risk serious injury or even death.
Sixty per cent of people living with dementia will go missing at some point, often without warning.
There is no requirement to wait 24 hours to report someone missing in Ontario.
Nearly 7,500 people were reported missing in Ontario in 2018.

Most of the media in the western GTA are quick to publish and broadcast information on a missing person. Most of the time they are found before the end of the day or the day after.

Some are never found – and we mourn, terrified that something like this could happen to our loved ones.

Joseph Barr, the Detective that handled the Helen Robertson case knows that he will wonder for the rest of his career what happened and what was that missing piece of information he didn’t have.

Emits a signal every second 24/7

Since the disappearance of Helen Robertson the Regional Police came up with a service that, if used properly, can be critical in finding someone missing.  Project Life Saver was taken to the Regional Police by a parent who has an autistic child.  That service is now available to parents in Halton Region.  Details in the story linked below.

Related news stories:

Helen Robertson reported missing.

Wallet belonging to missing woman found – nothing else.

Project Life Saver.

By Staff

August 2nd, 2019

BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton Regional Police Service – 3 District Criminal Investigation Bureau has arrested and charged an Ajax man with fraud stemming from a series of incidents in 2012.

Jamshid (James) Pournader (65) has been charged with one count of Fraud Over $5,000.
The accused is associated with a company JSP Holdings and has acted as a “financial representative” with access to investment services and products.

The victim came forward to police after her bank assisted with a review of her personal finances and investments. The loss to the victim is $212,000.

The public are reminded that financial advisors, mortgage brokers and insurance agents are all licensed and regulated by various provincial organizations. Your investments and purchases should be with a regulated financial institution and investors should regularly review their investments and statements.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Constable Derek Gray of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau – Seniors Liaison Team at 905-825-4747 ext. 2344.

Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See Something? Hear Something? Know Something?” Contact “Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.

By Staff

July 23, 2019

BURLINGTON, ON

Once again the Region of Halton tops the 2018 Crime Severity Index allowing it to once again maintain its position of having the lowest Crime Severity Index of all Canadian municipalities with a population of 100,000 or more for the 14th straight year, according to Statistics Canada’s annual report on crime in Canada.

According to Statistics Canada’s annual report on crime in Canada Halton Region has maintained its position of having:

The lowest Crime Severity Index (CSI) when compared to Ontario’s ‘Big 12’ police services;

The lowest Violent Crime Severity Index when compared to Ontario’s ‘Big 12’ police services;

The lowest Non-Violent Crime Severity Index when compared to Ontario’s ‘Big 12’ police services;

Maintained the lowest values for each of these three indices for 11 straight reporting years (2008 – 2018) when compared to Ontario’s ‘Big 12’ police services;

Had the lowest overall crime rate, violent crime rate, and property crime rate amongst Ontario’s ‘Big 12’ police services; and

Had the highest Weighted Clearance Rate* (55.6 per cent) of the same ‘Big 12’ and has maintained the lowest value for this index for five straight years (2014 – 2018).

Halton Regional Police Services Chief Tanner. .

Chief of Police Steven Tanner explains that the statistics are due to the work of our frontline officers and staff and to the support of the residents we serve. It is only because of our strong partnerships and relationships, coupled with our ongoing commitment to our Community Safety and Well-Being plan that we are confident we will be successful in keeping Halton at the forefront of policing and as a leader in public safety in the years that lay ahead. As an organization, we are committed to crime reduction and prevention and to investing in the appropriate resources and community supports to keep our region the very safest it can be.”

The Region spends heavily on public safety which keeps people safe and secure and positions the four municipalities: Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills as great places for corporations to set up shop and attract employees who place safety for their children first amongst their priorities.

“The one Crime Severity Index (CSI) result that I am extremely proud of, is the fact that since 2014 we have had the highest Clearance Rate based on the Crime Severity Index. Distilled down, this means that our officers (front line and investigators) are consistently solving serious crimes, and doing so at an increasing rate.

“One of the most effective methods of crime prevention is enforcement, and we will continue to put those responsible for our most serious crimes before our courts and into our corrections system. I want to take this opportunity to offer my most sincere thank you to our many front line and investigative members for their hard work, dedication and commitment that has once again ensured the residents of Halton continue to be as safe as they can be.” added Chief Tanner.

Police Services Board Chair, Oakville Mayor Rob Burton.

Halton Regional Police Services Board Chair Rob Burton said: “Once again these results show the value of our continued and enhanced commitment and investment in Community Safety and Well Being throughout the Region of Halton. Community engagement and support have continued to flourish throughout 2018 as our citizens and stakeholder groups worked in close partnership with our police service to best meet the needs of all.

“My congratulations to our team within the Halton Regional Police Service, and to all of our community partners and citizens on another very successful year.”

Each year, Statistics Canada reports on the number and type of criminal incidents coming to the attention of police. To facilitate comparisons among geographic areas as well as over time, police-reported crime has traditionally been expressed as a rate per 100,000 population. The traditional “crime rate” provides information on the number of police-reported incidents that have occurred for a given population, but does not provide information on the overall seriousness of crimes reported by police. For this reason, the Crime Severity Index (CSI) was developed.

The Crime Severity Index enables Canadians to track changes in the severity of police-reported crime from year to year. It does so by taking into account not only the change in volume of a particular crime, but also the relative seriousness of that crime in comparison to other crimes. The CSI helps answer such questions as: is the crime coming to the attention of police more or less serious than before; and, is police-reported crime in a given city or province more or less serious than in Canada overall?

The Weighted Clearance Rate is the proportion of reported crimes solved by police, factoring in the seriousness of individual offences. Weighted clearance rate is based on the same principles as the Police Reported Crime Severity Index (CSI), whereby more serious offences are assigned a higher ‘weight’ than less serious offences. For example, the clearing of homicides, robberies or break and enters would represent a greater contribution to the overall weighted clearance rate value than the clearing of minor theft, mischief or disturbing the peace.

By Staff

July 22, 2019

BURLINGTON, ON

Originally published in Inc. magazine with some local content added.

Phishing scams are nothing new; most of us have heard about the “Nigerian prince” phishing emails that have been showing up in inboxes for years.

Unfortunately, phishing attacks continue to increase exponentially in volume, and are considered a serious threat to both companies and individual internet users since they can result in devastating financial losses. In addition, phishing emails can be much harder to recognize than many business owners think.

Cybercriminals have resorted to increasingly sophisticated phishing strategies as of late to get recipients to open, click, and share malicious code. And these tactics are paying off handsomely. Business email compromise (BEC) scams are more successful than ever, with losses reaching $2.7 billion in 2018.

Add to that the half a million that was scooped out of the city of Burlington coffers in 2019.

Here are some common phishing trends that business owners should know about and tips for educating employees about them:
What are phishing scams?

Phishing scams typically consist of emails that seem harmless but are actually intended to trick users into sharing sensitive information. This is often accomplished by encouraging the user to click on a malicious link or attachment. Phishing emails get their name because the hackers are “fishing” for your personal information.

Most phishing emails appear completely legitimate, often by imitating a company’s logo using high-quality graphics and including opt-out instructions. For this reason, it’s quite common for recipients to be fooled, and even large companies have fallen prey to these scams. SiteLock has published a round-up of some recent phishing examples to demonstrate the prevalence of these scams and how to protect against them.

Common Phishing Trends and Techniques

There are many different techniques hackers use to launch a phishing attack. A few of the most common ones are provided below:

Invoice phishing: Invoice phishing scams emails claim the recipient has an outstanding invoice from a well-known company, bank, or vendor. The email instructs the recipient to click on a link to pay their invoice. But when they click on the link and access the site, the hackers steal their personal information and gain access to their bank accounts.

The virus or compromised account: Viruses and compromised accounts cause users to receive an email from a third party company claiming one of their accounts has been compromised. The email instructs them to log in to reset their password or to download a form, fill in their personal information, and return it. However, a legitimate company would never request your personal information through email in this manner.

Payment and delivery scam: This tactic involves sending emails from what appears to be a legitimate vendor asking for a user’s credit card information. They typically claim that your payment information needs to be updated before they will deliver your order. Be very careful with these emails, especially if you haven’t purchased anything from the vendor.

Downloads: Download scams send an email instructing recipients to click on a link. These emails often contain hyperlinks that could download a malicious file onto the end user’s computer. Never click on an email link unless you are absolutely sure that the sender is who they claim to be.

Tips for Spotting Phishing Emails

Although phishing emails often mimic actual companies and vendors, there are ways to detect them. All small business owners and employees should be aware of the following red flags that indicate a possible phishing email:

The email contains links or URLs that direct you to the wrong website or try to get you to access a third-party site that is separate from the email sender.

Note the url that the email came from – it wasn’t the one the bank uses, Remember – look over email that is not familiar to you – carefully.

You receive an email from a company requesting sensitive information which can include your social security number, bank account information, or credit card numbers. Consider these emails suspect and never share your personal information without checking with the company first.

You find an unexpected email in your inbox from a person, vendor, or company that you rarely or never deal with. If this happens, the safest thing to do is delete the email without opening it, as there’s a good chance it’s a phishing email.

The email has obvious errors like typos, poor grammar, or incorrect information. A legitimate email from a company is very unlikely to have these kinds of errors.

The email address of the sender is incorrect, although it is close to the actual email address. This is another common sign of a phishing email.

Good hackers, and there are a lot of them out there – are combing through your data looking for ways to get into your computer,

Phishing scams remain a very common type of cybercrime, and can cause major financial losses to individual users and companies. And phishing emails are much more sophisticated these days, making them harder to detect. If you’re a business owner, it’s essential to be aware of common phishing techniques and red flags and to educate your employees on them.

Related news story:

How much damage cam identity theft do to you?  Read how one young GTA resident had to deal with it.