hmmmmm remanded in custody......why do the gangsters and drug dealers get out right away?

His walker probably give him an advantage and the cops are afraid that they wouldnt be able to catch him.
Cheers

Well at least they didn't taser him!

Iknow Gary (despite his hidden face in the heart rendering photo of a scared and frustrated old man I'm sure I recognize)and this is the second time he has done this. He receives such a small amount of pension he must choose between medication and food. That is how poor this government has left him. I think these so called robberies are more of a cry for help than real attempts at crime. Sad thing is who amung you will stand up and say that this is not right and a human being, especially in his advanced years, should have to resort to this kind of cry for help.Let's us just see who comes to his aide.

Good post REALIST. Our Seniors should not have to worry if they are going to eat or feel better by buying their meds. Unfortunately, once again, it falls on deaf ears in government.

I too feel bad for this elderly person but where is his family? No brothers, sisters, cousins, children.....why is it always the government who should look after people..........?

I don't believe government should always look after people,but I do believe part of the reason we are considered one of the better countries in the world, is because of our social safety system.To help the people in need when they are having difficult times.So, I ask you "greta",if you can name me five things the goverments have done to assist seniors in the last ten years.I can name four things they have done that hurt seniors off the top of my head.The "Hst",the "Carbon Tax",an increase in "property taxes",and an increase in "water and sewage rates".Your turn,what have they done for the benefit of seniors?

You also have to realize that this concept of a social safety net we all like to think is in place has been eroded to the point of non-existance due to over a decade of Provincial governing by neo-con ideology driven leaders. Try and find help for your mentally challenged child or affordasble housing for disabled and seniors and then you will realize what has been allowed to go on for the past ten years (actually longer than that as even the so-called left wing NDP bowed to the world pressure exerted by global neo-con policies). When we elect governments who's goal is to shrink ruling government size and deregulate everything the result is a loss of social services (not to mention spectacular failings like what the stock marked endured due to deregulation of banks). Wait until more and more of our citizens reach retirement and find out that under their own watch they elected and supported the very politicians who had no moral compass and thus allowed our so-called social safty net to be dismantled. Right now it is simply gone and anyone who believes in this still being at the heart of the ideal Canadian personality is delusional. You don't need to believe me now, you will find out yourselves when you quite lives someday throw you and your family a curveball and the help you expect to be available is simply a thing of the past.

It is also delusional to expect families to step up to the plate and help our seniors and disabled family members. Our society has been converted into a celebration of the individaual and if you can not pull your own weight you will be left behind just like the urban myth of leaving those who can not keep up on an iceburg, only, sadly, today we actually do this all the time. People who do what Gary has done will become more and more obvious despite Harper trying to hide the poverty evidance by killing off the censous long form.

I know Gary as well and he lives in a long term care facility which should tell you something. He gets three meals a day, plus medications, which most of the seniors get subsidized. So, he didn't try to rob a bank to buy food or meds, maybe it was for smokes?? I don't know. But that should tell you something about him knowing he lives somewhere that has 24/7 care.

Gary's last "big bank job" was also to get smokes. He is 75 years of age and has no money for the only thing in life that gives him pleasure so he does what he does. Before anyone posts that he should not be smoking anyways, he is 75. What is it going to do to him, Kill Him? And yes he is in a government subsidized housing where he is supposed to be watched 24/7. Minimum wage workers care about their paycheques but not so much those they have been hired to protect.

Realist?

Your first post was: "He receives such a small amount of pension he must choose between medication and food. That is how poor this government has left him."

Why did you lie to us?

Sorry, since I last saw him he must have had someone who could actually get him some help. I guess I errored on the items that he found it necessary to rob a bank. Does it ease your conscious knowing he did this for something as trivial as cigarretes instead of medication? Perhaps you feel better knowing that he has been placed in an appropriate facility where he can receive everything he needs to live a contented life except for actual security and having his basic needs met.I hope that this truley makes a difference in how you view his treatment or was your intention to try and belittle someone who had the guts and intelligence to point out that the king has on no clothes. Either way I'm sure your smug in knowing that a 75 year old man on oxygen and using a walker had a good social reason for resorting to robbing a bank to obtain some monitary gain. Perhaps it will sooth your conscience to tell yourself he robbed the bank because he is a greedy old man who covets money. Yeah, tell yourself that one.

Well kolberg I think you hit one of Realist's nerves.....

Realist, can't you just admit that you screwed up. Instead you flip out on us trying to make us feel ashamed for wondering why this guy decided to rob a bank.

There are people going through tuff times all over, but is robbing a bank the answer? I would say that we all need to be good citizens and find a better way to solve our problems.

So Realist you might want to save the lecture for another time.....

Sorry, since I last saw him he must have had someone who could actually get him some help. I guess I errored on the items that he found it necessary to rob a bank. Does it ease your conscious knowing he did this for something as trivial as cigarretes instead of medication? Perhaps you feel better knowing that he has been placed in an appropriate facility where he can receive everything he needs to live a contented life except for actual security and having his basic needs met.I hope that this truley makes a difference in how you view his treatment or was your intention to try and belittle someone who had the guts and intelligence to point out that the king has on no clothes. Either way I'm sure your smug in knowing that a 75 year old man on oxygen and using a walker had a good social reason for resorting to robbing a bank to obtain some monitary gain. Perhaps it will sooth your conscience to tell yourself he robbed the bank because he is a greedy old man who covets money. Yeah, tell yourself that one.

Crown council should take the old guy to Timmys and they can buy. Just have a talk with the old guy, then decide. The guy needs help. The letter of the law shouldn't enter into it, given his age. If any of the Crown council has parents or grandparents, that might help. This should be a no-brainer.

So... Smokes are a "basic need" now?

I hope everything works out for this gentleman and he gets the assistance he needs. There is not a lot of information in the story but it appears that the reason he is being held is because they want to do a psychiatric examination to see how they can best help him. I don’t think he is being detained because anyone thinks he is a hardened criminal or a risk to society. They are probably more concerned that he is a risk to himself.

REALIST. I think you were probably correct in your first post that the reason for his actions was probably more of a cry for help than anything. However, I object to your comment that the government does nothing for seniors. Turning 65 actually give a person a lot of benefits. Here is a short summary of what seniors in PG are entitled to:

CPP - if you work until you turn 65 you should get a CPP pension of up to $935/month.
CPP Widow pension - if your spouse dies before you, you get part of his/her CPP pension
GIS - If you didn’t work much or at all you are entitled to the Guaranteed income supplement (but it won’t give you nearly as much as CPP)
OAS - Old age security of $518/month.
Income Tax - Seniors don’t pay any income tax on the first $17,000 of income so if the only income is CPP and OAS, no income tax is payable at all.
HST - All low income individuals will get an HST cheque to cover all the HST they have to pay. Essentially they are exempt from paying any HST.
MSP - low income individuals don’t have to pay MSP premiums.
PharmCare - low income individuals get a subsidy for prescription drugs. Some don’t have to pay at all.
Subsidized housing, assisted living and care facilities all base the monthly rent on income. The lower the income the less you pay.
Seniors Housing Subsidy - if you own your home or rent a home and are over 65, the government will pay part of your rent or mortgage if you have low income.

It is not a lavish lifestyle by any means but the government does take care of the basic needs of our seniors.

If you want more information on government programs available to seniors, just google “LSS When I’m 64".

kolberg: Have you tried living on all of these "wonderful" benefits?

Yes. For several years I lived on a gross income of less than $15,000 per year and was able to live a happy life.

Kolberg,I am a little confused by your answer when jus cuz i can asked if you have tried living on these wonderful benefits and you responded with the answer that "for several years you lived on a gross income of less than $15,000 per year and you lived a happy life.So what has changed with your past income and your present income,and are you not living a happy life now or are deceased.What I was referring to is a senior already on a fixed income,having to deal with the extra everyday rising costs associated with basic living.An example is my grandmother lives in a retirement home in Alberta and is barely making ends meet, even with some extra help from the rest of her family.So my mother looked into having my grandmother move to B.C. in a similiar type of group home.We had to leave my grandmother in the retirement home in Alberta as she could not afford to move her to B.C.

I have to disagree again about Realist's comments about minimum wage workers caring more about their paycheques then the people they are hired to care for. I am one of those workers paid to care for people in facilities and I by no means am making minimum wage, not that it matters what my wage is. Don't group us all together Realist without knowing all the facts. I love the seniors I have cared for and we do not work in a prison, if they are capable of it, they are allowed to come and go. I think Gary just made a bad decision for whatever reason. Maybe he has alzheimers now and it's time for him to be evaluated.