Ottawa Firebomber Pleads Guilty

Posted on November 10, 2010 by Wellesley Consulting Services

Roger Clement pleaded guilty to firebombing this Ottawa RBC branch, seen in a video of the event posted online earlier this year.

One of the firebombers who damaged an Ottawa Royal Bank branch earlier this year has pleaded guilty, according to the National Post.

Retired civil servant Roger Clement, 58, was charged in the February 1 arson of the RBC branch.

The Post reported that Clement admitted to being one of the persons seen on a video posted to an anarchist website the same day. In the video, Clement is seen pouring gasoline on the floor of the ATM lobby inside the bank.

Damage to the bank was estimated at $500,000. RBC was a corporate sponsor for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Clement returns to court for sentencing in December, when it is expected the statement of facts will be read out.

Charges against Matthew Morgan-Brown, 32, were stayed earlier this year. He had been charged in the same firebombing.

Three Arrested in RBC Bombing

Posted on June 20, 2010 by Wellesley Consulting Services

A fire erupts at an Ottawa RBC branch in an image posted to ottawa. Three arrests have been made in connecction with this arson.

Ottawa police reported Saturday the arrests of three men in connection with the May 18 fire bombing of an RBC branch that caused $500,000 in damage.

The fire bombing was allegedly videotaped by the suspects and posted to an anti-capitalist website the same day, along with a message that the perpetrators would be present at the upcoming G8/G20 summits in Huntsville and Toronto.

Charged with arson, explosives offences, and mischief are Roger Clement, 58, and Matthew Morgan-Brown, 32, both of Ottawa, and charged with fail to comply and possession of ammunition is Claude Haridge, 50, also of Ottawa.

Morgan-Brown was also reportedly arrested in 2007 following a demonstration at Ottawa’s ritzy Chateau Laurier hotel, held just prior to the Montebello summit.

Both Morgan-Brown and Clement also appear on a web list of supporters for Algerian Mohamed Harkat, an alleged sleeper agent for Al-Qaeda who was previously detained on a security certificate in Canada, and who remains under house arrest in Ottawa awaiting deportation. On that list of supporters, Morgan-Brown identified as association with the Catapult! collective, and a “Matthew Morgan” has in the past been a frequent contributor to the same website where the RBC fire bombing video was first posted.

Charges were also laid against Clement and Haridge by Ottawa police in relation to an earlier incident where another Ottawa RBC branch was damaged, using rocks and a hammer.

According to police, the ammunition Haridge allegedly possessed illegally was 7.62mm, which is a common military calibre used for light and medium machineguns. The ammunition is also available to civilian markets, usually referred to as .308 calibre.

All the accused men had bail hearings Saturday and were remanded. They will appear again in court later this month.

Ottawa police said they were assisted by Ontario Provincial Police and the RCMP in the investigation. Media reports have also said that the three men were under police surveillance not long after the bank bombing.

RBC branches across Canada have been targeted numerous times in recent months by anti-capitalism and other groups, in the lead up to the Vancouver Olympics and to the G8 and G20 summits.

Security On Hiring Rush for G8/G20 Summits

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Wellesley Consulting Services

Commissionaires Great Lakes are hiring guards for a two week period coinciding with the G8/G20 summits. (Image: Commissionaires website)

The G8 and G20 summits this June could prove lucrative for some private security firms in Toronto, many of whom are on hiring blitzes to fill short term jobs next month.

During the summits, world leaders and their officials, along with media, will descend on Toronto and Hunstville, located in the Muskoka region north of the city, and will at least in part be protected by private security companies.

The Commissionaires Great Lakes is seeking to “fill short term positions” in and around Toronto in June, from the 14th to the 28th. The Muskoka 2010 G8 Summit runs on June 25 and 26, followed immediately by the Toronto 2010 G20 Summit, which runs from June 26 to 27.

The company is looking for candidates who have been residents of Canada for at least 5 years, which would enable government security clearances to be processed without delays.

Originally the Corps of Commissionaires, the security company was at one time known to favour employing former RCMP and military members, and for providing security services to public sector clients. The organization is now made up of several branches, employs a wider demographic, and sells security services to both private and public sector clients.

The RCMP-led Integrated Security Unit is responsible for the overall security program, and involves a partnership of police officers from their own agency, along with Peel Region and Toronto police, and the Department of National Defence.

A similar ISU was formed for the 2010 Vancouver Games in February, where private security officers saw wide involvement in venue entry point screening roles.

Ottawa RBC Fire a ‘Direct Action’

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Wellesley Consulting Services

An RBC branch in Ottawa was targeted in an arson Monday. (File photo: Wellesley Consulting Services)

A posting on an indepedent news site with anarchist ties has claimed the fire yesterday at an Ottawa RBC branch was a “direct action” aimed at Canada’s largest bank and one of the main sponsors of the recent 2010 Vancouver Games.

The posting, together with a video, was placed on the Ottawa site for indymedia.org. The website features articles on indiginous rights and sovereignty activities.

The video was posted along with a sequence of stills showing the ATM vestibule at the Bank St and First Ave RBC branch erupting into flames, and a caption “The Vancouver Games are over, but a torch is still burning.”

A fire erupts at an Ottawa RBC branch in an image posted to ottawa.indymedia.org

In February, an RBC branch in Guelph was vandalized by anarchists who claimed responsibility for jamming the keyholes on the doors in a posting on another anarchist blog. Protesters also targeted a Waterloo RBC branch, unfurling a banner with an anti-Olympic message.

In February and again in March of 2008, the same RBC branch at Bank St and First Ave was targeted for vandalism, first when bricks and then a month later when an ice block was thrown through windows, according to a 24 Hours Vancouver report from August that year. The report highlighted several incidents where RBC branches were targeted in vandalism attacks.

In the video posting of the Ottawa RBC branch fire, mention is made of the upcoming G8/G20 summit in Huntsville and Toronto, with the group claiming they “will be there.”

Based in Montreal, RBC has the largest market capitalization of all Canadian banks, at $75.5 billion. Royal Bank employs over 71,000 workers and has nearly 1,200 branches across Canada.

The gold-windowed Toronto offices of the Royal bank are located near the location of the June G20 summit.

Tuesday’s arson attack marks a serious escalation as arson goes well beyond vandalism and has the potential for loss of life.

A strict definition of terrorism under the Criminal Code, if applied to this arson, could be applied rendering the arson an act of terrorism, and the group behind it a terrorist group. The Code defines a terrorist act as including an act that is committed for political or ideological purposes, that is intended to intimidate the public with regard to its security, and that intentionally causes a substantial property damage likely to result in harm.

Applying the definition would then trigger a host of possible crimes related to the provision of materials or financing to the terrorist group, which are indictable offences.

Biathalon: A Winter Olympic Shooting Sport

Posted on March 1, 2010 by Raymond

Canada's Jean Philipe LeGuellec skis a penalty lap in the men's 12.5-kilometre biathlon pursuit at Whistler Olympic Park on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2010 at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games in Whistler, B.C. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Andrew Vaughan)

The 2010 winter games have wrapped up in Vancouver. While much of the focus of the games were on the “big” events such as ice dancing, bobsleigh, skiing, and of course, hockey, the winter games also include a shooting event: Biathalon.

Canada had one male biathelete, Jean Philippe Leguellec, who participated in several individual events, including the 10km sprint, 12.5km pursuit, and 20km individual events.

Kingston, Ont.-born Leguellec’s best finish was a 6th place finish in the 10km sprint. The men’s events were dominated by France and Norway, with Sweden taking gold in the 12.5km.

Four Canadian women competed in both individual and relay events, and the Canadian women’s biathalon team placed 15th in the 4 x 6km relay event.

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