While it’s gratifying that three young men have been convicted of beating a Good Samaritan during Vancouver’s Stanley Cup riot in 2011, it’s dismaying that it took nearly three years.
As the Vancouver Canucks lost to the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the National Hockey League playoffs on June 15, 2011, a riot erupted and spread through downtown Vancouver. In the chaos, Robert MacKay, intending to prevent damage, stepped between rioters and the Bay department store. He was attacked by about 15 people. It took him three weeks to recover from his injuries.
Among those involved were Michael MacDonald, Carlos Barahona and David Leonati. On Monday, provincial court Judge Greg Rideout convicted them of assault and participating in a riot.
The Stanley Cup riot was an ugly blot on Vancouver, but the length of time the cases have taken to get through the courts is a blot on B.C. The province’s justice system is plagued by backlogs and delays.
“Timeliness is fundamental to all aspects of a fair and effective criminal justice process which enjoys the confidence of the public and respects the rights and interests of all those affected by crime,” wrote lawyer Geoffrey Cowper in his report to the government on B.C.’s justice system.
He pointed, among other things, to entrenched attitudes, inefficient scheduling processes and lack of a clear vision as barriers to a more efficient system.
Let’s hope there’s not another Stanley Cup riot, but if there is, those responsible should be dealt with long before the next playoffs come around.
