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5 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,S eptem ber 5,2019 insidehalton.com CONCEPTLIGHTINGGROUP Fall SaleFall Sale LET THERE BE LIGHT ENTIRE STORE ON SALE PLUS SAVE AN EXTRA 20% OFF* $498 $398$198 $398 See store for details* Proud supplier of fine lighting to CASA LOMA North America's largest castle. WWW.CONCEPTLIGHTING.CA OAKVILLE 243 Speers Road, Oakville Suppliers of fine lighting to Casa Loma, North America's largest castle. Is violence on the rise in Halton? The question is definitely on the minds of many residents after the region, long touted as the safest regional municipality in Canada, experienced three homicides in less than a week. On Aug. 21, Burlington resident and 911 dispatcher Laura Grant, 57, was fatally shot in her home. Her husband, Kenneth Soederhuysen, has been charged with first-degree mur- der in connection with her death. On Aug. 25, Oakville resident and re- tired firefighter Robert Smith, 74, was stabbed to death at an apartment complex. His son Brett Smith has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with this killing. On Aug. 24, Edmund Ferrari, 91, was found dead outside his retirement home infound dead outside his retirement home inf downtown Oakville. Halton police have confirmed his death was a homicide but are not releasing the cause of death. As of Aug. 30, no arrest had been made in connection with his murder. Non-fatal stabbings, a shooting, and other violent incidents have also dominat- ed recent local headlines, resulting in many residents taking to social media to voice their concerns. "So much for being the number one place to live in Canada," said one Facebook commenter. "Oakville is losing its quiet, peaceful, safe little town status," said another. "What is going on lately," asked another individual. When reached for comment, Halton po- lice Chief Stephen Tanner said he gets that recent events have left some members of the public shaken. "We understand that when people hear about violent crimes such as these, they are concerned and have questions about the safety of their community. We have had three homicides in a very short period of time. In two of these instances, the vic- tim and accused were known to each oth- er. We hope the families and friends of Laura Grant and Robert Smith know that the residents of Halton grieve with them, and we hope they find the strength to be- gin to heal," said Tanner. "We continue to apply all available re- sources to investigate the circumstances that led to the death of 91-year-old Edmund Ferrari. It is unimaginable that, after nine decades, this was the end to Mr. Ferrari's life. We extend our sincerest condolences to his family and friends, and we are com- mitted to bringing the perpetrator(s) of this cowardly crime to justice." Homicides are not unheard of in Hal- ton. According to Halton police, the region experienced one homicide in 2013, one in 2014, two in 2015, one in 2016, three in 2017, and two in 2018. It is worth noting that in all but one of these homicides an arrest was made, or the case was cleared in some other way (e.g. through the death of the person be- lieved responsible). It is also worth pointing out that, for the IS VIOLENT CRIME ON THE INCREASE IN HALTON? NEWS DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com TRIO OF HOMICIDES IN ONE WEEK LEAVES MANY RESIDENTS CONCERNED ABOUT COMMUNITY SAFETY H al to n H om ic id es 2019 2018 2017 201616 2015 201416 2013 3 2 3 1 2 1 1 See REPORT, page 6 Torstar graphic