Police treating arson at Montreal gender reassignment clinic as possible hate crime

2015-05-04 UPDATE: Now investigated by authorities as hate crime   
link : http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/police-treating-arson-at-gender-reassignment-clinic-as-possible-hate-crime

Montreal Gazette/By Michelle Lalonde, Montreal Gazette
More from Michelle Lalonde, Montreal Published on: May 4, 2016 | Last Updated: May 4, 2016 9:31 PM EDT

   

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Seriously.... This is so sad, devasting  and unbelievable..

Someone entered the clinic last night and has set a criminal fire as *possible* anti-trans act. The only center in canada approved for GRS performed by dr.Brassard has been damaged for a few hundred thousands dollars.

This will delay everyone planning on having GRS including myself who are already facing a long wait list...


Depressed right now


Link : https://www.buzzfeed.com/laurenstrapagiel/montreal-trans-clinic?utm_term=.uykqGAgqv#.vp6wqA3wV

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/ahuntsic-medical-clinic-arson-1.3564543

Scary, but hopeful it will not delay things too much.  I was actually communicating with them today, and I had no idea this happened.  They were very business as usually with me.

I'm so sorry. What a senseless, horrible act. Does someone actually think stuff like this makes us go away?

I hope they bring that person to justice fast. I sort of wish organizations like this could put up a gofundme site or something like that. I bet there are a lot of people down here that would pitch in the funds for a faster repair. As it is a gov facility i'm not sure how that works.

I saw that earlier on Facebook! WTF?! Stop the hate!

Read the news article today, the day my referral was sent in. I went from feeling on top of the world to thinking all those in pre and post op are OK. There was no mention of injury sustained as a result of the fire, so that is good. Hopefully the police will fine the guy soon.

This is horrible! Who would do such a thing?

I really hope no one was hurt in the fire and that it won't delay things too much.

Misguided hate knows no boundaries. I see these desperate actions as signs that the anti-LGBT people are losing the argument and they know it.

Hopefully the clinic will repair the damage quickly and will install better security going forward.

Impotent frustration...just like abortion clinic attackers.

Best wishes to Dr Brassard and his staff, hope everything gets up and running soon!

Update : Now considered hate crime by authorities


http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/police-treating-arson-at-gender-reassignment-clinic-as-possible-hate-crime

"Possible" hate crime...they're not ruling out anything yet.

Quote from: Beth Andrea on May 04, 2016, 06:56:53 PM
"Possible" hate crime...they're not ruling out anything yet.

from the article :

"As soon as there is the slightest suspicion that it could be a hate crime, we treat it as a hate crime,"  said Constable Abdullah Emran of the Montreal Police Service.

Quote

"As soon as there is the slightest suspicion that it could be a hate crime, we treat it as a hate crime," said Constable Abdullah Emran of the Montreal Police Service. "We are treating it as a hate crime..."

(Later in the article: )

...Const. Emran said investigators are making no assumptions about the motives of the arsonist.

"It is not a clear cut case of a hate crime," he noted. "It could be something else. It could be someone was looking for someone inside the clinic, it could be retaliation against the clinic, we don't know, but we are not turning a blind eye to the fact that it could be. The investigation will reveal whether it was a hate crime.

Quote from: Kova V on May 03, 2016, 08:28:03 PM
I saw that earlier on Facebook! WTF?! Stop the hate!

Hate will always exist when we have religious extremist ...

Quote from: TinaVane on May 04, 2016, 08:59:17 PM
Hate will always exist when we have religious extremist ...

I know this is a terrible episode. Extremism of any kind often leads to violence or some sort of negative experience. However we are right on the edge of  grouping a large number of unknown people in a sweeping jesture that borders on bashing. Lets try to take a collective breath.

My thoughts and sympathy go to the practice and anyone effected by the destruction. Especially those whose schedules are terribly effected.

With sorrow,

Joanna

I just came across an update on this.

A Canada-wide warrant has been issued for an arson suspect in the fire that damaged Montreal's Centre Métropolitain de Chirurgie, which performs gender-confirming surgery.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/arrest-warrant-issued-in-gender-confirmation-clinic-fire-1.3592503

"Our investigation has shown that it is not a hate crime," Couture said while adding investigators are still trying to track down Heideck. Couture was unable to comment on what investigators believe was the motive behind the blaze.
According to an article published by the Journal de Montréal, which cites anonymous sources, investigators believe Heideck set the blaze because she was unsatisfied with the results of a surgical procedure she underwent there.
http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/woman-from-bc-sought-as-suspect-in-arson-fire-at-montreal-clinic

 

Now that is disturbing. It opens up a whole different bag of questions- there's something very fishy going on when anyone travels several hours cross country to play out such a schism. Makes me wonder if this whole switching from gatekeeping to informed consent failed majorly, or even if there still was some evil party coercion involved.

That is good though that there is a contingency plan in effect to use alternate facilities while repairs are made to stay on schedule.

It's just that trans people can be as dumb as anyone else.

Sometimes a lifetime of being treated poorly damages a person. And then when somewhere in their head they've set up the idea that surgery will solve all their problems...well, bad stuff happens. I'm just glad that this time no one was hurt & I hope the person who is assumed to have done it can get some help.

Jayne Ellen Heideck wanted for arson at Montreal SRS Clinic

http://planettransgender.com/jayne-ellen-heideck-wanted-for-arson-at-centre-metropolitain-de-chirurgie/

Planet Transgender/Added by Kelli Busey on May 28, 2016.


"According to Montreal Gazette, the warrant was issued on Thursday out of the Montreal courthouse. Jayne Ellen Heideck, 42, of Kelowna, B.C., is accused of five different criminal charges in the warrant including arson with a disregard for human life, breaking and entering and arson by negligence.

The building was occupied at the time by Dr. Brassard and patients. The fire was extinguished before emergency responders arrived by the building's automatic sprinkler system. It is unknown if the fire was set in a room where an operation was taking place. All of those who were in the building evacuated safely."