St. Albert went into shock when RCMP Const. Dave Wynn was ruthlessly gunned down on a January night, for no other reason than he accidentally ran into the wrong man. Wynn’s family lost a devoted father and husband and St. Albert lost a constable with a huge heart who worked to make a difference as a school resource officer.
Wynn’s death, in addition to the wounding of Auxiliary Const. Derek Bond in the same incident, deeply touched thousands, including St. Albert MP Brent Rathgeber. This week Rathgeber, a former Conservative who now sits in the House of Commons as an independent, announced he is doing something about it. He has introduced a bill in Dave Wynn’s name – with the permission of his widow – that would require prosecutors to divulge a suspect’s previous record at a bail hearing. At the moment, that requirement is optional.
Shawn Rehn, the gunman, was a man with an extensive criminal record who was prohibited from having weapons. He had also failed to show up for court appearances in the past. Rathgeber says no one person is to blame for putting him on the street last winter when he could well have been behind bars, but rather the system itself failed and his bill aims to correct that, should it pass. For that, we salute his efforts and sentiments.
We also salute Shelley MacInnis-Wynn who told a press conference Monday that there were two paths she could have followed since the death of her husband. One was filled with anger and revenge, the other was to make a difference. By supporting Dave Wynn’s Law, she is taking the courageously difficult high road.
