When I first heard it, I thought it was a joke.
I still think it's utterly ridiculous, but now I know she wasn't pulling my leg when one of our reporters told me last week the provincial government is suing the Delta police department because of injuries sustained by a man in a North Delta bar fight.
This is bizarre on so many levels it's difficult to comprehend, but what struck me first is how the heck you can hold the police culpable for a bar fight that took place before officers ever arrived.
I'm also puzzled why one arm of government is using my tax dollars to sue another public entity, which is also supported by my tax dollars. It seems to me that whatever the outcome of this litigation, the only thing I can be sure of, and all that I really care about, is that a big chunk of public money will have been needlessly expended.
The term "bar fight" has become part of our vernacular because, well, young guys will often take swings at each other when fortified by copious quantities of their favourite adult beverage. This happens everywhere there are bars and there's not a lot the police can do about it beyond acting as babysitters or simply padlocking the doors.
It's truly unfortunate a professional hockey player was hit over the head with a bar stool with such force he ended up in a coma, but holding the local police liable, regardless of any perceived flaws in the subsequent investigation, seems like a stretch to me.
Now, perhaps there would be some validity in such a claim if it had been Delta officers that had actually caused the injuries requiring significant resources from our provincial medical system, but even if that were the case, it's still a blame game that's being fought with our money.
I understand the province introduced legislation a few years back allowing it to try and recoup health care costs in certain situations, and now routinely goes after third parties deemed to be responsible. With the cost of health care these days, I guess it's worth the legal fees to do so, but when we're talking about two pubic entities, I'm not so sure the logic still applies.
The way I see it, the police used my tax dollars to attend the call and investigate the assault, while the province had me buck up for immediate and longterm medical costs. If that wasn't costly enough, now they're both going to use my money to fight over who should ultimately pay.
I've already got the answer to that one: taxpayers.
