Vancouver
The good news - two bad guys who were wanted for crimes committed elsewhere in Canada have been removed from the streets of Vancouver. The bad news - by police estimates, another 2,498 of their kind remain.
One unwelcome aspect of Vancouver's popularity has long been its reputation for attracting fugitives from across the nation. The weather is milder, for one thing. For another, because of Vancouver's location it costs nearly C$2,500 (HK$19,600) to fly a suspect and a police escort back across the country. For too many jurisdictions, that price tag is too hefty.
The estimated 2,500 - sorry, 2,498 - fugitives living in Vancouver are wanted for relatively minor crimes ranging from assault and theft to parole violations. They're subject to non-returnable warrants, so called because their home jurisdiction is unwilling to pay for their return.
'This threatens the safety of our city,' said police chief Jim Chu recently. 'They infest our city like a plague and they get away with it because these warrants are seen as get-out-of-town warrants.'
A couple of months ago, Mr Chu went to the business community and told them he needed help in funding the removal of these petty criminals.
The Board of Trade immediately offered a novel solution. Within a week, the business community had donated 1 million air miles.