Photo by Whitehorse Star
FREED WITH RESTRICTIONS – Daniel Mackenzie is seen at the Dec. 3 city council meeting. During his appearances before council in late 2018, Mackenzie advocated for his Magic Cool Bus safe ride program.
Magic Cool Bus proponent receives bail
The man behind the Magic Cool Bus safe ride program was freed on bail on Thursday afternoon.
The man behind the Magic Cool Bus safe ride program was freed on bail on Thursday afternoon.
Daniel Brent Mackenzie, 27, had been arrested last Saturday and jailed on one count of alleged criminal harassment and two counts of allegedly uttering death threats.
Mackenzie was released into the custody of his father by Justice of the Peace Sharman Morrison-Harvey after Thursday afternoon’s bail hearing.
According to court documents obtained by the Star, he is accused of uttering death threats to two women.
Mackenzie stands accused of repeatedly following one of the women arround Whitehorse between Dec. 1 and 28, 2018.
This alleged behaviour made the woman “reasonably, in all the circumstances, fear for her safety,” the documents say.
This constitutes the count of alleged criminal harassment.
As for the threats, Mackenzie is accused of allegedly personally threatening the two women sometime between Dec. 24 and 27.
Lastly, Mackenzie is accused of uttering a death threat to an unspecified number of Yukon government employees sometime on Dec. 26.
Although granted bail, the accused is bound by several conditions.
He must have no contact with any of the individuals who have accused him of threatening them.
Mackenzie is barred from attending any Yukon government or City of Whitehorse offices without first scheduling an appointment.
He will have to abide by a curfew, and will be subject to curfew checks. He must be inside his father’s residence between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Another noteworthy bail condition covers mental health.
Mackenzie was ordered to take all reasonable steps to maintain his mental health in order to not pose a threat to himself or members of the public.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 23.
Mackenzie has been trying to get a safe ride program in the city up and running.
The Magic Cool Bus is one of the many initiatives from Mackenzie’s Free the Beat Foundation. It would have seen him offer people rides home in a school bus – meant to be an alternative to taking a taxi.
The service could be requested via an app, similar to services like Uber.
Mackenzie also proposed a safe injection site for Whitehorse.
The city announced in November that it was not endorsing nor affiliating itself with the Free the Beat Foundation.
This is due to the program not meeting the requirements set out in the Vehicle for Hire bylaw.
The city also revealed it has no plans to establish a safe injection site.
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Comments (16)
Up 9 Down 4
Dershowitz on Jan 8, 2019 at 4:18 am
Hey Jose, would you consider being part of the legal defence team for Mr. Mackenzie to make sure his rights are not violated by an uncaring, rubber stamping, institution? Let's look at the application of his bail conditions. Stamp, stamp, stamp, etc.
Up 13 Down 3
Winning nut on Jan 7, 2019 at 5:50 pm
It's clear there is one commentor who believes his opinion is the only one that matters.
And it doesn't....so....pass the beernuts.
Up 11 Down 16
TheComfortsofMadness on Jan 7, 2019 at 4:35 pm
Hey Outlaw Josey ,
Whiskey
In
Numb
Gums?
Nothing
Up
There!
( oblique and thought-provoking perhaps, but reassuringly obtuse eh , Josey ?)
Up 7 Down 13
Josey Wales on Jan 7, 2019 at 1:40 pm
Hey meh....one word illustrated phonetic like
Bravo...
India...
November...
Gulf...
Oscar...
Two more, thank you.
Up 18 Down 4
Does he have 50 dogs? on Jan 7, 2019 at 12:10 pm
Just if he had 50 dogs then we know this will get some media attention. What ever happened to her? These Yukon stories are always so unique!
Up 15 Down 8
Kind of a meh towards some of this on Jan 7, 2019 at 12:08 pm
Basically, if you had to pay for the lawyer out of pocket and stand in front of a court to accuse this person of threats; would you?
I think they just followed a protocol (oh the joys of gov). Because no one wants to be held accountable it's easier to deal with this problem by passing it onto the next person.
"This guy came in and threatened me"
"oh, well as your supervisor I think the appropriate action is to alert the authorities"
"uh... it wasn't a real threat that I believed the person was actually going to harm me, it was just a blanket statement."
"No no, I can't be held responsible, time to call the police."
Police arrived, "Oh yeah, definitely, can't hold us responsible for not doing our job, we could probably just talk to the person... but no, we'll give the case to the crown."
"Oh, well we want to make sure that justice is served! And if this person does do something at least we can say we did our due diligence."
Threats happen all the time, the question is was it seen as credible and something they would have acted on, or just some flippant remark?
The entire cool bus thing; He went to council. The idea is neat, he wasn't doing it in a back alley and trying to hide. Make it as public as possible.
The entire girl stalking thing' no comment because there is no information.
What I will say is we have a bunch of issues compounded into one person. The City of Whitehorse wasn't happy with him. Myles Dolphin released the phone number to complain about him. This is all very convenient to get rid of a pesky problem. It's not the image the City wants.
Plus think of the taxi's! (Wait, the city is going after them too)..
"he directly competes with buses that aren't running at those hours!"
Up 19 Down 4
CJ on Jan 7, 2019 at 10:57 am
I agree with Josey somewhat -- leaving aside the allegations about the women -- this guy seems to have attracted a lot of attention just for being eccentric. Dressing up for city council and his inflated rhetoric -- so what? Used to be just another day in the Yukon. Or anywhere. And complaining about government bureaucracy -- who doesn't? It all seems a bit of a pile-on.
I can never read about government employees saying they're being bullied without thinking of instances where employees, consultants and politicians have been incredibly rude to me. I've been hissed at, yelled at, barked at, embarrassed by bureaucrats, or simply had queries ignored -- without eyebrows being raised. I don't think that's too unusual, actually, if nobody is watching. I get that dealing with the public can be difficult. But sometimes you have to check your own karma.
Up 4 Down 11
Chuck Dickens on Jan 6, 2019 at 6:57 pm
@ Josey - Steven and DildoBaggins enjoy the titalation that the derision of others brings. The delusions of a fragile mind requires constant vigilance.
Steven believes that he possesses some intellectual prowess and tickles at the thought of a take-down because s/he lacks the ability for understanding others. Steven wrestles with himself within the confines of his solipsistic cage.
DildoBaggins is his alter-ego... Together they play in their solipsistic cage... Sometimes one and sometimes apart from a fractured mind that seeks integration, seeks wholeness and ultimately seeks pleasure...
You know what DildoBaggins carries in his satchel? Dickens... Tales by Dickens - To comfort one another with Dick-ensian thoughts...
“How slight a thing will disturb the equanimity of our frail minds!”
The impulse quickens... DildoBaggins fumbles in his satchel to find his Dickens... Steven he asks of himself - Why am I quick to provocation - Because... Frailty...
Up 18 Down 13
Josey Wales on Jan 5, 2019 at 5:48 pm
Gee the mob is active today, I made no inference of support...just know how this place operates...daily.
Steven as I you too are entitled to your opinion, not certain what yoda speak is and yes I do.
Not certain how I sound crazy when you never heard me...reads crazy maybe?
What is crazy Steven? Are you the standard of morality and logic?
I recall a crusade of folks in the news that identify as gender opposite, in our hall and the YG hallowed hall...normal or crazy Steven?
Roy...your post could describe near every contractor in town.
Appropriate you say, like blue hair and yoga pants that would fit a child?
A dozen face piercings maybe, speak like our national climate Barbie...seems that works well here.
Follow the rules you say, are you new here?
CoW and YG do not even follow the rules, but make things up as they go along.
In case some haters here are new, maybe too long in public school...dunno? But busting balls is what I do, and yes I am very effective.
Y’all do not have to agree, like, accept...or even understand me and my “yoda speak”.
Given the values displayed often in these Lynch mobs for dissenters, I’d prefer you never do.
Up 15 Down 6
Rural Resident on Jan 5, 2019 at 5:22 pm
I agree that if you ask government and city staff nicely they are usually helpful.
The bus idea was good but it may have been a castle in the sky without a foundation. Not sure where this mans anger comes from but it raises red flags.
And yes SJW has this "Yoda-speak" that many people cannot follow. I do enjoy his posts.
Up 13 Down 13
DildoBaggins on Jan 5, 2019 at 4:48 pm
Fear ye not Steven, for Yoda would be a mere stripling to the bizarre and disjointed ungrammatical psycho-babble that old Outlaw Josey subjects us all to on a near-daily basis. He lives in a parallel universe where Hobbits and F*ckwits jostle for bragging rights to, er, nothing whatsoever. Just ignore his drivel like the rest of us .
Up 9 Down 34
Josey Wales on Jan 5, 2019 at 6:47 am
Hmmm....kinda odd?
Late Friday participation on a topic about melting snowflakes as I read it and such a high volume of haters already?
That is not odd, I come to expect that...duh.
What is odd is folks being on their own time and using the computer Vs doing it whilst warming a chair “toiling ever so” striving for perfection.
Given the parties involved that usually happens during business hours no?
Mind ya when painting a picture it does help to pick up a brush I reckon.
In this particular case it seems, salivating at the opportunity to grasp the pitchfork and join the mob...created in their offices.
I think I might spend the day in court, hearing the purported facts and see if he can face his accusers in court, or just their publicly funded legal team.
Up 38 Down 11
Steven on Jan 4, 2019 at 10:34 pm
Dearest Josey Wales:
Sometimes you have good points, but you speak in such... "Yoda-speak".... that you just sound like a crazy person. Do you speak like this in real life? Do you get anywhere with it? Or is it just your "colourful 5%" on the situation.....?
(putting on my best JW-hat) Methinks your opinions be the stuff of legend... full of promise, but no delivery, hmmm? Just words said on the page.
Up 55 Down 6
Roy on Jan 4, 2019 at 5:30 pm
I'm sorry Josey, you have no idea what you are talking about. This guy was driving all over town in a barely-licensed bus, going in and out of government offices willy-nilly trying to intimidate people into giving him what he wants.
If anyone is a snowflake here, it's this guy. If he had just followed the rules of society, applied for his permits like everyone else has to, and acted and dressed accordingly to the office and situation he was in (like maybe wearing respectful attire to a council meeting where you want a favourable outcome) he would probably be running his show legitimately by now.
But ohhhh no! the rules don't apply to people like this! These people deliberately make a spectacle of themselves, act terribly towards public servants, get mad when things don't go their way, and then say it's the gov'ts fault. He has only himself to blame for what's happened to him all along.
Up 22 Down 57
Josey Wales on Jan 4, 2019 at 3:58 pm
Hmmm....know nothing of the man, nor his quest...however?
These days anytime you disagree with nobility such as our civic snowflakes, their chairwarming counterparts in other levels they fear...something?
Try to paint a narrative as a problem child they do, sop happens daily.
I know one thing, folks get gobsmacked when they realize you do not care of their hurt feelings...and carry on as I do.
Some may say...just look at the dude...his getup?
Who cares, must one have rainbow hair to get cooperation with our nobility?
Time will tell how this plays out, but sure seems like a lot of conditions for a innocent man that has yet been deemed guilty of a damn thing.
But he is a man, a whitish one at that...in our courts...what could possibly happen.
Reads more like he put some heat on union protected absolute snowflakes not used to being held to any level of accountability.
All just a guess...based on experience with many union blowholes in this town.
Up 55 Down 1
Hugh Mungus on Jan 4, 2019 at 3:36 pm
....and the guy seem totally legit with the Carmen Miranda hat at council.