.
This whole case is bizarre to say the least .... not only has he been set free but his record has been erased and he has a new name... previous to the Greyhound incident he had been on meds but stopped taking them .... then he murdered .... who is to say it wont happen again.
I live 20 minutes from where it happened .... most of the gory details were not put in the newspapers ... during the lengthy standoff he ate part of the victim , including his heart .... and that poor policeman (who committed suicide) saw the whole thing and could not get it out of his memory.
Why did Vine Li stop taking the medication he was prescribed while he was in Toronto? Maybe he simply couldn’t afford it. We don’t know if he was employed when he was in Toronto, where the cost of living is higher than it is in Winnipeg. Perhaps this is why he left Toronto and went to Winnipeg.
WLB stated after he was given an absolute discharge, that he wants to pursue an education so he may not have a high school diploma. If this is the case, it is very difficult for him to find a decent paying job, live independently and support a wife. Because he worked as a part-time janitor in Winnipeg, it would be nearly impossible for him to provide for his basic needs (shelter, food, furniture, clothing, medication, utilities, etc.) and support a wife. We also don't know how well he communicates in English and If he has a valid Driver's License, which can also be barriers to employment.
In order to rent an apartment, you have to have enough cash on hand to pay a damage deposit which costs ½ a month’s rent, plus one month’s rent. A decent one-bedroom apartment in Winnipeg can cost $800-$1000 per month plus utilities.
I doubt WLB could afford this when he was only working a part-time job as a janitor. If he worked 20 hours biweekly at $11 per hour, he would make $440 biweekly, which is approximately $880 a month. That is less than what the Disability Program with the Manitoba Government pays. When he qualifies for the MB Disability program, he receives approximately $1000 per month and his medication is free. Also, I believe he can earn $100 a week without any deductions. If he is living in an apartment subsidized by MB Housing, which he probably is, he doesn’t require a damage deposit, the monthly rent is geared to income, and he doesn't have to pay for Hydro. If WLB remains under a doctor's care, the government pays for his phone.
Why was Vince Li on the Grey Hound bus the night he attacked and killed Tim McLean? After Vince Li committed this crime and was admitted to the hospital where he lived for 8 years or more, he didn’t have to worry about food and lodging and paying for medication, all his needs are provided for by our government.
WLB apparently wants to visit his family overseas, which is expensive, so if he has money to travel, it’s probably because he has been collecting welfare while he was incarcerated. I’m not sure how the disability program in Manitoba applies to WLB but he must be receiving assistance from the government since he can afford to live independently, which I doubt was the case before he attacked and killed Tim McLean.
If he committed this crime as a way of getting his basic needs met, now that he has accomplished that, I too agree that WLB is no longer a threat to society and he won’t commit a similar act again.