A letter calling on the province to protect citizens in the face of 鈥渃riminal activity and social disorder鈥� by enacting a Community Safety Act is making the rounds of B.C. city council chambers.
The Lilia Hansen on behalf of her council, sent to Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth and cc鈥檈d to municipal councils around B.C.
鈥淥ver the last few years, Fort St. John and many other communities have experienced increases in criminal activity and social disorder,鈥� says Hansen鈥檚 letter. 鈥淚n part, this deterioration has related to drug addiction and mental illness. It has also related to the apparent inability of the justice system to hold anyone accountable in a meaningful way.鈥�
鈥淭here is growing frustration at unchecked property crime and the experience of watching formerly safe neighbourhoods decay. It is demoralizing to watch the revolving door of arrests and releases and overdose deaths.鈥�
The mayor of Fort St. John says the province had a Safer Communities Act on its books that contained a 鈥渟uite of reasonable, and seemingly effective tools that would have been extraordinarily helpful and reassuring to our citizens.鈥�
Unfortunately, the mayor said, that act was never brought into force. The mayor said municipal bylaws are no substitute for the 鈥渕eaningful support of the provincial and federal government.鈥�
鈥淥ur bylaws were enacted to provide solutions to manage conventional municipal problems like un-mowed grass, or loud music. These laws were never designed or intended to manage the impacts of organized crime destroying neighbourhoods with impunity,鈥� Hansen says.
The mayor鈥檚 request to the Solicitor General to consider enacting a Community Safety Act found sympathetic ears across the province in Campbell River where its council voted unanimously to endorse it.
鈥淵eah, the last paragraph really struck me,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t said, 鈥業 implore you to consider whether the balance should live between the rights of our citizens to enjoy a peaceful existence and the rights of those who have destroyed the peace.鈥� And this is something I鈥檝e always thought as well is, when things are out of balance, people get unhappy.
鈥淎nd I鈥檇 say the public tone right now isn鈥檛 happy with how things are being handled.鈥�
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