A letter calling on the province to protect citizens in the face of sa国际传媒渃riminal activity and social disordersa国际传媒� 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 ccsa国际传媒檈d to municipal councils around B.C.

sa国际传媒淥ver the last few years, Fort St. John and many other communities have experienced increases in criminal activity and social disorder,sa国际传媒� says Hansensa国际传媒檚 letter. sa国际传媒淚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.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淭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.sa国际传媒�

The mayor of Fort St. John says the province had a Safer Communities Act on its books that contained a sa国际传媒渟uite of reasonable, and seemingly effective tools that would have been extraordinarily helpful and reassuring to our citizens.sa国际传媒�

Unfortunately, the mayor said, that act was never brought into force. The mayor said municipal bylaws are no substitute for the sa国际传媒渕eaningful support of the provincial and federal government.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淥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,sa国际传媒� Hansen says.

The mayorsa国际传媒檚 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.

sa国际传媒淵eah, the last paragraph really struck me,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淚t said, sa国际传媒業 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.sa国际传媒� And this is something Isa国际传媒檝e always thought as well is, when things are out of balance, people get unhappy.

sa国际传媒淎nd Isa国际传媒檇 say the public tone right now isnsa国际传媒檛 happy with how things are being handled.sa国际传媒�

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