City of Fort St. John pens letter to B.C. ministry about an increase in crime

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Fort St. John Mayor Lilia Hansen recently wrote a letter on behalf of council to B.C.’s Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General regarding the increase in crime in the city.

In the letter sent on November 29th, Hansen asks Minister Mike Farnworth to consider enacting the Community Safety Act and its amendment. According to the provincial government, the Community Safety Act would have authorized a director of community safety to be designated and establish a mechanism for addressing problem properties in communities.

Hansen’s letter starts by saying Fort St. John and other communities have experienced an increase in criminal activity, which she claims is partly due 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,” Hansen wrote.

The consequences of the increase in crime are people either advocating or participating in actions that could be described as vigilante, noted the letter.

“It is demoralizing to watch the revolving door of arrests and releases and overdose deaths,” Hansen added.

She writes that the letter is a reaction to a series of events in the community, a recent example being the ongoing issues in the Triangle Park neighbourhood.

The mayor says the neighbourhood surrounds a park with a picnic table and new playground equipment where kids would often play.

“Over the last few years, one residence on this formerly quiet street has become the center of violent, frightening, dangerous and unsettling incidents,” Hansen wrote.

“In the last year, there have been two shootings in or at this home. Not long before that, an overdose death occurred on the front doorsteps of the residence.”

She writes there are countless short-duration stops by pedestrians and vehicles, as well as disputes, fights and assaults at the property.

“Stolen property often finds its way to the residence, and neighbours report being intimidated and frightened while simply getting their mail.”

Hansen brought up the most recent shooting at the residence in question, where shots went through a neighbour’s home while several people, including young children, slept inside.

She writes that while looking into how to help the residents of Triangle Park, they came across the Community Safety Act.

“We might have been able to pursue a process through a Community Safety Order to require the residents of this property to vacate,” Hansen wrote. 

“We might have had the opportunity to go to court to articulate a common-sense solution which would have made it more difficult to be the owner of a residence such as this one.”

A community safety order starts with a complaint made to the director of community safety, who then decides how to proceed. One of the options is to apply to the court for a safety order, which the complainant may also do.

The safety order could require a person to vacate the property or call on the landlord to stop the tenants from participating in any activities set out in the complaint, among other options.

However, the act wasn’t brought into force.

Hansen says the city continues to explore all options, but nuisance and noise bylaws aren’t a substitute for the support of the provincial or federal governments.

“Our bylaws were enacted to provide solutions to manage conventional municipal problems like un-mowed grass or loud music,” Hansen wrote. 

“These laws were never designed or intended to manage the impacts of organized crime destroying neighbourhoods with impunity.”

Hanson says one of the purposes of her letter is to inquire as to why the act was not brought in.

After review, the mayor believes the reason for the act not coming into force was the advocacy of the BC Civil Liberties Association, which said it thought the law would put individual’s housing security at risk.

“From our perspective, the failure to enact this legislation has put people’s housing security at risk,” Hansen wrote. 

“Further, it is both unfair and unjust that our residents should have to leave their homes and flee the violence that has destroyed the character and security of their neighbourhoods.”

The letter was also talked about during Monday’s council meeting.

“I think it’s important that we’re looking at the safety of our whole community and what other tools there are in addition to the RCMP to strengthen our bylaws and what we can do,” Hansen said.

Council voted unanimously to send the letter to every municipality in the province.

The full letter can be read below: