Image Credit: CFJC Today / Kent Simmonds

By Jill Sperling

West Vic

CMHA responds to complaints over increased crime along West Victoria Street

Jun 11, 2020 | 4:22 PM

KAMLOOPS — Business owners along West Victoria Street have become increasingly frustrated with activities happening around their properties.

“At the back of our building, doing drug deals, shooting up, doing whatever they desire,” said Mindy Sandhu, co-owner of Stereo Warehouse and Sister’s Sleep Gallery. “And, (sister) Nina and I, for being females we don’t even feel safe during the day.”

RCMP say the city experienced a spike in property crime as the COVID-19 pandemic closed businesses across the community, but West Victoria Street was hit particularly hard even before the pandemic.

“West Vic has seen a bit of a spike in some concerns from a few of our business owners down there,” Supt. Syd Lecky told CFJC Today, “and we’re working in collaboration with our municipal officials and everybody’s engaged in this and we’re going to find a way to help litigate some of the challenges we’re having down there.”

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Some business owners believe the problem escalated when the social housing complex Rosethorn House opened earlier this year.

“My cameras lit up like a Christmas tree once that building opened,” said Reid Hamer-Jackson, owner of TRU Market Truck & Auto Sales. “I had 120 thirty-second clips on one night alone, and it’s a consistent flow coming from across the street. I mean, the back fence, they fixed the fence here yesterday and it’s already ripped open.”

Rosethorn House is operated by the Kamloops branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).

“We’re working with a group of individuals who suffer with complex issues around mental health and substance use and our job is to then work towards recovery, whatever that looks like,” said Acting Operations Leader Alfred Achoba.

Achoba says residents are required to sign a guidelines and wellness plan, and those who can’t abide by it will and have been evicted.

The CMHA has also implemented some new measures to try to address complaints, such as changing staffing hours and organizing a voluntary cleanup crew.

“We’ve been working with the businesses around — first it was installing cameras,” Achoba added, “and now BC Housing, we’ve had security for over two weeks now and we’ve seen a decrease in the number of reports around crime and break-ins.”

Business owners admit security has been helpful for the overnight hours, but say they continue to have issues throughout the day.

“We just want to run our business, that’s all we want to do, in peace,” Sandhu said.

The CHMA says it will continue to work with business owners and stakeholders around concerns over Rosethorn House and the Emerald Centre.

A community advisory meeting was scheduled for Thursday (June 11) evening.