(Photo credit: Government of BC).

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: ‘No one denies there’s an issue with prolific offenders’

Apr 9, 2022 | 6:42 AM

RARELY IS THERE AGREEMENT between the BC Liberals and NDP, especially during Question Period in the Legislature, but they came close to it this week on the issue of random assaults and prolific offenders.

The Libs hammered at Attorney-General David Eby all week long, continuing what they’d started the week before, and at the end of it received this rather surprising acknowledgement: “I share the member’s concern,” he told MLA Shirley Bond, but qualified it with, “to a point.”

More on that in a minute.

Favourite word of the week was “horrific,” used frequently both by Eby and his Liberal antagonists to describe the thefts and many random street attacks in communities throughout the province.

One after another, Liberal MLAs piled up examples of the “horrific” attacks and egregious thefts from businesses.

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Skeena MLA Ellis Ross told of the repeat offender who walked out of a Canadian Tire store in Terrace with a canoe, and got away with it because, as store management said, “There is absolutely no reason not to steal — none — because there are no consequences when you steal.”

Renee Merrifield of Kelowna-Mission told of a 17-year-old cyclist attacked and beaten in the middle of the afternoon, suffering a fractured skull and collapsed lung. His bike, shoes and cell phone were stolen. No one’s been charged.

Teresa Wat of Richmond Centre talked about the increasing vandalism in Vancouver’s historic Chinatown, where 80 per cent of businesses have had to add new security measures, graffiti is up 300 per cent, and store owners have to pay for broken glass “every single day.”

Up in Cariboo-Chilcotin, Lorne Doerkson reminded Eby, a search and rescue vehicle was stolen last weekend from a garage in Williams Lake, a vehicle worth more than a quarter of a million dollars. His question to Eby was a variation of what all the Liberals were asking: “Will the attorney general admit today that there is a problem, and take action?”

The Liberals were unrelenting. Michael Lee of Vancouver-Langara said an 18-year-old exchange student had been randomly attacked in Vancouver within the past few days. “Day after day, the pattern continues.”

Kamloops MLAs Todd Stone and Peter Milobar were front and centre, too. Stone raised the closure of the McDonald’s in downtown Kamloops. “This is but one business among many being so negatively impacted by assaults, violence, vandalism and thefts, both inside and outside of their stores.”

Milobar threw some surprising statistics at Eby. The number of no-charge recommendations has increased by 45 per cent from 8,600 in 2017 to 13,000, he said. “When is this minister going to take action to help communities and neighbourhoods across B.C. start to feel safe once again?”

Eby had some numbers of his own. “On reports to Crown counsel received by Crown counsel over the last two years, 1,716 were received from police, and 1,257 were approved to court. Only 339 of those were no-charge decisions. The rest were either alternative measures, were returned to police for more investigation or are currently in progress.”

The “vast majority” of reports to Crown counsel proceed to court, he said, but admitted there has been some increase — about seven per cent — in the number of cases in which charges weren’t laid.

What was remarkable about this debate was Eby’s conciliatory responses to the Liberals’ probing. Rather than indulge in the usual Question Period tactic of evading the questions and tossing out jibes about the Liberals’ own record in government, he actually tried to explain the reasons behind the problem.

He partly blamed the effects of COVID, and partly federal legislation that restricts the courts on the issue of bail. He assured the Liberals he’s been meeting with the leadership and police of concerned communities. He repeatedly referred to plans for complex care facilities. Most of all, he acknowledged the trauma being caused to victims and their families.

And, yes, there is a problem, he patiently repeated each time he was asked the question, though he said it is a problem across North America.

“…. No one is denying that there’s an issue with prolific offenders, especially that are grappling with mental health and addiction issues,” he said, and, “We’re making progress. There’s more to do, and I welcome suggestions from the opposition, if they have some.”

Thursday, as the Ledge wrapped up its business for the week, Eby agreed with Bond on her concerns but added that he did so “to a point.” That point was the responsibility of Crown counsel for the problem.

He praised their work but said he’s asked Crown counsel to look into the reasons behind a decrease in the number of charges laid after recommendations by police.

Bond, for her part, carefully rebutted the suggestion the Libs are blaming Crown counsel. The blame, she said, is with Eby himself and “the system.” Presumably, Crown counsel are part of the system to which she refers, but it’s politically better to blame other politicians instead of civil servants.

So, there was agreement between Eby and the Liberals that there’s a problem. The source of it, and the solutions, remain up for debate.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media