Council Chambers
Local Resolutions to UBCM

Council approves two crime-related resolutions

Jul 4, 2019 | 4:42 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – With Council’s approval, two different resolutions from two different Councillors will be heading to the Union of BC Municipalities convention this fall.

The first comes from Councillor Kyle Sampson and was prompted by a police drug bust in April that yielded hundreds of pounds of marijuana and more than half a million dollars in cash.

“That’s an incredible amount of money,” says Sampson, who crafted a resolution around the proceeds of crime.

It essentially says that policing places “a significant burden on local government,” adding that “the Civil Forfeiture Crime Prevention and Crime Remediation Grant Program funds community crime reduction and crime prevention activities, but does not address local government policing costs.” As such, he asking the Province to “… share seizures of proceeds of crime with local governments to help address protective services costs.”

But his was not the only resolution.

Councillor Brian Skakun also submitted one that reads that, “the low barrier distribution of harm reduction supplies, including syringes and other safe injection supplies, in communities across BC poses a significant safety and cleanliness concern” and that “local governments, businesses and residents are bearing the escalating cost of cleaning up needles and drug paraphernalia in public spaces,” he is asking that UBCM request ongoing provincial funding to local governments to cover the cost of cleaning up needles and drug paraphernalia in their communities.”

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