Premier David Eby says work is underway to address repeat offenders committing property crimes following a meeting with local stakeholders in Nelson.
Eby visited the city on April 24 for a pair of meetings, one about community safety and the other with local environmental groups.
The meeting about community safety at Nelson City Hall was not open to the public or media. It included representatives from city council, the Nelson Police Department, the Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce and local social service providers.
In an interview with the Nelson Star, Eby said it was made clear to him that repeat offenders of property crimes need to be made a priority by the provincial government.
鈥淚t's the same group of people, and they're known to police and to the community. They're involved in a disproportionate number of property offences particularly, and in a way that makes people feel unsafe, reasonably, in the community, and that it's having an impact on perceptions of safety in the downtown area.鈥�
Eby's visit comes after local police and business owners voiced concerns about a rise in downtown crime as well as a lack of resources available to deal with it.
Nelson Police Department Chief Donovan Fisher said last November that his officers were responding to 20-30 calls daily related to thefts, mischief and aggressive behaviour. A group of just six people, Fisher said, were responsible for the majority of these crimes in the city, with two of them accounting for about 500 calls in three years.
In January, one man was arrested and faces 14 charges, eight of which are related to theft under $5,000 and stolen property.
Eby pointed to the provincial government's Repeat Violent Offending Intervention Initiative, which began in May 2023. It includes police co-ordination and mental health services meant to keep those charged from re-offending.
One of the requests made to Eby in Nelson was that the program be expanded to include property crimes, which he said was reasonable. He added the province is also lobbying the federal government to review bail provisions as a way of giving judges the ability to keep offenders in custody.
鈥淚t really is a small number of people and at the end of the day, there are some people who just need to spend some time in jail in order to protect the broader community.鈥�
Participants at the meeting also asked Eby to increase access to complex-care housing for people with mental-health issues, substance-use disorders and brain injuries. There are currently no such beds available in Nelson, Castlegar or Trail.
Earlier in the week, Eby was at the opening of the first 10 beds at the Surrey Pretrial Centre that were created to provide involuntary care for men suffering from severe mental health and addictions issues. The program has been criticized by drug user advocacy groups. Members say the government is wasting resources that should go to voluntary services, as well as encouraging a stigma for substance use.
The province has not yet said if involuntary care services will come to the Kootenays. Eby agreed complex-care beds should be made available in the region, although it isn't clear of those beds would be involuntary or voluntary. He said that in the short term more access should be provided for West Kootenay patients at services in 麻豆精选 and Kamloops.
鈥淭hese are beds that have additional intensive medical supports as well as additional staffing support 鈥� social work supports for people who really need that higher level of care in order to be successful inside, as opposed to living out on the street.鈥�
Eby also offered an update on the Police Act revisions three years after an all-party committee submitted 11 changes that included how officers respond to mental-health calls, First Nations relations, systemic racism in law enforcement and the creation of a provincial police force meant to replace the RCMP.
Work is still underway to address those recommendations, said Eby, who added the Justice Institute of B.C. has received more funding to help train more officers. The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General has previously said the final recommendations from the Police Act reforms won't be tabled until late 2026 or 2027.
鈥淲e're going to continue to to work on these very wide, ranging and significant recommendations. Some have been implemented already, and there's more work to do in the budget.鈥�
