City council in Williams Lake, B.C., won’t be declaring a state of local emergency to respond to street disorder after the provincial government promised to immediately deploy more police to help with growing concerns.
Some councillors in the community of about 23,000 people, 320 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, had expressed interest in declaring a state of local emergency to address local crime, which they said ranged from break-ins and public drug use to theft and vandalism, from a small number of repeat offenders.
Such a declaration could provide the municipality with “emergency powers” such as suspending bylaws, ordering road closures or restricting public gatherings, according to a staff report.
But at a special council meeting on June 3, Mayor Surinderpal Rathor announced the Ministry of Public Safety had requested the Cariboo-Chilcotin crime reduction unit be immediately deployed to Williams Lake “to assess the situation and develop operational plans.”
Rathor said the unit could arrive in town as soon as Wednesday.
Because of the provincial commitment, Rathor, who had previously supported considering a state of local emergency, suggested councillors “hold your horses for at least [a] month or so.”
“Emergency would not fly right now,” he said and recommended council take no further action on the declaration.
Staff told council that local front-line emergency service agencies, including the RCMP, B.C. Emergency Health Services and Interior Health did not see a benefit in declaring a state of local emergency.
“Local emergency response stakeholders stressed that the challenges facing Williams Lake (such as limitations in mental health support, addiction services and housing) require more than temporary measures,” said the staff report.
“The group expressed a strong call for broad, co-ordinated systemic reforms.”
Coun. Scott Nelson, who originally put forward the motion to consider a state of local emergency, said the public health situation is dire.
“There are people on our streets that are mentally ill that should not be on the streets of Williams Lake,” he said, and added, “They’re going to hurt somebody.”
He listed a variety of recent incidents, including fires in garbage bins, a break-in at a law firm and a related robbery at a 7-Eleven.
B.C. city ponders state of emergency to improve downtown safety after fires, drug use
Coun. Angie Delainey didn’t support the declaration but recommended the city invite partners, including the regional district and local First Nations, to review public safety programs and discuss funding strategies.
“I don’t think it’s the sole responsibility of the municipality to pay these costs that we know have been downloaded to us,” she said.
CBC has reached out to the Ministry of Public Safety for more information on its response to Williams Lake council’s concerns and is waiting to hear back.
Coun. Michael Moses said he was concerned council wasn’t properly consulting the local First Nations or LGBTQ+ communities or unhoused people.
“If we proceed with this against the will of First Nations and other marginalized peoples in our community, then I want you to be wary of this path of discrimination that this council will be choosing and the repercussions of it.”
Nelson’s motion was also criticized by Xatśūll First Nation and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association for its potential to criminalize struggling people.
Council voted 6-1 to take no action on the state of emergency. Nelson was opposed.
