I’ve often pointed out that elected leaders do not have the luxury afforded single-issue activists; that is, the luxury of focusing on only one specific aspect of community resiliency or only one particular demographic or group’s needs. Rather, elected leaders must focus on the community as a whole and make every effort to address the needs of all constituent groups with the limited resources they have available to them.
Unfortunately, the need for elected leaders to take a balanced and long-term approach to the complex social, economic, and environmental challenges confronting our society often invites scorn and finger-wagging from activists who feel that their particular issue isn’t being addressed fast enough or with sufficient resources. Social media doesn’t help in this regard, as anyone with an “opinion” can weigh in with their negative commentary, whether their opinion is informed by facts or not.
The growing challenges confronting all communities with respect to addressing public safety in our downtown cores illustrates how challenging this dynamic tension can be for elected leaders.
Discarded needles and other drug paraphernalia, the public use of illicit drugs, vagrancy, aggressive panhandling, property crime, and theft (especially from our vulnerable seniors) all stimulate calls for more protective services and more prosecution. Social media is full of simplistic, illegal, and immoral ideas about how these issues should be dealt with and municipal councils are always pushed to do “more” to address these growing public safety issues.
But, Councils are also pushed to do “more” to address the root causes of these issues too: to build more housing, offer more mental health and addictions supports, and respect the rights of people to panhandle, use illicit drugs, and squat (“camp”) anywhere they want in our community.
The reality is that elected leaders need to work on both fronts: protect the general population and their right to live in a safe community, and work with BC Housing, the Health Authority, and the provincial and federal governments to meet the needs of those who, for whatever reason, are homeless, street-entrenched, drug addicted and undermining public safety for the general public (whether perceived or real).
Quesnel Council has been taking this two-fold and balanced approach for some time now.
At the public’s request, we’ve added more policing capacity to both our RCMP detachment and to our bylaw services, we’ve strengthened our nuisance bylaw to address aggressive panhandling, we have a rapid response team to deal with unsafe squatting, and we’ve created new tools to deal with derelict properties.
At the same time, we continue to work with BC Housing to get more social, supportive, and affordable housing built in our community, partner with Northern Health to deliver more street-level services to people suffering with mental health and addictions challenges, and work with not for profit agencies to support vulnerable populations in our community.
Council also supports and wants to see more proactive intervention and social programs in our community. Programs like the Situation Table that was launched last week and is designed to provide early intervention to individuals and families in crisis. For more information, visit https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021PSSG0026-000440 Or, programs like Foundry, which will provide support for our most vulnerable youth.
But, it is important to note, that addressing these complex social issues is only one area of focus for Council and they primarily lie outside the jurisdictional domain of municipal government. As a Council, we need other levels of government and agencies to do their job too
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