A central interior B.C. community has approved a state of emergency proposal in response to criminal recidivism and street chaos.
A series of fiery exchanges took place during a Williams Lake City Council meeting on May 27, during a motion to consider a local state of emergency in response to a community crime wave. The motion narrowly passed by a vote of four to three.
City councillors additionally approved asking city staff to report on “options” available to the city for dealing with safety concerns downtown.
Another proposal to institute a strict 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew was narrowly defeated.
The lengthy and occasionally heated debate stemmed from a memorandum by Coun. Scott Nelson.
In making his proposal, Nelson cited ongoing instances of assaults, open drug use and public indecency as being behind the proposed state of emergency. He further lamented the town’s persistent issues with arson and vandalism, suggesting the entire town could be “burned to the ground” if swift action isn’t taken.
Nelson’s memorandum proposed declaring a state of local emergency, implementing a curfew from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. and for any individuals displaying public intoxication or severe mental health issues to be escorted to the hospital for review of involuntary treatment.
It was also suggested that, under the emergency orders, the RCMP would be able to arrest and escort any unhoused persons to a shelter, hospital or other facility without their permission or against their will.
Council voted to split the memorandum into two parts, separating the declaration of a state of emergency from the implementation of a strict curfew, which appeared to create some confusion over the final recommendations.
In the end, city council passed two separate motions with some amendments to the initial proposal and has gone ahead with the declaration of a state of emergency. City council has also agreed to proceed with an exploration of other “options” to deal with the street disorder, which might include an evening curfew in the future.
However, some of those proposed “options” have come under criticism, largely due to a perception that some of the “options” being considered could be unconstitutional.
Various citizen critics at the city council meeting voiced concerns that Nelson’s proposals could be in breach of Section 7 and Section 9 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which are designed to uphold the individual’s right to “life, liberty and the security of person” and “the principles of fundamental justice.”
Despite the criticisms, Williams Lake Mayor Surinderpal Rathor strongly supported the motion.
“It would give extra power to the RCMP, the mayor said. “If there’s people wandering aimlessly here and there, they can take them to the hospital or wherever the support is needed.”
While making a media appearance on the subject, BC Civil Liberties Association policy director Meghan McDermott also called the motion to impose a state of local emergency “bizarre,” “disingenuous,” and “dangerous.”
McDermott called the William’s Lake emergency declaration and its exploration of options on involuntary detention a “non-starter” due to its illegality, unconstitutionality and its redundancy.
“The Mental Health Act already exists and already has mechanisms where (authorities) do have very extreme powers to detain people,” said the BCCLA policy director.
“So to suggest that something even more than that is needed, and something as broad as this, is just really dangerous and not the way that our Constitution contemplates life in Canada,” McDermott added.