Sechelt council has decided on a date for its next community safety meeting and has released a “what we heard” report with findings from the first meeting.
The meeting will be on Oct. 3 at the Sechelt Activity Centre, starting at 6:30 p.m.
At the Sept. 11 council meeting, Coun. Brenda Rowe said she sees the initiative as a series of meetings, two to three months apart that would cover different topics each time.
‘What We Heard
Included in the meeting agenda was a report summarizing the first community safety meeting, put together by councillors Donna Bell and Brenda Rowe.
Attendees were asked what the most significant things Sechelt could do to address crime in the district, and they answered: increase the budget for more RCMP officers, invest in adding lighting, more bylaw offices, implement a position to support a block watch program and for CCTV camera to be installed.
When asked what the most significant things the RCMP could do to address crime and safety, the public put forward: increase the number of officers, officers need to be more visible, improve response times and the ability to contact and report, enhance communication with the community and support a block watch initiative.
According to the meeting participants, the highest priority topics for the Sechelt council to ask provincial and federal governments for assistance with regarding community crime and safety are treatment and recovery funding, reform of the justice system especially around “catch and release,” housing and homelessness, “RainCity” and safe supply and recriminalization of public consumption of drugs.
Speaking to the next steps, the report says the Oct. 3 meeting will be a combination of reporting by Sechelt and RCMP representatives, educating attendees on topics requested in the first meeting and involving the participants in allocating tax dollars.
Jordan Copp is the Coast Reporter’s civic and Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
