Andreea Resmerita – Leader Staff
Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken weathered some criticism over the province’s new plan to address rural crime during a public forum hosted at the Westlock Inn on Nov. 8.
During the forum, which was actually hosted by Westlock RCMP Staff Sgt. Al Baird, van Dijken talked about the new rural crime plan announced by the province earlier that week.
van Dijken noted the plan was based on recommendations from citizens who attended the previous town halls and participated in the online surveys offered by the government.
One of the chief recommendations in the plan is to establish a Rural Alberta Provincial Integrated (RAPID) Force by fall 2020 to improve emergency response time in rural communities.
RAPID will consist of 400 peace officers in Fish and Wildlife Enforcement, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement, and the traffic branch of Alberta Sheriffs who will receive additional training and have their authority expanded to respond to more calls.
van Dijken clarified that the 400 officers will not be new hires, but existing ones who will receive additional roles and training.
The province is also planning to amend the Occupiers’ Liability Act to remove liability from property owners who are protecting themselves from trespassers. The changes will apply retroactively to Jan. 1, 2018.
The Criminal Code still mandates that the amount of force used in self-defense has to be adjusted so it’s appropriate for the severity of the crime, but the new changes will limit trespassers’ ability to bring cases like this to court.
New legislation will also increase the maximum fines for trespassing to $10,000 for first offence, $25,000 for subsequent ones, and possible jail time of up to six months.
Court-ordered restitution maximums for loss of or damage to property will also be increased to $100,000.
Organizations or corporations helping trespassers can also face fines of up to $200,000.
van Dijken said the measures are intended to deter trespassers and “ecoterrorists.” He referred to the Jumbo Valley Turkey Farm incident in Fort Macleod in October, when protesters unlawffully entered the turkey barns and made demands of the Hutterite colony managing them. He also cited two similar incidents in B.C. and Ontario.
The government is also making community impact statement forms available in early January 2020 to “enable communities to take part in the sentencing of offenders by letting them submit a statement describing how the crime has affected the community as a whole — including the emotional, physical and economic impact, or fears they may have for their own security.”
Another set of legislation, the Scrap Metal Dealers and Recyclers Identification Act, was also proclaimed Nov. 5 and is intended to make it more difficult for sellers who obtain metal (like copper wire) by theft to monetize it.
The bill was introduced by a private member in 2012 and received royal assent in 2013, but no regulation was implemented due to stakeholder concerns at the time.
The bill will require dealers and recyclers to request identification, record transaction details and keep them for one year. They will also be required to notify law enforcement of any transactions which exceed the weight prescribed in the regulations, which will be put into place in spring 2020.If a dealer or recycler suspects the metal was obtained by crime, they have to report it as well.
Police officers also have increased jurisdiction to conduct investigations by requesting records from dealers and recyclers.
The bill also includes penalties of up to $5,000 or up to a year in prison for first offenders ($15,000 fine if it’s a corporation), $15,000, up to a year in prison or both for subsequent offences ($50,000 for corporations).
Both stakeholders and the Justice Ministry had concerns with the bill after a series of consultations in 2014-15. The act regulates scrap metals by weight alone and doesn’t include mobile operators or cash transactions. Cooperation between police, industry and metal recyclers was also unclear, as well as resources for police.
No changes to the original bill were announced by the province, but the aim is to deter metal theft and protect infrastructure like electric lines, telecommunications and transportation.
Will it work?
Some of the 60 residents in attendance expressed doubts about the rural crime plan to van Dijken, particularly in regards to the proposed RAPID force.
People agreed the RCMP’s resources are stretched, but didn’t see RAPID as a good solution for communities like Westlock because of the type of officers it encompasses and where in the province they are located.
“I think these 400 people are already working, and it really sounds great … but I have not seen a lot of sheriffs in this area, I have not seen a lot of Fish and Wildlife. I don’t think they’re going to respond,” said one resident who was involved with Rural Crime Watch in the 1990s.
van Dijken noted that more RCMP officers “is going to take a significant amount of time. We believe this is a crisis now and we have to start trying to get into a position where we’re able to get on top of this. That’s why the minister has chosen enforcement agents that are already employed,” said van Dijken.’
Expanding the RCMP also has its own issues since it’s a federal force. The value of contracts is set by the federal government, while demand for numbers is recorded from each province. However, it takes time for officers to get through training and recruitment.
As for the new trespassing laws, residents pointed out the incidents named by van Dijken are isolated ones, with large numbers of protesters entering farm property to make demands. Crime statistics in Barrhead show that this community’s principal worries are property crimes, thefts under $5,000 and mischief to property, which have all increased significantly from 2018 to 2019
Curiosity about potential liability in trespassing incidents also prompted some questions from residents worried about dogs in fenced yards, but Baird noted he had never seen a person held accountable for those types of incidents involving trespassers.
Also unanswered in the new provincial announcement were concerns from residents and RCMP about offenders being released back into the community because of an overburdened court system.
van Dijken responded that reforming the courts is something that will take time.
He urged the crowd to look upon the Rural Crime Plan as the initial steps towards addressing the problem and not necessarily a final solution.
