COLD LAKE - Cold Lake city councillors continue to voice concerns about the province’s justice system and how it is undermining local enforcement efforts.
At the June 17 Corporate Priorities Committee meeting, the council approved a motion to send a letter to Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery, calling for a commitment to reduce charge withdrawals and increase court time for bylaw and provincial act offences.
Council also reaffirmed support for the RCMP and Municipal Enforcement Services, backing their continued efforts to combat prolific offenders, drug-related crimes, and vagrancy.
A City report recently revealed some statistics, such as how one individual had 165 interactions with police and enforcement over 15 months. Yet, 58 per cent of the charges laid against that person were dropped by the Crown. “That feels to be abnormally large,” said CAO Kevin Nagoya, who questioned whether the bottleneck lies with municipal enforcement, prosecutors, or the courts.
Mayor Craig Copeland didn’t mince words. “I would like to have a meeting, or an explanation given to us on this guy's file with the 58 per cent of the charges dropped . . . the Crown prosecutor has to come to the community to explain to us why half the crimes in Cold Lake are being dropped.”
Copeland said the issue is bigger than one person.
“I wish more municipalities would do this,” he said, commending council’s decision to act.
Nagoya confirmed the City has already received a response from the local MLA.
“The MLA [Scott Cyr] has already reached out to the City in regards to the discussion paper . . . expressing that they will be reaching out to the Chief Crown Prosecutor,” he told council.
The discussion also touched on the significant monthly costs prolific offenders impose on municipal services like law enforcement, healthcare, and social programs.
Coun. Vicky Lefebvre feels the current situation affects public perception and business viability. “If they can’t walk into a store because it’s locked . . . that’s not the kind of place you want to have tourists come. It can affect people's livelihoods.”
Lefebvre also pushed for provincial collaboration, stating, “If we work together as a group - like communities, Alberta municipalities. This is a major issue, and it’s a cost-bearing one throughout the whole province.”
Coun. Bill Parker agreed, pointing out that municipalities like Wetaskiwin, Grand Prairie, Peace River, and Slave Lake are all dealing with the same issues. “They're trying to do it the same way we are, through enforcement, and they're running into the same stonewall with the court not ensuring accountability.”
Parker also highlighted the often-forgotten victims.
“The inconvenience of everything involved . . . the loss of the item, the damage, the increased insurance. You have to have higher security . . . do you want to leave your home?”
He warned that a lack of consequences from the courts encourages repeat offences, sending the message that people can break the law without accountability.
Nagoya acknowledged that despite enforcement efforts, the cycle continues.
“More enforcement does not necessarily equate to accountability,” he said.
Copeland called for even broader action, saying, “I think we should fan this out to as many people as we can,” suggesting a letter not only to the Minister of Justice but also to Crown prosecutors directly.
Parker supported the idea of public transparency, stating, “It'd be a perfect world if we get the judges, Crown prosecutors, and defense lawyers into a community meeting. We haven’t done that in a long time.”
Council made a motion to move forward with two key actions, to send a letter of concern to Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery, urging provincial prosecutors to limit the number of withdrawn charges and increase court time for bylaw and provincial offences, and to reaffirm its commitment to the RCMP and Municipal Enforcement Services in their enhanced efforts targeting prolific offenders, drug activity, and vagrancy.
