A bylaw passed in Prince George last summer has drawn the ire of the BC Assembly of First Nations.
Adopted in August, the ‘Safe Streets Bylaw’ was intended to improve downtown safety by issuing nuisance tickets.
But, the bylaw drew immediate backlash, with opposition saying it discriminated against the city’s homeless population.
One such detractor was the BCAFN, who openly opposed the bylaw from the onset, and have now released two reports confirming concerns over the bylaw.
One report documented the experiences of 13 de-housed an precariously housed individuals, and found none felt safer under the bylaw.
However, 40 percent of those interviewed said they felt less safe, and many reported heavy-handed enforcement action.
A second report examined 427 enforcement incidents which took place over the bylaw’s first 99 days.
According to the BCAFN, that report highlighted a systemic lack of accountability in the prevalent use of informal tactics, like verbal exchanges, as opposed to the issuing of documented tickets.
Over those 99 days, RCMP were called out to 19 incidents, but made 0 arrests.
No fines were issued over that period, though bylaw officers took enforcement action on nearly half of public complaints, and just 6 percent of incidents found on patrol.
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