Williams Lake City Councillor Scott Nelson is proposing “an aggressive” motion to deal with prolific offenders, the homeless, and individuals with mental illnesses at an upcoming city council meeting
Nelson gave a notice of motion at the end of Tuesday, March 10, night’s city council meeting during the Round Table discussion, that at the next council meeting, he will be putting forward a motion that will take a strong stance against prolific offenders, the homeless, and individuals with mental illness in Williams Lake.
“You’re[Mayor and Council] well aware of a number of issues that have occurred in our community, specifically tied to prolific homelessness, that are causing absolute havoc in our community,” Neslon said.
“You’re well aware that they have burned down millions of dollars of infrastructure in our community and local businesses, and put fear into our community.”
He went on to say that the province is failing to provide wraparound services and is failing rural British Columbia.
“Quite frankly, the community needs to embark on a new path and a new agenda,” Nelson said.
The city councillor read aloud his proposed “new agenda” with several steps for council to consider to “support and enforce”:
- Homeless, prolific offenders, and individuals with mental illnesses that “continue to wreak havoc” on the community and are known to the police and Interior Health, and who live on the streets.
- For the Council to make a policy that any homeless, prolific offenders, persons with mental illness who continue to wreak havoc in the community be enforced to wear GPS tracking. Council to seek jail. Council to seek 24/7 wraparound services, and encourage the province and police to move the persons to a communion with the appropriate wraparound services.
- Any homeless, prolific offenders, or persons with mental illnesses wreaking havoc on the streets of Williams Lake, who have more than three charges, be offered, encouraged, and persuaded to a one-way bus ticket with $100 for dinner to a space in the province of B.C, Alberta, or the state of Alaska with the wraparound services to assist.
- For staff to be requested to implement the above policies As Soon As Possible.
Nelson added that the City should also be willing to purchase the bus tickets if necessary.
Mayor Surinderpal Rathor received the Notice of Motion and requested City Staff and each councillor to work and be ready to discuss the motion at the next meeting.
Councillor Joan Flaspohler asked that the Notice of Motion be sent to council by email.
“If you are requesting me to do research, I am very willing to do so,” said Flaspohler. “I am going to have to find out how, or if, a council can actually do any of these things that are proposed.”
The next Williams Lake city council meeting will be on March 24.
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