A distortion of the reality that we’re living in.
That’s how Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson feels about Macleans magazine citing Quesnel as the 5th most dangerous place in Canada.
He says while Quesnel has certainly seen an increase in property crime, anyone that lives here knows that it is not dangerous…
“To suggest that Quesnel is a more dangerous place to live than Surrey or even Toronto for example. Anybody that is paying attention to the news knows what’s happening in Toronto with violent crimes, with shootings, with stabbings. In Surrey, it’s not uncommon for the 6 o’clock news to show another shooting and victims of shootings. We don’t have that.”
Simpson says Quesnel does have is a rise in property crime however, and it’s something he says the city is working on with the RCMP and the court system.
That said, Simpson does admit that it is frustrating that the city is being portrayed that way, and he says they are trying to combat that…
“The city of Williams Lake did advance, through the Union of BC Municipalities and it was passed unanimously, for a look at how crime statistics are determined, particularly in municipal centers that have large rural areas surrounding them. That motion will now go forward to the province. The Cariboo Regional District and a number of municipalities, 100 Mile House, Quesnel, Williams Lake, are also going to be meeting with all of our RCMP detachments to talk about this very thing, because we need this changed because the public perception, you know the reverse marketing if you will for our communities, is hurtful.”
Getting back to the numbers…Williams Lake ranked 9th for violent crime, which was down from 4th in 2019.
When it comes to overall crime, Quesnel is 3rd in 2020, up from 8th, while Williams Lake is still 7th in Canada.