Save our Streets is calling on the provincial government to take into account the “crime” tax in today’s budget.
Founder Jess Ketchum from Quesnel says the cost of retail theft is like a hidden tax on BC families.
“We hear about the increase in the cost of gas, the increase in the cost of groceries, but nobody looks at how do these crimes impact individual families, We have a working group that is made up of loss prevention professionals and they’ve done the homework, along with the Retail Council of Canada, and they’ve come up with a number of 824 dollars for every family in Canada actually, but of course very family in B.C.”
Ketchum says the only way for retailers to recoup the cost of theft and vandalism on their business is to pass it onto the consumer.
“The cost to a retailer of the theft from that company and the resources that they have to put into security, whether it be the hiring of a security firm or putting up reinforced doors or windows, whatever that might be, the only place they have to recoup that cost is the customer. So they have to increase the price of their services and goods to cover those costs, or go out of business eventually. Either one is not good for the consumer or the community.”
Ketchum says they’ll be watching today’s budget closely.
“We’ll be looking for are there new programs or increased programs for policing, for security, for support of businesses going through these issues, and also dealing with the level of addiction and mental health that are also driving a lot of the crime and violence that we see in our communities. So a continuum of care for someone who is on the street, maybe homeless, maybe addicted, maybe suffering from mental illness, that needs help to get into that continuum of care that hopefully at the end of the day results in them not only going into detox, but also recovery and long term support so they can be encouraged to get back into their communities, maybe back to their families.’
Ketchum says they are calling on governments at every level to step up and use their resources and authority to end the downward spiral that is hurting families, communities, neighbourhoods, and local businesses.
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