The city of Williams Lake held a special council meeting to discuss "homelessness and community safety in the downtown."
While there had been a planned break in the council meeting schedule this week, the last-minute meeting was called as a response to reports said to be coming to Coun. Scott Nelson and Mayor Surinderpal Rathor.
While the emergency meeting was listed as being held to discuss homelessness and community safety, some of the more than 50 people in attendance raised concerns the meeting was confusing homelessness with crime, while others called for more services like mental health and addiction help.
Others shared their feelings of insecurity due to what they believe is an increasing crime rate and one man recounted a violent assault he was subjected to in Boitanio Park. In an interview posted on social media by Coun. Nelson, in the caption, Nelson attributes the attack to a "homeless druggy."
Some attendees called out social media posts by councillors which stigmatize and create fear and division, while others thanked Coun. Nelson for his social media posts in providing information on what is happening.
It was an emotional and dramatic council meeting, at times solutions were suggested, at others, people simply expressed their fears or frustrations. Some speakers used it as an opportunity to get political and one man from Quesnel even came forward to offer the services of his security business and expertise. Some called for increased enforcement, some called for a better understanding of the problems. Some in the audience were unaware drugs laws in B.C. make it illegal to consume illicit drugs in public, expressing surprise at this clarification. One grandmother recounted a story of reporting open drug use to the RCMP but being told they may not be there for a bit due to officer availability and more critical calls.
In the end, the meeting went on for more than two and a half hours, with council allowing anyone who wanted to speak to do so.
Nelson then brought forward a motion he had drafted, with an addition from something brought forward at the meeting.
One motion was for staff to request RCMP to proactively patrol in the downtown core, to request the RCMP have a zero policy on open drugs in the downtown core and at schools, to request staff coordinate a meeting with Interior Health to clearly lay out an action plan for full "wrap around" services for our region, and to request staff to have washrooms available 24 hours for a trial period. A second motion was to allocate up to $100,000 in emergency funds from the city's general reserves for staff to utilize without restriction.
Nelson proposed this expenditure despite council previously not choosing an option presented in a staff report from October 2024 to increase bylaw services and allocate more resources to address the issue of encampments and homelessness in a new parks and public lands bylaw. Nelson had voted against all aspects of the new parks and public lands bylaw, arguing at the time it was the responsibility of the province.
Fellow councillors agreed with the intent, of the motions brought forward by Nelson, but both Coun. Angie Delainey and Coun. Joan Flaspohler raised questions around how realistic Nelson's five-part motion is, with no time for debate, input from staff, or clarity on whether the RCMP even have the resources available to increase enforcement in the downtown core.
Coun. Joan Flaspohler then put forward a motion for staff to provide a report on what other municipalities have done to effectively address these problems and bring forward recommendations.
Coun. Michael Moses also brought forward some motions, including for the city to meet with community organizations like Citizens on Patrol to collaborate on solutions, and arranging meetings with First Nations and Métís governments and organizations to find out how the municipality can support their work with their respective unhoused members.
He also moved the city write a letter requesting a delegation from Interior Health on their integrated policing and mental health services to see if this would be a good fit for Williams Lake, and for the council to take a larger role in participating in and supporting the Social Planning Council communities ending poverty work and Williams lake Community Action Team.
The motions passed unanimously.
Nelson had said he requested the special meeting to bring the problem before the community and ensure it was dealt with out in the public.
Nelson recently drew a lot of attention to issues in the downtown and posted videos of interviews with Ingolf Sandberg, and Andrew Sanberg, the owners of Sandtronic Business Systems Ltd. The downtown business owners are struggling with having garbage pulled from their dumpster which is then lit on fire behind their building, despite locks and chains in place. The business was also the site of a recent break in. Large windows were smashed to gain access to the building and a computer monitor was taken.
In Nelson's posts, he calls it "chaos" in the downtown, raising fears the problems could get worse when the shelter being constructed in the Elks Hall opens. Advocates, however, have expressed hope the new shelter would instead alleviate some of the challenges now faced in the downtown because it would include access to programs and allow for shelter users to stay at the facility throughout the day, something currently not an option for shelter users.
