KELOWNA WANTS SAFE STREETS ACT TO DEAL WITH 'CRIMINAL TRANSIENTS'

After a "worst ever" summer with "criminal transients" camped out in
the city's parks, Kelowna has come out in favour of a Safe Streets
Act.

"It's been a bit of a shocker," says Coun. Barrie Clark after more
than 100 transients hung out at picturesque and sunny Okanagan Lake.

"The past summer is the worst ever for abusive transients connected
with the drug trade. There have been very real problems camping out in
public places," Clark said yesterday.

Unlike most rumblings from Interior communities, which often pass
unnoticed, Kelowna's will get heard by the province's movers and shakers.

The city's luxurious Grand Okanagan Resort plays host next week to
1,750 B.C. mayors, councillors and bureaucrats attending the 101st
annual gathering of the Union of B.C. Municipalities.

Premier Gordon Campbell and several federal and provincial cabinet
ministers will be on hand as the convention hears 194 resolutions,
including Kelowna's motion to adopt safe-streets legislation.

Kelowna wants legislation similar to the Safe Streets Act already in
existence in Ontario. A private-member's bill has been introduced in
the B.C. legislature by backbench Liberal MLA Lorne Mayencourt, but it
does not have the government's backing.

Its opponents say poverty and cuts to social programs make beggars
disturbingly aggressive. They say laws are already in place to deal
with harassment.

Clark believes the province is reluctant to take the step unless "an
overwhelming number of municipalities want to go this route," but he
hopes the debate will turn heads.

Kelowna community planning manager Theresa Eichler said the
problem-makers have been dubbed "criminal transients," as distinct
from people who are "truly homeless."

"They party all night and then sleep on the sidewalk during the day,"
she said. "They're pretty much a resident population. At night they
sleep in wooded areas, sheds and on rooftops downtown."

Bylaw officers have devoted 500 per cent more time this year than last
and RCMP calls are up 25 per cent, she noted in a report to council.

"The bylaw officers only have so much authority to deal with it," she
said. "The [transients] seem to be aware of that. The perception is a
large number have arrived because of the crackdown in the Lower Mainland."

Clark said the key provision is being able to deal with trespassers on
private property, eliminating the current time-consuming process,
which requiring a complaint from the owner.

n The 194 motions being debated at the Union of B.C. Municipalities
convention include everything from no-brainers to wishful thinking.

In the no-brainer category, Langley City wants the convention's
agreement to help "make our communities bully free."

In the wishful thinking, but unlikely to happen category, is Port
Moody's concern about making electronic products safe to dispose. It
says "fast obsolescence" and "high toxicity" of lead, chromium and
mercury are filling up garbage dumps.