DOWNTOWN PAY PHONE WILL BE REMOVED

Mission's last downtown pay phone will be removed, city council
decided Monday night, due to community concerns over drug users and
prostitutes frequenting the phone at Second Avenue and Welton Street.

The RCMP has been monitoring the public phone and its users since
March, and after consulting with businesses in the area, police made
the recommendation to council to removed the pay phone and not
relocate it.

"I was gratified to see that staff proceeded with this
recommendation," said Coun. Paul Horn, who has been in contact with
the RCMP officer reviewing the situation in the past months.
"Virtually the only people using these pay phones are using drugs."

Coun. Heather Stewart also strongly supported the motion to remove the
phone, but concerns were raised by Coun. Jenny Stevens, and echoed by
Mayor James Atebe, Coun. Terry Gidda and Coun. John Pearson.

"If you move it from one place they're going to use another location,
so I don't think it's going to solve the problem," said Gidda.

Atebe asked whether a comprehensive investigation could be done before
ordering the removal of the phone.

"I worry about kids who don't have a cell phone, who will be denied
communication just because of a few notorious people," he said, noting
that he would support the motion because the problem needs to be dealt
with.

"The concern I do have is that there are a lot of low income people in
this general area who won't have access to a phone," said Pearson. He
suggested a phone card system be put in place through the phone
provider, Telus, which would require public phone users to swipe a
card registering their name and address with the company.

He noted most of the criminals in the area use the pay phone because
it allows them to remain anonymous, and removing that anonymity could
solve the problem.

Stevens was right behind him.

"I would support this [card system] because I'm very aware of all the
trouble that has been caused with this phone," she said. "I think this
is our last public pay phone in downtown Mission, and here we are
punishing the innocent so we can deal with the nasties and the
drug-dealers."

Stevens called the removal motion "drastic," and recommended the issue
be deferred until the phone card solution could be
investigated.

"Once Telus has moved the phone they're not going to entertain us if
we ask them to put it back," she said.

Horn, however, was adamant that the phone be removed
immediately.

"Cell phones are pervasive in our community and only becoming more
pervasive," he said. "I'm not confident at all that a calling card
mechanism would defer those who are using this phone illegally."

Coun. Scott Etches suggested council give Telus the ultimatum of
removing the phone or installing one with traceable calling card capability.

In the end the motion to remove the phone altogether was passed by a
vote of 5-2, with Etches and Gidda opposed.

No other pay phones will be installed in the downtown area.