TRESPASS LAW UPDATE URGED
Morgan tells SARM delegates he’s open to discussing it
Councillors from rural municipalities in Saskatchewan want to see more police boots on the ground in their communities, as well as changes to provincial trespassing laws.
Rural crime was a leading issue at the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities’ (SARM) bear-pit session with provincial government ministers Friday morning in Regina.
“There is more work to do as well, and we acknowledge that as we move forward,” Premier Scott Moe said.
Already the province has announced $5.9 million in funding to reduce rural crime, which was highlighted by the creation of a protection and response team, made up of 258 new armed officers around the province.
Some 120 members of that new team will be RCMP and municipal police officers, including 60 presently working with Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan, and another 30 police roles that will be re-purposed. Highway commercial vehicle enforcement officers will make up another 40, and 98 will be Ministry of Environment conservation officers.
But it is clear many in rural Saskatchewan are still unhappy.
They welcome new officers, but don’t think it is enough to stop the crime they claim is becoming more common in their communities. Many are asking for the province to beef up legislation around trespassing laws.
“It is the opinion of rural Saskatchewan our trespassing law is weak, ” said Reeve Arlynn Kurtz of Fertile Belt.
As the law stands now, a person can go onto private property unless there is a sign saying otherwise. “Maybe it should be the other way around,” Attorney General Don Morgan said.
That suggests there would be an onus on anyone going onto private land to seek permission before doing so.
At the very least, Morgan is open to having a conversation about the issue — partly because he says landowners are “entitled to have their rights asserted, their rights protected.”
SARM has an official policy position pushing for the expansion of self-defence laws, with more than 93 per cent of delegates voting last year in favour of the resolution, largely because they are concerned about rural crime. However, the province has said it has no interest in supporting that position.
Many of those in attendance at the SARM convention say their communities don’t see signs forbidding trespassers from doing much good, other than providing target practice.
To stop crimes — often involving the theft of vehicles or fuel — some RMs have taken to organizing community watches. Councillors admit they’ve become more diligent and observant of the vehicles around their communities, but note that can be challenging in areas where industry, such as oil production, brings regular traffic.