BUDGET DAY IN OTTAWA
Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau leave the Prime Minister’s Office holding copies of the 2017 federal budget on Wednesday.
The Wildrose Party unveiled a crime task force Wednesday to consult with Albertans about rising crime rates in the province.
“Members of our caucus will be fanning out across the province to listen to Albertans directly about the impact of rising crime in their communities,” said Wildrose justice critic Angela Pitt.
Rising crime, especially in rural areas, has been a hot topic for the Opposition party in question period this year.
The panel will receive feedback on Wildrose policies, including increased monitoring of violent offenders, expediting prosecutions of gang members and tougher sentences for trafficking and producing fentanyl.
The task force will also discuss a Wildrose private member’s bill that would have monitored the justice system in the hopes of eventually clearing trial delays. That bill was defeated in the legislature by the government.
Leduc County Mayor John Whaley said rural crime has become a big problem in the last two years as a result of the economic downturn.
Common offences include breaking into shops, stealing trucks and stealing quads. But the county has also seen a few home invasions over the last year, he said.
“Some have suggested vigilante action. We’re not ready to go down that road yet.”
Residents have asked for more RCMP officers to increase the “minimal” presence rural police have now, but the province says it doesn’t have the money to increase those numbers, Whaley said.
“It’s a concern whenever Albertans feel that their communities are less safe,” Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley said Wednesday.
Ganley said there has been an uptick in crime recently, but communities in Alberta are safer than they were 10 years ago. She’s been talking to the deputy commissioner of the RCMP and said the police force has some “exciting ideas” on combating rural crime.
Wildrose MLA Don MacIntyre said the nature of crime in rural areas is different than in cities.
“When they make a call to the police, it can take a long time for the police to respond,” said MacIntyre. “We have some people who are very afraid up there.”
Last week, Wildrose MLA Wes Taylor tabled Statistics Canada’s 2015 crime severity index, which showed rising violent crime rates across the province.
When the report was released, Edmonton police Chief Rod Knecht said the numbers were “no real shock” and blamed the economic downturn.
According to that report, Alberta’s crime severity index ballooned 18 per cent between 2014 and 2015.