Andre Blanleil has owned businesses across BC for decades and has seen countless changes, both good and bad.
However, nothing has been as detrimental as the escalation of petty crime in the past six to eight months.
“It’s just getting worse,” said Blanleil, owner of a number of Andre’s Electronics stores across BC and former Kelowna councilor.
It’s all over BC, he said, but Kelowna has been particularly bad lately. Within six weeks, he handled seven incidents, including theft, break-in, defecation on his doorstep and threats against employees. That cost him between $ 10,000 and $ 15,000.
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“We had an influx of crime,” he said. “We have a large group of street criminals and the RCMP has little power over them.”
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Set a personal example, Blanleil said he found the person who stole a phone from his store and when the RCMP was told, little could be done. No charges will be brought, said Blanleil.
“Crown Attorney will not approve of charges. But simply turning a blind eye isn’t right either, ”he said. “It’s extremely frustrating.”
Blanleil believes the problem has to do with street drug addicts, adding that not all homeless people are the problem.
Treatment facilities, both long and short term, are needed as soon as possible.
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“I just can’t believe there is nothing we can do,” he said. “I know the long game is living, but with (thousands of people) addicted to fentanyl in BC, we have to think about something else as well. I don’t blame the City of Kelowna for trying to do their part; In the provinces we have to concentrate on treatment. “
The City of Kelowna’s Journey Home Strategy is a five-year plan to tackle homelessness, with an emphasis on making sure everyone has a place to call home. Promoting more treatment beds, especially for young people, is a top priority.
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RCMP supp. Kara Triance recently held a press conference on an independent crime but said the RCMP was actually in a catch and release pattern with a number of repeat offenders.
“The police are left between the constraint-strained health system and the judiciary, where there are many restrictions and increasingly closed doors from pre-trial detention centers full of guidelines and instructions, believing they are important and modernizing our justice system, but leave individuals behind in their community, ”Triance said.
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The province is also stepping up its treatment aids, but when and if the effects are felt may still be a long way off. In October, the company announced it would invest $ 132 million in treatment and recovery services over the next three years. It’s part of the 2021 budget’s half-billion dollar investment to build a comprehensive mental health and addiction care system from the ground up.
The Department of Mental Health and Addiction is working with health authorities to plan the implementation of all improvements over the next three years.
When contacting them, they could not say what the new funding would specifically be for this area or what impact this would have on crime.
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This summer Statistics Canada released its 2020 National Crime Index, which says Kelowna ranks third overall, up from fourth in 2019.
The crime index measures the severity of police-reported violations, including traffic offenses, with more weight attached to serious crimes.
According to Statistics Canada, the national average for 2020 was 73.44.
Kelowna’s rating, which includes Peachland, West Kelowna, and Lake Country, was 111.9.
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