Crime, housing front and centre as Federal Minister visits Barrie

The Secretary of State for Combatting Crime Ruby Sahota met with city officials including Barrie police and OPP, her focus affordable housing and Bill C-22.

Amidst a state of emergency, a housing crisis and businesses concerned about crime, the Federal Government’s Secretary of State Combatting Crime Ruby Sahota is meeting with city officials including Barrie Police and OPP, her focus affordable housing and Bill C-22.

Sahota said Bill C-22 has been an important discussion point for police across the country.

“Creates a framework in which the expectations of police and the expectations on social media, service providers and telecom companies are clear, so that they understand when police are coming to them, with judicial authorization, how quickly they should respond to that authorization,” Sahota said.

While leaders say Bill C-22 is relevant, downtown business owners want to see support in reducing day to day vandalism and disturbances.

Chris Gerrard, owner of Queens Hotel, said he would like to see those who break the law be held accountable for their actions.

“Homelessness isn’t a problem; it’s the lawlessness that we’d like to see change in downtown, but regardless of who commits the crime, the crime should be punishable,” said Gerrard.

Sahota explained how the federal government is introducing more legislation including Bill C-14, which includes elements around retail theft with longer look back periods for re-occurring offenders.

“It makes it more difficult for anyone who has repeated an offense to be able to get released, creating a reverse onus, but also mandating the courts to look at that offenders’ past ten-year record, before making a decision on release,” said Sahota.

Businesses in Barrie are hoping for a more localized approach from the federal government in support of small business.

“It’s spots that are maybe a little less looked after, such as alleyways and stuff like that,” said Mark Wise, owner of On The Mark Vintage. “Cars are broken into, things happen, arguments happen, fights happen. We see it, we all see it.”

Police chief Rich Johnston gave a statement to CTV News Barrie.

“The Barrie Police Service welcomed the opportunity to meet with Minister Sahota during her visit to Barrie to discuss lawful access and its role as an important investigative tool. As technology continues to evolve, conversations about how it can be effectively used in modern policing are increasingly important, particularly in investigations involving internet child exploitation. Ongoing dialogue helps ensure law enforcement has the tools and support needed to protect the community.”

Bill C-22 is currently in the House of Commons and up for discussions while Sahota said that Bill C-14 is now in the senate and should be approved in the next month.

Sahota will be a guest speaker at the Rotary Club of Barrie luncheon at the Southshore Centre on April 9.