FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. - Following two recent shootings in Fort St. John residential neighbourhoods, City Councillor Trevor Bolin is pushing for stronger municipal powers and tougher bylaws aimed at properties linked to crime, saying residents are increasingly concerned about safety in their communities.
At Monday’s council meeting, Bolin introduced two proposals he believes could help address repeat problem properties, including updates to the city’s nuisance bylaw, the creation of a new good-neighbour bylaw and continued advocacy for greater municipal involvement in civil forfeiture proceedings.
The councillor said the recent gun violence has heightened concerns among residents.
“These issues aren’t just about the crime and theft, the gun fire in residential neighbourhoods, they are about the safety of us as residents and our families,” Bolin
Bolin noted that Fort St. John has experienced two shootings in residential areas within roughly a month.
“You know, we just had our second shooting in a residential neighborhood here in Fort St. John in a matter of a month,” he said. “I’ll continue to push this further.”
Changes Proposed to Nuisance Bylaw
Among the changes being proposed is an update to the city’s existing nuisance bylaw, which currently allows the municipality to recover costs associated with repeated problem properties.
Bolin said the bylaw was created in 2018 and was largely focused on commercial properties, but he believes it no longer reflects the realities facing neighbourhoods today.
He said a recent shooting on 108 Avenue generated significant expenses for police, bylaw officers and emergency responders.
“We’re looking at costs in excess of $10,000,” he said. “If you’re going to operate in an organized crime fashion, or in this case unorganized crime and just shoot at houses, you should have to pay the bill for that.”
The proposed changes would allow the city to bill property owners for those response costs, with unpaid fees potentially added to property taxes.
Good-Neighbour Bylaw for Rental Properties
A second proposal would establish a good-neighbour bylaw aimed at holding property owners accountable when criminal activity repeatedly occurs at rental homes.
As an example, Bolin pointed to a property in the southeast quadrant of the city that has repeatedly been connected to reports of stolen quads, ATVs and bicycles.
“Numerous stolen quads, ATVs, bikes, and they’re all relating back to this property,” he said, adding that current bylaws offer limited options when the activity is tied to tenants rather than landlords.
Crime Concerns Shift Through the Community
The councillor also referenced concerns that had previously been raised around Triangle Park, an area that drew public attention because of crime and disorder issues.
While he said conditions improved there, he believes the underlying problems simply shifted to other parts of the city.
“Fortunately that issue did resolve and there hasn’t been the issues that were there previously,” he said. “But at the end of the day, they only moved a block to the west, and then a month later they moved six blocks to the east.”
School Year Safety Concerns
With the start of the school year approaching, Bolin said the recent shootings have left many residents anxious about their neighbourhoods.
“I’ve lived here my entire life. I don’t ever remember growing up worried if I was going to be shot walking to school by stray bullets,” he said. “And that has become a realization in Fort St. John and Dawson Creek and other communities.”
Bolin said municipalities should be given more authority to deal with properties connected to criminal activity, particularly if provincial and judicial processes are unable to respond quickly enough to community concerns.
“If the province isn’t going to do anything about it and the courts aren’t going to be able to do anything about it, let’s let the municipalities deal with it,” he said. “We’re trusted to have bylaws and enforcement that allow us to use the tools in the toolbox created by the province to ensure the safety of our residents and our communities.”
Civil Liberties Concerns Raised
Bolin says his call for greater municipal powers has faced opposition from the BC Civil Liberties Association.
The councillor said the BCCLA argued that expanding civil forfeiture authority to local governments could create risks for property owners and raise concerns about fairness and due process.
Bolin acknowledged those concerns but said he believes municipalities should be trusted to use such powers responsibly when dealing with serious issues such as gang activity, drug-related crime and neighbourhood shootings.
CJDC TV News contacted the BC Civil Liberties Association by email seeking comment on Bolin’s proposals, but had not received a response by publication deadline
The proposals are expected to return to council for further discussion as the city examines additional ways to address crime, nuisance properties and public safety concerns in Fort St. John.