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Police report no major incidents during JulyFest
Kimberley City Council Report
By Nowell Berg
On July 18, City of Kimberley council held its regular bi-monthly meeting.
Councillors Kyle Dalum, Nigel Kitto, Jason McBain, Darryl Oakley and Sandra Roberts were present, along with Mayor Don McCormick. Coun. Kent Goodwin was absent.
This was the first meeting where residents were allowed to return and attend in-person. The meeting also streams on the City of Kimberley YouTube channel. Watch the archive here.
Quarterly RCMP Report
Sgt. Steve Woodcox, Kimberley RCMP Detachment Commander, presented council with a report on police activities (April to June).
Over the past three months, Sgt. Woodcox said there were 11 assaults with five incidents being referred to Crown Council. Four auto thefts occurred with three vehicles being recovered, one in Saskatchewan.
Also, 15 automobile collisions took place with one resulting in a fatality. Sgt. Woodcox reminded drivesr, “make sure when you’re on the road always pay attention; leave your phones alone and concentrate on the road.”
The detachment received 24 mental health calls, which “continue to increase.”
Given the rising number of mental health calls, Coun. Oakley said that he “worries about the province downloading these types of calls onto municipalities.”
“I agree with you that a lot of mental health issues have been downloaded to the police,” said Sgt. Woodcox.
He reported that local officers “attend mental health calls on a daily basis.” He told council that mental health calls should be “handled by mental health workers, but at this time there doesn’t seem to be the resources available.”
His preference would be to see Interior Health (IH) “provide a dedicated mental health nurse for all mental health calls.”
One situation that has recently arisen is the “increase in calls for police in schools over the last year,” said Sgt. Woodcox. “It’s important to be more engaged with the schools building a relationship with the youth.” He added that young people need “to see us [RCMP] as a positive role model and maybe help them make some more positive decisions.”
In wrapping up his report, Sgt. Woodcox noted that there were “no major incidents” during JulyFest. With only a few minor infractions, “It says a lot about everyone who lives here.”
Building Report
Troy Pollock, Manager of Planning, reported to council on the latest building statistics. The big item is that construction on new homes is down compared to last year. So far, only 39 building permits for new dwelling construction have been issued compared to over 50 last year.
Pollock suggested the “cost of construction is generally up across the board” and would be a factor in the reduced housing starts.
While dwelling units are down, the fees collected by the city are slightly above last year. In terms of total construction value, so far its reached just over $20 million which is slightly higher than last year at this time.
Marysville Watermain Replacement Project awarded
In other construction news, council awarded the Marysville Watermain Replacement Project to Mackay Contracting. The cost of the project is $286,869.79.
Animal and Bylaw Enforcement Report
Sean Lever, the city’s new Bylaw Enforcement Officer (BEO), reported to council that animal control constitutes a large number of infractions.
Over the past three months, 10 warning tickets were issued to residents for having their dog off-leash. Another 12 complaints were received about at-large dogs which resulted in six tickets being issued. One dog attack is currently being investigated.
Twenty-six streets and traffic bylaw infractions have netted the city $1,450 in fines.
Coun. McBain said to BEO Lever, “From what I hear on the street your presence is being felt.”
Coun. Oakley expressed what he said was an attitude by residents that “not paying a fine in Kimberley is not an issue as there is no follow up. You can just ignore it.”
Lever answered, “People are very surprised to see that I’ve been following up. I’ve been hand delivering tickets to people on weekends, evenings, you name it I’m there.”
Kimberley city council generally meets twice monthly starting at 7 p.m. Exceptions are made for the summer and September’s UBCM conference. The next scheduled regular council meeting: August 22.
e-KNOW file photos
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