Bill to give police power to arrest people for trespassing draws skepticism
CBC
A plan to give peace officers the power to arrest people for trespassing is being met with skepticism by some and hope by others that it will help address issues business owners have faced around panhandling and loitering on their property.
On Tuesday, Public Safety Minister Kris Austin introduced a bill in the legislature he says would give police and bylaw officers "more teeth" to enforce the province's Trespass Act.
Bill 7, an Act to Amend the Trespass Act, would give peace officers not just the ability to arrest people suspected of trespassing, but would also give them the authority to arrest someone who has recently left a property they are suspected to have trespassed on.
"I think it's a little bit too simplistic in terms of a solution," said John Wishart, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton.
"It's part of a solution, if it can be executed right, but we need those more fundamental things like mental health, addiction [services] and affordable housing, essentially to really make it work."
Speaking to reporters after introducing the amendments, Austin said they were prompted in part by complaints from business owners in urban areas who feel enough isn't being done about people occupying the doorways to their stores and other areas of their property.
"Businesses are frustrated because the police don't have the clarity of legislation to be able to issue citations or to be able to, you know, do what needs to be done to get these people off the property," Austin said.
The intent behind this, he said, is "to clarify what it means to trespass, and to ensure that both bylaw enforcement and police have what they need to do their job."
Asked if it's fair to target people seeking shelter in doorways who are not bothering anyone, Austin said the issue is a bother to business owners.
"I get emails regularly from business owners that say they're finding needles on their doorsteps, they're finding feces and vomit on their front doors, and business owners, they're trying to run a business."
Wishart said he has heard of similar experiences from businesses in the Moncton area and understands Austin's intent to address that issue.
However, he said he's concerned the new powers will put added pressure on police and bylaw enforcement officers.
He said he also thinks there are social services that should be bolstered first, before giving police more powers under the Trespass Act.
"This provincial government just recorded a $1-billion surplus," he said
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