Williams Lake Council calls Special Meeting on Rising Homeless and Crime

A special meeting for Council was held to discuss homelessness and community safety in the downtown core of Williams Lake.

While originally intended to be a Committee of the Whole meeting, it was changed last minute at the request of Councillor Scott Nelson to address reports and concerns that he and Mayor Surinderpal Rathor had received.

Even though it was last minute, over 50 people attended the meeting, which Mayor Rathor claimed “was one of the most packed and emotional meetings” he had participated in.

Community members were given opportunities to voice their concerns on the homeless, while most shared their opinion that this meeting was “more about crime than homelessness.” Some members of the community voiced that attributing all the crime to the homeless community was “unfair and wrong”, and saying that there is “a bigger picture” on overall crime and clean up that Williams Lake’s communities, City Staff, and Council need to find a way to address.

Other community speakers advocated for more mental health and addiction services to be brought into the Lake City. As well as calling for more solution-based ideas to be brought to council.

Members of the community also spoke out on a council member’s conduct on social media, saying their posts are creating more “negative stigmas that harm the community and create fear and division.” Another who spoke out against the councillor’s social media posts said the posts “cast a negative light to Williams Lake,” and claimed it was making the City “come across as unapproachable” to potential new doctors, housing developpers, and healthcare workers. One community member thanked the councillor for the social media posts, as a way to get fast information to the community.

It was an emotional meeting, with some sharing personal stories on overcoming addiction and homelessness, to one man sharing the story of his recent assault by a homeless person. Some people called for more research to be done, others asked for more services to be implemented, and more asked for increased enforcement.

After the community had spoken, Councillor Nelson brought forward a motion that he had drafted for the meeting, and added a further recommendation based on the meeting.

Nelson’s motion had five parts to it, asking Council to request further police patrols in Williams Lake’s downtown core, and adopting a zero tolerance policy for open drug use in the downtown core and around schools. Another part of Nelson’s motion requested Council to meet with Interior Health Authority to lay out plans for full wrap around services in the region. Nelson brought this part of the motion forward despite voting against the Council to meet with Interior Health in a previous council meeting in November 2024.

Nelson also voted against a new bylaw policy presented by staff in October 2024, that would have allowed increased services and resources allocated to the City to aid in addressing, aiding, and policing homelessness encampments in Parks and Public Areas.

Another part of the Nelson’s motion was a request for the City to approve up to $100,000 of emergency funding from the City’s general reserves to fund additional RCMP services to police the downtown core. Although, Nelson had voted against increasing Bylaw Enforcement and allocating more funds for general policing in the 2025 Budget votes in November and December of 2024, in order to help reduce the overall mill rate, and decrease expenditures.

Councillor Joan Flaspohler added a motion to request City Staff to research what other jurisdictions have done to alleviate the challenges of homelessness and crime in their communities.

Councillor Michael Moses brought forward a series of motions that requested Council to engage and meet with each of the local service organizations, community partners, and First Nation and Métis governments to address community safety and well–being, and to see how the City can assist in the organization’s and communities’ efforts.

Every councillor agreed with the merits and need for Nelson’s motions, Flaspohler’s motion, and Moses’ motions. All nine motions were passed unanimously.

Here is a list of the all the motions that were passed in Tuesday’s Special Council Meeting:

• Council request the RCMP to prioritize patrols in the downtown core;

• Council request that the RCMP adopt a zero tolerance policy for open drug use in the downtown and around schools;

• Council direct staff to coordinate a meeting with Interior Health Authority to clearly lay out the action plan for full wrap around services for the region;

• The City pilot the use of porta-potties (open 24 hours a day) in the downtown core (one in Spirit Square and one in Boitanio Park near the intersection of Borland Street and Seventh Avenue);

• Council approve the allocation of up to $100,000 of emergency funding from the City’s general reserves to fund additional RCMP services to address the issues of crime in the downtown;

• Staff research what other jurisdictions have done to alleviate the challenges of homelessness and crime in their communities and provide a report with recommendations;

• Staff provide an open meeting invite to each of the local service organizations that address components of community safety and wellbeing (including but not limited to Community Policing, Canadian Mental Health Association and the Downtown BIA) and to work with each of these groups individually to identify ways the City can assist them in their work to address community safety and wellbeing;

• The City set up individual meetings with First Nation and Metis governments (including but not limited to Williams Lake First Nation, Tŝilhqot’in National Government, Northern Secwépemc te Qelmúcw, the Cariboo Friendship Society and the Metis Association) to receive their perspective on how the City can assist them and their members; and

• A letter from Council be sent to Interior Health Authority requesting a meeting to discuss its integrated RCMP and Mental Health Services.