New question posed to Candidates? Safety?

[marley-rae2]

Bob Schewe -" The temporary shelters in the heart of downtown have to be shut down and relocated well away from any commercial or residential neighborhoods. We have to recognize that there are those homeless that qualify and are willing to work with the system, and are willing to live within the community's rules – these people we have to help and get them into housing/Journey Home etc. as soon as possible.

We also have to recognize the other segment of street people that refuse to live within the community's rules and continue to do so, as there is no current policies to show them that they and their way of life are not welcome. Our current policies are only enabling their anti-social way of life."

He is the only one who is saying..." Their way of life is not wanted here."
He means the ones who come to prey on the vulnerable. Not the people who need care for mental illness, the infirmed fragile members of our society that need help" .They need Journey Home etc. help and services. There is a certain population who are simply a "criminal element" . He knows this. and says: " There are no current policies to deal with these people"

This is where we need change. Yesterday, I was driving about.. and I noticed such an influx of homeless who are able bodied. strong men who could be put to work??? Strong enough to stand in traffic with signs asking for money. Why must we as citizens be VICTIMIZED by these people; the ones who will not conform to societies rules. and Make no mistake we are being victimized. It's warm here. We have soft laws and little law enforcement .( some because of policies) We have social services coming out of the ying- yang to help these folks. They get money to live on But choose homelessness??? They get medical. We are paying for this in more than monetary ways...What to do with these people? The policies have to be changed.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and yes Bobby Kennedy; I would love to take your free self defense classes. However with my arthritic spine. I would not be able realistically be able to fend off one of these strong men... jacked up on some drug. Lets get real here. Its time to fight back............... I am starting with truth.

[BoBillyBob]

Here are all of the candidates answers to the question on safety.
https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/238222/Candidates-on-safety

In a nutshell:

Bobby Kennedy - Step 1: Re-evaluate the way our RCMP units are being used. I feel that we lack an overall police presence in our downtown core. That does not mean that we do not have police and bylaw officers patrolling it is just that their presence is often that of a rolling by patrol car with the officer looking downward at the cars computer running license plates. We need to have our RCMP officers patrolling by foot and on bicycles much the way you see the NYPD proudly on display in Central Park and Times Square in New York....Step 2: Create a specialized task force of first responders and social behaviour experts. Have you ever thought that maybe relying on more and more RCMP presence is only a band aid for a gaping wound? The problems we are facing on our streets are of a different beast all together than what the RCMP are generally trained for. We need to have the right people in place for nature of this matter and that starts by working closer with our local organizations that specialize in this area. Step 3: I would offer free self defence training for our citizens.

Bob Schewe - The temporary shelters in the heart of downtown have to be shut down and relocated well away from any commercial or residential neighborhoods. We have to recognize that there are those homeless that qualify and are willing to work with the system, and are willing to live within the community's rules – these people we have to help and get them into housing/Journey Home etc. as soon as possible...We also have to recognize the other segment of street people that refuse to live within the community's rules and continue to do so, as there is no current policies to show them that they and their way of life are not welcome. Our current policies are only enabling the anti-social way of life on the street.

Colin Basran - As a father of two young children, safety has always been top priority! That’s why we're tackling safety issues head-on by hiring former RCMP Superintendent Bill McKinnon to work on a sustainable strategy to increase safety downtown and across Kelowna. His report will be released in November. We have a dedicated team of Bylaw, RCMP, first responder, and outreach workers working for the community. Since I became mayor, we have strengthened those groups by adding 16 RCMP officers, seven bylaw officers, 12 firefighters and 15 first-responder support positions...We’ve launched a ground-breaking, innovative Police & Crisis Team for suspected mental health calls and increased foot and bicycle patrols by RCMP and bylaw officers. We also continue to collaborate with IHA on improving the retrieval and disposal of the needles they distribute and have already implemented a better needle pickup program...But we won’t stop here. We plan to increase enforcement and also build on our intelligent repertoire of tactics. We will continue to address every safety issue directly, and do so responsibly.

Tom Dyas - As an original task force member of the Journey Home Project, I have been very involved in
these discussions from the start. I have a good understanding of the many complex issues and
have established strong relationships with many of the agencies involved...I feel the committee should have involved elected officials and more business owners that are directly affected by the environment. As per my election platform, I WILL actively consult with those directly affected...As mayor, I will ensure solutions are found to create a safer, healthier, more vibrant downtown by addressing issues through consultation of all agencies and parties involved. I believe that strong leaders get personally involved...It is vitally important to me that I gain firsthand knowledge, and not rely only on second hand reports. I will read all the material, obtain a variety of perspectives and harness the collective intelligence for the best solutions to problems... Reintroduce and re-establish an integrated community court to deal with criminals...• Lobby governments for the reactivation of the auxiliary policing program, which previously provided up to an additional 80 individuals to help secure our streets...• Re-establish the meetings with BC Housing, RCMP, the City, Interior Health, and community representation...• Align key agencies to support victims and people suffering from physical and mental
illness...• Increase detox centers and rehabilitation facilities

[mexi cali]

Marley; you have opened a can for sure. You started out OK but some of your statements are, to quote Bob Ueker "just a little outside".

The lack of social services is part of the problem. You are also assuming that just because they look strong, they are strong. Work is about more than a strong back. If your mind is damaged, work is not an option that will likely do it for you and aint nobody goan hire you anyhow.

I agree that there needs to be a plan to deal with the dangerous ones for sure but we really need to be able to recognize the ones who are truly suffering with mental instability and help them. The predators need to be dealt with. Their does not seem to be a plan when it comes to elective homelessness and predatory behavior and they know it. It (homelessness) is used as a crutch and a get out of jail free card. If you don't make it known that deviant, dangerous and reckless behavior will not be tolerated, we will never rid ourselves of it.

We have law enforcement but they tend to deal more with issues that have a reasonable chance of making the city better. Dealing with the homeless is a never ending cycle of futility.

You are correct that "they choose homelessness", many of them anyhow, but I would ask you about the money you think they get? They don't (most) qualify for assistance so they don't receive SS aid.

You kind of sounded like a curmudgeonly old coot but your platform has some merit. And I too liked Bobs take.