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Minister of Justice and Attorney Gerneral Doug Schweitzer (right) will be in Grande Prairie on September 12 (Photo: Facebook / Doug Schweitzer)
By Jeff Henson
Justice Minister

Justice Minister to discuss rural crime during Peace Region visits

Sep 9, 2019 | 8:41 AM

Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer is the latest provincial cabinet minister to be holding meetings across Alberta regarding an issue under his portfolio.

Schweitzer will be in Grande Prairie this Thursday to meet with several individuals and discuss issues surrounding the rapid increase of rural crime.

“In a lot of communities, we are meeting with local councils, local police, prosecutors as well. In Grande Prairie, we are meeting with the prosecution office to talk with them about the issues at hand.”

Premier Jason Kenney recently confirmed their commitment to hire 50 more crown prosecutors across the province.

Schweitzer says that will ensure that caseloads for existing prosecutors are lightened and that cases are not being dropped.

Having family that lives in the Grande Prairie area, as well as through conversations with his provincial counterparts in this region, Schweitzer says he is well aware of how huge the issue of rural crime is here,

“Right now we have seen such a massive spike in rural crime, and in property crime in particular over the last 4-5 years. We need to make sure that we implement our campaign plans as fast as possible.”

“But at the same time, we need to listen to the people that know what is happening in their communities, to make sure we address those issues.”

Before making his way to Grande Prairie, Schweitzer will hold similar gatherings on Wednesday in Slave Lake and Fairview.

by Jeff Henson