Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer announced several policy changes to help address the issue of rural crime last week near Wetaskiwin (Photo: Government of Alberta)

By Shaun Penner

Rural Crime

Urgency key in attacking rural crime spike: Minister Schweitzer

Nov 14, 2019 | 1:44 PM

One thing was clear to Doug Schweitzer as he heard from residents of Alberta during his Rural Crime Town Hall tour: the need to combat the issue was urgent.

The province’s Justice Minister has made a number of stops around Alberta over the last couple months, including here in Grande Prairie, to listen to concerned and frustrated citizens who were being victimized by the crime outbreak at alarming rates.

“The first leg of my tour really culminated with the trip up to Grande Prairie and the Peace Country. When I came back, I talked to my department about the urgency that we have to deal with this issue,” said Schweitzer to EverythingGP.

Though the issue is not exclusive to this area, it has been a big problem, especially in the western part of the County of Grande Prairie. The area saw a 900% increase in cases of theft over $5,000 in just the first quarter of 2019 alone, when compared to the five-year average.

From that input from residents here and around the province, the UCP government announced its plan to attack the issue last week.

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“We started looking at options right away that were being brought forward,” said Schweitzer. “I’m proud of the fact that our team was able to get that announcement done, in such a short time frame.”

The headliner of those changes is the proposed amendments to the Occupiers’ Liability Act. The changes would see more protection for law-abiding property owners from being sued by trespassers who are, or those who are believed to be, in the process of a criminal act. That provision would be retroactive to January 1, 2018.

That date is significant, as it ties into the case of Edouard Maurice. His case has made headline news since he shot and wounded a trespasser who was raiding through a truck on his property near Okotoks in February of 2018.

Maurice was charged in the case, but those charges were stayed. The victim did however turn around and file a civil suit, claiming damages for lost wages and pain and suffering.

Schweitzer says everywhere he went, this case was on the minds of the local residents.

“The reason why is because people could relate to it. They could see themselves being the next Eddy Maurice, or their children being Eddy Maurice,” said Schweitzer. “The resounding feedback from Albertans is that they wanted to make sure that law-abiding Albertans could protect their property.”

He adds that those changes will be brought forward to the legislature next week, which he states will bring “common sense” to the justice system.

Another idea tabled last week was to create a program for communities to submit a victim impact statement in court cases involving crimes committed in their area. Schweitzer notes that the courts need to hear the pain and anguish this issue plays on citizens.

“People just simply need to hear the mental health issues that rural crime is causing. The constant state of anxiety that people live in when they leave their loved ones back on the property when they go to work.”

“We really need to make sure the courts fully understand the extent of rural crime, and I’m hopeful that we’ll get better decisions going forward on this.”

Other changes to legislation include revisions to both the Scrap Metal Dealers and Recyclers Identification Act, which will require these dealers to record and retain sellers information when it comes to items like copper wire, industrial batteries and scrap metal, which are commonly stolen items that criminals try and monetize.

Schweitzer also announced the planned creation of the RAPID Force (Rural Alberta Provincial Integrated Defence Force), which will extend the powers of Fish and Wildlife Officers, Sheriffs, Peace Officers and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officers to help reduce police response times in areas where RCMP get stretched too thin.

With training and planning for the RAPID Force underway, the government hopes to have officers ready by the fall of 2020.