Ken Wilson
Special to the Tribune Weekend Advisor
The City of Williams Lake presented a resolution to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities convention asking that judges consider a prolific offender’s previous convictions during prosecution of a case. The city has presented this resolution for a number of years and it has not been supported by enough members.
A Vancouver daily newspaper columnist suggested this was a goofy submission.
I think Williams Lake has a good resolution, and I suggest that it could go even further.
We could give judges the power to boot prolific offenders out of the community for a period of time as they may only keep on going down the criminal path if allowed to hang out with like folks who they know in their own community. When I put that suggestion in the form of a motion at the BC Chamber of Commerce AGM, the motion did not pass because Vancouverites and the Lower Mainland folk thought this would be terrible infringement on an individual’s rights. If those same people lived in many Interior small towns and cities they would understand repeat offenders are generally well known in these municipalities and also where they live. You could have a repeat bad person living next to your suite in a high rise in Vancouver and you may never know it.
What about the rights of those who were the victims in the crimes perpetrated by repeat criminal offenders?
Good try anyhow, Williams Lake. I think we should invite the Vancouver newsman up for the Stampede, maybe he would find out us folks in the Northern Interior of B.C. do have some strong basis for many of our ‘out of city’ resolutions that come before the UBCM or the BC Chamber AGM.
There were a number of resolutions considered at the UBCM including ‘pot resolutions’ that make it to the floor every convention. This year Chilliwack was asking for a ban of medical marijuana operations on farmland. Mission is seeking increased funding and regulation support for medical pot grow-ops.
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During a spring column I suggested that folks should take their summer vacationing time in September because the weather is better, with more sunshine, as opposed to the months of June, July and August. Mother Nature made me a good prognosticator this year as those who skipped the month of June for holiday time and took September instead, were blessed with better weather. The hotter than summer conditions for a while caused a small apple tree in my yard to start blooming pretty pink flowers. Is the tree mixed up because of the warm weather? I can’t remember this 15-year-old decorative tree blooming at this time of the year.
I think it is nice that our trees stayed green this long and there is only a little yellow here and there.