Letter clearly show city's position

–managing editor Scott Neufeld EDITORIAL May 28 http://www.dailycourier.ca/

The strong tone the City of Vernon appears to be taking with Corrections Canada is a welcome relief. In a fairly direct letter, Mayor Wayne Lippert reminded Corrections Canada of what is needed before the city supports a halfway house in Vernon. The previous halfway house was shut down at the city’s request and a citizen committee outlined some of the conditions for its re-opening. Near the top of the list was the provision that the city be provided with a full report of why Eric Fish managed to elude authorities for so long.Although his trial has not begun and he is still innocent until proven guilty, the city wants to know how someone labelled “ a high-risk
offender” was able, leave the halfway house and walk the streets for nearly a month-and-a-half. Nearly two years after Fish’s escape, the city has not received any report detailing what happened. Another requirement was that the public have input into what a new halfway house would look like. But with a halfway house contract likely already awarded, the public has been kept in the dark.

Previously we’ve argued in this space that Corrections Canada needs to launch a public relations campaign to keep the public informed and quash any doubts. They needed to keep up a steady flow of information to avoid rumours from starting. This campaign never happened. The public still has little idea what was proposed other than the rumours that are floating around. Will it be located downtown? What type of offenders will be housed there? What safeguards will be put in place? Do we even need a halfway house in Vernon? None of these questions have been addressed.

Of course, Corrections Canada doesn’t need to abide by the recommendations of the city’s committee. They could just force a halfway house down the community’s throat. Council could block it using zoning but it’s unclear whether council would have the fortitude to take such a drastic step or whether doing so is even advisable. Hopefully, Corrections Canada will read the city’s letter, see Vernon’s resolve and work more closely with the public to make sure the halfway house is a positive addition to the community. If Corrections Canada truly wants criminals to be rehabilitated at a Vernon halfway house, they need to first make sure that a community that has too frequently been victimized by violent crime is ready. They need to
ensure the public is prepared to welcome recovering violent offenders back into the community.