Avoiding the issue

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: June 30, 2009 7:00 PM

It’s hard to tell if the powers that be in Vernon are truly interested in returning Polson Park to its former glory days or are just bent on ignoring social issues. During a recent tour of the park, city politicians and bureaucrats discussed how it could be upgraded and made more attractive to families. But amidst the ideas for an outdoor skating rink, a grandstand and modernizing the bandshell, the conversation was dominated by the criminal element that has taken up residence there, as well as those who have pitched a makeshift tent because they’re without a home. And there is no better example of that than the plan to remove trees and create a trail on the west side of Vernon Creek. “It would reduce some of the high-risk activity. They would be much more visible to people using the trail system,” said Clint Kanester, bylaw services manager. “The more users, the better to increase safety.”

There’s also a push to have community policing set up an office in Polson Park as a way of addressing safety concerns. “I’d like to see a nurse coming off a shift at the hospital feel safe enough to walk through the park. When we get to that point, I’d be really happy,” said Coun. Bob Spiers. And no one can deny that there is a problem in Polson Park and that drug deals and prostitution are unacceptable in a place that’s supposed to be an urban oasis. But when the druggies, hookers and johns are given the boot from the park, they won’t just vanish. They will make their way past the floral clock and head out into the rest of the community, looking for a new place to ply their trade.

The upsurge in crime in Polson Park is likely a result of the RCMP declaring much of downtown a red zone (under court sentencing, an individual can be ordered to stay out of a particular area. If they are found there, they have breached their sentence and can be arrested). They couldn’t hang around Cenotaph Park or the Upper Room Mission anymore so they went somewhere else. And that’s what will happen if Polson Park is declared off limits. Spiers says he wants an off-duty nurse to feel safe walking through the park, but what happens once she leaves the safe embrace of its boundaries? Will her walk home continue to be uneventful? Beyond just chopping down some trees and giving community policing an office, what is really being done to minimize social issues in Vernon?

Yes more police officers have been hired and bylaw enforcement is on the beat, but that doesn’t address the root causes of homelessness or crime. Is the city doing everything it can to support substance abuse counselling, job training and affordable housing? I’m not naive enough to think that rehab and shelters are the be-all and end-all. There will always be some individuals who refuse help and follow the beat of their own drum. But a purely law-and-order approach isn’t very effective either. In the end, tackling social issues is much like doing housework. You can sweep those dustballs under the rug. But while they may be out of sight, they’re still there and will ultimately resurface again.