Residents have gone to City Hall to try and shut down a crack shack in East Hill.
Jane Austin speaks for 49 families in the East Hill Blockwatch says are fed-up with being being robbed, threatened and intimidated by a drug house at the top of 30-th Avenue. She says the crack houses have an enormous cost, and in a time of tying to justify costs of policing, fire and emergency service, they use them all. Austin says people would be shocked at how much the places cost taxpayers.
Austin is asking the city to look at ways to take action after a drug house bylaw was replaced by one with less "teeth" after changes made by the valley's main cities. "It was under the guise of streamlining services up and down the valley, or potential litigation, someone could challenge it through litigation and overturn it, so they've taken that crack shack bylaw that targeted them off the books, and we don't have that anymore."
Councillor Patrick Nicol says the problem comes when the drug operator owns the house. "They have rights that extend these legal processes way beyond what they normally should, where in rental cases we were able to act (use the bylaw) quite quickly." Nicol says the city will see what they can do, , adding the Nuisance bylaw may be one way. "There is some suggestion that within the nuisance bylaw you may have an opportunity and that's what the RCMP is looking at , and that's what they'll look at legally as well."
City staff say parts of the previous bylaw were deemed illegal.
Photo: Jane Austin makes a presentation to Vernon council on Monday (P.McIntyre)
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Jane Austin speaks for 49 families in the East Hill Blockwatch says are fed-up with being being robbed, threatened and intimidated by a drug house at the top of 30-th Avenue. She says the crack houses have an enormous cost, and in a time of tying to justify costs of policing, fire and emergency service, they use them all. Austin says people would be shocked at how much the places cost taxpayers.Austin is asking the city to look at ways to take action after a drug house bylaw was replaced by one with less "teeth" after changes made by the valley's main cities. "It was under the guise of streamlining services up and down the valley, or potential litigation, someone could challenge it through litigation and overturn it, so they've taken that crack shack bylaw that targeted them off the books, and we don't have that anymore."
Councillor Patrick Nicol says the problem comes when the drug operator owns the house. "They have rights that extend these legal processes way beyond what they normally should, where in rental cases we were able to act (use the bylaw) quite quickly." Nicol says the city will see what they can do, , adding the Nuisance bylaw may be one way. "There is some suggestion that within the nuisance bylaw you may have an opportunity and that's what the RCMP is looking at , and that's what they'll look at legally as well."
City staff say parts of the previous bylaw were deemed illegal.
Photo: Jane Austin makes a presentation to Vernon council on Monday (P.McIntyre)
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East Hill Blockwatch Decries End to Safe Premises Bylaw
Spokesperson says neighbours robbed, threatened by crack house patrons
Members of an East Hill neighbourhood have had to deal with ``seedy, skulking drug behaviour'' due to a local crack shack, according to a spokesperson for the local Blockwatch. Jane Austin urged city council on Monday to find a way to root out the problem which left neighbours in a state of fear and anxiety over robberies, prostitution and other criminal behaviour. Austin, accompanied by a large delegation of Blockwatch members, asked what would replace a `safe premises' bylaw that had been rescinded by Okanagan municipalities due to legal concerns. Austin suggested making residents or owners of drug houses pay for the time spent by emergencies services dealing with their presence. ``There's nothing like a bill to get your attention,'' she said. City staff say authorities are dealing with crack houses under other bylaws although there is uncertainty about the strength of these laws.
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