Rural Crime meeting brings flaws with Alberta justice system to light

Battle River-Wainwright MLA Wes Taylor hosted a Rural Crime meeting in Killam on Thursday, June 22. Above, from left: Taylor, Cst. William Edgar, Opposition Leader Brian Jean, Corporal Trent Cleveland, NCO/ic Killam RCMP Detachment, and Scott Cyr, MLA for Bonnyville-Cold Lake.

Battle River-Wainwright MLA Wes Taylor hosted a Rural Crime Town Hall meeting, inviting Bonnyville-Cold Lake MLA Scott Cyr, former Justice Shadow Minister, and Wildrose Party Leader and MLA Brian Jean.

Local RCMP Corporal Trent Cleveland, and Cst. William Edgar were also along, as well as representatives from Flagstaff Rural Crime Watch Society, who were signing up new members.

Taylor took the floor first and welcomed the modest crowd to the Killam Community Centre, bringing a special welcome to Beaver County Councillors, and Reeve Kevin Smook, also acknowledging those Hardisty residents who turned his Feb. 23 Town Hall meeting in Hardisty into a meeting about rural crime.

“We want to get something done, as Albertans,” said Taylor, who says the information and opinions shared over the evening, and other similar meetings in the province will be compiled and put in to a package for the current government; “Or for us if it’s ignored.”

Taylor said in a way the Hardisty meeting highlighted the need to talk about rural crime and the justice system throughout the province, especially in rural Alberta.

He introduced Jean, who stood up and said, “What an honour it is to be an elected official in Alberta.”

Jean reviewed his past, including his years as a criminal lawyer, saying that he sees the justice system falling apart. “The safety of our communities is at risk, and the opportunity for change is slipping through our hands.”
He told the crowd that the provincial government is spending more money on interest to big banks than it spends on the entire justice system.

Jean gave statistics on increasing property crime, and violent crimes, “Committed by the same people who are going through Alberta’s revolving door of justice.”

“We are concerned about an 18 per cent increase in crime, and 12 per cent increase in violent crime, as well as the upsweep in dangerous drugs, with drug use taking more than one Albertan every day, and the increasing use of fentanyl.

“It will kill you. It’s not just in the cities, it happens everywhere. We need to set up a system to keep Albertans safe.”