OLDS — A proposed bylaw that would have outlawed panhandling in Olds was defeated when Coun. Harvey Walsh opposed a motion to give it three readings in one sitting during council’s March 25 meeting.
But the idea is not dead.
Chief administrative officer Brent Williams told council plans are to include panhandling in a persons and places bylaw, expected to come before council for approval in mid-summer.
Walsh said he wasn’t comfortable with the bylaw because he believes it’s over-reach, that panhandling is not illegal.
“We’re taking a situation that is not illegal in Canada and making it illegal in Olds and I’m going, ‘that’s a pretty serious bylaw that we’re being asked to create,’” he said.
Walsh also said he needed to see statistics on the extent of the problem.
“We should have the numbers, the incidents,” he said.
“My spider senses go off when we’re saying ‘for the safety of the community.’ I need to know what has been unsafe out in the community.”
Williams and protective services director Justin Andrew told council the impetus for the bylaw was the fact that people have been complaining that in front of some stores in the community – especially grocery stores – they’ve been harassed by panhandlers asking for money.
“We have noticed a recent spike in panhandling activities in town throughout the winter and into the spring, certainly,” Williams said.
“We felt that a simple bylaw providing municipal enforcement and RCMP with the ability to enforce panhandling in Olds is prudent to get the council to pass as soon as possible.”
Andrew echoed Williams’ point.
He said it appears that these panhandlers come from out of town and are “taking advantage somewhat of the goodwill and the hospitality of people in rural communities.”
“We need this tool in our toolbox so that our enforcement officers can take those situations and manage them appropriately through the application of a fairly stiff fine structure to deter that kind of future behaviour.”
Andrew stressed that the first practice of police and municipal enforcement officers is to offer help for people who are resorting to panhandling – connections with the Mountain View Food Bank or whatever social services help they may need.
Mayor Judy Dahl worried about what impact the bylaw may have on buskers who come to the community in the summer.
“I wouldn’t want to be that strict, that we’d have to stop allowing these young musicians and/or individuals to bring a festival-type scene to our community,” she said.
Deputy mayor Heather Ryan confirmed panhandling is occurring in the community. She said she herself has been confronted by them at three different stores.
She and Coun. Darren Wilson said they too would like to see figures on the extent of the problem but ultimately supported giving all three readings to the bylaw when it came to a vote.
Andrew confirmed to Ryan that both RCMP and municipal enforcement officers would enforce the bylaw.
In response to Walsh’s concern, Andrew said it’s difficult to provide statistics on the extent of the problem because at this point it’s not actually illegal for people to panhandle.
However, he said the town is receiving complaints that panhandlers are becoming increasingly aggressive.
“When they start to get questioned by people about ‘why can’t you give me some money? You obviously bought groceries, you can afford to give me some money,’ it starts to change your feeling and perception of the experience of just going to the grocery store,” he said.
“The intent is not that we’re seeing these fines being issued on a regular basis, but again, it’s kind of having that big stick,” Andrew said.
“Law enforcement is here to help people, we’re not here to hurt people and we’ll always endeavour to do the right thing for people to help them,” he added.
“Sometimes again, we just need an extra tool in the toolbox.”
Walsh voted against the bylaw when it came up for first and second reading.
When Wilson moved that council unanimously agree to consider third and final reading for the panhandling bylaw, Walsh voted against that, too, thereby preventing it from being passed.
“It’s defeated then,” Dahl said. “I look forward to this coming back to council in the future.”
