Penticton council pushing for Car 40 program from the province at the UBMC – Penticton News

Penticton City Council said that they will be laying out their plans for creating a safe and secure community to as many provincial cabinet ministers who will listen at the upcoming Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM).

“Our goal this year at UBCM is to keep these issues alive, not to let them slide onto the back-burner until there’s a major flare-up that grabs the media’s attention,” Mayor John Vassilaki said in a press release. “Council has taken many steps towards creating a safer community, but we’re at the stage where we need partners to step up and take action. The issues remain and we can’t do this alone.”

Council is pushing for the Car 40 program to be implemented in Penticton, which pairs a mental health professional with an RCMP officer in responding to mental health calls. The program has the support of the local RCMP and other organizations, but there has been no movement from Interior Health.

“We have a motion urging the province to support a provincial program with appropriate and sustainable funding,” Vassilaki said. “We’re going straight to Health Minister Adrian Dix and Mental Health and Addictions Minister Sheila Malcolmson. The province says all the right words and we’ll be looking for the right actions – funding.”

The City said they have requested meetings with Municipal Affairs Minister Nathan Cullen, Minister of Health Adrian Dix, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Sheila Malcolmson and Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth.

Council will be taking the floor to discuss the challenges that lack of support through programs like Car 40 has on communities with colleagues and at issue-specific workshops.

Citing an independent review of supportive housing sites in Penticton that was published in May following a request from the city council last year, the city said that major gaps in the types of accommodation and services provided are one of the major issues.

“We’re worried there is going to be a significant slowing of support due to the extreme changes at BC Housing,” Vassilaki said. “We have a simple request from the province: work with us and let’s do it right. All of our residents deserve to feel safe and cared for and unilateral actions don’t do that.”

As well, the ongoing challenge of ‘catch-and-release’ of prolific offenders is on the agenda.

“It’s a problem plaguing communities across the province and we need the provincial government to do something about it,” Vassilaki said. “The RCMP are doing everything they can but 20 prolific offenders in Penticton are averaging more than 90 contacts. It’s not sustainable for the officers and it’s creating challenges for residents. It needs to stop.”

Council is traveling to Whistler between Sept. 12 and 16 to attend the UBCM.

A complete itinerary of council’s meetings, workshops and clinics will be released next week.